Withdrawal Situation Undercontrol in Adcom Eyes

[postbacpremed87]

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I withdrew from a lot of classes over a two year period equivalent to 3 full semesters to take care of my grandfather. He had a host of co-morbidities...CHF, diabetes, aspiration pneumonia, dementia/adult failure to thrive. He was like my father growing up so I had to do it. I did come back to finish my degree in Econ with honors. After I graduated, I was accepted into my school's MS in Economics program but quickly found out that it wasn't for me. Thoughts of medicine started to creep into my head. For kicks and giggles I took PHYS 1 w/lab and made an A in both that summer. I then decided that I wanted to take a gap year to decide if medicine was truly the right thing for me. I was registered for fall classes but decided to withdraw almost a week in(no exams taken yet). The same with the spring. I thought about classes, but really wanted to take a year off to heal from my grandfather's loss/the exhaustion from taking care of him, and the mental exhaustion that came from starting a MS in Econ program that wasn't for me. In that year I accumulated a butt load of shadowing, clinical volunteering, and got on with a clinical research project. I was very productive and through all that decided medicine was for me (this coupled with being a caregiver for my grandfather and witnessing my sister's sickness as growing up.

Since then I have taken 41 hours as a 2nd degree post-bacc and have a 4.0 GPA in all pre-requisites. My overall when I graduated with my BS in Econ with honors was a 3.68 and my BCPM before post-bacc was a 3.75 because I took a lot of mathematics classes. My BCPM in post-bacc is a 4.0 and my overall BCPM is a 3.9 and cGPA a 3.77.

Am I redeemed?

 

[CodeBlu]

Apply and find out. Better yet... ask an adcom for their opinion if they are willing to give it.

Your grades are great. MCAT score pending... you'll be fine.

 

[LizzyM]

I don't see any issues. You weren't dropping to preserve a perfect gpa, you had a good reason to drop, your heart wasn't in the econ program and you dropped out and you have tested your interest in medicine through shadowing, etc.

Good luck on the MCAT and you are good-to-go.

 

[Truzzi]

I actually think this gives you an advantage. I think the gap year you took in order to discover your true passions was extremely mature. Make sure you emphasize the positive aspects that came out of the time off. Let the adcoms know you grew from it, and now have an undeniable urge to become a physician.

If you frame it right, this will separate you from other applicants (in a good way). Good luck.