A couple of points I would like to make and I will confess that I purposely avoiding commenting on the MD or PhD, but no DO thing.
The choice in degree is a personal one, be that MD, DO &/or PhD. The poster has every right to choose and that is independent of whether or not that same choice would work well for the responders.
I am more than confident that the responders who did comment on the DO thing had nothing but the most golden of intentions and also have a right to express their opinions here on OPM. Out in the pre-med world, there is a constellation of erroneous concepts about DOs, DO programs and so on. One of the inadvertent missions of OPM has been to try & dispell those felonious notions. I commend those guys for educating & accepting these precepts.
One thing I have learned in tossing out reams of advice here & on SDN - not every one is interested or will be receptive to information about the validity/equality of DO-ness. “Life’s Dream” is a very personal thing. For some it is to become an MD, specifically. For some, although not as common, it is to become a DO - this crew tends to be at least as much and frequently less approachable & more defensive than the former set, in my experience. And, I feel the largest of the three subsets are the ones who simply wish to become physicians irrespective of the degree.
Again, in my experience, I have learned to try to read within the phrasing of their questions whether or not they are interested in hearing DO-info. If they are not and you try to offer it up, they will generally not listen & disregard other advise you have rendered that may be beneficial. Believe me, there is massive body of info in these forums on DO-ness and quite frequently, as folks learn more about it, they will begin to ask question - in their own due time.
All of this is long-winded way to state that almost without exception, people here on OPM offer of their personal & professional experiences for FREE to hopefully benefit folks who read our forums. Everyone has a right to voice (type) their opinions, as long as it is done in a respectful way (which was the case here) just as folks have a right to disagree with responders in a respectful manner, which is also the case here. It is all about the arts of communication & compromise.
In summation - good job everyone at caring about others, offering up helpful information and being respectful of others. This is something very unique to OPM. I think it is what makes OPM special amongst the multitude of pre-med/med-stud forums out there…it reflects a collective maturity that is lacking elsewhere and why ‘old folks’ make better physicians.
Thanks, OldManDave. Your comment is a very helpful wrap-up. Thanks also for your premed narrative on the other thread you mentioned. It’s always encouraging to hear how hard work can transform one’s career trajectory. While I performed OK as an undergrad, the curious part is that I cannot imagine having become a physician at age 25 given how naive I was. In many ways, I believe I’ll be a better physician starting out in my 40s!
OPM is a fantastic resource, one with which I feel very much at home, particularly as compared to forum discussions on other sites by traditional students (some still teenagers). I feel virtually no connection to those folks! It’s amazing and wonderful that OPM is not only available to us but it’s also free! Thanks to all the good people putting their energies into this site.
As a word of encouragement to jkp et al., don’t worry yourselves too much about the process nor about graduating from med school. My partner went in to see his PCP recently (at a nearby teaching hospital) and he was seen by a Family Med. PGY-3 doc. In talking with her, he told her of my desire to go to med school in my 40s and asked if she had older students in her MS/PG cohort. She said she had known several non-trad students, and that she believes they were MORE successful than the traditionals because of their drive, focus, and experiences. Thus, we have recent, independent evidence that we can get in to MS, and we can do quite well, even moreso than our traditional counterparts! So, hang in there and keep at it.
JKP, you are wise to start by walking, not running. Take the basic, basic courses and build up a solid foundation in knowledge, self-confidence, and of course good grades. Then tackle the higher courses.
From here on out, you need to make intelligent, careful decisions that get you closer to your goals. Don’t worry about the past; the past is past. We all have skeletons in the closet. Don’t worry; they’re dead and covered with dust at this point. Just keep moving forward. Today is the first day of the rest of your life.
A low GPA from years ago is an obstacle that many of us have overcome. Just be methodical and work hard and do the best you can on your current coursework, and the difference will be noticed by those who scrutinize your transcripts.
You may have to take some extra upper level science courses (biochemistry, genetics, immunology, neuroanatomy, etc.) to help establish your credentials as a well qualified candidate, but that’s all to the good; while it may take you an extra year or two to get to your goal, it will help you get through medical school and that’s no small thing.
Also, a really good MCAT score will help balance out a middling GPA. Many schools actually create a score based on MCAT + GPA in some complicated formula, so just work hard on this exam and take it only when you are truly ready to score the highest you can.
lastly, and just to keep this in mind, you should be aware of the Caribbean schools (SGU and Ross are the best) which is a path to an MD that may work when other paths to MD are blocked. It’s not an easy route to take, but it’s there and you can just tuck this in the back of your mind when you feel a sense of despair about ever getting there (and believe me, we all have felt that feeling).