UPenn: Should I apply?
Ok, honestly the place I wanna go to get my MD for Psychiatry is UPenn but IDK if that possible or if its just a dream. I will have to mention this again, but I am not proud of it as it almost destroyed me and my self-image in high school. Let's get to the point, I have experienced the four worst years of my life in high school. I was depressed, suicidal, and even anxious + I have a learning disability which makes it even harder to learn anything because I cannot learn things by heart, I have to either study them throughout my whole entire life or repeat the thing I learned over and over again with notecards or Quizlet. I am unsure of UPenn because if I want to go there, I would have to do a GRE or SAT.
but again I have a learning disability and numbers really mess me up. Every subject I took was a struggle except for English. Honestly I have studied more than ever to get the grades I did in high school. Yes, it was a tough four years but I would do it all over again at UPenn and prove myself that I'm fully capable of learning with a learning disability.
I have studied more than 100 hours in a month trying to pass every class with flying colors and I did--except for one class. All in all, would you think I could waive the GRE for Grad school because I hate standardized test and never did well in them. Thats the real reason why I haven't yet taken an SAT yet.
Hi @lemonspice!
If you're applying to UPenn for an MD, you'll need to give the MCAT, not SAT/GRE. MCAT is a requirement and the UPenn website doesn't mention any exceptions. If you want the requirement to be waived (which has a really low chance of happening), you'll need to contact UPenn with your circumstances.
As an alternative, you can look for med schools that don't require the MCAT. Unfortunately, most of these will be BS/MD or BA/MD programs that you need to apply for when in high school. There are still some places where you can get in without an MCAT if you meet certain GPA requirements along with good ECs.
Other important factors in your med school applications will be college GPA, extracurriculars, and letters of recommendation.
Hope this helps!
I researched High Point University and it seems like a good fit for me.
Hey I'm a little confused at where you currently are, are you graduating college? Unless you're at/near the top of your class, I would definitely say don't because even if you were to get into Penn and maintain an excellent GPA (not sure if just passing would fly at an Ivy), your mental health has a high chance of completely crashing. It is a very high-pressure environment, and you will be surrounded by people with their own businesses, the next Wall Street quants, etc. Having a learning disability and multiple mental illnesses, even if you're no longer depressed/anxious, puts you at an extreme disadvantage because you could relapse. Some people are very tough and bear through it, but many or most aren't truly happy and develop unhealthy coping mechanisms. I say all of this as someone who also went through awful mental stuff in high school (I'm graduating now), not out of a lack of sympathy but because I don't want you to sacrifice your health for a chance at a very prestigious but competitive school.
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