Very poor college performance, most likely enlisting in the Army. Need advice.

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VorpalV

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Hello all, this is my first post. I am 21 years old and am graduating with a BS in Biochemistry in May 2015. These are my stats:

Overall 2.52 GPA
Extracurriculars:
-VP of a club called HOSA (Health Occupation Students of America) for 2 years
-Revitalized a meningitis vaccination drive for students moving into dorms
-Brought in speakers from varying health professions from EMT, dentist, ER surgeon, pediatrician, etc
-Promoted and participated in health-related volunteer events
-Roughly 20 hours clinical experience (very shoddy, I know)
-Did research for one semester (solely data entry)
-Hundreds of hours of volunteering, a vast majority of these hours were not in a clinical setting

First and foremost, my GPA is so low because I have a severe addiction to video games. Over the course of 11 years, I have wasted a rough collective total of 7000 hours into games. In light of this, combined with lackluster extracurriculars / research / clinical experience, MD school is very out of grasp for me at this moment. Also, most research / teaching positions require a Masters and/or a PhD. With my GPA at 2.5, no post-bac programs would accept me.
Tl;dr Essentially failed college, and stuck with an overspecialized degree. Can't qualify for grad programs / MD.

Now with my biography out of the way, let's proceed. The reasons for enlisting:
-Personal development; I lack discipline and motivation.
-I love my country.
-There is no other choice for me.
My plan is to enlist, try to qualify for something medic-related, then take the MCAT after my contract is over and apply when I'm around 25-26 years old. I need to know how viable a route this is and if there are any alternatives. Would med schools look favorably at a veteran who has such a low GPA yet scored well on the MCAT? Or am I just wasting another 4-6 years of my life?
I'd appreciate any and all responses. Thank you for reading.

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"There is no other choice for me" is the worst reason you could possibly find to go into the military. Take a couple of years to retake the classes you did not do well in, take a few additional upper-division classes and do well in them, and apply DO. Also, see a counselor about your gaming addiction.
 
"There is no other choice for me" is the worst reason you could possibly find to go into the military. Take a couple of years to retake the classes you did not do well in, take a few additional upper-division classes and do well in them, and apply DO. Also, see a counselor about your gaming addiction.

I am indeed currently seeing a psychologist for my addiction.
That's the thing. I've failed multiple classes, and retook them only to get a C. I can't retake any class I've "passed". I have only one more semester left, and my grade points are so buffered already. Even D.O. needs at least a 3.0.
 
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Hello all, this is my first post. I am 21 years old and am graduating with a BS in Biochemistry in May 2015. These are my stats:

Overall 2.52 GPA
Extracurriculars:
-VP of a club called HOSA (Health Occupation Students of America) for 2 years
-Revitalized a meningitis vaccination drive for students moving into dorms
-Brought in speakers from varying health professions from EMT, dentist, ER surgeon, pediatrician, etc
-Promoted and participated in health-related volunteer events
-Roughly 20 hours clinical experience (very shoddy, I know)
-Did research for one semester (solely data entry)
-Hundreds of hours of volunteering, a vast majority of these hours were not in a clinical setting

First and foremost, my GPA is so low because I have a severe addiction to video games. Over the course of 11 years, I have wasted a rough collective total of 7000 hours into games. In light of this, combined with lackluster extracurriculars / research / clinical experience, MD school is very out of grasp for me at this moment. Also, most research / teaching positions require a Masters and/or a PhD. With my GPA at 2.5, no post-bac programs would accept me.
Tl;dr Essentially failed college, and stuck with an overspecialized degree. Can't qualify for grad programs / MD.

Now with my biography out of the way, let's proceed. The reasons for enlisting:
-Personal development; I lack discipline and motivation.
-I love my country.
-There is no other choice for me.
My plan is to enlist, try to qualify for something medic-related, then take the MCAT after my contract is over and apply when I'm around 25-26 years old. I need to know how viable a route this is and if there are any alternatives. Would med schools look favorably at a veteran who has such a low GPA yet scored well on the MCAT? Or am I just wasting another 4-6 years of my life?
I'd appreciate any and all responses. Thank you for reading.

