I have a tough history - Can I get into medical school?

[kb_medicine]

Hello,

I'm looking for some insight from others since I don't have a mentor or an advisor. It's easy to look for different threads online, but I can't not everyone has the same situation.

I am a non-traditional student: I majored in Strategic Communications in undergrad. From 2020-20221 I did my post-bacc. My grades weren't that good so I started an MS in biology in 2022, still enrolled.

I wanted to be a doctor, but I majored in Communications because I had no money; I could never register for the classes I needed because I could not pay on time. I was homeless before I went to my undergraduate degree. I knew a degree was better than none, so I chose a less stressful and expensive major but I was never satisfied and I still wasn't paid enough after graduation. My push to go into medicine was after I was assaulted and essentially; I figured life was too short to not go after what I wanted.

That is when I signed up for my post-bacc but I had more financial issues. I had to move out of my place. I got a house, but had to keep up with the mortgage by myself after my roommate went crazy. Because I worked from home and it was during the pandemic I continued working full time while I was doing my post bacc.
This really affected my grades. I took the MCAT in 2021. My family was going to end up on the streets and I had to take them in, but I had already paid for and scheduled the exam so I lost a lot of study time. I was also not really aware that certain schools don't like it when you take it several times, for example, Emory doesn't look at you if you take the test more than 3 times. I made the same mistake in 2022 by registering for the MCAT again before taking time to study, and still had to work since they raised my mortgage. On top of that I was taking my grad classes.

Now I am taking my time, I haven't registered to take the test this year but still haven't had time to review the MCAT material. My grades have taken a hit again too. Once again, I couldn't quit or take less hours at my job because someone totaled my car and ran; I had to get a new one. I didn't stay on top of one class' syllabus before the withdrawal period. Our first exam was on the final withdrawal day and I bombed it. I won't be able to recover my grade, unfortunately, my professor only gives two exams for the whole semester and they are worth 70% of your grade. I will end up with at most a D at the end of the class. This class wasn't required for me to take, I just took it for personal development but it is still on my record. Fortunately, my master's program will allow you to retake a class to replace it with a higher grade. My GPA will be replaced but the first attempt will still show on my transcript. I can't retake the class until next year in the fall so I have to delay my graduation, which I thought would be in Spring of 2024. I am not too worried about it because I am still doing my capstone and thought it would be good to do a more research and avoid on paying student loans.

However, this recent setback has put me in a state. I am wondering if I will be able to get into medical school after this. I don't have the best of luck in life, obviously, and I don't believe medical schools really care about this. A lot of schools say it's holistic, but if we are being honest I don't think it would matter - they want someone with great grades and unique accomplishments. I haven't heard about anyone with a 3.4 GPA getting in. I can't compete with Fulbright scholars or people with a lot of clinical experience or publications. I've applied before and one school did say they wanted to talk to me since they saw potential in me, but the person I spoke to threw out other career suggestions like PA or DO school. It wasn't encouraging. I want to be a doctor and I've already had to try to convince so many people that I'm not dumb or in my position because of luck, there is still too much stigma around being a DO - I don't want to put myself through that again.

I want an honest, respectful opinion on whether I can get in with my stats:

Test Scores

1st MCAT 485
2nd MCAT 490
Still working on the 3rd

PreView Score - 5

Undergraduate classes with Cs and withdraws - not sure if they will count against me since I was not a STEM major. Some of these classes were taken in semesters I had medical issues/working intensely)

Roman Civilization - C
Intro to Creative Writing Fiction - W
Principles of Economics II - W (I first took an incomplete and tried to retake it at first, but was informed due to my medical issues I could have made up the final hence the C and the Withdraw)
Principles of Economics II - C
The Art of the Essay - C
Intro to Strategic Communications - C
Pan Africanism - W
Introduction to Sociology - W (I was misinformed by my advisor that I needed to take this when I did not)

Post-baccalaureate classes with low grades
Organic Chemistry I C+ (note I retook this during the first year of my M.S. program and got a B-)
Organic Chemistry II C - (trying to retake it next year)
Elementary Statistics B-

