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Hi my name is Tyler and I am currently doing premed at UCF.
First off I would like to apologize for posting in both the Pre-Allopathic and the Non-Traditional thread because I was unsure what I am classified as. Please read my situation and I am sorry in advance for this long post.
I started my undergraduate as an Electrical Engineering major at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. My grades as an EE major are not good at all. I got academic suspension after the second year because I ended up with a GPA of 1.69. There were a lot of factors that contribute to that low GPA. For one thing, during that time, my family was going through a process of moving from Virginia to Florida and while helping them, it affected my grades. The other thing was that after two semesters as an EE major I began to really hate this major because I really didn't see myself as an engineeer but was too immature to really admit it and go to a change right away. During that time, I was also working out and was interested in the physiology that happens throughout the body. It should also be noted that I am a person suffering from hemiplegia cerebral palsy that affects mostly my right side. So the more I looked into my disorder and the physiology of exercising, the more I became interested in medicine. I remember sitting in my engineering signal processing class and kept asking myself why I chose EE the first place.
Anyway, being academically suspended with that GPA, I knew I could not sit back and wait for a semester doing nothing until my suspension is lifted. I decided to transfer to Florida with my family who had lived there for almost a half year. I knew with my GPA at the time that no university would accept me so I applied to a community college; Valencia Community College for those of you familiar with the City of Orlando. Not to mention the out of state tuition. Upon going to this community college, I planned to finish my EE degree. However, that summer it occured to me that since I transferred to a really new place and having a low GPA in the EE major, I might as well do something new and something I like. I spent a week thinking about the change but I went and changed it to biology at this community college anyway. I retook Physics 1 w/ Calculus and 2 as well. The first time I took those courses I got Ds on both of them. Earned As on both of them at the community college. Basically, I was at this college for two semesters, finishing all my gen ed courses and General Biology 1 and 2, General Chemistry 1 and 2, and Physics /w Calculus 1 and 2. Got straight A's both semester with 17 credits each. I ended up with a culmulative GPA of 2.64 keeping in mind that I started with 1.69.
So I transferred to University of Central Florida Fall of 2005 declaring my major as Molecular Biology and Microbiology. First semester I took Human Anatomy, Genetics, Microbiology, and Organic Chemistry 1. I was really stupid and got a B in Human Anatomy and Genetics. I did however, get an A in Microbiology which was hard to get because of the professor. Most people got Bs and below. And of course Organic 1 I got an A and I was sure I was the best student in that class. It is kind of ironic though because Mircobiology and Organic utilizes a lot of information from Biology 1 and 2 and General Chemistry 1 and 2. And being top in those classes just tells me that there is probably no difference in the material between a community college and a university. During that semester, I actually taught/tutor/studied with my fellow premed students who had done their biology and general chemistry their freshman year at the university. Many people either drop, fail, or have Cs or less in Organic 1. After my first semester, I ended up with 2.70.
As I am currently typing, I am now in my second semester at UCF. All of my friends think I am a top notch student and think I have a very high GPA so I only tell them about my science GPA while assuring them that they have a better chance to get into medical school. They think I will blow away the competition. Also, since the starting of community college, I volunteer at the hospital but just getting only about 250 hours since the start. I have also recently been enrolled in an Honors Program that requires research and a completion an undergraduate thesis before my anticipated graduation (Fall 2007). I am doing research with a professor on my disorder with stem cell technology. So far I have very excellent standings this semester and hoping it will continue. If it does, then I definatly will have straight A's this semester with 15 credits. The courses I am taking are Organic Chemitry 2, Human Physiology, General Psychology, and Statistical Methods. Also, I plan to take the MCAT this August with Kaplan course this summer even though I plan to apply to medical school NEXT summer. The remaining undergraduate road ahead might be difficult but if everything goes well, I will have at least a 3.0 before the application to medical school.
If I tell you that I am 100% confident I will get into medical school, I'd be lying, even though the people in my class think I am a perfect candidate. What I am doing is that I am trying to set myself apart from other students. I mean anyone can volunteer. The only way I can set myself apart and improve my application, assuming it will not affect my grade, is research and a one week medical mission trip to Honduras this summer. Also, I am/was an Eagle Scout and Assistant Scout Master of troop and devoted myself to community service since 6th grade. I don't know if that would help my application out.
I am open to suggestions and the truth. I know the truth hurts. For those of you with low GPA and are pursueing medicine like me, the site MD applicants has a person with low GPA and accepted to a whole bunch of schools. This person really motivated me by his results and gave me hope even though I don't know him. Here is the link: http://www.mdapplicants.com/viewprofile.php?id=3570
Also if anyone has comments about my disorder, I am open to that as well. Of course one of the medical field I am looking into is neurology because I want to help people like me and I feel I understand people with neurological disorders better, hence the field of my research.
Thank you and sorry for this long post. Again, I was not sure in posting this in Non-Traditional or Pre Allopathic so I posted in both. Sorry for the double posting.