You will have a degree, yes? Try going officer (OCS, specifically) before enlisting. The military (at least the Army) doesn't care so much about your GPA as long as you have a degree. Should you be able to resurrect your dead pre-med career some day the benefits re: GI Bill are the same. It's a longer process to get in, but the pay is much better and there is generally less BS to deal with. Plus you don't have to live in the barracks. 🙂
 
Even as a veteran, your GPA is going to hold you back. While military experience can help offset a low GPA, anything below a 3.0 is a tough sell (though not unheard of). If you are set on becoming a doctor, in my opinion a DYI post-bacc (i.e. enrolling in a non-degree program to take classes) to raise your GPA is your best bet. Now the question is if enough has changed to ensure that you will do well enough in any future courses. If you truly want to serve your country while gaining some discipline, the military may be a viable option. But I would agree with @blackroses about not joining the military just because you feel there are no other options. Realize there is a lot of suck that comes with the discipline and experience from military service and there are other ways to gain discipline and experience without going that path. I would look at the military option as putting medical school on hold while exploring another path in life. If you join the military just as a stepping stone to med school, it's highly likely that you'll be miserable while you're in. If you still are interested in that path, though, I would thoroughly research it and talk with as many military service members and veterans to get their perspective.

EDIT: and I would agree with @xffan624 about looking into OCS as an option. A different experience but a little less suck and you get treated better.
 
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I am indeed currently seeing a psychologist for my addiction.
That's the thing. I've failed multiple classes, and retook them only to get a C. I can't retake any class I've "passed". I have only one more semester left, and my grade points are so buffered already. Even D.O. needs at least a 3.0.
You can retake the classes at any college or university. It does not have to be the university you are currently attending. It sounds like you also need to go to your school's counseling center and get help with how you should be studying for your classes.
 
You will have a degree, yes? Try going officer (OCS, specifically) before enlisting. The military (at least the Army) doesn't care so much about your GPA as long as you have a degree. Should you be able to resurrect your dead pre-med career some day the benefits re: GI Bill are the same. It's a longer process to get in, but the pay is much better and there is generally less BS to deal with. Plus you don't have to live in the barracks. 🙂

That was my original plan. A quick call to my recruiting office told me that I need at least a 3.6 to be a competitive candidate for OCS :/

, in my opinion a DYI post-bacc (i.e. enrolling in a non-degree program to take classes) to raise your GPA is your best bet. Realize there is a lot of suck that comes with the discipline and experience from military service and there are other ways to gain discipline and experience without going that path.

I suppose getting certificates whilst working somewhere in a clinical setting (i.e. scribe) could help in terms of the "DIY".. Hmmm. As for other ways, pray do tell of options that will straighten me up? Basically for my whole life I've been spoiled and never truly took up real responsibility.. That needs to change asap.
 
As much as we respect veterans, not even your military service and a 45 MCAT will help that GPA. You must show us that you can handle a medical school curriculum.

You can start by working a few years and saving up some money. Retake all F/D/C science coursework. Then consider DO programs, because grade replacement does wonders for the GPA. You don't need a SMP, you can do a DIY post-bac, but you have to ace it...no more Bs.

If you're still considering the military, just remember that recruiters are paid to lie. The Army might just decide it needs you more as a missile technician or a cook than a medic.



Hello all, this is my first post. I am 21 years old and am graduating with a BS in Biochemistry in May 2015. These are my stats:

Overall 2.52 GPA
Extracurriculars:
-VP of a club called HOSA (Health Occupation Students of America) for 2 years
-Revitalized a meningitis vaccination drive for students moving into dorms
-Brought in speakers from varying health professions from EMT, dentist, ER surgeon, pediatrician, etc
-Promoted and participated in health-related volunteer events
-Roughly 20 hours clinical experience (very shoddy, I know)
-Did research for one semester (solely data entry)
-Hundreds of hours of volunteering, a vast majority of these hours were not in a clinical setting

First and foremost, my GPA is so low because I have a severe addiction to video games. Over the course of 11 years, I have wasted a rough collective total of 7000 hours into games. In light of this, combined with lackluster extracurriculars / research / clinical experience, MD school is very out of grasp for me at this moment. Also, most research / teaching positions require a Masters and/or a PhD. With my GPA at 2.5, no post-bac programs would accept me.
Tl;dr Essentially failed college, and stuck with an overspecialized degree. Can't qualify for grad programs / MD.

