Path to school with a GED

[Maudlin]

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I know that high school will be completely irrelevant in the end and that it's GPA, clinical experience, MCAT, etc that ultimately make or break your acceptance into med school. I suppose I'm just looking for guidance as to which path I can take from here will give me the best possible chances. Might be a long post, so bear with me. :')

I missed my entire junior year due to extended treatment for an eating disorder. I have been medically/psychologically stable for months now and see a counselor every week. I was told by my school that my only choice was to delay graduation for a semester or two beyond my expected date. My mom helped me dig through way too much Wisconsin law in order to find a conditional statute that allows minors to seek a GED along with supplementary coursework in order to earn a diploma before their 18th birthday. It's called an HSED and is generally considered more prestigious than a typical GED. I recently took the first of five exams (Reasoning through Language Arts) and scored in the 98th percentile, which apparently is evidence of surpassing college expectations and can earn you additional credit. I'm pleased that at the very least I'll have a strong edge when applying to community college.

But I'm slightly upset and jittery about having to do, at minimum, 2 semesters as a full-time student at CC. The schools I'd been excited about throughout high school were U of Hawaii-Manoa (safety), Hofstra (attainable), or Northwestern (dream/insane reach). Prior to my withdrawal from trad high school my unweighted GPA was 3.8, I was deeply involved in high-level Forensics, and I had an ACT score of 34. I feel humiliated and frustrated that I'm dropping all my plans for what feels like a severe demotion.

I've been filling time while I wait to take my exams by taking an EMT-B class. This class assigns GPA and mine is a 4.0 as of last week. I never thought EMS would be something I'd want to experience but I'm shocked at how much I love it, and I'm at a crossroads for what associate's to pursue while I rack up some credits.

First option on the table is going all the way to Paramedic Technician. It's by far the college's most med-science heavy program. Second option is a basic RN. Not super crazy about the idea but at the very least offers a feasible long-term fallback option is things don't work out. Final option: surgical technology. Again, bearable but not thrilling.

Which option, based on coursework, would allow the smoothest matriculation into a four-year university? Which covers the most pre-med prerequisites and gen eds?
If I complete one of these programs with a 4.0 GPA and 2000+ hours of clinical experience as an EMT/hospital volunteer, is it reasonable of me to apply for admission at high-ranking schools or should I set my sights lower?
And is there any way it would be feasible for me to have a solid transfer application after only one year as opposed to two? The college also has an EMT-P technical diploma that runs the span of a year, and I would hugely prefer that. It seems like a pain in my rear to spend a large amount of time and money on something that's more passion than career, anyway.

Feeling a little trapped and despondent. Hopefully things work out for the best, though.

 

[Cheezin]

I don't really know an answer to the questions that you are asking but I just want to say good luck and always persevere 🙂 Just keep swimming!
Good things will come in your future.

 

[AttemptingScholar]

So
1. Community colleges are great, and while your disappointment at being delayed on your path is completely understandable, I'm sure you can express it in a way that doesn't insult all the hardworking and intelligent people who chose to attend CC prior to or in the place of 4-year ('demotion' wasn't a great word choice).
2. High school doesn't matter unless it makes a good story for your med school essays--so the harder/less common your experience was, honestly the better.
3. I do not recommend pursuing degrees in professions you don't intend to pursue. Nurses, technicians, and doctors all do important but very different roles--training for one is actually delaying on the path of the other. The intent of medical school is that you come in with a firm foundation in the sciences (note: not medical sciences, all sciences) and then you start to learn how to be a doctor. It will be difficult to justify circumventing this system
4. In addition, you will have to answer interview questions like "I see you started as a nurse/paramedic. Why did you switch into medicine?" and an answer like "I always wanted to do medicine, but I thought studying to be a nurse/paramedic would provide me with more relevant coursework and experiences" will be interpreted as this person does not understand what being a doctor is! They think it's the same as being a nurse/paramedic! Not having a realistic understanding of being a physician is a great way to be rejected.
5. Therefore, I highly recommend studying a 'normal' subject. You are supposed to obtain an academic education in undergrad and a professional education in med school. You don't want to not get the academic education everyone else is getting.
6. The HSED and CC plan is great, just make sure you understand the point of undergrad. Or think about it this way: in many countries, students go to med school immediately after high school, often for more than four years, and skip an undergrad education. America does not. Why do you think we chose to not follow that path? It was a purposeful decision.
7. Take those degree paths if you want to get those jobs. They aren't for doctors. Your Associate's degree should be an academic pursuit. If the EMT thing is extracurricular, go for it.
8. You will have to transfer to and complete a Bachelor's, and if you do so with high scores and good ECs you will have no disadvantage in applying to schools.

