Thinking of giving up medical school

Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
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iceman132

iceman132

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I'm a 24 year old guy who spent 5 years to finish a 4 year degree in Biology with a languages minor. I ended up with a 3.0, some research experience, some hospital experience and really didn't know where to go with it so I started to study for the MCat.

I have been studying for five months and seen my 18 score go to a 23. I have 2 months left to study and even if I ended up with a 30-35 my chances for medical school/DO would still be slim.

I talked to a family member a couple of days ago who is a millionaire businessman and he recommended that I think of getting an MBA.

Maybe everyone here has a burning desire to be a doctor? I would love to be a MD/DO but my chances just look slim.

I really just want to have a respectable job and make good money. A family member of mine who is a doctor told me that if I want to make money that I should go into business instead of the medical field.

I wanted some advice from the people here .... Have you people really heard of people with a 3.0 going into a medical school? I will study for it regardless and apply.... But I feel like putting up the white flag after that point.
 
iceman132 said:
I'm a 24 year old guy who spent 5 years to finish a 4 year degree in Biology with a languages minor. I ended up with a 3.0, some research experience, some hospital experience and really didn't know where to go with it so I started to study for the MCat.

I have been studying for five months and seen my 18 score go to a 23. I have 2 months left to study and even if I ended up with a 30-35 my chances for medical school/DO would still be slim.

I talked to a family member a couple of days ago who is a millionaire businessman and he recommended that I think of getting an MBA.

Maybe everyone here has a burning desire to be a doctor? I would love to be a MD/DO but my chances just look slim.

I really just want to have a respectable job and make good money. A family member of mine who is a doctor told me that if I want to make money that I should go into business instead of the medical field.

I wanted some advice from the people here .... Have you people really heard of people with a 3.0 going into a medical school? I will study for it regardless and apply.... But I feel like putting up the white flag after that point.
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Yes. Welcome to SDN.
 
docelh said:
3.0 and a 23 is a tough sell.
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I am thinking that even if I score a 30 - 35 it would still be extremely difficult.

My biology advisor said I should consider becoming an RN

My premed advisor said I should take some more postbac classes. If it took one more semester of classes then I would consider it.... But I'm not sure if it's really worth it.
 
iceman132 said:
I am thinking that even if I score a 30 - 35 it would still be extremely difficult.

My biology advisor said I should consider becoming an RN

My premed advisor said I should take some more postbac classes. If it took one more semester of classes then I would consider it.... But I'm not sure if it's really worth it.
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If you score a 30 you'll probably get into a DO school.
 
iceman132 said:
I am thinking that even if I score a 30 - 35 it would still be extremely difficult.

My biology advisor said I should consider becoming an RN

My premed advisor said I should take some more postbac classes. If it took one more semester of classes then I would consider it.... But I'm not sure if it's really worth it.
Click to expand...

I loled.
 
3.0 and 35 is possibly D.O.-able. At least it's worth a shot.

I think the toll of physician/surgeon hoop-jumping exhausts the fortitude of those who want a decent job making decent money. In my view, the three things I think that medicine worth it is that I'll enjoy the schooling, direct the treatment team some day, or go into a niche that can't be overcome by N.P.'s and P.A.'s.
 
Darkskies said:
If you score a 30 you'll probably get into a DO school.
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3.0/30 is still pretty uncompetitive for DO schools. However, he can retake classes and get his gpa up to a competitive level.
 
getright said:
I loled.
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Why is this so funny? This is an annual rite of passage. Heck, I know a bunch of students from biology class who dropped out pre-med/pre-health, the biology major, or downshifted to R.N./P.A./D.N.
 
Post-bac isn't going to increase your chances at this point, you need a mid-30s mcat and an SMP.
 
docelh said:
Why is this so funny? This is an annual rite of passage. Heck, I know a bunch of students from biology class who dropped out pre-med/pre-health, the biology major, or downshifted to R.N./P.A./D.N.
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I can see why it's funny. It's basically saying your grades suck too much to be a doctor.

The advisor has a solid point but it's a bitter pill to swallow
 
sylvanthus said:
If you already think it isn't worth it this early on, then it isn't.
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Let me clarify.

If I took one more semester of Medical school related classes and got in then it would be well worth it.

However, I really don't think that one more semester would do me that much good. Whereas if I work a few years and get a high GMAT score then I could get into an MBA program (Ivy league if I work hard enough). I don't even know what my sGPA is but I'm sure it's atrocious since that's where I screwed up the most.
 
It will depend on how well you do on your mcat. Also, do you want to be a physician because you want to help patients? Or to have a respectable profession? You should reflect on those questions. I met a woman who was 50+ that was in medical school. Anyone can do it. You have more life experience and knowledge than many of us.