Now with my biography out of the way, let's proceed. The reasons for enlisting:
-Personal development; I lack discipline and motivation.
-I love my country.
-There is no other choice for me.
My plan is to enlist, try to qualify for something medic-related, then take the MCAT after my contract is over and apply when I'm around 25-26 years old. I need to know how viable a route this is and if there are any alternatives. Would med schools look favorably at a veteran who has such a low GPA yet scored well on the MCAT? Or am I just wasting another 4-6 years of my life?
I'd appreciate any and all responses. Thank you for reading.
 
You can start by working a few years and saving up some money. Retake all F/D/C science coursework. Then consider DO programs, because grade replacement does wonders for the GPA. You don't need a SMP, you can do a DIY post-bac, but you have to ace it...no more Bs.

If you're still considering the military, just remember that recruiters are paid to lie. The Army might just decide it needs you more as a missile technician or a cook than a medic.

I profusely apologize, but I need to ask what "F/D/C" is, as well as "SMP". As for retaking courses, I'm not sure how to since community college GPA doesn't transfer over to my current university's GPA.
Your advice on the military option is duly noted.

As for everyone who has replied so far, thank you so much for taking the time to put down your thoughts. I greatly appreciate it.
 
I suppose getting certificates whilst working somewhere in a clinical setting (i.e. scribe) could help in terms of the "DIY".. Hmmm. As for other ways, pray do tell of options that will straighten me up? Basically for my whole life I've been spoiled and never truly took up real responsibility.. That needs to change asap.
For DIY post-bacs many people just take whatever classes they want outside of a degree or certificate program (usually through a non-degree program at the school). You can still take a full class-load but they just won't count towards any specific degree or anything. But they'll still (hopefully) boost your GPA.

As for other options, it really depends on how much of a kick in the rear you need. If you think you can focus when you're forced into some sort of responsibility, any service with a long-term commitment may help you to develop discipline. Peace Corps or other such service organizations may be a good avenue then. If you're at the stage, though, where you need someone to break you down and build you back up, the military is probably best for you. If you REALLY need a swift kick, then I would recommend the Marine Corps. But that avenue may not be for the faint of heart... 😉

If you want to be a medic for the Marines, then you can look at Navy corpsman.

And +1 to what Goro said about recruiters.
 
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I profusely apologize, but I need to ask what "F/D/C" is, as well as "SMP". As for retaking courses, I'm not sure how to since community college GPA doesn't transfer over to my current university's GPA.
Your advice on the military option is duly noted.

As for everyone who has replied so far, thank you so much for taking the time to put down your thoughts. I greatly appreciate it.
What Goro means by F/D/C science coursework is simply any science classes that you got a C, D, or F in. "SMP" is Special Masters Programs which are structured pre-medical post-bac programs that result in a Master's degree (and which are usually expensive).

It doesn't matter that CC credits don't transfer to your current university. AMCAS takes all the college level grades you've taken and calculates them all together.
 
You can probably find a job with your bachelors. Look into lab tech positions or maybe some entry level industry jobs.
 
Recruiters may be paid to lie, but you do sign up for a MOS in your contract so it would be unlikely they would just reassign you (unless you fail advanced individual training).

That said, joining the Army is a really important decision that only you can decide if it is truly right for you. I joined the Army in my third year in undergrad for similar reasons to you (feeling the need for better discipline to apply to school since my GPA was pretty bad, and feeling a call to serve). I joined the Reserve though because I didn't want to stay away from school that long. Trained as a licensed practical nurse which took a little over a year when you factor in the medic training I got too. Came back to school after and got straight A's my final year (I did change from a biology major to economics because I liked it more, but still had some science courses to do for med school requirements). Still only pulled me up to a 2.9, but I had also graduated at the top of my medic and nursing classes. It really was a life changing experience in many ways. I would do it again in a heartbeat, even aside from the fact I met my husband in training. I did end up getting in to med school (helped by a great MCAT), but as a reservist I ended up getting deployed during third year of med school. That ended up being an amazing experience as well, but wasn't really the best timing. That isn't to say that you will be able to replicate my experience, but perhaps you might find you like your MOS (job in the Army) enough to saty in and follow a new careeer path.
 
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