You're welcome. I like giving back to SDN; it has been a great resource for me when I was applying and will continue to as I move onto medical school.
To answer your question, I am a non-trad student who is a rising MS-1 at Kansas City University of Medicine & Biosciences (KCUMB). I am very excited about starting medical school this fall; it has been a very long journey, not without a bit of challenge.
I received a bachelor's degree in the biological sciences a little more than 10 years ago, and I was very active in neuroendocrinology research, both behavioral and clinical, at the NIH and at my university during my undergraduate years. I worked with some really cool folks. I once considered pursuing graduate work in order to do biomedical/clinical research, but decided that this wasn't what I was looking for after many years of research involvement. I decided that I wanted to have a more palpable experience of wellness, one that no amount of study could provide. I went on to become a yoga and martial arts teacher, learned quite a bit about different healing modalities, and spent some formative years studying somatic psychology through an apprenticeship. During all of that, I sort of put all of my learning together in my practice as a wellness coach.
After some time as a wellness coach, I discovered that I was growing frustrated that I couldn't directly address the healthcare concerns of my clients. I could do much, but ultimately, the role of coach was too limiting. I wanted to get directly involved in managing the care of my clients, in the manner that a physician would. So, I gave it all up and went back to school. I retook most of my premedical prerequisites and received 35 credits of straight A's, leaving little doubt that I was academically ready. I took the MCAT and scored a 28P (09 VR, 07 PS, 12 BS). I fumbled on the PS section, much to my dismay. I don't think I prepared adequately for that section, so it wasn't a total surprise. Nevertheless, you can't always get what you want, but it turned out, at the end, to be enough. My overall GPA and science GPA are about average for a matriculant at osteopathic schools. I also received some additional training through EMT-B certification and internship. I shadowed some physicians, IM and FP, to round everything out.
I applied last cycle (2006 application cycle) to both allopathic and osteopathic medical schools. I made an egregious error by applying late in the process due, in part, to my choice to take the August MCAT (the last paper administration of the test). I wasn't complete at allopathic schools until late October and December/January for osteopathic schools. I think I shot myself in the foot. Had I known about SDN earlier on, I think I would have made better and more prompt decisions, which would have offered greater choices and chances. On the other hand, if I could have done it differently, I would have, so there's little benefit in that kind of analysis.
In addition to all of that, I cast the net a little too narrowly for allopathic schools. That's one of the reasons that I didn't receive any love from the allopathic side. However, my background and application basically screams, "osteopathic," so I got a lot of love there. I applied to about ten osteopathic schools and received three interviews, of which I attended two. I fell in love with KCUMB during my interview and had that deep down in my bones feeling that I would absolutely love attending there. So it was an easy choice for me.
Even though I didn't follow the ideal path, I ultimately got what I wanted. I am drawing upon my own experiences applying, the mistakes I made, and all of the substantive wisdom that has been passed onto me as I was going through the application process when I give advice here. Additionally, I have lots of teaching experience, have worked with psychologists and relationship coaches, and was a computer professional for several years. All of these experiences also add to the advice that I provide.
Hope this gives you an idea of where I am coming from.
