I royally messed up in undergrad as a pre-med and have no idea what to do with my life now.

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genericpremedstudent said:
dude, cmon. i'm 29 sitting in undergrad classes with kids who are 11 years younger than me. there are people younger than me who are already attendings. i'm not on SDN crying about it. instead, i'm making sure that i do everything i can to succeed. i feel like you just want people to feel sorry for you.
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Same boat. Except I do secretly cry about it. Lol. Jk, but it does hurt the soul a little bit when you scribe for a doc one year older than you are.

OP, you're YOUNG. You have plenty of time to do just about anything you want in life. Take some time to figure out why you haven't been succeeding in school and then go retake all your bad science grades. It may take a while and it's going to be expensive, but if you really want this then that's what you'll do.

In the mean time work on your ECs. Get a medical job. If you end up wanting to be a PA their schools require a significant amount of hands on experience. Go get yourself a full time job as an EMT, nurse, or something in between. You'll be alright. Just keep trekkin along.
 
Hey OP,

I will try to keep this concise. Take some time and reflect on what's important to you. If you like the money or the power to medicine, there are other professions/paths that can get you that and more much easier. If you like science, there are plenty of other science related options for you. If you want a great family, there are plenty of other lifestyles more conducive for a significant other and kids. If you like the service, there are SO many other ways to significantly serve the community. As much as everybody wants to make it seem like being a physician is the end all in life, it's not.

At the end of the day, Spiderman takes off his mask and he's still Peter Parker. At the end of the day, Batman takes off his mask and he's still Bruce Wayne. Whether you end up becoming a physician, P.A, nurse, or whatever, you will always be you. Find out what's important to you and pursue it relentlessly.

Who knows, this may be a blessing in disguise. There are endless examples of physicians who are unhappy or unsatisfied. This may not have been the path for you even if you had a 4.0 and 40+ on the MCAT.

Lastly, shame on everybody acting like OP slacked off. Ironic that a career that places so much emphasis on empathy and trying to understand the plight of others brings out so many people acting like this. You don't know what OP was going through. Everybody has their cross to carry.

Take care of yourself, OP. Stay tough. Your best days are ahead of you, regardless.
 
you were/are a young kid who developed as an average joe. you screwed up earlier on and then you became serious. you obviously have the brain. the maturity will take some time. i would not give up but that doesn't mean you can go back to being an adolescent again either. i matured very late (no regrets, at least i am alive and healthy). you otoh matured fairly quickly. at 21, i was a child. it's incredible how intelligence is only one single part of any professional study course or line of work. maturity, life situations, disabilities, responsibility, etc. all play a huge role.
 
samac said:
I'm sure those people have some deep donating pockets and/or an amazing life story.
Let's say 150 people who matriculated with less than a 3.0 out of 6,465 total.
That's ~3% of the total accepted.
Because of AACOMAS cutoffs we can approximate about 1800 people applied with stats below 3.0. ~8% of people with those stats get accepted. Less than a 10% chance is pretty minuscule.
So OP if you really want to be a physician retake your grades, get to at least a 3.0 with your retakes (remember they don't average, they replace for DO) and then apply.
If you're against DO then find another profession.
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It's obviously an uphill battle and the odds are certainly stacked against you with those stats. The point was it happens if you can spin your app the right way.

If an applicant proves they're capable of achieving 4.0 level grades with a mid 30s MCAT, you would think that's the type of candidate DO schools would want -- they get to recruit an applicant that without the screw-ups would have likely almost exclusively gone for MD schools. OP obviously has his work cut out for him to assuage the red flags on his application, but I wouldn't say it's impossible.
 
ElCapone said:
There's still Nursing School, PA, etc. Pls don't waste your money going Carib because that's basically a scam.
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You sir are a Grade A JACKASS... Carib schools are a second chance, nopromises made but a second chance at a dream. There's no handholding but if you really want to be a doctor it's a VERY viable option... Top 3 (SGU/Ross/AUC) matched 1500+ total this past match, sure there is lots of weeding out, but definitely more make it to residency than not.

