My heart just blew up

[Miliwen]

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Well, today I went for an interview at a pharmacy for a job as a tech. After that, I decided to run down to he community college I use to goto (About 3 years ago). There, I asked for my student ID and my pin. From there I traveled back to my humble home. At that point, I went to look at my GPA for those years.

My heart dropped. Every plan I had, flashed before my eyes, all dying. Med-school, gone. I nearly broke down in tears. I had some doubts, as many do, about med-school. But the moment I saw my GPA, and the pain I felt from reality, I knew this was my calling. And the worst part is, it feels like its gone.

So, I ask you fellow non-trads. I need encouragement. I will post my GPA and how many credit hours I have at the school.

Credit hours: 27.0
GPA: 0.68

That is roughly, now you will laugh, 7 F's and 2 C-'s. This was a point in my life where I didn't care, at all. School was something to keep me busy. 3 years later, i know what I truely want todo. And now it seems hopeless.

So, is it truely hopeless? Should I suck it up, and move on? Or try to get 3.8+ in every class for the next 4 years, get an amazing MCAT, and do everything else I can do get passed those HORID grades?

Any advice, will be welcomed, beyond words, may I add.

-Sad Scott 🙁

 

[kimmcauliffe]

Scott,

First, take a breath... It's gonna be okay. Somehow someway, it will be fine.

Obviously, you know you have an uphill battle ahead of you. But you also know that your maturity and level of concentration is much more honed towards professionalism than it once was.

Think about retaking some of those classes. You might need to anyway, as refreshers. Then, buckle down hard for the next couple of years. It's going to be tough, but if it were easy, doctors would be a dime a dozen.

Best of luck to you!

 

[blee]

Well, that GPA sure isn't very high. 🙂 But that's over 27 credits. Put this in perspective: That amounts to not even one full year of undergrad work. Don't let this stop you; keep your head down and do your absolute best for the next four years. You'll be okay if you do well.

 

[Law2Doc]

Well, today I went for an interview at a pharmacy for a job as a tech. After that, I decided to run down to he community college I use to goto (About 3 years ago). There, I asked for my student ID and my pin. From there I traveled back to my humble home. At that point, I went to look at my GPA for those years.

My heart dropped. Every plan I had, flashed before my eyes, all dying. Med-school, gone. I nearly broke down in tears. I had some doubts, as many do, about med-school. But the moment I saw my GPA, and the pain I felt from reality, I knew this was my calling. And the worst part is, it feels like its gone.

So, I ask you fellow non-trads. I need encouragement. I will post my GPA and how many credit hours I have at the school.

Credit hours: 27.0
GPA: 0.68

That is roughly, now you will laugh, 7 F's and 2 C-'s. This was a point in my life where I didn't care, at all. School was something to keep me busy. 3 years later, i know what I truely want todo. And now it seems hopeless.

So, is it truely hopeless? Should I suck it up, and move on? Or try to get 3.8+ in every class for the next 4 years, get an amazing MCAT, and do everything else I can do get passed those HORID grades?

Any advice, will be welcomed, beyond words, may I add.

-Sad Scott 🙁

I gather you haven't received an undergrad degree yet? If you truly think that you can score 3.8+ etc from here on out, then you are probably not out of the game. I suggest taking it one semester at a time. Once you get further along, you can decide what kind of a path to follow, and whether there is a way to make this dream a reality (via post graduate additional study, carribean, etc). Worst case scenario is you get a nice degree to hang on the wall and a few more career options.

 

[MedChic]

Here's some advice....pretend it never happened. Pretend you have a clean slate in front of you and look forward not back! Although you have to send in all your transcripts, I am sure med school will focus on what you have accomplished if you get top notch grades from now on and do well on your MCAT. We're human...we make mistakes, but in the end your determination will carry you through if this is really what you want.

 

[Preemiemama]

It's going to be okay. This is fixable. Just take it one semester at a time and focus on what you need to do in order to get where you want to be. Don't let this stop you. You can make up for the low GPA with getting higher grades in other classes.

You can do this, don't let the past stop you from doing better this time around.

 

[PurpleHaze]

Don't let it get you down! Look at it as another way to prove to the adcom exactly how far you've come since then!

You've got this!

 

[stillapplying]

I'd say take a genuine look at studying medicine in Central or Eastern Europe. They are 6 year programs so the pre-reqs are built into the curriculum. The schools are recognized in the USA so it would be up to you to pass the USMLE and get accredited here. Even if you don't end up taking this option it may buoy your spirits in the meantime while you come up with another viable plan. Fully researching this option and understanding you could definitely become an MD can only give you more confidence to pursue whatever option you end up choosing.

Here are a couple of websites to get you started.

I know it isn't an easy choice. Good luck.

