Major reinvention story - what should I do now?

[WunderWoman]

Hi everyone! Long time lurker but first time poster.

I am a 31 year old non-trad who has undergone major transcript repair/reinvention efforts over the past few years, and I'm hoping for some advice on what to do from here. I'll do my best to make it brief.

I started school at my local community college in 2004 and did fairly well. I earned an AA in one year (had lots of dual-enrollment credits from high school) and transferred to a major state school in 2005. My first semester there, I was involved in a car accident while driving home for the weekend with two of my best friends. I was the only survivor.

I withdrew from that semester, but continued to register for classes for several semesters after, thinking I was healed and ready to go on with my life, but I wasn't. As a result, I have a very large stretch of Ws, WFs, NS (no show), and Fs from several semesters where I signed up for classes and either never went or tried for a week or two and just couldn't do it. This, of course, absolutely killed my GPA.

I finally woke up and decided to put a stop to my downward spiral of guilt-fueled self destruction. I sought counseling and allowed myself to heal and work full-time at my local hospital for the next 3 years.

My desire to become a physician never died, so I resumed my educational endeavors in 2015. Since then, I have maintained a 4.0 over the past 3 years/9 semesters/144 credit hours of mostly science courses. I have a 4.0 in all of my prerequisites and just finished two bachelor's degrees: biology and physics. I also took the MCAT earlier this year and scored a 518.

However, even with my redemption efforts, my cGPA still sits at an abysmal 2.75. With the number of credit hours I have accumulated over the years, it mathematically impossible to raise it much more than this.

As for my extracurriculars, I have accumulated:

8000+ hours of non-clinical healthcare experience (Unit Secretary, ER Registrar, Trauma Quality Analyst), though I'm not sure if that counts for much
2000 hours of clinical experience as a medical assistant at a rural non-profit clinic primarily serving Medicare, Medicaid and uninsured patients
300 clinical volunteer hours in hospice care
200 non-clinical hours at a transitional facility for abused and homeless women and children
75 shadowing hours with an interventional cardiologist, oncologist, and rural primary care physician
My husband and I founded a small Second Chance Scholarship fund for students working to overcome past academic hardship in pursuit of a career in healthcare
Not a URM, but born and raised in a rural community, first in my family to attend college, and a military spouse

I have done my absolute best to redeem myself and prove that I am not the person I was years ago and that I can handle the academic rigors of medical school. However, I fear that my GPA will still prevent me from achieving my goal.

So, what should I do from here?
Should I continue to take classes in attempt to raise my GPA to the magical 3.0 that would get me past potential autoscreens (it would take another 60 credit hours/2 years/a 3rd bachelors to do that)?
Should I apply for SMPs?
Or should I just go with what I have and apply early and broadly next admission cycle? If so, is there anything I could or should do from now until then to boost my application even more?

Any insight or advice would be greatly appreciated. This forum has helped me and motivated me so much over the past few years, so thank you all, from the bottom of my heart.

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[workaholic181]

Hi everyone! Long time lurker but first time poster.

I am a 31 year old non-trad who has undergone major transcript repair/reinvention efforts over the past few years, and I'm hoping for some advice on what to do from here. I'll do my best to make it brief.

I started school at my local community college in 2004 and did fairly well. I earned an AA in one year (had lots of dual-enrollment credits from high school) and transferred to a major state school in 2005. My first semester there, I was involved in a car accident while driving home for the weekend with two of my best friends. I was the only survivor.

I withdrew from that semester, but continued to register for classes for several semesters after, thinking I was healed and ready to go on with my life, but I wasn't. As a result, I have a very large stretch of Ws, WFs, NS (no show), and Fs from several semesters where I signed up for classes and either never went or tried for a week or two and just couldn't do it. This, of course, absolutely killed my GPA.

I finally woke up and decided to put a stop to my downward spiral of guilt-fueled self destruction. I sought counseling and allowed myself to heal and work full-time at my local hospital for the next 3 years.

My desire to become a physician never died, so I resumed my educational endeavors in 2015. Since then, I have maintained a 4.0 over the past 3 years/9 semesters/144 credit hours of mostly science courses. I have a 4.0 in all of my prerequisites and just finished two bachelor's degrees: biology and physics. I also took the MCAT earlier this year and scored a 518.

However, even with my redemption efforts, my cGPA still sits at an abysmal 2.75. With the number of credit hours I have accumulated over the years, it mathematically impossible to raise it much more than this.

