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I’m still in the making of that success story of mine. 23 here aswell, started studying physics at 17 at university because my teacher was incredible and I loved astronomy. Well, I wasn’t really good at maths or willing to study for it. Changed to engineering 2 semesters in, because I told myself it had „less or different maths“. But I was just making excuses and was postponing the inevitable - that is thinking about what to do in life. I was drowning the ever-increasing knowledge I’d have to confront it someday with video games. 4 years forward things were still bad. I don’t even wanna tell you how many exams I managed successfully, but it atleast it wasn’t zero.

And then I finally did what had been recommended to me years prior: making a list of courses that interest me and listing advantages and disadvantages, ranking them. And do you know what I found out? I don’t give a f about physics or engineering. I could still love astronomy as a hobby, learn some interesting facts and knowledge and brag about it even without being a physicist. I ranked History top of my list of courses. Politics second and Sociology third (since playing Stellaris I really respect that scientific field). I had always loved politics in school and I loved arguing even more. I’m also a sharp one when it comes to arguing and I can find a way out in every debate. I didn’t want to study history because I didn’t feel like job opportunities were looking good. But the problem was that the school grades required for politics were too high compared to mine.

One day then, I visited my mum and was scrolling through universities offering politics with my Laptop on my lap. She looks over my shoulder, points at an entry, saying it looked good. I waved it off, changed to the next page of listings. Then I thought to myself ‚What if that’s the one? Should I really take chances because I am too lazy to go back one page?‘ and went back and I looked it up. I’ll spare you from the details of my - may I say elaborately planned and luckily succeeding - plan to enroll, but I made it. Now I have successfully completed my exams for the past semesters as is standard for that course, and with good grades at that. I am even studying for it. And I love it. Politics & Economics is my new course and I couldn’t be happier. It was the perfect match, and still is.

So long story short: be sure to check whether your interests align with your skills. If you’re bad at maths, don’t go into engineering, even if you think it’s interesting. Do something that interests you and for which you have a talent. And leave pure interests for hobbies besides your main profession in life. It may sound weird, but being good at something (apart from only being interested in it) is a great motivation for studying for it. Ask people for their opinion, their help in this matter. I still remember meeting that one girl from back in high school years later and told her about my thoughts of maybe switching to politics, and she instantly said, without the slightest doubt that of course I belong in politics! That helped me establish my plans, really changing my life for the better. Realign your current situation according to interests and talent as soon as you can and don’t dawdle. Things don’t get better by ignoring them, and life and depression will swallow you whole when ignored for too long. I was deep down in that dark hole before I found my passion. And you can find it in the weirdest of places! I for example never thought about economics before, seeing it as a mere necessity (in my particular case, what with the plan to enroll I mentioned) to study politics and now I almost love it even more than politics! There is no shame in changing course, and you only stand to gain from it. It really comes down to being honest with yourself, recognizing a goal as impossible if it is and jumping ship. I really don’t mean to be discouraging here, you’re the only one who can know if it is.

Ask yourself if that is really you're goal personally or if that's just what you think your goal should be because it's what people find prestigious.

Things happen for a reason and it sounds like you should listen to your inner voice a little more, it'll guide you.

Healthygamer.gg went from a 2.5 gpa to a Harvard graduate and a medical doctor! It's definitely possible.

You are still young and can accomplish anything you set your mind to. I went back to school at 30 and had 3 fails on my transcript from my first attempt at college. I took those classes over at a community college and received As in all. The Fs were no longer counted towards my gpa. I’m not sure what state you’re in, but in CA community colleges offer transfer degrees that guarantee admission into Cal States as long as you meet certain requirements. I would imagine other states would have similar agreements. I completed all lower division courses and was accepted to multiple schools and attended a private university and was offered a merit scholarship that covered more than half the tuition. I did have to explain the reason for the Fs on my applications. I believe the review committees understand humans make mistakes or experience certain circumstances, and won’t hold the Fs against you. While, I am not a doctor, I am successful and glad I didn’t let the Fs hold me back. I would suggest taking it step by step, so you don’t feel overwhelmed. Try to focus on creating an educational plan for your bachelors that includes repeats of the Fs and transfer requirements. Once you’re working on upper division courses, plan your masters program, and so on. Talk to a counselor, they’ll be able to help put a plan to get you back on track. You can do it, good luck!

I had a 1.7 GPA at the end of my freshman year of college (2007). Long story short, I graduated from nursing school with a 3.96 GPA in 2013. I completed my BSN in 2018 with a 3.97 GPA. Then I got into a super competitive graduate school program (DNAP/doctor of nurse anesthesia practice) later year. I’m getting ready to start my 2nd year of the 3 year program and so far I have straight A’s. I know it’s not med school, but programs are competitive and I’ve worked my ass off to get where I am. It’s possible but it takes time, hard work, and determination.

What helped me a lot was getting diagnosed with ADHD in my late 20s and getting put on meds to treat it.

Best of luck!

