How do I know if I’m smart enough for med school?

[No Thank You]

I struggle in science classes and my GPA is terrible (I mean less than a 2.0). I’m in my second year of college and am not sure if I’m really cut out to be a doctor. I’m even struggling to do labs, LABS! I don’t have a learning disability or anything like that. I just want to get another opinion before I change my major or drop out.
Thank you.

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[Robin-jay]

Something is very wrong if you average a GPA less than 2.0.

figure out a way to study? Time management?

 

[No Thank You]

Something is very wrong if you average a GPA less than 2.0.

figure out a way to study? Time management?

I do study. I have good time management skills. It just takes me a lot longer to learn stuff and I forget really easily.

If you think something is wrong, maybe I should think about another academic path.

 

[Robin-jay]

I do study.

Not well. You need to find the issue and fix it.

I have good time management skills.

No, you don't...

It just takes me a lot longer to learn stuff and I forget really easily.

Practice fixing this then.

If you think something is wrong, maybe I should think about another academic path.

I think you need to figure out your study deficits and fix them. For any career.

 

[Cheenghee Koh]

To OP, I think perhaps you may want to talk to the counselor at your school. No, you don't need to have some personal problems in order to see them. What you described here is already a good reason for you to seek out help. It is internet here, and difficult to really know what has happened to you in school. A counselor can help you to sort things out, and practice new skills, and try out in your other courses to see whether the new skills work or not. Best wishes!!

 

[No Thank You]

Practice fixing this then.

Okay, when there’s a way to change the way my brain is designed, I sure will fix it.

I’m also average in subjects like English, just not STEM courses, that’s the problem.

 

[No Thank You]

To OP, I think perhaps you may want to talk to the counselor at your school. No, you don't need to have some personal problems in order to see them. What you described here is already a good reason for you to seek out help. It is internet here, and difficult to really know what has happened to you in school. A counselor can help you to sort things out, and practice new skills, and try out in your other courses to see whether the new skills work or not. Best wishes!!

My counselors are very discouraging so I don’t really trust them.

 

[btuck]

My counselors are very discouraging so I don’t really trust them.

Find one that you like. What kind of school do you go to?

 

[No Thank You]

Find one that you like. What kind of school do you go to?

I go to community college. They told me before I even started that I shouldn’t even bother with my major. I basically had to prove to them that I could even take classes there, even though my GPA was fine. I don’t want to talk to them.

 

[Cheenghee Koh]

I go to community college. They told me before I even started that I shouldn’t even bother with my major. I basically had to prove to them that I could even take classes there, even though my GPA was fine. I don’t want to talk to them.

I am sorry to hear that it seems the counselor at your school seems not quite familiar with MD application. You can apply to MD regardless your majors. However, what I am thinking is not to ask them to help you get into medical school. That should not be your focus here and now. What you have to work on here is your study methods. Seems you are highly motivated, perhaps there are something not quite working in your study approaches. That is what I am thinking about - to ask for help to work on your study habits, not help you in your MD application. Put that aside as for now. =)

 

[No Thank You]

I am sorry to hear that it seems the counselor at your school seems not quite familiar with MD application. You can apply to MD regardless your majors. However, what I am thinking is not to ask them to help you get into medical school. That should not be your focus here and now. What you have to work on here is your study methods. Seems you are highly motivated, perhaps there are something not quite working in your study approaches. That is what I am thinking about - to ask for help to work on your study habits, not help you in your MD application. Put that aside as for now. =)

I have a feeling they’ll just tell me to take 3 years and drop some classes but I guess I’ll try again.

 

[No Thank You]

Yeah... I know.
I think I was trying to say that I am okay in other subjects but not like the hard science and math classes so I don’t think it’s my study methods since I can study for other things and not totally fail.

 

[Robin-jay]

Yeah... I know.
I think I was trying to say that I am okay in other subjects but not like the hard science and math classes so I don’t think it’s my study methods since I can study for other things and not totally fail.

Just keep improving your science/math studying.

 

[Cheenghee Koh]

I have a feeling they’ll just tell me to take 3 years and drop some classes but I guess I’ll try again.

I think, if they do that, say "No" (you are allowed to say that to your counselor). Tell them that you want to improve your skills in studying. That is your main focus. Tell them your needs. They should be happy to help. If they persist that they are not going to help you on that, then try another counselor.

 

[No Thank You]

I have a feeling they’ll just tell me to take 3 years and drop some classes but I guess I’ll try again.

I think, if they do that, say "No" (you are allowed to say that to your counselor). Tell them that you want to improve your skills in studying. That is your main focus. Tell them your needs. They should be happy to help. If they persist that they are not going to help you on that, then try another counselor.

I’ll try. Thanks. If this doesn’t work, I guess I’ll just change majors.

 

[No Thank You]

Just keep improving your science/math studying.