As for my extracurriculars, I have accumulated:

8000+ hours of non-clinical healthcare experience (Unit Secretary, ER Registrar, Trauma Quality Analyst), though I'm not sure if that counts for much
2000 hours of clinical experience as a medical assistant at a rural non-profit clinic primarily serving Medicare, Medicaid and uninsured patients
300 clinical volunteer hours in hospice care
200 non-clinical hours at a transitional facility for abused and homeless women and children
75 shadowing hours with an interventional cardiologist, oncologist, and rural primary care physician
My husband and I founded a small Second Chance Scholarship fund for students working to overcome past academic hardship in pursuit of a career in healthcare
Not a URM, but born and raised in a rural community, first in my family to attend college, and a military spouse

I have done my absolute best to redeem myself and prove that I am not the person I was years ago and that I can handle the academic rigors of medical school. However, I fear that my GPA will still prevent me from achieving my goal.

So, what should I do from here?
Should I continue to take classes in attempt to raise my GPA to the magical 3.0 that would get me past potential autoscreens (it would take another 60 credit hours/2 years/a 3rd bachelors to do that)?
Should I apply for SMPs?
Or should I just go with what I have and apply early and broadly next admission cycle?

Any insight or advice would be greatly appreciated. This forum has helped me and motivated me so much over the past few years, so thank you all, from the bottom of my heart.

Well congratulations on your accomplishments thus far getting to this point OP. Really, really impressive.

It's not a blanket rule that med schools simply throw out sub 3.0 GPA applications. A lot of the adcoms on here will tell you that their school reads every single application that comes through. At all of the institutions where this is the case (and I believe this is the majority) you will absolutely be a competitive candidate given your utterly complete academic reinvention. If I were you I would apply broadly early next cycle.

 

[strider144]

Wow. I would hope that schools would be willing to give you a shot! Your recent performance is proof of your abilities, and the time that passed before you went back to school shows your reinvention. If I were you, I'd apply broadly but strategically (both MD and DO, looking for schools that reward reinvention and schools that are community service mission-oriented, using the scholarship fund as part of your narrative) and only look into SMPs if you do that and don't get interviews. Hopefully some folks who know more than me will weigh in as well to give you a better idea. Your personal statement will be exceptionally important and be prepared to discuss everything you've been through and what you're doing to keep yourself on track and able for med school.

 

[DokterMom]

"I started school at my local community college in 2004 and did fairly well. I earned an AA in one year (had lots of dual-enrollment credits from high school) and transferred to a major state school in 2005. My first semester there, I was involved in a car accident while driving home for the weekend with two of my best friends. I was the only survivor.

I withdrew from that semester, but continued to register for classes for several semesters after, thinking I was healed and ready to go on with my life, but I wasn't. As a result, I have a very large stretch of Ws, WFs, NS (no show), and Fs from several semesters where I signed up for classes and either never went or tried for a week or two and just couldn't do it. This, of course, absolutely killed my GPA.

I finally woke up and decided to put a stop to my downward spiral of guilt-fueled self destruction. I sought counseling and allowed myself to heal and work full-time at my local hospital for the next 3 years.

My desire to become a physician never died, so I resumed my educational endeavors in 2015."

You've got one hell of a back-story and the first 2-3 paragraphs of your personal statement already written.
Apply early and apply broadly this year. Use your network to the fullest to get around auto-screens and trust that your most recent 3 years, your 518 and your very impressive ECs will be enough. (I'm betting they will be)

 

[rbnsafsadgf]

Apply. Your ECs are great. You have a story to your GPA. You have proved yourself.

What state are you in? Apply thoughtful to a large number of schools early in the application cycle.

 

[amuseddoughnut]

Congratulations on getting through a very difficult challenge in life. Sounds like you have a great application.

I would suggest trying to schedule a meeting with the head of admissions with your favorite school. You should do this before the application cycle starts.

 

[rabbott1971]

Just my opinion, but maybe you should look at DO schools ASAP, perhaps even throwing a late app in this cycle.

So you have heard of the grade replacement policy which AACOMAS ended (never applied to AMCAS). But you might not be aware that some individual schools still offer grade replacement "in-house" for this cycle.

I think they are doing this to try to be fair to people who were blindsided by the cancellation of grade replacement, but whatever the reason, I think it is a short extension of grade replacement by certain programs.

Call around and see if any DO schools you like are doing it, and whether you are not too late to apply! Good job on the come back, I hope you do well.

 

[Shotapp]

Your comeback story is truly amazing. You are an overcomer! You are going to be a sought-after applicant. Apply to schools that value reinvention and where you meet the cutoffs.

