This is just bothering me… I plan to finally apply to medicine next year. I’m 29. I am considering my real chances of getting in… and while I have a good GPA, I think my past withdrawals will scare the schools away from accepting me.
I have withdrawn from two full semesters, and had to take chemistry and physics each 3 times before I passed (withdrawing each time to maintain GPA). I think the number of W’s on my transcripts adds up to around 17! I know, it looks really, really bad. However, those withdrawals were all in my first 2 years (turned into 3 years) of undergrad. These were for various reasons, like my dad died so I dropped out in 1st year, I took on too many courses the next year to make up for dropping out the previous year, and was doing poorly so had to W from a few, among other (some good, some bad, all true) excuses.
I’m in my final year of a BSc, and the last two years have gone well, and I’ve earned a GPA of 3.8 overall for my last two years with NO withdrawals (yay me!) I also completed the last two years of credits through a distance university (not prestigious but it transfers) while working full time and completing the courses September-April inclusive and 4-5 courses per semester.
Since I’ve improved, do you guys think they’ll overlook my past withdrawals? I’m worried that they may not since I took the courses at a distance university. I’ve really matured and buckled down on my efforts in order to try for medicine. Do you know anyone who got in despite a poor past academic record? I need some success stories and/or advice!
I don’t think all is lost. If you are accepted for interviews you have the opportunity to explain your grades and the personal situations you were experiencing. As long as you speak to your dedication and commitment of pursing your medical career, I think you stand a chance. You must know, you will have bad days, you must carry on with your goals and what you are trying reach. Try to perfect other areas of your application to include volunteer duties. If you can get good letters of recommendations from your teachers that will help you, that would be great.