You are not meant to be a Doctor. Either you are not interested in studying the science necessary for that career or are self sabotaging because deep down you do not have the curiosity/determination to go through what it takes.

Spend time evaluating what classes you actually enjoy and are "effortless" because of your enthusiasm and craft a new plan. Also examine what about being a Dr. was so appealing to you in the first place--is it that you want to help people? You can do that in many other ways.

Find Yourself and good luck.

I’ve been too fucked in the head to give school the attention it’s needed. I started at a top 50 school so I’m not stupid. I’m only stupid because I haven’t developed myself much. But I AM interested in the sciences, I just don’t have a lot to prove my interest

He's not wrong but he's not all right. Only you know what you are willing to invest. Making it through medical school is strenuous and will take a lot of willpower, hard work and long hours. It also doesn't end there because doctors and lawyers do crazy hours. No can know exactly what you are capable and willing to do and medical school is a possibility although an extremely challenging one. You can't just be an average doctor, to be a doctor you have to qualify. It's not like being a soso financial consultant.

I dropped out of class in my senior year of high school. My mother kicked me out of the home the same year, because I was not getting along with certain family members. Without a high school diploma or any money, I was told to find a job and a place to live on my own. By luck, I was able to find a full time job through a friend, and my manager allowed me to take classes at a community college while I was working. It took me 7 years to graduate from the community college when it should have been 2 years, because I was constantly dropping out of classes in order to avoid getting Fs on my transcript. When I was left with only two classes on my schedule, I planned to quite college altogether. I changed my mind when my English professor shocked me by reading one of my essays aloud in class. I never had that feeling of accomplishment and pride before. She read another one of my essays in front of the class in another occasion. It was a turning point. I decided to rededicate my effort, and I quit my job so that I could fully immerse myself in my studies. My professor gave me the confidence that I could succeed. Over time, I raised my grade point average from F to A. As a result, I transferred to a U.C. university in California. I went on to earn a Masters degree in education and became an elementary and middle school teacher. I hope that my story gives you some hope. Realize that what is happening to you right now is just a snapshot of your life or a short chapter of your book. You are only 23, so there are still many chapters to be written by you. I wish you nothing but the best. I and I'm sure many other people out there are rooting for you.

I fucking love you. I’m happy you made it through the hell early on to be able to leave your comment on my post

what do you mean by "fucked in the head"?

I think there are times where, even if you are capable, it's best not to do something if the psychological strain would be too intense, it can easily trigger more serious mental health issues that become harder to escape once your livelihood depends on it.

I once considered being a neurosurgeon & decided to interview a well known guy in the field. he told me that if I want a life & family then this is not the job for me. the intense work, long hours, weekends, always on call, he never sees his kids & his wife left him & he doesn't blame her.

Love this answer

Change your path. Think outside the box.

Option A) start fresh in an international medical school recognized by your home country. Much cheaper and you get to travel and expand horizons.

Option B) Become a nurse, get real world experience, then head back to Doctor path. There is no rush or timeline. See the story/movie about Patch Adams as late bloomer.

When you become a doctor and I am old and frail, you can return a favor by not making me sit in the waiting room for 30 minutes to see you. At least play some happy music or send a pretty nurse to check up on me while I wait. Just kidding.

Medical schools extremely competitive to get into, so unless you have Rich parents those college after pretty much going to exclude you. That said there's nothing saying you couldn't do a four year RN program and then cross over into a physician's assistant or nurse practitioner

>I'm looking to see if there is ANYONE who has a success story from a similarly shitty position.

I spent 5 years in highschool, then flunked out of college for 6 years from 20-26. Went to a new college at 28 and maintained a 4.0 until my last semester, where I made a single B. The main thing for me was realizing no one was coming to save me. It had to be my decision to do better, it had to be me making the decisions that were in my best interest. I'm not a doctor, but I did get a very in demand degree and have had zero issues finding employment. In fact I have been employed in my field since I was back in school, have had no issue maintaining a job, and I just hit six digits this year.

I never thought I was going to be anything growing up. I should very much be employed at a fast food or department store chain right now based off of what I did with my 20s. If I can do that, you can probably become a doctor if it's truly what you want.

❤️❤️

THANK YOU

Won't comment on the rightness or wrongness of your end goal, but I am curious as to why you are failing to study?

Fs mean you aren't putting in the work. So what's going on?

I have came out a little but from nearly same situation now I try to live more of my life. I am doing BTech in cse but can't find any real interest in anything and even not very good at anything specific but I don't know what I want to do with my life.I don't know how to hear inner voice. Currently I am just going with the flow. Do you have any advice?

> "accomplished the impossible and became a doctor."

Giving yourself that excuse -- was it conscious or unconscious?