My story:
State University: 3.1 science - 1 MD interview (applied to 55) - rejected
SGU: 230 USMLE (USMD average was 227) but worked my ass off in rotations despite being "academically challeged"... made sure my desire to be a good doctor showed wherever I could.
MATCHED: Boston University for Anesthesiology (1st attempt)
MATCHED: UCLA Pain Fellowship (1st attempt)

Bottom line is: my grades sucked, I struggled, I wanted to give up... but I wanted the MD bad enough that I made it up in other ways... I just wasn't a book smart person.

Don't give up on your dream, don't let people tell you no, EVER (including evil mobsters like Capone)

If being a doctor isn't your dream and you are struggling now, there won't be enough to push you through the tough times, I will promise you that.
 
RixGov said:
You sir are a Grade A JACKASS... Carib schools are a second chance, nopromises made but a second chance at a dream.
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The name-calling isn't necessary, it just reflects poorly on you and your school. Also, it makes you look defensive and unreasonable; even more so with the emotional appeals. And it's not exactly like the Caribbean schools have impressed the medical community with their ethics.
RixGov said:
There's no handholding but if you really want to be a doctor it's a VERY viable option... Top 3 (SGU/Ross/AUC) matched 1500+ total this past match, sure there is lots of weeding out, but definitely more make it to residency than not.
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This number is meaningless without a percentage. If you have something to counter the common knowledge about match rates, you'll need to provide legitimate sources to back this up. Straight from the NRMP that is quoted so much:

"The number of active U.S. citizen IMGs declined slightly from 2014, but at 5,014 represented more than a 33 percent increase since 2011. The match rate for those applicants was 53.1 percent, the highest since 2005."

When proponents are ecstatic about a 53% match rate... you know something is wrong.

RixGov said:
My story:
State University: 3.1 science - 1 MD interview (applied to 55) - rejected
SGU: 230 USMLE (USMD average was 227) but worked my ass off in rotations despite being "academically challeged"... made sure my desire to be a good doctor showed wherever I could.
MATCHED: Boston University for Anesthesiology (1st attempt)
MATCHED: UCLA Pain Fellowship (1st attempt)

Bottom line is: my grades sucked, I struggled, I wanted to give up... but I wanted the MD bad enough that I made it up in other ways... I just wasn't a book smart person.

Don't give up on your dream, don't let people tell you no, EVER (including evil mobsters like Capone)

If being a doctor isn't your dream and you are struggling now, there won't be enough to push you through the tough times, I will promise you that.
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Congrats. Is it responsible of you to encourage individuals to jump into med school when they clearly aren't ready? What if OP listens to you, fails out, and leaves with nothing but 150k in debt? Are the pats on the back and never-give-up attitude going to help then?

If I can ask, did you apply to DO schools?

I'm happy for you that you are successful, seriously. But I wager you would be singing a different tune if things had turned out differently. Most of these kids would be much better off working on making themselves competitive for DO schools. I mean, the two routes are not even comparable.
 
RixGov said:
You sir are a Grade A JACKASS... Carib schools are a second chance, nopromises made but a second chance at a dream. There's no handholding but if you really want to be a doctor it's a VERY viable option... Top 3 (SGU/Ross/AUC) matched 1500+ total this past match, sure there is lots of weeding out, but definitely more make it to residency than not.

My story:
State University: 3.1 science - 1 MD interview (applied to 55) - rejected
SGU: 230 USMLE (USMD average was 227) but worked my ass off in rotations despite being "academically challeged"... made sure my desire to be a good doctor showed wherever I could.
MATCHED: Boston University for Anesthesiology (1st attempt)
MATCHED: UCLA Pain Fellowship (1st attempt)

Bottom line is: my grades sucked, I struggled, I wanted to give up... but I wanted the MD bad enough that I made it up in other ways... I just wasn't a book smart person.
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That's because you are a strong student and an outlier. Out of curiosity, why did you not apply DO?

