Next steps for medical school

[ajohnson_93]

Hello everyone,
This post will be lengthy because i feel the need to explain before i ask for advice. At age 18, i graduated high school with a 1.2 GPA. To explain, I was a foster child who was tossed around from shelter to shelter and home to home. Most of the grades i received in high school were from well meaning people who handed me a grade because they felt sorry for me. I had never even taken Algebra 2 much less calculus. I didn't take biology or chemistry or physics. I was honestly never in the same class for a whole year or semester in high school. When i was 19 i decided i wanted more, i wanted to go to college, so i applied. I sat down for lunch with an old judge of mine who suggested social work as my career and told me how to apply and how to get aid. I was accepted to a university with help from him. I signed up for social work courses and immediately started struggling with all the work. I didn't know how to handle multiple classes, i didn't know how to study, and i didn't know how to even begin asking for help to do literally anything. Also, i hated everything i learnt about social work. I withdrew from school the second semester.
For the next year, i made a big decision and decided to move to a new state where i had support and friends. Just to add, when i arrived in the new state, i got in a bad wreck about a mile from where i was trying to go. It was my first wreck. I spent the next year signing up for classes and withdrawing them based on whether someone could take me to them (I was terrified to drive and their schedules changed often). I then started signing up for online courses only for the second semester but i also took one class that i again withdrew because it was in person. I then decided to take a year off to work on past issues and getting my confidence back with driving. It was a weird time.
I finally went back to school but i had never addressed the issue of how to study. I spent the year struggling with classes until i finally reached out and found the help i needed the next year. While i always managed to get As in history, English, Art, etc (two exceptions) i struggled learning math and science (specifically biology 1, Chemistry 1, physics 1 and Math up to Calculus because i had to start at the bottom and work up). I have retaken classes and taken some extra classes, but as of now i am 27, i have earned an A in Chemistry, 1 (retaken twice), Chemistry 2, and Physics 2. I have a C in Biology 1 and Physics 1 (but haven't retaken them). I have a B in Biology 2. My Upper levels are a mix of Bs and As. I have a "pass" in Organic Chemistry because of Covid so i'm unsure if that good or if i should retake this? I haven't withdrew from anything since 2019. My calculated over all GPA is 3.6+ and my science is close to that, when i finish in a year, it will be that. My MCAT score was a 511, should i try for higher? Nonetheless, with approximately over 10+ withdraws on my transcript and one F, what should i do?
I know now that i want to be a doctor. I have an upward trend for two years and have research and volunteer hours. With Covid, i haven't been able to get clinical experience but i am looking for some. (Advice on how to go about asking for experience is appreciated also). I am also a certified pharmacy technician but i don't think they consider this clinical experience, correct?
i am willing to get my master's, a second degree, a PHD even. I just don't know what i should do now. I've put in a lot work to make the changes and get myself to where i think i need to be. It was a long struggle filled with tears, emotional baggage, anxiety, and even some laziness ill admit, but since i made the decision three years ago to chase my dream i have been trying my hardest. I would appreciate any advice you can give me. I'm not willing to give up.
To sum it up: POSITIVES: GPA 3.6+ overall and science, 511 MCAT, an upward trend of two years, research and volunteering hours.
NEGATIVES: a lot of withdraws, an F, no clinical hours, and classes retaken.

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[Goro]

I'm not willing to give up.
To sum it up: POSITIVES: GPA 3.6+ overall and science, 511 MCAT, an upward trend of two years, research and volunteering hours.
NEGATIVES: no clinical hours

The Bolded shows that you are competitive for medical school.

You are NOT a viable candidate until you get in some 50+ hours of shadowing and 150+ hours of patient contact experience (can be paid or volunteer).

To make your OP easier to read, for God's sake, use paragraphs with spaces, please. The wall of text is difficult to parse.

 

[MaxCycle42]

I have nothing else to tell you but this...... Take the advice from Goro and continue what you are doing..(If everything you said is true)......YOU WILL GO FAR IN LIFE! You are the true definition of a Phoenix, my friend.

 

[candbgirl]

It’s very hard to read the section on your post dealing with your classes. For instance why did you take Chem 1 three times? You also said you have retaken other classes too? Why? Don’t worry about the Ws. They don’t count in your GPAand if you are asked about them you have an explanation. But does your posted GPA include every grade you have ever earned in a class? Does it include the three grades you earned for Chem 1? Does it include all of the grades you earned for every course you took/retook - including the social work courses? If you earned a grade it counts in your GPAs.
You have a good MCAT. The problem might be that it will expire. (Scores are good for 2-3 years I think.) So don’t retake it until closer to the time you are going to apply.
You have a very compelling story of survival and you should be proud of yourself. If you really want to be a doctor find a premed advisor who can help you sort out what you have and what you need and what you have to do to move towards your goal. Good luck. And let us know how things are going as you move along.

 

[stickgirl390]

Your personal statement will stand out from the crowd, that’s for sure! Good luck to you, keep up the hard work.

 

[proudofmykids]

It’s very hard to read the section on your post dealing with your classes. For instance why did you take Chem 1 three times? You also said you have retaken other classes too? Why? Don’t worry about the Ws. They don’t count in your GPAand if you are asked about them you have an explanation. But does your posted GPA include every grade you have ever earned in a class? Does it include the three grades you earned for Chem 1? Does it include all of the grades you earned for every course you took/retook - including the social work courses? If you earned a grade it counts in your GPAs.
You have a good MCAT. The problem might be that it will expire. (Scores are good for 2-3 years I think.) So don’t retake it until closer to the time you are going to apply.
You have a very compelling story of survival and you should be proud of yourself. If you really want to be a doctor find a premed advisor who can help you sort out what you have and what you need and what you have to do to move towards your goal. Good luck. And let us know how things are going as you move along.

