Was it worth it? Will I have wasted my time?

[l-DreamChaser-l]

29 year old Male

Before I took a 1.5 yr break (141 credits)
Cgpa 2.37
Sgpa 2.37

After I came back(90 credits @4.0 gpa)
Cgpa 3.00
Sgpa 3.0

Mcat
521

EC ( I'll keep it med school related)
3 years scribing (total 1000 hours)
3 years shadowing (250 hours)
Volunteering circa 150 hours
Tutoring in underprivileged area about 100 hours.

My story -
I was diagnosed with adhd as a child and did my best to avoid medication due to the awful side effects. Great student all throughout high school, started my downward slide in senior year and it took me almost 8 years to recover after that.

Went to cc for 3.5 years basically 2.2 gpa after 100ish attempt hours, while working 2 jobs in construction and a laundromat. With grade Replacement it was a 3.4 but it was really a 2.2. Did not take any medication, got into bad habits and essentially put myself into a giant hole.

Transferred to a 4 year university, did ok my 1st semester and then bombed out the next few semester with a bunch of W's and C- (still working 2 jobs) same story, didn't take medication, stayed in bad habits and wasted more time.

Finally got interested in medicine and got my **** together 3 years ago, started with a medication plan 2x a week and organized my schedule to the minute, along with ridiculous amounts of exercise to cope with loss of apetite and insomnia. I went back to the 4 year university and started with two A's in orgo I and II in one summer and Since then I have basically completed my degree in biology + biochemistry doing 90+ credits @ a 4.0 gpa, while scribing, volunteering, and shadowing. I have slowly cycled myself to handle 3/4x a week medication if necessary but normally 2x a week, with a strenuous excercise plan of running, swimming, and lifting.

I have a decent bit of money left from living at home + scribing. (Enough for 4 year living expenses)

After reading through numerous low gpa and reinvention threads I don't think anyone has ever created this big of a mess in regards to those 140 credits.

Last Fall I held back on applying because my gpa was under the 3.0 threshold, but now hitting that threshold and reading some of these threads I'm just wondering if I really wasted my time.

I did get a waiver and apply for SOAS(seal officer assessment selection) for the navy and got accepted, I deferred and used my degree completion as the reasoning and was told my application would be selected again if I were to apply on another cycle. (85th percentile pst(physical screening test scores)

With all of this in mind, being in medicine was the goal when I started 3 years ago. Do I have any chance at a DO school? Should I just give up and go pursue my other passion and revisit my options when I get out and hope med schools have seen enough time pass to give me another shot?

I'm really just looking for honest and thoughtful responses.

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[M&L]

@Goro I apologize for tagging , I just really wanted to make sure you see that - and share what you think the chances are here .

 

[M&L]

29 year old Male

Before I took a 1.5 yr break (141 credits)
Cgpa 2.37
Sgpa 2.37

After I came back(90 credits @4.0 gpa)
Cgpa 3.00
Sgpa 3.0

Mcat
521

EC ( I'll keep it med school related)
3 years scribing (total 1000 hours)
3 years shadowing (250 hours)
Volunteering circa 150 hours
Tutoring in underprivileged area about 100 hours.

My story -
I was diagnosed with adhd as a child and did my best to avoid medication due to the awful side effects. Great student all throughout high school, started my downward slide in senior year and it took me almost 8 years to recover after that.

Went to cc for 3.5 years basically 2.2 gpa after 100ish attempt hours, while working 2 jobs in construction and a laundromat. With grade Replacement it was a 3.4 but it was really a 2.2. Did not take any medication, got into bad habits and essentially put myself into a giant hole.

Transferred to a 4 year university, did ok my 1st semester and then bombed out the next few semester with a bunch of W's and C- (still working 2 jobs) same story, didn't take medication, stayed in bad habits and wasted more time.

Finally got interested in medicine and got my **** together 3 years ago, started with a medication plan 2x a week and organized my schedule to the minute, along with ridiculous amounts of exercise to cope with loss of apetite and insomnia. I started with two A's in orgo I and II in one summer and Since then I have basically completed my degree in biology + biochemistry doing 90+ credits @ a 4.0 gpa, while scribing, volunteering, and shadowing. I have slowly cycled myself to handle 3/4x a week medication if necessary but normally 2x a week, with a strenuous excercise plan of running, swimming, and lifting.

I have a decent bit of money left from living at home + scribing. (Enough for 4 year living expenses)

After reading through numerous low gpa and reinvention threads I don't think anyone has ever created this big of a mess in regards to those 140 credits.

