Personal Crises, low GPA... please help!

[Playa]

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I'm trying to understand your argument (and bitterness.) There are limited slots at elite institutions. There are people who did well, regardless of adversity, and who have everything that these schools want in an applicant. Then there are people like you, who have good stats, but not as good. Good experiences, but not as good. What reason again is it that you should be chosen over them? You keep bitching about stereotypes and robots and this and that, but you are generalizing the exact same way by assuming that the applicants who get acceptance to HMS aren't actually BETTER CANDIDATES THAN YOU for HMS's mission. I know it stings, but such is life. You'll get a nice acceptance at a second-tier school, and there will be people with better GPA's and EC's than you, but worse MCAT scores, bitching and moaning that you just did well on one test and that they are better applicants than you in fact. Your response to their arguments would not be one of agreement, I assume. Their poor little dreams will be being tromped upon by you. I don't think you'll feel guilty about it. Deal with who you are and what you've accomplished. Grow up a little bit beyond that sense of entitlement.

Really? Find me an applicant who isn't a URM, who doesn't fit the "Harvard" stereotype at any one of the top 10 med schools.

You want to know my reason? Because I went through hell to get those stats, and to get where I am. I had to deal with my own lack of confidence, depression, family problems, and other $hit. I learned and I grew from that experience and I know that I can use that background to help people who are going through what I went through. I can use those lessons on my path to becoming a physician, and I know that I can do just as well at my dream schools because of the strength that I gained overcoming those adversities. I probably learned more from dealing with all that than being a 4.0/40S/Research/Shadowing/Valedictorian at Princeton student.

Read my above posts, I admit I was stupid, I never said I wasn't. HMS's mission? Really? Is this like a top secret mission? How come no one else knows about it besides Harvard pricks?….oh wait…..stereotype argument once again.

I really don't care about them. I want to make myself better, I give two $hits about being better than someone else.

 

[Chimneysweep]

Furthermore, there is so much grade inflation in many grad schools that it is almost impossible to earn less than a B in any course unless you totally blow things off so everyone (and I mean everyone) has a gpa between 3.0 and 4.0 (in fact, in some graduate schools, failure to maintain a 3.0 gpa is grounds for dismissal).

Even a SMP? From experience, I can attest that they are more grueling than undergrad. Students are held to medical school standards, and the stakes are very high as everyone is well aware that this is their last shot at redemption.

 

[LizzyM]

Even a SMP? From experience, I can attest that they are more grueling than undergrad. Students are held to medical school standards, and the stakes are very high as everyone is well aware that this is their last shot at redemption.

I have no experience with SMPs.... applicants who go that route tend not to apply to top research schools.

 

[Pons Asinorum]

Really? Find me an applicant who isn't a URM, who doesn't fit the "Harvard" stereotype at any one of the top 10 med schools.

You want to know my reason? Because I went through hell to get those stats, and to get where I am. I had to deal with my own lack of confidence, depression, family problems, and other $hit. I learned and I grew from that experience and I know that I can use that background to help people who are going through what I went through. I can use those lessons on my path to becoming a physician, and I know that I can do just as well at my dream schools because of the strength that I gained overcoming those adversities. I probably learned more from dealing with all that than being a 4.0/40S/Research/Shadowing/Valedictorian at Princeton student.

Read my above posts, I admit I was stupid, I never said I wasn't. HMS's mission? Really? Is this like a top secret mission? How come no one else knows about it besides Harvard pricks?….oh wait…..stereotype argument once again.

I really don't care about them. I want to make myself better, I give two $hits about being better than someone else.

This post proves everything I said about you my man. You assume a lot, and make an ass out of you and...well mostly you. Best of luck.

 

[mjscal]

If you do well for your last two years as an undergraduate you should have a GPA close to 3.4 by the end of your senior year if you are not too much lower than 3.0 now. Assuming that you are at CT or HM this would not be a very bad academic record if you also do well on the MCATs. The rising GPA will help somewhat. Apply widely and take a gap year in this case.
If this does not work you can do a PHD in a medically related field and reapply afterwards.

 

[apumic]

Really? Find me an applicant who isn't a URM, who doesn't fit the "Harvard" stereotype at any one of the top 10 med schools.

You want to know my reason? Because I went through hell to get those stats, and to get where I am. I had to deal with my own lack of confidence, depression, family problems, and other $hit. I learned and I grew from that experience and I know that I can use that background to help people who are going through what I went through. I can use those lessons on my path to becoming a physician, and I know that I can do just as well at my dream schools because of the strength that I gained overcoming those adversities. I probably learned more from dealing with all that than being a 4.0/40S/Research/Shadowing/Valedictorian at Princeton student.

Read my above posts, I admit I was stupid, I never said I wasn't. HMS's mission? Really? Is this like a top secret mission? How come no one else knows about it besides Harvard pricks?….oh wait…..stereotype argument once again.

I really don't care about them. I want to make myself better, I give two $hits about being better than someone else.

Really, dude? Really? If you gave any semblance of maturity here, I would agree with you that adversity may have taught you something (far beyond being valedictorian of your class at Yale) because often it does; however, in your case, it appears you have, instead, been "damaged" by adversity. You seem to have taken the road more traveled when things didn't go your way. I could be totally off here since this is simply my impression from your posts, but you seem to have taken the road to bitterness over your hardships. Be careful or you may end up one of my patients....

 

[Playa]

Really, dude? Really? If you gave any semblance of maturity here, I would agree with you that adversity may have taught you something (far beyond being valedictorian of your class at Yale) because often it does; however, in your case, it appears you have, instead, been "damaged" by adversity. You seem to have taken the road more traveled when things didn't go your way. I could be totally off here since this is simply my impression from your posts, but you seem to have taken the road to bitterness over your hardships. Be careful or you may end up one of my patients....

No ive grown from my adversity, but the only thing that "damages" me is the fact that it doesn't matter to med school adcoms to the schools that I really want to go to because im not their ideal "Harvard" student.

Don't worry, Im not hopelessly clinically insane or a chronic masturbator yet so I have a ways to go before that happens.

 

[H06]

While I cannot even fathom what you went through, Eigenkitty, I want to emphasize that while it is impossible to "erase" your first two years of college, I think that the experiences that you have gone through will help you to be a better doctor--you will better understand the thoughts and behaviors of suicidal patients, and you will also better understand patients' families' fear of losing their loved one.

True, you might not get into your dream med school, but the truth is that when you see a patient, all it will say on your white coat is Eigenkitty, MD or Eigenkitty, DO. Nothing about where you went to school or what you went through to get there. Med school ANYWHERE is competitive--keep that in mind. Also, as an alumna of two ivy league schools, I know a ZILLION of my classmates who went to state med schools, or their 10th or 15th choice med schools. They worked hard, and though their training wasn't at the med school of their choice, they totally kicked butt in the Match. Your pedigree doesn't determine whether you will be a good doctor--you do. I know that premeds are usually over-achievers and we want to always be #1, but if what you truly want to do is treat patients, it doesn't matter--alllllllll med students and allllll med schools have to take the same boards and achieve the same standardized level of competence to practice medicine.

I know that the stalking and your friend's suicide attempt were out of control and that you feel it is unfair that these traumatic incidents happened to you. If anything, I would hope that the incidents would help you realize how important and precious life is. Even if you did an SMP, there would be no guarantee it would necessarily help you get into X, Y, or Z med school. Why spend the time and money on that uncertainty if you can apply during your senior year (or the year after your senior year)? Just remember, med school is med school, no matter where you go.