Master's in Biology
Molecular Cell Biology C (retaking it now)
Precalculus C (wasn't a required course but wanted to take it for personal development)
Patent Law C- (An elective and wasn't required)
Advanced Genetics B-
Functional Histology W (wasn't required but took it for personal development but it got too overwhelming)
RES DESIGN IN NEUROSCIENCE (Not sure but more than likely will be a D or something. Didn't need this class but wanted to take it for personal development

Community service
Undergrad:
400 hours in community services with Jumpstart
*I also did reading partners - I don't remember how many hours I did but definitely more than 20 but not enough room for activities to put on my application.
280 hours as a volunteer communications intern for a nonprofit that deals with pensions

Post-Grad
Patient Escort for planned parenthood - 12 hours (I've completed more but they didn't record my hours so those hours are lost 🙁...see bad luck)
Graduate Honor Council Member at Large -20 hours ( basically participated in hearings if anyone was accused of academic dishonesty or acted as a whistle blower)
Vaccine Trial - 6 hours (I volunteered as a subject in a COVID vaccine trial)
Red Cross Volunteer - 20 hours

Clinical Experience
Medical Assistant - 280 hours (I administer COVID vaccines and Tests to inmates and sometimes worked in a COVID tent )

Research
Graduate student advisor for the synthetic biology club ~ 40+ hours (Our project was to transform algae and bacterium to work in a coculture for environmental purposes. We did electroporation, electrophoresis, PCR, Plating)
Capstone - 20+ (This is ongoing and I'm working in a neuroscience lab studying birth. I'm trying to figure out my own project but as of now I'm just doing IHC and cell counts)

Other
I was a Microbiology TA

Personal Projects in the works
I've started a biology blog that provides advice
I'm working with a sociology PhD student to start up a mobile clinic
I'm starting on a Civics project to inform lawmakers about a public health concern


So should I give up, keep trying, or go to the Caribbean (this option is harder though because of my house and dog)?

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[Goro]

I can't recommend med school with MCAT scores like that. You are in a risk zone for failing out of med school and/or failing boards.

Can you summarize your questions? It was difficult to have to Wade through the waterfall of text, which contained a lot of irrelevant information.

It would be very helpful to know your CGPA and science GPA.

You also have a history of making choices that are contrary to your best interests

 

[chilly_md]

I've applied before and one school did say they wanted to talk to me since they saw potential in me, but the person I spoke to threw out other career suggestions like PA or DO school. It wasn't encouraging.

DO school is medical school.

With a 485 and 490 as well as what appears to be a consistent 2.0 across undergrad and now a masters degree, I would advise on other careers especially if there's been a lot of financial issues for you. Medical schools count all grades in their GPA regardless of your school's individual policy on grade replacement/retakes.

 

[Hollow Knight]

I'm sorry for what you've gone through.

Just in case you somehow don't see this advice anywhere else- don't go to the Caribbean. There are Caribbean schools and even a few DO schools (I think I've seen Goro put up a list, but Lincoln Memorial University comes to mind) that do this thing where they take almost anybody (med school with no MCAT! Woohoo!), but their residency match rates are like 50%. So you borrow private-school money (think $400,000), but it's a coin flip whether or not you're actually employable. If you don't finish residency training as a physician, you aren't getting a job (at least not as a doctor).

Also, you'll be in no financial position to support your family from the time you start medical school until you're an attending, and even then, you'll be working on your loans.

Goro seems to be the expert at cases like yours as far as the logistics of trying to gain an acceptance. But like everyone has said- I'm not sure medical school would go very well for you, given your academic track record so far. Sorry bud :/

 

[candbgirl]

DO NOT EVEN THINK OF GOING TO THE CARIBBEAN. You are just the type of student many Caribbean schools prey on. They will accept you and let you stay a few semesters while they collect your tuition and you dig yourself into a financial quagmire and then they will drop you. You will be left with thousands of dollars worth of loans and no way to pay them off.
Your academic history doesn’t really show much possibility of an acceptance currently. Stop taking classes until things quiet down in your life. Your series of Cs in undergrad/grad aren’t helping you.
You need to do some serious research on career options in health care fields. To consider going to the Caribbean but turning your nose up at DO indicates a lack of understanding.

 

[karaya]

I am wondering if I will be able to get into medical school after this.

I want an honest, respectful opinion on whether I can get in with my stats

IMO you should not ask "Can I get in?" but rather, "Can I succeed?" Because the difference between getting weeded out now vs. later is at least 5 figures of debt. From your academic history and life story, I feel that you would be one or two personal misfortunes away from failing out of med school.

