Looking for your wisdom and guidance

Just spent a good piece of my morning with recent transcripts in hand, tallying up the way the pre-health committee wants it done here. Keep in mind, I have only completed my Biology and Math. The Chemistries and Physics are yet to come. My overall GPA for 189 creditsi 3.46. My BCPM is 14 credits at 3.21. For “all other” outside of BCPM I have 175 credits at 3.48. Based on all this, I am rethinking my pre-req sequence. I was going to do Physics I & II, Gen Chem I & II and Org Chem I & II and call it a day. Now I am thinking of adding one more year and doing Biology II over again and following it up with Biochemistry I. I think what is pulling down my BCPM GPA is the B I got in Biology II with the C I got in the lab for Biology II. I was 18 at the time, on my own for the first time ever, waitressing full time outside of classes to make ends meet and depressed and homesick. I know I can do better. My Biology I was a straight A. The MCAT I will be taking has a heavy Biochem component projected. No skin off my back…I’ve waited all these years, I can do an extra 2 semesters ( I take one course per semester while I work). Thoughts? Critiques? Comments?

Really depends on if you are applying MD or DO?


DO has grade replacement so you can replace a B or C with an A which will look good. MD only averages the two grades so an A and a B will only give you a B average. So in reality retaking the classes will probably mean little since you “passed”.


Also your GPA is good for getting a DO acceptance. I got 5 with stats similar or lower than that.


If you want to improve your application taking upper level sciences will help.

Hi VickiV,


You’re sounding more like me ~ over-analyzing every grade made since a real long time ago


From my research, your grades sound good enough for a school in Maine (University of New England) and a school in Mesa, Arizona and perhaps one in Las Vegas.


I work in an ED and have talked with one of our docs who was on the admissions committee at a med school; he said your personal statement is just as important as your GPA. I bet you can write one great personal statement, having a social work degree. Write about all the “interesting” folks you’ve seen and how you’ve helped them become better, overcome odds, etc. You know what I’m talking about


Quick story that’ll help you understand the importance of working with people will help you with the admissions committee…I was working a few nights ago and a MS student was writing admission orders on one of my patients. I don’t think this MS student has ever talked to a patient, EVER, because he kept yelling, “TELL ME WHERE YOU’RE AT”, “WHAT’S YOUR NAME AND DATE OF BIRTH” and so on. It was a very painful sight; I had to walk out of the room it was that painful. The patient could hear just fine.


What you have is experience with people; write about that in your personal statement. In the mean time, work on those extra classes so if by chance you don’t get in that year, you’ll have them for the next year. And you’ll have one great personal statement already done!!



I took alot of my classes when younger as well. Adcoms looked more at trends.


One other thought…I had to repeat a couple of my classes because they had essentially “expired” it is school dependant…so if any of your core coursework is older just research that more.


I think I ran into it at Duke where my science class was more than 8 years old and they wouldn’t accept it.


M

Thanks!! My personal statement is going to be crazy trying to distill it down. I’ve got 30 years of human services experience and 16 years as a practicing professional…What to keep? and What to leave out? I have so many amazing stories where I have practiced my healing art… I was going to try DO, but here in New York State, those options are very limited…and even more so in psychiatry. I’m probably going to apply MD to every school in New York State that will take the old credits and I have already narrowed down that list. And just because I like to dream big, I am also going to Apply to Yale, University of Pennsylvania, and Pitt. It’s a shot in the dark, but what the hell? Got nothing to lose. I’ll probably end up at Upstate, or Albany Medical…but they both have good matching for psychiatry residencies. They will take the old credits, and are non-trad friendly. My dream is Yale…not for the reasons you think. They put their psych students in the community health center in New Haven…and I would LOVE that opportunity. Plus my significant other has family in New Haven. Of course I am anticipating doing well on the MCAT and I know it is not that easy. Discouraging day today with Calculus. Thought I understood differential equations and derivitives in class, but bombed while trying to do the homework. Emergency call to the tutor today. Final is on the 10th and I am beginning to sweat a little… I think you all are right…taking bio II over again probably wouldn’t really make a huge difference in the GPA. Today is a day I am grateful for all of you!!!

