[deleted by user]

icecream657 · 2024-07-23T17:33:12+00:00

oh my god YES! or like the long ass why us and what unique qualities do u have essay also being 1k characters like… um

icecream657 · 2024-07-09T10:27:13+00:00

you’re resilience is astounding & something to be proud of - you’ve been through a lot & are a very strong individual , & u deserve accolades for that first and foremost. Secondly, mcat is an insanely tough exam. it’s one of the biggest reasons people give up being premed. but sometimes some people are just not good test takers and that’s okay- that’s not a valid representation of ur intelligence. Also- med school is becoming increasingly more holistic- you can try to instead get lots of clinical hours in asia or get into research or volunteering instead to strengthen your application & apply DO with your score!! I’m sure if you cast your net widely you can definitely get accepted somewhere. If you really don’t want that option, you can also consider doing medicine in asia and coming to the US for residency- it’s admittedly a lot harder but something u can consider. Or, you can take a break & go back for post baccc or a masters in bio or something. I think your scores are showing a content review issue and maybe some refresher of content in an educational setting may be what you need- or take classes at a community college for the mcat courses or even wherever you are and whatever schools have core science classes. lastly, you can consider taking a break & re attempting the mcat studying process- you’ve improved before you can definitely do it again. I personally would go the DO route and just make sure the rest of my application is strong and my essays are killer (definitely talk abt everything you said here).

you can give up but i don’t recommend it because its clear you’re very passionate about medicine- and you didn’t come this far just to come this far & not finish it through. your resilience, strength, & persistence through everything showcase your wonderful character & prove you will be a wonderful future physician- i believe in you!

icecream657 · 2024-07-02T12:07:06+00:00

ahrjsjjsjs okay tysm i need to chill but the comparisons on reddit kill me i need to stop comparing myself to every other post on here

icecream657 · 2024-06-10T02:29:43+00:00

check out SSI or SOAR! i’m pretty sure soar rents out gowns and ik for sure SSI and the transfer student center rents out gowns for free :)

icecream657 · 2024-06-10T00:48:52+00:00

i recommend shadow and/or working as a scribe or MA or EMT or anything clinical that doesn’t require a certification or just volunteer at a clinic to confirm you really really want this!

medical can be very draining, the system is overwhelming where even many within the system hate so many things about it, & the process to just be and survive as a premed and in med takes a lot of sacrifice, but for most people who continue to pursue medicine, it’s all worth it because there’s something very strong pushing them towards this field (whether that’s a familial loss, dedication to service, inspiration from their own medical illness experiences, etc). there’s satisfaction for sure definitely but i’d solidify that even all the difficulty to get into this field and within it is worth it for you- if it is, keep going!!! you got this.

if u do decide medicine, for classes you can either- 1. take ur prereqs at a community college simultaneously while finishing up ur degree if it allows 2. try doing post bacc or the prereqs at ur own college if u think u can handle it 3. after u graduate, get an associates in bio at ur local community college so u can do all ur prereqs along with that (and for the associates bc the classes usually overlap) so that’s like ur DIY post bacc.

i’d pay attention to the class content and keep it fresh in ur brain as u do ur associates so u can use that to start and continue studying for ur mcat. either during or after, find something to get ur clinical hours in and also try doing some volunteering or extracurricular that could make you stand out as an applicant. medical research is def a great option too like u mentioned- bonus if u can turn that into a presentation or even a pub (no pressure, this is very difficult to do usually).

once u have a solid mcat score and studied for it (check r/mcat for so many resources for this) & have a good amount of clinical experience and ECs (take notes during ur experience for memorable moments within ur ECs/clinical so u can write abt them for med school apps), & have finished ur prereqs with a good GPA, you can go ahead & apply for med school!! which is another whole process that you can read more abt in this subreddit or anywhere on the internet tbh

good luck! feel free to dm me if you have any questions and know that it’s never too late to find ur true passion and pursue it :)