What excuse? Calling it impossible?

you really have to love medicine and be motivated to become a doctor. honestly i’d imagine undergrad is probably the easiest part. have you worked in a hospital or shadowed any doctors? you might find it’s not actually something you want to do.

if it’s really what you want to do, then it’s possible, it’ll just be extremely difficult. you’ll have to start at a community college most likely and go from there. good grades alone aren’t enough to get you into med school.

unless you want to end up where you are now, you’ll have to figure out why you’re failing and change it

Absolutely… i HAVE spoken to a couple doctors and even shadowed one before. I know I’m fighting an extremely uphill battle and I know a fair bit about the process already. We’ll see…

Is it you or what you think you should be?

Hey bro, I'm not entirely in the same boat as you, but I'm also Aussie (I think you're Aussie from stalking your profile?), also ADHD, and also trying to get into med school! Some of the advice in here is really good but I can see a lot of other people don't really know anything about the process and how hard it is. Just because you feel like a failure right now doesn't mean you can't be a doctor in the future! My friends who are already in med school all say that maybe 10% of their class is mature age, and this is from like three different med schools in Australia. If this is what you REALLY want then it might take some time - but it is achievable.

Your current degree is not gonna do anything for you when applying. You need to go on and do a Masters (which might not be the best idea if you're already struggling with undergrad) or just pick a different undergrad course entirely - one that you have a chance at doing well in. GEMSAS only looks at the last three full-time years of your study when they look at your grades, so you can effectively wipe your current record if you can go on to do something else.

As you've been diagnosed with ADHD you have HEAPS of options available when it comes to equity services at uni, and you need to use them!!! If you're anything like me, a lot of your Fs come from handing things in late because you didn't have enough executive function to do the thing 😭 there's structures in place for that! My uni in Melbourne lets me hand anything in two weeks late, no questions asked and no penalties, as long as I email my coordinator and let them know what's going on. I also get rest breaks during my exams so I don't have to try and focus on a four hour exam at once - I can go step outside for ten minutes and stretch or lie on the floor and just take a mental break. These accommodations have been LIFE CHANGING for me and I wouldn't have half a chance at getting into med school without them. You're not a failure, your brain is just wired differently!! You need to work with your strengths.

Another thing I would highly recommend is underloading. I know it's hard to admit that you might not be as smart as the others in your class, but underloading means you can actually focus on the subjects you are doing instead of wildly flailing around with 4 at a time and inevitably neglecting one. The only times I've been able to get all HDs (or As or 4.0s or whatever) in a semester it was because I was underloading. I was never able to do four subjects at once and do well in all four.

Your ADHD means that you work great under pressure and you'll probably ace the GAMSAT when you go to sit it :) I scored in the top 10% on my first try and barely studied lol (but I would never tell my friends that!) I was considering actually studying and then resitting it but I don't have $500 lying around and my grades are actually ok apart from my first year when I was figuring everything out, so I'm applying this year and seeing how I go.

If you ever have any questions about anything or just want to rant, feel free to DM me! I'm more than happy to try and help you work through whatever barriers are stopping you from getting the piece of paper you need. I have never met someone with ADHD who wasn't truly brilliant, you just have to figure out how to prove that to neurotypical society!

Jesus, if you’re 23 you can do anything again from the beginning and will be very much ahead in time compared to many people(like myself).

Can I ask, from a place of sincerity and with the desire to be helpful, what’s going on in your life?

Oh, no need to be of concern about me. I stopped comparing myself to others or dwell in my past long time ago, and I’m doing just fine now.

If there’s something to say about me relating to you, I once dreamed of becoming a doctor myself just around your age, but gave up on that dream because I thought it was too late for me since I already had a completely different major.

In retrospect, it wasn’t. I had plenty enough time to start again from the beginning and still achieve my dream.

Nowadays I work in a completly different area. Just wanted to let you know that you still have so much potential and opportunities to achieve your dream, or find another.

You have no idea what it means to hear words of encouragement. I think I’ve spent far too long living in the social media bubble which has convinced me that people will only always try to knock me down. It’s honestly makes me a bit emotional just to hear some words of encouragement, so thank you.

I’m so glad to hear. Good luck on your dream!

Don’t be afraid to change your goals. You can adapt and become whoever you want. Dr, nurse, Medical Assistant, he’ll become a Vet if you love animals. Just find something your passionate about and follow it. I waited until I was 40 for my GED believing what others said. Went on to graduate with 2 Associate degrees 4.0 the whole time. My point is don’t give up reach forward for you.

Thank you :)

You cannot get into Med school with all those F’s. Students have trouble getting accepted with much better grades. I’m not sure you could even be a nurse. Maybe a CMA.

Maybe, maybe not. I also understand they like improvement and people who are took a non-traditional path sometimes.

There comes a time in everyone’s life where you just have to realize it’s time to reframe your goals

Yeah maybe, maybe not. What if I became a doctor 10 years after others my age? So what?

Yes. The many tens of thousands of new doctors each year indiicate it's NOT impossible. Your brain wrote that it IS impossible. Your brain then read that it's impossible.

Are you aware that you're giving yourself that kind of excuse? Doing so could contribute to some of the issues you described.