Really am in desperate need of help how to progress with my academic life

[fu_shuai]

Hey guys,

So I started off college as a pre-med and would say that I did quite well in my Freshman year. I was extremely enthralled with my studies as a freshman, and it paid off as I got a 4.0 GPA. At this point in my life, I was very happy mentally and satisfied with myself to know that I was excelling at something. Ever since the beginning of sophomore year I have started to decline and decline in a progressive manner. Firstly, I would like to state that I am not trying to look for any excuses and completely attribute all of my shortcomings to my own personal faults and apathetic conduct. Moreover, now I am extremely forlorn about it because I can still remember those days vividly in which I procrastinated or flat out said to myself that this is not even worth my time. I went from a student that was flourishing in my pre med req classes to a student who simply just wanted to pass by any means necessary. I am extremely remorseful about my blunders during my college experience, and still think about it on a daily basis. Now, I am a few classes away from graduating with a Bachelors in Chemistry, and really want to throughly delineate my plan for the next several years. Despite all my shortcomings and failures, I still believe in myself that If I am to be diligent with my studies and have some sort of intrinsic motivation backing me, there is absolutely no reason why I shouldn't succeed. I really want to become enthralled with my academics like I once was, because I felt it gave my life some sort of deep, tangible meaning. Unfortunately, my transcript is fraught with disaster, and frankly looks quite awful. My GPA was once a 4.0; now it's a 2.5x GPA.
I am 20 years old right now, and simply all that I want to do is increase my efficacy as a human being and just work my ass off for something worthwhile. I have looked into many of the reinvention threads by GORO on this forum, and I would say those were invaluable to 1.) getting my head in a better spot and 2.) showing the legitimacy of a pathway to those who messed up earlier in their lives academically. If I am to do a post-bac program or a 2nd bacheloers degree, I just want to have some confidence that I have some sort of way to dig myself out of this academic hole; basically I don't know if my situation is so precarious to the point where trying to undergo a reinvention process for the next several years would be a futile endeavor.

Thanks so much

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[fu_shuai]

Furthermore, I am not trying to devise some kind of sob-story. I would like to really reiterate that firstly I am accountable for my shortcomings and I myself is the only entity that I can blame. Secondly, I am remorseful and really want to start succeeding as soon as possible to achieve the previous level of success in my past. At 20, I am already very regretful and dejected; I really don't want to continue this state of mind for the rest of my life, and always have the thought in the back of my head "Fu-Shuai, what would happen if you had tried very hard in college?" Working my ass off and rectifying myself via a DIY post-bac really resonates with me right now, and I think it is the best for 1.) garnering tangible results 2.) expelling the dark thoughts in my head with respect to self-worth.

 

[Hopeful101]

It's okay to feel that way and to not want to put massive amounts of your day into studying. You have a very powerful and employable degree with a C+/B- average. That really isn't even a shortcoming outside of medical school. Is being a doctor what you really need? Why not just work in chemistry, get a nice paycheck and enjoy your life. Medical school will be way worse than your worst experiences in college, and if you felt sick of studying and being premed in undergrad whose to say you wont start to feel that way again in medical school. I don't know how medical school apps will go for you if you get a post back, but make sure that's what you want. Getting into medical school would not even be close the start of the 'work hard' part of your education.

What changed between your first and second years that made you want to just pass, and that made you stop caring about excelling?

 

[lumya]

It's not too late for redemption. As long as you still want to be a doctor you can work towards it. But you mention doing a post-bac to garner tangible results and to find self-worth and medicine isn't the only way to do it. It's going to be really hard and you're going to face a lot of disappointments. There are a lot of resources such as Goro's guide that can help you get back on track, but you should probably try to figure out what it was that caused you to become disengaged and if medicine is really what you want or if it's just an end-goal of a very long checklist that gives you a sense of guided purpose completing. People put medicine on a pedestal but it's not the only worthwhile or respectable profession.

