Woe is me thread

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DocMcMommy

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I'm feeling completely dejected and as if there is little to no hope for me to continue on to be a doctor.
I've posted before, but a brief recap of my history:

I moved out of my parents house and on my own when I was 16. I dropped out of high school and got my GED to work more hours to afford my apartment. I made two attempts at community college during that time and withdrew from each semester (but didn't do it properly the first time and I have an F, possibly two. I'm requesting my transcripts to find out). Now I'm married and have an infant. I'm now in community college and just finished my first year. I have a 3.5 GPA (got all A's and one C in precalculus the first semester) and am part of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor society, but I think I'm going to lose that because I got a C in Calculus (after holding a strong B the entire semester. I did HORRIBLE on the final). And I'm probably going to get a B in Chemistry. I take the final tonight, so I guess there's still hope for it to go up.

Anyway, without an A in Chemistry, my GPA will drop to either a 3.3 or 3.4, not including the F's from my mess up semesters.

I'm looking for volunteer positions for the summer, but I'm just not feeling confident. I just feel like I have so many things counting against me and I'm not sure how to recover. Any tips? If you can see past the self pity I just oozed all over the place, I would find any advice or encouragement very helpful.

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You've only almost finished one year. You have a long way to go to prove one way or the other (to yourself or adcoms) that you are ready for medical school. Getting a B in Chem I is definitely not the end of the world. You have 3 more years to raise your GPA to a 3.5+. It's definitely possible. Keep your head up, do your best, and see where things fall.
 
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We have similar paths. I moved out at 15, got my GED, and started working. I also started out at community college and it's been a long, hard road (and I don't even have kids, which I'm sure makes your situation even harder). Just realize that people will take your circumstances into account when they evaluate your application. Yes, you do need to have good grades. I'm not saying to slack off, but you have to give yourself a break emotionally. Self-doubt saps your energy and it's amazing what you can accomplish when you let go of the things you can't control. My advice: Volunteer doing something you genuinely love. The hours rack up pretty quick when you're not counting them.
 
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My story, because I know how you feel...

I moved out of my parents house and on my own when I was 17. I dropped out of high school and got my GED to work more hours to afford my apartment. I made two attempts at community/college at 18 and 20, and have two full semesters of Fs, I assume, because I was an idiot. (I'm also requesting my transcripts to find out). I'm 41 and 3/4 of the way through raising 4 kids. I'm now in college and just finished my first year. I have a 3.8 GPA--but let's not forget those derp semesters.

I stopped focusing on the end game pretty quickly--after reading multiple threads here of the *wise* variety--and started focusing on what I can do right now in my day to day life to ensure I have the opportunity to apply in the future should I still want to pursue medical school. I could get hit by a bus tomorrow. I could also realize a year from now that I'm passionate about sloth rehabilitation in South America (however that might sound). It's easy to doubt when a person has a rough start and the cons seem to outweigh the pros. So...one day at a time until that confidence shows up.
 
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When you toss a family into the situation you have to be realistic with what you can handle and what you should expect to get
A B in gen chem certainty is not the end of the road, nor are a few f's
Take a deep breath and be gentle on yourself
I myself tried to avoid math heavy classes together because I am one who requires a million and one practice problems to get it down and I know that I can not handle that personally
Keep putting your best foot forward and before you know it this will be a distant memory and you will be wondering why you were worried about it in the first place
 
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Thank you all so much, especially for sharing some of your situations.

I ended up scraping an A in Chemistry with the final and I got a hold of my unofficial transcripts; I only have one F and in an English course I've already retaken and aced.

Thanks @Darth Doc , a B wouldn't have been the end of the world and I DO have three more years to go. I need to try and chill out because stressing so much wasn't/isn't healthy for me nor my family.

Anyway, I really appreciate you all helping me and putting things into perspective.
 
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