Wasting my time?

[blike]

Hey guys. Last year I started college planning to major in chemistry. My priorities weren't exactly where they should have been and I ended up with a not-so-hot gpa(2.6). I took general chemistry and bio 1 for science courses. I did fine in my chemistry course, but my biology course I recieved a D in.

Now, this summer I ended up volunteering around some doctors. I really got interested in the profession and am considering the field now. The particular doctor I took at liking to was an Osteopath (he is the best doctor ever). Anyhow, he got me very interested in osteopathy and such.

Given my freshman record which was less than stellar, am I wasting my time if I pursue medicine? I understand what the GPA requirements etc generally are, and I'm 100% sure I can bring my GPA up to be competitive. The thing that worries me is my D in bio1. I'm going to retake the class next fall, but am I wasting my time in the long run?

Thank you,
Eric

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[Toejam]

First off, you're WAY too young to be worried about such things!

You're mistaken if you think that all medical students had impeccable scholastic records ih college and aced the MCAT. Many, many students had problems just like you and some took a long time to get all of their ducks in a row (like me).

Medical schools ARE concerned about your overall GPA, but there's a lot more. You have an advantage because you're professing an interest at a relatively young age. There's a lot you can do to "spice" up your CV. If you failed or got a "D" in any of those courses, I'd advise retaking them. A positive trend in grades is always looked at favorably. Involving yourself in the field of medicine (volunteering, research) is also looked at very favorably.

I would suggest majoring in something that you want to major in rather than something you think is the best pre-med major. I majored in Japanese and I'm really glad I did. Your more likely to end up with a respectable GPA and you'll be taking courses that you might actually like!!

Osteopathic schools look at the same stuff that MD schools do, but they're more apt to look beyond the grades and MCAT scores. If you take the time to really understand what osteopathic medicine is all about and understand the history, it'll make admissions an easier task.

Good Luck

 

[Mire]

Keep your chin up! I did the same thing as you my freshman year except my gpa was a 2.19. So I left school and worked as a paramedic. Now I am back, and waiting for secondaries. My gpa isn't great, but only because of my freshman year. Every year after that I busted my butt and got a 3.0 Sophomore, 3.6 Junior, 3.97 Senior. Med schools like to see upward trends. I'm not saying you should leave school, but do what ever you have to do to get your priorities in line. I have found that my time off made me a lot stronger. Because of my setback I chose to actually gain some experience by working in the medical field. My advice to you is to get as much experience as you can, take a break if you need to, but only if you are working in the field, do research or volunteer. Whatever you do don't waste your time not being involved in medicine. It sounds like you can pull your stuff together and do better scholastically so don't give up hope. Just think of me, a 26 year old college drop out with a 2.1 gpa that returned to school, kicked ass, and is now applying to medical school. Oh, one more thing, a little prayer never hurts...it worked for me. Good luck.

 

[conmantlc]

hey there, I was like you, I had early hopes of medicine, but my ego from doing well in high school got the best of me. I got a D- and D in biology and chemistry and almost got kicked out of school. I changed my major to international relations, and did very well away from science. however, i went to EMT school my junior year and rekindled my interest in medicine. I finished up my major and stayed an extra two years in college to retake the pre-reqs and study for the mcat. I ended up much more focused and received mostly A's. Overall I ended up with a 3.4 and 3 years of ER clinical experience under my belt. I didn't get in the first time around but stuck with it, and this year I received the best phone call of my life, from the CCOM admissions committee saying I had been accepted. Don't let a bad first year break you. Learn from that experience and turn it into something positive. Stay focused and determined and you will be able to do it if you bust your ass. Good luck.

 

[njdesi]

Blike:

HANG IN THERE!!! My road has been long and hard as well. I was making Bs, Cs, and Ds, my first 2 years of college, I even dropped out the spring semester of soph. year. I got my life back together, and ended up acing classes the last 2 years of college. My undergrad GPA was a respectable 3.36, but a 2.5 pre-med. I then went on to do a masters in public health (GPA 3.85) and have worked in the field of public health for 3 years. I also did a premed postbac and did well on all my upper division bio courses. GPA:3.2.

I took the April 02 MCAT and got a not so stellar 23 Q (the 6 in PS killed me) but I am retaking in August 02. I applied to 11 DO schools and so far have recieved secondaries from TUCOM, KCOM, DMU, and UHS. I never dreamed this day would arrive.
I made Cs in Bio and D in Calc 1 freshman year, so I came a long way from that!!!! If I can do it so can YOU!!!!

GOOD LUCK

 

[JonDO]

You've a got a lot of time to make-up for your low GPA. The hard part of knowing that you want to be a doctor is decided, and you also know what you have to do to achieve it. All you have to do now is to push through with it and you will be a physician. Keep yo head up!