Low GPA, studying for MCATs, many doubts about entering the medical profession

[hmoon7155]

Make sure you apply to the right masters. Some are called biomedical others are just medical science

What about

Applying - College of Osteopathic Medicine - Michigan State University

Requirements | Prospective Students

prospective.westernu.edu

Though it requires a GRE.

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Members don't see this ad.

 

[hmoon7155]

Make sure you apply to the right masters. Some are called biomedical others are just medical science

Thanks

 

[candbgirl]

I've looked into it and it's a possibility. That may be my only option at this point. Is it possible to transfer from a VCOM or PCOM school to a Med school?

These are medical schools.No need to transfer. And honestly, transferringnfrom DO to MD is just about unheard of. In fact transferring at all Is rare. Is your bipolar disorder under good control?

 

[hmoon7155]

These are medical schools.No need to transfer. And honestly, transferringnfrom DO to MD is just about unheard of. In fact transferring at all Is rare. Is your bipolar disorder under good control?

Yeah I'm taking medications now. I visit the Doctor monthly. I wasn't taking medication during undergrad which may have had to do with it. The neuroscience behind bipolar disorder is interesting.

 

[DexterMorganSK]

I would focus on getting your GPA above 3.0 if it is possible. Assuming you have 120 credits, you would need 62 credits of 4.0, so it is not realistic. However, You will can do a full year (I would suggest 2 years) of >3.5 in upper division science courses for a DIY postbacc or a formal SMP. That is more realistic. First step would be reenroll and see how a first semester in upper division sciences goes (assuming you already have prerequisites. If you don’t, then do them) As of now, you are virtually DOA for every MD and DO school. If you can do this, you will still be virtually DOA at most MD schools unless you score >512 MCAT. It will also still be difficult at DO schools. Podiatry would probably be solid for you after that assuming MCAT ~500.

Take in to mind age - you are 30 now, you will be at least 32 by the time of application, at least 39 by the time you are an attending physician. It would be 36 if you do Podiatry.
No you haven’t. The MCAT has changed formats and content. Whatever you have been studying, start over from scratch. 8 years is........too much? If it is even studying at this point.

Do you have any of this in the last 8 years? If not, begin more volunteering and shadowing.

This is cool stuff, but you didn’t do any of it so none of this matters. I have a really big interest in independently researching Tolkien lore, but that doesn’t qualify me to be an Elf.

Take your pick on Study plans!

MCAT Study Plans, Study Strategies and Ask Me Anything (AMA) Threads

Here is a collection of MCAT study guides, tips and advice provided by helpful members on SDN forums. Some of the threads may be old but they apply well for MCAT 2015 (especially verbal/CARS strategies and tips of maintaining focus and confidence on test day). This directory will be regularly...

forums.studentdoctor.net

Edit: Oh hey, I am in there lol nifty

OPs current GPA is too low for Pod programs (irrespective of a future MCAT score).
Also, Podiatry school is 4 years + 3 years of residency, so OP will also finish by 39 if they start at 32.
OP, if you consider Podiatry then you will have to do an SMP to raise that GPA above 3.0.
Good luck!

 

[Goro]

I'm hoping my persistence and dedication will win out in terms of the length of how long I spent on the MCATs. That 8 years I've been spending to study for the MCATs, there's been gaps and such. And I understand about the ORM but I'm hoping there are other factors to admissions such as my own health adversity, Bipolar Disorder. Even right now as a patient I'm inspired by my Korean psychiatrist and it's very much related to the neurosciences, neurology and neurosurgery. I asked my psychiatrist if bipolar disorder may have adversely affected my grades or GPA and she said yes via stress. Stress seems to exacerbate my symptoms.

I asked another friend if they think I would be a Great Doctor or whether I should go to med school and they said I sound passionate enough considering how long they known me it's something I've thought about since as long as I can remember since I was a kid... not that this helps in anyway.

I'm not against D.O. schools. They have the same basic training as med schools. I've thought about moving forward for the last 8 years since graduation, and I do. I would break up with my current girlfriend if I had to do that to pursue medicine. I just don't want to make the same or different mistakes I did in undergrad. That GPA doesn't show how hard I studied which probably doesn't matter to admissions. It just demonstrates my silent struggle with Bipolar Disorder.

