Need everyones thoughts and opinions!

[AsclepiusGal]

Hi all,

I attended Drexel University for two years before they dismissed me following a long-term failure to accommodate my ADA registered disability. The Dept. of Education and Human Resource Commission are both investigating my allegations and both agencies agree that the final remedies will be in my favor. In the meantime, I am left with a failing cumulative GPA, a dismissal on my transcript and the inability to transfer to an equivalent university. Therefore, until these investigations are finalized my only option for the next academic year is to attend community college. .

I am currently dealing with a morbid depression from all of this because I feel as though attending an alleopathic medical school is no longer attainable. I will outline below what my current curriculum vitae consists of along with projections of what I plan to have accomplished before applying to medical school. I ask that all readers please comment on whether they feel as though I can recover from this wretched situation and what changes you would make to my plan - any motivational comments are greatly appreciated. Thank you all for your time and assistance!


Current Curriculum Vitae Material: (* = activity will be continued until bachelor's degree is conferred)

• Certified Nurse's Aide: 4+ years of private-duty and live-in assignments

• Emergency Medical Technician: 4+ years of volunteering

• Hospital Volunteer*: 4+ years

• Shadowing*: Coroner; Orthopedic Surgeon (roughly 1 month each)
  

• Medical Missions: Guatemala and Haiti (2 weeks each)
  

• Research Assistant: Biomaterials; Behavioral Neuropsychology (2.5 years total - 1 poster at Sigma Xi; 2 posters at Society for Neuroscience)

• Americorps VISTA: Hurricane Ike Restoration Project (2 weeks)

• Drexel University: Biomedical Engineering Candidate

• University of Pennsylvania: Visiting Student

Long-Term Plans:

• Undergraduate: Community College of Philadelphia for 1-2 years followed by Penn's College of Liberal and Professional Studies full-time program or Penn State University
  

• Major: Biochemistry& Music (Classical Guitar)

• Minor: Russian

• Summer Activities: Summer Medical and Dental Education Program, Summer Research Early Identification Program, Research Experiences for Undergraduates, International Research Experiences for Undergraduates or Clerkship/University Research (all research activities focused on cartilage regeneration)
  

• Post-Bacc (2 years): either Fulbright scholarship, NIH Academy or Intramural Research Training Award (all post-bacc time will be spent on research)
  

• Medical School: (Dream School) - Columbia University: College of Physicians and Surgeons
  

• Residency: Jefferson Medical College: Orthopedic Surgery

Peace,
AsclepiusGal

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[yankeebeckham]

Your CV looks great so far; keep up the good work!

Your long term plans are commendable, though quite ambitious. It may help you to focus more on the short-term planning before you worry about the long term. There are steps you need to take to become a physician that need to be in your plans before you can even consider specifics in the long-term. For instance, for almost all schools, you need to hold a degree from a four year school. So while going to a community college is fine, you need a plan to transfer to a school to get a degree. Penn and Penn State are both excellent choices, but there's a lot of work to be done before you get there. Hopefully, things get settled favorably for you with Drexel, but in any event, you need to make the grades in the community college before you can think about transferring anywhere.

I don't know if you've taken any prereqs, but that's another thing you need to worry about in the short term. If you've taken some and done poorly, then you'll have a lot more work to do. Before worrying about which school you're going to go to, focus on doing well in your courses and preparing for the MCAT.

Your goals are admirable, and if you want it badly enough, you can do it. But be careful not to put the cart in front of the horse. Getting a Fulbright and getting into Columbia is extremely competitive for even the most qualified candidate and it's definitely not something you can bank on. Take it a step at a time. Focus on doing well in the short-term and then see what your options are. You should focus on getting accepted into a four year school, then focus on being qualified for medical school in general, and then you can worry about which school in particular.