But yeah, I'm gonna go with choice (d) None of the above

 

[Maudlin]

So
.....

1.) I specified that it FEELS LIKE a demotion to me, not that it is. My mother works at this specific CC and I see first-hand how rigorous the coursework is. I am sorry if I offended you with my word choice; I can assure you that was not the intent at all. The disappointment comes from having a preconceived idea of what college is "supposed to" look like (which I'm aware is false) along with not having a fantastic family situation that leads me to want to escape my city.
2.) This does make me feel better. I actually wrote many application essays on my personal struggles throughout high school and my teachers have complimented them, so I assume if it's angled correctly you can work struggle to your advantage.
3.) I actually want to support myself until I'm a doctor/need a backup plan by working as a psychiatric technician, and I do truly want to experience working on an ambulance. Thus the EMT license and possibly CNA. Although getting exposure to the medical field is a huge plus, I would like to point out that I have never wanted to do anything BUT healthcare, and I feel that working in those jobs is more of an exercise in humility, compassion, and critical thinking skills for a pre-med hopeful than clinical hours. This is also why I'm turning down an ER volunteer position to work in the geriatric unit. I think it's kind of abhorrent to use patients for a line on your resume, you know? I'm definitely not trying to sound high and mighty. It's just that I think everyone assumes pre-meds are desperate for something that will bulk up their applications, whereas for me personally I know it's that if my plans in medicine fail I will still have no desire to work outside the medical field.
4.) Short answer to build on above: I would do paramedic school while working as an EMT because EMT-P's make more money than Basics. If an adcom faults me for that, well, then I don't know why they think I want to live on ramen and generic Takis for the next 4+ years.
5.) Perhaps I wasn't clear enough. My hope was to study a "normal" subject -- I had my heart set on psychology, neuroscience, or biology. The problem is, this school requires you to earn an associates if you are receiving any financial aid. It's a technical school, not a full community college. I don't know what my other options are as the nearest true CC is over an hour away. Unless I want to pay $300+ for every single credit hour I take, I am forced to declare a program. I don't have to complete it, but I'm sure that would look absolutely freaking terrible on a transcript too. This is why I feel trapped.
6.) I understand the point of undergrad. I'm not the type to organize the entire first half of my life around getting accepted to med school. The reason why I don't want to go to this school is because I recognize that it's a waste of time and money to get a difficult technical diploma in a field I may abandon in 5 years or less, but nor do I have any particular desire to earn a degree in Barbering or Welding. Yes, things like that are the only other choices I have. Again, I am good and trapped for now.
7.) I would take those jobs happily if my first choice of being a doctor doesn't work out. But I want to give it the old college try first. I hate to sound like a broken record, but I just don't know what other choice I have beyond robbing a bank or selling cryptocurrency.
8.) Thank you, this does make me feel better about the academics, but not my dismal prospects.

I am sorry if I sound like a whiner. I really do appreciate your thoughtful advice; I can tell you put a little time into it and that means a lot. Do you have any suggestions? I looked over my high school transcript and because of my hospitalization I was failing classes until I withdrew, and my GPA is set in stone at 3.1. 🙁 I also won't get my ACT results back until April 24, so I'm having to submit absolutely mediocre applications due to lack of solid scores. I have applied to at least 10 traditional colleges so that I can study an actual subject and not live in a box, so maybe one will offer me admission, I don't know. I just hope if they do then they give me a really sweet scholarship or FAFSA steps in to help.