I do. I do practice problems like everyone says and I think I’m not smart enough to do this. You’re probably annoyed by me commenting back so I won’t bother you anymore. Thank you

 

[Robin-jay]

I do. I do practice problems like everyone says and I think I’m not smart enough to do this. You’re probably annoyed by me commenting back so I won’t bother you anymore. Thank you

Just keep practicing. That's all there is to it.

 

[Cheenghee Koh]

I’ll try. Thanks. If this doesn’t work, I guess I’ll just change majors.

Again, medical students come in all majors. I am applying this cycle, I am a social worker by training and a psy and sociology major in my undergrads. I didn't take any bio/chem/physics class until 2 years ago when I started my post-bac. By the way, English is my third language. What you need is to keep trying, and trying smartly (get some help from right people).

 

[No Thank You]

Again, medical students come in all majors. I am applying this cycle, I am a social worker by training and a psy and sociology major in my undergrads. I didn't take any bio/chem/physics class until 2 years ago when I started my post-bac. By the way, English is my third language. What you need is to keep trying, and trying smartly (get some help from right people).

When I say change majors, I mean forget medical school altogether, haha. I’m still struggling to do the basic medical school prerequisites and struggling so I was thinking of doing something else.

 

[Lucca]

If you score above a 500 on the McAT and can keep a GPA above 3.2 then you have a very high (>90%) chance of successfully graduating from medical school. If you have stats that are actually competitive for medical school (3.4/505+) then you will be even more likely to succeed. The average matriculant (509/3.7) has a less than 2% chance of dropping out of med school for academic reasons.

 

[No Thank You]

If you score above a 500 on the McAT and can keep a GPA above 3.2 then you have a very high (>90%) chance of successfully graduating from medical school. If you have stats that are actually competitive for medical school (3.4/505+) then you will be even more likely to succeed. The average matriculant (509/3.7) has a less than 2% chance of dropping out of med school for academic reasons.

The most I will get is a 2.8 at the end of my four years. And a 500 on the MCAT is a bit high for me. Maybe I’ll do something else haha

 

[Lucca]

The most I will get is a 2.8 at the end of my four years. And a 500 on the MCAT is a bit high for me. Maybe I’ll do something else haha

People who had a rough time in undergrad have successfully reinvented themselves but it takes many years (and many thousands of dollars) to do that (eg through a postbacc or SMP). That way is also only a good idea if you know why you are struggling in school and ready to turn it around.

But this career isn’t for everyone. Standardized testing will never go away if you continue in medicine. Studying, reading papers, textbooks etc and learning large volumes of information will be a part of your training for a very, very long time. If you don’t think you can at least tolerate that, then the smart thing to do is pick another career.

 

[PreMedMissteps]

The most I will get is a 2.8 at the end of my four years. And a 500 on the MCAT is a bit high for me. Maybe I’ll do something else haha

This just isn’t your forte. It doesn’t mean that you’re not “smart”. Smart people are rarely smart in lots of areas. Find your niche.

 

[OrthoTraumaMD]

Sounds like you should find another field that you would be successful in


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[Rajaredhilu]

The most I will get is a 2.8 at the end of my four years. And a 500 on the MCAT is a bit high for me. Maybe I’ll do something else haha

Never fear. There are other routes, you can try for podiatry school if you cant get into a med school as their admission standards are in fact lower. (~3.0, 496)

 

[MedicineN'Jazz]

I struggle in science classes and my GPA is terrible (I mean less than a 2.0). I’m in my second year of college and am not sure if I’m really cut out to be a doctor. I’m even struggling to do labs, LABS! I don’t have a learning disability or anything like that. I just want to get another opinion before I change my major or drop out.
Thank you.

Honestly, it sounds like you have two issues: 1 is your lack of self confidence and 2 is your studying habits. For the first 1, I can’t help you out...and you may never be able to fix it. So “fake it until you make it.” For the second issue, I suggest that you meditate and self-reflect on how you’re studying and how you best assimilate information. Does it take you a bit longer to process things? Do you relentlessly pursue the answer to something you don’t know? Are you turning to the professor for help aka your biggest resource? Are you cramming for your exams? Let me tell you what I do, and then you can decide to tweak your style as you like.

I pre-read the slides or lecture notes the night before. Doing this, I highlight and write notes in an attempt to understand as much as possible. I then go to class from 8 am - 3 pm and study from 3 pm - 3am. During that time, I reread over the lectures and if I don’t get a concept, I shoot the professor over an email. In the meantime, I turn to other resources and read them (since they are usually much more readable lol). And then I use the professors answers as rich data to help me assimilate the knowledge. So far it’s working for me. And I would in no way, call myself smart.