 

[FlowRate]

It seems you listed all of the courses you did poorly in but not the courses you did well on. Rather than listing specific classes, like Goro said--your c and s GPA are more useful.

 

[gyngyn]

You may as well look at your grades the way we will: https://students-residents.aamc.org/media/7761/download

Calculating Your AACOMAS GPAs

help.liaisonedu.com

Do not take the MCAT again until you have the time, content mastery, and resources to get a score consistent with success! A string of weak scores is far more damaging than one (or two). It's a deep hole to dig out of, especially since all scores are visible and many will average them.

MD schools will not view graduate grades in the same light as undergrad (except SMPs, in some cases). They are not averaged into undergrad grades and they appear on an entirely separate line.
DO schools average them in, however.

 

[kb_medicine]

I can't recommend med school with MCAT scores like that. You are in a risk zone for failing out of med school and/or failing boards.

Can you summarize your questions? It was difficult to have to Wade through the waterfall of text, which contained a lot of irrelevant information.

It would be very helpful to know your CGPA and science GPA.

You also have a history of making choices that are contrary to your best interests

I don’t view taking my homeless family members in or financially supporting myself as contrary to my best interests. 🤷🏽‍♀️

DO school is medical school.

With a 485 and 490 as well as what appears to be a consistent 2.0 across undergrad and now a masters degree, I would advise on other careers especially if there's been a lot of financial issues for you. Medical schools count all grades in their GPA regardless of your school's individual policy on grade replacement/retakes.

Never said they were not.

 

[kb_medicine]

DO school is medical school.

With a 485 and 490 as well as what appears to be a consistent 2.0 across undergrad and now a masters degree, I would advise on other careers especially if there's been a lot of financial issues for you. Medical schools count all grades in their GPA regardless of your school's individual policy on grade replacement/retakes.

I can't recommend med school with MCAT scores like that. You are in a risk zone for failing out of med school and/or failing boards.

Can you summarize your questions? It was difficult to have to Wade through the waterfall of text, which contained a lot of irrelevant information.

It would be very helpful to know your CGPA and science GPA.

You also have a history of making choices that are contrary to your best interests

My BCPM was 3.10 and cumulative BCPM is 3.16 and cumulative undergraduate GPA is 3.40 - not including the class I retook

my grad school cumulative is 3.4 (not including this semester)

You’ve answered my main question, which was if I should keep trying.

 

[kb_medicine]

DO NOT EVEN THINK OF GOING TO THE CARIBBEAN. You are just the type of student many Caribbean schools prey on. They will accept you and let you stay a few semesters while they collect your tuition and you dig yourself into a financial quagmire and then they will drop you. You will be left with thousands of dollars worth of loans and no way to pay them off.
Your academic history doesn’t really show much possibility of an acceptance currently. Stop taking classes until things quiet down in your life. Your series of Cs in undergrad/grad aren’t helping you.
You need to do some serious research on career options in health care fields. To consider going to the Caribbean but turning your nose up at DO indicates a lack of understanding.

I did not turn my nose up at DO school. I explicitly stated that I do not want to have to combat the stigma against it which I see frequently working in healthcare. I am already a minority and a woman. I asked about Caribbean schools because I wanted a more detailed experience, because I’ve had an account from DO students.

 

[amateurbater]

I did not turn my nose up at DO school. I explicitly stated that I do not want to have to combat the stigma against it which I see frequently working in healthcare. I am already a minority and a woman. I asked about Caribbean schools because I wanted a more detailed experience, because I’ve had an account from DO students.

Most DO students do fine, and the stigma you’ll get in life comes from douches. Caribbean medical schools will not accept you if you aren’t able to pay, and, even if you are, with your luck, you might end up flunking out and experiencing serious debt. Those places are terrible, with internal tests you have to pass otherwise they kick you out, and they do way worse in the match than your run of the mill DO program. MD is completely out of the picture. There are a lot of disadvantaged students who completely crush it, somehow, though that is rare and doesn’t reflect at all on your struggles; but EVERYONE wants to become a doctor and there are only so many spots. You’ve got a great story but, when you present it to schools, specifically DO schools, you’ll have to exercise humility and gratitude. You’ll have to score a 505-512 to remotely have a shot. Nothing is impossible, but you need to have a realistic approximation of the mountain you want to climb — it could be years before you go to medical school, and thousands of dollar of debt — when you could pursue PA or Nursing and maybe, after years of experience as a healthcare worker, and some financial stability, you can consider medicine. Life is long. People in their thirties go to medical school. You seem driven and capable and selfless but we are our own enemies and pride is something you have to swallow. Im not saying give up, because that almost never works for people like you. Im saying think strategically. As for MCAT prep resources, just message me. I worked as a tutor and can provide some guidance.