I cannot recommend going to medical school unless your bipolar disorder is under 100% control AND your therapist agrees that you can handle med school.

Medical school is a furnace, and I've seen it break even healthy students. The #1 reason my school loses students to withdrawal, dismissal or LOA is to unresolved mental health issues.

Passion and determination are all well and good, but having the academic chops to do well in med school is another thing.

Everything you've written about your interests do not require an MD.

Read this:
Goro's advice for pre-meds who need reinvention

 

[hmoon7155]

I cannot recommend going to medical school unless your bipolar disorder is under 100% control AND your therapist agrees that you can handle med school.

Medical school is a furnace, and I've seen it break even healthy students. The #1 reason my school loses students to withdrawal, dismissal or LOA is to unresolved mental health issues.

Passion and determination are all well and good, but having the academic chops to do well in med school is another thing.

Everything you've written about your interests do not require an MD.

Read this:
Goro's advice for pre-meds who need reinvention

Neurosurgery or Oncology requires an M.D. or D.O. Trust me when I say Grinnell was challenging. It was challenging and not for the typical student. Now I'm on medication.

Also, it's over 100% control. That reminds is it legal to pursue a D.O. with a disorder like bipolar disorder. In Korea, it requires psychiatrist approval.

 

[deleted859689]

Lol no, but I thought I'd mention if it took that much dedication. Relationships are energy and time consuming.

Sorry, if you can’t commit to just a girlfriend and think relationships take up energy and are time consuming, don’t be a doctor. If you don’t know why I’m saying this either, definitely don’t be a doctor. Good luck hyung.

 

[hmoon7155]

Sorry, if you can’t commit to a just s girlfriend and think relationships take up energy and are time consuming, don’t be a doctor. If you don’t know why I’m saying this either, definitely don’t be a doctor. Good luck hyung.

I was saying that as joke. As far as actual patient care relationships, each matter. I think you missed the part about how I was inspired by Dr. J.R. Paulson's patient care and am passionate about hospice patient care.

This relationship is two months old now. I seriously don't think a person's ability to be Doctor is based on one relationship alone.

 

[seren1051]

Hopefully your interest in cancer associated research materialized in some form of academic publications/posters/presentations, OP. Have you been employed during past 8 years? Research? Company?

Also, do note that most Korean Universities have closed their Medical School (ie. MD after Bachelors) and reverted back to their traditional pathway (ie. Medical school straight after high school, like rest of the world). This includes Yonsei, Korea and SNU. Only Konkuk and Cha remains now and their applicants are mostly graduates of SNU/Korea/Yonsei and Ivy league graduates. I think their last GPA cutoff was like 3.7+.

At least (with green card) you're basically an American!

 

[differentiating]

Neurosurgery or Oncology requires an M.D. or D.O. Trust me when I say Grinnell was challenging. It was challenging and not for the typical student. Now I'm on medication.

Also, it's over 100% control. That reminds is it legal to pursue a D.O. with a disorder like bipolar disorder. In Korea, it requires psychiatrist approval.

I certainly wouldn't be going into med school hoping for neurosurgery - even assuming you get in, nsurg is a very competitive field, so there's no guarantee you'll have the chops to match in it. Onc is less so, as far as I'm aware, since it's a fellowship through IM.

I do agree, though, that it sounds more like your interests lie in research than in clinical medicine. You don't need an MD/DO to do research in those fields.

 

[hmoon7155]

I certainly wouldn't be going into med school hoping for neurosurgery - even assuming you get in, nsurg is a very competitive field, so there's no guarantee you'll have the chops to match in it. Onc is less so, as far as I'm aware, since it's a fellowship through IM.

I do agree, though, that it sounds more like your interests lie in research than in clinical medicine. You don't need an MD/DO to do research in those fields.

To rephrase myself, I'm interested in how medicines interact in the body specifically in the case of drug resistance in cancer and lead to palliative care. I believe the healthcare provider or Doctor can change those outcomes.

 

[hmoon7155]

I certainly wouldn't be going into med school hoping for neurosurgery - even assuming you get in, nsurg is a very competitive field, so there's no guarantee you'll have the chops to match in it. Onc is less so, as far as I'm aware, since it's a fellowship through IM.

