Where to begin?

[GoldenBlind221]

I'm 22. I'm enrolled at a community college, and as far as I know, do not have any credits. I took some classes last fall, but did not complete them due to a family emergency, so I'm going to take them again. If they are on my transcript as failing, will this count against me when I eventually apply to med school, despite taking them again?

Basically I'm on this site looking for the best advice I can get from the folks who are already in the trenches. I don't have a clue what I'm doing. My original plan was to get my associates degree in nursing, get work, then work on my bachelors degree and see what I wanted to do after that. But pretty recently I've had experiences that have made me desire to become a physician, so I'm wondering if I have a shot at it. Basically I'm starting at zilch. I know nothing about the world of medical school, none of the acronyms or admissions procedures or what schools are out there, or anything.

Depending on how I do at CC, I want to go to the University of Texas to complete my bachelors. Not certain what I want to major in, exactly, but biology is sounding pretty good.

I guess I'll get to the point: what is the best resource for someone who is completely clueless? I'm talking Med School for Dummies, or Complete Idiots Guide to Med School kinda resources. I'm a fairly intelligent chick, and I think if I work my tail off for the next 4 or 5 years, I stand a good chance at doing this. How do you begin?

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[runningmom]

I guess I'll get to the point: what is the best resource for someone who is completely clueless? I'm talking Med School for Dummies, or Complete Idiots Guide to Med School kinda resources. I'm a fairly intelligent chick, and I think if I work my tail off for the next 4 or 5 years, I stand a good chance at doing this. How do you begin?

Off the top of my head:
*Keep reading these forums.
*Find a pre-med advisor - though you probably don't have one at the CC. *Check out UT Health Professionals webpage. I don't know how much they'll help since you aren't a student yet, but you should be able to get the basics and see where to go from there.
* Check out the US News and World "Ultimate Guide to Medical School"
* Hang in there - it is a marathon not a sprint.... (not my analogy, but it works so well I've adopted it!)

 

[GoldenBlind221]

Off the top of my head:
*Check out UT Health Professionals webpage. I don't know how much they'll help since you aren't a student yet, but you should be able to get the basics and see where to go from there.
* Check out the US News and World "Ultimate Guide to Medical School"
* Hang in there - it is a marathon not a sprint.... (not my analogy, but it works so well I've adopted it!)

this is awesome. thanks.

 

[hermit]

If you didn't drop your CC classes and got Fs, yes, this will count as part of your GPA.

If you can ditch the CC sooner than later for UT, do it.
EDIT TO ADD: Or any 4 year university, really. I know where Katy is and know there are several 4 year colleges in driving distance.

Buy an MSAR for the ins/outs of med school admissions.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/15...9515/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-6656568-8536710?ie=UTF8

Pre-med students that are successful have good GPAs, good MCAT scores, volunteer experience, clinical experience, and maybe a little research, maybe a little time spent with practicing docs.

Take what you read on SDN with a grain of salt.

 

[Andromeda]

I believe it is definitely forgivable that you dropped your classes in lieu of a family emergency! Keep in mind that as much as many of us view medical admissions committees as evil, they are human and will most likely understand. There will be plenty of opportunities to explain your circumstances in your application. It would be more difficult if you dropped more than once and did not display a persistent character that overcame the difficulties.

Be aware that some medical schools do not accept the premed reqs from community colleges. Perhaps you can take intro bio and/or chem courses at your CC to help prepare you for similar classes at UT.

Definitely find a premed advisor

Best of luck!