Why I am non traditional reason #1

[NubianPrincess]

When I went back to school in my sophomore year, everyone was younger than I was They stuck me in a freshman dorm, which was even more difficult Word got out that I was a couple years older and the students nicknamed me "oldhead" I wasn't naive enough to fall for the lines of the basketball team when they tried to get at me. Besides, they were 18...eew

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[kutastha]

Because I can tell my classmates and residents how brown, yellow and orange the 70s really were.

 

[EvoDevo]

Because I'll be ~ten years older than my classmates next year.

 

[dwightbean]

Because I can tell my classmates and residents how brown, yellow and orange the 70s really were.

nice.

 

[Baditude]

Because what todays college age kids call classic rock was top 40 when I was in high school.

 

[hndrx1a]

Jim Morrison got thrown in jail for exposing himself in Miami

 

[NontradICUdoc]

i will be the only one who knows the words to any of the schoolhouse rock songs

conjunction junction what's your function?

 

[flighterdoc]

Because I'm older than most of my professors?

 

[dnelsen]

Because I'm older than most of my professors?

We have a winner!

 

[flighterdoc]

We have a winner!

YES! No, wait.. NO! NOOOOOOO!

 

[ScottDoc]

Because WE HAVE PERSPECTIVE!

College kid med school applicants (those under 24) have no idea how to relate to and understand thier future patients. Most kids are applying with only good grades and think that will get them in! That is why med school is so hard to get into, because grades are NOT enough, yet these kids think that if they try harder to boost the Ol' GPA they get in - this can be frustrating.

Most of us have real world experience that cannot be taught in a sociology class or even as a volutneer (I am not against volunteering but am against people doing it to use it in a bid for med school). We have lived a little and can understand those who come to see us - rich, poor, shy, extrovert, minority, white, handicap, or very old. We can see thier fears or concerns and know that they happen to anybody. That is what makes a good Dr - the ability to communicate and relate and understand. Not just a brilliant academic.

 

[NubianPrincess]

i will be the only one who knows the words to any of the schoolhouse rock songs

conjunction junction what's your function?

They used that cartoon to make us memorize the preamble to the um declaration of the constitution or something in high school

 

[NubianPrincess]

Sadly, my ***little bit***life experience just makes me bitter
It's a cold world out there

 

[principessa]

Because WE HAVE PERSPECTIVE!

College kid med school applicants (those under 24) have no idea how to relate to and understand thier future patients. Most kids are applying with only good grades and think that will get them in! That is why med school is so hard to get into, because grades are NOT enough, yet these kids think that if they try harder to boost the Ol' GPA they get in - this can be frustrating.

Most of us have real world experience that cannot be taught in a sociology class or even as a volutneer (I am not against volunteering but am against people doing it to use it in a bid for med school). We have lived a little and can understand those who come to see us - rich, poor, shy, extrovert, minority, white, handicap, or very old. We can see thier fears or concerns and know that they happen to anybody. That is what makes a good Dr - the ability to communicate and relate and understand. Not just a brilliant academic.

Wait a minute! OK, so I'm in the wrong forum, but you're being a little unfair to traditional applicants. You're saying anyone under 24 lacks real world experience? What about people under 24 who have lost parents, had children, dealt with chronic illness, worked their way through school, etc? Some of them are more mature than a lot of "grown-ups" I know.

And if you're saying that the traditional route does not work for getting into med school, why are the majority of matriculants still traditional students? I have a lot of respect for non-trads, but as future colleagues, I would hope they respect me and other trads, too.

 

[DrMom]

Because one of my classmates was a student in a 7th grade science class that I taught.

 

[ScottDoc]

Wait a minute! OK, so I'm in the wrong forum, but you're being a little unfair to traditional applicants. You're saying anyone under 24 lacks real world experience? What about people under 24 who have lost parents, had children, dealt with chronic illness, worked their way through school, etc? Some of them are more mature than a lot of "grown-ups" I know.

And if you're saying that the traditional route does not work for getting into med school, why are the majority of matriculants still traditional students? I have a lot of respect for non-trads, but as future colleagues, I would hope they respect me and other trads, too.

Go back and read my post. I said MOST.

I also did not say that the traditional route doesn't work. The majority of matriculants are trads b/c the majority of applicants are trads. If a more trads had real life experience i would say that med school would be easier to get into as a trad. NOT EASY, but easier. But my observation indicates to me that most kids do not want to put in the time to get to where they want - they want it now and will apply to dozens of schools and retake the MCATS year after year in an effort to get in. When what they are really missing is that all important life experience (they won't put in the time for this though b/c it is hard). I am not saying ALL trads, but many are like this.

