Past comming back to haunt me

[blaze1306]

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I'm a newbie and I love this site! So many students at various stages of the process giving great no B.S personal experiances and advice. Here's my situation. I'm a 30 year-old African-American, ex-minor league baseball player with many {w's} on my transcript. Suffice it to say, to much fun not enough study. After a near-fatal car accident in 1997, I decided to go back to school ,but with no direction the W's continued. It was not until recently I discovered my desire to become a D.O. My Gen-Ed non-science scores are great (A's and B's) now all that remains are my science courses. Since AACOM does not consider W's or retakes how bad are these W's going to hurt me when I apply next year? I'm hoping my life experiances and new trend of better grades will at least let a admissions commitee see I'm not the same student that got all those W's. Advice would be great.

 

[kota315]

I'm a newbie and I love this site! So many students at various stages of the process giving great no B.S personal experiances and advice. Here's my situation. I'm a 30 year-old African-American, ex-minor league baseball player with many {w's} on my transcript. Suffice it to say, to much fun not enough study. After a near-fatal car accident in 1997, I decided to go back to school ,but with no direction the W's continued. It was not until recently I discovered my desire to become a D.O. My Gen-Ed non-science scores are great (A's and B's) now all that remains are my science courses. Since AACOM does not consider W's or retakes how bad are these W's going to hurt me when I apply next year? I'm hoping my life experiances and new trend of better grades will at least let a admissions commitee see I'm not the same student that got all those W's. Advice would be great.

I am assuming that by "w" you mean withdrawl correct, no grade offered or recorded right, so it didn't affect your GPA....If that is the case, if you can demonstrate a continued trend of A's and B's in your science classes, score well on your MCAT, then I would say that your chances of getting into medical school are as good as anyone's....Of course you will want to log lots of volunteer hours, or better yet, get a job as a tech in the medical field....they want to see that you have a full understanding of what this career choice entails.....

Yes a life changing experience such as yours is a good way to refocus your energy, but is it enough to sustain your drive.....these are the questions that you need to ask yourself. Medical school is no walk in the park, and the hardest part is not just getting in (although that is pretty tough for most of us...) it is staying the course. Medical schools don't want to offer a seat to just anyone..... they want to know that you will make it through the program. You see, medical school applicants are a dime a dozen....an average school will receive 2000+ applications, offer 500 interviews for 150 - 200 seats..... The University of Michigan fields somewhere near 5000+ applicants and has to weed them down to the 150-200 seats.....so I guess what I am trying to say is you have to make yourself stand out.....someway, somehow..... If this is what you want to do.....believe in yourself and stay the course.....you will get in.

Good luck

 

[sunnyjohn]

blaze1306,

Come check out the post-bac forum. You may find some great ides on how to get started down the path to that D.O. My grades are suck, I mean blow, I mean are bad too, and I still think I can make it!!!

Agape...

I'm a newbie and I love this site! So many students at various stages of the process giving great no B.S personal experiances and advice. Here's my situation. I'm a 30 year-old African-American, ex-minor league baseball player with many {w's} on my transcript. Suffice it to say, to much fun not enough study. After a near-fatal car accident in 1997, I decided to go back to school ,but with no direction the W's continued. It was not until recently I discovered my desire to become a D.O. My Gen-Ed non-science scores are great (A's and B's) now all that remains are my science courses. Since AACOM does not consider W's or retakes how bad are these W's going to hurt me when I apply next year? I'm hoping my life experiances and new trend of better grades will at least let a admissions commitee see I'm not the same student that got all those W's. Advice would be great.

 

[rs_braves]

I'm a newbie and I love this site! So many students at various stages of the process giving great no B.S personal experiances and advice. Here's my situation. I'm a 30 year-old African-American, ex-minor league baseball player with many {w's} on my transcript. Suffice it to say, to much fun not enough study. After a near-fatal car accident in 1997, I decided to go back to school ,but with no direction the W's continued. It was not until recently I discovered my desire to become a D.O. My Gen-Ed non-science scores are great (A's and B's) now all that remains are my science courses. Since AACOM does not consider W's or retakes how bad are these W's going to hurt me when I apply next year? I'm hoping my life experiances and new trend of better grades will at least let a admissions commitee see I'm not the same student that got all those W's. Advice would be great.

