Kind of lost... is med school still possible for me?

[princess1987]

Hi everyone,

I am in my last year of undergrad. I'm a Biology major, originally planned on going to medical school, but got discouraged along the way. My GPA is not great- about a 3.4. I have mostly B's in science classes but also a few C's. I have tried to take organic chemistry and physics, however I freaked out after not doing well the first month and dropped them (I have bad anxiety issues). I am not great at chemistry (got a B- both semesters in general chemistry) and I have never taken physics before. It sounds like another language to me. So I am terrified of taking them and not doing well.

I'm planning on finishing out my Biology degree (non pre-med) at my college. I will graduate in May, however I feel like I might still want to go to med school. I am at a loss as to what else to do after I get my Bachelor's. Medical school has always been my plan since I was a kid. I was wondering if anyone had any advice.

I have been thinking of taking the physics and organic chemistry after I graduate (maybe at a community college near me). Would this be a bad idea? I've heard that medical schools look down on this? Is it even worth trying to take the MCATS and apply given my mediocre grades? I'm really discouraged and feel like I've failed. Does anyone have any advice?

Thanks a lot!

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[Charles Darwin]

What are your ECs?

 

[princess1987]

What are your ECs?

Not great- I've done a few medical internships through my college. I've been horseback riding for a while. I volunteer at the SPCA. I commute (30 mins) to my school now, so unfortunately my club involvement has been limited.

 

[LawlasaurusRex]

So first thing first, before you even decide on the classes you need to take, go and explore the medical field if you have not done so yet. At this point in time, you need to demonstrate some sort of conviction towards going into medicine. It is not a field where you can meander back and forth between if it's for you or not because you're gonna need to spend some chunk of time repairing aspects of your application. I didn't see any mention of medical volunteer or physician shadowing experiences. Check it out if you have not, since it's a good way to see if you do want to be a doctor and also beef up your EC section for applications.

Academically, your situation is not good. Your chances right now for going to an MD school (and DO too) are quite poor. Med schools want to see you get A's in many of your science courses. For the classes you have not taken/dropped, destroy it when you do get to it. Take advantage of DO grade replacement policy to help overcome your low science grades. There are lots of stories floating around the forum about success stories from individuals who had long, uphill battles to repair their GPA. Check them out for some inspiration/tips. It will be hard long journey, but if you have the motivation, you can do it.

 

[V5RED]

You already know that you need to improve your grades especially the science courses. I am guessing your BCPM is well below 3.0 and that will not cut it.

I am actually surprised that your overall is a 3.4 if you were a science major and mostly got B's and C's in science courses. Did you take a lot of gen eds and ace them all?

For DO you can use the grade replacement for your lowest grades while finishing up your prerequisites, but this assumes you can fix your past issues with making good grades.

Can you do better or was that you at your best? We all have different strengths, and your track record indicates that yours do not lie in sciences.

This is not meant to be discouraging. I want you to really think about if you can fix your situation. If you can that is great. If you can not, then you should start looking at other career options.

 

[bainrd]

So first thing first, before you even decide on the classes you need to take, go and explore the medical field if you have not done so yet. At this point in time, you need to demonstrate some sort of conviction towards going into medicine. It is not a field where you can meander back and forth between if it's for you or not because you're gonna need to spend some chunk of time repairing aspects of your application. I didn't see any mention of medical volunteer or physician shadowing experiences. Check it out if you have not, since it's a good way to see if you do want to be a doctor and also beef up your EC section for applications.

Academically, your situation is not good. Your chances right now for going to an MD school (and DO too) are quite poor. Med schools want to see you get A's in many of your science courses. For the classes you have not taken/dropped, destroy it when you do get to it. Take advantage of DO grade replacement policy to help overcome your low science grades. There are lots of stories floating around the forum about success stories from individuals who had long, uphill battles to repair their GPA. Check them out for some inspiration/tips. It will be hard long journey, but if you have the motivation, you can do it.

Taking L-Rex's advice will serve you better than any course would. You need to have a reason you want to become a physician, for yourself first, and second for the adcom. Without this fundamental reason in your head and heart, it will not happen. Academics aside, because a 3.4 is doable even with lower science grades, the more important consideration is the "anxiety issues" and fear of failure. These characteristics will drive you insane in a medical school environment, and are difficult to hide even without dropped coursework. They will be seen as a lack of maturity and an emotional liability. You are taking a good look at your education and future and that is not a failure, but you need to find your place with tangible experience in your fields of interest.