Need some motivation to keep pushing?

[robinhood17]

Hello. I'm not sure if i'm posting in the right section of this forum, but I am definitely a "non traditional" student.

To put it out in the open, I had a 1.9 gpa, with over 60 credits completed. I was in the military while enrolled, and after experiencing a sexual assault tanked courses I was taking while on active duty throughout the trial process/hospital stay. I then discharged from the military honorably, and became homeless, adding another semester of F's to my transcript (due to not withdrawing). It took me about a year of soul searching to get back on track, and recover. I became an EMT working in a 911 system, due to my interest in the medical field. I still work as an EMT and love it. I have a lot of volunteer work in the community, and my next goal is to find an area of research to delve into.

I started at a community college to save money and retake courses that were F's or withdrawals. As of now, I have an additional 45 credits (from both the CC and upper division sciences) at 4.0gpa and am a junior at a 4 year state school.

I understand that it would take me almost 160 credits at 3.7 or higher to bring my Cgpa to a 3.6 from the 1.9 it was originally. (I'm not sure where it is now). No one in my family is in medicine (all military) and so I'm learning as I go, but the following was my plan:

Continue as an undergraduate and add on a second degree (I am currently BS neuroscience, but could add Biology) in order to raise undergrad gpa and show good academic history as well as the addition of some advanced sciences. This would also equate to about 80 more credits, a total of 125 credits post- "bad grade" years. My graduation year would be 2018, and take the MCAT next spring.

I am young, only 23 years old. But I'm worried that even with all of this work, an additional 130 credits may boost my cgpa to a good range, but adcom will still look at my file and see failure. I'm open to DO/MD (with much respect to both fields) and understand the difference in grade replacement, but MD has just always been my dream, I want to strive for the best I can be and see where I land.

In all, my question to your community is if my plan seems logical, and that maybe I stand a chance? Do you have any advice? I considered SMP vs. bost bacc/masters but figured that it was the undergrad gpa that mattered most...

I appreciate your advice, and I'm really excited to have found this community.

Thanks.

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[GreenDuck12]

You have a solid plan but I' not sure whether or not you truly need a second bachelors degree (and the cost/time that is associated with it). Given that your recent performance is outstanding, my guess is you will be able to show ADCOMs that you can handle medical school. I think your concern about your cGPA being too low and result in an auto screen makes a lot of sense given the plethora of qualified applicants with higher stats. If you are truly shooting for an MD school, you may want to cut the second bachelors degree and go straight to an SMP at a medical school, ace it, and then shoot for your state medical school and apply broadly to MD and DO schools. If you are willing to go the DO route, depending on how your final GPA and MCAT score is, you may be able to save time and money by skipping the SMP and applying to DO schools.

 

[AnotherLawyer]

Try to retroactively withdraw. If anyone has a compelling justification it seems like you do. Good luck and I'm glad to see you're doing well now.

 

[njc24]

Hello, I've lurked here for a while, but this is my first post. Your story definitely resonates with me. I was also a victim of sexual assault early in my first attempt at college. I made some mistakes in finding a good recovery path and it took my life sideways for a while and now, 10 years later I am back in school for round two of going after my life long career goal of becoming a doctor. I don't have a ton of answers in regards to your specific questions, but I agree with the previous poster about attempting a withdrawl for that semester of Fs. I was able to retroactively withdraw from basically an identical semester when I was readmitted by petitioning a committee on campus and it was extremely helpful in terms of overall GPA repair. Best of luck to you!!

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[sun_flower]

I guess it has been already suggested - retrospectively withdrawing should work in your case, especially since you have good reasons for that!

Wish you the best of luck!

 

[esob]

What they see doesn't have to be failure, you can make anything out of your life that you want. Luck is simply where opportunity meets preparation.

 

[italiancowgirl]

I am not saying it is easy, but don't underestimate the power of an upward trend paired with powerful life experiences. You are showing that you have moved past the challenges you had. You are showing competence and determination. They may be more favorable to you than you think. Try asking to make an appointment to speak with an admissions person after this year's applicants are selected. Maybe they can give you guidance/ insight in how to best show your situation.

 

[68PGunner]

Take another 45-50 credits. Once you have come back here with cgpa and scpga over 3.25, you can come back here for a better assessment.