I do agree, though, that it sounds more like your interests lie in research than in clinical medicine. You don't need an MD/DO to do research in those fields.

My interest in Neuroscience, Neurology, and Neurosurgery comes from my undergraduate studies of the neurotransmitters and synapse.

 

[differentiating]

To rephrase myself, I'm interested in how medicines interact in the body specifically in the case of drug resistance in cancer and lead to palliative care. I believe the healthcare provider or Doctor can change those outcomes.

I don't really understand what you mean by this - how is drug resistance palliative? A doctor can't really do much for drug resistance aside from try alternate therapies. Unless you're saying that you're interested in terminal cancers and working on a palliative care team for those types of patients?

My interest in Neuroscience, Neurology, and Neurosurgery comes from my undergraduate studies of the neurotransmitters and synapse.

Neuroscience is a field of research, while neurology and neurosurgery are its clinical counterparts. I can assure you, clinical neurology has little to do with neurotransmitters/the synapse on a day to day basis. Neurosurgery has even less to do with it than that. I'd think of the clinical fields as being on a macro level, while the research is on that micro level.

 

[hmoon7155]

I don't really understand what you mean by this - how is drug resistance palliative? A doctor can't really do much for drug resistance aside from try alternate therapies. Unless you're saying that you're interested in terminal cancers and working on a palliative care team for those types of patients?



Neuroscience is a field of research, while neurology and neurosurgery are its clinical counterparts. I can assure you, clinical neurology has little to do with neurotransmitters/the synapse on a day to day basis. Neurosurgery has even less to do with it than that. I'd think of the clinical fields as being on a macro level, while the research is on that micro level.

Yeah I know the distinction. Clinical neurology still relates to the science of medicine and how it effects neurotransmitters and the synapse but at the macro level.

 

[differentiating]

Yeah I know the distinction. Clinical neurology still relates to the science of medicine and how it effects neurotransmitters and the synapse but at the macro level.

Sure, it's related. I'm just saying if you're interested in working with neurotransmitters on a daily basis, neurology (aside from a few specialties like epilepsy and movement disorders) and especially neurosurgery will probably disappoint you.

 

[hmoon7155]

I don't really understand what you mean by this - how is drug resistance palliative? A doctor can't really do much for drug resistance aside from try alternate therapies. Unless you're saying that you're interested in terminal cancers and working on a palliative care team for those types of patients?



Neuroscience is a field of research, while neurology and neurosurgery are its clinical counterparts. I can assure you, clinical neurology has little to do with neurotransmitters/the synapse on a day to day basis. Neurosurgery has even less to do with it than that. I'd think of the clinical fields as being on a macro level, while the research is on that micro level.

I wrote "how medicines interact in the body specifically in the case of drug resistance in cancer and lead to palliative care." I understand fully this means. I observed it during hospice volunteering. How drug resistance leads to palliative care. Once alternative treatments are exhausted there are no more options for a cancer patient to eliminate a cancer.

I don't think you understand palliative care and the processes that leads to terminal care. Are you questioning my reasoning and logic for wanting to be a Doctor? Because I've done that already myself over and over. Do I really want to be a Doctor bottom line.

 

[hmoon7155]

Sure, it's related. I'm just saying if you're interested in working with neurotransmitters on a daily basis, neurology (aside from a few specialties like epilepsy and movement disorders) and especially neurosurgery will probably disappoint you.

But you have to understand the neuroscience of neurotransmitters in neurology and neurosurgery. There's a fundamental essential foundation to how the brain works at the micro level that applies at the macro level.

 

[hmoon7155]

But you have to understand the neuroscience of neurotransmitters in neurology and neurosurgery. There's a fundamental essential foundation to how the brain works at the micro level that applies at the macro level.

Micro requires macro and macro require micro. Or in other words, anatomy requires physiology and physiology requires anatomy.

 

[differentiating]

But you have to understand the neuroscience of neurotransmitters in neurology and neurosurgery. There's a fundamental essential foundation to how the brain works at the micro level that applies at the macro level.

I honestly can't think of a time in neurosurgery where that'd be relevant. In neurology - again, there are a few isolated cases where you're thinking on that level, but the function of the CNS is more than just neurotransmitters, and often that fine level of detail is irrelevant. In a stroke, for example, what matters is where the stroke is and what you're doing to restore blood flow or rehabilitate lost skills.

