Hi everyone,
I think I’m having a bout of F.U.D. I’ve been thinking about my past college career and the mistakes I made, and I’m convincing myself (unintentionally) that I have crossed the point of no return and there is no way a medical school will give me a chance.
I graduated with a 3.2 gpa (barely) and a MCAT of 40 (whew!). But I worry day and night that some of the mistakes I made will cost me. For example, while I always took my academics seriously, I, for some reason, always lacked academic focus. I kept changing majors throughout college; it was only in my junior year did I truly find my calling in medicine, and that has been about three years ago. Also my grades throughout college, well, up to almost senior year, were not great…I have more C’s and lower than I would like to admit. 
I think throughout college I had such a provincial outlook that I was more concerned about learning (I was always a dedicated student) than about the gpa. I didn’t bother to care about the number, only that I was satisfied with what I learned. I know it may seem counter intuitive; if I learned it, then I should have had a good gpa, but I think I had bad test-taking skills at the time. I don’t think I appreciated just how important the gpa was (and is).
While I did excellent in my post-bacc. prerequisites, I just worry that my lack of focus and mistakes will undermine any hope of fulfilling my dream of becoming a physician. I don’t know, maybe I’m too hard on myself. I just know deep down that this is truly what I want and I hope that things from the past do not hinder me like I worry they will.
Thank for letting me vent!
Hi Fuzzylogician
I think you have a pretty good shot provided your overall application is relatively strong. Do you have community service (not necessarily in a medical setting but something that shows commitment), have you shadowed and can you tell a compelling story about you.
Here’s my history:
I had an initial UG GPA of 2.73. It was pretty ancient. I also had my MBA (grad GPA of 3.39). My post bacc was better (3.8). Cumm UG GPA 3.12. My MCAT was 31 Q or R (can’t remember). I had a good level of volunteer work at a local hospice and with an organization that trained dogs for the blind / deaf / disabled. I shadowed, but not too extensively. I think I had a pretty good personal statement. I applied very widely - over 30 schools in total which was a lot of work. I applied to Canada (I’m Canadian but didn’t expect any love there) US-MD, US-DO and Ireland. I was accepted into 2 DO schools and I declined an interview from a 3rd DO. I was also accepted to a school in Ireland.
You will definitely feel FUD. Even after I was accepted I had this feeling of being a fraud. It wasn’t until I got a section or two under my belt at med school that I felt I belonged here.
Anyway, I hope that helped. I would tell you pull your application together making sure you give it the very best shot you can. Apply broadly but don’t over do it (20 max I think is the recommended number).
All the best,
Lynda
Hi Lynda,
Thank you for your response and your own story. This does help to alleviate some of the uncertainty and insecurity I have.
I can make a compelling case for (some) of the abysmal performance issues, which was due to terrible familial circumstances, but I worry that if I talk about this, the committee may construe it as making excuses and attempting to circumvent responsibility (which I am TOTALLY not trying to do).
Also, I think one of the reasons my focus was hampered is that prior to coming to college, I was home schooled, so I did not have the benefit of counseling and guidance that could have come about through a public education. In addition, because of personal circumstances, I had to structure and teach my own curriculum from middle to high school graduation (no kidding). So I think that autonomy, while serving to instill responsibility, may have been detrimental when it comes to strategic long-term planning and goal organizing.
Even with the mitigation, I still take responsibility for what happened.
The key thing when addressing these in your Personal statement is not to go on and on about them. I wrote my personal statement about why I wanted to be a doctor (what had led me there and what I learned about myself from my volunteer experiences) and then tacked on a short paragraph (3-4 sentences) at the end that basically said I wasn’t ready emotionally for university when I started and my grades reflected this. However, I sought out help and turned my grades around - referencing my greatly improved last year of UG, my MBA results plus my strong post bacc GPA. No excuses. I took responsibility and showed ownership by turning things around.
So what I am trying to say is not to make your entire Personal Statement about how you screwed up your grades.
Hope that helps.
Lynda
Lynda,
I couldn’t agree more. I think ownership of the situation will be key and serve me well. Part of me (of which I’m not listening to) wants to explain in great detail what happened, but the other part says “no, be brief and show you’re past that and ready to succeed.”
Thanks again, you’ve been a great help!