TV reporter to med student?

[Gabby]

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Hi, everyone. I read a number of these threads already and I'd just like to say that I'm THRILLED I found this board! You guys are a helpful bunch.

I'm going to a local college (it's a four year school, but it's a city college) to get my prerequisites because I can't afford tuition at other state school since I'm not working at the moment.

If I get A's in all the prereqs (keep in mind, I'm starting with Chem I, Anatomy and Physiology, and General Biology since I never took them in undergrad), and do well on the MCATs, could I still get into med school?

I have people telling me it'll never happen because of my undergrad record and my age, not to mention that I'm going to a local college to get the prereqs. I don't want to waste my time and money if it's truly a lost cause, so any advice you can give me would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[kimmcauliffe]

Of course you can still get in!

Something that really irks me is that a lot of people put too much stress on MCATs and GPAs, and while those are important, there is not enough stress put on other things- who you are as a person, what drives you, things you have done in your life outside of school.

It's a 'Whole- Person' concept, and it's a very important part of this game!

I know of people with stellar numbers who bombed their interviews and wonder what went wrong. I also know of people, many of them under reapplicants threads, who have less than stellar numbers, who were accepted to medical school, if not a few to pick from.

Do it up! OHSU remarks on their page to go where you can afford to go and where you will enjoy school for undergrad, so don't get caught up in the name game like a lot of people on here do.

Good luck! 👍

 

[scpod]

I'm looking for real advice. I don't need coddling. I want it straight... I'll be 30 later this year. My undergraduate record is pretty bad (graduated with a CGPA of 2.99)....If I get A's in all the prereqs (keep in mind, I'm starting with Chem I, Anatomy and Physiology, and General Biology since I never took them in undergrad), and do well on the MCATs, could I still get into med school?

Yes, and I know it for a fact. PM me if you want details.

 

[blee]

I am starting med school in the fall, and I'll be turning 29 in December. (Sigh, where did all the time go???!) I'm also married with a three-month-old.

I graduated from college with a 2.75 GPA or thereabouts in '99. Two summers ago, I quit my job and went post-bacc to retake the prerequisites and prepare for the MCAT. I applied to 15 schools, received five interviews, and got five acceptances.

So yes, it's possible. It took a good amount of sacrifice and a lot of hard work, but I figure it's good prep for med school and a professional life that is somewhat more demanding than most. If you really want this, it's far from impossible and it's definitely not too late for you. 🙂

 

[jebus]

I encourage you to apply if for no other reason than most TV reporters are hot and I want my future classmates to be sexy. Good luck.
Sorry I can't be of more help but I will definitely encourage you to pursue your dreams.

 

[Medic Of One]

It's a common self-limiting belief, but you can do it. You can expect to work hard, but heck, it's med school. You'd have to work hard regardless. Rock the post bacc and keep us up to date.

 

[Gabby]

I just wanted to thank each of you for taking the time to reply to my post! I'll continue reading this board and I'll let you know how it goes!

 

[Gatewayhoward]

So many people are scared to death of the interviews. You have to show up with confidence that can be interpreted as arrogance because you're so sure that you're what they want. I'm three years away from any interviews and I already visualize myself getting acceptances. Anyone can do it.
I know an EMT that got through all the sciences related to the MCAT and med school while working full time and raising five kids.

 

[drlisa0318]

Hi, Gabby,
Too old (and too late) is when you're dead. In fact, you are a relative youngster - I'll be 50 next month and am working on my prereqs. I'm currently working full time and going to school part time (so is hubby). We have one child, a 16 yr old son, so he pretty much takes care of himself. And we're saving up for me to be able to quit work and go to school full-time. I'm splitting my classes between the OSU-Tulsa campus and the local community college. While it's not ideal, it will still work. Eventually, I'll have to quit work and commute to the OSU Stillwater campus. I came into school with a GPA of 2.82. By the end of this semester, it'll be over 3.0 (Yea!!!) Also, I highly recommend visiting OldPreMeds.com - it's a great site, too. Take a look at the bio of OldManDave (founder of the site) - his GPA, coming back into school later in life, had been in the basement - he's a doctor, now. Pretty inspiring story. And several of the mods there have some pretty inspiring stories, as well. In any case, take heart - you're not alone. In fact, others before you have made this journey, saddled with the same difficulties, or worse. It's not an easy journey, but it's exciting and wonderful and scary, too. And when you're taking a class in a subject you hate, or have a teacher who should be doing anything BUT teach, or you're running on fumes between work, school, household chores, and spending quality time with your child, just keep telling yourself, "This, too, shall pass. I shall pass, as well. And I SHALL be a doctor!"

