Academic Probation. I still want to be a doctor

[AlongWay]

To give a little background, I spent 3 years at a uni in NY with a 2.7 GPA. I became unhappy there and decided to transfer to a new school in the hopes that a better reputed university, and a different environment would allow me to "start over" both academically and socially.

It was the worst decision I made in my life. I came here and this past year I ended up failing 5 classes and put on academic probation. I felt even more lonely and isolated and I made some very poor decisions that resulted in this situation I am in now.

Either way, this semester I can only take 9 credits, which means that I will have to spend yet another year doing undergrad. I will only graduate when Im 23 an age when most people have careers or grad school, but not me. A thought that itself brings me to my knees. But this is my life, and I must somehow find a way to come to terms with my weakness and self-hatred for getting in this position. I still want to be a doctor but I have the whole medical system stacked up against me. People with GPA's as bad as mine find it difficult to do anything in life, let alone med school. I can safely say that Im probably the only one from my culture in such a pathetic situation, but I have accepted that I will fail my cultural and family expectations. The only thing that gives me hope is this idea (though I doubt its actually true) that there must be at least ONE other pre-med from my culture who has had a similar background but is now in med school. Most of us are brought up to be perfect and successful early on, but I am sure that i can't be the ONLY ONE who is on the opposite end of the scale, it just doesn't make rational sense. Anyways I am done railing my fate and hating myself. Its not going to help me change, and I desperately need to because I do not want to spend the rest of my life as an underachiever - no matter if I am a doctor or not. So at this point, realistically, what can be done? I am starting to retake the classes I failed, I will only be graduating in 2014 and I have about 40 or so credits left. My list of goals as of today: - Try to establish as high of a trend as I can with the credits I have remaining. - Graduate in 2014 (2 years later than when I was supposed too) and get a job in research as a low- level tech or research assistant at some major hospital or pharma company. - Continue taking classes till my GPA is above a 3.0 (I'm not exactly sure how many I would need) - Try to score as high as I can on the MCAT - If this all goes well, apply for an SMP. Does this sound realistic? As for my non-academic goals. I wanted to travel abroad and do public health research in third world countries. I had aspirations to apply for various prestigious grants and fellowships, but since I'm on academic probation I shouldn't aspire for things that great. I wanted to backpack Europe, travel to Asia and the Pacific, but sadly will not have time anymore to do all those things. I guess I will shadow/volunteer at the nearest hospital where I can get a job. Continue doing research. I am open to suggestions because Im not really sure what else I can do at this point. Thanks.

[Yoma]

I honestly don't understand people who think their life is over if they do not graduate from whatever university they are attending at an incredibly young age. Who are you in a race with?
"I will only graduate when Im 23 an age when most people have careers or grad school, but not me. A thought that itself brings me to my knees"
Seriously? Oh yesss!!! you are sooo old you should just give up on life right now and move to a retirement home, because your life might as well be over. o_O Not everyone's life follows a particular pattern; I don't know what culture you are from, but if your culture is making you feel so bad about yourself because you are not graduating university at 2 years old, then you should not base your self esteem on that culture. Your life has followed a different path than you intended, learn from your mistakes and move on. Stop wallowing in self pity, you'll just make yourself depressed which would in turn make you unable to complete any tasks. Also stop looking for self validation from complete strangers over the internet, some people can be incredibly mean. I could have come here and told you that your plans will never work and you should go and do some other "no name" course. If you have goals that you have set yourself, strive to meet those goals whether or not people are advising you for or against your goals.

[AlongWay]

^ Thanks. Im indian. My culture is stupid. Its a prestige based culture where everyone is concerned with what school their kids go, how much money they make, basically how much better they are than everyone else.

Either way, I need a feasible game plan that's going to make me competitive for US MD and DO schools. I really don't want to go to the Caribbean.

[seattle]

^ Thanks. Im indian. My culture is stupid. Its a prestige based culture where everyone is concerned with what school their kids go, how much money they make, basically how much better they are than everyone else.

Either way, I need a feasible game plan that's going to make me competitive for US MD and DO schools. I really don't want to go to the Caribbean.

One potential option you have would be to retake the courses (especially sciences) and bring up the GPA. Osteopathic medical schools are very forgiving in the sense that they take the most recent grade in a particular subject. So your GPA can rise substantially. And quite frankly, you may elect not to even reveal you ever went to that second university. Retake the courses somewhere else, but do not transfer the credits from university 2 to university 3. Only transfer credits attained at university 1 to university 3. Then apply to D.O. schools with transcripts from university 1 and university 3. You will have to account for what you did in the time you went to university 2 though. But that is an alternative strategic pathway.

Take the MCAT when you feel you can get at least mid-20s. That should put you into a good position for some D.O. schools. Apply broadly.

[rokshana]

^ Thanks. Im indian. My culture is stupid. Its a prestige based culture where everyone is concerned with what school their kids go, how much money they make, basically how much better they are than everyone else.

Either way, I need a feasible game plan that's going to make me competitive for US MD and DO schools. I really don't want to go to the Caribbean.

