PLEASE I NEED HELP...What are my chances?

[Tony365]

Okay so my story:

I am currently and undergraduate student majoring in Microbiology. I started out as an chemical engineering student and then changed my major. My grades while I was trying to do chemical engineering weren't very good. I failed my chemistry I class (I got a D) , retook it and got a C, then took chemistry II and got a B. I took organic chemistry I and got a D, retook it and got a C, I took Biology I and got a D, retook it and got a B, and I took A&P II and failed it with an F retook it and got a B. Then came my lifechanging class. I took microbiology because I was so confused about engineering and was begining to look for other areas to major in. I took college level microbiology and got an A and loved every minute of it. I loved working with my hands and enjoyed applying what I learned to the medical area. It felt right, and at that point I knew that I wanted to become a doctor. That is when I decided that I would become a premed student.

So I just transferred to a new school and ran into alot of trouble. My parents both lost their jobs and I was left two hours away with no money, in school, no car, no friends, looking for a job, living in an apartment on my own for the first time, $12,000 in loans for tuition, and now my grades in two of my classes are falling and I'm afraid that I might fail one (if not both of them). I am so scared. I must be the worst pre-med college student in history; however I HAVE to ask. Is there any possible way for me to get into medical school in my situation? Please tell me that it isn't over...

[Scottish Chap]

Okay so my story:

I am currently and undergraduate student majoring in Microbiology. I started out as an chemical engineering student and then changed my major. My grades while I was trying to do chemical engineering weren't very good. I failed my chemistry I class (I got a D) , retook it and got a C, then took chemistry II and got a B. I took organic chemistry I and got a D, retook it and got a C, I took Biology I and got a D, retook it and got a B, and I took A&P II and failed it with an F retook it and got a B. Then came my lifechanging class. I took microbiology because I was so confused about engineering and was begining to look for other areas to major in. I took college level microbiology and got an A and loved every minute of it. I loved working with my hands and enjoyed applying what I learned to the medical area. It felt right, and at that point I knew that I wanted to become a doctor. That is when I decided that I would become a premed student.

So I just transferred to a new school and ran into alot of trouble. My parents both lost their jobs and I was left two hours away with no money, in school, no car, no friends, looking for a job, living in an apartment on my own for the first time, $12,000 in loans for tuition, and now my grades in two of my classes are falling and I'm afraid that I might fail one (if not both of them). I am so scared. I must be the worst pre-med college student in history; however I HAVE to ask. Is there any possible way for me to get into medical school in my situation? Please tell me that it isn't over...

I'm very sorry to hear about your personal issues and how they have affected your education. It's complicated enough that it's actually impossible to tell you what the right thing is to do. I think it is fair to say that you need to talk to an academic advisor ASAP and see about a leave of absence. This will probably salvage the classes you are presently taking and freeze the drain in your tuition while you work and get things back together.

If you're asking whether you will get into medical school or not, it's simply impossible to make that prediction--and especially so given the limited information you posted regarding your academic background and location (U.S., Canada, U.K.?). Assuming you are a U.S. student (since you are posting in the U.S. section), you likely know that the average GPA for accepted students at U.S. allopathic schools is around 3.65 and the average MCAT is now around 31 (3.33. and 24-25 for osteopathic schools). This means that you must do some serious damage control on your GPA. Any failure of a premedical course is a massive red flag to American medical schools, and multiple failures may be beyond redemption. That's the blunt reality. Yes, there are schools in the Caribbean and elsewhere that will take you in any state, but they are more interested in your tuition payments than your ability to complete the program. Many people who go overseas to 'easy entry' medical schools never make it, and they are landed with massive debt for which they are responsible.

Before you even think about going further, the information you posted suggests a systematic problem in your approach to studying, retaining information, or taking tests. With the help of an experienced academic advisor, it's critical that you diagnose the root of this before thinking about a career in medicine. Barring the difficulties gaining admission to medical school, you absolutely need to have it together before starting medical school in the U.S. The system here is very unforgiving and there is no time to figure out a study strategy if things are going south. It will bury you mercilessly. That's the bad news. The good news is that it does not take a genius to enter or progress through medical school. I am living proof of that.

Lastly, since you love microbiology and, since is seems intuitive, did you consider concentrating on that as an undergraduate, and then applying to graduate programs in microbiology? You can either be a PhD medical researcher (very satisfying career) or use that credential to enter a postdoctoral clinical microbiology fellowship where you can gain board certification to run a hospital clinical microbiology diagnostic department. I did something similar for clinical biochemistry.

Hang in there, meet with an academic advisor right away, and try to get an approved leave of absence. Good luck!