Best Wishes!!! And let us know how you're doing!!
Lisa

PS - Read "The Dream Giver" by Bruce Wilkinson. Made a world of difference for me.

 

[slim06]

Grades & MCATs are just to show that you can handle to work. If you have some unique story, often that will overcome a mediocre record. Is there any way that you could leverage your experience with TV news that would really make a difference. I read about a doctor who made a documentary about what it's like to be in a wheelchair.

http://www.medicineatyale.org/v1i1_june2005/filmmaker.html

If, while taking courses, came upon a medical topic that you felt you could help portray or publicize, it would really make a nice story for your application.

Just my $0.02

 

[njbmd]

Hi, everyone. I read a number of these threads already and I'd just like to say that I'm THRILLED I found this board! You guys are a helpful bunch.

I'm looking for real advice. I don't need coddling. I want it straight.

I'm a former television reporter and I'll be 30 later this year. My undergraduate record is pretty bad (graduated with a CGPA of 2.99). A few years ago, I was disagnosed with an illness and since then, I've become interested in medical studies and have decided to possibly try to get into med school.

I'm going to a local college (it's a four year school, but it's a city college) to get my prerequisites because I can't afford tuition at other state school since I'm not working at the moment.

If I get A's in all the prereqs (keep in mind, I'm starting with Chem I, Anatomy and Physiology, and General Biology since I never took them in undergrad), and do well on the MCATs, could I still get into med school?

I have people telling me it'll never happen because of my undergrad record, my illness, and my age, not to mention that I'm going to a local college to get the prereqs. I don't want to waste my time and money if it's truly a lost cause, so any advice you can give me would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

Hi there,
You can overcome (but not erase) a poor undergraduate GPA and get into medical school. Point your brower over to OldPremeds ; go to the forums and do a search for Old Man Dave who overcame a GPA of 1.0 something and is now an anesthesia resident at Dartmouth Medical Center. He has a very inspiring story. What you need to do, is figure out how much "damage control" you need and plot a strategy to overcome this.

In addition, you need to do well on the MCAT (Medical College Admissions Test) after you have thoroughly prepared for this exam. Again, you need to figure out when you are prepared and how much more you need to prepare for this exam. A score of 30 or above with no single score less than 9 is generally considered competitive.

You might also want to look into the feasibility of professional medical college admissions counseling. Since you have some special circumstances, it may be quite cost effective to have someone who is dedicated to presenting your application in the best light and helping you choose schools that would be a good fit for you.

As with any professional advising service, do some good investigating and choose your advisors well. Getting into medical school is all about being very proactive, taking your time and doing well in your preparation. This is a marathon and not a sprint.

Good luck
njbmd 🙂

 

[Gabby]

Sorry for the double post!

 

[Gabby]

Sorry!

 

[braxtonhicks]

I am currently a 4th year med student at a well-respected allopathic medical school. I worked in advertising before applying to medical school. My grades were good, but not great from my first degree in journalism. I completed a second degree in bacteriology. The nice thing was that I'd taken very few science classes in my first degree, so I practically had a clean slate for my science gpa. When you apply, your total gpa gets broken down into a science gpa as well.

Let's say you had 120 credits from your previous degree and then did 60 credits for your premed classes and got all A's - that would be a significant increase in your gpa and put you up to a 3.25. With a good MCAT and the advantage of "life experience," I'm very confident you will get accepted into a good program. Plus, I'm assuming you can write a strong, compelling personal statement that will have an admissions committee clamoring to have such a unique, bright candidate!

I've interviewed medical school applicants and I remember one nontraditional candidate who didn't have the best grades or MCAT. But she had such an amazing story (parents were migrant workers, she was a single mom, etc), and I was very pleased to find she was accepted. I think a former life as a television reporter will be looked upon very highly by admissions committees.

You can personal message me if you have any specific questions.