Inspired by LOW GPA/MCAT Success Stories Thread

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amberlynnp13

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1. Your age and GPA and MCAT if you have it.
30-35 years old, non-URM, non-disadvantaged
before postbac: 2.7 cGPA / 3.1 sGPA
3.0/3.4/3.5 cGPA (AMCAS/AACOMAS/TMDSAS), 3.5 sGPA (all app services)
4.0 postbac GPA (60+ credits), 34 MCAT (took once)

2. Your financial and work situation.
Was a full time engineer before starting my postbac, worked as a TA during and then an ER scribe after finishing and during my app cycle year. Still have some undergrad debt.

3. Your family and significant other situation.
I've been married for 7+ years to an amazing woman :love:

4. Your plan or your path to success.
I thought I might be crazy and so did some who knew me best when I started to investigate medicine. So I threw myself into the fire and started 2 medical volunteering experiences and shadowing as well as retaking a few old classes that I never bothered to show up to my first time around, all while working full time as an engineer. I knew this would really test me and it proved to myself and my wife that this was for real. During that first year I really discovered what I wanted to do with my life, planned what I needed to do over the next few years and made a 100% commitment to succeed.

With an old string of Fs, a criminal record from young adulthood, and no "in" into the field I was certain my battle to med school was about as uphill anyone's could get. So I prepped like I needed to be a solid top tier med school candidate hoping that some school could see past the old me of my youth and look at the last 8-10 years of success. I needed straight As, a 90+% MCAT, solid exposure to the field in several settings over a couple years, to continue doing the other things I enjoyed in life, and an articulate way to describe my circuitous path to medicine.

What I did right
I aced all my classes, getting the top scores on many of them
I had focused plans for studying for each class with regular evaluations and adjustments to get the most from my time
I studied intensely for the MCAT, prepping for a 40, then kind of bombing it but still ending up with a solid 34
I made detailed plans for my time and managed it wisely to accomplish everything I wanted before applying
I was involved in my community and volunteering over half a decade before I ever considered medicine
I let myself enjoy learning new things!
I volunteered in a number of medical settings over a long period of time, shadowed several specialties, and read up on the profession
I volunteered in new non medical settings I enjoyed
I continued making some time for hobbies/relaxation
Planned my personal statement and essays to really give my life a 3d voice
Used AACOMAS grade replacement and TMDSAS fresh start to cast a wide net
Had success in engineering (placing in competitions and winning an industry award)
Talked to several adcoms along the way to get fresh perspectives on my candidacy
Strengthened all the weakest areas of my app
Submitted early apps within the first few days with most things pre-written
DIDN'T APPLY UNTIL I WAS READY

What I did wrong
I got so worried about being rejected everywhere for my past mistakes that it was a heavy burden, I responded with too much perfectionism to "make up for it"
Didn't trust the positive feedback I was receiving and over applied

Results
Applied to 21 schools (13 MD/8 DO), received 13 interview invites (6 MD/ 7 DO) by November, attended 11 interviews (2 OOS MD/ 4 OOS DO/ 1 IS DO/ 4 IS MD) with 10 acceptances (2 OOS MD/ 3 OOS DO/ 1 IS DO/ 4 IS MD, all in the first batch of each school's acceptances) along with 2 scholarship offers
Among these was an acceptance to my top choice school, UTSW, which I will be starting at in August

Conclusion
I barely graduated high school and can still remember one of my teachers telling me "I would never amount to anything." I was involved in the wrong life after and briefly ended up in jail. I eventually got my crap together and had success in engineering, never dreaming the old skeletons in the closet would matter again. Then I discovered medicine and realized they did.
It was a punch in the gut.
But I fought back.

