New SDN User...Help NEEDED!

[RisingPhysician]

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Hello everyone,

I am new to SDN and am posting because I need help (don't we all lol). I graduated college this past December and moved back home. Since then I have been doing some intense soul searching and have decided to follow my first mind and become a physician. When I first entered college, I was a pre-med bio major and decided to switch to Africana Studies because I felt like I needed to know more about my "people" lol. Also, it was my first time away from home and was feeling very liberated from the strict rule of my parents. Needless to say, I ended up graduating college with a degree in German Studies and have been reduced to working in retail. I messed up badly in school (partying, boys, stupid stuff), but still managed to graduate half a semester early with a 3.06 cGPA and 2.65 sGPA. I was very happy with my cGPA, especially since one year before it was a 2.84.

I am a first generation college graduate and don't really have anyone to guide me in this med school journey. I am considering D.O. schools only because I love the philosophy of healing with my hands first before medications. This coming spring, I plan to do a year long DIY post bac at my local university and retake both ochems (I took them in one summer, 6weeks each along with 2 other classes and partying as usual, C+ in one and D in 2) along with a few upper level science courses. I want to take my MCAT by the end of next year or the spr of 2015 and apply in 2015. Also, in this time I will shadow/volunteer. Will my ECs from college count when I decide to apply for med school? Even though I was not very focused, I volunteered and was an officer in at least 3 different organizations at one time.

I just need help, my parents can't really help me since their highest level of ed is high school and they are getting fed up with me talking about it (they love me, it's just that I keep finding different ways to get to med school and they are taking it as me constantly changing my mind. I just like to be thorough and explore all of my options.)

Can anyone help me?

 

[GUH]

Hello everyone,

I am new to SDN and am posting because I need help (don't we all lol). I graduated college this past December and moved back home. Since then I have been doing some intense soul searching and have decided to follow my first mind and become a physician. When I first entered college, I was a pre-med bio major and decided to switch to Africana Studies because I felt like I needed to know more about my "people" lol. Also, it was my first time away from home and was feeling very liberated from the strict rule of my parents. Needless to say, I ended up graduating college with a degree in German Studies and have been reduced to working in retail. I messed up badly in school (partying, boys, stupid stuff), but still managed to graduate half a semester early with a 3.06 cGPA and 2.65 sGPA. I was very happy with my cGPA, especially since one year before it was a 2.84.

I am a first generation college graduate and don't really have anyone to guide me in this med school journey. I am considering D.O. schools only because I love the philosophy of healing with my hands first before medications. This coming spring, I plan to do a year long DIY post bac at my local university and retake both ochems (I took them in one summer, 6weeks each along with 2 other classes and partying as usual, C+ in one and D in 2) along with a few upper level science courses. I want to take my MCAT by the end of next year or the spr of 2015 and apply in 2015. Also, in this time I will shadow/volunteer. Will my ECs from college count when I decide to apply for med school? Even though I was not very focused, I volunteered and was an officer in at least 3 different organizations at one time.

I just need help, my parents can't really help me since their highest level of ed is high school and they are getting fed up with me talking about it (they love me, it's just that I keep finding different ways to get to med school and they are taking it as me constantly changing my mind. I just like to be thorough and explore all of my options.)

Can anyone help me?

Welcome to SDN!

EC's from college will count when you apply, although you should continue to build your EC's up until you apply - research, clinical work or clinical volunteering, and shadowing are the three major EC's for premeds to have (preferably shadowing a DO if you are going DO). Get A's in your retakes, make sure that they will replace your old grades since a 2.65 sGPA is going to take a really long time to get anywhere near competitive without grade replacement. You can retake classes at CC's or other colleges and have them replace your old grades if the new college is on the same system (quarter or semester) and the new course is of an equal or greater number of units as your original course. Hopefully your cGPA rises with your sGPA as you eliminate those old grades and replace them with A's.

One piece of good news is that since you're URM (under-represented in medicine - typically means black, hispanic, or Native American) you may get a little bit of an admissions edge. Regardless, it will likely still take at least a year or two of dedicated work at getting those grades up even before applying. I would advise you not to worry about taking the MCAT until you've retaken (and earned high grades in) any of the basic science prerequisites that you did poorly in before.

 

[RisingPhysician]

Thank you very much for the info. I calculated that by retaking the really bad classes and adding biochem, I can get my sGPA up to at least a 3.3 and my cGPA a little higher than that since I read that D.O. schools actually replace grades unlike M.D. schools. I estimate that it would take a year since I need 8 classes and will take a year. Is there anything else I need to do besides volunteer and shadow? I'm not really sure how I can get into research where I live, so I'm going to rely on my college e.c.s, volunteering, and shadowing.