Good luck OP! And remember self-reflection is a journey, not a marathon. You’ll “get it” eventually. So in the meantime, don’t compare yourself to others

 

[Weirdy]

Never fear. There are other routes, you can try for podiatry school if you cant get into a med school as their admission standards are in fact lower. (~3.0, 496)

You can get in.

You won't finish.

 

[Goro]

I do study. I have good time management skills. It just takes me a lot longer to learn stuff and I forget really easily.

If you think something is wrong, maybe I should think about another academic path.

Go visit your school's learning or education center.

 

[Robin-jay]

Never fear. There are other routes, you can try for podiatry school if you cant get into a med school as their admission standards are in fact lower. (~3.0, 496)

Podiatric medicine is still medicine. If OP has trouble getting in now, how is he going to compete with DO and MD students in his podiatry courses (let alone other podiatry students)?

 

[Rajaredhilu]

Podiatric medicine is still medicine. If OP has trouble getting in now, how is he going to compete with DO and MD students in his podiatry courses (let alone other podiatry students)?

Thats a good point.
im interested, do pod students take classes with MD and DO students?

 

[Robin-jay]

Thats a good point.
im interested, do pod students take classes with MD and DO students?

Depends on the school.

DMU podiatry students take the exact same courses and are graded the exact same way as the DO students there.

I believe podiatry take the same courses as MD students at Scholl.

However, that isn't to diminish podiatry student only schools.

All in all, allopathic, ostepathic, and podiatric students take the exact same classes, regardless of school.

Only difference is that DO students have additional OMM courses, and podiatry students have additional lower extremity courses.

 

[Walter Raleigh]

The most I will get is a 2.8 at the end of my four years. And a 500 on the MCAT is a bit high for me. Maybe I’ll do something else haha

It really depends. Exhaust your available options. With a couple years of 3.7+ and a 515+ MCAT, some MD schools might bite. You probably only need a 505+ MCAT for DO schools. If you can't pull that off, medicine is probably not the career for you as securing admission to an American medical school with a low GPA and no upward trend - whether DIY postbacc, SMP, or upward trend from undergrad - and a sub-500 MCAT is very unlikely.

 

[Angus Avagadro]

Depends on the school.

DMU podiatry students take the exact same courses and are graded the exact same way as the DO students there.

I believe podiatry take the same courses as MD students at Scholl.

However, that isn't to diminish podiatry student only schools.

All in all, allopathic, ostepathic, and podiatric students take the exact same classes, regardless of school.

Only difference is that DO students have additional OMM courses, and podiatry students have additional lower extremity courses.

Agreed. My best friend is a DPM, if he dropped his checkbook in the parking lot, I'd burn mine. He is very successful. More importantly, he is an excellent physician. I have several foot issues. Due to distance, I saw a local orthopedic foot and hand specialist. Gave me useless orthotics. I drove the 90 min to see my friend, a couple minor surgeries, and new orthotics, I can walk without pain. They dont get the respect they deserve IMO.

 

[No Thank You]

After careful consideration, I decided to stop taking medical school prerequisites after this semester. I’m also going to look at another major. Everyone here is right. Something is wrong with my study habits. My GPA is not good enough. I would also need a super good MCAT score and, by my description of myself, you should know that it will never happen. Thank you to everyone for your advice. Good luck!

 

[Jocoasty]

Try searching youtube for study techniques and premed tips.

I used to waste a lot of time reading and rereading things until I learned that active learning is the way to go.

Everyone is different and you might have to search really hard to find your preferred method of studying. You might be reading your textbook a million times, but you probably don't remember your vocabulary if someone asked you.

 

[Robin-jay]

After careful consideration, I decided to stop taking medical school prerequisites after this semester. I’m also going to look at another major. Everyone here is right. Something is wrong with my study habits. My GPA is not good enough. I would also need a super good MCAT score and, by my description of myself, you should know that it will never happen. Thank you to everyone for your advice. Good luck!

No one here is saying you should give up your dream to become a physician.

If I were, I would:

1. Shadow a physician
2. If you enjoyed shadowing, maybe it will motivate you to really learn how to study and learn or...
if you hated shadowing, then switch majors. However, please learn to study better regardless, as many careers still do care about your GPA.

 

[No Thank You]

No one here is saying you should give up your dream to become a physician.

If I were, I would:

1. Shadow a physician
2. If you enjoyed shadowing, maybe it will motivate you to really learn how to study and learn or...
if you hated shadowing, then switch majors. However, please learn to study better regardless, as many careers still do care about your GPA.

I wasn’t trying to say you told me to give up. I made up my mind to give up after realizing how bad of a studier I am and how truly competitive it is. I’m not blaming you or anything.

 

[KingSaul]

Buddy, you can do it. I know what you're going through, I've been in your shoes. When everything seemed hopeless, when everything you do seems not to work, when you don't see the light at the end of the tunnel, most of us have gone through that.


Can you tell me how you study?


