Hello to anyone who reads this, as you can see from the title of this conversation I’m seeking advice about my current situation.
It has always been my dream to become a doctor, this is one of the earliest memories I have from growing up. This is something I’ve always wanted and have always imagined myself doing. I can honestly say that I can’t see myself being anything else besides a doctor. However right now I’m in a tough situation…
I was former running start student, for those who don’t know what that is that’s basically when you take college classes while still in high school. I was doing quite well, I was getting 4.0s in the courses I took however that began to slowly change. After graduating high school with a 4.0 gpa everything pretty much went down hill for me. I started getting distracted from my goals and not taking college seriously, I started losing motivation in wanting to be in school and eventually my 4.0 gpa dropped to what is now a 2.5.
At this point I do realize that I’ve dug myself into a very deep hole and I know that I haven’t displayed the characteristics of someone who’s passionate about Med school but becoming a doctor is still a dream for me. I still don’t see myself being anything else besides a doctor. I just turned 20 years old and I really want to start doing things right.
Iv’e completed the general chem series and biology, and was planning on taking O.chem and Physics this coming year at the college. I’m pretty much aware that regardless of whether I get a 4.0 in the classes it isn’t going to raise my gpa much, however my goal is to at least show an upward trend on my transcript.
What I want to know is what else I should be doing so I can raise my chances of getting into medical school with my current situation? And what should I do when I transfer to a university? I would like to believe that I still have a chance of proving myself, I know it may not be easy but I believe that I can do it.
Where are you getting that 2.5 gpa? In a CC? If that is the case, I think you’d better think in Physician Assistance, you will not be a Doctor, but you will be acting like a doctor. It takes less time to complete and you still can make a living in the health care field.
OP, you’re in a bad place. You have a less than med school worthy GPA from a CC with the poor grades being very recent.
This is going to sound cruel, but just because you have dreamed about being a physician doesn’t mean you have the ability to become one. Sometime growing up mean we have to face our own shortcomings and let go of childhood dreams.
More than anything else the tone and content of your post tells me you have a great deal of growing up to do before you can be successful.
What is your science GPA? Science GPA = GPA only for bio, chem, math and physics.
What science classes have you taken? If you’ve taken any classes more than once, list how many times. Depending on how many credits you’ve taken and how many times you’ve retaken classes, you may not be able to fix your GPA.
I am going to suggest several things–none are a sure fire fix for your situation, but they are only your chance to achieve your dream of med school.
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get some counseling to find out why you are sabotaging yourself. Getting your head in the right place is the first step.
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accept that there are no quick solutions. You may not realistically have a chance for med school for another 5-6 years. Right now there is no way you can take a year or two of coursework and be a competitive candidate.
Often the best way to demonstrate you’re a good med school candidate is to step back from college for 3-5 years, work, develop some maturity, develop some self discipline and good work habits–and then come back to college and excel.
This is probably your best option.
- if you are determined to start at your 4 year college next fall ( which I do not recommend), you have a huge challenge ahead of you. You need to take --and ace-- at least 45-60 credits of upper level sciences. Doing anything less than A work is not going to help you.
If you can get a 3.8+ in your next 45-60 credits of upper level science coursework AND you can score a 511 or higher on the MCAT, you may be a viable candidate for DO programs, your state med schools (unless you live in CA) and any MD program that rewards reinvention.
Sorry, I just can’t see some one get 2.5 in a CC for two years and all of a sudden become 4.0 student in a 4 year U. with all high level science courses. He does not have a good handle in basic courses, how can he handle med school level courses?