Frankly, that's crap...you are blaming your "culture" when the only one you have to blame is yourself...sure we all had the " the only job you can do is doctor, engineer, or ,maybe professor" growing up... But guess what? so long as you end up doing something that make you enough money to support yourself and your family, people will get over it...

Tell me why YOU want to be a doctor? I bet you can't other than its what your family wants for you...

And if you really want to be a doctor, then grow up! Ok so would effed up you UG... Start NOW by learning what you did wrong, and fix it... You have 2 yrs to show an upward trend...then you need to go to graduate school, prove that the crappy student you currently are is not the student you have developed into over the last few yrs...will this take a long time...yes...at least another 4 yrs before you can even think about applying to medical schools...but if becoming a doctor is truly your desire, then how long it takes to get to be one shouldn't matter...we all delay gratification by persuing medicine...why should you be any different?

[rokshana]

^ Thanks. Im indian. My culture is stupid. Its a prestige based culture where everyone is concerned with what school their kids go, how much money they make, basically how much better they are than everyone else.

Either way, I need a feasible game plan that's going to make me competitive for US MD and DO schools. I really don't want to go to the Caribbean.

And you have a long battle to make yourself acceptable to a USMD program...even if that is even possible, 5 failed classes probably has sealed your fate...you may be able to get yourself into a DO school eventually...but what? You think you are too good to go to a carribean school? Lol at the moment , you couldn't even get into a decent Caribbean school...

[rokshana]

One potential option you have would be to retake the courses (especially sciences) and bring up the GPA. Osteopathic medical schools are very forgiving in the sense that they take the most recent grade in a particular subject. So your GPA can rise substantially. And quite frankly, you may elect not to even reveal you ever went to that second university. Retake the courses somewhere else, but do not transfer the credits from university 2 to university 3. Only transfer credits attained at university 1 to university 3. Then apply to D.O. schools with transcripts from university 1 and university 3. You will have to account for what you did in the time you went to university 2 though. But that is an alternative strategic pathway.

Take the MCAT when you feel you can get at least mid-20s. That should put you into a good position for some D.O. schools. Apply broadly.

You can't lie about what schools you went to...they ask specifically for you to list all schools attended even if you did not get a degree...

And being on academic probation, dude can't transfer even to a CC, much less another 4 yr institution ...

[devildoc8404]

Either way, I need a feasible game plan that's going to make me competitive for US MD and DO schools. I really don't want to go to the Caribbean.

You should definitely try to get into a USMD or USDO program, yes. The estimable seattle's advice in that regard is spot-on, (with the exception of leaving out academic history information, IMHO). However, you do seem to have a lot of academic baggage that could potentially make that not happen. Bust your butt and absolutely apply to USMD/DO schools... but I encourage you to also come up with a viable back-up plan (Carib, Europe, wherever the hell else) to achieve your goal, in case your first choice doesn't happen for some reason. Note again that I am NOT saying you shouldn't try for USMD/DO. What I AM saying is that you need to be prepared for every eventuality, if you seriously want to become a physician.

(Oh, and try to relax a little, huh? You are 23, for crying out loud. You're still a pup.)

[AlongWay]

One potential option you have would be to retake the courses (especially sciences) and bring up the GPA. Osteopathic medical schools are very forgiving in the sense that they take the most recent grade in a particular subject. So your GPA can rise substantially. And quite frankly, you may elect not to even reveal you ever went to that second university. Retake the courses somewhere else, but do not transfer the credits from university 2 to university 3. Only transfer credits attained at university 1 to university 3. Then apply to D.O. schools with transcripts from university 1 and university 3. You will have to account for what you did in the time you went to university 2 though. But that is an alternative strategic pathway.

Take the MCAT when you feel you can get at least mid-20s. That should put you into a good position for some D.O. schools. Apply broadly.

Yea I will apply to DO schools and will retake classes regardless of applying to DO or MD since both programs require a grade of C or higher to count. At this point, is there anything I can do that would let me go to a US MD program? Im not going to wait 10 years and things like that. That makes no sense. I know its going to take me longer to get into med school, but I'm not going to be a grandpa when I start med school. That's just sad.

What can I do to make myself competitive for US MD programs and how long will the path of redemption take? What exactly would I need to do?

And you have a long battle to make yourself acceptable to a USMD program...even if that is even possible, 5 failed classes probably has sealed your fate...you may be able to get yourself into a DO school eventually...but what? You think you are too good to go to a carribean school? Lol at the moment , you couldn't even get into a decent Caribbean school...

Thanks for the vote of confidence. And yea. I am too good for Caribbean schools - or maybe I just have common sense and would rather choose a different career than go to the Caribbean and graduate with mountains of debt and no residency spot.

[rokshana]

Thanks for the vote of confidence. And yea. I am too good for Caribbean schools - or maybe I just have common sense and would rather choose a different career than go to the Caribbean and graduate with mountains of debt and no residency spot.

i like how you think you would graduate...