transplant patient turned dr?????

Nontraditional Premed Discussion
1

hello. i am 33 yrs old and received a kidney transplant 2 months ago. was on dialysis for nearly 2 years. no other health issues and if all goes well and i am able i want to pursue med school to become a nephrologist for obvious reasons. i have a bachelors degree in ag bus mgmt that i received in 2000. started my own business and ran successfully until my diagnosis of renal failure. never really knew for sure what i wanted to do until my recent illness. now i am as determined as a person can be but i am also a realist. i lack most of the pre-req courses and i plan on taking some online(due to the fact that i am not supposed to be around a lot of people just yet). also my gpa was not quite up to par either…around 2.5 overall…so while taking the pre-req courses i will need to excel (to say the least)…i was told by the state university to apply and although my gpa is not the required 3.0, they will still consider me on an individual basis…left out a lot of details but here come the questions:

  1. i know that if given the opportunity i will do my best to succeed(not to be over confident)i will have all my time to devote to all aspects of med school…so, what are my odds (as a realist) if i do my part that i could be granted access to med school?

  2. can u recommend a web site or publication that would help me in preparing myself and my application to be unique and worthy of admission?


    any and all feedback is greatly appreciated. as i said i haven’t always wanted to be a dr but i do think that peoples’ lives lead them down different paths and mine has gone here…my determination should not be questioned but my knowledge of the process is in question and that is why i am putting this before you. thanks
2

Wow! First, congrats on a successful surgery and a good luck on a continued recovery


My only advice is be very careful which classes, if any, you take online.


One way to be extra cautious, in my way of thinking, is to cross reference any that you think you might take to see if they are required for med school or pre-reqs for required classes for med school.


What does that mean?


Let’s say for MED SCHOOL applications you need to take Physics 121 which has a pre-req of calculus but you have never had calculus OR trig.


So you decide to start with trig. That one trig class MIGHT be okay to take online but I would make sure to take calc and the physics in a classroom.


The required courses for med school applications, in my op (which is really meaningless), NEED to be taken in a classroom setting.


There are always exceptions to every rule and I’m positive those with more app experience will chime in at some point.


My very best wishes for a continued recovery and healing process! and to your pursuit of med school.


Welcome to the roller coaster that is pre-med!