What do I Do?

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dimemag said:
Hi,

I have never really been the type to go on these sites, Ive always looked at them as a cesspool of annoying nerds. Now I see I was wrong lol.

I've never had much of an aptitude for the scientific fields; my talents have always lied in writing/public speaking/etc. However, as the child of doctors, I have no choice but to pursue it. That being said, I dont mind what they do, I just am worried about how I get there.

Ill stop you before you persist-- Yes, I know that 'you should chase your passion'. The reality is, however, that life is not about doing what you are passionate about. My passions are in writing and connecting with people. However those dont parlay into a roof over my future children's heads. I want to do a health related career so I can earn, then I can pursue my hobbies on my own.

All that in consideration, I really feel like a ****-up. And I came here to get some encouraging advice about what my chances are towards dental school.

In my major (non-science) I have a 3.8 GPA. However, my sciences are abysmal. (I go to a top-50 college. Im a junior)

Chem- B+/B
Physics- C+/A
Bio- F, retook for a C/C
Orgo- D-, retook for an F, retook again for a C/C+
Calc-B

I am planning on studying for the MCAT and DAT this summer.

Please be honest, what are my chances for any kind of grad school? and what do I need to do to get to the point where I can get in?

I will most likely do a Post-Bac I think.
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Chances? very low. Why are you taking both MCAT and DAT?.What about extracurriculars?
Chances for any kind of grad school? you probably could get into non-science major grad school.
What you need to do? Figure out how to get As in science classes and get those As.
 
dimemag said:
Chem- B+/B
Physics- C+/A
Bio- F, retook for a C/C
Orgo- D-, retook for an F, retook again for a C/C+
Calc-B

I am planning on studying for the MCAT and DAT this summer.
Click to expand...

I am going to be brutally honest.

I just calculated your science GPA, with those F's and D you literally have a 1.99 science GPA. You have absolutely no chance whatsoever in getting into medical or dental school. In fact, i don't think you could get into any health profession school whatsoever right now.

What you need to do is take another 5-10 science classes... ace them all... seriously A's only, B's will not help you at this time. Bring up that GPA to a 2.5 and then apply to chiropractic programs or podiatry schools. Maybe you enter a community college nursing program. Those are the only realistic health professions for you at this time and even then, it will take you at least a year or two to correct that GPA.

Also, please don't take the DAT or MCAT... even if you crushed them, you would still have a 0% chance at getting in. Fix your GPA and go from there.
 
If you're interested in medical school, DO schools allow grade replacement making it much easier to raise your GPA. So if you retake Bio a third time and get an A, it will replace the C.

Don't listen to anyone who says it's too late. AADSAS doesn't do grade replacement, but if your absolute dream is dental over medical school then keep taking science classes, keep aceing them and once you get get a sciGPA close to 3, apply to SMP programs.

Do realize that you have a long road ahead of you.
 
I can't imagine sitting through one science class after another without some interest/passion in the subject at hand. Then if you were to go into medicine on some level and you hate what you do but just do it for the money then you become a prostitute that doesn't care about the well-being of your clients. Why don't you shoot for administrative work instead and leave your theoretical future patients alone?
 
dimemag said:
I've never had much of an aptitude for the scientific fields; my talents have always lied in writing/public speaking/etc. However, as the child of doctors, I have no choice but to pursue it. That being said, I dont mind what they do, I just am worried about how I get there. .

Ill stop you before you persist-- Yes, I know that 'you should chase your passion'. The reality is, however, that life is not about doing what you are passionate about. My passions are in writing and connecting with people. However those dont parlay into a roof over my future children's heads. I want to do a health related career so I can earn, then I can pursue my hobbies on my own.
Click to expand...

One might argue that being born into a family of two doctors, and in an middle / upper class economic bracket, choices are abundant. To think there are no jobs whatsoever outside of healthcare that combine those two, albeit broad, "passions" of yours is incredibly naive. Why don't you visit your career center, go to a job fair, and really explore your options? I know plenty of amicable, skilled writers who are doing just fine for themselves, and yes, their kids.
 
Dude...you have no business in medicine or dentistry with no interest in or little tolerance of science. You can learn to have a mind for science and appreciate science but if you choose not to find any interest in how the entire universe works from the cosmic to the molecular, you have no business in any science-related field.

You're just a disaster waiting to happen. Go venture to the DentalTown forums and find a bunch of grumpy dentists complaining how the money is not worth all the BS in running a dental office. These dentists never enjoyed Dentistry in the first place.

