Trash GPA business major, recently interested in medical field and need some advice

[SeekersLegacy]

Hi everyone, I’m new here and I joined this site because I’m and looking for advice. I don’t think I’m stupid or incapable of handling academic material, but my GPA is trash right now and something like med-school out of the picture unless I fix things.

My major is business management, and my cumulative gpa is only a 2.2. I’ve failed some classes and the ones I do pass are generally C average. I’m also 31 years old. If I had the same desires when I started college that I do now, I wouldn’t have taken up a business management major. I’m seeing it through because I’m expecting to graduate in the fall and it will be a degree to fall back on.

I don’t consider myself to be stupid, but I think the general cause of my irresponsibility is I was drawing a blank on my life, no real ambition or what kind of business field I would want to use my degree for. Also, my dad passed away in 2013, and I know that’s been quite awhile but it upset the lives of me and my family and it still affects me to this day and I can get depressed.

Within the last two years I’ve done soul searching to really try to find a path for my life. For awhile I was really interested in law enforcement but that was more of a phase. My interests have fallen on something legal or law related, or the medical field. I feel like I have grown emotionally and in maturity because I’m tired of my life not being on track and I find healthcare fascinating.

I know my GPA as it is right now rules either out, but I can’t help how I feel inside. Couldn’t an argument be made that if I crushed Pre-Med and raised my GPA and crushed the MCAT that there would be a path forward for me? Isn’t there an argument to be made for being accepted into med school, that I’m ready and want to be better and that I would most likely do better and excel in something I’m actually interested in pursuing and studying? Something I’m interested enough in to take seriously?

I didn’t have a drive or a passion for my business degree because I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life and that’s how I ended up in this mess. I felt like I was going nowhere. Now I have actual interests I would take seriously if there’s a way forward for me.

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[Dave1980]

Even if you crushed the MCAT and an SMP your med school application would still be very weak without volunteering, shadowing, or research. Developing a good application will take you multiple years.

 

[SeekersLegacy]

Even if you crushed the MCAT and an SMP your med school application would still be very weak without volunteering, shadowing, or research. Developing a good application will take you multiple years.

I get that, but on the academic side, is there still hope forward? I’ve taken pretty much no med school pre-reqs except for math courses which I passed. So it’s not like there’s any pre-reqd I need to retake for a higher grade. My bachelor’s degree for business is from a private college and I was thinking of maybe transferring to a public state college since the cost tends to be lower.

I know when you transfer colleges they look at past transcripts and GPA’s but doesn’t transferring to another college and starting a new focus give you somewhat of a fresh GPA start? Because GPA from one college doesn’t transfer to another if you change colleges. Virtually nothing from a business management major applies to transfer to pre-med.

 

[Dave1980]

I think you need a rigorous SMP. Like finish your degree and move on to a whole new program.

 

[kraskadva]

LOW GPA/MCAT Success Stories (Posts by Nontrads Already Accepted to Med School)

Q's thread gave me the idea that there needs to be a time capsuled thread where low gpa nontrads can see different models of success. How about we play like this: 1. Your age and GPA and MCAT if you have it. 2. Your financial and work situation. 3. Your family and significant other...

forums.studentdoctor.net

Lots of folks have done it before. Here's the older thread with plenty of advice, or search this subforum for "success stories" and you'll turn up more recent treads on the topic.
Also look up Goro's guide to reinvention - very useful.

Yes, it will take multiple years. Assuming you have basically no science classes and it takes typically 2.5 years just to complete those through regular college pre-med before you can even sit for the MCAT. Plus you need to get shadowing and volunteering in, and that MCAT score, before you can apply, and then the application process itself takes a whole year.
But, if you're willing to put in the time, effort and money, then it is definitely possible.

 

[GreenDuck12]

Couldn’t an argument be made that if I crushed Pre-Med and raised my GPA and crushed the MCAT that there would be a path forward for me? Isn’t there an argument to be made for being accepted into med school, that I’m ready and want to be better and that I would most likely do better and excel in something I’m actually interested in pursuing and studying? Something I’m interested enough in to take seriously?