(including evil mobsters like Capone)
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We aren't evil. We just offer people what they want (and can't get due to the silly Prohibition) 😛
 
dog_swag said:
Lastly, shame on everybody acting like OP slacked off. Ironic that a career that places so much emphasis on empathy and trying to understand the plight of others brings out so many people acting like this. You don't know what OP was going through. Everybody has their cross to carry.
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If you are going to compare this to the duties of a physician, sure, you need to be able to empathize, but that shouldn't get in the way of being honest. You make it sound like doctors are inherently altruistic people who never judge anyone.
 
genericpremedstudent said:
If you are going to compare this to the duties of a physician, sure, you need to be able to empathize, but that shouldn't get in the way of being honest. You make it sound like doctors are inherently altruistic people who never judge anyone.
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I'm saying that unless you can hop in your Delorean and go back and fix OP's past, there's no point in giving him/her a hard time.

Sure you can think/assess/judge all you want. The ability to do so is what makes us human. My point is that when you are a physician, when a patient comes to you with lung cancer/COPD/etc., are you going to take up time to berate them for smoking? Are you going to mock a patient with CHF or T2D for having poor lifestyle choices in the past?
 
dog_swag said:
I'm saying that unless you can hop in your Delorean and go back and fix OP's past, there's no point in giving him/her a hard time.

Sure you can think/assess/judge all you want. The ability to do so is what makes us human. My point is that when you are a physician, when a patient comes to you with lung cancer/COPD/etc., are you going to take up time to berate them for smoking? Are you going to mock a patient with CHF or T2D for having poor lifestyle choices in the past?
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the irony of another pre-med student telling me what is expected of me as a doctor...
 
Outliers, really.

To follow up on Samac's astute observation, these people probably also successfully did a post-bacs or SMPs but their original GPAs were so poor, like OPs, that they failed to clear the 3.0 hurdle. Nevertheless, this shows that in OP's case, some hard work may yet have a payoff.


Azete said:
Last year, there were 9 students that matriculated with a GPA less than 2.0. And a little over 100 less than 3.0. It happens.

http://www.aacom.org/docs/default-source/data-and-trends/2014_Mat.pdf?sfvrsn=12
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OP, if I were you, I would take time off. It might a year, two or more, but you need time off. You're spinning in circle and burning tires right now and you're not getting any where you want or need to be. You need to reflect on what's important to you and work on how figuring what forces are causing you to perform this way and issues you have to deal with before going back into ANY process.

Your life is not over at 21...let me say that again, YOUR LIFE ISN'T OVER AT 21!!!!

You're a baby compared to some of us!

Yeah, you screwed up your GPA, accept that! I don't think you're truly accepting that reality yet. You're telling us you understand that you've screwed up, but I don't think it hit home, yet. Base on your post, you're still in a dump and a good start would be figuring out all your issues.

If medicine doesn't work out you have other options. You MIGHT not like those options or it MIGHT not be lucrative high paying fields, but it's a job and depending on how you budget, YOU'LL SURVIVE!

If for whatever reason you can't get into medicine or change your mind, please look into other health care branch like nursing such as LPN, RN, techs, whatever it maybe, but there's stuff out there. It's not over, kiddo. It's over when you say it is.

I live by this saying, and I don't know who said it but "If you can't get in by the door, try the window."

Like I said, medicine may be out of the picture or it may not be depending on what you do, but there's A LOT of different path.

But if you can't get your issues under control, you're not gonna truly succeed and accept the changes that you are facing and you're going to have a harder time conforming to that.

Good luck. I wish you the best!
 
Goro said:
Three semesters of acing after literally two UG degrees worth of coursework will require more than a rocking MCAT.

OP, I think that if you can pull off two more semesters of As, AND do well on MCAT, and make sure your GPA is what it's supposed ot be after grade replacement, then there are DO schools waiting for you. MD is not an option now.


To reiterate, retake any F/D/C science coursework.
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Definitely agree with this. But OP needs the motivation and necessary help to do well in the future, since he is sadly dispirited.

RixGov said:
You sir are a Grade A JACKASS... Carib schools are a second chance, nopromises made but a second chance at a dream. There's no handholding but if you really want to be a doctor it's a VERY viable option... Top 3 (SGU/Ross/AUC) matched 1500+ total this past match, sure there is lots of weeding out, but definitely more make it to residency than not.