Great physicians enjoy the sleuthing-side of Medicine. The current you sounds like you would be a terrible physician. Do everyone else a favor and don't pursue Medicine/Dentistry until you change.

If you're adamant on never changing, go be a physical therapist where other people's lives aren't at stake. To be honest, I don't know if even they want the current you.

Remember you can always change.
 
The easiest solution to your dilemma of securing excessive amounts of wealth is to devalue the importance of material possessions once you secure your basic necessities. Doing this won't cost you your liberal artsy soul, at least seven years of schooling, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt.

I'm sure you've read Nietzsche/Thoreau or some religious texts if religion floats your boat.
 
The more I think about this, the more I'm realizing that there is little difference between writing and understanding science. In writing, you follow strict logical rules. There are simple properties of grammar mechanics that you have to follow and your semantics must all make sense.

You're governed by similar logical rules in science except there's no room for tricky punctuations and hypothetical subjunctives. You follow Occam's razor and be as forthright and clear as possible.

If you can appreciate writing, you can appreciate science.
 
darklabel said:
If you're interested in medical school, DO schools allow grade replacement making it much easier to raise your GPA. So if you retake Bio a third time and get an A, it will replace the C.

Don't listen to anyone who says it's too late. AADSAS doesn't do grade replacement, but if your absolute dream is dental over medical school then keep taking science classes, keep aceing them and once you get get a sciGPA close to 3, apply to SMP programs.
Click to expand...

Is there really anything the OP said that makes you think that dentistry or medicine is a dream of theirs... Maybe you should re-read what they said. Let's recap:

1. No aptitude for science
2. Parents are docs = No choice but be a doc
3. Doesn't "mind" what they do?
4. Passions = writing and people

dimemag said:
I've never had much of an aptitude for the scientific fields; my talents have always lied in writing/public speaking/etc. However, as the child of doctors, I have no choice but to pursue it. That being said, I dont mind what they do, I just am worried about how I get there.

Ill stop you before you persist-- Yes, I know that 'you should chase your passion'. The reality is, however, that life is not about doing what you are passionate about. My passions are in writing and connecting with people.
Click to expand...

OP honestly, you sound like you would an awesome candidate for law school. Not courtroom law, but more like business/consulting law. The fields and specialties are very broad. You could work with clients for real estate or business acquisitions and mergers, writing their contracts . Maybe get your CFP and do estate planning and wills/trusts. Or perhaps open your own auto injury firm and help people sue the pants of insurance companies. With your monster non-science GPA, i imagine your overall GPA is still above a 3.5. Which case if you do decent on the LSAT you could make a top 50 school no problem, maybe get scholarships for your state schools. Anyway good luck.
 
I'm with Hombre 99% on this, except the law part. I don't think that would be a good field to go into, personally. Check this if you are considering a law degree. You can be successful with a law degree, but a lot of new graduates aren't coming into the market they were envisioning for themselves.
 
Hmm... I understand what you guys are saying. I'm not the type to get stressed out, so I want to assess my options as level-headedly as possible.

My advisor suggested a Post-Bac. There are several programs I've looked at, among them Masters programs at Case Western and USF, also normal post-bacs at EVM and Western University.

Doing these programs would probably help, wouldnt it?


Also, those who mentioned retaking classes-- what if I retook them at a Community College after I graduated?
 
Otherwise, I am considering Healthcare Administration-- however my parents might be against it.
 
yeah i'm gonna have to agree and say that at this point DO or pod school might be your best bet. the grade replacement thing is HUGE for DO applicants. Assuming that you retook those botched courses and did well, and had a decent MCAT score I think you could be competitive for DO school. Regarding pod. school, i'm not sure how their gpa calculations work, but I know that their MCAT/DAT requirements (yes, 2 pod. schools take the DAT) are pretty low. I would retake the courses that you didn't do well in, and then enroll in a post bacc program. Do well and see where it goes from there.

edit: community college classes are a cop out. don't do it. the only thing you're going to prove is that you can't handle a traditional 4 year curriculum.

Also, regarding healthcare admin...if it's something that YOU want to do, then pursue it. Stand up for yourself, seriously. You're not the one at fault for wanting to pursue what you want to. And it's not like healthcare admin is a low paying job. With the right degree and experience, you can make as much as a general dentist or family prac doctor if you wanted to.
 
