Should I include that I plan to be a doctor in my personal essay?

[Lita0632]

I'm applying for undergraduate schools and not all of them have pre-med programs. I graduated HS 10 years ago and wanted to go to college but couldn't due to circumstances but I am ready now. My GPA in HS was 2.8 and I didn't take classes that were extra challenging or any extra-cirricular activities to make my college application strong. (But I know all the requirements to get into medical school and believe I can accomplish it when I get accepted into an undergrad school)
For the personal essay (to get into an undergrad school), should I include my future plans of getting into med school? Or should I not mention it? Will the person reviewing it think med school and becoming a doctor is too far out of my league (based on my 2.8 HS GPA, lack of extra circular activities, and large gap between HS and now) and not accept me? Will they think accepting me is a waste of space compared to someone who has more "realistic" goals? Would I have a better chance of getting accepted into an undergraduate school if I just act like I'm aiming for a relatively average career after college and that I just want to get my bachelor's degree in biology or chemistry?

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[Gilakend]

I would say it doesn't really matter. If by personal essay you mean a personal statement as is similar to med school (basically just telling about yourself and how you got to where you are) I would say it fits as it is part of your motivation, but would focus more on your personal journey to applying to undergrad with med school aspirations. I wouldn't say that acting like you are aiming for an "average career" would be beneficial.

Also, FWIW I was an absolutely awful high school student. I don't know what my GPA was, but it was significantly lower than yours and I had exactly 0 extracurriculars. Failed many classes, had the bare minimum number of credits I could to graduate. Went to a low ranking state school, got all I needed to done and got into my #1 choice med school. Just keep your head down and work hard and you'll get there.

 

[jhmmd]

I'm applying for undergraduate schools and not all of them have pre-med programs. I graduated HS 10 years ago and wanted to go to college but couldn't due to circumstances but I am ready now. My GPA in HS was 2.8 and I didn't take classes that were extra challenging or any extra-cirricular activities to make my college application strong. (But I know all the requirements to get into medical school and believe I can accomplish it when I get accepted into an undergrad school)
For the personal essay (to get into an undergrad school), should I include my future plans of getting into med school? Or should I not mention it? Will the person reviewing it think med school and becoming a doctor is too far out of my league (based on my 2.8 HS GPA, lack of extra circular activities, and large gap between HS and now) and not accept me? Will they think accepting me is a waste of space compared to someone who has more "realistic" goals? Would I have a better chance of getting accepted into an undergraduate school if I just act like I'm aiming for a relatively average career after college and that I just want to get my bachelor's degree in biology or chemistry?

Absolutely mention it. Colleges want young, bright, motivated individuals. You will be an asset to their future class!