OP- depending on your answer to this post, you are either ready to apply this coming cycle (with Goro’s suggested hours), or you’ll need to do a post Bach to bring up your grades to be a true 3.6.

 

[ajohnson_93]

As a general, sorry the post was a bit messy, my thoughts were also.
Thank you all for attempting to decipher it regardless of the unorganized scrambles presented to you. I appreciate it and wrote all of it down.

I love the story of the Phoenix. It's kind of awesome to be compared with one so thanks to the person who said that.

I have sent out messages in hopes of finding someone to consult with and ensure I am where i think i am.

In regards to the GPA:
Yes, i will have a 3.6 (in both) after everything if I am calculating it correctly.
The University i am currently attending never calculated my GPA when i transferred, it just counts the courses taken at their institution. So I looked up how to calculate it myself.
I experimented with this by checking what GPA i had at my current institution and then matched that with my calculations for just courses taken there.
When it came out correctly, i then redid my calculations with all grades included from all institutions.
In order for my science GPA to be that high i did a hypothetical calculation. It could technically be lower or higher based on my performance. However my overall is that now if i am correct.
BUT i will still have someone else do it who isn't a student google professional and knows how to correctly determine it just in case LOL.

In regards to Graduation:
I won't graduate until next Spring 2022. Not this one 2021.

In regards to retakes:
I retook chemistry 1 three times because the first time i didn't drop it (idk why i didn't) but didn't attend the course either and made an F, the second time i withdrew, and the third time i made an A.
I also retook PreCal in which i made a D then an A.
I haven't received a grade and then retaken any other classes beside those.

On a separate yet related note,
I also have a W from Organic Chemistry the first time but the second time was during the initial closures of schools when Covid happened and my university did the S/U grading system that semester.
I do have a couple of S's (as in S/U grading system) in Parasitology and Physiology as well due to Covid.
I know they don't hurt my GPA but for required courses such as OCHEM, i'm unsure if i need an A, B or C to submit. I guess that is also something to ask about.
Other than that, The only Upper level i have a poor grade in is Genetics. I made a C in the lecture but an A in the lab.
(However, i'm still scared Biochemistry is going to be end up being a B this semester.) The rest have been A's.

In regards to the MCAT:
I took the MCAT this year, 2021. If i finish the year of 2022 and think i should do a post bach (one-two year program) should i retake it during or after i finish the post bach? If i don't need to take a post bach, then i should be able to keep this score, right?

In response to clincal hours:
i think maybe i should ask about clinical experience when i meet with someone to go over everything.
That way i can hopefully find out what counts for clinical hours. I might have more than i previously thought since i have volunteered at hospitals but in a different setting than what i thought i had to be doing to be considered clinical experience. Either way i would probably need more clinical hours than i may have since a majority of my volunteering has been in a different atmosphere.

Also, Google is also a little confusing as to whether my current job counts or not.
I am a certified pharmacy technician so i deal with patients but in a pharmacy not a office. Some say this is seen as a customer service job experience to medical schools, others say it's clinical experience too.
I think it should be personally seen as experience because as a certified pharmacy tech you have to know the pharmacy laws for your state, know how to read a prescription/ type the prescription into the system, deal with the insurance for each patient, check them out, and know the top 200 drug names and uses (also depending on how the pharmacy is arranged you have to know whether the medicine is a steroid, antibiotic, etc).

I can work on clinical/ shadowing this next year though since my planned course load is relatively light. Does it look bad if the 100+ hours/ 50+ hours comes from mostly one year instead of spread out?
Lastly, How do i ask someone to shadow them? Is there a certain way i am supposed to go about asking? I've always been too nervous to ask.

Thank you guys for everything.
Hopefully this is so much clearer!

-OP

 

[proudofmykids]

Sounds like your should and will be applying this coming cycle.
Congrats. I predict an Acceptance with your story of Both hardship, low SES, and reinvention combined with your stats and ECs meeting all the other expectations. By the way, are you also URM?

One recommendation though....
Your Personal statement needs to be well crafted telling of your hardships you experienced and overcome, your growth, and also needs to be very well written.
Make sure you get appropriate people to help review / edit it!

 

[LizzyM]

You do need at least 50 hours of shadowing a physician in a hospital or office setting.
As an alternative, you could try to find a job as a scribe. Being a pharmacy tech might give you a let up as you already know some of the lingo.

You have an intereseting life story, decent GPA, reassurming MCAT (reassures adcom you can manage the academics of med school). What you need is clinical exposure outside of the customer service/pharmacy realm. Don't waste time and money on a post-bac. You have nothing you need to prove in that regard. Once you have clinical experience of at least 200 hours and at least 50 hours of shadowing, apply broadly and let us know how things turn out. We are rooting for you.

 

[YCAGA]

How are you calculating your science GPA? It is not adding up. You have two C’s, have retaken multiple courses, have a lot of B’s, and an F in a course. I would be shocked if your actual science GPA is >3.0.

Can you list out the science and math courses you have received a letter grade in at ANY school at any point in time—no exceptions to this, even if you transferred or retook the course.

Edit: maybe 4 C’s? You’re writing is really confusing and hard to follow. I know this is just an internet forum but if you write like that on AMCAS, your fees will be a donation.