My story:
State University: 3.1 science - 1 MD interview (applied to 55) - rejected
SGU: 230 USMLE (USMD average was 227) but worked my ass off in rotations despite being "academically challeged"... made sure my desire to be a good doctor showed wherever I could.
MATCHED: Boston University for Anesthesiology (1st attempt)
MATCHED: UCLA Pain Fellowship (1st attempt)

Bottom line is: my grades sucked, I struggled, I wanted to give up... but I wanted the MD bad enough that I made it up in other ways... I just wasn't a book smart person.

Don't give up on your dream, don't let people tell you no, EVER (including evil mobsters like Capone)

If being a doctor isn't your dream and you are struggling now, there won't be enough to push you through the tough times, I will promise you that.
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What an unproductive post. If you're here to preach, you should have known long time back that DO schools are the way to go over the Caribbean, but have fun being a proud exception!

ElCapone said:
We aren't evil. We just offer people what they want (and can't get due to the silly Prohibition) 😛
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Have to agree with the mafioso here. The Prohibition created an ugly hole in the Constitution.
 
Well, you can go to the military, get out and get a degree from money from Uncle Sam, or B, go get an associates in some medical field like nursing or being a first assistant in surgery. But, yeah, a 1.8 is like literally, not going to class, and even then, most will get at least a 2.3 or something.
 
dog_swag said:
I'm not telling you what is expected of you as a doctor, but the AAMC did: https://www.aamc.org/initiatives/admissionsinitiative/competencies/

I'm just trying to give some constructive ideas on how to better meet these expectations. :shy:
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What someone does and how they react to certain situations in their free time is their prerogative and not indicative whatsoever of their professional abilities. Stop equating someone's presence on the internet with the professional duties of a physician. They are not mutually exclusive.
 
Lawper said:
Definitely agree with this. But OP needs the motivation and necessary help to do well in the future, since he is sadly dispirited.



What an unproductive post. If you're here to preach, you should have known long time back that DO schools are the way to go over the Caribbean, but have fun being a proud exception!



Have to agree with the mafioso here. The Prohibition created an ugly hole in the Constitution.
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ZedsDed said:
The name-calling isn't necessary, it just reflects poorly on you and your school. Also, it makes you look defensive and unreasonable; even more so with the emotional appeals. And it's not exactly like the Caribbean schools have impressed the medical community with their ethics.

This number is meaningless without a percentage. If you have something to counter the common knowledge about match rates, you'll need to provide legitimate sources to back this up. Straight from the NRMP that is quoted so much:

"The number of active U.S. citizen IMGs declined slightly from 2014, but at 5,014 represented more than a 33 percent increase since 2011. The match rate for those applicants was 53.1 percent, the highest since 2005."

When proponents are ecstatic about a 53% match rate... you know something is wrong.



Congrats. Is it responsible of you to encourage individuals to jump into med school when they clearly aren't ready? What if OP listens to you, fails out, and leaves with nothing but 150k in debt? Are the pats on the back and never-give-up attitude going to help then?

If I can ask, did you apply to DO schools?

I'm happy for you that you are successful, seriously. But I wager you would be singing a different tune if things had turned out differently. Most of these kids would be much better off working on making themselves competitive for DO schools. I mean, the two routes are not even comparable.
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Thanks for having my back, you guys. SDN Mafia 4 Lyfe
 
And, if you're not sure if healthcare is the right field for you, check out this book.

What Color is Your Parachute?

I have friends who were in similar situations, and they found it helpful.

You're going through a really tough time, but your life isn't over. You aren't going to magically bump into a solution here, so follow the advice that rings most true to you and is most doable now. Best of luck!
 
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Just to clarify, I said my BCPM GPA was a 1.8, not my overall. My overall is a 2.6 from both universities and a 2.4 from the one I graduated from. My transcript consists of A's and B's in non-science classes but a lot of C's and some D's in science classes early on. My other classes like history, social science, english, and all that just required me to write papers and take very easy exams so I have good grades in them despite not even trying that hard.
 