 

[N1DERL&]

Because one of my classmates was a student in a 7th grade science class that I taught.

That one takes the

!!!

 

[flighterdoc]

That one takes the

!!!

Thank goodness!

 

[DrMom]

Thank goodness!

Happy to be of service

 

[Blisterpeanuts]

Had a career in software, and it was all about me me me--making more money each year. The money was like a drug, kept me from thinking about what I ought to be doing with my life--helping others, changing the world in some way more significant than working on some poorly managed team writing stored procedures for some piece-of-crap financial system that might not ever get released.

Now I want to do something for others. As a financial proposition, going into medicine is stupid; I'll be out of the job market for the next 5 years, then making low pay for 3-4 years. Even today there is still good paying software work that I could get. But that's behind me now. I'm not going back; this is too interesting and compelling.

Wish I'd thought of it and come onto this path about 10 years ago, but hey that's life.

As for the young'uns that are my classmates, some of them I'm old enough to be the father of, (but I'm fairly sure I'm not the father)--well people are people, folks. Some are mature at 19, others never grow up. Honestly I can't generalize. Life experience is something everyone gets eventually. I agree with med schools that are asking college grads to take a year off prior to med school and work or something.

 

[lpressley130]

Because I can tell these youngsters a thing or two (or three, or four...)! Besides, I can remember the original Spiderman cartoon!

...in the stillll of night
...at the scene of a crime
...blah blah blah
...he arrives, just in time!
Spiderman, Spiderman
Does whatever a spider can
Spins a web, blah blah blah

...well, you know the song.

 

[MoosePilot]

Because I can tell these youngsters a thing or two (or three, or four...)! Besides, I can remember the original Spiderman cartoon!

Do you remember the old live action Spiderman?

 

[denali]

Yeah. I also remember the Electric Company Spiderman...

 

[NontradICUdoc]

Anyone remember "The Great Space Coaster"

with Gary Gnu and the Speed Reader?

 

[ScottDoc]

Yeah. I also remember the Electric Company Spiderman...

I LOVED the Electric Company!!!

 

[NontradICUdoc]

 

[NontradICUdoc]

I LOVED the Electric Company!!!

HEY YOU GUYS!!!!!

 

[jlw2004]

Anyone remember "The Great Space Coaster"

with Gary Gnu and the Speed Reader?

There's no g-news like good g-news with Gary Gnu...

 

[lpressley130]

I loved Electric Company!

Remember:
Knock, knock, knock...
Whoooooo is it?!
It's the plumber, I've come to fix the sink!

Hey, do you remember LetterMan?! - able to leap capital T in a single bound? It's a bird, it's a plan, NO, it's LETTERMAN!

Those were the days!

LM

 

[TexasRose]

because the guy sitting next to me in med school graduated from the same high school as me, only 12 years later... so he was in Kindergarten...

 

[EvoDevo]

because the guy sitting next to me in med school graduated from the same high school as me, only 12 years later... so he was in Kindergarten...

Someone's pretty near ancient.

 

[TexasRose]

Someone's pretty near ancient.

Watch it mister, life is over at 33. And I know when your brithday is.

 

[OrthoFixation]

i will be the only one who knows the words to any of the schoolhouse rock songs

conjunction junction what's your function?

I am just a Bill, stuck here on capital hill

 

[N-toxicologist]

because the guy sitting next to me in med school graduated from the same high school as me, only 12 years later... so he was in Kindergarten...

I've recently been informed that a kid I babysat when I was twelve (and he actually was a baby) will be attending my school next year. And I think he's considered a non-trad, too Damn ten year undergrad plan!

 

[EvoDevo]

Hey Rat - is your avatar supposed to be a neuron and its axonal projections?

 

[kutastha]

Anyone remember "The Great Space Coaster

Get on board.

How about Sigmund the Sea Monster? I had a chat with my attending about that show just the other day, and my classmate was

 

[N-toxicologist]

Hey Rat - is your avatar supposed to be a neuron and its axonal projections?

Well, it's not a dancing flower....


P.S. I u

 

[pathdr2b]

Because I remember when the worst "outcome" from buck naked sex was a "pimple" that wouldn't go away.

 

[NontradICUdoc]

Because I remember when a CD player was a large as a VCR and cost $800.

Because I had a Betmax player

Because We used to have to pop a button on the brown box to change the channel when we finally got cable

Because we knew nothing about this new disease called AIDS

because there were lots of teenagers comitting suicide and/having babies

Because I only had two games for my Atari 2600, Pac-Man and Combat.

