How far does a compelling story go?

[ABre1687]

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I don't have spectacular grades so far from my first attempts at school. However I have a very compelling story that has brought me to seriously pursuing medical school.

October 2011, I was 24 years old and was involved in a serious motorcycle accident. I was a passenger on a motorcycle that was traveling 120+MPH. The motorcycle left the ground striking a tree, killing my good friend who was driving the motorcycle. I managed to survive this accident even without wearing a helmet, not without a number of lasting medical conditions. I broke my right leg severely, had contusions on my lungs, sustained process fractures throughout my entire thoracic spine, lumbar hernia, left above knee amputation and a severe diffuse axonal injury(30+ days of PTA). I was in the ICU until October 31st, before moving to an in-patient rehabilitation hospital where I stayed until December 2nd, 2011. I had been expected to live in a nursing home the rest of my life and then started showing tremendous progress. I learned to walk, moved out of my fathers, and starting working full-time by the end of April. Exactly one year to the date of the accident I had completed all legal negotiations; which I handled on my own.

Mid-November I had enrolled in a local community college to give school a shot again and see how I handled school post-traumatic brain injury. So far I've done well. I completed my second composition class and pre-calculus. I received a 3.3. I am currently taking calculus which I am confident that I will receive an 'A' in, as I have scored a 100% on exam 1 and a 94% on exam 2.

Currently I have been continuing to work full-time for a very large bank. I was a short-sale negotiator at the time of the accident but had moved to a less stressful position while I am in school. The Red Cross has written a story on me that they have not informed me of how it will be used but I have the final version of it in my e-mail. I have began writing a book about my experiences. I am pursuing a B.S. in Neuroscience and Economics while completing the required pre-med classes. I have not taken the MCAT yet. I have slight memory issues as a result of my TBI and a tendency to make impulsive decisions.

Some of my personal achievements since the accident was reducing my health care lien from my employer (self-funded ERISA plan) to 10% from 79% with a professionally suggested goal of 50%. I do not use tobacco or alcohol or any substances of any kind. I have got myself into the best shape of my life including losing 80+lbs.

I have aspirations of becoming a neurologist. But I attempted school when I was much less responsible and currently have cGPA of 2.39.I have not started my science courses besides mathematics. I receive accommodations in school in the form of double time on tests and provided notes. I am currently looking to volunteer at a local hospital mostly because this hospital saved my life but also because it will hopefully help my medical school admissions chances. My main purpose of this thread is to tell my story but to also see if anyone has any insight as to my chances of getting into Medical School with the ultimate goal of becoming a Neurologist? I know this is hard to give input on with the lack of science class completion and having not taken the MCAT. If you cannot offer speculation on the odds of me being given the opportunity to pursue my goals but if you have any advice on anything else to improve my chances I would love to hear it.

 

[Trogghunter]

You overcame a lot. I wish you the very best in your process. You have no MCAT, and your GPA isn't amazing but that's not the whole application, especially for osteopathic schools. You honestly should try and get a masters or mph...some sort of advanced degree to prove that you can take advanced classes

Sent from my Nexus 7 using SDN Mobile

 

[FrkyBgStok]

a compelling story will make a competitive candidate very competitive, but it wont make a non competitive student competitive. another thing that is important is that you have to tell your story right. if i was reading about how much youve overcome, that is good. but if i am reading about how you were going 120mph on a motorcycle, i would think you are a careless fool. thats why it is so important that you make your story shine in the ways that it should. but your gpa is going to be a very high hurdle to get over. it is possible, but you gotta get it close to a competitive range. good luck and keep us updated.

 

[ABre1687]

I understand how idiotic it sounds to be traveling 120+MPH on a motorcycle but I was a passenger, I didn't have too much input on those details. I think I've heard that they will weigh more recent performance more heavily. I did take a 2.5 year break from school. Will the traumatic brain injury cause any issues?

 

[gyngyn]

I understand how idiotic it sounds to be traveling 120+MPH on a motorcycle but I was a passenger, I didn't have too much input on those details. I think I've heard that they will weigh more recent performance more heavily. I did take a 2.5 year break from school. Will the traumatic brain injury cause any issues?

Medical schools (like law enforcement, pilots...) have technical standards for admission. You might check the websites for schools in your state to see if you have mental or physical deficits that can not be reasonably accomodated.

 

[The_Sunny_Doc]

I don't have spectacular grades so far from my first attempts at school. However I have a very compelling story that has brought me to seriously pursuing medical school.

