<p>I don’t know anything about medical school and if they would see his condition as an obstacle to his success. There is a Med School forum here on CC. You might want to check it out and post your question there, as well. Maybe some of the people there will have a better idea. Good luck. I really hope it goes well for your son.</p>
<p>Here is the link to the med school forum.</p>
<p>[Pre-Med</a> & Medical School - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-medical-school/]Pre-Med”>Pre-Med & Medical School - College Confidential Forums)</p>
<p>maganda: Your son has to fight this battle by himself. It’s not considered appropriate for parents to be involved in graduate or professional school issues like this. </p>
<p>Your son needs to have a plan to present to the med school when he asks for a second review, perhaps working with a tutor on the subjects he failed. He needs to meet with his advisor to work out a plan. Witholding vital information about his health condition is not a good idea and is quite likely in violation of the school’s policies or honor code. Med students have to fill out extensive forms on their health and have a physical. The school should be aware of his health conditions. If the school were aware of this, he might not have been dismissed.</p>
<p>Is it possible you don’t have all the information about the dismissal? As previous posters said, most med schools allow students to repeat the first year or repeat classes. </p>
<p>In any case, don’t approach the med school. It won’t help your son and could make the situation worse.</p>
<p>I thank you so much for the intelligent answer. Sometimes my Asian side as a Mom, dictates me to help my son everything I can.</p>
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Very little weeding occurs in medical school these days, though most schools require a passing score on USMLE, part 1 (formerly NBME, part 1), to advance to the clinical years. While the third and fourth years of medical school are less “book” intensive, failure to learn the pre-clinical material will make understanding clinical material very difficult. Surviving the clinical years, internship and residency requires discipline and fortitude.</p>
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<p>This was my thought. With absolutely nobody willing to step up to the plate for his getting a second chance to succeed, it makes one wonder if there is a sub-text going on that no one is telling you. Have they decided that he is just not cut out for the work/career? That he can’t handle the stress? Has he been advised to look at other avenues–grad school in science, for example?</p>
<p>Parent letter at this point would seem weird and I wouldn’t write one.</p>
<p>Maganda…
I am sorry to be the one to point this out, but autoimmune disorders are negatively impacted by stress. It is unusual for people to drop out of medical school (maybe 1-2 people in my 200+ class did-)- and even if your son is admitted again, this is going to be very very stressful for him. After medical school, internship and residency are no picnic either. His performance in the clinical years of medical school is key to getting a good residency, and if he is not 100%, it is very, very tough… If his kidneys are already being impacted by this disease, he needs to take care of himself.</p>
<p>Of course you want him to do this, if this is what he wants and he has worked so hard. But, your letter will not make any impact, except to undermine the Medical School’s perception of your son’s own capacity, at least this is what I think.</p>
<p>Maganda- please know it isn’t only Asian moms that want to help their son(post 24). But help takes many forms. It might be cash, advice, physical labor, or plenty of other ways. Helping can also mean standing back to let the now adult son handle his own problems. </p>
<p>Maybe this profession is right for him, maybe not, maybe yes but not right now… many possibilities.</p>
<p>*Quote:
Is it possible you don’t have all the information about the dismissal? </p>
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<p>This was my thought. With absolutely nobody willing to step up to the plate for his getting a second chance to succeed, it makes one wonder if there is a sub-text going on that no one is telling you. Have they decided that he is just not cut out for the work/career? That he can’t handle the stress? Has he been advised to look at other avenues–grad school in science, for example?
*</p>
<p>I had a similar thought. If he was doing well, and then all of the sudden did poorly, I would think the school would have some plan of action for him. Makes me wonder if he was suspected of something unethical…like cheating or something.</p>
<p>Shrink…what med school did you go to?</p>
<p>Is he going to a US medical school?