 

[hmoon7155]

I honestly can't think of a time in neurosurgery where that'd be relevant. In neurology - again, there are a few isolated cases where you're thinking on that level, but the function of the CNS is more than just neurotransmitters, and often that fine level of detail is irrelevant. In a stroke, for example, what matters is where the stroke is and what you're doing to restore blood flow or rehabilitate lost skills.

Sure it does. Restoring the blood flow requires knowledge of how the medicine effects brain and the neurotransmitters, and how it all relates to each other. These three articles are an examples.

<Transient Symptomatic Downregulation of Cortical Neurotransmitter Receptor Function Due to Cerebral Hyperperfusion after Arterial Bypass Surgery for a Patient with Ischemic Moyamoya Disease>
<https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6236211/pdf/nmc-58-481.pdf>

Effects of dopamine on systemic and regional blood flow and metabolism in septic and cardiac surgery patients. - PubMed - NCBI

<https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/01.STR.31.9.2112>

 

[mmchick]

What a thread. Look here, hmoon - you have an incredible upward journey. To believe for a second that any of that journey will come easy is to completely fool yourself and do disservice to your time and productivity that could go elsewhere. But I won't tell people what decisions to make in their life; what I will say is that I think your most pertinent obligation is to seriously determine if you want to 100% be a doctor that is interested in treating people and dealing with all of the relational aspects that come with serving others or if you're more interested/could be just as happy with a job directly involving the science (whether that be basic science or translational science with clinical relevance). The latter option would not require so much of the upward journey that you so face.

To determine if you actually want to practice medicine and serve other people for your lifetime, you need way more recent, clinical exposure that is diverse aside from your inspirational time with Doctor A and in hospice care. You need to be exposed to day in and day outs of multiple doctors in different fields with different responsibilities to have a solid grasp on the reality that is being a people doctor vs a science first-delve in a textbook-read current literature-invent new things-sort of doctor. Supposing you even make it past this uphill journey you have ahead of you, schools will drill you and want to know why you want to practice medicine over research science since you clearly express comparable interest in both. To even get this chance at explaining yourself, you'll have to have concise essays and answers in your applications that show you are strongly inclined towards people medicine vs research medicine (which from what you currently say, is very far from you capacity at the moment).

I would seriously forget all about the intricacies of your options in terms of how to make yourself more competitive for medical schools and seriously focus on doing things that will answer "why medicine?" for you. This is the same path every pre-med has found themselves on prior to the uphill journey of applying oneself, and I cannot imagine the rude awakening and heartache involved with realizing after serious time (years) and money have been invested in "preparing" oneself as an applicant that medicine is actually not all that for you anyway.

Best of luck to you.

 

[hmoon7155]

I honestly can't think of a time in neurosurgery where that'd be relevant. In neurology - again, there are a few isolated cases where you're thinking on that level, but the function of the CNS is more than just neurotransmitters, and often that fine level of detail is irrelevant. In a stroke, for example, what matters is where the stroke is and what you're doing to restore blood flow or rehabilitate lost skills.

Here's another example. While it's in rat's the researchers were mostly M.D.'s.

<The Effect of Sevoflurane and Propofol on Cerebral... : Anesthesia & Analgesia>

 

[differentiating]

Sure it does. Restoring the blood flow requires knowledge of how the medicine effects brain and the neurotransmitters, and how it all relates to each other. These three articles are an examples.

<Transient Symptomatic Downregulation of Cortical Neurotransmitter Receptor Function Due to Cerebral Hyperperfusion after Arterial Bypass Surgery for a Patient with Ischemic Moyamoya Disease>
<https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6236211/pdf/nmc-58-481.pdf>

Effects of dopamine on systemic and regional blood flow and metabolism in septic and cardiac surgery patients. - PubMed - NCBI

<https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/01.STR.31.9.2112>

I... don't know what to tell you? I've treated a number of stroke patients before on rotations, and it involves relieving the blockage in blood flow (whether thrombus or embolus), never trying to measure some sort of theoretical neurotransmitter function. I'd recommend shadowing a neurologist and a neurosurgeon to see what they actually do on a daily basis if those are your medical interests, because it might shine some light on how it varies from undergrad coursework.

