Support accountability Partners for Non-traditional Premed Students

A1cfox21 said:

Count me in!!!

Age: 27 years old
Education: AAS Weather Technology (USAF) working on Health Sciences, B.S., University of Central Florida
Employment: P&C, Life/Health Insurance Sales Rep for a Large Brand... also a TSgt in the Air National Guard after 6 years in the Active side
Volunteering: I've done a bunch of misc type volunteering while in the USAF but none since... Too busy.
In Process: My current degree is geared towards allied health careers but adding a couple of classes finishes all my premed classes as well. I'm roughly 21 classes short of graduating. I work fulltime now, am married, have 3 kids, and am a weekend warrior. So I've been maintaining a 3/4 time in school with online health classes and other requirements. Thinking of jumping into prereqs in the spring. I started at USF Summer of 06 fulltime once I left the USAF and it was a DISASTER!!! I failed Chem I and Physics I. financial hardships and work requirements lead to that. I was hoping to finish in a couple of years that way but it seems like I'm doomed to continue on a part time basis for the length.

I almost gave up just recently. I was considering getting a Liberal studies BS and forgetting about school FOREVER. But I still have that gut feeling inside that tells me to press on. I think I need to get some volunteering/clinical time in for more exposure. That might help solidify what I really want.

Good luck to all!! I hope we can help eachother get through this crazy mess we've gotten ourselves into.

Click to expand...

That's right keep pressing on cause there is a dim light at the end of this tunnel. Good Luck

Age: 26
Education: BS - Exercise Physiology followed by Doctor of Physical Therapy. DII football player, 3 year letter
Employment: Recently promoted to rehab manager position at a private sports medicine PT clinic; also taught exercise science classes up until several months ago
Volunteer: Sporadic history; taught nutrition/exercise program for inner-city middle school kids ~ 40 hrs. Volunteered at inner-city YMCA for a few months. Looking to start up some kind of free rehab clinic for the city I work in, which includes many underserved and uninsured.
Plan: Take orgo I + II, take Bio I + II; MCAT's in 5/09; apply next cycle and hopefully get in to some DO schools in this area. I plan on shadowing some of our referral sources over the next few months. My undergrad GPA's quite low (3.09 cum) but hopefully the above courses bring it up some. I think my background in PT should also help as it appears to have helped others here. On that same note, do my PT graduate courses such as gross anatomy, neuro, etc. count towards my GPA on the AACOMAS? Any other fellow PT's care to respond? Thanks in advance.
Good luck to all of you applying this cycle. Stay focused and keep your eyes on the prize.

Age: 26 (Married with 6 years old)

Education:
Started school at 22. Completed AS in Science at my local community college. I am currently senior (100 credits) working to finish my BS in Biology.

Employment:
I work for a company that modifies vehicles for the disabled, ramps/lifts, hand controls, modified steering and brake, digital driving aids. Worked for the company for 7 years. Worked 40 hours throughout college to support family.

Volunteering
- Volunteered at Ellis Island Immigration Museum/Statue of Liberty during the summer of 2006.
- Volunteered at local hospital during the summer and fall of 2007
- Volunteered as a soccer & kickball coach with the Boys & Girls Club, Fall of 2007
- PTA Mother at my son's school – Academic year 07-08

Clubs/Extracurricular
- President/Founder of the Gay-Straight Alliance at community college
- Member of Wise: Women in Science & Mathematics
- Participated in Crop Walk 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008
- Certification in adult, child, and infant CPR. And certified in First Aid and AED.
- Received a Certificate in Doula training.
- Enjoys photography, camping and the outdoors.

LOR's
- I have 3 science Letters, 1 DO, and employer letter - all taken care of

Shadowing:
- Shadowed Primary Doctor, DO

Right Now:
Taking Physics II (After that prereqs are done) - 30 Credits left are mostly all Bio courses (Classes are only scheduled during the day - when I work therefore difficult to complete). Inquired as a research volunteer at Columbia University. Very interested in this...but I haven't started yet. Plan on being there for a year. Would like a LOR. Also in middle of taking an Kaplan prep course.

Biggest Obstacle:
My GPA is kinda low but I've got 30 credits of science courses yet to take and I feel positive about it.

