Is there still hope?

[soldiermedicLSU]

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Hi All,
I am a 26 year old sophomore at LSU. I had a rough first semester (C in Algebra, C in Biology, F in Chemistry...I slept through the final!😱) After that first semester I went to Combat Medic school for the Army and then took a semester of college off. I came back and made straight A's 🙂(including the second Biology, Calculus, and retook the Chemistry). I am currently still making straight A's. I have been working as a Medical Assistant (went to school for a year for this) for the past 2 years. I also got nationally registered as an EMT-B while at Combat Medic school. I am a SGT in the Army so I have lots of leadership experience. So, my question is...Since I retook the class I failed and made an A, as well as making A's in all of my other classes, do I still have a shot at getting accepted to Med School? And should I add any other extra curriculars? I don't know where I would find the time, but am willing to do whatever it takes to make myself competitive. I won't be taking the MCAT for about another year and a half.

 

[Mobius1985]

A lot of students have a bad first year in college. It sounds like you are well on your way to repairing your GPA with your more-recent straight As. Keep up the good work. You can figure out how long it will take to get up to your target GPA of 3.6 (mean for med school acceptees). Possibly you will have to spend some extra time in college to get your GPA into a competitive range. Some would say you should also repeat the Bio class you got the C in, but if you feel you understood tha material, you could also redeem it by getting an A in an upper-level Bio class.

It sounds like you have sufficient clinical exposure. Leadership demonstrated in military service will look great on your AMCAS application. Consider getting in some physician shadowing if not already done. Consider doing some volunteering to demonstrate a humanitarian bent (for you, this need not be clinical, and considering your service to your country, may not be needed, but I'm not sure of that). Consider a research experience before you graduate. Don't take the MCAT until you complete the prerequisites, and score consistently in your target zone (should be 30+) on at least three practice tests. Do all this, and yes, you definitely have a shot at a med school acceptance.

 

[soldiermedicLSU]

Thanks. I received a semester's worth of credit for military experience but I plan on taking classes that semester (instead of graduating early) to further improve my GPA. I have worked in Pediatrics, Geriatrics, Internal Medicine, Family Practice, Head and Neck Surgery, Audiology, Pulmonology, and Critical Care. I have made great contacts in those clinics (including professors at LSU's medical school), so I shouldn't have a problem getting some shadowing time in. Thanks for the advice and I will definitely heed it.

 

[Mobius1985]

Are you aware that you'll be expected to provide transcripts for all post-high school grades? If you went to school for a year to be a medical assistant, you may have additional grades that will improve your overall GPA with AMCAS (which will refigure a new GPA for your med school application). The same might be true for your EMT coursework, if grades were given in Combat Medic School (not completely sure if military certification classes are covered by the rule, so you might check with AMCAS on this.)

Sounds like you have a thorough grounding in many areas for clinical exposure. My impression was, "Wow."

 

[soldiermedicLSU]

Wow! I was not aware of that! I graduated top in my class at medical assistant school and 5th in my class in Combat Medic/EMT school. If those grades can be factored in it would significantly improve my GPA. Thanks for the advice! You have been a tremendous help!