Have a chance?

[Techno]

I need some advice. Im in my second year going into winter semester with horrible grades.

I have 8 W's 2 D's 2 C's and an F (which i got from retaking a class i got a D in). Yes, they are mostly pre req courses. I know its ridiculous but i was sure i just wanted a degree, and i didnt think it was a big deal. Obviously i changed my mind, but im wondering if its even worth it?

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[Mobius1985]

Wow, that's pretty awful. But there is a way to redeem yourself. It would involve retaking all those classes and getting As and Bs in them (but mostly As). Do you have what it takes to accomplish that? DO medical schools are very forgiving and would replace a bad grade with the most recent retake. (MD medical schools average a retaken grade with the original, and redemption would take several years longer, so I'm not suggesting that route.) What do you think? Are you really motivated to succeed?

 

[chessknt]

Mobius is right, DO route is a good choice for their grade replacement policy. But if you are failing classes because you dont understand them, med school might not be a good choice.

 

[Techno]

Thanks for your advice guys.
I dont think it was a problem with the material, mostly extreme laziness and partying too much. Do you really think i should retake those classes? What if i just improved and did well in upper level courses? Is MD out of the question? I have had a hard time finding motivation, i don't think i know what true motivation is.

 

[Mobius1985]

You said the bad grades are mostly prerequisites. They cover material you must master to do well on the MCAT. Your future application needs to demonstrate that you are an entirely new person. Taking those same classes and getting straight As will demonstrate that, and help assure that you have a better shot at a great MCAT score. If you had one or two isolated bad grades, redemption via an A in a course higher in the same sequence would have been an option.

Come back after you've demonstrated two years of straight As, and we can evaluate if MD is a reasonable option for you.

 

[HeatherMD]

you got a D in a class, then re-took it and got an F? Harsh!

I'm concerned that the above comprises 13 courses, and assuming you took the full courseload of ~5 courses a semester, 15 total over the past 3 semesters, you're not exactly set up for success.

Medical school is a long, long way from you now. Why not try very hard to bring up your grades over the next year or two, and ask about your chances then?

I understand you didn't really care and just wanted a degree, but I don't know how you could expect to graduate with those marks. That GPA would automatically put you on academic probation at almost any institution after first year, and your failure to repair it this past semester should have resulted in expulsion.

You have an uphill battle, but is all hope lost? No. You can still go to medical school, but get ready to work your ass off for it.

 

[Slowpoke]

Advice from everyone here is solid.

OP, you need to get your act together real fast if you want a chance at ANY medical school (Be it MD or even DO)... It is crucial that you settle down and start doing your work YESTERDAY. You already understand why you aren't getting the A's, you are well aware of your lack of motivation, so now you can adapt to your situation and overcome it or you can just continue to party.

if you continue to let yourself fail... and your passion is for medicine... well thats just..

 

[Mobius1985]

I have had a hard time finding motivation, i don't think i know what true motivation is.

Maybe it would be best to take some time off from school, work, and get your head together. It's amazing how working at an entry level job can motivate one to excel in school. I credit my time at K-Mart for showing me the light.

 

[Techno]

Maybe it would be best to take some time off from school, work, and get your head together. It's amazing how working at an entry level job can motivate one to excel in school. I credit my time at K-Mart for showing me the light.

Thanks again for your thoughts and advice guys. I know its been a while, but I need some more help!

So I decided to think about this, taking a year off from school. My sister who is in pharmacy told me that this is a good idea for someone like me. She said after all these bad grades ect.. it would be good to take a year off and then come back with my head right.

The problem is Im not exactly sure if I wanna "waste" a year of my life if Im already set on medicine. If i did take a year off, I would be working full time, so it would be nice to have some extra money. I also think that if i take a year off I would miss school and come back fresh and work harder?

But what if I just went to school in the fall again. Im obviously not going to make the same mistakes. Im wondering what is a good reason to take a year off in undergrad, and when is it a good time to do so?

THANKS GUYS!

 

[Techno]

Anyone?

I wrote a pro and cons list for each decision. Going back to school won, but barely....

It would be nice to hear from someone who made a similar decision, or just someone's opinion about it??

 

[Mobius1985]

Are you in school now? If so, how are your grades shaping up so far. Do they demonstrate that you've turned a corner and become a new person? If so, go to school in the fall and continue the new pattern of achievement.

If not, well your sister knows you better than we do. If you stay in school before you find your motivation button, you're just digging a deeper and deeper GPA hole for yourself that eventually will be impossible to recover from.

If you read this "What are my chances?" forum widely, you'll find many people just like you who came back to school after some time off and are successfully working to fulfill their dreams.

 

[sling787]

You definitely shot your self pretty bad in the foot with those grades. But all hope is not gone. I would suggest a D.O route, as I'm pretty sure a M.D route is not going to work. If you really want the letters M.D than go to the carribean, but just know it will be really hard getting a residency in anything that isn't primary care. Granted, if you do well in medical school and score well on the USMLE, you should still be able to get a good residency.

 

[witness23]

you are young, so you think of working as a waste of a year. however, i know that if i could do it again, I would have taken a year off to work somewhere.

i graduated school in 3 years (no summer courses, still partied hard - woke up in hospitals, vans, bushes). i would spend a lot of time in the gym, doing random volunteering i was passionate about, or talking (a lot) with all the ppl up in nyc. always used to study the night before exams, never going to class, not knowing when something was due. you know the story. its stressful, but it is no where as stressful as real life.

it took me a good 4 months to get offers for a job with my chem/math degree (sure it was 70kish at a pharma). but thats not what i wanted out of life. i decided to do what i want and took the lowest paying job that i have ever had, doing research.

I took the job because it offered me a lot of independence and the ability to push and learn (things that were important to me). While thats all and good, rest of my life is really really tough because of the nominal wage w/o any benefits. I can't afford to keep up with a lot of my college friends because its just too expensive.

I wish I had experienced this after my freshman year. I would have had worked my ass off for 4.0s.

The point is, take the year off, your ego and your personality will choose a direction in life (eventually). If medicine is what you want, you will run over the challenges in your path and be highly rewarded.

I highly suggest everyone to take time off. It maybe a bit harder for you than others (i actually never got less than a B), and it maybe easier than for some. That should never discourage you or stop you from being proactive.

Good luck!

 

[Techno]

I am in school right now and have been working really hard in the classes Im taking. It made sense to me to retake everything like mobius had said in an earlier post, so this is what Im doing. I'll be retaking every class. I hope this will work in my favor when i apply in about four years.

OK, as for taking a year off, i thought of this because i thought adcoms would see that after getting these terrible grades i took a year off worked volunteer, came back, and did much better. Im not even sure if they care about things like this? Anyways, it seems like either decision will benefit me greatly.

Im worried that when i apply the competition will be huge and i wont even get a chance. Im doing everything i can now to make myself look like a better candidate for med.

 

[Techno]

You definitely shot your self pretty bad in the foot with those grades. But all hope is not gone. I would suggest a D.O route, as I'm pretty sure a M.D route is not going to work. If you really want the letters M.D than go to the carribean, but just know it will be really hard getting a residency in anything that isn't primary care. Granted, if you do well in medical school and score well on the USMLE, you should still be able to get a good residency.

 

[Appless]

Id agree with the whole year off thing. I took one semester of school had a 1.8 GPA and then quit for 2 years. I worked a ton of bad jobs during this time and really it helped motivate me not to be a dr, but to at least take school more seriously and not mess around. I worked in a CD making factory, cookie factory, blockbuster, target...lol god those were the worst jobs. After that I went back to school and did fine. I really valued those 2 years I had off it helped clear my head and see what was really important!