 

[Goro]

A rising trend is always good.

I messed up badly in school (partying, boys, stupid stuff), but still managed to graduate half a semester early with a 3.06 cGPA and 2.65 sGPA. I was very happy with my cGPA, especially since one year before it was a 2.84.

Good start. Re-take any science coursework where you got a F/D/C. It will do wonders for your GPA via AACOMAS and applying to DO programs.

This coming spring, I plan to do a year long DIY post bac at my local university and retake both ochems (I took them in one summer, 6weeks each along with 2 other classes and partying as usual, C+ in one and D in 2) along with a few upper level science courses.

Take when you're positively ready to take it. Take lots of practice exams. People on SDN seem quite pleased with ExamKrackers for MCAT prep.

I want to take my MCAT by the end of next year or the spr of 2015 and apply in 2015.

Yes. But the key thing you'll need is patient contact experience, and physician shadowing. You need to show us that you know what you're getting into and that you know what a doctor's life is like. Strongly suggest that you shadow both MDs and DOs, too.


Also, in this time I will shadow/volunteer. Will my ECs from college count when I decide to apply for med school? Even though I was not very focused, I volunteered and was an officer in at least 3 different organizations at one time.

You'll find good advice here. Get your GPA up >3.0, score at least 25 on the MCAT, and you're good to go.

I just need help, my parents can't really help me since their highest level of ed is high school and they are getting fed up with me talking about it (they love me, it's just that I keep finding different ways to get to med school and they are taking it as me constantly changing my mind. I just like to be thorough and explore all of my options.)

 

[RisingPhysician]

A rising trend is always good.

I messed up badly in school (partying, boys, stupid stuff), but still managed to graduate half a semester early with a 3.06 cGPA and 2.65 sGPA. I was very happy with my cGPA, especially since one year before it was a 2.84.

Good start. Re-take any science coursework where you got a F/D/C. It will do wonders for your GPA via AACOMAS and applying to DO programs.

This coming spring, I plan to do a year long DIY post bac at my local university and retake both ochems (I took them in one summer, 6weeks each along with 2 other classes and partying as usual, C+ in one and D in 2) along with a few upper level science courses.

Take when you're positively ready to take it. Take lots of practice exams. People on SDN seem quite pleased with ExamKrackers for MCAT prep.

I want to take my MCAT by the end of next year or the spr of 2015 and apply in 2015.

Yes. But the key thing you'll need is patient contact experience, and physician shadowing. You need to show us that you know what you're getting into and that you know what a doctor's life is like. Strongly suggest that you shadow both MDs and DOs, too.


Also, in this time I will shadow/volunteer. Will my ECs from college count when I decide to apply for med school? Even though I was not very focused, I volunteered and was an officer in at least 3 different organizations at one time.

You'll find good advice here. Get your GPA up >3.0, score at least 25 on the MCAT, and you're good to go.

I just need help, my parents can't really help me since their highest level of ed is high school and they are getting fed up with me talking about it (they love me, it's just that I keep finding different ways to get to med school and they are taking it as me constantly changing my mind. I just like to be thorough and explore all of my options.)

Thank you very much. I will start shadowing this year and attend school in January. I appreciate the advice.

 

[Skeeks]

Just wanted to say good luck, and I will be rooting for you. I know what it is like to come from a difficult educational background and crawling your way up in academia. You are smart enough, you are dedicated enough, just dont ever forget that no matter what happens. Dont let yourself forget what its going to be like when you don that white coat someday. Best of luck!

 

[BuddyTheElf]

Hey there OP!


Just wanted to say good luck and don't lose hope! I was in a similar situation as you (1st generation college student, screwed up some classes along the way, re-took classes, felt lost in this whole med school app process). But I wanted to let you know that you can do it! I'm currently sitting on multiple acceptances this cycle. Rock the MCAT and re-take the classes you need to. Do lots of shadowing and patient care experiences. Good luck!

 

[dsoz]

Hello everyone,

I am new to SDN and am posting because I need help (don't we all lol). I graduated college this past December and moved back home. Since then I have been doing some intense soul searching and have decided to follow my first mind and become a physician. When I first entered college, I was a pre-med bio major and decided to switch to Africana Studies because I felt like I needed to know more about my "people" lol. Also, it was my first time away from home and was feeling very liberated from the strict rule of my parents. Needless to say, I ended up graduating college with a degree in German Studies and have been reduced to working in retail. I messed up badly in school (partying, boys, stupid stuff), but still managed to graduate half a semester early with a 3.06 cGPA and 2.65 sGPA. I was very happy with my cGPA, especially since one year before it was a 2.84.

