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?

[eri]

Medical schools do not ask or care about high school grades or test scores, only college. Colleges ask for unweighted GPA, so you probably can't aim too high, but you can probably get into a 4-year college or university somewhere. They all offer premed classes.

[j and d]

It is never to late to go after your dreams, it just takes drive and determination. It sounds like you have both! Do it now while you are young! You might not have family support, but when you go to college you will bond with several other students and you can use them to lean on. Stay on the right track...you will get there!!

[Victoria]

Depending on the school, you could take classes in pre-med and maybe something along the lines of sports marketing. See what you like better and go from there. I wanted to be pre-med but after a few classes and doing some shadowing of the professionals in the field, I decided against it. Now I am in marketing and absolutely love it. Good luck!