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL GRADUATES
EASTERN EUROPEAN MEDICAL SCHOOL REPORT
http://web.archive.org/web/20031217024444/http://www.aaimg.com/list/european.html


Forum on European & Russian Medical School
http://www.valuemd.com/european-russian-medical-schools/

 

[The Bell Jar]

Well-I think you could just re-take those classes,at the same school.Or if you go to a different school,you would just be accepted under the rule that you have to keep your GPA up. You can also just explain what happened too,and how it was a long time ago and you have grown and changed since then.

 

[QofQuimica]

I think that re-taking the classes is a good idea too, especially if you plan to apply DO. They have a grade forgiveness policy, unlike AMCAS. Anyway, don't beat yourself up over mistakes you made several years ago, Scott. We all wish we had done things differently in college, or we wouldn't be non-trads, right? 😉 The good news is that plenty of us have been given second chances, and if you turn your academic record around starting today, and apply to med school with a solid record from the next four years, then I can't see why you shouldn't get one too.

 

[BobBarker]

I heard someone mention that you have to report all of your grades. Is AMCAS going to do a national search and make sure you aren't hiding any grades? Is that even possible? I say just start from scratch, and act like it never happened. Here's how to rationalize it: That was a different person, not the current you who is applying to medical school, so you shouldn't report them.

 

[CaveatLector]

Not trying to be a smartass so don't take it that way but your gpa wasn't a surprise was it? The way you told the story it sounds as if you thought maybe you had a c average or something but all of a sudden--whamo--you saw that you were sub-D. Actually the fact that you didn't know, or at least have a rough idea, what your gpa would be concerns me more than the grades. How does one forget that they failed 7 of the 9 classes they took in college?

If you are serious about med school I think the best option for you is to go into a 4 year university and start from scratch. You will be showing that you can handle U-level courses and that you can do well. Not that I'm saying the comm. college classes were easier but it seems as though some adcoms look at it that way. Obviously if you go back and ace the classes you already took that will lend creedence to the fact that you were young and immature, or whatever explanation you are going to give to adcoms.

Good luck.

 

[Miliwen]

Firstly, I thank you all. After letting my self cool down a bit, talking with my fiance, and reading all of your posts, I think there is a chance. My first step is going to be taking this one semester at a time. I will put my all into every class. I refuse to let myself get below a 3.6 from this day on. The other is going to go talk to my counselour about retaking the classes at the school. ShyRem once told me that some CC's let you make an F into a W. I am hoping if I retake the class, maybe they will be kind enough to make those bad grades go bye bye. If not, then oh well. I will have to live with it. Hopefully, admissions will look past my past, and look at what I did now. I was a foolish child back then, with only one care, having a good time. Now I have a dream, that I will make a reality. Someway, somehow.

So, for now, I will volunteer and try to find a DO and MD to shadow. I would like to shadow both, just for personal reasons (curiosity mostly, I want to pick brains).

And again, I thank you all. You were a big help.

Oh the fun of being a non-trad, having to worry about the past, present and future. I guess in 10-12 years when I am doing my residency I will look back at this and smile 🙂

-edit-

I knew my GPA was low. I thought (this was my mistake) I withdrew from some of them. I was wrong. I knew it was low, but I didn't realize that low. I know it sounds strange, but honestly, thats the truth. I am sure if I sat down, and went year to year, I would have figured it out. But now I do know, and I will have to deal with it head on. And since you did mention it, I kind of kick my self in my butt for not realizing how bad it was going to be. I suppose I was hoping, which isn't good at all.


-Scott 🙂

 

[QofQuimica]

I heard someone mention that you have to report all of your grades. Is AMCAS going to do a national search and make sure you aren't hiding any grades? Is that even possible? I say just start from scratch, and act like it never happened. Here's how to rationalize it: That was a different person, not the current you who is applying to medical school, so you shouldn't report them.

You absolutely MUST report all of your post-secondary grades. The AMCAS rules are explicit about this. It doesn't matter how old you are now, how old the grades are, or how old you were when you took the classes. You even have to report dual enrollment courses if you took some in HS. It's stupid and it sucks, but those are the rules.

 

[MedChic]

I heard someone mention that you have to report all of your grades. Is AMCAS going to do a national search and make sure you aren't hiding any grades? Is that even possible? I say just start from scratch, and act like it never happened. Here's how to rationalize it: That was a different person, not the current you who is applying to medical school, so you shouldn't report them.

Unfortunately you do have to report everything. I have a couple of W's on a totally separate transcript that I was hoping I could keep to myself. However, I called AMCAS to see if I had to send those in and after their confirmation I called a med school to be definite. I think it's a legal thing, and if they ever find out while you're in the school you will be asked to leave.

 

[JakeHarley]

I nearly failed out of high school, then I went to community college and bombed that for a full year! It took me a couple of years to find my motivation, then to get back into college. I ended up retaking some of my courses while finishing an A.A. degree (4.0 average for the new coursework.) From there I transferred to my state university, and maintained a very high GPA while earning a degree in molecular biology.

Rocked the MCAT during my junior year, then detoured through research for the last three years. Since my MCAT scores were expired when it was time to apply last summer, I studied like crazy and retook it, and actually raised my score 4 points! I cast the net fairly wide by applying MD and DO, and to a variety of schools.