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Honestly I think you need to take some time after college and do something that isn't school, you need to put some years between yourself and those Fs/Ds then do a postbacc year followed by probably a masters then professional school. If this is something you really want (and to be honest it doesn't sound like you do, don't go into the health professions just to make your parents happy.) then it is going to take many years.

Don't take the DAT and the MCAT, figure out what you want to do and focus, if you can't get into MD/DO or DDS/DMD it is unlikely you'll get into the other. (though you might be albe to goto one of those carrib schools that will take anyone, you know, the ones that don't require the MCAT at all).

I honestly think it would look pretty poor having already taken/retaken courses at the university level to then take them at the community college level. Some community college credits are fine, I have them, but my CC and 4-year GPAs match and I didn't take any of the hard sciences at CC.
 
My honest advice? You're in no place to enter medicine or dentistry right now. You have an uphill battle to fight for an acceptance. But more importantly, you seem to have no interest in it other than "you want to provide for your family". While you can certainly do that with either of these careers (once you're out of debt), if that's your only motivation to enter these fields, you will be miserable. Despite what you think, yes, you DO have a choice on what to do with your life. If I was placed in a career like it was an arranged marriage, I would not be a happy camper.

In order to get into medical or dental school, you are going to need sincere desire and interest. You will need to take a lot of classes to get that GPA up before you're considered as an applicant. If I had to take all those classes just to do something I felt I was forced to do - quite simply, I would NOT do it.
 
Going to a caribb school with those kinds of grades is a serious financial blunder. Too much risk involved, especially with the lower tiered schools. They could care less if you're struggling there. You fail, they kick you out and you're out thousands of dollars.
 
dimemag said:
Otherwise, I am considering Healthcare Administration-- however my parents might be against it.
Click to expand...

I was going to address your questions and not try to talk you out of being a doctor, even though you shouldn't, right now at least. But when I read this..... really? I think you need to take time off or something to straighten out YOUR OWN goals, talk with your parents and make them understand that it's your career, not theirs. I understand the sense of job security, financial rewards, higher education, blah blah blah. But what you don't understand is that dental or medical or any other professional health school is significantly more difficult than the science courses you took and did not do well in. You will not have as much time for your true passions while in school (yes, you will have some free time). Unless you have other sources of income to pay for your education, you will have a very large amount of debt. You will be in school for a long time. What if you find out you really hate it? Why do something you don't want to do? I'm not saying that you should follow your passion or whatever. People have careers which aren't their first, second, or third passion all the time. But why do something that you don't like, because someone told you too? There are plenty of other career options that make just as much sense financially and job security-wise. This is all besides the fact you have basically no chance of getting in right now.

The fact that you say you have no choice but to pursue your parent's dreams of you being a doctor makes me question that your talents are "public speaking." You need to learn to speak up for yourself to only two people; your parents.

So if you want to pursue a health career, go for it. But come on, there are other fields besides medicine and dentistry, or are those the only people worthy of being called a "doctor." If you like healthcare administration go for it. If you want to go to grad school, do it, but what about pharmacy, podiatry, physical therapy, occupational therapy, physician assistant, research? There are plenty of health care careers which will put a roof over your children's head. Don't limit your choices. None of this will be easy and it certainly won't happen within 1 year.

Good luck.
 
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with so many retakes with crappy grades and F's you are not getting in anywhere.

I got rejected for a D in philosophy(i retook it and got a 3.9) according to few schools that rejected me.

You think schools will look over your F's in BASIC science class? not in a million years

Even with stellar post bacc grades you have next to no chance

Just ask your parents to work double triple shift so they can save enough money for you to live off of it

edit:

you don't need encouraging advice you simply WANT encouraging advice so you can keep dreaming.
 
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At the very least, is it possible for me to get into a Post-bac program? Like the one at VCOM? or PCOM?
 
dimemag said:
At the very least, is it possible for me to get into a Post-bac program? Like the one at VCOM? or PCOM?
Click to expand...

I don't know if you are just lost or lazy.

Vcom postbac

If you click it , it says min required is 2.75 gpa in science and overall.
Your only options are informal postbac.
 
dimemag said:
At the very least, is it possible for me to get into a Post-bac program? Like the one at VCOM? or PCOM?
Click to expand...

Like someone mentioned before, it is *possible* for you to get into a DO program due to their grade replacement system. However, MD / DDS / DMD are completely out of reach and I would give up all hope on them. Finally, if you couldn't hack it with the normal paced general sciences, I don't think you'll do any better in a post-bac programs. Unless something has dramatically changed with your study habits / motivation to do well, you should learn when to call it quits. Save your tuition money and pursue something else.
 
