Do I have a Chance at Med School?

Pre-Med & Medical School Pre-Med Topics
1

So…I’m going to make a VERY long story short. Just started my undergrad at a 4-year institution in the fall. In the beginning of semester one, I had great grades. However, near the mid-mark my mother’s lupus returned and she was additionally diagnosed with CVS. Not even factoring in the mental strain this put on me (I was admittedly depressed for weeks), I was one of the main support systems for my mother (emotional and physical) and this caused me to miss quite a bit of my classes. I finished the first semester with a 1.93 GPA.

Second Semester, I started anew, and vowed to not let my personal life get in the way of my school work. This time around, I made it about 60% through the semester with great grades, but mid-March, we learned that my mother’s kidney had started to reject and that she also had a thyroid issue that was making her lose weight rapidly. Again, this put more strain on the time I had available for school and on my mental health as well.

In addition the health problems mentioned above, I also work a semi-full-time job (30 hrs a week) to support myself.

I know that dealing with stress is a major part of med school and of being a doctor. However, I’d never been bombarded with rapid-fire tragedy like I have this year.

Furthermore, I know I can handle the workload as I was able to maintain A’s and B’s up until the point at which I was delivered bad news.

With that being said, is there any possibility of being accepted into med school? It’s been my dream to be a doctor since I was a little girl (especially considering I grew up in the hospital with my mother’s cacophony of health issues) and I’d be absolutely devastated if this year screwed my entire future.

2

Hindsight is 20/20, but after your disastrous first semester, you should have withdrawn from all your classes once “stuff” started to pile up second semester.

Right now you’re in deep, deep hole academically, one that you may not be able to crawl out of before college graduation. I won’t say med school is out of reach, but you have a lot of GPA repair ahead of you.

My suggestions:

  1. Assess your current grades honestly.

Any med school pre-req class(es) in which you earned a C- or below, you MUST retake. (This includes things like psych, English, as well as math, stats, bio, chem or physics.) Med schools do not consider any grades below a C as passing for medical school admissions.

As part of your assessment, consider those classes you earned a C or better and whether you adequately learned the material. Science and mathematics is cumulative. You can’t successful in higher level coursework if your basics are shaky. If you feel you lack confidence indoor preparation to take a higher level class, do a retake to solidify your foundations.

Re: retakes–unless you can earn As in all of your retaken classes, you should probably consider a different career. Adcomms will not look favorably on any retaken class that doesn’t have an A grade.

  1. You’ve had a lot thrown at you this year. Consider seeking counseling to help you deal with all this stress. (Your college probably offers at least short term counseling for free or low cost. Start there.)

During your counseling sessions, ask to learn some techniques to help you manage stress going forward. I have to be brutal here–but sooner or later you are going to lose your parent. It happens to everyone. Some at a very young age. (D2 witnessed her dad die in an accident on vacation when she was just 15. She was very close with her father. D2 used that pain to as inspiration to excel academically and to reach out to help others. The internal determination, strength & resiliency she developed has helped her through some very severe life challenges later on–including a cancer diagnosis.) You need to learn to find your support internally and not be so dependent on your parent to provide your emotional and physical wellbeing.

  1. Realize that med students–and even pre-meds–need to be selfish. Your academics and your career always comes first–ahead of family, ahead of friends. This is, unfortunately, one of the dirty little secrets of a career as a physician. You may need to choose between being your mother’s caretaker/support system and your dreams of a medical career. If you can’t emotionally shut yourself off from your mother’s problems, you may need to give up or at least postpone your med school dreams. See if there are other family members who would be willing to help your mother manage her multiple medical issues.

  2. Be strategic going forward. If you ever again find yourself in situation where you feel academically overwhelmed, withdraw from your classes. You simply cannot afford any more grades below a B+ if you want to go to medical school.

Be aware that withdrawing means you will lose your tuition for that semester and it will take you longer to complete your undergraduate degree.

If you cannot afford to lose your tuition costs, consider an alternate route to med school–put your med school aspirations aside and earn a degree that will allow you to support yourself after graduation. Once you’re out of school and more financially stable and independent, then go back to school (full or part-time) to complete your pre-reqs and remediate your sGPA. Med school will always be there when you’re ready.

  1. Be open to other medical careers and osteopathic med schools. There are many, many professional level healthcare provider jobs that do not have the high academic entry barriers that medical schools do.

See; [Explore Health Careers](https://explorehealthcareers.org)

Would you be happy as advance practice nurse (APRN) or nurse practitioner? Podiatrist? Optometrist? Anesthesiologist Assistant? Respiratory therapist? Cardiac perfusion technologist? Physician Assistant? Medical librarian? Healthcare administrator?