Tyler
First off I would like to apologize for posting in both the Pre-Allopathic and the Non-Traditional thread because I was unsure what I am classified as. Please read my situation and I am sorry in advance for this long post.
I started my undergraduate as an Electrical Engineering major at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. My grades as an EE major are not good at all. I got academic suspension after the second year because I ended up with a GPA of 1.69. There were a lot of factors that contribute to that low GPA. For one thing, during that time, my family was going through a process of moving from Virginia to Florida and while helping them, it affected my grades. The other thing was that after two semesters as an EE major I began to really hate this major because I really didn't see myself as an engineeer but was too immature to really admit it and go to a change right away. During that time, I was also working out and was interested in the physiology that happens throughout the body. It should also be noted that I am a person suffering from hemiplegia cerebral palsy that affects mostly my right side. So the more I looked into my disorder and the physiology of exercising, the more I became interested in medicine. I remember sitting in my engineering signal processing class and kept asking myself why I chose EE the first place.
Anyway, being academically suspended with that GPA, I knew I could not sit back and wait for a semester doing nothing until my suspension is lifted. I decided to transfer to Florida with my family who had lived there for almost a half year. I knew with my GPA at the time that no university would accept me so I applied to a community college; Valencia Community College for those of you familiar with the City of Orlando. Not to mention the out of state tuition. Upon going to this community college, I planned to finish my EE degree. However, that summer it occured to me that since I transferred to a really new place and having a low GPA in the EE major, I might as well do something new and something I like. I spent a week thinking about the change but I went and changed it to biology at this community college anyway. I retook Physics 1 w/ Calculus and 2 as well. The first time I took those courses I got Ds on both of them. Earned As on both of them at the community college. Basically, I was at this college for two semesters, finishing all my gen ed courses and General Biology 1 and 2, General Chemistry 1 and 2, and Physics /w Calculus 1 and 2. Got straight A's both semester with 17 credits each. I ended up with a culmulative GPA of 2.64 keeping in mind that I started with 1.69.
So I transferred to University of Central Florida Fall of 2005 declaring my major as Molecular Biology and Microbiology. First semester I took Human Anatomy, Genetics, Microbiology, and Organic Chemistry 1. I was really stupid and got a B in Human Anatomy and Genetics. I did however, get an A in Microbiology which was hard to get because of the professor. Most people got Bs and below. And of course Organic 1 I got an A and I was sure I was the best student in that class. It is kind of ironic though because Mircobiology and Organic utilizes a lot of information from Biology 1 and 2 and General Chemistry 1 and 2. And being top in those classes just tells me that there is probably no difference in the material between a community college and a university. During that semester, I actually taught/tutor/studied with my fellow premed students who had done their biology and general chemistry their freshman year at the university. Many people either drop, fail, or have Cs or less in Organic 1. After my first semester, I ended up with 2.70.
As I am currently typing, I am now in my second semester at UCF. All of my friends think I am a top notch student and think I have a very high GPA so I only tell them about my science GPA while assuring them that they have a better chance to get into medical school. They think I will blow away the competition. Also, since the starting of community college, I volunteer at the hospital but just getting only about 250 hours since the start. I have also recently been enrolled in an Honors Program that requires research and a completion an undergraduate thesis before my anticipated graduation (Fall 2007). I am doing research with a professor on my disorder with stem cell technology. So far I have very excellent standings this semester and hoping it will continue. If it does, then I definatly will have straight A's this semester with 15 credits. The courses I am taking are Organic Chemitry 2, Human Physiology, General Psychology, and Statistical Methods. Also, I plan to take the MCAT this August with Kaplan course this summer even though I plan to apply to medical school NEXT summer. The remaining undergraduate road ahead might be difficult but if everything goes well, I will have at least a 3.0 before the application to medical school.
If I tell you that I am 100% confident I will get into medical school, I'd be lying, even though the people in my class think I am a perfect candidate. What I am doing is that I am trying to set myself apart from other students. I mean anyone can volunteer. The only way I can set myself apart and improve my application, assuming it will not affect my grade, is research and a one week medical mission trip to Honduras this summer. Also, I am/was an Eagle Scout and Assistant Scout Master of troop and devoted myself to community service since 6th grade. I don't know if that would help my application out.
I am open to suggestions and the truth. I know the truth hurts. For those of you with low GPA and are pursueing medicine like me, the site MD applicants has a person with low GPA and accepted to a whole bunch of schools. This person really motivated me by his results and gave me hope even though I don't know him. Here is the link: http://www.mdapplicants.com/viewprofile.php?id=3570
Also if anyone has comments about my disorder, I am open to that as well. Of course one of the medical field I am looking into is neurology because I want to help people like me and I feel I understand people with neurological disorders better, hence the field of my research.
Thank you and sorry for this long post. Again, I was not sure in posting this in Non-Traditional or Pre Allopathic so I posted in both. Sorry for the double posting.
Tyler
