Joewright, you have made some very honest statements and I appreciate that. I admit I am not naturally gifted in the sciences and constantly felt immbolized with fear at the thought of tackling these subject matters. That’s the way I felt as a young girl. It was pure paralysis. I did not study because I felt I couldn’t do things right anyway so what was the point of trying, thought my 20-year-old mind. You’re right in that I have to kill the past or it will always come back to haunt me. I knew from the beginning that my situation was very bizarre, what with having grades from a community college and then not having taken all, but certainly most, of my pre-med courses, making me ineligible for post-bacc programs geared towards non-science majors, and then getting good grades here and there and disasterous grades elsewhere. Clearly, my troubled mind reflected its’ roller coaster effect on my grades, with me not being able to string two good quarters together in my late teens and early twenties. I’d have one outstanding quarter here, one shaky quarter there. But I have worked my mind and body to the bone in the recent years to normalize my life. Changing yourself is the hardest thing to do, and it took many, many, many years for me to accomplish this, but I did. I feel I have a chance to make a better life for myself. I am not trying to infuse myself with false hope - I recognize how ludicrous my grades look to the admissions counselors I reach out to. I understand this is why out of the thirty medical schools I have contacted, fourteen have responded saying they could not advise me at this time. I know my grades have damaged me to the point of no return in the eyes of some. But I just need to be pointed in the right direction to start making reparations for my past. Each day I receive yet another “We cannot help you” response from a medical school is another reminder of the “scarlett letter” I placed upon myself as a young girl. So that’s why I appreciate the help you have provided for me here in this forum.
And thanks, Joewright, I will look into Judy Colwell! Has anyone here used her services successfully?
I considered using Judy’s services. She provides a wide range of services from pre-med advising to personal statement and interviewing help. She is very experienced, as Joe mentioned. In your unique position of having pre-reqs on the verge of being too old, some of them good grades, some of them bad grades, it might be worth your $$ to have Judy help you plot out your best course. You can find out more about her services at www.judycolwell.com
I used Judy Colwell’s services and I can tell you it helped me considerably. Money well spent.
Wow, that’s great. Are you currently in medical school? Or are you taking your post-baccs? Can you please share with me your story?
Etc,
are you by any chance coming to the conference in June? Because that’s a great place to discuss this kind of stuff (and to meet Judy, too). Be that as it may, I took my MCAT last April and applied last summer, receiving 8 interview invites, of which I attended 6 interviews, got 5 acceptances and 1 alternate list. It was nice after all that hard work to be able to pick and choose where we wanted to move! I certainly attribute a portion of my success to Judy’s wise advice and would recommend her to premeds of any age. I’ll be starting osteopathic medical school this August and am quite apprehensive (there’s another thread discussing this phenomenon).
As for my story, it’s a simple one 
I decided to switch from computer programming to something more meaningful and challenging and have progressed into massage therapy and now osteopathy, and my ultimate goal is to have a family practice clinic with manipulation as a significant modality. At least, that’s my goal at the moment.
- etc1007 Said:
Please do not let negative people get in your way. I am just a physical therapist/certified hand therapist, but I was told I would never be able to pass the certified hand therapy exam by this women in San Antonio. After I passed it the same women was offering me a job.
I came to Philadelphia to work with the top hand surgeons and now I am thinking of going to medical school. Don't give up, my prereq's are ancient, so I will have to take them again. I just hope they don't make me take English 1 and 2 again! I don't mind the sciences as much.