IA - Sigh

[Ad2b]

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nevermind ... I'm disclosing

 

[beeboops]

That was a wild ride from start to finish, but I'm glad to see you made it. I'm not an expert on these things, but I assume you'll have to list all the IAs/dismissals as they likely show up on your transcript. Luckily, you've distanced yourself from them, so when it comes time to explain them, you can definitely cite "youthful indiscretion" as the cause 😀 I would just be clear about what you've done to change for the better and what you learned from the experience. Good luck!

P.S. Lime vodka + tequila + box wine makes my stomach hurt just thinking about it, but I'll take your word for it 😛

 

[Ad2b]

🙂 It was a wild, sad, distorted ride. To this day, some 30 years later, I still can't look at lime vodka without pepto near by 😉

I had 1325 characters to explain (which was also included in my PS to a small extent).

Between my lengthy career, service to others for 20+ years, etc - I'm praying my 198x junk is seen but summarily overlooked in light of my current GPA, ADHD diagnosis, etc. (ADHD is not blamed; but I do believe having it lead me to poor study habits, worse decision making, inability to stick with anything, ...)

Those that reject me outright are just pushing me to the one school that will say, "Come chat with us!"

 

[CaliforniaDreamer]

Wow I wish I saw the story, sounds like it was well written at least.

 

[efle]

30 years later

...are you applying to MD schools in your early 50s?

 

[Ad2b]

Wow I wish I saw the story, sounds like it was well written at least.

more than happy to send my PS which does not distinctly describe the issues but alludes to them in closing.

Essentially: raised in very abusive home (mother), great grades through HS (in band, arts, varsity athletics - anything to keep me out of the house); I was ugly... not just a little ugly but FUGLY and hence, harassed and bullied at school (and then abused at home); never dated ... went to college 600+ miles away; became a sorority sister where I was "accepted" ... started volunteering for 1/2 way house for mentally ill adults; met a guy; got drunk a lot; got pregnant; son born then died 6 months later; had been disowned by parents (they were country club set I guess) ... left school then (yes, I was going to school while pregnant) ... came back ... grace of the administration of that university got me a degree; graduated... met a guy ... had 2nd son ... career took off.... really took off... raised 2nd son on my own; he's been the light of my life; somewhere in there was a discussions with the SEC about financial fraud of my employer (I was VP of audit); life imploded... diagnosed with ADHD... tested, treated ... pre-reqs for med school = 3.9 GPA (gchem, orgo, biochem, biology, physics, stats, psych, soc) done over last 5 years.

BUT during that earlier time... IA, IA, IA. Never criminal but obviously, I struggled with many things. Now? not. so. much. but ... my skeletons lurking have figured out the door handle 😉

 

[CaliforniaDreamer]

more than happy to send my PS which does not distinctly describe the issues but alludes to them in closing.

Essentially: raised in very abusive home (mother), great grades through HS (in band, arts, varsity athletics - anything to keep me out of the house); I was ugly... not just a little ugly but FUGLY and hence, harassed and bullied at school (and then abused at home); never dated ... went to college 600+ miles away; became a sorority sister where I was "accepted" ... started volunteering for 1/2 way house for mentally ill adults; met a guy; got drunk a lot; got pregnant; son born then died 6 months later; had been disowned by parents (they were country club set I guess) ... left school then (yes, I was going to school while pregnant) ... came back ... grace of the administration of that university got me a degree; graduated... met a guy ... had 2nd son ... career took off.... really took off... raised 2nd son on my own; he's been the light of my life; somewhere in there was a discussions with the SEC about financial fraud of my employer (I was VP of audit); life imploded... diagnosed with ADHD... tested, treated ... pre-reqs for med school = 3.9 GPA (gchem, orgo, biochem, biology, physics, stats, psych, soc) done over last 5 years.

BUT during that earlier time... IA, IA, IA. Never criminal but obviously, I struggled with many things. Now? not. so. much. but ... my skeletons lurking have figured out the door handle 😉

Wow that is an impressive story. I think you will have a lot of success in the admission process. Your story reminds me of my mother (although your's sounds more severe), she was raising my older half-sister since she was 20, was living across the country from her family, lead singer of a rock band, and then decided she wanted to be a doctor when she was almost 30. She went back to undergrad (where she met my dad who was 8 years younger than her), graduated top of her class, and was accepted to UCLA med school. She tells me that they ALL asked about her experience as a single mother.

 

[genericpremedstudent]

I'd love to see someone write a diversity essay about being ugly.

 

[genericpremedstudent]

also, did you meet the guy at the half-way house?

 

[LizzyM]

more than happy to send my PS which does not distinctly describe the issues but alludes to them in closing.

Essentially: raised in very abusive home (mother), great grades through HS (in band, arts, varsity athletics - anything to keep me out of the house); I was ugly... not just a little ugly but FUGLY and hence, harassed and bullied at school (and then abused at home); never dated ... went to college 600+ miles away; became a sorority sister where I was "accepted" ... started volunteering for 1/2 way house for mentally ill adults; met a guy; got drunk a lot; got pregnant; son born then died 6 months later; had been disowned by parents (they were country club set I guess) ... left school then (yes, I was going to school while pregnant) ... came back ... grace of the administration of that university got me a degree; graduated... met a guy ... had 2nd son ... career took off.... really took off... raised 2nd son on my own; he's been the light of my life; somewhere in there was a discussions with the SEC about financial fraud of my employer (I was VP of audit); life imploded... diagnosed with ADHD... tested, treated ... pre-reqs for med school = 3.9 GPA (gchem, orgo, biochem, biology, physics, stats, psych, soc) done over last 5 years.

BUT during that earlier time... IA, IA, IA. Never criminal but obviously, I struggled with many things. Now? not. so. much. but ... my skeletons lurking have figured out the door handle 😉

As long as the IAs were for booze, drugs*, poor academic performance or rock and roll, you should be good to go. If they were for criminal mischief, theft, destruction of property, or academic misconduct (cheating), you *may* have enough years of good behavior between "young you" and "current you" but that's always a tough call.

*drugs: meaning drug use. If drugs included dealing (which would be more likely to be a criminal charge rather than an institution action by a school) then it is Game Over in most cases due to the risk of giving a former drug dealer a DEA number.

 

[tea guzzling traveler]

Just wanted to say congratulations for getting through it all. Sounds like you had a really tough ride.

 

[Ad2b]

@genericpremedstudent - think buck teeth; tall, skinny chick with pimples 😀 ; and no, I met both at the university

@CaliforniaDreamer - thank you; we'll see what the MCAT score turns out to be and go from there

@tea guzzling traveler - thank you; was a rough ride most of it self-inflicted and lessons learned have been passed onto my son hoping he won't be as dumb