 

[AttemptingScholar]

1.) I specified that it FEELS LIKE a demotion to me, not that it is. My mother works at this specific CC and I see first-hand how rigorous the coursework is. I am sorry if I offended you with my word choice; I can assure you that was not the intent at all. The disappointment comes from having a preconceived idea of what college is "supposed to" look like (which I'm aware is false) along with not having a fantastic family situation that leads me to want to escape my city.
2.) This does make me feel better. I actually wrote many application essays on my personal struggles throughout high school and my teachers have complimented them, so I assume if it's angled correctly you can work struggle to your advantage.
3.) I actually want to support myself until I'm a doctor/need a backup plan by working as a psychiatric technician, and I do truly want to experience working on an ambulance. Thus the EMT license and possibly CNA. Although getting exposure to the medical field is a huge plus, I would like to point out that I have never wanted to do anything BUT healthcare, and I feel that working in those jobs is more of an exercise in humility, compassion, and critical thinking skills for a pre-med hopeful than clinical hours. This is also why I'm turning down an ER volunteer position to work in the geriatric unit. I think it's kind of abhorrent to use patients for a line on your resume, you know? I'm definitely not trying to sound high and mighty. It's just that I think everyone assumes pre-meds are desperate for something that will bulk up their applications, whereas for me personally I know it's that if my plans in medicine fail I will still have no desire to work outside the medical field.
4.) Short answer to build on above: I would do paramedic school while working as an EMT because EMT-P's make more money than Basics. If an adcom faults me for that, well, then I don't know why they think I want to live on ramen and generic Takis for the next 4+ years.
5.) Perhaps I wasn't clear enough. My hope was to study a "normal" subject -- I had my heart set on psychology, neuroscience, or biology. The problem is, this school requires you to earn an associates if you are receiving any financial aid. It's a technical school, not a full community college. I don't know what my other options are as the nearest true CC is over an hour away. Unless I want to pay $300+ for every single credit hour I take, I am forced to declare a program. I don't have to complete it, but I'm sure that would look absolutely freaking terrible on a transcript too. This is why I feel trapped.
6.) I understand the point of undergrad. I'm not the type to organize the entire first half of my life around getting accepted to med school. The reason why I don't want to go to this school is because I recognize that it's a waste of time and money to get a difficult technical diploma in a field I may abandon in 5 years or less, but nor do I have any particular desire to earn a degree in Barbering or Welding. Yes, things like that are the only other choices I have. Again, I am good and trapped for now.
7.) I would take those jobs happily if my first choice of being a doctor doesn't work out. But I want to give it the old college try first. I hate to sound like a broken record, but I just don't know what other choice I have beyond robbing a bank or selling cryptocurrency.
8.) Thank you, this does make me feel better about the academics, but not my dismal prospects.

I am sorry if I sound like a whiner. I really do appreciate your thoughtful advice; I can tell you put a little time into it and that means a lot. Do you have any suggestions? I looked over my high school transcript and because of my hospitalization I was failing classes until I withdrew, and my GPA is set in stone at 3.1. 🙁 I also won't get my ACT results back until April 24, so I'm having to submit absolutely mediocre applications due to lack of solid scores. I have applied to at least 10 traditional colleges so that I can study an actual subject and not live in a box, so maybe one will offer me admission, I don't know. I just hope if they do then they give me a really sweet scholarship or FAFSA steps in to help.

I didn't understand you need a technical degree, this changes what you need to do. Many premeds think they should get a Bachelor's in nursing to stand out from the bio kids and are surprised and unprepared when they have to defend the career switch in interviews--I didn't want you to make that mistake. If you need a technical degree, then get a technical degree. CNAs and EMTs are popular ECs for premeds, RNAs and Techs less so since they're supposed to be full time careers. Pick either. But then you should have at least some clinical experience that is with a DOCTOR, not just in healthcare, to prove you understand what you're getting in to. EMT won't cut it if you spend so much time working with other careers. You need to prove you want to be a doctor, not any healthcare worker.

Two things to consider moving forward.
1. Does this technical school actually help you? Will any of your classes transfer to a 4-year to get a degree? Maybe not, if they're all technical classes. You may need to start over, if this is the case. Would it not be preferable to just work as an EMT, not in school, for a while? Not sure, your call.
2. I've had a doctor say, and a few agree "If you want to be a doctor, be a doctor. If you want to go into healthcare, be a nurse." Not sure how much I agree with it, but food for thought.