Good. Now that I'm applying for attending jobs, it would be nice if I could stop initiating the premed applicant thread each year.
Best of luck to all of you who are applying.
It's amazing how some of you, "older" non-trad med students/interns/residents/oh my, attendings! - I can't even imagine how busy you must be! - keep helping us newbies with your sage advice
I, for one, greatly appreciate your help. (been lurking here for a while, learned a lot of useful stuff)
I'm applying this year as well. 33 yo female, foreign native, US permanent resident (thank G-d!).
I guess, just as with most non-trads, my application is a combination of considerable strengths and weaknesses - I feel like I can get accepted into a really nice school or not get accepted anywhere at all depending on which parts of my application adcoms give most weight.
Until 3-4 years ago I was a determined academic researcher - I'm still working in research, but, obviously, not at all determined on staying on this path
A have a PhD in Microbiology, a fair number of diverse research projects, both basic science and clinical, a bunch of publications in good journals, lots of conference presentations and all that jazz. I've been not an extraordinary, but a reasonably successful scientist. In fact, I got my green card based on my research work. So, this is a strength.
I expect good LORs from my PhD adviser, 2 professors and my current PI who's a clinical professor.
I also have quite a bit of teaching/mentoring experience, "adult" leadership experience (that is, not a student club or something), more than 4 years of continuous hospital volunteering (basically, I started volunteering before I realized I wanted to go to medical school) and some shadowing related to my clinical research job. I'm also a foreigner with an "economically disadvantaged" childhood - no, really, even "hunger" is not an abstract concept to me - and some school may like this as some kind of diversity.
Weaknesses: well, I'm a foreigner
That is, English is not my native language, and even after years of living in the US I still have some accent, although I have no problem communicating whatsoever. In fact, I taught med students at 2 schools and got a lot of positive feedback from them. But still: I'm a foreigner with an accent.
Plus, I got my undergrad degree from my home country and a grad degree from the US - none of these classes count toward prerequisites, even though between my undergrad and grad schools I have all the prereqs covered at least twice
So, in the past 2 years I've taken more than 90 undergrad credits (4.0 GPA), including all the prereqs except O-Chem (rolling my eyes: long story, will take it as soon as I can). The problem is, all of these were taken at community colleges because it was the only option with my full time job. This is another weakness.
One more weakness - and I'm really ashamed of this - is my last year's MCAT score of 30Q. Yep. That's with my research background. I was just too stupid to not really prepare for the exam: basically, I took a practice test, got 35 and thought I was ready. Very very stupid. So, this year I actually prepared for MCAT and retook it on May 18th. Anxiously awaiting results. (I felt better after the second exam. AAMC practice scores were 35-36 - but they were not predictive of my first result, so I don't know.) And yeah, I suck at verbal, even though I actually subscribe to and regularly read The New Yorker and The Economist for pleasure. True story
I will apply to all TX medical schools except Baylor (according to MSAR, Baylor doesn't accept community college credits) and a number of mid- to lower range private schools with 30 in their 10-90 MCAT range that accept community college credits. I may add more schools depending on my second MCAT score, but the highest I'm shooting for are UTSW and AECOM, I will be deliriously happy if I get into either one.
Right now:
- AMCAS and TMDSAS applications filled out except for PS;
- working on PS, plan on submitting both applications on June 10 or so;
- transcripts received by both application services;
- been pestering my LOR writers for a month a half;
- waiting for my second MCAT score
Ooph.
Good luck everybody! I hope each of us non-trads gets into a school that's a good fit for him or her
(boy, am I wordy!
)
. 
. My backup plan is to do a SMP.
