hello
I am a 38 year old who is considering going back to school for the fourth time. I graduated from high school in 1987 and attended a university for three semesters. I left to get married. And when I say left I just stopped attending. My second go at school was in 1992 and lasted about another year. And again messing up my grades. The last time I tried college was in 1999 for two semesters. Needless to say my grades are in the dumps because of this. My previous attempts at college have always been hard because of my family. I do not get support and stability that I needed in order to be successful in college. I have just now (within the last two years) gaining stability and support from my fiance (I had to cut ties with my controlling parents)and I am considering medicine. I have always wanted to help people in that capacity. My dream is to become a coroner. My question is about my grades. I know that the university I attended will give me an academic bankruptcy but the grades will still show up. Is there anything that I can do? Do I need to start over? (I would prefer to since my gpa is probably 2.0 or lower and I did take some core science classes needed to med school. What is the best route to start looking into this?
melanie
At this point, I would say to start from scratch. First, find yourself - don’t define yourself by your parents, your fiancée, or your career plans. Figure out who you are, what you want, and how you’ll get there.
Then, if that still includes school, go for it. Start from scratch, and scratch your way up. Do an entirely new degree, and kick its ass. PROVE beyond a shadow of a doubt that you can do what you set out to do, based only on your own capability and desire.
If you do that, I expect you’ll have a strong foundation, personally and academically. If medicine is what then you want, it will not be out of your reach.
And btw, welcome to OPM 
. And do take my advice with a grain of salt - I’m only me 
.
Well I have registered for the Spring quarter at CSULA. I am not sure how many units to take since I am use to semesters rather than the quarter system that CSULA is on. I am starting from scratch and will major in either biochemistry or biology or possibly chemistry. I think that is a good start. The quarter starts in February so I have time to organize my work and home life to fit school and study time in.
- g0m0 Said:
hello
I am a 38 year old who is considering going back to school for the fourth time. I graduated from high school in 1987 and attended a university for three semesters. I left to get married. And when I say left I just stopped attending. My second go at school was in 1992 and lasted about another year. And again messing up my grades. The last time I tried college was in 1999 for two semesters. Needless to say my grades are in the dumps because of this.
- Quote:
I think you can do well, Good Luck
- pi1304 Said:
Then, if that still includes school, go for it. Start from scratch, and scratch your way up. Do an entirely new degree, and kick its ass. PROVE beyond a shadow of a doubt that you can do what you set out to do, based only on your own capability and desire.
If you do that, I expect you'll have a strong foundation, personally and academically. If medicine is what then you want, it will not be out of your reach.
And btw, welcome to OPM
. And do take my advice with a grain of salt - I'm only me .Adam's giving you excellent advice. :-)
Cheers,
Judy
As someone who also had a few starts and stops in my academic career, I don’t really feel that the baggage mattered as much as picking up the core premedical coursework and really showing that I could excel. But excelling is the key. When one has a tough track record, it is critical to prove yourself in the here and now.
If you’re going to pick prerequisite courses to evaluate your potential, look at your Chemistry and Biology aptitude. If you have solid grades and understanding in those areas, the rest will come. If you didn’t do well, then it is worth retaking those courses and striving to do very well.
Focusing on GPA alone, which although important, is not the best psychological road to medical school–a good doctor needs to really know and understand scientific concepts so that he or she can apply them effectively when treating patients. The difficult road to medical school requires a great deal of time, committment, dedication, and personal sacrifice–it’s not a decision to be taken lightly. There are many prerequisite classes that bring most people to the brink of utter frustration, like Organic Chemistry and Physics, and you will be held to account for your knowledge in these subjects on the MCAT. The MCAT was the most challenging exam I have ever had because it was terribly comprehensive. I am glad that I waited to take it after completing all the recommended coursework, including two semesters of Organic Chemistry. As a side note, I would highly recommend a preparatory class, even if you do take the MCAT, just to make sure you have all the concepts down pat.
Your academic career as a physician will be a long road. In addition to pulling through a difficult premedical program, full of tough science classes, you will have 4 more years of tough science classes afterwards, so having a firm foundation is the key.
I got in to RVUCOM with an undergrad cum of about 3.4, taking 15 credit hours in the current semester, and 24 hours of working as a CNA at a local hospital per week. I have to block in study time of a few hours each day, extra time before exams, plus time to spend with my husband and children, and sometimes it has been really hard to juggle it all. Housekeeping suffers the most.
I wish you good luck in your endeavors. It is always possible to pull ahead of your past.
Time is critical. You can’t do a premed program successfully without a lot of time to study, and medical school itself is worse, as the first semester alone may have 26 credit hours at one time. Divorce rates are high for married people in medical school, and time for relationships is scanty at best.
I recently met with my advisor for the spring 08 quarter at cal state la. She advised me to sit in on a few classes this winter 08 quarter. One is a general chem and the other is a calculus class. It will be a good refresher for me.
My gpa is low because three times i just left school without withdrawing from any of my classes. That brings my gpa down quite a bit. I have mostly A’s with A’s in all my sciences. I have a B in two of my english classes though. I am starting over pretty much. I would like to keep a lot of my electives and just take over my sciences that I need in order to pass the MCAT with a good score.
My husband is in full support of me and I am lucky that I can go to school and not worry about having to hold down a job at the same time.