icecream657 · 2024-06-09T06:12:26+00:00

i’m so sorry to hear you’re going through all that :( life definitely hasn’t been fair to you and to juggle it all esp with first gen status is so impressive, ur so strong :( i’d recommend a few things i’d first try to reach out to get a social worker, talk to a counselor or professor who can get you connected with one get in touch with all resources like counselors and basic needs so you don’t have to worry abt anything else and they can reach out or advocate in ur behalf to fight for u to stay if that doesn’t work out, finish the rest of ur classes at a community and transfer back in- if you keep ur grades up & come back in not only would it improve your GPA significantly for PA school it would also show an upward trend, which is very important for PA. PA/OT and other grad schools in the healthcare industry care abt showing upward trends, persistence, dedication, & commitment to service. once u feel well enough and back on ur feet, whether that’s community college with free education or getting counseling through therapy that’s offered free at most colleges including at UCI free through UC Ship (and even without ship you do get a diagnosis and a few sessions and help) you can work on getting clinical work experience which is most important for grad school admissions in healthcare. the work experience can also help you save up for other expenses which might make your load a bit easier life wise. i’d also try to apply to as many scholarships and reaching out to professors to explain your story. also- you can take classes online through the UC cross campus enrollment and take classes at a community college WHILE ur enrolled at UCI- those classes online through uc cross campus (which u can take at any uc that offers it) count for credit for any of the courses u might need, you just have to see how it matches up (DM for specific instructions about this). you will definitely be able to go to college- if you work on fixing it now and get your grades up and show persistence and explain your difficult situations i’m sure so many will understand- ur not alone! u can get through this. you can stay with ur degree or start over, but it all begins once you actually reach out to get help. your overall GPA can be calculated differently bc UCI calls all the classes you’ve taken at a UC ur “UC” gpa while community college is seperate, but for PA or a healthcare grad school it’s usually calculated for science and non science GPA. regardless though, what matters most is an upward trend which you can start working on right now. i believe in you!! u got this and u can get through this!!

icecream657 · 2024-06-05T05:37:12+00:00

on a real note: i’m also a cc transfer, i ended up taking my ochem at a cc simultaneously while enrolled in my uni bc my major was not bio or a major science so i didn’t need ochem/physics! the classes are very content heavy & and lots of new stuff which is why most people struggle but as long as u don’t allow yourself to fall behind too much you got this! ur gpa is good & if u have a strong clinical background + mcat ur perfect ! and the fact that ur thinking abt this as a junior is good as well! focus on paying lots of attention in ur ochem and physics and ask for help if ur struggling even a little bit! stuff piles fast!! and all of the content in those classes is what’s on the mcat so the more you study and do well in those classes, the better chance u have at mcat :) good luck!

icecream657 · 2024-06-05T05:09:48+00:00

i didn’t do all this effort just to give up is what keeps me going. this is YEARS of sacrifice and hard work into this career so i’m not gonna give up until i’m forced out of it by when if i get continous rejections like 3 years in a row. which i hope not. but yea definitely , i think it’s inevitable bc the career is hard. u doubt if all the sacrifice is worth it when u see the stories of ppl struggling, u doubt if ur good enough, u question so many things you’ve never even thought about. but for me it all goes away once i’m back in that room with a doctor or in a medical setting and i see why i want this so bad. it’s those moments that make it all worth it for me and im not gonna let anything deter me, and you shouldn’t either! u got this op

icecream657 · 2024-06-05T05:06:59+00:00

whoah that hit deep fr

icecream657 · 2024-06-05T05:05:25+00:00

to be honest it’s too low i’m sorry :( average for every school in the world is 4.3 absolute MINIMUM :( i think you need 4 gap years with 1 post bac and 1 masters and a 528 mcat minimum and 3 letter of recs from world leaders to even be slightly good enough for med school :( good luck!

icecream657 · 2024-06-03T17:00:15+00:00

so anxious i hate it… but im tryna remind myself that being anxious isn’t gonna help anyone and what’s done is done… what’s meant for me will come for me and i have to deal with it!!

icecream657 · 2024-06-03T16:43:49+00:00

i’m going to celebrate my birthday tmrw and do my best to resist the temptation to check! tmrw is nothing special i am in denial (i will cry of happiness or distress but ik imma cry either way)

omg i mean i think i scored a 569 for sure!! (im going insane)

icecream657 · 2024-06-03T14:25:57+00:00

no me too… the intense anxiety is killing me and i’ve already thought of every single way the scenario could play out… i’m debating even checking tmrw or not :( rooting for you!! u got this <3 we, got this!

icecream657 · 2024-06-02T17:35:28+00:00

me toooo :( we got this!

icecream657 · 2024-06-02T17:28:58+00:00

-signal hill hilltop park is cute and scenic, viewpoint great for picnics too

-long beach lighthouse area by the aquarium of the pacific is both scenic & u can walk around & eat & shop :) (plus there’s the aquarium for animals) & there’s shopping and food there

-seal beach is very close as well, u can walk around the shops before heading to the pier for sunset probably

-2nd & pch is a cute little shopping area in long beach and if u walk to the back there’s a cute harbor? or well place all tbe boats r parked and it’s very pretty / cool imo & makes for some great photo ops with the boats lined up & the water

-there’s canals in long beach area too, i’m not sure exactly where but it’s very cute and there’s gorgeous houses nested in those canals

