Medical Non-Traditional Student and Horrible Stats - Should I still try to pursue medical school?

[MusicDOc124]

Hi there,
Hoping to get your collective opinions. Sorry if I messed up the posting guidelines. Super new.

For context, I’m an 29 older nontraditional student. Did poorly in STEM grades in my first degree (Political Science). Had considerable health issues (discovered when I was 26 epilepsy + brain tumor cured through two operations) which resulted losing my job (nonprofit finance and operations) by then I already decided to go for med school. It's largely because it was quite difficult to find a good doctor in the midst of a large city. Went around to practically every big institution.

Due to my poor past STEM grades, I was not able to make it into a post-Bach so I'm doing another degree (Biochemistry). The poor past academics can be attributed to my developmental history because of the health conditions. For relevant academic context, I am only taking STEM courses because my first degree exempted me out of all general requirements. Considering my stats, the premed advisors has been quite discouraging. School is also in some ways, an expensive but very helpful cognitive rehab therapy.

1. Summer 2018 (First class): Messed up because I lost my job and had some continuing health issues).*
   1. PreCalculus - WU
2. Fall 2018: Attempted to strong-armed classes because I was unrealistic about the timeline and STEM sequential learning style. Also not having taken any math in the past 6 years has not helped. *
   1. Physics - F
   2. PreCalculus - F
   3. Gen Chem 1 (C)
3. Spring 2019: Did considerably better as my memory and critical reasoning skills improved in addition to just being used to the academic life again. Was put on probation because of the fall.
   1. College Algebra - A
   2. Gen Chem 2: C+
   3. Gen Chem 2 Lab: B+
   4. Cognitive Processes (Psych): B+
4. Summer 2019: My condition and meds have stabilized. It has gotten even better.
   1. PreCalculus (Enhanced so tougher with calc. topics in prep) - B
   2. Human Development: A+
5. Fall 2019 (Current): Working on using Loci and memory palaces in addition to just religiously studying.
   1. Orgo 1 Lecture
   2. Orgo 1 Lab
   3. Anatomy & Physiology (Lecture + Lab)
   4. Calc 1

**I am able to appeal the F and WU's to be changed to a course deletion/retroactive change to a W because of my health and medication changes which affected me cognitively significantly.

View attachment 278175

Numbers:

In addition, I know my med school chances are incredibly low but I am more than willing to work harder (+ do a masters, planning to do an EMT course, & Caribbean Schools). My scores of doctors (both at Columbia & Weill-Cornell) are more than happy to write me recommendations. I'll start shadowing a doctor in 2 weeks.
Last Question: I realized that I still can switch over from A&P 1 to physics 1. Thoughts?
Of course, any other suggestions would be help.

Thanks!

I feel as though you may need to slow down. You went from having a brain tumor and numerous health issues, jumping into a difficult degree. Your currently listed pre-reqs a Cs, there are Fs, and a withdrawal. I understand that appealing is possible, but there is no guarantee. I also understand that this is in a way a form of cognitive rehab... but being that it's very expensive, and right not hurting you, I feel as though you might be better off looking at other avenues for a period of cognitive rehab. Even with a 3.725 average for 44 credits and successful appeals, your GPAs are still on the low side, and schools may look at jumping right into school work with the performance you've had to be bad decision making. Med school is MUCH harder than undergrad, especially compared to 1-2 sciences courses at a time.

Don't go to the Caribbean.

Your doctors at Columbia and Cornell - did you work with them clinically in anyway, or were they your professors in any way, or anything of the sorts? If not, and if they were your providers only, then I'm curious as to how strong those letters would be.

This is just my .02, and I'm sure others will join in here, but unfortunately your chances at the moment are low to none. Is there potential eventually? Yes, but not if you're still needing to undergo cognitive rehab, and when you're not even hitting you're suggested 3.725 from any of the semesters you just listed, which even that GPA will not get you to where you need to be.

You need to be solid and back on your feet, figuratively, and getting 4.0 semesters in these sciences to not only get close to a GPA that will get you through, but to demonstrate some sort of mastery of the basic sciences of which all of med school is based on.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

As mentioned there are no guarantees that you're going to be accepted in to medical school but it also seems that it's just "medical school or bust" with what you are describing. There are a lot of challenges with medicine, including issues related to stress and mental health among current students, residents, and practitioners now, and it just seems that you jumped to "I want to be a physician" soon after your initial treatment. Don't get us wrong, and I never say it's impossible, but you haven't even gotten into the meat of your biochemistry degree, including after passing organic chemistry. Also, taking fewer than 12 hours a semester and still having some difficulty isn't a great sign when you have medical school schedules with up to 24+ hours of hard coursework that challenges traditional undergraduates with a 3.7 GPA or higher.

You did mention you've met with your prehealth advisors and they were discouraging. I wonder whether you actively listened to what they were telling you based on what you wanted them to focus on, that is, what are my chances for medical school. I can tell you how frustrating that is when I had meetings with such students who refused to take the blinders off. If you changed the conversation to talking about how you can discover how to make an impact as a health care provider having looked at two or three possible careers whether you would find them to be a little more helpful. My usual position is that I never tell anyone that they have absolutely no shot because I think that with the right motivation and mentoring and enough of a redeemable track record... who knows and prove me wrong. But you already have had to make alternate career plans (and you may have to make more) so do a deeper dive into the health care industry especially outside the areas you are already familiar as a patient and what you can do in the hundreds of jobs in the industry.

 

[Goro]

Read this, OP:
Goro's advice for pre-meds who need reinvention

ALWAYS have a Plan B