Planned on applying this year. Deciding to push back due to Mental Health and pushing mcat date back

[Lunargravity]

So i had plans to apply this cycle was emailing my LOR writers and preparing the application, but everything has just taken a bad turn for me. My mental health has been down for a while and I am just now getting back in the swing of things with studying for my 9/2 MCAT, taking my antidepressants, and searching for a therapist. My parents aren't necessarily thrilled about me being hesitant and that i should just go for it anyway or look into some masters degrees, so i can advance my career and apply to medicine later. My mom gets all these ideas from the attending doctors she works with that the cycle will probably be more lenient due to the pandemic, but I know I'm a low stat applicant that would just now be submitting in August if I receive my letters, write my personal statement and primaries, and obtain transcripts. She thinks maybe I'm just having a fear of rejection and I won't know until I apply and get an answer, which makes me think she doesn't understands how I'm feeling completely mentally and seems a bit hesitant about me seeing a therapist. I've just felt stuck and like a disappointment to my family and myself, since I graduated with my bachelors back in 2019 and haven't pursued a higher degree in the meantime. I did do a DIY-postbacc to boost my gpa and sgpa, got a little research experience, helped in founding and holding a leadership position in a new club on campus for a while, worked as a scribe a few months before getting let go due to the pandemic, and now working as a psychiatric technician since the end of March this year, so I haven't been unproductive in boosting my apps for medical school its just my parents don't really think much of it as benefitting into a higher paying career.

If I did apply next cycle, I would be going into another gap year before applying TMDSAS and DO and some SMPs. The plan I was thinking of was continuing with my psych tech job and some other activities, take my MCAT, prepare for the next cycle so that I am ready from the jump when apps open again, as well as work on my mental and physical health, as I am also obese and need to make some changes. I think it took me a bit to come to this realization, but I don't think I'm in the right place to apply this cycle currently and would be best to apply later than rush everything.

I'm just a bit unsatisfied with the realization that I may need to hold off on applying, but its probably for the best to help put me in a better position where I don't feel as dysfunctional. I know my parents love me and they personally wouldn't care if I didn't do medicine as they never pushed me into it, but i'm pretty sure they just want me to not be in this limbo period anymore. I think I have a hard time letting my parents down and disappointing them, but I think I'm doing what's best for me. Am I making the right decision if I hold off to work on myself, just go for it, apply for SMPs then apply to med school (its a consideration I had but kinda wanted to hold off for having if I wasn't accepted my first cycle).

I know its a long post, but any advice would be greatly appreciated!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Moko]

Everything has just taken a bad turn for me. My mental health has been down for a while and I am just now getting back in the swing of things with studying for my 9/2 MCAT, taking my antidepressants, and searching for a therapist. My parents aren't necessarily thrilled about me being hesitant and that i should just go for it anyway or look into some masters degrees. ... She thinks maybe I'm just having a fear of rejection and I won't know until I apply and get an answer, which makes me think she doesn't understands how I'm feeling completely mentally and seems a bit hesitant about me seeing a therapist. I've just felt stuck and like a disappointment to my family and myself, since I graduated with my bachelors back in 2019 and haven't pursued a higher degree in the meantime. ... The plan I was thinking of was continuing with my psych tech job and some other activities, take my MCAT, prepare for the next cycle so that I am ready from the jump when apps open again, as well as work on my mental and physical health. ... I think it took me a bit to come to this realization, but I don't think I'm in the right place to apply this cycle currently and would be best to apply later than rush everything. ... I think I have a hard time letting my parents down and disappointing them, but I think I'm doing what's best for me. Am I making the right decision if I hold off to work on myself, just go for it, apply for SMPs then apply to med school

• Delaying things for a year to improve your mental health is a smart decision.
• I would recommend against pursuing an advanced degree unless you have a clear idea of how you will use that degree in the future. Otherwise, it's a very expensive way to fill up your time: time that can be better spent on other activities such as improving your mental health, engaging in meaningful extracurriculars, preparing for the MCAT, earning some extra cash, etc.
• If you need to improve your cGPA, pursuing post-bac classes will likely be cheaper than pursuing a Masters program. Post-bac classes will also count towards your cGPA calculations for MD programs. Without more information, it is difficult to advise whether you should pursue a SMP.
• Depending on your relationship with your parents, letting them know about your current struggles may be beneficial. They may be unaware of the extra pressure that they are putting on you.
• Your plan to delay things by a year to be better prepared is a sound one. Just my thoughts and best of luck.

 

[Lunargravity]

Currently my gpa is a 3.3 so that is why the SMP is something I've considered to apply to simultaneously with alongside med school apps as a back up. I have been looking into some of the ones in texas since I'm a texas resident. I do appreciate the response and will take the steps necessary to get my life back on track for my success.

 

[Goro]

Ahhh, parents. Doing thier best out of love and ignorance to destroy your medical career. Get them accounts on SDN and we can teach them the errors of thier ways.

With a 3.3 GPA, you're not competitive for the TX MD schools. You're fine for most DO schools.

As per the wise Moko, getting your mental health back in order is the smart thing to do.

Read this:

• Goro's advice for pre-meds who need reinvention

 

[deleted1100659]

mental health is something that does not improve in medical school, if anything only gets worse. Take care of yourself first. Pressure from other people can be a lot to deal with, especially because people get frustrated when you explain to them how they do not understand,

Dont be afraid of the DO route as well. I went the DO route and things worked out just fine for me, if I had gone MD I doubt the overall endpoint would have been any different for me.