 

[hmoon7155]

What a thread. Look here, hmoon - you have an incredible upward journey. To believe for a second that any of that journey will come easy is to completely fool yourself and do disservice to your time and productivity that could go elsewhere. But I won't tell people what decisions to make in their life; what I will say is that I think your most pertinent obligation is to seriously determine if you want to 100% be a doctor that is interested in treating people and dealing with all of the relational aspects that come with serving others or if you're more interested/could be just as happy with a job directly involving the science (whether that be basic science or translational science with clinical relevance). The latter option would not require so much of the upward journey that you so face.

To determine if you actually want to practice medicine and serve other people for your lifetime, you need way more recent, clinical exposure that is diverse aside from your inspirational time with Doctor A and in hospice care. You need to be exposed to day in and day outs of multiple doctors in different fields with different responsibilities to have a solid grasp on the reality that is being a people doctor vs a science first-delve in a textbook-read current literature-invent new things-sort of doctor. Supposing you even make it past this uphill journey you have ahead of you, schools will drill you and want to know why you want to practice medicine over research science since you clearly express comparable interest in both. To even get this chance at explaining yourself, you'll have to have concise essays and answers in your applications that show you are strongly inclined towards people medicine vs research medicine (which from what you currently say, is very far from you capacity at the moment).

I would seriously forget all about the intricacies of your options in terms of how to make yourself more competitive for medical schools and seriously focus on doing things that will answer "why medicine?" for you. This is the same path every pre-med has found themselves on prior to the uphill journey of applying oneself, and I cannot imagine the rude awakening and heartache involved with realizing after serious time (years) and money have been invested in "preparing" oneself as an applicant that medicine is actually not all that for you anyway.

Best of luck to you.

Thanks, I'm going to shadow a physician anyway pretty soon.

 

[hmoon7155]

I... don't know what to tell you? I've treated a number of stroke patients before on rotations, and it involves relieving the blockage in blood flow (whether thrombus or embolus), never trying to measure some sort of theoretical neurotransmitter function. I'd recommend shadowing a neurologist and a neurosurgeon to see what they actually do on a daily basis if those are your medical interests, because it might shine some light on how it varies from undergrad coursework.

I know it's not measuring theoretical neurotransmitter function but if you briefly skimmed any of the articles you would of noticed a relationship between knowledge of neurotransmitters, physiology, and brain function.

 

[ciestar]

I know it's not measuring theoretical neurotransmitter function but if you briefly skimmed any of the articles you would of noticed a relationship between knowledge of neurotransmitters, physiology, and brain function.

Differentiating never once said there wasnt a relationship, as we all know there is. They’re referring how little significance it is to daily clinical practice. Knowing the pathophys is good and all, but it won’t change your outcome with a stroke. You know you’re supposed to restore blood flow to the brain. Worrying about what neurotransmitter is doing what isn’t how this is approached.

Neurosurgeons operate. They don’t care about what dopamine is doing at the time.

 

[hmoon7155]

What a thread. Look here, hmoon - you have an incredible upward journey. To believe for a second that any of that journey will come easy is to completely fool yourself and do disservice to your time and productivity that could go elsewhere. But I won't tell people what decisions to make in their life; what I will say is that I think your most pertinent obligation is to seriously determine if you want to 100% be a doctor that is interested in treating people and dealing with all of the relational aspects that come with serving others or if you're more interested/could be just as happy with a job directly involving the science (whether that be basic science or translational science with clinical relevance). The latter option would not require so much of the upward journey that you so face.

To determine if you actually want to practice medicine and serve other people for your lifetime, you need way more recent, clinical exposure that is diverse aside from your inspirational time with Doctor A and in hospice care. You need to be exposed to day in and day outs of multiple doctors in different fields with different responsibilities to have a solid grasp on the reality that is being a people doctor vs a science first-delve in a textbook-read current literature-invent new things-sort of doctor. Supposing you even make it past this uphill journey you have ahead of you, schools will drill you and want to know why you want to practice medicine over research science since you clearly express comparable interest in both. To even get this chance at explaining yourself, you'll have to have concise essays and answers in your applications that show you are strongly inclined towards people medicine vs research medicine (which from what you currently say, is very far from you capacity at the moment).