These arguments absolutely can be made. The challenge is you have to back them up for an admissions committee. Roughly 60k people apply to medical school each year for only 20k seats. Competition for a space is fierce. You have a couple challenges you’ll have to work through:
1. Completing all med school prereqs (roughly 40 credits which should take about two ish years).
2.raising you cGPA and sGPA above a 3.0 for minimum GPA cutoffs
3. Taking and excelling on the mcat. Average score for an MD acceptance was a 511 or in the top 17% of test takers.
4. completing an SMP to demonstrate you can handle a rigorous medical school curriculum
4. Gaining shadowing and clinical experience
5 putting together a cohesive application and applying to MD and DO programs

This path will likely take 4+ years before you are in a position to start medical school. It has been done before and will continue to be done by folks who are driven. Check out Goro’s guide for applicants who need reinvention.

 

[MyOdyssey]

I get that, but on the academic side, is there still hope forward? I’ve taken pretty much no med school pre-reqs except for math courses which I passed. So it’s not like there’s any pre-reqd I need to retake for a higher grade. My bachelor’s degree for business is from a private college and I was thinking of maybe transferring to a public state college since the cost tends to be lower.

I know when you transfer colleges they look at past transcripts and GPA’s but doesn’t transferring to another college and starting a new focus give you somewhat of a fresh GPA start? Because GPA from one college doesn’t transfer to another if you change colleges. Virtually nothing from a business management major applies to transfer to pre-med.

Your undergraduate science GPA and overall GPA will include all undergraduate course whether taken before or after receiving a college degree and regardless of how many different undergraduate institutions you attended.

You cannot shed your GPA from one school by transferring to another.

 

[Barrel Proof]

Not really a “could you” but more of a “should you” .. are you married? If you are, is your significant other supportive of your dream? Does your significant other work? Do you have kids? How is your financial situation? Do you have debt already? Have you considered that you will embarking on a long path which would probably see you graduate residency at age 41 at the EARLIEST? Presumably with a decent amount of debt, again I don’t know your financial situation. But these are things to think about. Perhaps it is worth it if your heart is dead set on being a doctor and nothing else matters. But for a lot of us, we get married, have kids, want to buy a house, go on vacations etc and my initial thought here is that you are going to have to make a TON of sacrifices at a time in your life when you may have people around you depending on you financially, emotionally etc. So only you can answer the question of whether or not it is worth it. Good luck OP

 

[SeekersLegacy]

Not really a “could you” but more of a “should you” .. are you married? If you are, is your significant other supportive of your dream? Does your significant other work? Do you have kids? How is your financial situation? Do you have debt already? Have you considered that you will embarking on a long path which would probably see you graduate residency at age 41 at the EARLIEST? Presumably with a decent amount of debt, again I don’t know your financial situation. But these are things to think about. Perhaps it is worth it if your heart is dead set on being a doctor and nothing else matters. But for a lot of us, we get married, have kids, want to buy a house, go on vacations etc and my initial thought here is that you are going to have to make a TON of sacrifices at a time in your life when you may have people around you depending on you financially, emotionally etc. So only you can answer the question of whether or not it is worth it. Good luck OP

I just really can’t help how I’m feeling inside, that after years and years of drawing a blank on my life and not knowing what I wanted to do, that I’ve found a fascination in the field of healthcare. I also have an interest in something related to law or legal practice of some kind and to a lesser extent, real estate which I could use my business degree for. But out of all the other careers out there, these are the only three things I have a remote interest in, which is good I guess, that I narrowed it down, but I’ve felt the strongest interest and fascination with healthcare than the other two. I feel even worse that at age 31 and that it’s so late in the game.

