I don't know how to begin.

[TJ09]

Hello everyone. I completely understand that everyone has a different beginning, I have tried looking for my own. I was in the Navy until Jan. of this year. I have no idea were to start but I want to be a physician.
I am starting at Portland Community College and my goal is to be accepted into USUHS.
Looking for a mentor or 2 and tired of being a lurker so I'm here now ready to be accountable.
Thanks to anyone and everyone helping each other out.

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[daw05]

Well good job on the first step. Please remember it's a long road. I'm also trying to go to USUHS. I'm more than willing to mentor as best I can, or at least until I find out if I get into medical school!

To start, here's what I would suggest:
1. There is a thread under the 2018-2019 Allopathic School discussions for USUHS, post there as well and follow it to see how the process is going.
2. Community College is a good start. Focus early on getting your core classes done, and look to get into a regular 4 year university or college. You'll want to do as many of your science courses in a 4-year school as possible.
3. Keep in touch, and stay focused. You're going to be competing with people who have wanted this from day 1 of college, so do everything you can to keep your GPA up.

 

[daw05]

@Matthew9Thirtyfive was also Navy, and is active on the site.
https://forums.studentdoctor.net/members/matthew9thirtyfive.741063/

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

@Matthew9Thirtyfive was is also Navy, and is active on the site.

FTFY.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Hello everyone. I completely understand that everyone has a different beginning, I have tried looking for my own. I was in the Navy until Jan. of this year. I have no idea were to start but I want to be a physician.
I am starting at Portland Community College and my goal is to be accepted into USUHS.
Looking for a mentor or 2 and tired of being a lurker so I'm here now ready to be accountable.
Thanks to anyone and everyone helping each other out.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

Navy here as well. Congrats on converting to the coveted rate of CVN.

Are you just starting your bachelors degree? If so, starting at the CC is great to get your core classes taken care of on the cheap. If I were you, I would wait to do your med school prereqs until you transfer to a 4-year institution, as many medical schools look down on CC prereqs (and your goals may change--USUHS might not even be on your radar in 3-4 years). If your goal is USUHS, here's what you need to focus on:

1. GPA -- keep your GPA up. Do not take unnecessary hard class that risk your GPA. It doesn't impress anyone, and you want your GPA as high as possible
2. MCAT -- do NOT blow this off. Take studying for this very seriously. There are tons of threads in the MCAT forum and the r/MCAT subreddit is also excellent. You want to take this once and rock it.
3. Clinical experience -- not sure what you did in the Navy, but you need clinical experience and shadowing. There are ways you can get clinical experience if you don't have any. Some take longer than others but are better experiences. It depends on your situation and how much time you can put in. Do not skimp on this.
4. Service -- you need to show that you are committed to public and military service. You are prior service, so you know what the military is like. Do non-clinical volunteering to keep up that dedication to public service.

I'm in a postbacc/SMP through USUHS and am in the application cycle now (interview next week!). Feel free to reach out to me any time if you have any questions about the process.

 

[Goro]

Hello everyone. I completely understand that everyone has a different beginning, I have tried looking for my own. I was in the Navy until Jan. of this year. I have no idea were to start but I want to be a physician.
I am starting at Portland Community College and my goal is to be accepted into USUHS.
Looking for a mentor or 2 and tired of being a lurker so I'm here now ready to be accountable.
Thanks to anyone and everyone helping each other out.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

Many thanks for your service to our country.

read this:
Med School Rx: Getting In, Getting Through, and Getting On with Doctoring Original Edition by Walter Hartwig

ISBN-13: 978-1607140627

ISBN-10: 1607140624

 

[TJ09]

Thanks to everyone for replying.
I was a Corpsman in the Navy and got lucky enough to work in the ICUs at two of the largest Naval Medical Centers.
The problem that I am facing with not taking any pre reqs at CC is that the major that I would like to transfer into Biology or Chem require some of the pre reqs to be done at the CC level.
Everyone is giving great advice and I appreciate it.

