Improving Pre-Med Chances

Pre-Med & Medical School Pre-Med Topics
1

<p>Greetings College Confidential Members, </p>

<p>I'm fairly new to this forum, but just browsing around for a few hours I've discovered how great of a tool this forum is for college and future college students. Anyways, let me get to the point.</p>

<p>I'm a premed at Emory University, going into my senior year. I am a declared Biology BA major and I'm almost close to completing my major. As every pre-med dreams, I want to go to medical school/dental/pharmacy school. However, my undergrad has been much less than superb. I know what I can achieve and I am well aware of my limits/boundaries and what is possible for me.</p>

<p>My freshman year, I took Bio and achieved subpar grades, B in Bio and A's and high B's in other elective/required courses. </p>

<p>My sophomore year, I battled horrible depression and was addicted to drugs up until middle of junior year. No excuses though, I don't plan on using this excuse as a ride into med schools; which is why I'm here for some guidance from you intelligent folks! Regardless of which, I received a few A's, D+ in Chem, D in Human Phys and A's and B's in electives. </p>

<p>Junior year, I did much better as I was able to, less of a better term, "control" my addiction and managed to get pretty much all A's except a C in Orgo (I know pretty bad still). </p>

<p>Second semester junior year, I got off the drugs but I took a medical withdrawal of Orgo 2 as the dean gave me some time off to help me with my rehabilitation. Other than that, the rest of my electives/etc. were all A and A-s. With a new schedule and off drugs, I ended 2nd semester with A- in Evo Bio, A- in ECS (Bio elective), B+ in Cell Bio. </p>

<p>When I became completely sober during the summer, I retook Chem, got an A- both semesters. Retook Human Phys and received an A-. Got a A- in Insect Bio, and B in Biochem, </p>

<p>Now I know I need much more work and improvement in these grades as I still have only a 3.2, edging 3.3 GPA. This isn't acceptable to much of any med schools/pharmacy/dental. </p>

<p>I was wondering what can I do to further improve my grades and chances at med/pharmacy/dental school? I know I can do this and after hitting rock bottom and being able to climb myself up, I have a better understanding of what I can achieve although it is very much strained due to my poor grades midway through my undergraduate. Any comments/feedback would be great. Thank you all for reading!</p>

2

<p>Would you consider osteopathic medical school?</p>

<p>DO programs permit grade replacement/grade forgiveness so that the newer retaken grade is the only one used in computing your GPA. What is your GPA using grade replacement for your C/D/F classes?</p>

<p>Your low GPA and up & down performance are going to be big issues with adcomms to all of the professional programs (DDS/DMD, MD, PharmD) which don’t permit grade replacement.</p>

<p>For medical/dental school, one possibility would be a grade-enhancing post-bacc. </p>

<p>AMCAS has searchable database of post-bacc programs here: </p>

<p><a href=“https://services.aamc.org/postbac/”>https://services.aamc.org/postbac/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Choose academic record enhancers as the type. </p>

<p>You could probably pursue a MS in pharmacology or micro or some other pharm related field and use that as a platform to apply to PharmD programs once you have a multi-year proven track record of success in upper level and graduate level coursework.</p>

<p>There is one other option (a nuclear option so to speak) and that is a SMP (Special Master’s Program). Most of these programs will require a good MCAT score (27+, minimum required MCAT varies by program) and are basically a 1-2 year program that covers some/most of the same material as the first year of med school. At the best SMP programs, you will taking classes together with actual med students and be graded against them. Some SMPs offer guaranteed interviews for top performing students. The downside of these programs is that if you have mediocre GPA (anything less than 3.8) or are not in the top 25% of the class, any chance you have for medical/dental school is permanently gone. SMPs are a risk, but they can have high rewards.</p>

<p>Since you are going to be senior, I’d also strongly recommend taking a year or two off after graduation to work–hopefully in a clinical or research related job – both to reaffirm your sobriety and to put some distance between your poor performance and your future academic endeavors. (Then do grade replacement, a post-bacc or grad program.) </p>

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<p>Maybe I am crazy but I dont think that someone who is an addict and suffers from depression should go to med school. </p>

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<p>WOWM has given you wonderful advice already, but I do want to mention one thing. If you did have a drug addiction from depression, this is something that needs to be healed with the proper rehab and therapy. This something that can relapse later in life, even if you think it won’t. As a son of a clinical psychologist, I have seen far too often that drug addicts never deal with the thing that triggered the addiction, and one day in life they encounter it again and their life falls apart.</p>

<p>I am not telling you to share your personal details, but just to keep in mind if you were seriously depressed and addicted to drugs, it’s a serious issue, perhaps more than you think.</p>

5

<p>You should be in a much better health condition. Academics at Med. School is brutal and non-compromizing. You might be given couple additional chances, but you still have to pass everything. Considering just a stress of preparing for Step 1 exam, few of my D’s very healthy classmates in their 20s got shingles while preparing for Step 1. They were told that shingles were caused by stress. I have never heard of shingles in 20 y o’s before.
Then the 3rd year when you start clinicals is even much more brutal than pre-clinicals in all aspects, including emotional and physical in addition to great presuure to still continue passing all shelf exams and some of them my D. was assessing being more challenging than her Step 1.<br>
OK, say miracle happen and you got in somewhere at Med. School or DO. Are you up to the brutal realities of these places? All people there are not only academically strong, they are personally very strong people. </p>

6

<p>I think you have to include your drug addict history on your med school application, that by itself may have diminished your chances of acceptance. </p>

7

<p>^^Applicants are not required to disclose their psychiatric history when they apply. (Psychiatric history includes drug and/or alcohol abuse/addiction)</p>

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<p>Disclosure may not be required for med school apps, but it is required when applying for a state medical license. IN addition, many hospitals would require a separate agreement before allowing hospital privileges.</p>

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<p>“Applicants are not required to disclose their psychiatric history when they apply. (Psychiatric history includes drug and/or alcohol abuse/addiction)” - but drug test is required. So, what is the point fo hiding, it will be disclosed anyway. </p>

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<p><a href=“Does med school drug test??? | Student Doctor Network”>http://■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/threads/does-med-school-drug-test.909141/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>It depends. But my DD went to volunteer in a hospital, she was drug tested plus more…</p>