If medicine is still something you're striving for, there are ways you can remediate your bad scores. At this point, your transcript is a post-apocalyptic nuclear wasteland...but I'm sure you know that. So reestablish your priorities and decide if this is what you really want out of your life.

If it is, I'd suggest going back to undergraduate school and picking up a second bachelor's in a related field. If you majored in Biology, for instance, get a degree in Chemistry. It will allow you to retake the same classes for grade replacement while still looking "more recent," since the grades you've earned for those courses are for a separate degree. If you manage to pull it off, aiming high and setting curves—with a killer MCAT—I wouldn't doubt you could make it to a mid-tier DO.

I'll agree with Goro, MD isn't even a glimmer in your eye at this point. In fact, without some major time to settle the dust kicked up by your last degree, I don't think MD will ever be an option.

But it's all about your future patients, right? Those things shouldn't matter to you.
 
I'd have to agree with the other spongebob guy on this thread and tell you to join the military. There are actually jobs you can get in the medical field, in the military, that they train you for themselves.
 
Can we talk about how the word "depression" gets thrown around like candy by my generation? These 21-year-olds who have seen nothing in life outside of school love to use this word to invoke empathy. Having worked with clinically depressed patients and going out on a limb to guess a little about OP, he is not depressed. Severely discouraged? Yes. Feeling a little helpless? Yes. These are normal human emotions coming from someone in his situation. But not depressed...no depressed person I've ever worked with would spend all this time on forums asking for help and listening to people. Usually they do other things that are not quite so helpful to themselves.

TL;DR on topic, OP – you are not depressed. You are a below average student who is realizing that you are not cut out for a field you were misinformed about. I feel for you. But that is no excuse for this. Snap out of it and take some of the advice you've been given already. I would even go so far as to say suck it up and get a real job for once. You said you could be a lab tech? Go do it and pay your bills, maybe your sadness will be mitigated..
 
xyphr said:
Doesn't make his point any less true. Saying what you're saying is quite literally the exact same concept as a doctor telling his patient "you have lung cancer, tough ****, should have stopped smoking while you had the chance." True, but completely nonconstructive.

And for the record, those are not only his words, but the words of the mission statement of pretty much any medical school.
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Refer to my post above.
 
G.NA said:
Can we talk about how the word "depression" gets thrown around like candy by my generation? These 21-year-olds who have seen nothing in life outside of school love to use this word to invoke empathy. Having worked with clinically depressed patients and going out on a limb to guess a little about OP, he is not depressed. Severely discouraged? Yes. Feeling a little helpless? Yes. These are normal human emotions coming from someone in his situation. But not depressed...no depressed person I've ever worked with would spend all this time on forums asking for help and listening to people. Usually they do other things that are not quite so helpful to themselves.

TL;DR on topic, OP – you are not depressed. You are a below average student who is realizing that you are not cut out for a field you were misinformed about. I feel for you. But that is no excuse for this. Snap out of it and take some of the advice you've been given already. I would even go so far as to say suck it up and get a real job for once. You said you could be a lab tech? Go do it and pay your bills, maybe your sadness will be mitigated..
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Debating with OP as to whether or not he's depressed isn't going to solve jack, though. And who knows? He very well could be. Having the forum support could be helping him more than we know- and he probably did it for that support. OP still needs to talk to someone about major life changes, regardless of if he's clinically depressed or not, so the counseling/therapy route would help him.

I second getting work, though. I know that if OP doesn't want to be a lab tech, he very well could apply to trade's school. @Nibus suggested the military, which could also work for him.

He's apparently gotten semesters of straight A's recently, so I wouldn't say below average. It took him a while and he did some pretty serious damage to his GPA, but if he's acing science classes like he says he is, then he very well could have the brain for it. A DO program might give him a chance if he puts in a boatload of work and aces his MCAT, but we're only able to tell him that there's a shot. Not a likely one, and not one without some elbow grease, and only OP can determine if it's worth it.
 
