Hi yall, I am very new to this, but I am not sure where to turn for help.
I am about to be a junior at the University of Michigan and have struggled tremendously in coursework my first two years at Michigan. I have just recently decided to major in Psychology and trying my best to go to medical school. My first two years at Michigan did not go well partially because I was suffering with depression and partially because I don’t know how to study well. I am determined to make my next two years at Michigan exceptional by working hard and figuring out the right study habits. I want to do well and succeed.
In terms of science classes I have taken Chem 125, 126 (B-) Chem 130(C+), Chem 210 (C- but retaking in the spring), Chem 211 (B), Chem 215(C-), Chem 216(B), Biology 171(C+), Biology 172(C-), & Biology 173(B+).
I have taken physics 1/2 elsewhere (B+)
I realize these are less than ideal grades for med school or grad school. I was hoping someone could give me insight on how to prepare for biochem 415, pchem, genetics and animal physiology.
Also more importantly can anyone help or suggest any masters or SMP/post bacc programs that I should look into. I am also open to a Masters in Public Health or Health Administration but ultimately I want to still go to med school. I have tried talking with an advisor at Newman but none were helpful whatsoever.
You may not consider it helpful but I genuinely think you should give up on Med school completely. If you take med school off the table, what’s your next option? Is it really an MPH?
I don’t really know anything about these classes of programs so I can’t give you any advice for them specifically.
I just graduated from U of M’s MPH program. Happy to answer any questions about MPHs in general.
To be completely honest, I can’t really see medical school anywhere in your near future. It’s just a very numbers-driven process. A lot of people started the MPH program here (generally in epid) with the intention of going into medicine afterwards and I don’t know of any that actually got accepted into med school (only about 10% ended up even applying afterwards).
I realize that I have a zero chance of getting in if I applied after senior year, but do I really have no shot if I do a graduate program or a post bacc?
" My first two years at Michigan did not go well partially because I was suffering with depression and partially because I don’t know how to study well."
I would have to say that you got some advice from other posters which might have been somewhat on point as to your grades and as to a possible match to graduate school, but that advice didn’t include a very large dose of empathy. It seems that you need to scrap around a bit to find a useful counselor, but you should do so, the right one will be worth the effort.
However, it seems to me that you are ignoring what should be your first priority: your mental health.
If you can get the depression sorted out, your grades might shape up. The game isn’t over yet. Get some counseling and/or get an appropriate prescription. If you can sort out your mood, you might find the coursework a bit more interesting and crush it as to grades. Get your personal life sorted out and the academic picture will, to a degree, sort itself out.
Good luck and keep counter-punching: “It is never too late to be what you might have been.”.
I agree with blue. Have you tried using CAPS?
I do not work with CAPS but I work with an affiliated program at U of M and we refer a lot of people over. I’m happy to help via PM if you’d like some resources.
As other have said, please meet with mental health counselor at U of M. Presume you are on some medication, if not visit the specialists and get help. Involve your close family and friends for support.
You may also consider taking some time off from college to sort out mental health issues. When you get back to normalcy, then you can explore all options, including post baccalaureate, Physician Assistant, DO, and Caribbean med schools. Do not dwell too much about grades; past is past - taking care of your health NOW will ensure you a better future.
Good luck.
As a guy who went through all those weed out classes a couple decades ago, you have my sympathies. Psych will definitely help you boost your GPA. There also used to be some really good special masters programs in the olden days. I think VCU was one example. The programs were specifically designed to get you relevant science credits, boost your gpa, prepare you for the MCAT, and get you into med school within a year or 18 months. Or you could go to business school or law school like my friends and I all did after chem 210-211 destroyed our dreams.