Looking for advice..

[Agahnim]

Hi guys,

My story is pretty basic. I'm not an extremely bright fellow compared to all of you, but I pick up on things and do alright. After high school I kind of floundered around without any goals or ambition for a few years. I took a few classes at the local community college just because it seemed like something to do while I worked. I work as an assistant at a local community clinic in human resources, and was able to get to know several of the doctors.

About two years ago while interviewing a doctor it just suddenly "hit me" that that is what I want to do. I want to help people and I am extremely interested in the human body. With that motivation I've taken a lot of biology classes at the local community college (cellular biology, zoology, botany, chemistry, etc.) and will receive my associates in Biology next semester. I've passed those classes, but usually I only scrape by with "C" grades and the occasional "B". Unfortunately I also have a few dropped classes

I've been trying to tailor my classes towards the requirement for SABA, and will be taking Physics and Organic Chemistry this upcoming semester as well as preparing myself to take the MCAT in a year or so. Looking over my grades I can't help but feel discouraged. No matter what I try I just can't seem to get those "A"s! It's left me in a really sad place.

I don't really have anyone to give me guidance on my situation, so I'm looking to you all for help. Have any of you been here? What should my next plan of attack be? I just don't really know what to do, aside from taking a few more classes at the community college. :(

[ReckonerMD]

Hi guys,

My story is pretty basic. I'm not an extremely bright fellow compared to all of you, but I pick up on things and do alright. After high school I kind of floundered around without any goals or ambition for a few years. I took a few classes at the local community college just because it seemed like something to do while I worked. I work as an assistant at a local community clinic in human resources, and was able to get to know several of the doctors.

About two years ago while interviewing a doctor it just suddenly "hit me" that that is what I want to do. I want to help people and I am extremely interested in the human body. With that motivation I've taken a lot of biology classes at the local community college (cellular biology, zoology, botany, chemistry, etc.) and will receive my associates in Biology next semester. I've passed those classes, but usually I only scrape by with "C" grades and the occasional "B". Unfortunately I also have a few dropped classes

I've been trying to tailor my classes towards the requirement for SABA, and will be taking Physics and Organic Chemistry this upcoming semester as well as preparing myself to take the MCAT in a year or so. Looking over my grades I can't help but feel discouraged. No matter what I try I just can't seem to get those "A"s! It's left me in a really sad place.

I don't really have anyone to give me guidance on my situation, so I'm looking to you all for help. Have any of you been here? What should my next plan of attack be? I just don't really know what to do, aside from taking a few more classes at the community college. :(

You have motivation and determination, two of the most important intangible qualities one needs in any field of health care. The point I want to make is a point brought to me by many of the physicians I worked with prior to applying to medical school (one of whom just told me last week that if she had to do it over, she would not have gone to medical school,) which is that there are many ways to get involved in the care of sick people and feel as useful in the same ways doctors do, without the intellectual rigor or debt one must incur in medical school. Every doctor I spoke with on my journey asked if I had considered another health care field when I expressed doubt about my academic ability (this was of course before I took any of the pre-requisite classes, and to my surprise I did fairly well.)

Fast forward to my interview with Saba and it struck me when quizzed on just how much "trouble" I would be in, both financially and professionally, if I struggled through medical school and could not pass Step I of the USMLE, that I better be darn sure that this was the right choice for me. This is purely an intellect question that was posed, however it is the reality of so many potential medical students that is overlooked. Many have the motivation and desire to become a physician, however they fall short in other areas and end up a statistic we call attrition (which is why admissions use the MCAT and have GPA's cutoffs and so forth.)

To put this into a real life scenario, in some cases a denial from medical school (I'm not saying this is your case) could be the best thing that has happened to people who struggle with pre-med classes. I've had several co-workers who repeatedly tried and were denied admission to medical school, only to find very happy careers in health care as PA's, NP's, etc., without the academic and financial rigor, let alone the years of training.

Point being, not everyone is cut out for medical school, this is just a fact. Luckily, there are MANY other options to get involved in similar roles that will satisfy the reasoning you state for wanting to be a physician.

I don't know that I've answered your question, but nonetheless good luck in your future endeavors.

Caveat: Saba admissions was very candid about academics when I interviewed, so perhaps you could call the admissions office and ask what insight they might have based on your academic record thus far. However, beware of other foreign schools who do not have academic standards and take students regardless of their academic performance. You do not want to put yourself in a position where you realize after the fact (debt, etc.) that a career as a physician is not for you. As a matter of fact the most significant indicator for good performance in medical school and USMLE I is undergraduate academic history and biological science section of the MCAT not so oddly enough (this is a fact cited in several retrospective studies of medical students as I was looking this up just the other day on pubmed.)

[dr. nik]

I completely agree ReckonerMD. Agahnim you seem like you will make an excellent medical professional in the future. However, I have seen too many students who are extremely motivated and determined, but eventually are not able to obtain high enough marks or fail the USMLE. Believe me it is not worth the risk (living in a foreign place, financially, and the stress of medical school). Becoming a doctor is not the only rewarding field in medicine. Kept all your options open, and try to shadow other medical professionals. Best of Luck!

[wolfvgang22]

Great advice from ReckonerMD!
If you would be happy doing ANYTHING else at all, do that instead. In my opinion/experience as a professional changing careers and as a student, nothing is harder than becoming a doctor.