Unfortunately, those first few missteps really took there toll, and I have found that while my numbers and experiences are similar to many people who are admitted to good programs, that glaring string of c's, d's, and f's on my record--even the ones that were retaken--has resulted in many programs being unwilling to gamble on me.

However....

I have been accepted to at least one program for the class of 2010! 👍

So...my advice:

1) Don't start again until you are sure you can focus 100% on your studies, because you need to ace your classes for the next few years. Contrary to what many believe, I think anyone can 4.0 a class if they are willing to put the time into it. Most kids in college are too distracted by partying, girlfriends/boyfriends, etc.

2) You are going to need extracurriculars that ROCK--none of the standard "I volunteered at the hospital for 6 months." Look for any way to get involved with a real humanitarian cause, especially if it offers the chance to be a leader in any capacity. A volunteer position that requires you to simply show up and walk around the hospital will not make you stand out.

3) Shadowing is good, especially if you can find a DO to shadow. Many DO programs want you to have a letter from a practicing DO to accompany you app, and you want to be able to have this option when it comes time to apply.

4) If you need to work while in college, try finding a job that is somehow medically related. Not only does it show that you have some exposure to medicine, it will help keep you motivated when you have physics midterms or whatnot. Check out phlebotomy courses/jobs in your area, or look at summer EMT training classes.

5) Don't be intimidated by the throngs of gunner pre-meds you will encounter who are doing it the traditional way. They like to scare eachother and live in fear. You want to be happy, right? There are several different ways to become a doctor, and you can do at least one of them. So, don't beat yourself up comparing yourself to others, worying all the time, etc...


Anyhow,

Take care,

Jake

---edit---
Also, if you have any chance to develop a real friendship with a professor during you undergrad work, take it! Letters of rec from people who actually know you and like you stand out head and shoulders above the standard letters.

 

[robh]

Well, today I went for an interview at a pharmacy for a job as a tech. After that, I decided to run down to he community college I use to goto (About 3 years ago). There, I asked for my student ID and my pin. From there I traveled back to my humble home. At that point, I went to look at my GPA for those years.

My heart dropped. Every plan I had, flashed before my eyes, all dying. Med-school, gone. I nearly broke down in tears. I had some doubts, as many do, about med-school. But the moment I saw my GPA, and the pain I felt from reality, I knew this was my calling. And the worst part is, it feels like its gone.

So, I ask you fellow non-trads. I need encouragement. I will post my GPA and how many credit hours I have at the school.

Credit hours: 27.0
GPA: 0.68

That is roughly, now you will laugh, 7 F's and 2 C-'s. This was a point in my life where I didn't care, at all. School was something to keep me busy. 3 years later, i know what I truely want todo. And now it seems hopeless.

So, is it truely hopeless? Should I suck it up, and move on? Or try to get 3.8+ in every class for the next 4 years, get an amazing MCAT, and do everything else I can do get passed those HORID grades?

Any advice, will be welcomed, beyond words, may I add.

-Sad Scott 🙁

Scott, this in no way hopeless. Lets assume you go on for a BS/BA. Figure you will have roughly 120 semester hours at your proposed 3.8 gpa when you finish your degree. Your cumulative gpa will be: ((120*3.8)+(27*0.68))/(120+27)=3.23. This is not great but that's almost exactly my gpa and I've been admitted to several schools. Assuming you were not taking all your hard science courses at the CC, your BPCM gpa will be close to 3.8. Plus your gpa trend will be excellent. If you do well on the MCAT and have good LOR's etc., you'll get in somewhere.

As someone pointed out, if you repeat the courses, the DO schools will use the better grade. Further, if those are quarter hours instead of semester hours, things get even better: ((180*3.8)+(27*0.68))/(180+27)=3.39.

It is definitely possible for you to go to medical school. If that's what you really want, get to work!

 

[happydays]

Also, Scott, CC classes are not impressive to adcoms. I would try to transfer to a 4 year college ASAP.

Nothing comes easily. Work your butt off and you'll reach your dream. Good luck!

 

[CrazyPremed]

Credit hours: 27.0
GPA: 0.68

-Sad Scott 🙁

Scott,

I agree with everything the earlier posters said. Don't let it get you down; there is nothing that you can do to erase those grades anyway.

I will play the devil's advocate here, though. If you had such a low GPA then, how will you get a 3.8 now? I would take a long, hard look at the things that kept you from getting good grades and ensure that you have overcome those obstacles. If you can, I see a bright future for you. Thanks for your honesty!

CrazyPremed

 

[efex101]

Actually you should be focusing on not getting anything beneath a 4.0 not a 3.6...meaning shoot for A's from now on do not even think of getting a C (although yes this might happen and it is not the end of the world) but going in "thinking" I am not going to go below a 3.6 is not good IMHO "based" on your prior GPA. I hope you do not take this the wrong way for that is not my intention but you need the highest GPA possible from now on...good luck!