r123 said:
I don't think I have any chance of getting accepted by US med schools since there are many very brilliant students than me. I just feel like big failure. I still need to at least try to give it a chance b/c I have been thinking about becoming one since elementary school. My stats are very bad, but I am going to bring my GPA up and do my best on MCAT. I just want to know if I should even do it or just think of alternative plan. I don't feel like giving up at all. My heart is telling me to go for it. I may be sounding very stupid, but I am sorry, I don't know what to do.
What should I do?!! I am very confused.
I haven't even decided on what specialty I want to go in. Optometry or MD.
My info:
Since I transferred from cc to University, my GPA went down from overall 3.00 to 2.5. Currently, I am taking MCAT this August and will be doing volunteering. Hopping to get my bachelors in chem. by next year.
Medicine is a huge commitment that gets even deeper the further you go. I would try to make an effort to see if this is really the right path for you; if it is, great then you know that you are going to have to dig your heels in and prepare for a long journey of pre-reqs, undergraduate work, mcats, and a possible post-bac. I highly suggest shadowing a physician for a while; this will either really turn you on or really turn you off. Talk to doctors about their experiences and opinions on medicine, talk to nurses, NPs, PA's, and so on to see if maybe another field would be a better fit for you.
If you decide that this is really what you want to do with the rest of your life, then may God be with you
. I would start by retaking any med school pre-reqs that you scored a C or below in and make sure you have an incredibly firm grasp of those courses because they are going to show up again on the mcat. You need to pull that gpa above a 3.0
Consider taking a review course; I didn't and normally wouldn't suggest it for most people, but you really really need to nail the mcat to have a shot at US schools. When I say you need to do well, I mean like 30+ well; do not take the exam until you are scoring in this range because it may very well be the kiss of death on your application.
Also look into some post bac programs to boost that gpa. You don't have to be the most brilliant person on the earth to get into medical school, but you do need to know how to study efficiently and plan your time wisely. If you are a weaker student, don't do anything stupid like take O-chem and physics together because these are both pre-req courses that med schools look hard at and really want to see their candidates do well in (like A or B well)
Get to know your professors well; if you need help in a course go in and see them. My cousin got through organic with an A because she literally went in to see her professor everyday to talk about assigned problems and basic concepts. Knowing your professors is also advantageous because then later on they can write outstanding letters of recommendation for you, stating how you were the most superest outstanding and hardworking student they have ever had and how you will make the most superest outstanding doctor because of your brilliance and work ethic. Or something like that.
Oh yeah, and if you do shadow or work in a hospital, try to get clinical letters of recommendation from the physicians you work with. I think these are really useful; it's nice when Dr. Ross, MD extraodinaire and bigtime hottie, can say, "so and so does very well with patients and will be an excellent asset to the medical community in the future."
