Hi everyone!
I have been researching as much as possible about other people who may fall in my category as a potentially underwhelming medical school applicant, and I have found some great advice, but was hoping to get a bit more specific advice as it relates to my circumstances.
I will be turning 25 on the 25th of April and graduated with a major in Psychology in fall of 2021. I am currently pursing a M.S. in General Psychology at NSU - Ft. Lauderdale. As far as career goals, I always had a fascination for the clinical settings / healthcare but was never really set on what I wanted to pursue until recently. After studying psychology for the past 6 years of my life I thought it would only fitting to shoot high and pursue a career in medicine (ideally psychiatry).
In my undergrad, I was not really motivated and as stated above definitely did not have any original intent on pursuing medicine. This mentally carried over to the "Cs get degrees" mindset and I was ok with doing the bare minimum until recently. I graduated with my bachelors with a 2.98 cumulative GPA. I recently began taking my school more seriously and have maintained a 4.0 GPA in my masters program which I am set to graduate in Fall of 2023. I think it is highly realistic for me to graduate at a 3.9+ if not, a 4.0. After speaking with professors and colleagues I have decided to begin working on building my medical school application.
I will be working on a DIY post-bacc in the near future (still debating if I should start this fall while finishing my last semester of my masters, or waiting a bit longer and starting in Spring '24.) In my undergrad for some ******* reason I decided it would be interesting to take Bio I + II and Chem I for ****s and giggles, which I obviously under performed in. If my memory serves me correctly I finished Bio I + lab with Cs, Bio II lecture with a D+ and lab with a C, Chem lecture with a C- and lab with a B. I would say these grades reflect more of my lack of motivation than unable to handle science courses in my younger age. With that being said, I truly believe that If I continued to follow through with the med pre-reqs I could produce excellent grades.
On top of everything else, I also have my EMT-B certification/license and will probably have 1000+ hours of clinical experience working in an emergency department. I also have been a lifeguard since I was 15, and have recently completed my lifeguard instructor certification (LGI). As an LGI, I have trained dozens of young adults to become lifeguards and have taught CPR/AED for professionals courses through the Red Cross. My resume also includes leadership in the form of summer job in which I manage a city pool and lead a team of lifeguard staff.
With all of that being said, I have yet to take my MCAT (I essentially was planning on taking it once my sciences have all been completed). Comparing apples to oranges, based on my GRE scores I think I would be able to score between a 510-515 with enough time to prepare and study for the MCAT. Obviously, my knowledge of the MCAT is at best minimum, so this may change in the future.
Essentially, I am posting my life story on here to reach out to get some advice from other students who may relate to my academic experiences with the end goal to attend medical school. I have essentially ruled out the possibility to attend a MD due to my lack of academic excellence and will be applying primarily to DO programs. I would be applying to matriculate into medical school in fall of '25 if everything goes according to plan.
If anyone could share their experiences or any advice on how I could improve my application and chances to get accepted into a medical program I would greatly appreciate any and all feedback. If you think my chances are shot and I should quit now to save myself years of trouble I would also like to hear the reasoning as to why. Also any suggestions on any school that I should look into that may be a best fit. I am a FL local, but I am not against moving OOS. I honestly would like a change of scenery.
TL;DR:
Undergrad: 2.98
Science: (not really applicable, see paragraph 4.)
Masters in Psychology: 3.9-4.0 (graduating fall of '24)
What can I do to improve my chances to matriculate into medical schools. What schools may be a good fit? Any other advice that I should consider?
Thank you for indulging my curiosity and allowing me to procrastinate my studying <3
I have been researching as much as possible about other people who may fall in my category as a potentially underwhelming medical school applicant, and I have found some great advice, but was hoping to get a bit more specific advice as it relates to my circumstances.
I will be turning 25 on the 25th of April and graduated with a major in Psychology in fall of 2021. I am currently pursing a M.S. in General Psychology at NSU - Ft. Lauderdale. As far as career goals, I always had a fascination for the clinical settings / healthcare but was never really set on what I wanted to pursue until recently. After studying psychology for the past 6 years of my life I thought it would only fitting to shoot high and pursue a career in medicine (ideally psychiatry).
In my undergrad, I was not really motivated and as stated above definitely did not have any original intent on pursuing medicine. This mentally carried over to the "Cs get degrees" mindset and I was ok with doing the bare minimum until recently. I graduated with my bachelors with a 2.98 cumulative GPA. I recently began taking my school more seriously and have maintained a 4.0 GPA in my masters program which I am set to graduate in Fall of 2023. I think it is highly realistic for me to graduate at a 3.9+ if not, a 4.0. After speaking with professors and colleagues I have decided to begin working on building my medical school application.
I will be working on a DIY post-bacc in the near future (still debating if I should start this fall while finishing my last semester of my masters, or waiting a bit longer and starting in Spring '24.) In my undergrad for some ******* reason I decided it would be interesting to take Bio I + II and Chem I for ****s and giggles, which I obviously under performed in. If my memory serves me correctly I finished Bio I + lab with Cs, Bio II lecture with a D+ and lab with a C, Chem lecture with a C- and lab with a B. I would say these grades reflect more of my lack of motivation than unable to handle science courses in my younger age. With that being said, I truly believe that If I continued to follow through with the med pre-reqs I could produce excellent grades.
On top of everything else, I also have my EMT-B certification/license and will probably have 1000+ hours of clinical experience working in an emergency department. I also have been a lifeguard since I was 15, and have recently completed my lifeguard instructor certification (LGI). As an LGI, I have trained dozens of young adults to become lifeguards and have taught CPR/AED for professionals courses through the Red Cross. My resume also includes leadership in the form of summer job in which I manage a city pool and lead a team of lifeguard staff.
With all of that being said, I have yet to take my MCAT (I essentially was planning on taking it once my sciences have all been completed). Comparing apples to oranges, based on my GRE scores I think I would be able to score between a 510-515 with enough time to prepare and study for the MCAT. Obviously, my knowledge of the MCAT is at best minimum, so this may change in the future.
Essentially, I am posting my life story on here to reach out to get some advice from other students who may relate to my academic experiences with the end goal to attend medical school. I have essentially ruled out the possibility to attend a MD due to my lack of academic excellence and will be applying primarily to DO programs. I would be applying to matriculate into medical school in fall of '25 if everything goes according to plan.
If anyone could share their experiences or any advice on how I could improve my application and chances to get accepted into a medical program I would greatly appreciate any and all feedback. If you think my chances are shot and I should quit now to save myself years of trouble I would also like to hear the reasoning as to why. Also any suggestions on any school that I should look into that may be a best fit. I am a FL local, but I am not against moving OOS. I honestly would like a change of scenery.
TL;DR:
Undergrad: 2.98
Science: (not really applicable, see paragraph 4.)
Masters in Psychology: 3.9-4.0 (graduating fall of '24)
What can I do to improve my chances to matriculate into medical schools. What schools may be a good fit? Any other advice that I should consider?
Thank you for indulging my curiosity and allowing me to procrastinate my studying <3