I would seriously forget all about the intricacies of your options in terms of how to make yourself more competitive for medical schools and seriously focus on doing things that will answer "why medicine?" for you. This is the same path every pre-med has found themselves on prior to the uphill journey of applying oneself, and I cannot imagine the rude awakening and heartache involved with realizing after serious time (years) and money have been invested in "preparing" oneself as an applicant that medicine is actually not all that for you anyway.

Best of luck to you.

That upward climb so far as I understand entails taking Masters of Medical Science or biomedicine at LECOM/VCOM/PCOM/NOVA or other D.O. school?

I enjoy interacting and talking with people even the rude ones. I'm motivated in part for the now dead hospice patients I met. It's amazing what you learn about people talking and spending time with them near death.

"“We must not see any person as an abstraction. Instead, we must see in every person a universe with its own secrets, with its own treasures, with its own sources of anguish, and with some measure of triumph.”

Everyone has a unique story.

 

[hmoon7155]

Differentiating never once said there wasnt a relationship, as we all know there is. They’re referring how little significance it is to daily clinical practice. Knowing the pathophys is good and all, but it won’t change your outcome with a stroke. You know you’re supposed to restore blood flow to the brain. Worrying about what neurotransmitter is doing what isn’t how this is approached.

Neurosurgeons operate. They don’t care about what dopamine is doing at the time.

I would argue that knowledge of the neurotransmitters is relevant and CAN change the outcome of stroke but it would require access to clinical studies.

 

[ciestar]

I would argue that knowledge of the neurotransmitters is relevant and CAN change the outcome of stroke but it would require access to clinical studies.

How much time have you spent in med school again?

Never once on rounds have I been asked about NTs outside of pimp questions with stuff like schizophrenia and PD.

 

[hmoon7155]

How much time have you spent in med school again?

Never once on rounds have I been asked about NTs outside of pimp questions with stuff like schizophrenia and PD.

I don't have to be in med school to understand. May be you have to get to residency to understand it more. 1. Medicine effects neurotransmitters and the brain on a macro level 2. neurotransmitters effect cerebral blood flow. 3. cerebral blood flow is effected by stroke thus it's logical to think medicines that effect neurotransmitters effect cerebral blood flow also effect stroke cases.

 

[hmoon7155]

@hmoon7155 I read both your responses and the other replies in this thread. I have nothing more to add. I hope that other users read will read through the entire thread from start to finish and take the appropriate action.

I really appreciate your help in all this process.

 

[deleted859689]

I don't have to be in med school to understand. May be you have to get to residency to understand it more. 1. Medicine effects neurotransmitters and the brain on a macro level 2. neurotransmitters effect cerebral blood flow. 3. cerebral blood flow is effected by stroke thus it's logical to think medicines that effect neurotransmitters effect cerebral blood flow also effect stroke cases.

Become a pharmacist. I have nothing more to add either.

 

[hmoon7155]

How much time have you spent in med school again?

Never once on rounds have I been asked about NTs outside of pimp questions with stuff like schizophrenia and PD.

Regardless of the distinction between neuroscience, neurology, and neurosurgery in relation to neurotransmitters and the synapse I think I've proven I have passion for clinical medicine in words.

 

[Goro]

Neurosurgery or Oncology requires an M.D. or D.O. Trust me when I say Grinnell was challenging. It was challenging and not for the typical student. Now I'm on medication.

Also, it's over 100% control. That reminds is it legal to pursue a D.O. with a disorder like bipolar disorder. In Korea, it requires psychiatrist approval.

It's legal alright, But it's not always a good idea.

And you stated earlier that stress affects your illness. Med school will be a major stressor.

 

[hmoon7155]

Become a pharmacist. I have nothing more to add either.

Thought about that but I like the clinical medicine more. Why pharmacy?

 

[hmoon7155]

It's legal alright, But it's not always a good idea.

And you stated earlier that stress affects your illness. Med school will be a major stressor.

But the medications help manage the disorder itself right now. I didn't have that during undergrad.

 

[hmoon7155]

Thought about that but I like the clinical medicine more. Why pharmacy?

to elaborate, I won't be able to be there in the patient's bedside as pharmacist.