Edited: Apply to MD and DO schools

 

[operaman]

I think yours is the kind of story where that 2.75 can be overlooked in lieu of your long record of academic success. I can't imagine any sane human being looking at your story and worrying that you don't have the chops to do well in medical school.

I think I would spin the early grade issues as "I should have formally withdrawn but I didn't know better at the time when I was 18" kind of thing. One thing that people worry about when they see disparate numbers like yours: mental illness and substance abuse. Not fair, but there are few things that produce 518 MCATs and a prior string of failed classes. That's why I would try framing it as you naively blew off a lot of classes -- this is supported by the pattern of your grades -- and didn't realize how that would follow you, if you had it to do over again you would have just formally withdrawn and taken the year off and regrouped, etc. Its a minor point, but thought I'd put it out there in case it helps.

I've known only a couple of people with similar stories and numbers and they both got in -- both did really really well actually. It takes a LOT of applications and basically making personal calls to each school and telling your story so people will look seriously at your application. You will probably still get a lot of rejections, but also a decent amount of acceptances too. And you only need one. With the others I was rather surprised at which schools ended up coming through with acceptances and money and which rejected outright. My suspicion is that some schools have their own agenda with keeping their average GPA and MCAT numbers up since they play into US News rankings, so some of these might not be willing to take the hit to their own numbers while other more highly ranked programs would. I would venture to say that "tiers" don't really apply in your case so apply very broadly and fasten your seatbelt!

 

[futuremdforme]

I think I would spin the early grade issues as "I should have formally withdrawn but I didn't know better at the time when I was 18" kind of thing. One thing that people worry about when they see disparate numbers like yours: mental illness and substance abuse. Not fair, but there are few things that produce 518 MCATs and a prior string of failed classes. That's why I would try framing it as you naively blew off a lot of classes -- this is supported by the pattern of your grades -- and didn't realize how that would follow you, if you had it to do over again you would have just formally withdrawn and taken the year off and regrouped, etc. Its a minor point, but thought I'd put it out there in case it helps.

Operaman, I agree with the rest of your post but not how to frame the early grades. I see this as a traumatic event that is beyond youthful naivete, and I think it speaks a lot about the OP's redemption that she has demonstrated consistent change.

I do agree that saying that you didn't know the classes would follow you, etc is a great idea, but probably more for secondaries.

 

[WunderWoman]

You've got one hell of a back-story and the first 2-3 paragraphs of your personal statement already written..
Apply early and apply broadly this year. Use your network to the fullest to get around auto-screens and trust that your most recent 3 years, your 518 and your very impressive ECs will be enough.. (I'm betting they will be).

Thank you SO much for this. I was starting to stress about how to address my history in my personal statement. I wasn't sure if I should take a direct, no fluff approach (like this) or go into more detail.

Thank you for the kind words and encouragement!

 

[WunderWoman]

I think I would spin the early grade issues as "I should have formally withdrawn but I didn't know better at the time when I was 18" kind of thing. One thing that people worry about when they see disparate numbers like yours: mental illness and substance abuse. Not fair, but there are few things that produce 518 MCATs and a prior string of failed classes. That's why I would try framing it as you naively blew off a lot of classes -- this is supported by the pattern of your grades -- and didn't realize how that would follow you, if you had it to do over again you would have just formally withdrawn and taken the year off and regrouped, etc. Its a minor point, but thought I'd put it out there in case it helps.

Operaman, I agree with the rest of your post but not how to frame the early grades. I see this as a traumatic event that is beyond youthful naivete, and I think it speaks a lot about the OP's redemption that she has demonstrated consistent change.

I do agree that saying that you didn't know the classes would follow you, etc is a great idea, but probably more for secondaries.

Thank you so much for the advice! I think that would definitely be an effective way to frame my giant stretch of failures.

However, I have to be honest - I did know what the consequences would be. Frankly, it was kind of, subconsciously, the point. I spent years feeling responsible for the death of my friends. I felt in the deep areas of my mind that since I was responsible for destroying their futures, it was only fair that mine be destroyed as well. I know this was incorrect, reckless and self-destructive thinking and behavior, and it was addressed extensively during my 4 years of counseling.

I definitely agree that framing it as naivety would probably be an easier pill for interviewers/adcoms to swallow, but it's not the truth. And I'm a horrible liar - I'd be stuttering and sweating and turning several shades of red and it would be really uncomfortable for everyone involved lol.