 

[ScottDoc]

Because I remember when a CD player was a large as a VCR and cost $800.

Because I had a Betmax player

Because We used to have to pop a button on the brown box to change the channel when we finally got cable

Because we knew nothing about this new disease called AIDS

because there were lots of teenagers comitting suicide and/having babies

Because I only had two games for my Atari 2600, Pac-Man and Combat.

Because when I got my Atari 2600 it was a major step up from Pong. Most 20 year-olds have no clue about Pong OR Atari.

Because when I got a Commadore 64 we were in the Space Age. (Remember how it hooked up to the back of any TV? We also had a tape player as a storage device - those disk drives for the floppy disks that were about five inches in diameter were so expensive. I hated that tape player).

Because I would sit at the C 64 and type a program from a magazine for hours and hours just to see a smiley face track across the screen - YES!

 

[EvoDevo]

Because when I got my Atari 2600 it was a major step up from Pong. Most 20 year-olds have no clue about Pong OR Atari.

Because when I got a Commadore 64 we were in the Space Age. (Remember how it hooked up to the back of any TV? We also had a tape player as a storage device - those disk drives for the floppy disks that were about five inches in diameter were so expensive. I hated that tape player).

Because I would sit at the C 64 and type a program from a magazine for hours and hours just to see a smiley face track across the screen - YES!

Is it bad that I fondly remember programming my Apple IIe?

 

[drlisa0318]

Because my keyboarding skills were learned on a typewriter - a MANUAL typewriter.

Because I remember when the Beatles invaded America.

Because I didn't learn about Kennedy's assassination from a history book. I was in 2nd grade in a suburb of Dallas.

Because I remember being afraid that my older brother would get drafted and have to go to Viet Nam.

Because my arms are too short now....and my bones are starting to creak.

Because I'm not too far from being able to join AARP.

Oh, no! I'm.....OLD! When did that happen?!?!?!?!

 

[flighterdoc]

Because I'm not too far from being able to join AARP.

Oh, no! I'm.....OLD! When did that happen?!?!?!?!

Damned AARP - it's their fault!

 

[NontradICUdoc]

Because I would sit at the C 64 and type a program from a magazine for hours and hours just to see a smiley face track across the screen - YES!

After spending 2 months re-writing every line of code because it NEVER worked the first time.

 

[r_salis]

After spending 2 months re-writing every line of code because it NEVER worked the first time.

-- I *so* know that feeling, but it was for way more than 2 months.

 

[flighterdoc]

Is it bad that I fondly remember programming my Apple IIe?

Or that I still have (somewhere in the garage) my first apple? The one that came as a box of parts, and had to be soldered together?

Or that I went through the stages of S-25, S-50, S-100 bus computers (that didn't come in a box of part, you had to order them separately)?

Or that I owned both the first IBM PC (the one with the tape recorder port on the back, for "mass storage"), AND the first PC clone (the Columbia portable)? And a Sinclair Z-80 (that I wrote operations manuals on, printed on a 7-wire dot matrix printer)?

Or that I thought Lotus 1-2-3 was the only app that anyone would ever need? You could use it as a spread sheet, a word processor, and if you had TWO floppies (360K, of course) you could use it as a database? Of course, it ran a lot better with 64K ram than the standard 16K. 128K? Who were you trying to dazzle?

That I long for the days when a mouse was just a noxious rodent (I can type command keys faster than I can move my hand from the keyboard to the mouse - was this design because windoze is so slow?)

Or, the days when you could prefer ANY word processing program you liked, but you HAD to know the commands for wordstar? Or that I ran wordstar 0.8 on a mini (with hard sectored 180k 8" single-sided floppies)?

The good old days, having to build interface cables because it would take days to get them mail order? Even in Los Angeles, it was hard to find stores that had computer parts on the shelf.

When a 1200 baud modem was the fastest thing out there? Or when I spent over a grand for a 9600 bps modem?

Screen burn-in? Whatever happened to the flying toasters and the penguins? Amber monitors?

 

[NontradICUdoc]

Has anyone every seen the movie "hackers"? It was a good movie, of course any movie that has gratuitous shot of Angelina Joulie's boobs is good.

But at one point, these hackers were sooooo excited about her new laptop because it had a really new, fast 28.8bps modem!!!

 

[EvoDevo]

We have a WINNER!!

 

[NontradICUdoc]

 

[NubianPrincess]

I learned "Turtle" in computer class in elementary school Things were so simple back then