October 2011, I was 24 years old and was involved in a serious motorcycle accident. I was a passenger on a motorcycle that was traveling 120+MPH. The motorcycle left the ground striking a tree, killing my good friend who was driving the motorcycle. I managed to survive this accident even without wearing a helmet, not without a number of lasting medical conditions. I broke my right leg severely, had contusions on my lungs, sustained process fractures throughout my entire thoracic spine, lumbar hernia, left above knee amputation and a severe diffuse axonal injury(30+ days of PTA). I was in the ICU until October 31st, before moving to an in-patient rehabilitation hospital where I stayed until December 2nd, 2011. I had been expected to live in a nursing home the rest of my life and then started showing tremendous progress. I learned to walk, moved out of my fathers, and starting working full-time by the end of April. Exactly one year to the date of the accident I had completed all legal negotiations; which I handled on my own.

Mid-November I had enrolled in a local community college to give school a shot again and see how I handled school post-traumatic brain injury. So far I've done well. I completed my second composition class and pre-calculus. I received a 3.3. I am currently taking calculus which I am confident that I will receive an 'A' in, as I have scored a 100% on exam 1 and a 94% on exam 2.

Currently I have been continuing to work full-time for a very large bank. I was a short-sale negotiator at the time of the accident but had moved to a less stressful position while I am in school. The Red Cross has written a story on me that they have not informed me of how it will be used but I have the final version of it in my e-mail. I have began writing a book about my experiences. I am pursuing a B.S. in Neuroscience and Economics while completing the required pre-med classes. I have not taken the MCAT yet. I have slight memory issues as a result of my TBI and a tendency to make impulsive decisions.

Some of my personal achievements since the accident was reducing my health care lien from my employer (self-funded ERISA plan) to 10% from 79% with a professionally suggested goal of 50%. I do not use tobacco or alcohol or any substances of any kind. I have got myself into the best shape of my life including losing 80+lbs.

I have aspirations of becoming a neurologist. But I attempted school when I was much less responsible and currently have cGPA of 2.39.I have not started my science courses besides mathematics. I receive accommodations in school in the form of double time on tests and provided notes. I am currently looking to volunteer at a local hospital mostly because this hospital saved my life but also because it will hopefully help my medical school admissions chances. My main purpose of this thread is to tell my story but to also see if anyone has any insight as to my chances of getting into Medical School with the ultimate goal of becoming a Neurologist? I know this is hard to give input on with the lack of science class completion and having not taken the MCAT. If you cannot offer speculation on the odds of me being given the opportunity to pursue my goals but if you have any advice on anything else to improve my chances I would love to hear it.

Do you think you could swing a 3.5+ post bacc gpa taking all the premed reqs and those upper division sciences you'll need for a B.S.? Do you traditionally do well on standardized tests (ACT, SAT)?

It sounds like you have been through a lot. It is definitely a compelling story. I am in awe of your strength! You are a survivor if there ever was one.

 

[ABre1687]

Thank you for the kind words, Sunnymd01! The classes I am taking currently I have taken post traumatic brain injury, I have done very well in. These upper level sciences I am confident in my ability to pass them, as for attaining a 3.5 average might be a stretch. Not being negative just realistic. Standardized testing is an area of mystery for me as I haven't taken a standardized test since my TBI. So it really can be unaffected or dramatically impaired. But I believe I would be able to overcome this with preparation to a decent extent.

gyngyn, I had seen the school requirements but never these technical requirements. I knew something of this sort had to exist but wasn't sure what to look for. Thank you! However this makes my goals seem a bit more questionable you would be amazed at what sorts of physical fatigue thinking can create post traumatic brain injury.

 

[Travex]

It seems a bit early to worry about how compelling your story/PS is going to be. You still have a lot of pre-reqs to take, you should worry about doing well in those courses first. DO schools have grade replacement so if possible you should retake whatever grades brought your GPA down so low.

Out of curiosity (feel free to not answer this)... You mentioned an amputation, what is your mobility like?

 

[StIGMA]

You should leave the details about the crash to the bare minimum. Your friend was committing a felony in most states by going that fast. If you use the story, simply state you were a passenger in a serious automobile accident where the driver passed away and then document the subsequent details and how it changed your life/made you a better person and so on.

The way the story reads now sounds like many people who have had a drug/drinking/other offense/institutional action that they learned from.