 

[fu_shuai]

It's not too late for redemption. As long as you still want to be a doctor you can work towards it. But you mention doing a post-bac to garner tangible results and to find self-worth and medicine isn't the only way to do it. It's going to be really hard and you're going to face a lot of disappointments. There are a lot of resources such as Goro's guide that can help you get back on track, but you should probably try to figure out what it was that caused you to become disengaged and if medicine is really what you want or if it's just an end-goal of a very long checklist that gives you a sense of guided purpose completing. People put medicine on a pedestal but it's not the only worthwhile or respectable profession.

Correct. Medicine is not the only pathway that is solely worthy of making me feel worthy. I am also interested in pursuing a PhD in Chemistry, and during my Post-Bac I plan to take some chemistry courses. I believe that there should be a great deal of overlap in reinventing myself for both of those pathways (MD/DO and PhD in Chemistry)? Albeit, I would imagine that the latter would be less rigorous in terms of holistic application and admission requirements, depending on the ranking of the PhD program

 

[fu_shuai]

It's okay to feel that way and to not want to put massive amounts of your day into studying. You have a very powerful and employable degree with a C+/B- average. That really isn't even a shortcoming outside of medical school. Is being a doctor what you really need? Why not just work in chemistry, get a nice paycheck and enjoy your life. Medical school will be way worse than your worst experiences in college, and if you felt sick of studying and being premed in undergrad whose to say you wont start to feel that way again in medical school. I don't know how medical school apps will go for you if you get a post back, but make sure that's what you want. Getting into medical school would not even be close the start of the 'work hard' part of your education.

What changed between your first and second years that made you want to just pass, and that made you stop caring about excelling?

Lack of priority, immaturity, no intrinsic motivation, not attending class, studying the day of the exam. I could attribute it to a vast array of differing factors but the main takeaway is that it all of them stemmed from being apathetic and not serious and misguided. I would like to take accountability for this utter mishap and radically change.

 

[Damson]

It is absolutely doable to get into medical schools. Achieve the following:
- DIY post-bac to raise both cgpa and sgpa above 3.0
- do a SMP with 3.7+ GPA
- kill the MCAT
- accumulate shadowing, other clinical, nonclinical, and volunteering experiences

But note that this will take 2 or 3 more years of work. Then 4 more years of medical school. If you are sure you want to pursue this path, go for it! But note that with a Bachelors in Chemistry, you will find employment and get good paychecks like @Hopeful101 said. Take some time to think about this

 

[fu_shuai]

It is absolutely doable to get into medical schools. Achieve the following:
- DIY post-bac to raise both cgpa and sgpa above 3.0
- do a SMP with 3.7+ GPA
- kill the MCAT
- accumulate shadowing, other clinical, nonclinical, and volunteering experiences

But note that this will take 2 or 3 more years of work. Then 4 more years of medical school. If you are sure you want to pursue this path, go for it! But note that with a Bachelors in Chemistry, you will find employment and get good paychecks like @Hopeful101 said. Take some time to think about this

Thanks. One of my strengths is my standardized testing, and I have been scoring 518-521's on my AAMC FLs. Problem is that tho I intend to do a post-bac, it would take 70-80 credits of all A's to get it to a 3.0. Do any SMPs have grade waivers after X amount of credits that would be done via aforementioned DIY post-bac/2nd bachelor's?

 

[Damson]

@Goro @gonnif

 

[Goro]

Thanks. One of my strengths is my standardized testing, and I have been scoring 518-521's on my AAMC FLs. Problem is that tho I intend to do a post-bac, it would take 70-80 credits of all A's to get it to a 3.0. Do any SMPs have grade waivers after X amount of credits that would be done via aforementioned DIY post-bac/2nd bachelor's?

read my post on re-invention for pre-med

 

[Hopeful101]

read my post on re-invention for pre-med

@Goro You didn't link it this time???? Man, times are changing....

 

[Hopeful101]

Thanks. One of my strengths is my standardized testing, and I have been scoring 518-521's on my AAMC FLs. Problem is that tho I intend to do a post-bac, it would take 70-80 credits of all A's to get it to a 3.0. Do any SMPs have grade waivers after X amount of credits that would be done via aforementioned DIY post-bac/2nd bachelor's?