For those of you looking for inspiration, it can be done. I still in shock and denial but it is for real and it is a great privilege. I want to thank Jesus for giving me this dream and the strength to start living it.
I'm so happy to read stories like this! Congrats!! It's good to see someone with odds/ past history against them.. I got pregnant at 16 and my guidance couselor told me i was throwing my life away by not having an abortion. Many people including my father downed me.. (Parents were split) Then after my maternity leave my school wouldn't let me come back so I have a GED :/ I really hope this doesn't hurt me and screw my chances from getting ino ms. My mother was moving to VA and i didnt want to leave NJ so i stayed and mved jn with ny sister. so now i was 16 with a baby and independent pretty much.. i went got my ged at 18. My first year of college I found it hard being a mother working 3 jobs and college so I didn't do well.. (I am
Now correcting my GPA at that cc) so if everything goes according to plan ill get my GPA up with these last few classes and hopeful smash my mcats and be able to come on here and talk about it!

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I'm so happy to read stories like this! Congrats!! It's good to see someone with odds/ past history against them.. I got pregnant at 16 and my guidance couselor told me i was throwing my life away by not having an abortion. Many people including my father downed me.. (Parents were split) Then after my maternity leave my school wouldn't let me come back so I have a GED :/ I really hope this doesn't hurt me and screw my chances from getting ino ms. My mother was moving to VA and i didnt want to leave NJ so i stayed and mved jn with ny sister. so now i was 16 with a baby and independent pretty much.. i went got my ged at 18. My first year of college I found it hard being a mother working 3 jobs and college so I didn't do well.. (I am
Now correcting my GPA at that cc) so if everything goes according to plan ill get my GPA up with these last few classes and hopeful smash my mcats and be able to come on here and talk about it!

Your story is such an inspiration to me. I am an lawyer/engineer but i feel that my calling is somewhere else. I need to give back. My engineering GPA is 2.96. While my Law GPA, is something like 2.5. But I am hoping to get in Medical School, too.
 
Your story is such an inspiration to me. I am an lawyer/engineer but i feel that my calling is somewhere else. I need to give back. My engineering GPA is 2.96. While my Law GPA, is something like 2.5. But I am hoping to get in Medical School, too.

I'm slowly but surely getting my GPA! It's a long processes but I'm taking it one class at a time! I'm back at a cc taking organic and physics.. Hopefully I do we with both and can take the MCAT in June..
 
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Thanks for the kind words Amberlyn and best of luck with your own comeback story.
 
I'm so happy to read stories like this! Congrats!! It's good to see someone with odds/ past history against them.. I got pregnant at 16 and my guidance couselor told me i was throwing my life away by not having an abortion. Many people including my father downed me.. (Parents were split) Then after my maternity leave my school wouldn't let me come back so I have a GED :/ I really hope this doesn't hurt me and screw my chances from getting ino ms. My mother was moving to VA and i didnt want to leave NJ so i stayed and mved jn with ny sister. so now i was 16 with a baby and independent pretty much.. i went got my ged at 18. My first year of college I found it hard being a mother working 3 jobs and college so I didn't do well.. (I am
Now correcting my GPA at that cc) so if everything goes according to plan ill get my GPA up with these last few classes and hopeful smash my mcats and be able to come on here and talk about it!

My first enrollment in any public school was in 7th grade at age 12 and yes I missed public school from elementary to first three quarters of grade 7. Also, I migrated to US at age 11 so I had to learn English on my own. I passed middle school and dropped out of high school. I got my GED diploma at 21. I then went to community college and took 64 credits in total of 7 semesters. I had a 2.69 cGPA and 2.59 sGPA. I was also enrolled in many ESL courses. I then transferred to a four year college and took 70 credits in four semesters with a 3.93 cGPA and 3.91 sGPA while winning scholarships, making the highest honor's list every semester, and just been nominated for Fulbright Scholarship at this school. I am majoring in Biology and minoring in Chemistry. I will be graduating next semester. I have yet to take the MCAT. I will be applying in 2016. I just recently turned 27. Since age 11 I have been living below poverty line and when I say below I mean like almost homeless status. I am pretty sure I am nothing compared to what you guys have went thru or others go thru. The point I am trying to make is everything is possible as long as you have self-belief because with self-belief you can conquer anything in life. I do believe I will achieve my goals. That MD will be mine one day.
"Baby steps" ;)
 
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