 

[seren1051]

Moon, seems like you're pretty set on going down the med school path. I mean, current doc and medical students chipped in here but you have a solidish argument on what you want to do.

I think you'll be a great physician. You know the path you need to take: take a year or so going back to US, spend several - we're talking like 3, 4, 5 years - years repairing your GPA to the point of being able to attend a SMP, spend ~1 year doing SMP (and do exceptionally well in it, as getting even meh GPA in SMP will be a death sentence to your chance) and write MCAT at the same time, and spend ~1 year applying, assuming you land an acceptance on your first cycle. You're 30 right now, so it'll be 37-39 when you matriculate and begin your path to medicine. Also during all of this you'll be volunteering, working, researching, etc to get that volunteer hours, research hours, shadowing hours, etc. It's a monstrous task. But if you think you can do it and think MD is the only way you can follow your passion, then go for it.

Almost feel like you want reassurance, not advice.

 

[hmoon7155]

Moon, seems like you're pretty set on going down the med school path. I mean, current doc and medical students chipped in here but you have a solidish argument on what you want to do.

I think you'll be a great physician. You know the path you need to take: take a year or so going back to US, spend several - we're talking like 3, 4, 5 years - years repairing your GPA to the point of being able to attend a SMP, spend ~1 year doing SMP (and do exceptionally well in it, as getting even meh GPA in SMP will be a death sentence to your chance) and write MCAT at the same time, and spend ~1 year applying, assuming you land an acceptance on your first cycle. You're 30 right now, so it'll be 37-39 when you matriculate and begin your path to medicine. Also during all of this you'll be volunteering, working, researching, etc to get that volunteer hours, research hours, shadowing hours, etc. It's a monstrous task. But if you think you can do it and think MD is the only way you can follow your passion, then go for it.

Almost feel like you want reassurance, not advice.

"seems like you're pretty set on going down the med school path."

D.O. schools are fine too. I don't need to get an M.D. I still can match the same residencies from D.O. schools.

"we're talking like 3, 4, 5 years - years repairing your GPA to the point of being able to attend a SMP"

For GPA repair would that imply taking 3+ years of individual courses? How many courses per semester?

"I think you'll be a great physician."
Thank you that means a lot.

 

[seren1051]

However many you can manage. You hold a bachelors degree (or associate) right now, right? Every course counts for cGPA, so at this point taking one or two courses wont change your GPA that much. You'll need to take quite a few courses...a lot...for GPA to even reach 3.0. You can try to do some calculation.

And just to be clear, in SDN(also in most of america-hopefully) 'med school' = MD schools + DO schools.

Good luck.

 

[Calizboosted76]

This is cool stuff, but you didn’t do any of it so none of this matters. I have a really big interest in independently researching Tolkien lore, but that doesn’t qualify me to be an Elf.

Not to completely derail from OP post but, I am currently enrolled in a LIT class and all we do is thoroughly review Tolkien's 7 books. It pretty interesting.

 

[hmoon7155]

Not to completely derail from OP post but, I am currently enrolled in a LIT class and all we do is thoroughly review Tolkien's 7 books. It pretty interesting.

I don't know how to articulate this response in a cohesive manner, so you have to bear with me. Studying 8 years for the MCAT is a long time and it is something that you don't want to share in an interview with an admissions committee member. I know that at 2 of those years were likely spent doing mandatory service (thank you for serving), but there are other questions that stem from this such as whether there were learning barriers due to language differences or whether you have performance issue problems when it comes to standardized exams. If you have issues with test taking, then going into medical school can feel like a really awful experience. Especially when you're going to be in a class with people who had no previous trouble academically before starting a medical school program.

Another concern I want to touch upon is the barrier of immigration. I would start with the citizenship application now (assuming barriers are low), only because it can become a major barrier down the road. Another factor to consider is that Koreans are treated as an ORM (over-represented minority) which exacerbates your 2.49 GPA because admissions committee members are not incentivized towards giving a Park, Lee, or Kim the same reconsideration as they are an Onwuatuegwu or an Mbaku. The reinvention aspect is also less sympathetic as ORMs are broadly viewed as being generally successful at reinvention and therefore have comparatively less interesting narratives to committee members than if they were viewed in the context of being another race. When Harvard released admission commentary packets to their matriculants, the rationale as to why such a consistent rate controlled amount of seats had been maintained was due to that class having lower ratings when it came to their assessment of personality traits. Some of these reviews which were blogged by matriculants had adcoms attributed those applicants to being "typical" "expected" or "non-unique." If those were the personality subsets of Harvard matriculants who were blogging their personal findings, I wonder what comments were left to applicants who weren't accepted.