I don't think retakes or withdraws will effect you as long as you do well in your sciences from here on out. I graduated with a 2.5 in computer science with alot of class hours. I worked as a programmer for a couple of years and returned to school, taking full load of premedical classes each semester. I took classes full time (upper level sciences as well) for 2 and half years and managed to maintain a 3.9 post-bacc gpa. On my AACOMAS, this brought my total gpa upto a 3.3. AACOMAS's calculation of grades works in favor for those who have slacked and need to retake classes. When I interviewed for osteopathic school, the adcom never mentioned anything about my poor grades b/c I think the overall gpa wasn't that bad after AACOMAS calculated it. I was accepted into two osteopathic schools this year. However, this wasn't the case for allopathic schools. The two schools I interviewed at, both mentioned my previous poor grades as a concern. I am still waiting to hear from both the allopathic schools. I think your life experience as a minor league baseball player makes you stand out and as long as you to well from here on, I think your chances will be very good. Also your near death experience would explain alot to the adcom about your previous misgivings. As long as you explain this eloquently in your personal statement, you should be fine. I think the adcoms realize that you can change as a person by way of the life experiences you go through. Good luck.

P.S. What organization did you play for?

 

[reddirtgirl]

I'm a newbie and I love this site! So many students at various stages of the process giving great no B.S personal experiances and advice. Here's my situation. I'm a 30 year-old African-American, ex-minor league baseball player with many {w's} on my transcript. Suffice it to say, to much fun not enough study. After a near-fatal car accident in 1997, I decided to go back to school ,but with no direction the W's continued. It was not until recently I discovered my desire to become a D.O. My Gen-Ed non-science scores are great (A's and B's) now all that remains are my science courses. Since AACOM does not consider W's or retakes how bad are these W's going to hurt me when I apply next year? I'm hoping my life experiances and new trend of better grades will at least let a admissions commitee see I'm not the same student that got all those W's. Advice would be great.

it could be worse... as long as your name doesn't show up in Jose Canseco's book

Perhaps when applying to DO's you might try applying to post bacc or master's programs in the same cycle? Keep in mind, some post-baccs won't take you if you have already taken all your science courses.

Good Luck!

 

[blaze1306]

I don't think retakes or withdraws will effect you as long as you do well in your sciences from here on out. I graduated with a 2.5 in computer science with alot of class hours. I worked as a programmer for a couple of years and returned to school, taking full load of premedical classes each semester. I took classes full time (upper level sciences as well) for 2 and half years and managed to maintain a 3.9 post-bacc gpa. On my AACOMAS, this brought my total gpa upto a 3.3. AACOMAS's calculation of grades works in favor for those who have slacked and need to retake classes. When I interviewed for osteopathic school, the adcom never mentioned anything about my poor grades b/c I think the overall gpa wasn't that bad after AACOMAS calculated it. I was accepted into two osteopathic schools this year. However, this wasn't the case for allopathic schools. The two schools I interviewed at, both mentioned my previous poor grades as a concern. I am still waiting to hear from both the allopathic schools. I think your life experience as a minor league baseball player makes you stand out and as long as you to well from here on, I think your chances will be very good. Also your near death experience would explain alot to the adcom about your previous misgivings. As long as you explain this eloquently in your personal statement, you should be fine. I think the adcoms realize that you can change as a person by way of the life experiences you go through. Good luck.

P.S. What organization did you play for?

played minors in southern illinois and indianapolis as well as some college ball here in oklahoma.

 

[cecilia]

Hi,

I am pretty sure that after some time has gone by you can actually ask them to remove the w's from your transcript. I did it some years ago. Ask your college admissions and records office.