 

[Faha]

Which minority group are you a member of ? If Hispanic, are you fluent in Spanish ? A 3.4 cGPA and a 3.1 sGPA are fine for the majority of DO schools but you would need to increase your MCAT to 498 to have a chance for interviews.

 

[FlowRate]

I don’t view taking my homeless family members in or financially supporting myself as contrary to my best interests. 🤷🏽‍♀️

That's almost certainly not what Goro was referring to. e.g. yes, $300-something is a lot of money, but taking the MCAT unprepared was a poor decision compared to canceling or postponing until you were prepared.

 

[Goro]

"I don’t view taking my homeless family members in or financially supporting myself as contrary to my best interests."

But taking a high stakes, career deciding exam with all your life distractions is not.

The MCAT is an assessment of wisdom as it is for competence.

 

[PeteytheFish]

To answer a question that you posed in your original post, yes, people with a 3.4 can get into medical school. I got into a T30 MD school with a 3.4 gpa and a 499 MCAT. I must couch this by saying that there was a very clear and impressive one-time event that was a direct cause of the lower gpa and MCAT, so that certainly helped my case. That said, it is possible to get in with lower metrics, especially when you have experienced hardships.

I think the first question that you need to ask yourself is whether you think that your life circumstances will be in better control once you get into medical school. It sounds like things have been rather chaotic in your life and this has massively impacted your academic performance. Medical school is a marathon and it is much harder and much less flexible than most other academic experiences. Make sure that you are not going to get into medical school only to find that you have to drop out (or fail out) because of your personal circumstances. This is the reality. And admissions committees ARE going to have this very discussion about you, so be prepared for that and address it in your application. No school wants to admit someone whom they will later have to discipline or dismiss for academic failure.

The second thing that you need to ask yourself is whether you really are going to be able to handle the work. If your grades really are low because of your circumstances and you know that you could do better in other conditions, then great. But be honest with yourself. Again, you don't want to spend the money on this educational experience only to fail out. Only you can answer this question about yourself.

My third piece of advice is to let go of your DO concern. If you really want to be a doctor, DO has to be on the table. Your concerns are (partly) valid about DO - there are downsides. But by and large, DO students match into great residencies and go onto have great careers. You'd be denying yourself a great chance at reaching your dreams by deciding against a DO education. DON'T consider the Caribbean. This is definitely NOT a reasonable option.

Finally, if you are really going to go for it (and if it's your dream, then you should!) then get your application in the best shape it can be in. This next MCAT absolutely must be your last, and it must be well over 500. Don't take it until your are scoring several points above your target score, because most people do worse on test day than they do on practice tests. It looks to me like you need shadowing hours, and probably more clinical and volunteer hours as well. These should not be box-ticking exercises. The best way for you to get traction in an admissions process is to make sure that your motivation for medicine case is air-tight. In other words, make sure that all of your medical and volunteering experiences are passion projects and really speak to your interest in practicing medicine and your interest in helping people. When it comes to writing your application essays, you absolutely must present yourself as a candidate who has dragged herself through fire to attain the goal of becoming a doctor, and then you must show the admissions committee that you a. really know what being a doctor entails, b. have an in-depth understanding of medicine as it is today and c. that you belong in medicine and the medical community would be poorer without your contribution. Have a clear idea of what interests you in medicine as well, and make sure that is true to you, not what you think the admissions committee wants to hear. That is how you overcome your academic history.

