life sucks

[Bevo]

life sucks when :

-you know people from school who you've gone out of your way to help them pass a course get into med school.

-you know people who've always leeched off of everyone else when doing homework/labs get into med school

-having egotistical pricks call you a slacker because of crap that happened 4 years ago.

-watch everyone around you realize their dreams and you watch yours burn.
and feel like you're the only who's not getting anywhere.

-seeing all your friends get closer to finishing their professional degrees, get married, get houses,...move on with their lives and you're stuck chaising your tail.

-when you get completly frustrated with admissions because you've gone through so much to change what you were and everything about you, but always see you based on what you were.

-showing a competent science gpa (3.3) but being rejected because my overall gpa shows that I cannot handle the science courses of a medical school.

-waking up to rejection letter after rejection letter, and unable to get a straight answer as to why.

-knowing that your last real option is a bs option. Having to enroll in a post bacc program that expects a 3.5 out of its students to stay a student, who doesn't garuntee enrollment if you do, and only requires its medical students to have a 3.0 gpa taking the same courses.


The past 2 and half years have been the worst years of my life, but I kept myself going by telling myself that it would all be worth it once I got in. Its now febuary and the silence is driving me insane.

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[ez073323]

lmbebo,

I can't imagine the hurt you must be feel everytime you see someone else achieve the goal you have been working on with such persistance. The fact you are going through the rigors of the application process again is a testament to your character, and it is awful when adcoms don't get a chance to see that part of you. It is very easy for an outsider to say "don't worry" but I know from personal experience that it is near impossible not to do so... My upcoming interview is like the second thing I think of when I wake up in the morning, and the second to last thing I think of when I got to bed at night... I have no idea what I am going to do if I don't get into med school this year, and the fact that you have been so persistant has earned you my respect and envy.

Do you best not to worry.... try and direct that energy to activities you feel will better your application, although I am sure you do such activities all the time. As mdjd said, keep you chin up, and one way or another your tenacity will be rewarded, and just imagine how much sweeter the feeling will be once you do open that first acceptance letter!

Brian Enriquez
[email protected]

 

[skypilot]

Keep at it! You will be a better person and a more humble doctor when you get there because of the struggles you are going through. Try to enjoy the journey, the classes, the interviews, the internships, the challenge, the entire process. You will get there.

 

[SM-UCLA tech]

Imbebo.....

I know how hard it must be for you right now. But you have to stay positive and not worry about everyone esle. Trust me when I say it's not as bad as you think it is. You are still extremely young. Yes you made your errors while on route to your goal. But oh well, such is life. Now you just have to keep working at improving until you reach your goal. It might take 5 years or it might take 3 months. Don't worry about it and just do it.

If you must do a post bac program, then so be it. I did one, and it was great. And no, you don't have to maintain a 3.5 in a post bac. But your goal should be to maintain a 4.0.

Don't get down, and keep truding along and you will realize your goal. There a lot's of people who are a lot older than you that have gone through very similar situations. ( i'm one included )

 

[Bevo]

wish I could put it all behind me, and stay focused on the future. Ive never been able to do that. I have to deal with each situation as it comes up and hope it gets resolved. And this isn't something I can resolve

the post bacc program I was looking was this from TCOM

"3. At the end of the spring semester, all students seeking admission to TCOM who have achieved a 3.5 or higher GPA will be reviewed by the TCOM Medical Student Admissions Committee for possible acceptance into the next entering class. The acceptance of any student for the next TCOM entering class will be contingent upon completing the Post-baccalaureate Premedical Certificate program as described with a 3.5 or higher overall GPA. "

And the lady I spoke with at the program said I would be asked to leave if I didn't have the 3.5 after the first semester.


http://www.hsc.unt.edu/education/gsbs/disciplines.cfm#postbac

I dont know what it is at Nova?, lecom or pcom. But I know the cost will be 2-3x higher than it would be for tcom since I get state tuition there.


thanks for the words, but Im having a hard time dealing with this. I had to leave my prep class today because I just couldn't listen to my verbal teacher talk about her acceptances and other people talking about their friends matching where they wanted.
I thought that if I could at least get an interview it would show that people weren't concentrating so much on my grades and that if I could raise my mcat score this april I might have a real chance next year. But most people know where they are going now, before I was looking at the 8ball and now Im behind it.