I go through waves of ups and downs. I've been doing great until recently (The last 2-3 days) - got into an argument with Physics professor regarding a 2 & 1/2 nightmare exam. The stress of my physics class causing me to talk through force problems to my husband in my sleep. The cold reality of my **** GPA. Last night at my Kaplan course - a new teacher called on people randomly - of course I was called on like 3 times and wasn't prepared because of physics exam - and I looked like an @ss. I am not a slacker - but I've got all of these necessary things Family (#1), School, Work, Volunteering, etc.

But when it's all said and done...I still want to become a doctor. And that makes me one of two things: an idiot or passionately determined to practice medicine.

Thanks for this idea. I have good family support, but little else in the way of advise or guidance.

Age: 27 years old

Education: Sophmore - University of Nebraska at Omaha; Biology Major

Employment: 9 years at a major health care company; 3 years of which as a network technician and the remaining 6 years as an EDI Account Manager. (Assiting office staff of physician offices and hospitals in sending electronic transactions) I am still employed there.

In high school I assembled computers, fixed computers, sold computers etc for a local computer shop.

Volunteering: Mission to El Carmen, (Monterrey) Mexico twice. Basic work like painting, hauling garbage, building. Each trip was a two week span. Mission to Chiragua, (Santa Cruz), Bolivia assisting with setting up a radio station for a missionary. Aided with construction work and setting up a peer-to-peer network. 10 day span. Various projects at our local church - assisting with youth group, nursing home visits, hauling equipment, etc. Some work at a local homeless shelter.

In Process: I started back to UNO last spring. I had attended school there briefly in 2000. I was enrolled in two classes back then (calc and a intro-to electronics engineering class) and didn't go to class, didn't drop, and failed both classes. Those I'll be retaking in two semesters. Since I've re-enrolled I've made straight As and continue to. I've always been a good student, but messed up those two grades. I work full time, but so far have no difficulty taking three classes and making the grade. I am fortunate to have a supporting boss, supporting wife, and supporting mother. However, none of us have any idea how difficult this will be.

I have some obstacles. I have to repair my credit. I had a home forclosed a year ago. I have some help with that. My wife and I are moving in with my mother so that I can save my paychecks for these three years. That will give me enough savings to pay for med school while I work on my undergrad.

I'm working on some ECs. I've spent countless hours at nursing homes visiting with the elderly through our church, but I have no clinical or research experience at all.

Alphadorian said:

Thanks for this idea. I have good family support, but little else in the way of advise or guidance.

Age: 27 years old

Education: Sophmore - University of Nebraska at Omaha; Biology Major

Employment: 9 years at a major health care company; 3 years of which as a network technician and the remaining 6 years as an EDI Account Manager. (Assiting office staff of physician offices and hospitals in sending electronic transactions) I am still employed there.

In high school I assembled computers, fixed computers, sold computers etc for a local computer shop.

Volunteering: Mission to El Carmen, (Monterrey) Mexico twice. Basic work like painting, hauling garbage, building. Each trip was a two week span. Mission to Chiragua, (Santa Cruz), Bolivia assisting with setting up a radio station for a missionary. Aided with construction work and setting up a peer-to-peer network. 10 day span. Various projects at our local church - assisting with youth group, nursing home visits, hauling equipment, etc. Some work at a local homeless shelter.

In Process: I started back to UNO last spring. I had attended school there briefly in 2000. I was enrolled in two classes back then (calc and a intro-to electronics engineering class) and didn't go to class, didn't drop, and failed both classes. Those I'll be retaking in two semesters. Since I've re-enrolled I've made straight As and continue to. I've always been a good student, but messed up those two grades. I work full time, but so far have no difficulty taking three classes and making the grade. I am fortunate to have a supporting boss, supporting wife, and supporting mother. However, none of us have any idea how difficult this will be.

I have some obstacles. I have to repair my credit. I had a home forclosed on a year ago. I have some help with that. My wife and I are moving in with my mother so that I can save my paychecks for these three years. That will give me enough savings to pay for med school while I work on my undergrad.

I'm working on some ECs. I've spent countless hours at nursing homes visiting with the elderly through our church, but I have no clinical or research experience at all.

Click to expand...

You don't need research from what I hear (There was a post on this recently on the Pre-Osteo boards) - unless you want md/phd??? or DO/PHD ....something like that... The research that I'll be doing will intermingle with clinical experience, I think I may be in the OR...I will be around residents who can really tell me what I'm up against. If it was just plain research at my college I wouldn't be doing it then.