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[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Thanks to everyone for replying.
I was a Corpsman in the Navy and got lucky enough to work in the ICUs at two of the largest Naval Medical Centers.
The problem that I am facing with not taking any pre reqs at CC is that the major that I would like to transfer into Biology or Chem require some of the pre reqs to be done at the CC level.
Everyone is giving great advice and I appreciate it.

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You can do your gen ed requirements at the CC and take the minimum reqs for your major. Just try to take as many prereqs at the uni as possible. It’s okay if you take some at the CC if that’s your situation.

Also, your experience as a corpsman totally satisfies the clinical experience requirement for USUHS.

 

[CougarMD]

Thanks to everyone for replying.
I was a Corpsman in the Navy and got lucky enough to work in the ICUs at two of the largest Naval Medical Centers.
The problem that I am facing with not taking any pre reqs at CC is that the major that I would like to transfer into Biology or Chem require some of the pre reqs to be done at the CC level.
Everyone is giving great advice and I appreciate it.

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Also, keep in mind that it is very different to go to a 4 year university and do your prereqs at a CC "on the side". You are talking about a situation where you are starting at a CC and then transferring and presumably continuing to take upper level classes in science after you transfer and then getting a BS/BA. This is VERY different, and I'm not sure people are always good at making this distinction.

 

[TJ09]

Also, keep in mind that it is very different to go to a 4 year university and do your prereqs at a CC "on the side". You are talking about a situation where you are starting at a CC and then transferring and presumably continuing to take upper level classes in science after you transfer and then getting a BS/BA. This is VERY different, and I'm not sure people are always good at making this distinction.

I understand and for everyone helping me out that's not the situation.
I am starting absolutely from the beginning.

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[TJ09]

Navy here as well. Congrats on converting to the coveted rate of CVN.

Are you just starting your bachelors degree? If so, starting at the CC is great to get your core classes taken care of on the cheap. If I were you, I would wait to do your med school prereqs until you transfer to a 4-year institution, as many medical schools look down on CC prereqs (and your goals may change--USUHS might not even be on your radar in 3-4 years). If your goal is USUHS, here's what you need to focus on:

1. GPA -- keep your GPA up. Do not take unnecessary hard class that risk your GPA. It doesn't impress anyone, and you want your GPA as high as possible
2. MCAT -- do NOT blow this off. Take studying for this very seriously. There are tons of threads in the MCAT forum and the r/MCAT subreddit is also excellent. You want to take this once and rock it.
3. Clinical experience -- not sure what you did in the Navy, but you need clinical experience and shadowing. There are ways you can get clinical experience if you don't have any. Some take longer than others but are better experiences. It depends on your situation and how much time you can put in. Do not skimp on this.
4. Service -- you need to show that you are committed to public and military service. You are prior service, so you know what the military is like. Do non-clinical volunteering to keep up that dedication to public service.

I'm in a postbacc/SMP through USUHS and am in the application cycle now (interview next week!). Feel free to reach out to me any time if you have any questions about the process.

Thanks man,
It's weird not knowing what to do but I figured it could be like the good duty stations that I had and ask for help if I had no clue.
I am just starting my bachelors degree. I started school in Jan in California but with going through some personal issues I bombed it.
I started new here in Portland so I'm hoping to excel, especially on my own.


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[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Thanks man,
It's weird not knowing what to do but I figured it could be like the good duty stations that I had and ask for help if I had no clue.
I am just starting my bachelors degree. I started school in Jan in California but with going through some personal issues I bombed it.
I started new here in Portland so I'm hoping to excel, especially on my own.


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How many semesters did you bomb, and what do you consider bombing? Because that will have to be overcome. A solid performance from here on out will help you though.

 

[CougarMD]

Also, this is from a post I made 7 years ago. Things have changed....but not THAT much.

There were also some links in my original post...but apparently SDN doesn't think I'm reliable enough to post links

Despite all of the advice you see on SDN about not taking your prereqs at a CC, this is completely typical transfer behavior.

I assume that the reason they want you to finish the prereqs is because they are all of the prereqs for your major, which is likely Bio, Chem, Biochem, Physics, or Engineering.