Also. as an aside, I know that it is tough receiving some of the advice you have received on here. SDN can be pretty blunt. That said, you have received advice on here from long-time current admissions committee members whose reactions are the same here as they would be while screening or discussing your application. You've gotten advice from current and past MD/DO students who have already navigated the process. In medicine and in the admissions process, being able to take feedback well and act on it is paramount. Some of your comments have come across as being pretty defensive. People responding on here are just trying to help. We can only react to the snapshot that you have given us, so try to take our comments with a grain of salt. Take what feels right to you and leave the rest. This will help you in the long run.

 

[kb_medicine]

That's almost certainly not what Goro was referring to. e.g. yes, $300-something is a lot of money, but taking the MCAT unprepared was a poor decision compared to canceling or postponing until you were prepared.

That person who made the statement should answer for themselves. If he was referring to that it means he ignored in my message where I stated that I was not aware at the time that it is frowned upon, therefore making Goro's comment and yours unnecessary. I am already aware it was not the best decision but I cannot go back in time. I am once again asking people to keep it respectful.

 

[kb_medicine]

"I don’t view taking my homeless family members in or financially supporting myself as contrary to my best interests."

But taking a high stakes, career deciding exam with all your life distractions is not.

The MCAT is an assessment of wisdom as it is for competence.

I was not aware that taking it multiple times counts against you, in fact I was informed multiple students take it more than once, I had already paid for it each time and thought it would be good practice. Why continuously bring it up when I already addressed it in my original post?

 

[kb_medicine]

To answer a question that you posed in your original post, yes, people with a 3.4 can get into medical school. I got into a T30 MD school with a 3.4 gpa and a 499 MCAT. I must couch this by saying that there was a very clear and impressive one-time event that was a direct cause of the lower gpa and MCAT, so that certainly helped my case. That said, it is possible to get in with lower metrics, especially when you have experienced hardships.

I think the first question that you need to ask yourself is whether you think that your life circumstances will be in better control once you get into medical school. It sounds like things have been rather chaotic in your life and this has massively impacted your academic performance. Medical school is a marathon and it is much harder and much less flexible than most other academic experiences. Make sure that you are not going to get into medical school only to find that you have to drop out (or fail out) because of your personal circumstances. This is the reality. And admissions committees ARE going to have this very discussion about you, so be prepared for that and address it in your application. No school wants to admit someone whom they will later have to discipline or dismiss for academic failure.

The second thing that you need to ask yourself is whether you really are going to be able to handle the work. If your grades really are low because of your circumstances and you know that you could do better in other conditions, then great. But be honest with yourself. Again, you don't want to spend the money on this educational experience only to fail out. Only you can answer this question about yourself.

My third piece of advice is to let go of your DO concern. If you really want to be a doctor, DO has to be on the table. Your concerns are (partly) valid about DO - there are downsides. But by and large, DO students match into great residencies and go onto have great careers. You'd be denying yourself a great chance at reaching your dreams by deciding against a DO education. DON'T consider the Caribbean. This is definitely NOT a reasonable option.

Finally, if you are really going to go for it (and if it's your dream, then you should!) then get your application in the best shape it can be in. This next MCAT absolutely must be your last, and it must be well over 500. Don't take it until your are scoring several points above your target score, because most people do worse on test day than they do on practice tests. It looks to me like you need shadowing hours, and probably more clinical and volunteer hours as well. These should not be box-ticking exercises. The best way for you to get traction in an admissions process is to make sure that your motivation for medicine case is air-tight. In other words, make sure that all of your medical and volunteering experiences are passion projects and really speak to your interest in practicing medicine and your interest in helping people. When it comes to writing your application essays, you absolutely must present yourself as a candidate who has dragged herself through fire to attain the goal of becoming a doctor, and then you must show the admissions committee that you a. really know what being a doctor entails, b. have an in-depth understanding of medicine as it is today and c. that you belong in medicine and the medical community would be poorer without your contribution. Have a clear idea of what interests you in medicine as well, and make sure that is true to you, not what you think the admissions committee wants to hear. That is how you overcome your academic history.

Also. as an aside, I know that it is tough receiving some of the advice you have received on here. SDN can be pretty blunt. That said, you have received advice on here from long-time current admissions committee members whose reactions are the same here as they would be while screening or discussing your application. You've gotten advice from current and past MD/DO students who have already navigated the process. In medicine and in the admissions process, being able to take feedback well and act on it is paramount. Some of your comments have come across as being pretty defensive. People responding on here are just trying to help. We can only react to the snapshot that you have given us, so try to take our comments with a grain of salt. Take what feels right to you and leave the rest. This will help you in the long run.

