Is this the breaking point?

[Gurame21]

So, I'm pretty sure I just got a D in organic chem. In past terms I've done poorly in gen chem and mathematics. It's not because I'm not capable and it's not because I have any real obligations outside of school to distract me. Frankly, It's because I'm lazy and I don't what it truly means to work hard. I've never been truly disciplined by my parents and I've never had to struggle to get the things I want. If I don't find a class interesting or apparently relevant (I've aced every biology-related class I've ever taken because I love biology), I will tune it out. Gen chem, organic chem, mathematics; none of these classes require you to be a genius, they just require time and effort, time and effort that I did not want to devote. As I turned in my half completed final and watched as my professor acknowledged all the students who regularly attended his office hour while completely ignoring me, I realized that I am fed up with myself. I started college when I was 16 in a program that allowed me to graduate with an Associate's degree. This was a huge mistake because I was definitely not mature enough for college then (my grades from these years show it) . Now 19, I am a university senior with a crappy GPA and a rough transcript for someone looking to go into medicine. I hang with a slacker crowd and I only work my hardest when finals come around. Today, I am making the decision to end all of it. I don't care if I have to work two jobs to pay for excess credit hours (I'm probably losing my state scholarship), if I have to retake every basic science class I've ever taken, or if I have to sleep in the library on a regular basis to learn what I need to learn, I am ready to do what it takes to actually be the person I imagined I was for years. I want my professors to know who I am. I want to be respected by my fellow hardworking classmates. If I don't like a class that I need for med school admission, tough **** because I need to do well in them whether i like them or not. Success only comes when you want it as much as you want to breathe. I am now willing to give up everything for medical school because it is the only thing I've thought about daily since the beginning of high school. I just want to know if I'm wasting my time here. Will I be able to make an impression on admissions committees with a complete and drastic academic 180? Will they see that my first three years of college were me being a stupid kid and that I grew up and worked my problems out? I know allopathic schools will probably pass me off but will osteopathic schools see who I am and what I did? I know people in my position would probably pick a new major/career to work towards but I am only done with my ways, I am NOT done with my dream of becoming a physician. I am only 19 and I have a lot of years ahead of me so I believe that I can make this happen if I'm given the chance to do so.

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[SixStringPsych]

Make it happen dude. It's never too late. Obviously depending on what your GPA is, you'll have to see how much damage control you gotta do but seriously it's never too late. No matter how bad your GPA is, if you're willing to sacrifice hours and hours studying, then hell, put most of that towards the MCAT and friggin nail it. You may only have a certain degree of power over your GPA at this point but you have all the control over your MCAT score. If you can get a 35+ and bring your GPA to a 3.0 (I'm assuming it's worse than that) then you could have a shot at allopathic.

For any cynical SDNers I'm not giving this kid false hope. I'm telling you you've gotta work your butt off OP, because it's not gonna be easy, but it's definitely possible.

 

[maestrohuang]

Retake courses and just get on it! The average age of incoming first-years is 25 so you have pleeeenty of time and will likely be in before the average age. At least you recognize now that you were lazy and it can likely be fixed if you get the right motivation and experiences to keep you going.

 

[Gurame21]

Thank you for the responses and not flaming, it really means a lot. Thank you for sharing your experience Sahren, it sounds like you went through what I'm going through now so it's nice to hear that things can pay off. I definitely can relate to having difficulty talking with professors. I have a hard time asking for help sometimes and it's a habit I really need to get out of.

 

[LaughingMan]

Hey OP! I just wanted to address some things here.

So, I'm pretty sure I just got a D in organic chem. In past terms I've done poorly in gen chem and mathematics. It's not because I'm not capable and it's not because I have any real obligations outside of school to distract me. Frankly, It's because I'm lazy and I don't what it truly means to work hard. I've never been truly disciplined by my parents and I've never had to struggle to get the things I want.

The fact that you can openly admit this already means you are going in the right direction! Now that you identified what caused you to fail previously, hopefully you can correct it.

If I don't find a class interesting or apparently relevant (I've aced every biology-related class I've ever taken because I love biology), I will tune it out. Gen chem, organic chem, mathematics; none of these classes require you to be a genius, they just require time and effort, time and effort that I did not want to devote. As I turned in my half completed final and watched as my professor acknowledged all the students who regularly attended his office hour while completely ignoring me, I realized that I am fed up with myself.

Don't be SO hard on yourself OP---but realizing things are going bad again is great. I personally hated Gen Chem--but I stuck through it--I hope you can do the same.

I started college when I was 16 in a program that allowed me to graduate with an Associate's degree. This was a huge mistake because I was definitely not mature enough for college then (my grades from these years show it) . Now 19, I am a university senior with a crappy GPA and a rough transcript for someone looking to go into medicine. I hang with a slacker crowd and I only work my hardest when finals come around. Today, I am making the decision to end all of it. I don't care if I have to work two jobs to pay for excess credit hours (I'm probably losing my state scholarship), if I have to retake every basic science class I've ever taken, or if I have to sleep in the library on a regular basis to learn what I need to learn, I am ready to do what it takes to actually be the person I imagined I was for years. I want my professors to know who I am. I want to be respected by my fellow hardworking classmates.

Please--oh--please do reconsider your plan. Retaking a bunch of classes is rarely a good idea as a senior UNLESS you are perfectly fine with a DO route. Have you considered a post-bac program or a special masters?

If I don't like a class that I need for med school admission, tough **** because I need to do well in them whether i like them or not. Success only comes when you want it as much as you want to breathe. I am now willing to give up everything for medical school because it is the only thing I've thought about daily since the beginning of high school. I just want to know if I'm wasting my time here. Will I be able to make an impression on admissions committees with a complete and drastic academic 180? Will they see that my first three years of college were me being a stupid kid and that I grew up and worked my problems out? I know allopathic schools will probably pass me off but will osteopathic schools see who I am and what I did? I know people in my position would probably pick a new major/career to work towards but I am only done with my ways, I am NOT done with my dream of becoming a physician. I am only 19 and I have a lot of years ahead of me so I believe that I can make this happen if I'm given the chance to do so.

Sure--you're a bit rough in your ideas of tough **** and what not--but if that's the mentality you need to succeed then do it.

And since your 19--you can still definitely turn it around! If they do see a 180 change that def will weigh in on your chances (granted you have at least a 3.5 by that time).

I look forward to hearing up your progress--but you should definitely talk to an adviser or a senior member here on what to do. I think re-taking classes is a bad idea and waste of time tbh.

For some comic relief--blast this music right now:

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioE_O7Lm0I4[/YOUTUBE]

Best of luck man!

 

[Gurame21]

Hey guys, just as an update I managed to pass with a C in the class. While not ideal, it beats the hell out of a D. I have talked to my teacher who recommended that, if the drive I'm talking about is real, I should just move on to orgo 2. He said he would look forward to my improvement, which has given me a bit of drive considering his excellent status at my school. I do not want to let him down.