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[Walter Raleigh]

Don't say it can't happen...but you really should be looking at Plan B. You can take premed prerequisites and major in anything you like. However: from here on out, if you want to get into MD schools, you need a 3.7+ and a good MCAT. Good luck.

 

[mistafab]

Honestly at this point you got bigger problems than getting into medical school.

You are in a school right now and can barely pass. A 2.0 means you have deficits in knowledge or conscientiousness that is cropping up all across your studies. You gotta focus on upping that number - at the very least to prove to your self that you can overcome whatever is stopping you.

 

[No Thank You]

Buddy, you can do it. I know what you're going through, I've been in your shoes. When everything seemed hopeless, when everything you do seems not to work, when you don't see the light at the end of the tunnel, most of us have gone through that.


Can you tell me how you study?

I’m sorry this is late but I decided to drop all my science classes and not pursue medical school if you read above. I don’t think you would need to know how I study, unless you want to know what not to do lol.

 

[No Thank You]

Don't say it can't happen...but you really should be looking at Plan B. You can take premed prerequisites and major in anything you like. However: from here on out, if you want to get into MD schools, you need a 3.7+ and a good MCAT. Good luck.

Thank you. I’m doing my Plan B now instead

 

[No Thank You]

Honestly at this point you got bigger problems than getting into medical school.

You are in a school right now and can barely pass. A 2.0 means you have deficits in knowledge or conscientiousness that is cropping up all across your studies. You gotta focus on upping that number - at the very least to prove to your self that you can overcome whatever is stopping you.

I am changing my major and dropping out of premed classes. That is the only feasible way of getting my GPA up. Thank you.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I am changing my major and dropping out of premed classes. That is the only feasible way of getting my GPA up. Thank you.

Lots of people will tell you not to give up, but it sounds like you have the self awareness and maturity to realize when a field or path is not for you. I’ve been there, and there’s nothing wrong with that. And someone else said it, but I want to reiterate that just because you don’t excel in science courses or wouldn’t do well on the MCAT doesn’t mean you’re not smart. Being smart doesn’t mean you’re good at everything. I’m sure there’s a field out there you can excel in. Good luck.

 

[golfman7]

Switch majors... med school is hard to get into even with a 3.7 plus I stuck it out because I had high grades and got waitlisted... you have no shot of getting in to an MD or DO program do accounting engineering or a career related major. It will take too long to get a high gpa to be competitive and I doubt you would score high enough on the MCAT also... sorry to be harsh but the MCAT is incredibly important and if you can’t handle basic science classes I doubt you will score above a 20

 

[golfman7]

I had a 3.7 years of volunteer experience and a 28 MCAT and got two MD interviews and was rejected post interview at one and waitlisted ten months after interview at the other... you will never get into an MD program with your grades now you have to be perfect. You may be able to get into a low tier DOnor Caribbean school someday but you won’t get into a US MD school in your life...

 

[Cheenghee Koh]

OK, I want to say something a little more encouraging.

To OP, hey, don't treat it like it is an all-or-none decision. Aside from your potential problems in studying in general, please remember, it is not like "you have to do it now or you will never do it in your life time" type of things. Try to treat it like a journey. Some people may have a shorter one, some people may have a longer one, to medicine. It took me almost 20 years.

In my high school, I hated everything in relation to math and sciences. In college, I took 2 required stats classes, and 2 required math classes, and I refused to take any additional math or science classes beyond those 4. In fact, I got two Cs for the second stats and math classes. Then I majored in applied psychology, and worked in human service professions for more than 10 years. During this long process, I changed. I never expected that one day I would receive a graduate degree in math-related disciplines, and then use it for my main source of income. I never expected that, one day I will decide to go to med school in the US, and took all the 9 required science classes in one year, with straight As. Back in the 90s, I hated all those subjects, as I just can not get my head around. My journey led me to some other places, and then led my back to where I began. And this time, things look differently, they all make sense, perfect sense.

What I want to say is, after you switch to other fields, you can see whether you are struggling or not. If you do very well, then perhaps it is not a good time for you to do science. You can go on another journey to see where it leads you to, and then revisit science again a few years later. Things may begin to look different. However, if you find yourself still struggling, then you know you have other issues to work on - it is not science, it is your study approach.

Good luck!

 

[DiscusKeeper]

Okay, when there’s a way to change the way my brain is designed, I sure will fix it.

I’m also average in subjects like English, just not STEM courses, that’s the problem.

If that's the attitude you have, then medicine isn't right for you. It's about adapting your studying to the way you learn, not changing the way you learn. People are giving you good advice and you're being argumentative instead of listening.

 

[PreMedMissteps]

It just takes me a lot longer to learn stuff and I forget really easily.

I’m not saying this to be mean. I’m saying this for you to get another perspective. Would you want a physician who “takes a lot longer to learn stuff” and “forgets really easily”???