Thats a very good MCAT score....if you score that you'll be able to find a seat at the table

 

[Goro]

@Goro You didn't link it this time???? Man, times are changing....

Sometimes I'm on my cell phone and don't have the link!

 

[LunaOri]

Correct. Medicine is not the only pathway that is solely worthy of making me feel worthy. I am also interested in pursuing a PhD in Chemistry, and during my Post-Bac I plan to take some chemistry courses. I believe that there should be a great deal of overlap in reinventing myself for both of those pathways (MD/DO and PhD in Chemistry)? Albeit, I would imagine that the latter would be less rigorous in terms of holistic application and admission requirements, depending on the ranking of the PhD program

 

[LunaOri]

A master's degree in chemistry would open a lot of doors--industry jobs are very lucrative, and you could always take night classes and apply to med school in a few years. Consider whether a high-paying job with regular hours and a pension plan would be preferable to going to med school; the answer depends on your reasons for considering medicine as a career.

 

[fu_shuai]

Sometimes I'm on my cell phone and don't have the link!

Hello @Goro
i have actually been reading your thread extensively for these last few weeks, and the reinvention concept really resonates with me strongly. To know I can rectify my mistakes at this age is a comforting feeling. I just wanted to know if my particular situation is so severe and precarious that undergoing a reinvention pathway for the next several years would be futile. I know it’s a defeatist attitude but I’m prepared to give every single fiber of my being to this goal but I just don’t want it to be to no avail due to previous blunders which I am prepared and very ready to take accountability for .

 

[Goro]

Hello @Goro
i have actually been reading your thread extensively for these last few weeks, and the reinvention concept really resonates with me strongly. To know I can rectify my mistakes at this age is a comforting feeling. I just wanted to know if my particular situation is so severe and precarious that undergoing a reinvention pathway for the next several years would be futile. I know it’s a defeatist attitude but I’m prepared to give every single fiber of my being to this goal but I just don’t want it to be to no avail due to previous blunders which I am prepared and very ready to take accountability for .

Did your grades fall due to mental health issues??

 

[Damson]

^ if the issue was mental health, make sure it is resolved before diving back in.

having read other stories of reinvention, you can do it too. the fact that you scored 518~521 on your FLs seats you firmly at the top percentiles of medical students in terms of academic ability

channel that power into your upcoming courses. you can probably stay for an extra two years in undergrad by asking your advisor to add a B.S. in Biology to your record. ask him/her

 

[Bonne Nuit]

Hello @Goro
i have actually been reading your thread extensively for these last few weeks, and the reinvention concept really resonates with me strongly. To know I can rectify my mistakes at this age is a comforting feeling. I just wanted to know if my particular situation is so severe and precarious that undergoing a reinvention pathway for the next several years would be futile. I know it’s a defeatist attitude but I’m prepared to give every single fiber of my being to this goal but I just don’t want it to be to no avail due to previous blunders which I am prepared and very ready to take accountability for .

I can think of only a few situations in which reinvention would be truly impossible, no matter how bad the academic showing in undergrad. All else failing, the world’s worst student could move to Texas for 10 years, qualify for academic fresh start, excel in course retakes/postbac and apply to TMSDAS schools. It’s absurd, of course, but it’s technically possible. But you are far from the world’s worst student, and your reinvention path - while not a breeze - will be much easier than this.

Out of curiosity, how do your ECs look so far? Could you share what you’ve done in the way of clinical experience and shadowing specifically?

 

[fu_shuai]

Did your grades fall due to mental health issues??

I would not attribute my downfall solely to mental health issues , but they definitely played a part. I think it would be best to classify it as a vast array of negative factors that lead to his debacle

 

[Goro]

I would not attribute my downfall solely to mental health issues , but they definitely played a part. I think it would be best to classify it as a vast array of negative factors that lead to his debacle

I would not attribute my downfall solely to mental health issues , but they definitely played a part. I think it would be best to classify it as a vast array of negative factors that lead to his debacle

As mentioned above, make sure htose are 100% under control. Medical school is a furnace, and I've seen it break even healthy students. The #1 reason my school loses students to withdrawal, dismissal or LOA is to unresolved mental health issues.