 

[Dave1980]

I just really can’t help how I’m feeling inside, that after years and years of drawing a blank on my life and not knowing what I wanted to do, that I’ve found a fascination in the field of healthcare. I also have an interest in something related to law or legal practice of some kind and to a lesser extent, real estate which I could use my business degree for. But out of all the other careers out there, these are the only three things I have a remote interest in, which is good I guess, that I narrowed it down, but I’ve felt the strongest interest and fascination with healthcare than the other two. I feel even worse that at age 31 and that it’s so late in the game.

If I were you I wouldn't pursue medicine but you gotta do you. At this point you won't even get into med school until age 36 or so. Then you will be a doctor at 40 with like 500k debt. You won't actually start making decent money until you are 43+.

 

[SeekersLegacy]

If I were you I wouldn't pursue medicine but you gotta do you. At this point you won't even get into med school until age 36 or so. Then you will be a doctor at 40 with like 500k debt. You won't actually start making decent money until you are 43+.

Doctor or not I still feel like I have health care aspirations Of some kind, you know? So it’s hard to just say forget it and move on lol.

 

[Dave1980]

Well nursing would be the way to go. Get into an accelerated 1 year program and start making 60k+ a year working 3 12 hour days a week.

 

[Goro]

Hi everyone, I’m new here and I joined this site because I’m and looking for advice. I don’t think I’m stupid or incapable of handling academic material, but my GPA is trash right now and something like med-school out of the picture unless I fix things.

My major is business management, and my cumulative gpa is only a 2.2. I’ve failed some classes and the ones I do pass are generally C average. I’m also 31 years old. If I had the same desires when I started college that I do now, I wouldn’t have taken up a business management major. I’m seeing it through because I’m expecting to graduate in the fall and it will be a degree to fall back on.

I don’t consider myself to be stupid, but I think the general cause of my irresponsibility is I was drawing a blank on my life, no real ambition or what kind of business field I would want to use my degree for. Also, my dad passed away in 2013, and I know that’s been quite awhile but it upset the lives of me and my family and it still affects me to this day and I can get depressed.

Within the last two years I’ve done soul searching to really try to find a path for my life. For awhile I was really interested in law enforcement but that was more of a phase. My interests have fallen on something legal or law related, or the medical field. I feel like I have grown emotionally and in maturity because I’m tired of my life not being on track and I find healthcare fascinating.

I know my GPA as it is right now rules either out, but I can’t help how I feel inside. Couldn’t an argument be made that if I crushed Pre-Med and raised my GPA and crushed the MCAT that there would be a path forward for me? Isn’t there an argument to be made for being accepted into med school, that I’m ready and want to be better and that I would most likely do better and excel in something I’m actually interested in pursuing and studying? Something I’m interested enough in to take seriously?

I didn’t have a drive or a passion for my business degree because I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life and that’s how I ended up in this mess. I felt like I was going nowhere. Now I have actual interests I would take seriously if there’s a way forward for me.

Read this:

• Goro's advice for pre-meds who need reinvention

 

[chicandtoughness]

Doctor or not I still feel like I have health care aspirations Of some kind, you know? So it’s hard to just say forget it and move on lol.

It sounds like you don’t necessarily want to be a doctor, you just want to work in healthcare. That’s awesome! There are so many ways forward. A full MD/DO would be financially and logistically a struggle, so just make sure you jump in with eyes wide open. I started my premed journey at age 29 and I’m still working on it, with hopes of starting med school at age 32. But I have talked to my spouse, my therapist, and at least 30 doctors about it, so I know the risks and challenges that will come.

I do urge you to look at other healthcare careers that might scratch that itch: nursing (NPs have so much power creep they’re basically physicians now, don’t @ me =P), physician assistant, physical therapy, occupational therapy, counseling, social work, podiatry... hell just go down the list of sub forums on SDN and explore. Every one of those careers takes less time, makes decent money, and will get you into the healthcare world.

if you still have any inkling of interest in business, consider healthcare admin or even billing/coding, medical assistant, or practice management.

have you shadowed any healthcare providers? How do you know this is the path for you? Given you’re also interested in law and real estate, it will be hard to convince folks you’re choosing medicine for medicine’s sake, versus just searching for a reason to live.