grades from 23 years ago!

This is the situation:
23 years ago I enrolled in a college. I completed one semester, and then the second semester I dropped out and recieved a string of F’s – 6 to be exact.
For the last four years I’ve been getting my undergrad degree and taking the pre-reqs for med school, not even thinking about that past situation; I didn’t think it would come into play because the school I’m at now didn’t accept those courses. Just two days ago I began filling out the AMCAS application and realized that they want transcripts from all schools!! I don’t even want to think about how this is going to affect/kill my gpa.
Any thoughts or words of advice (beside what the hell were you thinking!)
Thanks

macpher:
I don’t think you are going to need to worry. Hypothetically if those grades from that long ago were all A’s it is possible that you would have to repeat them because they were so old. Conversely if they would not allow you to use good grades because they were stale, it is doubtful that bad grades could be held aganst you to any great extent as to hurt you. They make you take the MCATs again if they are too old whether your score is stellar or terrible. In searching for a university to transfer to I came across information on almost every website of potentional schools when grades are greater than ten years old, there is a process to start from scratch. An academic “do over” at the undergrad level. It didn’t apply to me because my grades are newer and my GPA is good.
Are your grades good now? I would make some calls and simply ask potential med schools. That was a lifetime ago.
There are bios on this site of people in your shoes and they got into medical school. I am sure you will see posts indicating that you are still in the game…

The schools do require that you record all grades earned in your lifetime at each and every school you ever attended. Did you take any of those classes over again?

I wouldn’t worry about it. Schools will see the work you’ve done now and appreciate how you’ve changed as a person, for the better.

macpher, well, yeah, you gotta report 'em and there’s nothing you can do about it now. Obviously your more recent educational exploits are worth bragging about. What will 15 credits of Fs do to your GPA? Well, you can do the math - since then you’ve racked up, what, 100+ credits on your way to a bachelor’s degree and hopefully with a good GPA. So those Fs are a ding on the GPA but shouldn’t be fatal.
There are SOME schools that aren’t going to look further than the summary GPA that is calculated by AMCAS, and your application may be hurt by that. But any school that spends a minute looking at the chronology of your grades is going to pretty much shrug off those Fs.
You need to address this, in one sentence at MOST, in your personal statement, just talking about how you were immature, not ready for college, and just got the hell out of Dodge as fast as you could - or something like that, only in many fewer words. There needs to be something in your PS that conveys, “Yeah, I know, I screwed up but that was a long time ago and I’m a different person now.” AdComs just want to know that YOU appreciate you were a screw-up.
But don’t belabor the point because that long-ago misadventure is not a very important part of your story. It’s a blip, and you should treat it as one. If the rest of your application is solid, it shouldn’t hold you back. Good luck!

I had the same problem as you, tho mine were more like 13 years old. It burns my butt that the classes are too old to “count” for pre-reqs but not too old to count in the overall GPA.
Kathy

Quote:

There are SOME schools that aren’t going to look further than the summary GPA that is calculated by AMCAS, and your application may be hurt by that. But any school that spends a minute looking at the chronology of your grades is going to pretty much shrug off those Fs.
You need to address this, in one sentence at MOST, in your personal statement, just talking about how you were immature, not ready for college, and just got the hell out of Dodge as fast as you could - or something like that, only in many fewer words. There needs to be something in your PS that conveys, “Yeah, I know, I screwed up but that was a long time ago and I’m a different person now.” AdComs just want to know that YOU appreciate you were a screw-up.
But don’t belabor the point because that long-ago misadventure is not a very important part of your story. It’s a blip, and you should treat it as one. If the rest of your application is solid, it shouldn’t hold you back. Good luck!


Again, Mary’s right on the money with her advice. (But then she, too, has been on an admissions committee.) I might add that if you get reject letters from schools at which you believe you are a competitive applicant, write them a letter requesting reconsideration explaining the situtation.
See you in Denver (finally got my plane tickets - whew!).
Cheers,
Judy