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Where do we go from here?
- Thread starter chicandtoughness
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If he is afraid of some criticism or "terrible things" random people on an internet forum are going to post, then how is he going to make it through a medical school interview, medical school itself, or even the demanding pressures put on a practicing physician? He needs to buck up and take some responsibility for himself if he is truly interested in pursing such a demanding career. I say this without malice, but with concern.
Also, I'm a bit confused as you said he didn't know formal postbac programs exist, yet he missed the cutoff for a postbac program and decided to take classes on his own instead?
Also, I'm a bit confused as you said he didn't know formal postbac programs exist, yet he missed the cutoff for a postbac program and decided to take classes on his own instead?
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Ok, I'm seeing a few red flags here that need to be addressed. First and foremost, @KiddCo is correct, your SO needs to man up. There is nothing we can say to him here that will ever match up to the things he will hear in clinicals and residency.
1. It sounds like he doesn't have a full grasp of the basic pre-reqs to enter medical school. Bio 1&2, Chem 1&2, Ochem 1&2, Physics 1&2 +/- Biochemistry, Math, English, Psych/Soc. Those are all needed before the MCAT as well. Things that would be helpful are genetics, cell bio, etc. You can take most of those pre-reqs at CC and upper level courses can be taken at a local 4 year school.
2. The MCAT is almost never optional. There are only a handful of schools that do not absolutely require the MCAT and most of them are in the Caribbean (you don't want to go there). If he hasn't finished OChem 1 and 2, he's not ready to take the MCAT.
3. Although there are formal post-bacc programs that limit you if you've already taken course work, there are plenty of others that do not. Additionally, he can also look into SMPs which generally use a combination of graduate and medical school courses to prepare you for medical school and prove that you can handle it. Generally you need a cGPA > 3.0 to apply, although GPA waivers can be obtained (this is what I did).
4. If he doesn't do a formal post-bacc or SMP, CC courses alone won't shut the door, but he'll need some upper level course work with a strong performance to prove that he can handle the academic rigor.
I'd advise him to do a lot of research about the medical school application process as well as do a lot of reading on this board about how non-trads reinvent themselves to overcome low GPAs.
1. It sounds like he doesn't have a full grasp of the basic pre-reqs to enter medical school. Bio 1&2, Chem 1&2, Ochem 1&2, Physics 1&2 +/- Biochemistry, Math, English, Psych/Soc. Those are all needed before the MCAT as well. Things that would be helpful are genetics, cell bio, etc. You can take most of those pre-reqs at CC and upper level courses can be taken at a local 4 year school.
2. The MCAT is almost never optional. There are only a handful of schools that do not absolutely require the MCAT and most of them are in the Caribbean (you don't want to go there). If he hasn't finished OChem 1 and 2, he's not ready to take the MCAT.
3. Although there are formal post-bacc programs that limit you if you've already taken course work, there are plenty of others that do not. Additionally, he can also look into SMPs which generally use a combination of graduate and medical school courses to prepare you for medical school and prove that you can handle it. Generally you need a cGPA > 3.0 to apply, although GPA waivers can be obtained (this is what I did).
4. If he doesn't do a formal post-bacc or SMP, CC courses alone won't shut the door, but he'll need some upper level course work with a strong performance to prove that he can handle the academic rigor.
I'd advise him to do a lot of research about the medical school application process as well as do a lot of reading on this board about how non-trads reinvent themselves to overcome low GPAs.
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He definitely needs to get on SDN. The most significant resource I've had on this journey is this site. Trolls and all. It literally is like a full time course to browse the site and learn the process. From the correct shoes to wear at interview (that's right, I'm eyeing you guys wearing the 5th avenues instead of the parks), to how many hours you need for each checkbox to what classes to take prior to the MCAT. I'm confident I'm getting into medical school this cycle and I don't know if that would have happened without SDN.
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Just so you know, my dress shoes are slip on. No laces.
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Read this:Posting on behalf of my SO, who has heard terrible things about SDN and is a wuss
He majored in psychology in undergrad with a 2.8 GPA (yeah, I know). Worked in a trade industry (mechanic) for 5 years trying to figure out what he wanted to do. Has 2 years of hospital volunteering under his belt and decided he's going to live out his childhood dream of going to med school.
He didn't know about formal postbac programs. He's done 1 year of bio, 1 year of chem, and microbiology at a community college, with a 3.8 GPA. He had missed the application cycle for programs last year so that's why he did the classes at a cc.
Now we're a little confused. Should we apply to formal postbacc programs? He's worried he would be barred from them since he's already done so many prereqs at the cc level. Should we try for SMPs instead? But he's afraid he won't get in bc his ugrad GPA is so low and his courses were at cc. No MCAT yet, was planning to take this January if needed.
We're just confused and could use some guidance!
Goro's advice for pre-meds who need reinvention
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Believe it or not, a lot of the harshness from sd.net does not come from a place of malice. This process is not easy for the sub-3.0 applicant and only gets increasingly more difficult every year, and the harsh advice is to highlight that most of the time it will be difficult and heartbreaking. For everyone one low GPA success story you find there are lots more unmentioned failure stories. Not to discourage, but to help you get a realistic picture of how much is ahead of you and what you will compete with.
You might think some of the things the above posters say might sound harsh when we don't know your SO and his struggles, but that's the point. They need to know him and his struggles to advise him best. He needs to face their criticisms and questions head on to better shape his way forward. Only he knows his situation best and to get the kind of targeted help he needs to come on here himself to find what best fits for him. It will become apparent who are the trolls and he'll learn to tune them out, but despite all that studentdoctor.net really is a great resource to help guide you forward.
I started this journey with an abysmal 2.5 uGPA and an even lower sGPA. Sometimes it is so difficult to continue forward, and maybe I won't make it... but without sd.net I would not even have had a shot at making this all work out.
You might think some of the things the above posters say might sound harsh when we don't know your SO and his struggles, but that's the point. They need to know him and his struggles to advise him best. He needs to face their criticisms and questions head on to better shape his way forward. Only he knows his situation best and to get the kind of targeted help he needs to come on here himself to find what best fits for him. It will become apparent who are the trolls and he'll learn to tune them out, but despite all that studentdoctor.net really is a great resource to help guide you forward.
I started this journey with an abysmal 2.5 uGPA and an even lower sGPA. Sometimes it is so difficult to continue forward, and maybe I won't make it... but without sd.net I would not even have had a shot at making this all work out.
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People like to avoid bad news, which may be what he finds if he asks for advice rather than just hoping for the best.
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Still trying to find out what SO means.. I think an SMP program is great as long as "SO" can handle it and make sure to kill the MCAT.
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