FutureDocHopefl said:
I am probably just going to apply to a D.O. school or a Caribbean school. All I have to do is make up some story about choosing D.O. instead of an M.D. school, and if that doesn't work I can easily get into a Caribeean school and make the same amount of money like every other physician out there.
Boy, FutureDoc, I was on your side until that comment. But, I'm sure you're angry because you're already feeling bad and you have just drawn some insults. Comments like that, however, are going to get you heavy criticism. There are some SDN threads I should probably just stay out of, because I'm old enough to be your parent. I think, however, that you're looking for some constructive advice.
It's been an honor for me to attend premedical classes with traditional premed students. I am astonished at the level of maturity and dedication that I consistently see, and I'm just glad to be considered a peer. I'm not sure I could have done this premed thing at age 21 rather than 42/43. What I mean by this is that anybody can forgive a bad freshman semester, but you are going to be up against some distinguished competition and you're going to have to set very high standards for yourself from now on. I think you need to retake General Chemistry - "C's" are bad news in core science courses. That "C" is going to be on your AMCAS BCPM even if you re-take it (it won't appear on your AACOMAS if you re-take it) but re-taking it will give you a better foundation and it shows that you know that your first performance was not good.
Grades count. A lot. I absolutely agree that med schools should look at many other factors - but, the truth is, grades and MCAT are the first cut. If you don't make that cut, they're not going to look at your other good qualities. Mono is a mild illness for some people, but it's quite serious for others. I think it's an acceptable excuse, if it's documented. Where you made your mistake was in not contacting your professors and keeping them advised of what was happening to you. Under no circumstances should your end of semester grades ever come as a surprise. I had a serious illness in my junior year and was in bed for nearly six weeks - I had to take incompletes in two classes - then I had so much catch-up work to do in the following semester, I had to take another incomplete (bad). But, struck-out incompletes with good grades replacing those incompletes were a lot better than poor grades (by the way, those incompletes got noticed - over 20 years later!). You probably didn't know all this in your first semester - so, my advice - every semester, you should let your professors know that you're a pre-med - get their advice and let them get to know you. If you run into trouble, talk to them - fast! Good luck to you.
