Chances for a 24-Year-Old Cancer Survivor..

Chance Me / Match Me!
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<p>I posted this in another thread but it doesn't seem to be too active in there. Anyways, help is greatly appreciated:</p>

<p>I have a unique situation and I'm not sure about how it has affected my chances of getting into med school. Towards the end of sophomore year (a year and a half ago) I was diagnosed with advanced testicular cancer. Since that time I've literally been through hell and back dealing with that situation. Two stem cell transplants, 12 rounds of chemotherapy, multiple surgeries, etc. Finally, after all that it is in remission and my chances are good that it will never come back.</p>

<p>For the year or two before my diagnosis I was sick. I never knew it was because of cancer and neither did the doctors that I went to see. I was exhausted all the time and my schoolwork suffered. My cumulative GPA for my first 38 credits of college is 3.2. The 40 or so credits since then have had a cumulative of 3.7. I'm fairly certain that from here on out I can get almost a 4.0 every semester. My final cumulative for everything will probably be around 3.7.</p>

<p>I feel like I'm a smart guy and have confidence that I'll get a decent enough score on the MCAT. Are my chances totally screwed by my GPA and health issues? A couple people have told me that the whole situation will make my application unique and strengthen it. I want to agree with that. My health issues have also prevented me from doing anything at all when it comes to volunteering, being active in clubs, and working in the medical field. Am I too late? I'm halfway through my Junior year. I just feel overwhelmed and don't know where to start or if I even should bother.</p>

<p>It's always been my dream to go to medical school but I don't want to do all this work in vain. I should also mention that I will have a letter of recommendation from Dr. Lawrence Einhorn. He is definitely a celebrity within the medical community as he is the inventor of chemotherapy for testicular cancer and various other things. He treated Lance Armstrong and is a pretty influential doctor.</p>

<p>I go to the University of Utah by the way. I believe that if I'm given the chance and they really read about my situation I can talk my way right into a medical school. What frightens me is having my application glanced at and rejected for the slightly below average GPA and likely average MCAT score and thrown into the do not accept pile.</p>

<p>Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Let me know if you need any other information. Thanks.</p>

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<p>Hmm… i feel like admissions are generally accomidating when it comes to medical illness and its affect on your performance. You over coming cancer is definatly something that you can play up in your apps. Theres nothing wrong with doing that. My friend wrote an unbelievable essay about his brother’s battle with cancer.</p>

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<p>That’s good. Do you think I will even get a chance though? I just don’t want my app thrown out at a quick glance.</p>

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<p>You should read the posts on the Dartmouth board from a young girl in a similar situation, 2 bouts of cancer. She did not get in.</p>

<p>Adcom are human, they will feel your pain and be sympathetic. But can they let someone into med school without the numbers? Probably not. </p>

<p>I don’t know enough about med school to say whether you’re a good candidate or not. But I would not expect to be admitted to any school your stats don’t support.</p>

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<p>^ Yeah, I believe u do need the numbers. Study hard and get that MCAT score!</p>

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<p>Does ACT/SAT score play much of a factor? I didn’t do well on it way back in high school. I’d be willing to retake if it’s important.</p>

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<p>SATs aren’t that important after a year or two of college.</p>

<p>As far as your chances, I can’t really say, I haven’t researched this area much, but if your grades trend upwards, its easier for them to over look your ealier short comings. And remember, its never to late to start to participate in clubs and other organizations!</p>