No stranger to healthcare... Med School, that's another story.

[TraumaMedJunkie]

Hello all, I'm new to the SDNF. I'm seeking some advice.
While I just graduated from high school, I think I'm taking a more nontraditional course to become a MD.

Here's some background information on me. I'm 17. I dropped out of my private christian high school when I was 16 so I could get my GED and be done with high school. At that time my plan was to go to nursing school so I didn't think me dropping out would be that big of a deal. I took the GED exam and within a month of dropping out of high school, I had my high school diploma. I started doing my prerequisites for nursing school at the same community college I wished to attend nursing school. While I was taking some prerequisites I started volunteering at a local hospital. I fell in love with the environment. After a few months and a over 500 hours of volunteer work, the facility offered me a paid position. I am now an operating room assistant and loving it. I recently decided that I had a huge respect for nurses and what they do, but I wanted to go to medical school. I started to tell the RNs I work with about my plans, they all encouraged me and said I would do great in school and would make an excellent physician.

Here's my dilemma; I'm a 17 year old high school drop out (with diploma) who failed 1 of the two first college classes I ever took. (out of lack of studying)

I need some input from others. I don't know what to study for pre-med, I'm open to anything. I'm not great at math but I could always get some tutoring. Should I take the SAT since I have a sad high school transcript?

Will me being a high school drop out hurt my chances of getting into med school down the road?

What can I do to make myself look worthy of getting into pre-med/medical school?

I want to stay in the state of Florida for pre-med since I have Florida Pre-paid College.

Thanks!
Michael

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[Dayzie]

You've only got two college classes? You're GOLDEN and better off than some of us (me!). You might have to start off at the community college and transfer into a university after a semester, but your GPA isn't going to be hurt by *one* failed class too badly.

Don't worry about the high school bit. You have a diploma and there are doctors out there who only got the GED and started out at community colleges.... I really don't think the adcoms are going to care about what happened to you then. They're more interested in who you are now.

So go forth, be awesome, and you'll probably be in medical school before I am.

Start with whatever pre-reqs you'll need to get into the calculus and science classes that are required by medical schools, if you need to. For instance, if you can't get into calculus right away, start with taking pre-cal or algebra at a community college. I saved my "hard" science classes for after I transferred because of the idea that they "look" better at a 4 year than a 2 year, but that isn't necessarily the case. Figure out what you want to major in that you'll do outrageously well in.... it doesn't have to be biology or even science. If you've always done best in English, get an English degree and take your science classes as electives. What's important is that you take classes you can knock out of the park to offset your earlier lack of motivation.

 

[O2Doc]

Take a careful inventory of yourself. You're in a pretty decent position now (your GED shouldn't be an issue, and you only have the one failed class), but if you go the med school route from now on there'll be pretty heavy studying. Which, it appears, has been an issue for you in the past, or school itself was (to be fair your issues with HS may have been more than just the being in school part, but you do say your transcript is poor).

What's changed in the past year to take you from being someone who didn't study enough to really getting down and studying very seriously? All through undergrad, through a whole bunch of standardized testing, through med school? If you're a person who doesn't really enjoy school/studying and learns better hands-on, this might not be the best route for you.

 

[ShoTyme]

Here's my dilemma; I'm a 17 year old high school drop out (with diploma) who failed 1 of the two first college classes I ever took. (out of lack of studying)

I need some input from others. I don't know what to study for pre-med, I'm open to anything. I'm not great at math but I could always get some tutoring. Should I take the SAT since I have a sad high school transcript?

Will me being a high school drop out hurt my chances of getting into med school down the road?

What can I do to make myself look worthy of getting into pre-med/medical school?

I want to stay in the state of Florida for pre-med since I have Florida Pre-paid College.

Thanks!
Michael

Michael, I'm glad you feel like you have found direction. Now it's time to see how devoted you are to your goal. Enroll in classes, study your butt off, and pull A's. Just remember that C's are not good enough. You should kick yourself for getting a B. That's how serious you should be about your studies. Stay in Florida, just make sure you major in something you are interested in. That will hopefully help keep your GPA up because you are studying classes that are enjoyable. And just knock out your premed requirements. Your GED shouldn't become an issue if you just focus on one task at a time. Remember it's a long road. There will be bumps along the way that distract you. Keep your eye on the prize and just keep plugging away. I wish you nothing but the best on your journey!

 

[TraumaMedJunkie]

Thanks for all of your words of encouragement and advice. I really do appreciate it. I think I found a major that really interests me while also fulfilling the requirements for med school. Exercise Science. Time to crank out some A's. So far so good this semester!

 

[wholeheartedly]

That's great

Take the momentum and run with it. Just remember it's always easier to start strong and stay that way than it is to have to make up for it later. Take it from those of us who have learned the hard way

Also, just remember when things don't go smoothly or as planned (and they won't always), to take that as a learning experience not as a sign of failure. Step back assess what you need to do differently and move forward.