I agree with the other posters that it’s inappropriate for parental interference at this point.</p>
<p>I echo everyone else - he is far too old to have his mother writing a letter to the school. </p>
<p>I am very sorry about the autoimmune disease. It sounds quite serious if his kidney function has already been compromised. I can understand how hard this is to accept, but it is possible that, as others have suggested, medical school/internship/residency will be much too demanding for him. Even perfectly healthy young people find medical training very difficult. </p>
<p>Would he consider some time off to focus on his health and re-think things? If his condition comes under good control, perhaps another application, with the additional information about the health issues and a good prognosis, would be successful. But he should also consider other professions.</p>
<p>I have seen an autoimmune disease with kidney complications up close. Please urge your son to think carefully about his situation. It’s awful, and not fair, but things have now changed.</p>
<p>One thing that occurs to me - did he have his tests/treatment at the medical school? Although these things should be confidential, is it possible that someone in the administration learned about his condition and he is not now considered a good candidate for a medical career?</p>
<p>I know something about how this process works from the ‘other side of the table’. If your son’s own appeal has been turned down, I would recommend that he look elsewhere for his future career. Somewhere not in medical school, in this one, or another medical school. </p>
<p>I can assure you this decision was not an easy one. The committee members most likely discussed your son’s performance at great length and decided that it was in <em>his</em> best interest to give up the idea of becoming a doctor. These people know exactly what would be ahead of your son, should he continue. They are probably convinced that they are doing him a favor by denying his appeal. </p>
<p>Painful though it may be, I think your son should be grateful that this happened after only one year of medical school. He has only lost one year of his life and one year of tuition. He can pick up the pieces and move on. There are so many wonderful things you can do with life that do not require an M.D. degree.</p>
<p>Your son should disclose his medical history to the administration in any case. In the first place, it is likely to help with his appeal for reinstatement. Secondly, it is important for the school to know when a student has a medical condition that might adversely affect his performance.</p>
<p>I think it is extremely unlikely that the administration has obtained his medical records without his permission. I also think it is unlikely that the school would consider an autoimmune condition as a major impediment to his continuance in medical training.</p>
<p>I believe that the committee would view his history as a possible mitigating factor and therefore be more likely to give him another chance.</p>
<p>In my experience it is only undisclosed psychiatric history that is likely to jeopardize a medical student’s continuation. Even in those circumstances I know of students who have been allowed to continue, although with greater oversight.</p>
<p>Tuition covers less than half of the expenses associated with educating a medical student.
It is in the school’s best interest to see that students succeed. Any ‘weeding out’ most likely occurs because of personal problems or decisions.</p>
<p>I agree that the student must take the responsibility to handle this himself. Parents may advise but must not interfere at this level.</p>
<p>My comments assume that the student’s problem was academic, worsened by stress and his medical condition. If he has not been completely forthcoming in his account of what has happened, then reinstatement would not be acceptable.</p>
<p>To go off on a tangent, this makes me wonder how many med schools have students flunking classes. In DDs MS1 year every one must pass every exam with a certain percentage and if they do not, they have to retake that exam. To her knowledge, no one did not pass on the retake, though many many people had to retake various exams.</p>
<p>The biggest impediment she saw was smart kids who had never had to study much were having to learn all new study skills and it took a few tries for people to learn their own best new med school study style.</p>
<p>Yes, somemom, from what I hear med school is a big step up from even the most selective colleges.</p>
<p>In DDs situation, the classmates who passed helped the ones who did not pass in their preparation for a retake and in her group, no one had to retake 2nd term. They seemed to learn their best techniques, but with the support of those who had learned it faster.</p>
<p>I could imagine someone who felt a real ego shock not succeeding in their first exams and getting caught in a downward spiral if there was no one to support and advise them how to study efficiently for the first time in their lives.</p>
<p>For OP, though, I wonder if the committee would advise the student in an exit interview as to why they don’t feel he could be a successful doctor or whether they want him to go meet some goal and come back in a year?</p>
<p>Absolutely do not write a letter on behalf of your son. That would only make him look inept; it would seem to validate that even YOU do not believe he is competent to handle this situation.</p>
<p>"Shrink…what med school did you go to? "</p>
<p>Let’s just say I didn’t “take anybody’s spot”. Ha Ha!</p>
<p>hint: HBCU</p>
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<p>A friend’s daughter has just finished her second year of medical school. She said D is getting about 5 hours sleep a night and is in the library 12-15 hours a day when not in class. AND she’s not at the top of her class. I can see how someone who is not use to studying much might have a difficult time with that kind of intensive pressure.</p>
<p>Thank you all for the helpfull comments, ideas, suggestions, insights …really help us a great deal. My husband and I, are both also in the medical field…but then when challenges comes to life…we all are numb, naive and “confuse”.stayed late last night posting and reading all your
messages…but have to go to work early this morning.
I copied all your messages and serves as our guide as we all sort things in detail
one step at a time. He’s 22 years old…and have all the years and preparation ahead of him to turn things around, so that someday he’ll be able to share his knowledge and skills learned from the setback . As far as his medical condition, he’s a brave and compliant guy, and able to manage it stoically…with monthyl visits to RH and Kidney MD.
I respectfully send you all my sincerest gratitude for all your generous comments and time…i will certainly share my comments to others too when asked. WISHING ALL THE BEST!!!.</p>