totally stressed and need help!!!!

[raj4444]

---

Members do not see this ad.

hi, i was wondering if any of you could help me out or give me some advice, and please be brutally honest. I am 23 years old, and have a non science degree. I have spent the last year taking post bacc classes. Medicine was something i have always wanted to do, but here's the problem. My gpa is hovering somewhere between a 3.0 and 3.1. For this reason i applied to pharmacy school for this august. I didn't think my grades would get me into any medical schools, whether it be allopathic or D.O. I would be happy as a pharmacist, but something just keeps telling me to do medicine. It got even more complicated for me last week because i got my acceptance for 2 pharmacy schools. I mean, should i take the acceptance for pharmacy school and run with it and start that part of my life, or should i wait till the fall of 2004 to start medical school if/when i am accepted. i mean i could concievably just waste that whole year if i was not to get accepted to any medical schools for the fall of 2004. I'm really caught in a bind here. i have shadowed physicians before, and i loved it. I could really see myself doign those things. Please help me out here guys. I mean do i realistically have a good chance of getting into medical schools with my GPA. If so, how would i need to do on MCAT? Also, i know all medical schools are hard to get into, but which one's will i have a better chance to get into? i mean some have to be a little easier to get into than others. Thank You guys so much.

 

[doctorperez]

Tough predicament

With your grades, even with a superb MCAT your chances of being accepted are very small. IT CAN BE DONE. But that is where you have to make the decision. Will you take the gamble of putting all your money on the reduced possibility of getting accepted to medical school? or will you take the pharmacy school route?

No one else but you can make that decision!

If I was you, in my case it is physician or bust! , therefore I would take the risk - but again, do not try this at home! that is my particular situation, and if I applied and did not get accepted to med. school I would live with it knowing I gave it a try. Nonetheless, some more rational individuals would opt for the more secure route. At the end it is a matter of how you feel about what you want to do.

I recommend you do a lot of introspective meditation and inquire within yourself what do you want to do? and are you willing to take a rejection from medical schools? how far are you willing to go for what you want?

Hope that helps. Regards.

 

[JMJ]

It sounds like your heart is really dedicated to medicine, therefore I would probably go the medical school route.
Things to consider:
1) Ask the pharmacy school for a deferment (defer a year maybe). Most school will allow this.

2) It takes more than good numbers to get into medical school, especially DO schools. In my opinion, you must fit a certain profile, therefore evaluate your extracurricular experiences, shadowing, leadership qualities, research, commitment to primary care. You don't necessarily need all of this, but you don't want to give the admissons committees a reason to decline your application.

3) Take the MCAT ASAP (I would shoot for at least 26, however you could gaing acceptance with a lower score depending on the rest of your application.)

4) Make sure you have met the requirements of all schools

5) Make the best grades you could possibly make (all A's if possible... and it is)

6) I am not bashing any DO school, however there are a few that are very numbers oriented. In my opinion, they are numbers oriented simply because they have so many applications. Use your discretion.

D.O. "number" schools: All three excellent schools
KCOM, PCOM, NOVA

Schools that really like in state students:
Ohio, MSU-COM, OSU-COM, PCSOM, VCOM, Texas

Schools I would apply to in your situation:
DMU, UNE, COMP, TCOM, LECOM

If you get in at any of the DO schools, I think you will do well. You won't receive a bad education from any of them, however you should play your cards wisely when choosing which ones to apply.

I wish you the absolute best. You should follow your heart. Don't settle for anything less than what will fulfill your dream.

JJ😎

 

[Vince]

Why did you want to go to Pharmacy school? Evaluate those reasons and see if they are more suited for medical school. If you are having doubts about going to Pharmacy school BEFORE even starting...that should raise a red flag in my opinion.

I am 27 and finishing up my 2nd year of DO school. Your GPA is better than my undergrad GPA, by a pretty good amount....and my MCAT was only average...maybe a point or two higher than average. I had a lot of work experience, life experience, and plenty of prior medical background, and I got in on my first app. process...I couldn't believe it.

Bottom Line: IF YOU WANT TO GO TO MED SCHOOL, APPLY. APPLY D.O. APPLY M.D. APPLY to BOTH. It is up to you. DO schools do historically(IMHO) take students with lower GPAs and MCATs and more life experiences...which is usually slightly(I repeat SLIGHTLY) older students. But they also take students fresh out of college with no life experiences hardly at all. It just depends...admission people are quirky in my opinion. I have friends with better GPA's and MCAT's than me who DIDN'T get into my DO school.....and I didn't even get an interview into their school. It's goofy. I would also like to say that my grades in college, or even high school for that matter, in NO WAY reflect my grades in med school.....I have A's and high B's....and if some of my high school teachers found out that I am in med school, they would probably have a heart attack or faint or something. I didn't go to my high school graduation and some of my fellow students didn't think I graduated....HA HA HA.

I really think that your education in med school has more to do with your own initiative to learn, than the medical school you go to. Although some medical schools are likely better than others...if you are an active learner you can really prove yourself. There are students at my school that I really feel could level up to students at top med schools. One of our clinicians(a D.O.) also teaches at a nearby MD school and has told us on several occasions that we are learning the same things as allopathic students our first two years. We have alot of allopathic clinicians that teach at both our school and other allopathic schools.