Einstein was a college dropout, Abraham was horrible at public speech and had marital problems, garner was homeless. If you really have the desire and drive, go for it.
 
Not to be rude, but you are not going to get into an Ivy league MBA program with a 3.0. I think you need to sit down and figure out what you want to do and come up with a plan to get there. Right now it seems like you don't know what you want.
 
If you want a career in finance/banking then get an MBA. If you want to be like your millionaire family member then an MBA is not a must. You don't have to get an MBA to start up a successful business.

There is one guy I know who is a millionaire by renting out lunch trucks and he only went to elementary school in Vietnam.
 
I'll be straight up. In your situation you have to be on fire with your passion for medicine. You can apply (early and broadly) and waste a good deal of money and travel expenses doing so. Then you will go through two years of INTENSE studying, then two years in the hosiptal not sleeping and getting the crappiest jobs. Then if money is your aim, you will spend YEARS between a residency or fellowship. THEN you make your pay.

MBA-you sit in class 4 more years.

If you had to choice between the two paths equally careing about each path, and both paying the same, you would be a fool to pass up the MBA.
 
iceman132 said:
Maybe everyone here has a burning desire to be a doctor? I would love to be a MD/DO but my chances just look slim.

I really just want to have a respectable job and make good money.
Click to expand...

Why do you want to be a doctor? They're not going to be making such good money as more and more insurance reforms go through, and you'll be up to your eyeballs in debt for the first several years of being out in practice.

Would you be content taking a mid-level position? Becoming a PA, for instance? Why or why not? Is business something you really want to do? Are there no other 'respectable' jobs you've seen that make good money?

Also, what do you define as 'good money'? Some people on here would be thrilled at making 80K per year, and others won't settle for less than 350K. Most all physicians will make the former, but the latter is a little more difficult to get, and you'd have to settle for a pittance for longer.

Answer those questions, figure out what you really want to do with your life, what you'll be content doing, and then come back and ask for some advice. There are things you can do to get into medical school with such low grades, but it won't be worth it if you really don't want to go into medicine in the first place.
 
If you're just looking for a respectable job that pays well, the doctor road might not be the best path to take. Med school is very demanding, as is residency and wherever your medical career leads you after that. Med school is also painfully expensive, and residency is 3-6 years of getting paid peanuts while the interest accrues on the 150k+k of loans you have (unless millionaire relative can hook you up).
Perhaps you've done the research and know this already, but this really illustrates the problem with the stats you listed: the numbers you have don't give a convincing argument that you're capable of the demand that the MD/DO route requires, and its a dangerous investment to pay into the cost of medical school if there's a decent chance that you may not make it through to the other side. You know yourself better than any anon online, so only you can decide whether you think this investment is a good risk to take, but you still have to turn it into a selling point for the admissions committee so make it convincing.
But if this something you really want to do, and you can't imagine living your life any other way because the pull to medicine is just that strong, then pursue it. Its a tough road, but I hear its worth it if your heart is in it.
 
iceman132 said:
I can see why it's funny. It's basically saying your grades suck too much to be a doctor.

The advisor has a solid point but it's a bitter pill to swallow
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I think he laughed because there are other options. PA would be a good one. Retaking a few classes to replace the worst grades, new MCAT, and he'd have a shot at DO.
 
sylvanthus said:
Not to be rude, but you are not going to get into an Ivy league MBA program with a 3.0. I think you need to sit down and figure out what you want to do and come up with a plan to get there. Right now it seems like you don't know what you want.
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From what I understand (Which is very little at this point)

With a 3.0 and a 30-35 MCat. I probably won't get into an MD or DO program

With a 3.0, high Gmat(Which is easier then a high MCat), being bilingual, and good work recommendations I could have a higher probability of getting into an Ivy league business school.
Something I found on another site for an MBA school:
1. Work Experience, with success measured by promotions and raises
2. Recommendations, which often back up a candidate's performance in their work experience
3. GMAT score
4. GPA
5. Interview and essays
6. Everything else
 
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kautionwirez said:
It will depend on how well you do on your mcat. Also, do you want to be a physician because you want to help patients? Or to have a respectable profession? You should reflect on those questions. I met a woman who was 50+ that was in medical school. Anyone can do it. You have more life experience and knowledge than many of us.

Einstein was a college dropout, Abraham was horrible at public speech and had marital problems, garner was homeless. If you really have the desire and drive, go for it.
Click to expand...

Thank you,

I LOVED seeing how knowledgeable doctors are in a clinical setting and their ability to understand human physiology and explain it to patients. I think it's amazing.