I am a first generation college graduate and don't really have anyone to guide me in this med school journey. I am considering D.O. schools only because I love the philosophy of healing with my hands first before medications. This coming spring, I plan to do a year long DIY post bac at my local university and retake both ochems (I took them in one summer, 6weeks each along with 2 other classes and partying as usual, C+ in one and D in 2) along with a few upper level science courses. I want to take my MCAT by the end of next year or the spr of 2015 and apply in 2015. Also, in this time I will shadow/volunteer. Will my ECs from college count when I decide to apply for med school? Even though I was not very focused, I volunteered and was an officer in at least 3 different organizations at one time.

I just need help, my parents can't really help me since their highest level of ed is high school and they are getting fed up with me talking about it (they love me, it's just that I keep finding different ways to get to med school and they are taking it as me constantly changing my mind. I just like to be thorough and explore all of my options.)

Can anyone help me?

Remember, the MCAT will be different in 2015. There is an added psychology and social science aspect that will be required. Also, some med schools are starting to change their admission requirements to meet the new MCAT (adding social science, etc.). The most notable example I can think of is U of Arizona, Phoenix. Look at their website to see how they have added requirements to admissions. They made a lot of people mad this year when they added the new requirements.

Good luck to you. Find your path and excel. 🙂

I am just a little curious how you went from African Studies to German Studies? I am pretty sure that Germany is not in Africa, and there is not a large concentration of your "people" in Germany (I am assuming you are black, or of African descent)... There are mostly Germans there (white, northern European). Unless you count that we are all Homo sapiens, and that we are all the same "people" with just varying amounts of melanin pigment in our skin.

dsoz

 

[Carrie Bradshaw]

Good luck Op!

 

[RisingPhysician]

Remember, the MCAT will be different in 2015. There is an added psychology and social science aspect that will be required. Also, some med schools are starting to change their admission requirements to meet the new MCAT (adding social science, etc.). The most notable example I can think of is U of Arizona, Phoenix. Look at their website to see how they have added requirements to admissions. They made a lot of people mad this year when they added the new requirements.

Good luck to you. Find your path and excel. 🙂

I am just a little curious how you went from African Studies to German Studies? I am pretty sure that Germany is not in Africa, and there is not a large concentration of your "people" in Germany (I am assuming you are black, or of African descent)... There are mostly Germans there (white, northern European). Unless you count that we are all Homo sapiens, and that we are all the same "people" with just varying amounts of melanin pigment in our skin.

dsoz

Oh wow I did not know that. Thank you.

In high school I was supposed to take Spanish, but they enrolled me in German and I fell in love with it. I actually did my senior paper in college on Afro-Germans. A whole ten page paper written in German! Also Africana Studies became very redundant and I found that I like to look up things regarding my history on my own rather than paying for someone to tell me to look it up. I get weird looks all the time when people find out I have a degree in German. Not to metion I was the only black person in the German Department.

 

[RisingPhysician]

Remember, the MCAT will be different in 2015. There is an added psychology and social science aspect that will be required. Also, some med schools are starting to change their admission requirements to meet the new MCAT (adding social science, etc.). The most notable example I can think of is U of Arizona, Phoenix. Look at their website to see how they have added requirements to admissions. They made a lot of people mad this year when they added the new requirements.

Good luck to you. Find your path and excel. 🙂

I am just a little curious how you went from African Studies to German Studies? I am pretty sure that Germany is not in Africa, and there is not a large concentration of your "people" in Germany (I am assuming you are black, or of African descent)... There are mostly Germans there (white, northern European). Unless you count that we are all Homo sapiens, and that we are all the same "people" with just varying amounts of melanin pigment in our skin.

dsoz

Do you think I should take it in the fall or summer of next year instead of the spring of 2015 just so I can avoid the changes? Also, because I was not a science major I have plenty of social sciences and a few behavioral sciences under my belt.

 

[RisingPhysician]

Good luck Op!

Thank you!

 

[ucsfstudents]

I also want to say welcome to SDN and good luck! SDN is full of helpful information. Keep moving forward. Find a DO mentor if you don't already have one.

 

[Tizoc]

OP, back when I was a pre-med, I knew of people similar to your story getting into med school. It'll be a lot of work to fix your past mistakes but if people before you have done it, you most certainly can. Good luck!