Last Fall I held back on applying because my gpa was under the 3.0 threshold, but now hitting that threshold and reading some of these threads I'm just wondering if I really wasted my time.

I did get a waiver and apply for SOAS(seal officer assessment selection) for the navy and got accepted, I deferred and used my degree completion as the reasoning and was told my application would be selected again if I were to apply on another cycle. (85th percentile pst(physical screening test scores)

With all of this in mind, being in medicine was the goal when I started 3 years ago. Do I have any chance at a DO school? Should I just give up and go pursue my other passion and revisit my options when I get out and hope med schools have seen enough time pass to give me another shot?

I'm really just looking for honest and thoughtful responses.

I don’t have an answer for you - that’s why I tagged Goro, but I just wanted to say how impressive what you did is . Incredible. I wish I had your level of commitment and willpower .

 

[l-DreamChaser-l]

I don’t have an answer for you - that’s why I tagged Goro, but I just wanted to say how impressive what you did is . Incredible. I wish I had your level of commitment and willpower .

Appreciate the response at least, I feel like I did a good job on the recovery, but seems like the hole was just dug way too deep.

The goal is to be a doctor one day, I really am just unsure whether I should apply now or spend 4 years as an officer and then enough time should have passed where they should see a different person, (well my thoughts/hopes at least).

Either way I put my whole situation out there so hopefully somebody knowledgeable can point me in the right direction.

 

[Goro]

29 year old Male

Before I took a 1.5 yr break (141 credits)
Cgpa 2.37
Sgpa 2.37

After I came back(90 credits @4.0 gpa)
Cgpa 3.00
Sgpa 3.0

Mcat
521

EC ( I'll keep it med school related)
3 years scribing (total 1000 hours)
3 years shadowing (250 hours)
Volunteering circa 150 hours
Tutoring in underprivileged area about 100 hours.

My story -
I was diagnosed with adhd as a child and did my best to avoid medication due to the awful side effects. Great student all throughout high school, started my downward slide in senior year and it took me almost 8 years to recover after that.

Went to cc for 3.5 years basically 2.2 gpa after 100ish attempt hours, while working 2 jobs in construction and a laundromat. With grade Replacement it was a 3.4 but it was really a 2.2. Did not take any medication, got into bad habits and essentially put myself into a giant hole.

Transferred to a 4 year university, did ok my 1st semester and then bombed out the next few semester with a bunch of W's and C- (still working 2 jobs) same story, didn't take medication, stayed in bad habits and wasted more time.

Finally got interested in medicine and got my **** together 3 years ago, started with a medication plan 2x a week and organized my schedule to the minute, along with ridiculous amounts of exercise to cope with loss of apetite and insomnia. I went back to the 4 year university and started with two A's in orgo I and II in one summer and Since then I have basically completed my degree in biology + biochemistry doing 90+ credits @ a 4.0 gpa, while scribing, volunteering, and shadowing. I have slowly cycled myself to handle 3/4x a week medication if necessary but normally 2x a week, with a strenuous excercise plan of running, swimming, and lifting.

I have a decent bit of money left from living at home + scribing. (Enough for 4 year living expenses)

After reading through numerous low gpa and reinvention threads I don't think anyone has ever created this big of a mess in regards to those 140 credits.

Last Fall I held back on applying because my gpa was under the 3.0 threshold, but now hitting that threshold and reading some of these threads I'm just wondering if I really wasted my time.

I did get a waiver and apply for SOAS(seal officer assessment selection) for the navy and got accepted, I deferred and used my degree completion as the reasoning and was told my application would be selected again if I were to apply on another cycle. (85th percentile pst(physical screening test scores)

With all of this in mind, being in medicine was the goal when I started 3 years ago. Do I have any chance at a DO school? Should I just give up and go pursue my other passion and revisit my options when I get out and hope med schools have seen enough time pass to give me another shot?

I'm really just looking for honest and thoughtful responses.

Not just DO but MD as well!
I suggest:
Columbia

Vandy

Dartmouth

BU

Duke

Pitt

Mayo

Mt Sinai

Keck (maybe)

UCSF

EVMS

U Miami

Hofstra

Emory

Jefferson

Drexel

Albany

Tufts

NYMC

Your state schools

Rush

Loyola

Rosy Franklin

Tulane

Wake

MCW

SLU

Creighton

Wayne State

Netter

NYU.LI

Any DO program. I can't recommend Nova, Wm Carey, BCOM, ICOM and LUCOM, for different reasons. MSUCOM? Read up on Larry Nasser and you decide. LMU has an accreditation warning, which concerns me. CUHS is too new and appears to be too limited in rotations sites. UIW refuses to post their Boards scores, which is fishy.