Another point is that it's nice that you have a research interest in oncology, but there is a fundamental difference between clinical medicine and clinical research. If you discuss in any interview how you are interested in applying "snake venom" as a potential treatment to chemo patients, then it is probably going to be a permanent hobby. The fundamental idea though of applying a dangerous chemical reagent as a chemotherapy agent isn't a novel concept, I'm not sure if there is anymore shock value after mustard gas was used as a chemo agent in the 1940s. If you are interested in research, then you are going to slog through years of medical education and training which will have little to no relevance to your current interest. Having a narrow interest in a specific subset can hurt you down the road as there are no guarantees that you will be still like oncology or still be able to practice as an oncologist based on board scores and residency placement.

Finally, my understanding of the medical admissions process in Korea is that it's far harder to get into medical school there than it is here. Then again, I only know about the application process involved in SNU and not other schools in Korea. My relative who graduated from SNU and migrated here had many barriers even though they were incredibly fluent in English. They did their residency training in the United States a decade ago, so perhaps the medical licensure barriers they had to cross as an FMG are more relaxed since then (ㅋㅋㅋ)...

I don't like giving blatant advice to other people on what they should do, but I feel that medicine may not be the best match considering your current circumstances. I am interested in your response and feel that you have answers to these questions that are worth exploring. I think that coming here is favorable if you are an exceptional talent, but I feel like the barriers to success here are similar to how hard it is to currently succeed in S. Korea when you factor in both implicit and explicit barriers to people seeking nationalization into this country.

The racism is ridiculous. Koreans may be an over-represented minority but we're still minorities.

 

[deleted859689]

Hence the name “over-represented minorities.” As the name suggests, there are a lot of Asians in the healthcare field. I too am an ORM - do I feel the system is racist? No. I believe representation of URMs in the healthcare field can help fight class discrimination in the US. It can be hard to achieve academic excellence when you are just fighting to put food on the table.

If you just achieved a 3.8 - 4.0 in undergrad and had a 510+ you would have a good shot at medical school. I personally did not and had to reinvent myself. You have to understand that some URMs do not have the same opportunities or resources that we (ORMs) have growing up. However, some ORMs do grow up disadvantaged which you can indicate on your application. You were lucky enough to study abroad at a US school which makes me* believe you are not disadvantaged. Understanding this shows maturity, which I do not believe you have.

 

[Calizboosted76]

The racism is ridiculous. Koreans may be an over-represented minority but we're still minorities.

Why was I quoted?

 

[907914]

Why was I quoted?

Discrimination against hobbits and dwarves

 

[Calizboosted76]

Discrimination against hobbits and dwarves

Bastards! We will not stand for this foul play! Who are the racists lets find them and send them into the void.

 

[hmoon7155]

Why was I quoted?

My point was discrimination still occurs to ORMs. It just reminded me of something I saw in the news.

 

[hmoon7155]

You were lucky enough to study abroad at a US school which makes me* believe you are not disadvantaged. Understanding this shows maturity, which I do not believe you have.

I am a greencard holder. And I have bipolar disorder and you're saying I'm not disadvantaged? I also was on scholarship, and grants. How dare you prejudge me.

 

[ciestar]

I am a greencard holder. And I have bipolar disorder and you're saying I'm not disadvantaged? I also was on scholarship, and grants. How dare you prejudge me.

AMCAS largely considers disadvantage status on a financial basis from before age 18 (your family was on food stamps as an example). They also take parental education into account.

Unfortunately, bipolar isnt going to be seen as a disadvantage by the AMCAS definition. Also, saying youre bipolar on your app could affect it negatively putting you at an actual disadvantage, despite your changed academic performance. Med school is brutal and med schools are really weary to take someone on with a mental illness as med school can set it off.