As another poster stated, your best bet is retaking your worst courses so that you can use the grade replacement option for a DO program. This depends on the number of hours that you have left- if you can raies your cGPA to above 3.5 or so without grade replacement, then still consider both DO and MD programs. Please look into DO programs and their grade replacement policies.

If you are able to obtain & maintain a good GPA and succeed on the MCAT, your story will be very compelling, and I would certainly want to meet you in person (eg: offer you an interview).

 

[eablackwell]

I agree with many of the posts here that you are jumping the gun a bit wondering how compelling your story will be, however, I see where you're coming from. You want to know if a good story will make up for some other issues. The answer is a resounding "It depends."
Get your prereqs behind you and you'll have a better idea.

About 5 years ago I was in a similar situation. I already had a bachelors in something very non-sciencey, and although I had a near 4.0 GPA in my prereqs and my last 2 years of undergrad (which I finished prior to my prereqs) I had done unbelievably crappy my freshman year, in what was almost all science courses.

I applied to med school with a 3.3 cgpa/3.1 sgpa. I am in a wheelchair (T12 SCI) and I had a very compelling story which I managed to present well. However, I also had my last 2 yrs + prereq grades supporting my app, and a ton of extracurriculars/volunteer experience. Being an Olympian didn't hurt either. I made a mistake and took my MCAT the week before I had finals in my orgo2/physics2/calc3 semester while working full time as a chem teacher. Bad idea. I ended up with a 28. Don't do that. REALLY study for the MCAT if you decide to go down this path. I generally blow standardized tests out of the water, so I didn't take it serious enough.

Despite that I ended up getting an early interview at what was then my 2nd choice school, and here I am in the middle of M3 year. I'm just telling you this to show that yes, compelling stories matter, but you need to present yourself well on paper and in person while being able to show that you have the ability to handle the weight of med school. Your TBI is not necessarily precluding you from med school. I have a friend at my school who had a TBI as a teen and that person is #1 in the class academically. It depends on how much it affects you now. You list memory and impulsivity problems. Keep that in mind when you think that you will be making important life-altering choices for people. It will not look good on an app to say you are overly impulsive, for whatever reason.

The leg amputation should not be an issue. I work in the OR in a standing wheelchair. I'm basically Optimus Prime with a stethoscope. 😉 So don't worry about that.

Take time to think this over and decide if it is really something you think you can and want to do (both are imperative). Then make yourself amazing, beyond the background story.

Good luck!

 

[ABre1687]

I really do appreciate everyone's input!

Travex: My mobility is very good. I do not fall too much and my balance is very good except when lifting anything over 30lbs and moving with it. I can also stand for long periods of time and walk moderate distances, I say moderate because I have yet to walk any sort of distance over 3 miles at once.

StIGMA: I posted the unabridged version here. Anything that would get sent to a medical school will be much more bare bones about the accident itself. Is there any drawbacks as far as obtaining a DO as opposed to an MD? I'm very confident in my ability to get the get my GPA up to a respectable level, the MCAT is my biggest mystery point. I think I should be able to handle standardized tests well but I guess I'll just have to wait and see. Thanks for the kind words!

eblackwell: I knew I would be getting ahead of myself but I didn't want to spend the time/money pursuing something that wasn't attainable, I was looking for advice from those who have done some more research than I or someone who has been through the process. I do appreciate you sharing your insights and own personal experience. I have thought about the weight of the job itself and the brain injury and how it affects my thought processes. There are memory issues but nothing too debilitating it's more of a slow recall and the impulsivity comes more with purchasing things than anything else. There are issues present, I would consider them miniscule. I have given this a lot of thought and really want to pursue this career.

I am currently completing my preliminary volunteering requirements at the hospital whose ICU I stayed in tomorrow so I can begin volunteering by mid-August. I am meeting with an advisor at my university to declare pre-neuroscience as a major officially, in addition to economics, and to discuss medical school. I applied for a part-time job today that would offer benefits and time-flexibility. So if everything falls into place here soon it will just be a matter of checking classes off the list and getting A's.

 

[emmef]

You have the perfect personal statement to get you into med school. Your physical disabilities sound like they won't be a problem, but you should check with the schools you're applying to. The issue, as others have mentioned, is your low GPA. If you can get As (A+'s?) in every class you take from here on in, and if you do well on your MCATs, you sound like a candidate that good medical schools would be eager to recruit. Good luck!