 

[M&L]

Not just DO but MD as well!
I suggest:
Columbia

Vandy

Dartmouth

BU

Duke

Pitt

Mayo

Mt Sinai

Keck (maybe)

UCSF

EVMS

U Miami

Hofstra

Emory

Jefferson

Drexel

Albany

Tufts

NYMC

Your state schools

Rush

Loyola

Rosy Franklin

Tulane

Wake

MCW

SLU

Creighton

Wayne State

Netter

NYU.LI

Any DO program. I can't recommend Nova, Wm Carey, BCOM, ICOM and LUCOM, for different reasons. MSUCOM? Read up on Larry Nasser and you decide. LMU has an accreditation warning, which concerns me. CUHS is too new and appears to be too limited in rotations sites. UIW refuses to post their Boards scores, which is fishy.

but what about the cumulative 3.0 GPA? wouldnt that automatically screen out?

 

[Goro]

but what about the cumulative 3.0 GPA? wouldnt that automatically screen out?

Not all schools have a 3.0 cut off. Someone with a 2.9 GPA once matriculated to Vanderbilt.

 

[M&L]

Not all schools have a 3.0 cut off. Someone with a 2.9 GPA once matriculated to Vanderbilt.

this makes me so happy, honestly. this means that OP does have a great shot, because the rest of the application looks incredible.

 

[Goro]

this makes me so happy, honestly. this means that OP does have a great shot, because the rest of the application looks incredible.

Holistic review is a thing, even if if it's not the magic totem some pre-meds think it is.

 

[Faha]

You could receive interviews at both MD and DO schools. Goro gave you a good list of MD schools. I suggest these DO schools:
ACOM
ARCOM
NYIT-AR
UIWSOM
AZCOM
ATSU (both schools)
TUNCOM
KCU-COM
CCOM
DMU-COM
MU-COM
RVUCOM (both schools)
WCU-COM
UP-KYCOM
WVSOM
LECOM (all schools)
PCOM (all schools)

 

[esob]

3 years (90 credits) of straight A's will be looked favorably upon by lots of DO schools, as long as you didn't take all basket weaving classes. Some of the newer MD school would be a reach but you have a really solid shot at landing multiple DO acceptances as long as you interview well. I would apply broadly to MD schools (ie, shotgun approach) if you are really set on an MD. But, to reaffirm what has already been said, no, you didn't waste your time and if you put in the work you will be a physician one day. Good job on the comeback!

 

[l-DreamChaser-l]

Not just DO but MD as well!
I suggest:
Columbia

Vandy

Dartmouth

BU

Duke

Pitt

Mayo

Mt Sinai

Keck (maybe)

UCSF

EVMS

U Miami

Hofstra

Emory

Jefferson

Drexel

Albany

Tufts

NYMC

Your state schools

Rush

Loyola

Rosy Franklin

Tulane

Wake

MCW

SLU

Creighton

Wayne State

Netter

NYU.LI

Any DO program. I can't recommend Nova, Wm Carey, BCOM, ICOM and LUCOM, for different reasons. MSUCOM? Read up on Larry Nasser and you decide. LMU has an accreditation warning, which concerns me. CUHS is too new and appears to be too limited in rotations sites. UIW refuses to post their Boards scores, which is fishy.

Thank you this helps a lot, I know this question may be of little use now but for my own personal satisfaction, and maybe it will help someone else

At 60 credits I was near a 2.85 cgpa, was it worth the extra 30 credits?

How do the cutoffs work with someone in my situation? How do adcoms views my intial grades. Just for insight purposes.

 

[Goro]

Thank you this helps a lot, I know this question may be of little use now but for my own personal satisfaction, and maybe it will help someone else

At 60 credits I was near a 2.85 cgpa, was it worth the extra 30 credits?

How do the cutoffs work with someone in my situation? How do adcoms views my intial grades. Just for insight purposes.

Some schools will outright reject you, but others will put you in the reject pile which then gets a second look. These are people who are mining Diamonds in the Rough

 

[l-DreamChaser-l]

3 years (90 credits) of straight A's will be looked favorably upon by lots of DO schools, as long as you didn't take all basket weaving classes. Some of the newer MD school would be a reach but you have a really solid shot at landing multiple DO acceptances as long as you interview well. I would apply broadly to MD schools (ie, shotgun approach) if you are really set on an MD. But, to reaffirm what has already been said, no, you didn't waste your time and if you put in the work you will be a physician one day. Good job on the comeback!

