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Hi all,
I have decided to pursue my desire to become a doctor. However, I don't know if MD school is a possibility for me given my academic follies.
A bit of background: I've wanted to be a doctor since about middle school. I did well in high school, went to a University of California initially declared as a Biochem major. I took one chemistry class (didn't study too much) ended up with a C and 18 year old me took that to mean that I wasn't cut out for pre-med, and definitely not medical school. Afterwards, I fumbled around various classes, suffered through depression and anxiety, then junior came around and I needed to switch majors. I ended up graduating with a degree in linguistics. It wasn't until junior year that I was in a better head space and had matured enough to begin to take school seriously again. By the time I realized I had been too quick to discount my chances for med school, I was on my way to graduate. I am 23 years old, I worked full-time for 1 year after graduation and volunteered at an ER. I am now living with my parents so I can dedicate myself full-time to this pursuit.
Here I am now realizing that I still have the itch to pursue medicine. I wonder if I should attempt to complete the prereqs on my own or join a formal postbac. I know my GPA is not high enough to compete with the postbac linkage program applicant pools, but should I try to boost my GPA to apply to a program that offers linkage?
Would you advise I retake the intro classes below? If I am able to ace all the other prereq classes do you think MD schools will consider me? Any advice is appreciated. Thank you
Chemistry 2A: C
MAT 16A (short calculus): B
MAT 21A (engineer calculus): C
MAT 21B: B
Biology 2A: B+
total quarter units of science: 21
GPA of classes above: 2.642
cumulative GPA: 3.285
major GPA: 3.8
I have decided to pursue my desire to become a doctor. However, I don't know if MD school is a possibility for me given my academic follies.
A bit of background: I've wanted to be a doctor since about middle school. I did well in high school, went to a University of California initially declared as a Biochem major. I took one chemistry class (didn't study too much) ended up with a C and 18 year old me took that to mean that I wasn't cut out for pre-med, and definitely not medical school. Afterwards, I fumbled around various classes, suffered through depression and anxiety, then junior came around and I needed to switch majors. I ended up graduating with a degree in linguistics. It wasn't until junior year that I was in a better head space and had matured enough to begin to take school seriously again. By the time I realized I had been too quick to discount my chances for med school, I was on my way to graduate. I am 23 years old, I worked full-time for 1 year after graduation and volunteered at an ER. I am now living with my parents so I can dedicate myself full-time to this pursuit.
Here I am now realizing that I still have the itch to pursue medicine. I wonder if I should attempt to complete the prereqs on my own or join a formal postbac. I know my GPA is not high enough to compete with the postbac linkage program applicant pools, but should I try to boost my GPA to apply to a program that offers linkage?
Would you advise I retake the intro classes below? If I am able to ace all the other prereq classes do you think MD schools will consider me? Any advice is appreciated. Thank you
Chemistry 2A: C
MAT 16A (short calculus): B
MAT 21A (engineer calculus): C
MAT 21B: B
Biology 2A: B+
total quarter units of science: 21
GPA of classes above: 2.642
cumulative GPA: 3.285
major GPA: 3.8