 

[WunderWoman]

Apply. Your ECs are great. You have a story to your GPA. You have proved yourself.

What state are you in? Apply thoughtful to a large number of schools early in the application cycle.

Thank you so much! I am in Florida, which I am hoping will be in my favor since there are plenty of schools here, both MD and DO, at least two of which I know for sure reward reinvention.

Thank you again and Happy New Year!

 

[waveringatom]

Thank you so much! I am in Florida, which I am hoping will be in my favor since there are plenty of schools here, both MD and DO, at least **two** of which I know for sure reward reinvention.

Thank you again and Happy New Year!

Are you referring to FSU and USF?

 

[StillConfusedLOL]

Hi everyone! Long time lurker but first time poster.

I am a 31 year old non-trad who has undergone major transcript repair/reinvention efforts over the past few years, and I'm hoping for some advice on what to do from here. I'll do my best to make it brief.

I started school at my local community college in 2004 and did fairly well. I earned an AA in one year (had lots of dual-enrollment credits from high school) and transferred to a major state school in 2005. My first semester there, I was involved in a car accident while driving home for the weekend with two of my best friends. I was the only survivor.

I withdrew from that semester, but continued to register for classes for several semesters after, thinking I was healed and ready to go on with my life, but I wasn't. As a result, I have a very large stretch of Ws, WFs, NS (no show), and Fs from several semesters where I signed up for classes and either never went or tried for a week or two and just couldn't do it. This, of course, absolutely killed my GPA.

I finally woke up and decided to put a stop to my downward spiral of guilt-fueled self destruction. I sought counseling and allowed myself to heal and work full-time at my local hospital for the next 3 years.

My desire to become a physician never died, so I resumed my educational endeavors in 2015. Since then, I have maintained a 4.0 over the past 3 years/9 semesters/144 credit hours of mostly science courses. I have a 4.0 in all of my prerequisites and just finished two bachelor's degrees: biology and physics. I also took the MCAT earlier this year and scored a 518.

However, even with my redemption efforts, my cGPA still sits at an abysmal 2.75. With the number of credit hours I have accumulated over the years, it mathematically impossible to raise it much more than this.

As for my extracurriculars, I have accumulated:

8000+ hours of non-clinical healthcare experience (Unit Secretary, ER Registrar, Trauma Quality Analyst), though I'm not sure if that counts for much
2000 hours of clinical experience as a medical assistant at a rural non-profit clinic primarily serving Medicare, Medicaid and uninsured patients
300 clinical volunteer hours in hospice care
200 non-clinical hours at a transitional facility for abused and homeless women and children
75 shadowing hours with an interventional cardiologist, oncologist, and rural primary care physician
My husband and I founded a small Second Chance Scholarship fund for students working to overcome past academic hardship in pursuit of a career in healthcare
Not a URM, but born and raised in a rural community, first in my family to attend college, and a military spouse

I have done my absolute best to redeem myself and prove that I am not the person I was years ago and that I can handle the academic rigors of medical school. However, I fear that my GPA will still prevent me from achieving my goal.

So, what should I do from here?
Should I continue to take classes in attempt to raise my GPA to the magical 3.0 that would get me past potential autoscreens (it would take another 60 credit hours/2 years/a 3rd bachelors to do that)?
Should I apply for SMPs?
Or should I just go with what I have and apply early and broadly next admission cycle? If so, is there anything I could or should do from now until then to boost my application even more?

Any insight or advice would be greatly appreciated. This forum has helped me and motivated me so much over the past few years, so thank you all, from the bottom of my heart.

Hi, OP!

I am currently in a similar situation as you were, and would love to hear an update.
If you get a chance, please.

 

[twospadz]

Only hope is Carribean school but your taking a huge risk by doing so

 

[enduring_operation]

Thank you so much for the advice! I think that would definitely be an effective way to frame my giant stretch of failures.

However, I have to be honest - I did know what the consequences would be. Frankly, it was kind of, subconsciously, the point. I spent years feeling responsible for the death of my friends. I felt in the deep areas of my mind that since I was responsible for destroying their futures, it was only fair that mine be destroyed as well. I know this was incorrect, reckless and self-destructive thinking and behavior, and it was addressed extensively during my 4 years of counseling.

I definitely agree that framing it as naivety would probably be an easier pill for interviewers/adcoms to swallow, but it's not the truth. And I'm a horrible liar - I'd be stuttering and sweating and turning several shades of red and it would be really uncomfortable for everyone involved lol.