 

[skypilot]

From what I've heard so far all you need to do is raise your MCAT scores and you will get in somewhere. Maybe you should take some time off and take a Kaplan course this summer. If TCOM post bacc is cheap maybe you should go for it. You could study all day and all night to get the 3.5. It might not be as hard as you think. You gotta start thinking positive if you want to make it.

Even if they don't take you, you will make a lot of contacts and get references there. Plus just because they don't take you after the post bacc, doesn't mean another school will not. Just keep plugging away, vow to improve your study habits every day.

Just some ideas to ponder.

 

[Toejam]

Trust me! I know exactly where you're coming from.

I started this whole frigging adventure in 1984 while at a local junior college. I had to work and pay for everything so it wasn't an easy trip. I ended up transferring to UCLA after many withdrawals and crap grades, all the while keeping my eyes on the prize. Of course, while at UCLA full-time, I had to work either full or part-time, making that even more challenging. Do you really think the med schools care about these circumstances or the hurdles you had to surpass? Personally, I don't think so. It took me so long just to get the package together that I was 32 years old before I even applied the first time. Naturally, all of my friends had gotten ahead, married, had kids, etc., etc. while I was the perpetual student chasing the dragon (I mean the dream). After all of the classes, sacrifices, etc., I only ended up with a 3.1 science GPA (mostly due to serious dicking around when I first started college) and a 3.2 overall. What do you think the chances were that I was even going to get an iinterview with those grades and my relatively advanced age? None. Unfortunately (or, maybe, fortunately) I decided that I couldn't wait on another table or inhale someone else's smoke and applied to podiatry school. At the time, it seemed like a viable alternative and, surprisingly, I got accepted to every school I applied to. I should have been suspicious.

Anyway, I finished pod school, started practicing in 1999 and finally realized that my true dream was not realized. I decided to go through the hell all over again and retook the MCAT twice last year. I guess I finally had enough experience to cover up my average grades (though I did get a 3.5 in pod school) and got accepted to the one and only DO school I applied to.

I'm 41 and I'm going this year. I didn't give up after 18 years so I think that you shouldn't after 2. You WILL get in eventually. Keep doing things that will show them you're serious.

Good luck

 

[skypilot]

So don't think it is too late out there if you are younger than me or toejam.

(what a gross screenname but I get the podiatry reference)

 

[jgrieco]

Dude! I know how you feel too. I have been working on a B.S. and other work for medical school for 7 years. Talk about screwing around, but I kept going (after if grew up a little) and now finally this year I got a chance. I applied to 5 schools got 2 interviews, 1 acceptance, 2 rejections and 2 haven? even taken the time to say, ?Hey, we received your application.?

If this is your passion, nothing can stand in the way. Keep pluggin and don't let it get you. Good Luck.

Jgrieco
UHS c/o 07

 

[nka]

Six years ago all my friends and I applied to med schools and all got accepted, except for me! I thought I blew the only chance and totally gave up and went to work somewhere else. I don't regret doing it, but how wrong my thinking was! It really DOESN'T MATTER when you start med school, but it matters to stay happy and healthy. Many people feel they have to achieve a certain goal by a certain time. Why? Why rush things? So what if you start your doctor's carreer several years later? What are you chasing?

You are under illusion that getting into med school this year is the most important thing. It is not. How would you feel if you were waiting for a medical test result, which would show whether you have cancer or not? What would be most important to you then? Please try to be wise and enjoy life regardless whether you get accepted this year. You will get in eventually - and that's what matters.

 

[applegirl]

Don't be so down on yourself. My brother is doing a masters at UNT HSC and he has a lot of post baccs in his classes. Yes you do have to maintain a 3.5 GPA and they all work very hard. However, there was one guy that actually went to college with me who entered the post bacc. It was weird that he did not get into TCOM because I always thought that he was intelligent (kind of like you) and also had a lot of shadowing experience. So he enters the post bacc program blows the first biomedical exam out of the water, and they take him into the medical school.

See, I am sure that he was feeling as discouraged as you. He probably thought that this whole process is completely unfair, but look how it turned out.

BTW I am going to TCOM so who knows maybe I will see you there.