Mostly science courses, with some electives stuffed in sporadically to complete degree requirements.

Thank you for the encouragement, the only reason md would be more appealing would be residency options in derm and opthamology, and possibly being easier for gas.

Am I correct in assuming this?

 

[Doctorswithborders013]

I did get a waiver and apply for SOAS(seal officer assessment selection) for the navy and got accepted, I deferred and used my degree completion as the reasoning and was told my application would be selected again if I were to apply on another cycle. (85th percentile pst(physical screening test scores)

So what do you want to do though?

 

[l-DreamChaser-l]

Some schools will outright reject you, but others will put you in the reject pile which then gets a second look. These are people who are mining Diamonds in the Rough

Understandable, that validates my choice to get a 3.0 to look more competitive.

So with a 3.0 gpa it increases the chances of not being put in an outright reject pile? It seems like there are schools with even higher cutoffs, right?

 

[l-DreamChaser-l]

So what do you want to do though?

I would rather take the surefire thing, not sure if you are familiar with the selection process for seals but it's a huge gamble, something like a 90% attrition rate.

Even if I don't quit, there's no guarantee I don't get injured and dropped from the program.

Not saying medical school is easy or a sure fire thing, but putting in the hardwork goes a long way, you could put all the hardwork in the world into being a seal and the first week of bud/s break your leg during surf passage and your career is done before it even started.

Being mentally prepared for that program has given me the confidence to be prepared for anything, I feel like a large part of the whole process of becoming a physician requires a lot of mental toughness.

At the end of the day I want to help people, very cliche but it is what it is, and going into medicine gives me a chance to help more people.

Achieving the selection to soas was enough for me if medical school was still an option, if medical school was off the table there was only one way to go. So hearing that it's still possible was definitely a sign that I at least did something right after all that time.

Hope that helps you see where my headspace is at, feel free to ask questions. Glad to take different opinions and strategies into account.

 

[Goro]

Understandable, that validates my choice to get a 3.0 to look more competitive.

So with a 3.0 gpa it increases the chances of not being put in an outright reject pile? It seems like there are schools with even higher cutoffs, right?

Yes and yes.

 

[Goro]

Mostly science courses, with some electives stuffed in sporadically to complete degree requirements.

Thank you for the encouragement, the only reason md would be more appealing would be residency options in derm and opthamology, and possibly being easier for gas.

Am I correct in assuming this?

Right now you don't have the app of someone who goes into the uber residencies.

Your job is to get into A med school, and the odds favor your state school and DO.

Think about specialties once you are actually in med school.

 

[l-DreamChaser-l]

Right now you don't have the app of someone who goes into the uber residencies.

Your job is to get into A med school, and the odds favor your state school and DO.

Think about specialties once you are actually in med school.

You are right, one step at a time. I was thinking/speculating ahead.

 

[LunaOri]

You might also want to network here with other medical students/physicians who have ADHD about how they've handled med school. Keeping a tight schedule with tons of exercise is a great start, but there are times when you can't control your schedule, and you want to make sure you don't run into trouble when your sleep is disrupted or you can't exercise. (Of course, first focus on getting into medical school!)

 

[l-DreamChaser-l]

You might also want to network here with other medical students/physicians who have ADHD about how they've handled med school. Keeping a tight schedule with tons of exercise is a great start, but there are times when you can't control your schedule, and you want to make sure you don't run into trouble when your sleep is disrupted or you can't exercise. (Of course, first focus on getting into medical school!)

Solid points, I will look for threads about how people handle med school in general and also look for people who did it with adhd, might have to private message ppl here.

As far as the schedule goes, it's strict but has lots of leeway in there, I try to maximize time efficiency on most tasks at hand such as studying, etc etc.

Breathing and meditation are huge as well as focusing on the task at hand and not thinking too far ahead and getting overwhelmed.

Sleep disruption shouldn't be an issue, I have found ways to catch up, even a 10 minute nap goes a long way, would have to get creative with excercise though.

All good food for thought, definitely have to focus on the task at hand which would be foot in the door.

 

[esob]

Mostly science courses, with some electives stuffed in sporadically to complete degree requirements.

Thank you for the encouragement, the only reason md would be more appealing would be residency options in derm and opthamology, and possibly being easier for gas.

Am I correct in assuming this?

Derm and Optham, definitely, not so much for anesthesia. The caveat being that the trend to favor MD's maybe on the rise given the absence of step scores which could previously offset the degree bias.