Dear OP,

First of all, best wishes on your medical school journey. I hope for your success.

Second of all, I agree with your gut feeling about being honest with the adcoms when it comes to explaining the bad grades. More than anything, what you write in an application is an opportunity to make you stand out and let your unique personality and experiences shine through. By being honest and forthright, you will demonstrate that your are a mature and responsible person - someone who is capable of genuine self-reflection, self-appraisal, and - most importantly - growth. This will help you stand out from the thousands of other applicants.

I am also an older nontrad with a rocky academic period followed by several semesters of stellar academic performance. I was straightforward with the adcoms about the reasons - which explicitly include mental health issues and substance use. My hope is that they will see I grew into a more capable and compassionate person as a result of these experiences, and therefore that they will be getting a student who will make strong contributions to their school and to the medical field.

Best wishes,
enduring_operation

 

[Dr.Gains]

Only hope is Carribean school but your taking a huge risk by doing so

Someone with 3 years of very strong upward trend paired with a 97 percentile MCAT should not even consider the Caribbean an option. There are plenty of MD/DO schools that reward reinvention and if OP does not feel confident about that, there is always the option of doing an SMP. OP meets the requirements for a couple of different SMP (Both DO/MD) programs. Like Goro has mentioned in his reinvention threads, it is no longer about GPA repair, but rather transcript repair which the OP has certainly showcased in this case.

 

[mj2323]

@Goro @gyngyn @Faha Please help this OP out with school suggestions. Her re-invention story is incredible.

 

[Faha]

Did you apply this year ?

 

[gyngyn]

@Goro @gyngyn @Faha Please help this OP out with school suggestions. Her re-invention story is incredible.

She hasn't been seen since January...

 

[Shotapp]

Only hope is Carribean school but your taking a huge risk by doing so

This terrible advice. Don't listen to this OP if you see this. Your strong and consistent upward trend will be enough to convince adcoms that you have changed/reinvented yourself.

 

[WunderWoman]

Sorry to revive an old thread, but I thought everyone might want an update:

I finally applied last year (2018) very early and very broadly to 27 schools. I had reached out to admissions advisors at a few of my top choice schools and had face to face meetings with three of them. I had 6 interview invites, and as of February, have 2 acceptances!!! One of which was my top choice school, where I met and kept in touch with an admissions person.

My past, of course, came up in every single interview, but there was much more discussion about my comeback story than there was about my tainted academic history.

Thank you SO much for all of your encouragement and advice. And to all you non-traditional underdogs, if you know medicine is your calling and you can't imagine doing anything else, then give it all you've got and go for it. Miracles happen, especially for those who work for it!

THANK YOU all again!

 

[futuremdforme]

Sorry to revive an old thread, but I thought everyone might want an update:

I finally applied last year (2018) very early and very broadly to 27 schools. I had reached out to admissions advisors at a few of my top choice schools and had face to face meetings with three of them. I had 6 interview invites, and as of February, have 2 acceptances!!! One of which was my top choice school, where I met and kept in touch with an admissions person.

My past, of course, came up in every single interview, but there was much more discussion about my comeback story than there was about my tainted academic history.

Thank you SO much for all of your encouragement and advice. And to all you non-traditional underdogs, if you know medicine is your calling and you can't imagine doing anything else, then give it all you've got and go for it. Miracles happen, especially for those who work for it!

THANK YOU all again!

Congratulations!

 

[RNthenDoc]

Congrats! So glad they were able to see the new you!

With your stellar performance I’m sure you’re going to do very well in school

 

[DokterMom]

Woo Hoo! I am so very happy for you!

Now go kick butt and take names!

 

[QuickSort2340]

Sorry to revive an old thread, but I thought everyone might want an update:

I finally applied last year (2018) very early and very broadly to 27 schools. I had reached out to admissions advisors at a few of my top choice schools and had face to face meetings with three of them. I had 6 interview invites, and as of February, have 2 acceptances!!! One of which was my top choice school, where I met and kept in touch with an admissions person.

My past, of course, came up in every single interview, but there was much more discussion about my comeback story than there was about my tainted academic history.

Thank you SO much for all of your encouragement and advice. And to all you non-traditional underdogs, if you know medicine is your calling and you can't imagine doing anything else, then give it all you've got and go for it. Miracles happen, especially for those who work for it!

THANK YOU all again!

This is just beyond awesome. Congratulations!!!

 

[jcw_90]

Where did you get accepted? I would like to look into applying to the same schools as I have a very similar story