If this is the case.....this is how it is going to be everywhere. You CANNOT get into one of those majors at most schools (including every UC) without completing the prereqs first. The reason is that the upper division coursework all rests on this foundation, and if you don't complete it before you get there, they 1- don't know if you can hack upper division, and 2 - know it will take you WAY longer to graduate, which is sucking up resources from them.

The major point is that taking prereqs at a CC does NOT preclude you from getting into medical school. It just doesn't. Especially when you are planning on taking upper division bio, chem, or physics classes that will back up the fact that you can hack the coursework.

It will not even keep you from medical school if you got your undergraduate degree in Underwater Basketweaving (as I did) and then go back and do your prereqs at CC for financial reasons. Seriously. You can get into medical school.

Now, will you have your pick of any med school in the country? No. But guess what....you wouldn't have anyway. This process is long and arduous, and there are a heck of a lot of boxes to check before you even get to put an application together.

Are there schools that categorically reject you if you have CC prereqs? Maybe. But I don't know what they are, because no school will admit to this (Though U Michigan has come close through some of the spoutings of its Dean of Admissions).

But you know what dude? There are schools that will reject you if you don't have enough research, or the right kind of research. And schools that will reject you if you write your personal statement a certain way. And schools that will reject you if you turn your secondary in too late. And schools that will reject you if you had a migraine during your interview and just didn't do so well.

This is not going to break your application. Worry about doing well after you transfer, and showing that you can still handle a 3.9 in upper division courses. Rock the MCAT, and (almost) no one will care that you took Intro to Bio at a CC.
/QUOTE]

 

[073116]

Also, this is from a post I made 7 years ago. Things have changed....but not THAT much.

There were also some links in my original post...but apparently SDN doesn't think I'm reliable enough to post links

Rock the MCAT lol? You know all this obvious advice are good, but realistically majority who take mcat are not rocking it. 3.9gpa is also not going to happen to a majority of applicants. Even for those accepted - 3.9gpa and high mcat are far and few in between.
The dude already bombed simple courses, he is starting again, but IMHO he should set his goals realistic and work his way to acceptance. I would consider other schools, not just USUSH. There is a difference if you want to be a physician or have some hard set fixation on USUSH. Big difference.

 

[BabyDaddy]

Hello everyone. I completely understand that everyone has a different beginning, I have tried looking for my own. I was in the Navy until Jan. of this year. I have no idea were to start but I want to be a physician.
I am starting at Portland Community College and my goal is to be accepted into USUHS.
Looking for a mentor or 2 and tired of being a lurker so I'm here now ready to be accountable.
Thanks to anyone and everyone helping each other out.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

Hey "Doc", Marine veteran here. Thanks for what you did in the Navy, Marines love you guys.
Three things:
1) PM me and I'll answer every question I can and do whatever I can to help you, as long as you are serious. Always for a veteran.
2) It is true that a bad start in college is an obstacle to overcome. You'll have to get serious from here on out.
3) Just USUHS? As others have said, you'll need to apply broadly, and you can go to any Med school and go into military Medicine. Are you completely sure you want to stay in military medicine? BTW, if it is about treating military patients, there are many opportunities as a civilian doc.

 

[TJ09]

Hey "Doc", Marine veteran here. Thanks for what you did in the Navy, Marines love you guys.
Three things:
1) PM me and I'll answer every question I can and do whatever I can to help you, as long as you are serious. Always for a veteran.
2) It is true that a bad start in college is an obstacle to overcome. You'll have to get serious from here on out.
3) Just USUHS? As others have said, you'll need to apply broadly, and you can go to any Med school and go into military Medicine. Are you completely sure you want to stay in military medicine? BTW, if it is about treating military patients, there are many opportunities as a civilian doc.

Hey brother I tried to PM you but I can't yet.

 

[BabyDaddy]

Hey brother I tried to PM you but I can't yet.

TJ09, I tried to message you and also couldn't. Not sure why. Any moderator know why?

TJ09, I know that you have to have a certain number of days on the sight, likes, or message posts before you can post hyperlinks. Maybe it's the same with messages?

-BabbyDaddy