Thank you! This has given me something to go off of as I continue to weigh my options. Thank you for sharing your story with me as well. People tend to easily just say no, which is fine, but people with low stats rarely share. In addition it answered my questions and concerns.

I have spoken to admissions committee members before who have asked me question on my experience, but they were respectful and acknowledged my past once I answered. For example, you at least took the time to read my post and take into account the things I've said before harping on my past. I actually took the time to make my post more detailed, because I know the territory of online forums. Consistently people will ask questions like "Why didn't you" or "Why don't you". Despite me writing a longer post to address this, I am still getting these types of responses. Since writing out my story did not prevent it, I don't believe there is anything wrong with addressing this. I think feedback from other members go a long way, but I find it concerning the way some former MD/DO students or admissions, who I presume are healthcare workers now, pass judgement on my situation.

 

[kb_medicine]

Which minority group are you a member of ? If Hispanic, are you fluent in Spanish ? A 3.4 cGPA and a 3.1 sGPA are fine for the majority of DO schools but you would need to increase your MCAT to 498 to have a chance for interviews.

I'm black. My mom is ADOS and my dad is Afro-Caribbean/Panamanian. I do speak Spanish, but I'm better at reading and writing than speaking.

 

[kb_medicine]

Most DO students do fine, and the stigma you’ll get in life comes from douches. Caribbean medical schools will not accept you if you aren’t able to pay, and, even if you are, with your luck, you might end up flunking out and experiencing serious debt. Those places are terrible, with internal tests you have to pass otherwise they kick you out, and they do way worse in the match than your run of the mill DO program. MD is completely out of the picture. There are a lot of disadvantaged students who completely crush it, somehow, though that is rare and doesn’t reflect at all on your struggles; but EVERYONE wants to become a doctor and there are only so many spots. You’ve got a great story but, when you present it to schools, specifically DO schools, you’ll have to exercise humility and gratitude. You’ll have to score a 505-512 to remotely have a shot. Nothing is impossible, but you need to have a realistic approximation of the mountain you want to climb — it could be years before you go to medical school, and thousands of dollar of debt — when you could pursue PA or Nursing and maybe, after years of experience as a healthcare worker, and some financial stability, you can consider medicine. Life is long. People in their thirties go to medical school. You seem driven and capable and selfless but we are our own enemies and pride is something you have to swallow. Im not saying give up, because that almost never works for people like you. Im saying think strategically. As for MCAT prep resources, just message me. I worked as a tutor and can provide some guidance.

Sure! So far I've tried Magoosh for the first one (I did not care for it). Now I'm doing the Kaplan books and with the KHAN PDFs and Anki.

 

[Faha]

I'm black. My mom is ADOS and my dad is Afro-Caribbean/Panamanian. I do speak Spanish, but I'm better at reading and writing than speaking.

You should accumulate 50 hours of in person physician shadowing (including DO and primary care). At this point your MCAT score will determine your chances. Do not retake the MCAT until your practice scores are consistently 500 or higher. Post your new MCAT score here when available and I will suggest schools that you can apply to.

 

[cj_cregg]

Trying to be honest but not harsh here. In comparison to the applicants I see at the MD school I review for, you not only have very weak grades/MCAT but also below average ECs.
- Grades/MCAT: Not consistent with success in medical school. Your poor MCAT scores and poor grades in classes like organic chemistry, genetics, molecular biology, etc. suggest to me that you probably do not have the knowledge base you need to pass medical school classes, as it will be assumed that you are comfortable with this material when you walk in the door. ALL of your grades, regardless of retakes/replacements/etc., will be taken into account for your AMCAS GPA.
- Clinical experience: Yours is about at the minimum I would consider acceptable to offer an interview to a candidate. For someone with your academic background, I would expect about 4x the hours including shadowing and experiences across multiple care settings.
- Volunteering: I don't know what Jumpstart is. Depending on the answer to that, I do not see any longitudinal experience working in a nonclinical role directly with underserved communities, which I would expect for someone with your academic background.

Medical school is not impossible but it would take you several years to build the knowledge you need to be academically prepared for medical school (and improve your MCAT score to boot), and to get top tier ECs to help make up for the past challenges in our application and garner an acceptance.

