This is my first post here to OPM, although I’ve been lurking for a while, and I’ve been posting on SDN, albeit infrequently, for 4 years. But given that I’m older pre-med (46, going on 47), perhaps OPM is a more appropriate place for my inquiries.
I have a 3.4 undergrad GPA from a high-powered west coast university, but I was not premed at the time. After years of working and volunteering in free health care I decided a few years ago to get that medical degree so I can start practicing in the free clinics that I’ve been running all these years.
I went back to a state college to get my prereqs for medical school, but things have been an utter failure. My post-bacc GPA is barely above a 3.0, and I have at least 4 C’s on my record (I haven’t got my last semesters grades back), as well as 3 W’s.
While I have always excelled at courses that require rhetoric, expository writing, and critical thinking, I do not seem to do well at science courses. I’ve had my share of A’s, but mostly B’s and those C’s. And I’ve retaken several courses. None of the C’s are in any direct pre-requisite to medical school; they are in some upper division courses. But I do have plenty of B’s in pre-requisites.
I was recently “diagnosed” with a learning disorder which affects the way I interpret symbols and the rate at which I read. I have always been a slow reader, so I rarely finish tests and exams, so I get lower scores, and hence all those B’s and C’s. Also, I usually need to read sentences over and over again to understand what I’ve read. On the other hand, I can write and edit prose very eloquently with little problem.
In other words, it’s not how I express myself i.e. how I put out information, it’s how I take in information, whether reading, drawing, or speaking. This also explains why I am good at speaking Spanish, but have a hard time understanding it. Difficulty taking in material whether aurally or visually, but ease of putting out that information. But the net result of this is that it has affected my ability to learn and it worries me that it will affect my performance on the MCAT and in medical school.
So now I’m not sure what to do. I’m reaching the end of my post-bacc and there is pressure my family and friends to apply to medical school and take whatever I can get. They are more worried that my age will keep me out of medical school. For me, age has never been a problem, although I can understand that it is an issue for some admission committees.
My worry is that my grades will keep me out of any U.S. program, so I am considering foreign schools; I fully realize that being an FMG limits U.S. residency opportunities – particularly more lucrative residencies. I will be applying broadly to schools (both DO and MD) to which their demographic profile and GPA profile includes people like me; however, perhaps it is a lost cause.
Sorry about the long post. I didn’t know where to start or how much to say.
Thanks.
DISCLAIMER: I’m neither a doctor nor even a medical student, just a guy with a dream. So take my words for whatever they’re worth to you – which might be zero.
- datsa Said:
I went back to a state college to get my prereqs for medical school, but things have been an utter failure. My post-bacc GPA is barely above a 3.0, and I have at least 4 C's on my record (I haven't got my last semesters grades back), as well as 3 W's.
My understanding is that the Ws are likely to be a bigger problem than the Cs. Cover the Ws, make sure you can explain convincingly why you took them in the first place, and consider retaking the classes in which you got Cs.
- datsa Said:
While I have always excelled at courses that require rhetoric, expository writing, and critical thinking, I do not seem to do well at science courses...I was recently "diagnosed" with a learning disorder which affects the way I interpret symbols and the rate at which I read. I have always been a slow reader, so I rarely finish tests and exams, so I get lower scores, and hence all those B's and C's. Also, I usually need to read sentences over and over again to understand what I've read. On the other hand, I can write and edit prose very eloquently with little problem.
In other words, it's not how I express myself i.e. how I put out information, it's how I take in information, whether reading, drawing, or speaking.
In other words, it's not how I express myself i.e. how I put out information, it's how I take in information, whether reading, drawing, or speaking.
Consider what you're saying:
1. You find it hard to learn new information, whether by text, speech, or picture.
2. You find science courses especially difficult.
3. You want to spend two years of your life in the most intensive learning experience anyone is likely to experience, with overwhelming volumes of new information (mostly science) being force-fed to you pretty much 24/7.
4. Then you want to spend the rest of your life in a profession that demands that you constantly read and learn to keep up with the latest developments in your specialty as well as general medicine.
One might think you've just invented your own private hell and are looking for the front door so you can move in.
Please do not misunderstand me. If you want to be a physician and you are sure of this, then do what you need to do and good luck! But I am frankly confused at what seems to be an aversion to learning coupled with a desire to learn.
- datsa Said:
So now I'm not sure what to do. I'm reaching the end of my post-bacc and there is pressure my family and friends to apply to medical school and take whatever I can get. They are more worried that my age will keep me out of medical school. For me, age has never been a problem, although I can understand that it is an issue for some admission committees.
My worry is that my grades will keep me out of any U.S. program, so I am considering foreign schools; I fully realize that being an FMG limits U.S. residency opportunities -- particularly more lucrative residencies. I will be applying broadly to schools (both DO and MD) to which their demographic profile and GPA profile includes people like me; however, perhaps it is a lost cause.
My worry is that my grades will keep me out of any U.S. program, so I am considering foreign schools; I fully realize that being an FMG limits U.S. residency opportunities -- particularly more lucrative residencies. I will be applying broadly to schools (both DO and MD) to which their demographic profile and GPA profile includes people like me; however, perhaps it is a lost cause.
I don't think it's a lost cause at all -- despite how my previous statements may sound. If you really want to do this, and you're sure of that, don't give up. I agree that age isn't your main enemy. In my opinion, you need to prove to the adcoms (and to yourself) that you are capable of handling the overwhelming academic workload that medical school imposes. You can do this by taking/retaking, and acing, important prereq classes, and by turning in a strong MCAT score.
My opinions only. Take or ignore, as you see fit. In either case, best of luck.