But if I have to sit here and be truthful.... If I didn't become a doctor it wouldn't be the end of the world to me. That's where I have a huge argument with myself.
 
MeowMeowCAT said:
More proof that the majority of the adviser's purpose is to crush our hopes and dreams.
Click to expand...

That reminds me; I need to email my advisors and let them know I got accepted into an MD school. Now I'll never have to listen to them tell me to "consider DO" ever again.
 
startswithb said:
That reminds me; I need to email my advisors and let them know I got accepted into an MD school. Now I'll never have to listen to them tell me to "consider DO" ever again.
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Sweet, sweet victory.
 
startswithb said:
That reminds me; I need to email my advisors and let them know I got accepted into an MD school. Now I'll never have to listen to them tell me to "consider DO" ever again.
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+1 I emailed my advisor that I got into, not one, but two MD schools and he has yet to reply. He told me from the beginning that with my MCAT score that I wasn't getting in.

😛
 
startswithb said:
That reminds me; I need to email my advisors and let them know I got accepted into an MD school. Now I'll never have to listen to them tell me to "consider DO" ever again.
Click to expand...

What's wrong with considering DO? Seems like your advisors were just informing you of your options. No need to be smug about it. And for the record I'm an MD student.
 
do you have the skills to be successful at business? if so then go for it. Do what you would be good at. Getting into medical school is not what some imagine to be well if I jump through hoops and barely make it in I'll be OK. Well grades (at least passing) is going to matter from now on, and will get even harder than MCAT or whatever test. Also don't assume that business = rich, you have to be pretty talented to make a lot of money in business.
 
firewall62 said:
What's wrong with considering DO? Seems like your advisors were just informing you of your options. No need to be smug about it. And for the record I'm an MD student.
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Some people consider DO "Lower tier"

I agree that there is nothing wrong with DO school.... But if anyone would have a choice the majority would pick MD school.
 
First of all, within two months, you should be looking at 26-29 (and maybe 30?) for MCAT predictions. This is realistic measure. You really shouldn't include 30-35, as that's difficult even for people with much higher GPA than you.

Secondly, if you pull 27-28 on MCAT, apply broadly to DO schools and maybe couple MD (don't apply to Ivy - waste of your time and theirs), and do so early, you should have a fairly good chance.

What's more alarming I think is that you seem pretty ambivalent on what you want to do. Yeah, your grades are not best, but at the same time, you are considering MBA just because someone told you about it...Do more research and self-reflection to figure out where/what you want to do.
 
iceman132 said:
Some people consider DO "Lower tier"

I agree that there is nothing wrong with DO school.... But if anyone would have a choice the majority would pick MD school.
Click to expand...

Yes, but the point is that there is nothing wrong in considering lower tier schools.
 
firewall62 said:
Yes, but the point is that there is nothing wrong in considering lower tier schools.
Click to expand...

Since your in a med school let me ask.....

What exactly is the difference? People have told me that they are later in line for residencies.... Is that it? (And that they have DO instead of MD after their name)
 
iceman132 said:
Since your in a med school let me ask.....

What exactly is the difference? People have told me that they are later in line for residencies.... Is that it? (And that they have DO instead of MD after their name)
Click to expand...

It's better to talk to medical students/health professionals face to face about this. People get very defensive on this forum over this discussion.
 
iceman132 said:
Since your in a med school let me ask.....

What exactly is the difference? People have told me that they are later in line for residencies.... Is that it? (And that they have DO instead of MD after their name)
Click to expand...

there's 9000 threads about this, do a search 😀
 
My high school adviser(11th grade) said I wouldn't get into medical school.
m.png

My dreams were getting crushed even before I was applying to undergraduate.
 
firewall62 said:
What's wrong with considering DO? Seems like your advisors were just informing you of your options. No need to be smug about it. And for the record I'm an MD student.
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While it's not the same as being told consider an alternative field, it is still a slap in the face to some degree.
 
osumc2014 said:
there's 9000 threads about this, do a search 😀
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Could you give me a bit of guidance as what to put into the search function?

I put in MD versus DO and got a bunch of stuff where I would have to dig through dozens of pages (Because the topic wasn't directly connected)
 
MeowMeowCAT said:
My high school adviser(11th grade) said I wouldn't get into medical school.
m.png

My dreams were getting crushed even before I was applying to undergraduate.
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Haha I was stupid and got a 'C' in high school bio (and was in the bottom 50% of my class I think) and my adviser recommended a vocational school.
 
shaggy alfresco said:
Haha I was stupid and got a 'C' in high school bio (and was in the bottom 50% of my class I think) and my adviser recommended a vocational school.
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High school guidance counselors are absolutely terrible.