Nibus said:
Additionally, have you ever considered the military? It's not for everyone, but I know a few people who got their lives back together and came back as new people after their experience.
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where am i said:
I'd have to agree with the other spongebob guy on this thread and tell you to join the military. There are actually jobs you can get in the medical field, in the military, that they train you for themselves.
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You guys should ally with @PatrickStarMDPHD and join the SDN SpongeBob club led by @gettheleadout 😉😉
 
xyphr said:
I would imagine that who you are on an anonymous internet forum is reflective of who you are as a person in real life. Unless you get off to having this crazy alter ego persona on the internet.
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the problem is, you two mistake bluntness for a lack of empathy. if this was the first thread OP had made about the subject, I would have had something entirely different to say. It is also laughable that you two assume that all doctors are inherently altruistic and empathetic.
 
Not sure if this is helpful to OP- some graduate programs look at the last 60 credit hours of your UG degree for admission. For example, some of the less stellar public health programs will accept with a good GRE score and at least a 3.0 in the last 60 credit hours. This may be an option if you find yourself pining for more schooling.

If you consider this option I'd suggest realistically assessing how you think you'd do given your current feelings and past performance- a break from school to work a job might re-energize you.
 
xyphr said:
That's what they should be. Nobody would argue against that. Since you seem to take pride in being the opposite, kudos to you. Its your life buddy. Hopefully your attitude catches up with you at some point.
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I'm not worried about it. I save my empathy for people with real problems. Not some kid who messed around in college and set himself up for failure.
 
genericpremedstudent said:
the problem is, you two mistake bluntness for a lack of empathy. if this was the first thread OP had made about the subject, I would have had something entirely different to say. It is also laughable that you two assume that all doctors are inherently altruistic and empathetic.
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Listen, there's no point in arguing with you. This argument is circular and it's apparent that you're determined to get the last word in, but I had one final point before I stop watching the thread. You are insinuating that some people deserve empathy and others don't. If you want to "save your empathy" for people that you find deserving, you're going to have a tough time dolling out compassion as a doctor. You're going to encounter so, so, so many patients that don't take care of themselves or have done something to get themselves injured or sick (whoops! better not try to state a fact because how dare I make a point as a lowly undergrad). "Yeah, you got skin cancer. Looks like somebody shouldn't have spent so much time in the sun. I'd like to be more empathetic but this is your problem. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to find some patients that are worthy of my pity."

Not trying to be a jerk, but I don't care about you. I don't know you and probably never will. But I care about your patients. There's no such thing as pure altruism, but there is such thing as putting your patients first. If you want to determine what is just, go to law school. I wish you'd put the pride aside and try to see our point here. Medicine is about taking care of your patients. Not sitting around judging who is "deserving" and who isn't.
 
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genericpremedstudent said:
I'm not worried about it. I save my empathy for people with real problems. Not some kid who messed around in college and set himself up for failure.
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Lol I gotta say after reading through the whole thread on my downtime some of the attitudes here are truly disgusting. I guess since a man wrote about his situation many times that he doesn't have "real problems" or that empathy is something that has to be "saved" when there's plenty in a person to go around.

That said I definitely agree that while many of the comments are harsh, they don't necessarily mean that the posters don't care... it's similar to how physicians may feel about those who repeatedly come back to the office without taking measures to control T2D or smoking etc... it's pent up frustration because while they still care, the advice will not differ greatly unless something drastic changed in the patient's situation.

What's more disgusting to me is how easily we can just pass judgement on people, just like saying "Caribbean schools are a scam" or "...assume that all doctors are inherently altruistic and empathetic (what a cynical and jaded comment, which isn't even what anyone is assuming)." All we can do to help is give some ideas and numbers to help support our claims while providing a rationale (which some members have done admirably). Whether he wants to take that advice or not will be up to him.

The OP's situation is a real shame (not a fake one) and I feel that many of the options/advice people are presenting are great choices. I won't add too much other than mention that perhaps speaking to others to see if you can shadow their work (not necessarily physicians but other types of health care related fields). Maybe it's not all it's out to be but at least then the OP has a chance to see it from his point of view. You can still do that while looking for entry level work or attempt some type of fresh start program again. In the meantime it's important to develop a support network around you and branch out. It's gonna be a long road regardless of what you do and having family, friends, colleagues etc... be there for you when you need a lift up would be a great boost to morale.