You should look into DO schools and decide if that is really for you...don't just apply to DO schools because you think that's your only chance.....but I'm not saying DON'T apply if you don't wanna do OMM or something....there are students at my school that I doubt will ever do OMM after they graduate....but if they were honest they would probably agree that it was nice to learn.

I would consider the deferment idea that a previous poster gave...that would be good, but then again, you might just be defering a decision, if you are still in the same boat next year. If you don't think you'll be happy being a Pharmacist, don't do it.

In the next year I would take the MCAT...take a prep class if you can. I took Princeton Review which was intense and I liked it...but most all of my friends in med school took Kaplan. If you have already taken it, take it again maybe...I took it twice(I think)...man....I honestly can't remember. ha ha

Take some upper level biology classes...(this was also advice from my pre-med advisor).....and I would suggest Micro, Bacteriology, Immunology, Biochemistry, something like that that would also help in med school(a little). Make sure you take science classes and study hard b/c they will improve your overall and science GPA's. SHOOT FOR AS HIGH AS YOU CAN ON THE MCAT....don't just shoot for a certain number...although 26 would be minimum. Also, see if you can get some good medical experience if you don't already have some....shadow a doc, work in an ER, get your EMT, do some medical relief work....etc. Send in your med school applications EARLY. I can't stress this enough. When classes are beginnning to fill the admissions office/committee can be more selective and I think you will have a better chance of getting an interview. If you wait and they are are running out of seats...they might breeze right by your app.

The other advice in these posts are good...but don't be discouraged by your current GPA......just try to get it higher. If you really want to be a doctor, I would apply again and again. Just improve yourself and live your life in the meantime.

Good Luck!

 

[Burly B]

Like the previous message said, you can get in with "grit and determination". I was accepted to schools with lower undergrad GPA than yours. Now, I am an older student and I went to grad school for a Masters degree and I have some professional experience. Nevertheless, I believe you can make your dream happen with some work.

I had to prove to admissions committees (and myself) that I could get in and I did. Make some contacts and do well on the MCAT and I imagine you'll be fine. If it doesn't happen the first time, apply again!

My $.02,
B

 

[bd2458]

My thoughts pretty much echo the other advice you've gotten. And, I feel for you. I've been out of college for three years, since then I suffered through a year or Organic (which I didn't do well in), and the MCATs (both while working full-time)...I have been SO frustrated with the whole process, especially the financial end, to the point where I took the LSAT and applied to Law Schools because I was CERTAIN I wouldn't get any interviews at med schools.
But, here's how it turned out. I applied to only three schools (one MD, two DO's) and got three interviews. Considering I sent my apps in late in the cycle (Jan), had pretty low mcat scores and several low Chem grades, I was shocked.
What I did have was great research experience (full-time three years, publications), shadowing, volunteer work, and a ton of passion for the field....I realized after my last interview how much I really wanted to be a doctor (and didn't give a crap about being a lawyer!) and how I would give it another shot next year if I didn't get in. Your gpa is not everything. (Especially if the rest of your profile is outstanding). Do as well as you can on the MCAT and be prepared to be broke. The admissions committees really so seem random. It all just depends. But, I'm starting in the fall, so sometimes it really can work out. I understand your situation, you probably feel like you just need to "get on with your life"- that's how I felt anyway. I'm glad I held out. It's a tough decision. Good luck.

 

[ramsestiger]

Here's another perspective for you: Sign up for pharmacy school in the fall and also the August MCAT (make sure you sign up for the right city if you have to move for pharm school). STUDY LIKE HELL for the MCAT over the summer and sign up for a Kaplan course if you can afford it. Start pharm school after you take it and wait to get your scores. If you get a 27+, you will probably get in somewhere - just tell them that you're not very happy with pharmacy because your real dream was medicine... someone will probably understand and give you a break. You will be a late applicant, but they'll take you if they really like your essay and stuff. I sent in my secondaries in February and still got into a few schools without outstanding stats.

If you get a 27+ on your MCAT, quit pharmacy and start doing full time research and volunteering. You would definitely get in the next time around if not this cycle. IF you don't get at least a 25 after 4 SOLID months of studying hard core, then maybe you should consider sticking with pharmacy. This way, you're only "wasting" a summer and about $1500 (if you don't get in), not a full year. In any case, always take great pride in your profession.

 

[doctorperez]

Originally posted by ramsestiger
Here's another perspective for you: Sign up for pharmacy school in the fall and also the August MCAT

As you might imagine there is an array of unethical implications with this choice in what respects the pharmacy school...but you are right , that is another choice.

 

[ramsestiger]

dp - I don't see significant ethical problems with the advice. I think the individual is much more important than the institution in this case. If he thinks that there's a chance that he might be a pharmacist some day, then there's nothing wrong with enrolling in a pharmacy school. He shouldn't have to sacrifice a whole year of his life out of "respect for the pharmacy school" because he MIGHT not become a pharmacist after all. Upward mobility is something 99% of the programs and people understand. Even if he declares his intentions ahead of time, I don't think the schools would revoke his acceptance. I think the primary concern should be raj's best interest.