  • VickiV Said:
Thanks!! My personal statement is going to be crazy trying to distill it down. I've got 30 years of human services experience and 16 years as a practicing professional...What to keep? and What to leave out? I have so many amazing stories where I have practiced my healing art....



Rule 1: Take a Breath

Rule 10: Beware of FUD -- Fear Uncertainty and Doubt. These kill more premeds than GPA and MCAT combined

on your PS, start writing and just let it out. A good PS isnt what you include in your case, but what you edit and shape AFTER you start writing.

  • VickiV Said:
I was going to try DO, but here in New York State, those options are very limited....and even more so in psychiatry.



Dont be be panicky and silly. DO in NY is perfectly fine, quite useful, and not to do it would limit your chances. About 1/2 of all DO's got to allopathic residencies. It's your residency training that likely impacts where you'll practice than your school. In 2011 about 10% of the psych slots were filled by DO

  • VickiV Said:
I'm probably going to apply MD to every school in New York State that will take the old credits and I have already narrowed down that list. And just because I like to dream big, I am also going to Apply to Yale, University of Pennsylvania, and Pitt. It's a shot in the dark, but what the hell? Got nothing to lose. I'll probably end up at Upstate, or Albany Medical...but they both have good matching for psychiatry residencies. They will take the old credits, and are non-trad friendly. My dream is Yale...not for the reasons you think. They put their psych students in the community health center in New Haven..and I would LOVE that opportunity. Plus my significant other has family in New Haven.



Nontrads I think make much of their status of being a nontrad then the schools do. If you have the grades, the MCAT and the pattern of motivation and commitment, then you should do it. Having the long background with MSW and knowing in depth why yale fits you would be perfect on your secondary and interview for Yale.

  • VickiV Said:
Of course I am anticipating doing well on the MCAT and I know it is not that easy. Discouraging day today with Calculus. Thought I understood differential equations and derivitives in class, but bombed while trying to do the homework. Emergency call to the tutor today. Final is on the 10th and I am beginning to sweat a little.... I think you all are right...taking bio II over again probably wouldn't really make a huge difference in the GPA. Today is a day I am grateful for all of you!!!



Vicki, stop all this FUD

SNAP OUT OF IT



Attached files 1335924121-resultsanddata2011.pdf (6.4 KB)Â

Thank you Gonnif!! What a Koan. Here I was thinking that I was pompous, overconfident, and arrogant, and all I discovered was that FUD can come wearing many different costumes. I didn’t even recognize it when I was in it…Thank GOD for the experience here on this site to keep me focused and help me to see what I cannot see for myself!! And thank you for the attachment! Going to try for a good day today!!

  • VickiV Said:
What a Koan. Here I was thinking that I was pompous, overconfident, and arrogant, and all I discovered was that FUD can come wearing many different costumes. I didn't even recognize it when I was in it



for those who do not know, a Koan is a story, dialogue, question, or statement, which is used in Zen-practice to provoke the "great doubt", and test a student's progress in Zen practice. The word koan, literally means "public case."

Where in western thought, you assume that you must overcome and conquer this doubt. However, that would miss the point of practice, where you simply let the doubt, the fear, the anxiety flow past. They all will exist, as will joy, happiness and success. But you concentrate on just the practice of day to day, of studying, of exams, of applications as a process. That is the simplistic zen method for premeds. You do not live to be accepted or rejected. You live and practice to be a premed as best as you abilities let you. How you live today is what matters and fear, anxiety, stress of the future serves no useful purpose and simply takes away energy and time from living the best you can today.

Mediate on this


That was “Your Moment of Zen” brought to you by gonnif.


Apply to your personal life. Apparently, based on the direction to “Mediate on this”, you can also apply this perspective to your interpersonal relationships.


(I’ll be the best pre-med/med student I can be, and you be the most supportive spouse/significant other YOU can be at this moment)…


:stuck_out_tongue:


Kate