I apologize if this is too long,
Dr. Gray, what advice do you have for me? I do not know if I am considered a non-traditional student or not? I have a very bumpy beginning and have received quite a few Ws and also two Fs in my early years. Is my upward trend at the University level competitive enough for admittance to an MD? I tried to provide as much background information as possible so you can give me the best advice as possible. Thank you Dr. Gray.
After graduating High School I enrolled at my local community college and within the first two semesters (2010/2011) I accumulated 1 A in Human Development, 1 F in Psychology, and 7 Ws in miscellaneous electives such as a criminal justice course and a History of Rock Music course. College was tough and considering my mom had recently lost her job, I chose to work rather than go to school.
I worked for a litigation company to stay afloat, and then starting at age 19, I started working for a major airline for the next 5 years. I demonstrated excellent leadership abilities and quickly became a Team Lead within a year. Then, another year later I interviewed for a position in the Tower and began my career as a Ramp Controller for American Airlines.
During this time with the airline, I went back to my local CC (in 2012) and retook the F in Psych and also completed ENG 101/102, Private Pilot Ground School, and meteorology. At the time, I aspired to be a pilot. With poor planning and not much funding from FASFA, I ended up not being able to afford the high cost of the flight the training. Overall, I received A’s in Eng 101/102, a C in Ground school, a C in meteorology and a C in Psychology. I stopped taking classes again and focused on my new position in the Tower.
Fast forward four years to 2016, I enrolled once again at my local community college. I traveled extensively during the four-year break and I found a burning desire to become a physician. I met many surgeons and physicians on many flights and I have solidified my decision to pursue a career in medicine.
Now, spring 2016, I completed a Public Speaking course, a History of Rock music course, and a Critical Thinking and Analysis course; I received 3 As. Summer 2016, I took Spanish 101 and College Algebra and received As in those as well. Fall 2016, I transfer to Arizona State University and received As in General Chemistry, General Biology, Spanish 102, and Pre-calculus. Spring 2016, I received A’s in General Biology 2, Spanish 118, and an Upper Division Humanities, but I GOT A B in general chemistry 2! I was devastated that my short streak of A’s ended here.
Fast forward to now, approaching fall 2018, I have a cumulative GPA of 3.73 and will be graduating with B.S. in Biochemistry next winter (2019), I have received mostly A’s in all of my prerequisites besides general chemistry 2, and organic chemistry 1, both of which I got a B in. I showed an upward trend last semester in my sciences and received A’s in Physics 1 and organic chemistry 2. I also received an A+ for two semesters as an Undergraduate Researcher. I performed graduate student level chemical ecology and organic chemistry research, unsupervised, as my professor gained trust in me very quickly. We are currently working on publishing a paper regarding ants, although after the completion of this project, I may consider finding research experience that is related to medicine.
I am taking the MCAT in 3 months (Fall 2018) and I am currently studying like it is my full-time job. I am also working part-time for a sustainability company at ASU. I host waste-recycling volunteer events for this company and have generated over 1,000 volunteer community service hours for the students at ASU. However, I personally lack volunteer hours and clinical hours. I have absolutely no experience alongside physicians. This upcoming school year however, I will be doing an internship at a hospital alongside an Emergency Medicine Attending, this will be 12 hours a week for two semesters.
Thank you for reading this, I look forward to any and all advice you have for me and for any students with a similar rocky beginning.
Thank you!