I applied to two state schools.... Both of which my guidance counselor said I had little chance of going into.

I got into both of them.

I think it's a way of saving their own butts.
 
I think your main problem is one of motivation.

From all of the posts I've read of yours, you just seem indifferent. You will not reach any of the goals you set if there's a voice inside your head saying, "Eh, if this doesn't work out...i don't know...i'll figure somethin' out...whatevs."

Get stoked about something! It's time to get pumped up!!


[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHZhw94C5vQ[/YOUTUBE]
 
If you up your MCAT score and GPA a bit you may have a shot at D.O. It really depends on how badly you want to become a doctor and how much effort you put into it.

An MBA is good, but it doesn't really guarantee you riches. MBAs are becoming a dime a dozen so if you're going corporate, then it hurts you more to not have one than it helps you to have one (if that makes sense).
 
startswithb said:
That reminds me; I need to email my advisors and let them know I got accepted into an MD school. Now I'll never have to listen to them tell me to "consider DO" ever again.
Click to expand...
I never spoke to my pre-med advisor after the beginning of my sophomore year - she was like "Well, if you are getting mostly Bs now, what makes you think that you can get As?" ughhhhh. I'm actually proof that you can be a mostly B science student (when you are adjusting to college life - and even when you are a junior who just fails at understanding physics) and get into medical school.

shaggy alfresco said:
Haha I was stupid and got a 'C' in high school bio (and was in the bottom 50% of my class I think) and my adviser recommended a vocational school.
Click to expand...
I loved getting my C+s in High School. Haha. I still got into a top 50 research university - probably because the grades were weighed.... but my advisors had no idea where I should apply [few students go to top universities out of state from my high school], so I just applied everywhere (I have a horrible habit of applying to too many schools).

OP, if you are still wanting to do something in the medical field but are thinking physician would be too tough to get into - have you considered PT or OT? I kinda always considered them my backup options because you are still very independent and get to work very hands on with patients. There is also a shortage, so job opportunities are out there. The pay isn't as high as a physician though - but it's a good stable job.
 
Advising isn't 100%. I'm going to go out on a limb here and defend pre-med advisers. I'm sure the quality varies across schools and a good portion of them know less than the SDN community, but when he/she tells you medical school is unlikely, he's going off your current application. Not many students with a history of B/Cs start getting As next term.

If you don't take a year off, they won't see your senior year grades or anything else you'd update schools with in your senior year. I don't think they know how well you'd do if you went post-bac or a masters, especially if they're going off your undergrad GPA, you didn't do so hot. On one hand, they don't want to crush your dreams, but maybe it's a sacrifice they'd take so you don't feel the stress and disappointment of an unsuccessful cycle(s). There are ton's of people that say they're premed and end up not applying, it's these people's jobs to weed you out-- or they'd be writing a million committee letters. Their job is tough, cut them some slack. If they're ignorant and you really uphold the scruples of being a physician, why not teach them what you know and pass it on to future generations of premed students.

And to the OP, I suggest to truly apply yourself to medicine, hunger for it, if you want to apply to medical school.
 
iceman132 said:
I'm a 24 year old guy who spent 5 years to finish a 4 year degree in Biology with a languages minor. I ended up with a 3.0, some research experience, some hospital experience and really didn't know where to go with it so I started to study for the MCat.

I have been studying for five months and seen my 18 score go to a 23. I have 2 months left to study and even if I ended up with a 30-35 my chances for medical school/DO would still be slim.

I talked to a family member a couple of days ago who is a millionaire businessman and he recommended that I think of getting an MBA.

Maybe everyone here has a burning desire to be a doctor? I would love to be a MD/DO but my chances just look slim.

I really just want to have a respectable job and make good money. A family member of mine who is a doctor told me that if I want to make money that I should go into business instead of the medical field.

I wanted some advice from the people here .... Have you people really heard of people with a 3.0 going into a medical school? I will study for it regardless and apply.... But I feel like putting up the white flag after that point.
Click to expand...


you look pretty good for podiaitry, try for it, they have good life styles; something like 40 hour weeks and like 120-180k/year depending on where your live and you can even become a surgeon, read up on it if you haven't done so already
 
If money is a factor (which it always is, no matter what some may say), then chew on this. If you are a physician, you will almost certainly be making 150-200k/yr (primary care), or more for certain specialties.

For businessmen (or women), its not as safe a bet. Most make under 100k. A select few make millions/year (executives, successful entrepreneurs, etc.). You just never know. Maybe you will fall in that category after many years of working your way to the top. Maybe you won't.
 
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