Medical Senior w/ subpar undergrad GPA, and many red flags. How should I move forward?

[Goro]

Hi. I’m posting because I am trying to figure out my path and how I can recover from a lot of issues I’ve had throughout undergrad. I’d appreciate any advice or guidance you can give. I do not know for sure whether I want to be a doctor and am still in the exploratory phase, but I have always been interested in medicine and attracted to a career in healthcare, especially after 5 years as an EMT (something I plan to return to). I tagged this thread “medicine” because I’ve done extensive research on the other health professions and medicine is the most attractive to me — because of the level of detail training goes into and the knowledge/expertise acquired (more so than PA/NP), autonomy, and opportunities for leadership. MD may be out of reach for me, but maybe I’d have a shot at DO?

Overview: Taking 5 years to graduate and now approaching my last semester at the University of Rochester. My current cGPA is 3.42 and I expect it to remain the same or go down this semester. I am a psychology major (w/in major GPA 3.64) and am not pre-med, having only taken one semester of gen chem (twice - first time pass/failed it and passed, retake grade was a C) and two semesters of biology (first sem also pass/failed and passed, second sem A-, got a C in a one credit companion lab because I never turned in the final assignment due to illness and lack of motivation - I know that sounds bad). Science classes at UR are very large (not how I learn best) and I was extremely poorly prepared from high school. I knew that if I continued taking science classes I would do poorly and it would be harder to recover, so I just stopped and switched gears.

I took a leave of absence second sem freshman year due to illness and have 4 W’s from that but came back strong (deans list, 3.68 GPA), then took another W last year because I was in a class I realized I really didn’t need and it was too late to drop, and another this past Spring semester when I went part time due to illness, again. I am really worried about these red flags, but also recognize I cannot change the past.
You’re probably wondering about the illness. I was finally diagnosed with bipolar I in April, and saw my life improve dramatically with treatment. I took summer classes and got A’s. In addition to the bipolar, I have had a number of things happen to me throughout college that have been extremely disruptive and that I feel like, in sum total, are more than “normal people” experience in a span of 5 years. Freshman year there was mold in my dorm room that caused severe ongoing allergic reactions. Sophomore year I broke my ankle and got a 2.87 due to that semester, bringing my GPA from a 3.67 to a 3.39. This semester, I was sexually assaulted by my roommate off campus and was homeless for a month due to that. I have never failed a class and do not expect to this sem, but I am taking two incompletes and expect mostly Bs and maybe one B- or something in the C range at worst. In an advanced statistics class. However, being homeless, sleeping in my car and still going to classes/work and giving it my all, and helping myself through it because no one else could or had the resources to taught me that I am stronger and more motivated than I thought I was. That experience makes me believe—or at least hope—that I do have the drive and resilience to accomplish this if it is what I really want.

I plan to take at least two years off from any kind of school. I’d like to become an EMT again (card expired after ankle injury in 2017) and have thought about being a paramedic — EMS is my passion and one of the relatively few things in life I’ve found success in since high school and feel I am really “good” at. I’ve also thought about AmeriCorps. Medical scribing might be an option too. After that, I would need to do a post bacc, but worry that my GPA and red flags combined will make it impossible for me to get into a post bacc. My other feeling is that even though I have experienced adversity and have what I think is a reasonably good explanation for my up and down GPA, I cannot disclose having bipolar disorder to post baccs or med schools. I basically want to know if I have a realistic shot at recovery or getting back on track, and would appreciate any suggestions on where to go from here.

Very sorry to hear of all your troubles.

Long stretches of academic excellence go a long way to allay the concerns of Adcoms.

You have a lot of material for adversity essays.

Just be aware that med school is a crucible. PA and NP will be easier routes

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[Goro]

Thank you so much for your response! I’ve read your post on reinvention and it means a lot to me that you think I could have a shot at something with enough sustained achievement.

I have talked to one MD who was diagnosed with bipolar while in school (she feels it was triggered by the stress) and know of a handful of others who also struggled with mental illness exacerbated by the stress of med school. My feeling right now is that if I get through all the basic sciences (probably would do a DIY post bacc for basic sciences and upper levels) and do well enough, I’ll be able to make a more informed decision about whether PA/NP would feel like “enough” for me in terms of the scope of the training and how much I would learn. I would probably lean towards NP because I have heard anecdotally that PA is becoming almost as competitive as medicine, and because right now I am most interested in family medicine and psychiatry, and most of the non-MD/DO psychiatric providers seem to be NPs.

Finally, do you have any advice on whether I need to, and if so, how to disclose my illness (or the fact that I have one) to post bacc programs or eventually med/PA/nursing when I reach that stage? And if that is something that could or should go in an adversity essay? I have heard different perspectives, but the consensus seems to be that disclosing bipolar or any MI would be a nonstarter for most programs.

Postbacc programs have no business knowing your Dx.

You CAN disclose it to Student Services in order to get more support or any needed accommodations. They can't tell the program...that would be a HIPAA violation.

 

[Goro]

I mean more in a PS or attachment as an explanation for not doing well/red flags from undergrad.

Never draw attention to a negative; explanations always come off more like excuses in essays.

Save explanations for interviews, or if prompts specifically ask for them.