Did I screw up my life?

[Melvin]

Well, I'm an 18 year old guy that is going through a downhill slope. This is something that I've never went through. I come from a ghetto neighborhood in the South Bronx. All my life, school was the only thing that mattered to me. I also had some personal struggles as well. I didn't have many friends, lack of social life, the only thing on my mind was school. When I got to high school, it got worse, I just didn't know what on earth I was doing. Now I really regret not taking advantage of the time that I had. I just had a lot of things on my mind during these times. I just didn't have guidance from anyone.

I remember when my math teacher told me that I should take statistics in college. She was impressed with the level of understanding on the subject. For me, I think that gave me a sense of hope in my abilities. I tend to be a fast learner most of the time.

My interests are in the medical field, but also sports as well. I know that I messed up in high school, and I was always smart, but I never utilized my talents to full potential. I feel like a nobody in life. I'm not a bad person, but I treat school like a life and death situation. I had a weighted GPA of 3.4. I didn't go to the best high school. I'm a math and science guy. English is just my worst subject. Is it too late to pursue my dreams of medical school? My dream is to be an Anesthesiologist. I'm a highly motivated individual but I don't know if I can do it alone without people supporting me, which I never had. I come from a family in the Dominican Republic that are very successful. My cousin is a surgeon, my uncle is a famous journalist, and my other cousins work in marketing and business administration.


I know a person that my brother knows, he was raised in the Bronx, same area that I live in. Now, he's a dentist and he was poor like myself. If he could do it, why can't I? Coming from a family, they have high expectations for me, and I felt like I've let them down. Is it too late to change my personal and school life around?