Should I just call it quits?

[Hobbit22]

3.0 cGPA/3.3 sGPA post bach 5th yr

started freshman yr with chems calc orgo 1 out of the way with As

fell into chronic depression and previous battle with anxiety got much worse. Couldnt manage to keep up grades in gen ed classes or anything even if i wanted to. Great habits became poor

Retook biochem, orgo 2, phys, anatomy for the third time all at a cc last yr and got all As except B in anatomy, but still feel like ****

Took 6 months off for the MCAT, couldnt get myself to study, scored 490

10 hr shadowing
120 hr volunteering
no research
2 LORs Prof

I know i can do it with the right motivation and guidance, but i havent felt good for years

based on my MCAT i obviously dont have much of the basic knowledge learned

There is no point in me even applying this cycle, and i still feel i have a lot to go even for the next cycle.

Should i just call it quits and look elsewhere in a career?

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[runningpenguin]

I'd say it depends on whether you want to become a physician or not. Your extracurricular activities are a way to develop your interest in medicine and, for a lot of premedical students, are what guide their interests in medicine. You have some but not a lot of hours for the extracurricular activities. Perhaps spend more time learning what medicine is through both activities and just taking the time to learn more. Be careful not to join an activity that doesn't actually help you learn more about medicine. Choose good activities. You can gain a good sense of what "good activities" are by browsing the forums and seeing other people's experiences + asking around so that you know what are good activities to join at your particular school/location. Some good extracurricular activities to join could include research (clinical or basic research, very time consuming though and you may want to focus on grades/MCAT...also this is highly, highly dependent on who you choose as your PI/lab group) or medical missions (costly but a good experience that gets a lot of premedical students interested). Also, do things you enjoy. If you have a hobby you really like, of course pursue it. If not, develop one. Not necessarily for medical school admissions, but because you enjoy it.

For the MCAT, don't take the actual test again until you score within your desired range on practice tests. I do not really have an answer to this. It depends on what you want to do ultimately. I'm just saying that, as a premedical student, I'm excited about medicine (although I have yet to go through medical school of course). I'm passionate and excited because of the experiences that taught me more about medicine. And those experiences that were actually good at showing what medicine is were not always easy to find/involved a lot of searching.

Good luck!

 

[deleted480308]

Get your health on track first

 

[ciestar]

You need to take care of yourself before you even think to apply anywhere.

If you've been feeling like this for YEARS, you need to do something about it. Med school likes to churn up these feelings as well. So my best advice is to get some help mentally and work on your app again once you're in a better place mentally. In the meantime, don't worry about academics and maybe find a volunteering gig (or ANYTHING) you enjoy.