Lets take some time to clear the air, because rather than filling this thread with our perceptions of a "reality check," lets instead turn it back to the OP and ask... with these options, which one would you prefer to start now... or in a year's time... and go from there.

Best of luck.
 
genericpremedstudent said:
I'm not worried about it. I save my empathy for people with real problems. Not some kid who messed around in college and set himself up for failure.
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To echo some of the other comments here, empathy isn't some exhaustible resource that you need to conserve for emergency cases that require extra empathy. Rather, empathy is a trait that you can develop in yourself by practicing it. Especially in those instances when you come up against a person who you don't feel any compassion towards because you're negatively judging them from your own point of view, try to flip that around by trying to understand things from the other person's point of view instead. Spending time doing that, even when your first instinct is to think poorly of the other person, will improve your capacity to understand and empathize with how others feel. It will make you a better person, not just a better doctor.
 
xyphr said:
Considering he's spent the entirety of this thread bashing on a poor directionless kid for making questionable decisions and told him "good luck with your useless degree," I'm really not too apologetic. Anyway, I'm out.
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You don't have to apologize to him... but man so many people had to work before going to university or they had personal struggles that lead to them taking longer than the traditional student to finish a 4 year degree... you may not need to empathize with genericpremedstudent, but that comment was an insult to all non-traditional students out there (of which I am one as well). You just never know what's behind the monitor.
 
xyphr said:
That's a really good point. I'm really sorry I offended you, that certainly was not my intention and was only a jab at the original poster. I apologize. I'll edit my post.
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LOL. Trying to prove your point by acting the same manner you are trying to argue against is just hilarious. Here's a little bit of info for you. I had a job where I was making a very successful living. I didn't feel a sense of fulfillment from it and it wasn't want I wanted to do. I took the initiative to change that. This could be looked at as a stupid decision by some because in the long run, I would be making way more money with the career I already had then as a doctor. But there is absolutely nothing wrong with someone being proactive about a situation. The fact that you are trying to make fun of that speaks volumes about your maturity. The OP in this situation isn't proactive about his situation at all. And like I've stated numerous times in this thread, my empathy for his situation flew out the window after the first couple posts he made about this exact issue in the past. You can only empathize with someone for so long until their self-destructive behavior leads to you not caring. So excuse me, but I hardly feel sorry for him at this point.
 
genericpremedstudent said:
LOL. Trying to prove your point by acting the same manner you are trying to argue against is just hilarious. Here's a little bit of info for you. I had a job where I was making a very successful living. I didn't feel a sense of fulfillment from it and it wasn't want I wanted to do. I took the initiative to change that. This could be looked at as a stupid decision by some because in the long run, I would be making way more money with the career I already had then as a doctor. But there is absolutely nothing wrong with someone being proactive about a situation. The fact that you are trying to make fun of that speaks volumes about your maturity. The OP in this situation isn't proactive about his situation at all. And like I've stated numerous times in this thread, my empathy for his situation flew out the window after the first couple posts he made about this exact issue in the past. You can only empathize with someone for so long until their self-destructive behavior leads to you not caring. So excuse me, but I hardly feel sorry for him at this point.
Click to expand...

I think the point is that someone could make those same comments about you, and instead of recognizing that perhaps your judgment call isn't what's needed, you instead go on the offense and try to berate the OP about the past (that he obviously can't change).

The OP is also 8 years younger than you, and hasn't had your life experiences. He's doing what he can with what he's dealt, and he's asking for help. Maybe not with as much "rugged individualism" as you, but he's trying to do his best.
 
Wow I am grateful that you guys stuck up for me though genericpremedstudent also had a point, I have been to some extent spamming threads across forums. The reason I came to this forum was not to look for advice on becoming an MD or DO (curiosity for it was there but I was set on dentistry) but advice on going into dentistry with my poor record. As you guys know, dentistry does not do grade replacement like DO does so my dentist aspirations are down the toilet. The reason I stayed is because you guys are a very knowledgeable community compared to some of the other places I have visited.

