Hello Everyone, thanks for welcoming me to the forum!
My hope for this post is that someone can offer me some guidance/constructive criticism. I will try to be brief, and GREATLY appreciate any response that is offered.
About me: I obtained a GED after becoming pregnant in high school, but still wanted to obtain my college degree. I've overcome just about anything you can think of during college, being a single mother..taking care of my mother who has Multiple Sclerosis..being homeless..the death of my sister due to medical reasons....the list goes on and on.
As of now I am a junior studying Biotechnology at a small private institution. That is my first worry- the colleges I could attend were very limited to what was in my area due to my family situation. I have struggled through college (I withdrew the semester my sister passed away due to depression) and went through some issues with anxiety which caused me to miss classes and withdraw from some courses. Nonetheless, my GPA is a 3.4 right now which isn't terrible, but not as competitive as I would like it to be. I plan to have a 3.7 by the time I graduate.
Last year I was lucky enough to be selected to participate in National Science Foundation funded research for the summer, and at that point I decided a career in medicine was for me. I wish to pursue a Md/PhD and dedicate my career to being a physician-scientist. It makes sense with my life and it feels right. I am not picky about the school I attend, I believe one can gain respect through their work without the title of graduating from a prestigious institution.
What can I do to make myself competitive with traditional students given my turbulent undergraduate experience?
My hope for this post is that someone can offer me some guidance/constructive criticism. I will try to be brief, and GREATLY appreciate any response that is offered.
About me: I obtained a GED after becoming pregnant in high school, but still wanted to obtain my college degree. I've overcome just about anything you can think of during college, being a single mother..taking care of my mother who has Multiple Sclerosis..being homeless..the death of my sister due to medical reasons....the list goes on and on.
As of now I am a junior studying Biotechnology at a small private institution. That is my first worry- the colleges I could attend were very limited to what was in my area due to my family situation. I have struggled through college (I withdrew the semester my sister passed away due to depression) and went through some issues with anxiety which caused me to miss classes and withdraw from some courses. Nonetheless, my GPA is a 3.4 right now which isn't terrible, but not as competitive as I would like it to be. I plan to have a 3.7 by the time I graduate.
Last year I was lucky enough to be selected to participate in National Science Foundation funded research for the summer, and at that point I decided a career in medicine was for me. I wish to pursue a Md/PhD and dedicate my career to being a physician-scientist. It makes sense with my life and it feels right. I am not picky about the school I attend, I believe one can gain respect through their work without the title of graduating from a prestigious institution.
What can I do to make myself competitive with traditional students given my turbulent undergraduate experience?
Wow your life story is crazy I'm honestly surprised you have a 3.4 after all of that! I was expecting you to say a 2.8 or something. Definitely keep up the hard work and your motivation you must be crazy strong to get to where you are right now! 
