Non-traditional--what are my chances?

[Irene Adler]

I'm 30. I have a B.S. in Theatre (Honors) with some pre-med classes with B's and C's--all upper division classes, from 1995. My undergrad G.P.A. was 3.38. I got a masters in teaching (4.0) and am in my fourth year of teaching middle school science. For the last two years, I've been taking pre-med classes at the local community college and will finish up this year with only one B (in O Chem). I'm taking the MCAT in April. I have no idea what my G.P.A. is, but I have only gotten the one B in the last four years of taking classes.

My goal is to take over my mother's medical practice in Internal Medicine in a rural area, and I've been working as a medical assistant and reviewing her charts when I can in the summers.

Two questions: What are my chances?
What schools should I apply to?

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[agent]

I think your chances are pretty good.

Congrats!

 

[Zoobaby]

Get a good MCAT score (30 is the magic number) and apply to lots of schools on all levels. Do that and you should be able to make it.

 

[samenewme]

I'm impressed with your chances. It sounds like you're doing everything right. Take a look at the Old Premeds site, too, for additional support. You'll find that for a non-trad, you're quite young!

 

[tBw]

You have decent chances but you do need to apply to the right schools. Some schools will have a big problem if all your science classes were at a community college and others won't care. With your stated goals of working in primary care in a rural setting DO may be a good fit, especially as you are slightly non-trad. However, there are many MD schools that would also be happy to take you - USNews do a highly quoted but really over-relied on ranking of the schools. What you might want to look at is there listing of which schools are good for "rural medicine" and "primary care" as opposed to the research ranking. Inevitably your state schools may be your best bet. good luck

 

[Cacophony]

hey irene,

Try to figure out your overall GPA and your science GPA.

A under 3.4 is low, but doable. Especially if you premeds are higher now. and the Honors on your diploma helps.

Above a 30 MCAT is a must; it will counter your GPA or C's on a transcript. (In my intervies/appys, I have found that adcoms still look at your undergrad seperately. Even if you have great grade's now it could be a factor in acceptances).

Get research and patient/doctor contact experiences under your belt BEFORE you apply and prep for your interviews, essays, etc.
Write the best "I want to be a doctor because......" AMCAS essy you can.

GO FOR IT.

 

[LoneCoyote]

Many of the non-trad applicants here apply to Michigan State which is suppsed to be both non-trad friendly and focused on primary care. I know people here have gotten interviews as out-of-state applicants with decent GPA and around 30 on the MCAT.

 

[souljah1]

Do well on the MCAT and UCSF will love you. Most schools take into consideration trends. Meaning, if they see that years and years ago you performed sub-par at best, but now you are doing very well..they'll take that strongly into consideration. Also, someone above mentioned that a lot of schools look down on community college premed courses. I've only heard of this to be true with some of the Ivies. I took all of my premed classes at a community college and througout my interviews I only received very positive feedback on how I gradually progressed in school. Trust me, people on admission committees are not these short-sighted kinds of people who don't take each person's story into consideration. I think if you get interviews, you'll have a lot of advantages with respect to maturity, etc. You just need to do well on your mcat and write a very good personal statement that illustrates your motives, your passions, and conveys the message that you definitely have put a lot of thought into your career choice. I'd apply to a wide range of schools. You'd be surprised. Sometimes the 'top schools' can be the most understanding..especially if they see determination and love of the game in you.

 

[Irene Adler]

Thanks for your responses, they give me a lot of hope.

Just calculated my G.P.A. --if my lousy undergrad grades are included, I have a 3.3 science G.P.A. and a 3.56 overall. If my current pre-med classes and the grad school classes I took for my masters are considered only, it's more like a 3.9.

I 'm taking a Kaplan Review course for the MCAT--the sciences were just terrible, but I'm at about a 12 in the Verbal. One less section to worry about--and I've got a lot of studying to do before April.

33 MCAT or BUST!

Any advice on how to frame the desire to take over my mother's rural practice without sounding very Freudian? And all of my clinical experience comes from working in her office during breaks as her medical experience--I did it enough to know that being a doctor is what I want, but it isn't exactly something that would look great on a resume, is it?

 

[odelay]

your reasons for choosing medicine are totally intrinsic. while being around your mother's clinic may have been a stimulating and comforting environment, there is something inside you that motivates you personally. find it.

admissions folks (and everyone else for that matter) wants to hear about YOU, not either of your parents or their efforts.



and be passionate. completely unhinge yourself and give them everything in your essay.

 

[Macken]

Greetings from a fellow non-traditional! I also have a background in theatre and I think it's great you're pursuing your desire to go to med school.

If I could make a suggestion, I would strongly urge you to investigate the osteopathic option. Osteopathic schools have a long tradition of accepting non-traditionals. 20-25% of their classes are generally made up of people that are changing careers. For some reason, despite what they say, allopathic schools are less forgiving in this area. 30 isn't old enough to worry about that yet, but given your previous history and your desire to practice rural medicine, I'd urge you to investigate going DO.

Whatever route you choose, good luck to you! I can personally vouch for how hard it is to work a full-time job and have to go back to school full-time to finish your pre-med requirements!

Best of luck.