I will say that those 3 semester I pulled a 4.0 and A's in, I felt like a brand new version of me. Whatever did not exist or was missing, I found it in those 3 semesters. Right now, I am discouraged about life in general and feel like due to my poor college GPA, I have set myself up on a path where I will live my adulthood wondering what could have been and that is not an easy pill to swallow. Right now, I am in the process of swallowing that and my days are just filled with regret and wondering what could have happened if I hit my potential a few semesters earlier. I am not living a happy existence right now and whenever I look to the future, I have nothing but despair.


People say 21 is a young age but it seems like massive screw ups in the 18-22 age range can practically haunt you for life....

I guess that's life though, whether you want to or not, you just over ****. Whether I want to or not, I know that this poor undergrad record is something I will have to get over. Now I am going to focus my energies into finding some sort of career path and investing the time I have into it.
 
Upwardtrendfornow said:
Wow I am grateful that you guys stuck up for me though genericpremedstudent also had a point, I have been to some extent spamming threads across forums. The reason I came to this forum was not to look for advice on becoming an MD or DO (curiosity for it was there but I was set on dentistry) but advice on going into dentistry with my poor record. As you guys know, dentistry does not do grade replacement like DO does so my dentist aspirations are down the toilet. The reason I stayed is because you guys are a very knowledgeable community compared to some of the other places I have visited.

I will say that those 3 semester I pulled a 4.0 and A's in, I felt like a brand new version of me. Whatever did not exist or was missing, I found it in those 3 semesters. Right now, I am discouraged about life in general and feel like due to my poor college GPA, I have set myself up on a path where I will live my adulthood wondering what could have been and that is not an easy pill to swallow. Right now, I am in the process of swallowing that and my days are just filled with regret and wondering what could have happened if I hit my potential a few semesters earlier. I am not living a happy existence right now and whenever I look to the future, I have nothing but despair.


People say 21 is a young age but it seems like massive screw ups in the 18-22 age range can practically haunt you for life....

I guess that's life though, whether you want to or not, you just over ****. Whether I want to or not, I know that this poor undergrad record is something I will have to get over. Now I am going to focus my energies into finding some sort of career path and investing the time I have into it.
Click to expand...

As a starting academic (which is what you are as soon as you enter university), your undergrad (at least grade wise) is arguably the most important time for you to have options available.

To keep this focused on actually doing things....
1. What would you like to start working on first (assuming there's one flaw you want to improve upon right now)?
2. What would you like to do a month from now?
3. Where would you realistically like to see yourself a year from now?

Think hard about setting SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, timely) goals and actually commit to them.
Ex. I want to find an entry level job in health care to start earning some form of income within the next two months, meaning that I need to start prepping resumes, start looking at advertisements and job fairs etc...

Time to start taking the energy you've been using to post on this forum to start producing something that you can feel can fill you with some purpose.

Pain is temporary.... it can last a minute, an hour, or a year. But eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If you give up (in this case on yourself), it will last forever. Don't let your past regrets make your pain last forever.

Good luck and we look forward to hearing about your eventual success.
 
Well, what is done is done and I still don't have a clear conclusion on how many doors my undergrad GPA has closed for me. Right now, my plan is to seek employment as a lab tech, work for some time there, see if I can move up, and then maybe consider other options. My goal was dental school and I believe that Texas Fresh Start might be my only realistic chance of ever achieving that in this lifetime but that is at least 10 years away, if my passion for dentistry is still there then I will try the Texas Fresh Start in 10 years but from now.
 
Unfortunately, have to agree with many people here...your GPA is not so good i'm afraid.
 
So guys, outside of working as a lab tech after college, what other options do I realistically have in the long run?
 
You don't have to limit yourself to your degree. I know people working in companies doing research instead. Others put down their degree in favor of learning other trades. One guy I knew went into life insurance and now just does some office work. What about scribes? Pharmacy assistants? You got to look beyond just your degree.
 
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