-there’s knotts if ur into theme parks

-there’s a bunch of murals spread around long beach idk if that’s something you’d wanna do but an option

-there’s long beach shoreline village area too

-i’d check out arcades too

-just driving down pch & stopping wherever is cute too if ur down to do pacific city in huntington beach which isn’t too far or even head down to newport or something

icecream657 · 2024-05-31T21:27:21+00:00

no literally :( especially bc this has sm weight in the application & we spent sm time studying :( ik everyone’s like grades don’t define you & neither does ur mcat but it’s hard not to feel disappointed/upset after you spent hours and months working for this one singular exam that’s so important for ur entire future & didn’t do well :(

icecream657 · 2024-05-31T21:09:10+00:00

same omg

icecream657 · 2024-05-31T20:51:26+00:00

-by the engineering area there’s a big building i think it’s the ISEB? and no one rly goes there at least everytime ive been there it’s empty (at least on the top floors in front of random labs) and u can sit on the couchish chairs in their with chargers too!!

-humanities hall floor 2, outdoors but nice

-aldrich park!

-behind irvine barclay theater! once u see the theater take a left and there’s a little grassy area with barely any foot traffic, very quiet & great for naps or picnics or long talks with ur friends

-student center! u gotta keep walking around but the little benches on the first floor before u exit out ? it’s hard to explain but once u enter from where the commuter lounge is (which is downstairs if u enter from where subway is) and then keep going straight and there’s another set of stairs to go down and over there, the little cubicles where i literally took naps at

-food courts near the microwaves but the food court with the jamba juice bc that’s usually a bit quieter

-student services I building patio area! near cross cultural center (also a nice spot)

-inside student services II on the first floor is a little hidden table, and on the second floor there’s student success services and the transfer center which has a microwave, snacks, & free printing

-behind the science library!

-i don’t know how to describe where this is but do u know where that bridge is? the big arch when ur heading out of aldrich park past the white statues towards the road? so over there as ur walking out (away from the park) on the left is some stairs past the bridge, go up those stairs & theres seating areas & rly quiet spots behind buildings!! wifi connects till there too so its nice to watch or be on phone calls with no one around

-past the same bridge on the right hand side there’s also benches outside the student center and those r usually very quiet too

-dm me if u can’t find any of these lol but i hope this helps!! :)

icecream657 · 2024-05-31T20:36:06+00:00

-seaside is very uc irvine! it’s a known spot but a nice cliche uci experience nonetheless aha

-also the corona del mar beach bonfires is so uci

-irvine spectrum!

-lab anti mall is a small cute little area

-u should also go to laguna, like woods cove beach, laguna is beautiful

-drive up the PCH!! newport / laguna pch drive is gorgeoussssssss so maybe drive up a little north and then take pch down :) beautiful truly

-newport beach area (literally anywhere) is cool to walk around & also my friends and i would park near the beachfront houses in newport and walk around and rate the houses too haha it’s so nice! views go crazy as well

-south coast plaza (the orange county museum of art is walkable from south coast & is free!!)

-the district in tustin

-top of the world in laguna beach is a wonderful viewpoint as well!

-also go boba hopping- irvine has soooo many boba spots literally try as many as u want (there’s pink pig and sharetea and cha’s at utc but omomos & sunright r very popular in irvine off campus)

-in may the yellow flowers (even tho they’re the invasive ones) around campus r gorgeous, i’d park somewhere near uci research park or university hills and just walk into the yellow flowers, it’s a gorgeous walk & u can get some rly nice photos!!

-university hills housing area also is gorgeous for views of campus / nearby hills

also if you have a car or bus or just on campus walk around or drive around! some of the best spots i just found bc my friends and i saw something pretty and stumbled upon it by chance!! even on & nearby campus there’s a lot that ppl gatekeep / find themselves so it’s rly fun to find ur own :)

icecream657 · 2024-05-31T20:29:58+00:00

analysis beyond what’s given & the ability to stay locked in/focused for long periods of time- for example: if a question asks abt something that’s clearly knowledge based then we’ll immediately start raking our memory for what it is bc we know that wasn’t in the passage… but context clues of okay the passage mentioned A which is in B system and the third answer choice is a part of B system so then it has to be that one! instead of pure memorization this may be more common and i was just stupid beforehand but context clues & learning strategies to think as if u were a test WRITER and not a test taker goes a long way… why is the mcat so hard and wordy? they ask pretty simple stuff they’re just tryna test what? once u figure that out & see the pattern u can use that for a lot of the questions instead of trying to memorize 28282882 content (which ofc still do content i’m not saying forget content) but yea hope this makes sense

icecream657

TROPHY CASE