I think your perception of DO schools is inaccurate for all but the most competitive specialties at the snootiest places, which you're unlikely to get into as a Carib grad anyway. I personally feel Caribbean schools are MUCH more stigmatized than DO schools at this point, especially after the residency merger. I'm an MD, I was taught by DOs in med school and residency, worked side by side with them in residency and now as an attending doing the exact same work for the exact same pay and respect (and some of them do it better than me, too).

 

[Pikablue]

I’m also low stat/URM who’s had a **** life so I understand how difficult it can be to get blunt advice from people who probably haven’t had a lifetime of struggle. It wasn’t until I met an actual URM physician who had a similar upbringing to me (poverty/food insecurity, other trauma) that I realized it’s possible. It’s possible but maybe not probable for you? I had to take a break from academics for a bit because my life situation was just too much and I knew my grades were going to tank. You might want to think about this for your masters and MCAT while you wait for your living situation to stabilize. I got food stamps, medi-caid, went to the food pantry every week, and did several clinical trials to make money in case my living situation ever worsened and to pay for applications. Literally selling my body for thousands to be a doctor. It’s messed up that the system is easier if you have money but that’s the way it is.
EDIT: you’d also want to work on ECs. 2 hours of volunteering a week can add up. I explained in my apps I had to work during school so my hours weren’t amazing, but all of my ECs followed a “theme” Of things I was interested in (mental health, social determinants). This could all take YEARS to accomplish.

 

[FlowRate]

That person who made the statement should answer for themselves. If he was referring to that it means he ignored in my message where I stated that I was not aware at the time that it is frowned upon, therefore making Goro's comment and yours unnecessary. I am already aware it was not the best decision but I cannot go back in time. I am once again asking people to keep it respectful.

There are more examples than just that.

I didn't stay on top of one class' syllabus before the withdrawal period. Our first exam was on the final withdrawal day and I bombed it.

People aren't being disrespectful, they're being direct which, in my book, is way more respectful than overly sugarcoating or outright withholding important feedback just because it might sting a little.

 

[LeaveNoTrace]

1) Do not go for the Caribbean Crapshoot. Heads, you become a FM or IM doctor, maybe EM, maybe something like child neuro or path. Maybe. Anything else is quite competitive for Carib grads. Tails, you don't become a doctor at all.

2) While you've overcome a lot of adversity, and many schools are rooting for the underdog...they've got to be reasonably sure the underdog can graduate. Don't retake the MCAT until you're getting at least 505s on AAMC tests for DO and 514ish for MD.

3) If you have the money/access, consider getting tested for ADHD or something - plenty of people have undiagnosed ADHD and get all the way to med school before it bites them in the butt.

Finally: good luck. I wish we had better news for you. Med school isn't off the table, but you'll need to do well on the MCAT and maybe a DIY postbacc. Adcoms often have a soft spot for underdogs...if they're at least OK-ish academically and they're not afraid they'll fail out.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

This is one situation where I know having a team of mentors and champions will help you. I don't know if you have such a group. I think with the right guidance and encouragement over time you can make it, even to the HBCU MDs. We have a lot of new schools opening in MD and DO over the next few years, so I think Caribbean paths are not going to work in your favor.

Nevertheless, I know that SNMA members exist at Caribbean programs, and they show up at their annual meetings. I don't know if or how they succeed, but networking with SNMA might help you get more clarity. They will mostly express the same opinions we have shared here.

OP: Send me a DM. My general advice does not differ from the other experts here, but with a good plan and dedicated focus in spite of the other challenges you have, you can make it.

 

[kb_medicine]

There are more examples than just that.

I didn't stay on top of one class' syllabus before the withdrawal period. Our first exam was on the final withdrawal day and I bombed it.

People aren't being disrespectful, they're being direct which, in my book, is way more respectful than overly sugarcoating or outright withholding important feedback just because it might sting a little.

There is a difference in being direct and overstepping. There are plenty of other answers in this thread who directly said NO to my question that I asked. Making a judgement on my character as a complete stranger wasn’t. This isn’t the first time I’ve interacted with people like this who’ve used that type of language that I’ve found is often coming from a place of classism/elitism.

 

[gyngyn]

Closing, as it appears that additional responses will not be helpful to OP at this time.