Well, say I spent a year retaking the reqs that I did not score above a B in; got A- and A in all of them. Then at that point should I apply directly to the DO programs? Or should I do a post-bac?

I would take them at a local 4-year college. Not the same university I went to though, which is ranked much higher.
 
dimemag said:
Well, say I spent a year retaking the reqs that I did not score above a B in; got A- and A in all of them. Then at that point should I apply directly to the DO programs? Or should I do a post-bac?

I would take them at a local 4-year college. Not the same university I went to though, which is ranked much higher.
Click to expand...

You could apply directly to the program and if your hypothetical becomes reality, you should be a very competitive DO applicant assuming all goes well with the MCAT. However, are you sure this is something you're capable of doing? Has something dramatically changed? Even if you're able to get A's in these classes, do you think you can handle the first two years of medical school which are infinitely more stressful and time consuming than the classes you've taken so far?
 
I can pinpoint all my not doing well to poor studying habits, taking multiple science classes at the same time. I took both bio and orgo together at the same time along with several other classes. Then I retook them both in the summer which was hell (at the same time I had broken up with my gf).

So, theres reasons I didnt do well..

As for my current plan, it is this: this summer, take an MCAT course, try to score in the low 30's. Then, finish up my bachelors. That first summer after graduation, take micro bio 1 at the local 4 year college. Take physics and Orgo in the fall. Then take bio 2 and orgo2 in the spring.

At that point, ideally (and quite plausibly), my Science Gpa considering DO's grade replacement would look as such:

Bio- A/A
Chem- B+/B
Physics- A/A
Orgo- A-/A-
Calc-B

Combine that with an MCAT of say 27-33, and I could get into a DO yeah?
 
LMAO
"...not doing well to poor studying habits, taking multiple science classes at the same time."

what a terrible excuse

unless you were working a full time job while raising octupulets and commuting to school 4 hrs a day, you are basically saying "I DO NOT HAVE THE SKILLS NOR THE BRAIN TO HANDLE SCIENCE CLASS(ES)."


your only chance of having a career in anything remotely related to healthcare field is to study at the university of webMD and start a naturopath blog giving advice to hippies who believe fluoride is byproduct of industrial/agricultural waste.

i wanna say goodluck but i don't wanna waste my kind words to a lost cause.
 
dimemag said:
I can pinpoint all my not doing well to poor studying habits, taking multiple science classes at the same time. I took both bio and orgo together at the same time along with several other classes. Then I retook them both in the summer which was hell (at the same time I had broken up with my gf).

So, theres reasons I didnt do well..

As for my current plan, it is this: this summer, take an MCAT course, try to score in the low 30's. Then, finish up my bachelors. That first summer after graduation, take micro bio 1 at the local 4 year college. Take physics and Orgo in the fall. Then take bio 2 and orgo2 in the spring.

At that point, ideally (and quite plausibly), my Science Gpa considering DO's grade replacement would look as such:

Bio- A/A
Chem- B+/B
Physics- A/A
Orgo- A-/A-
Calc-B

Combine that with an MCAT of say 27-33, and I could get into a DO yeah?
Click to expand...

What do you think dental or medical school will be like?
 
dimemag said:
I can pinpoint all my not doing well to poor studying habits, taking multiple science classes at the same time. I took both bio and orgo together at the same time along with several other classes. Then I retook them both in the summer which was hell (at the same time I had broken up with my gf).

So, theres reasons I didnt do well..

As for my current plan, it is this: this summer, take an MCAT course, try to score in the low 30's. Then, finish up my bachelors. That first summer after graduation, take micro bio 1 at the local 4 year college. Take physics and Orgo in the fall. Then take bio 2 and orgo2 in the spring.

Combine that with an MCAT of say 27-33, and I could get into a DO yeah?
Click to expand...

If all goes according to your plan, you will be just fine.

However, If you feel like taking multiple science courses at the same time is reason for doing poorly, I urge you to reconsider your goals. Two sciences taken at the same time is not only extremely common, but pretty easily accomplished even with a full course load(15+ credits.) Medical school will consist of 25+ credit hours (perhaps someone else can give you an exact number) of science classes that you will have to simultaneously study for. Not to mention what you cover in a semester worth of chemistry / bio will be covered in approximately 1 week of Medical school. Couple that with your comments on taking two science courses over the summer and you'll realize that this has bad idea written all over it.
 
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