But from what I hear also is that clinical exp. is very important....your trying to demonstrate to adcoms that you truly want to be in this field - also try to make the clinical exp long term. Mine is sporadic because at the hospital I volunteered at - only allowed me to give patients water, transport - I didn't feel like I was getting any valuable insight on medicine....So I canned that exp. Also the head nurse (who I didn't know) would kiss me on my cheek. She made me feel quite uncomfortable..... So I left...trying to find some kind meaningful clinical/ volunteer experience.

If you or anyone who might be reading this ever needs encouragement - pm me. I know what your going thru because either I've been there or in the midst.

Keep it up w/ your sciences. 30 credit hours is a decent amount of time to get your GPA where you need it. Study hard.

First year med student, 29, married w/ a preschooler. Will be happy to help, please PM me if you need anything.

I have to say, being on the other side of the adcom wall has given me a greater appreciation for their interest in GPA and MCAT scores. I know several great pre-meds who honestly would be failing if they had been accepted. Not to crumble anyone's cookie, it just changed my perspective, and you should probably know that before you PM. The unfortunate side of that is that I think medicine loses out on some people with great street/ED smarts because they struggle with multiple choice, for whatever reason.

I don't check the boards every day, I'm in anatomy block so I'm not as attached to my computer as usual : )

Reading this thread makes me glad that I am not alone in the craziness of going to med school later in life. I started my process at age 27, became a typical angst-ridden SDN premed poster at age 28 on a different user handle... this place might have some good resources but here's a hint, don't let the insanity of the premed board get you carried away...

The main thing is your own determination. Nothing else comes close to the importance of your own drive and determination. Everything else... the doubtful friends, the questioning relatives, the "i support you, but..." significant others, the classes, the setbacks, the confusion, the MCATs, the interviews... and later, the far more intense classes, the anatomy lab, the one prof everyone gets who hates your guts, the all-nighters, the Step 1... and still later, the rounds, the (again) lack of sleep, the kissing-up to malignant residents, the rounds, the procedures, the 12+ hour marathon surgeries, the eater-of-the-young nurses, the ROUNDS, the shelf exams, the crazies, the drunks, the 15-year-old pregnant girls, the malignerers and the truly sick, the Step 2, the ERAS, the interviews, the match...

There is only one person who matters through all that and that person is you. If you're determined enough, you can do and see some crazy things.

dancinRN1022 said:

Hello

I am 26 yrs old and a registered nurse who is starting med school this summer so i am willing to give advice too...especially to other nurses or healthcare professionals out there who are changing careers...

Click to expand...

Love the quote....so true. I'm an ANP who is settling into prereqs now. Even with all the fun and challenges of advanced-practice nursing, where I get paid to play doc, it isn't enough. It's inspiring to read about other nurses who have taken the plunge

AGE: 26

EDUCATION: 2 B.A.'s in Psychology and Criminology @ UC Irvine; 1L @ Suffolk Law School. Zero science pre-reqs.

EMPLOYMENT: 5 years as a part time teller while in undergrad.

VOLUNTEERING: Looking for opportunities for 2009 in the Bay Area

IN PROGRESS: starting postbac @ SFSU in Spring 2009

I'm worried that my one year at law school will make adcoms doubt my commitment in switching to medicine. If anyone has any advice on landing a research position, it would be greatly appreciated because I have ZERO science background.

Age: 20
Education: Working on my associate to transfer to univ southern maine for there education major
Employment: I work right now at forever21 10 hours a week and victoria secret 30 hours a week
Volunteer: none right now don't have any time
Plan: my plan is to take the requirments for my degree while taking the pre-med courses . I took Bio 1 already taking Bio 2 and gentics next semester so all i will have left is chem 1 and 2 organic 1 and 2 , biochem and physics 1 and 2 my goal is to be done with my degree Spring 2012
Start med school fall 2012 if I'm lucky.

obstacle- My family doesn't know I want to go to medical school. They think I'm wasting my time getting my education degree because teachers don't make any money. My family is poor they can't help with anything that is why they are so worried with me taking out so many loans. I made so many mistakes in the past starting from middle school that is why I had to get my GED. I should have listen to my parents and gotten my diploma because you can't run forever. Now I have to take remedial class in my worst subject math which is holding me back in chemistry because I really need it before I can take it.I have to work to be able to have housing my loans are helping a little. I can only take classes Tues/Thurs which hurts me alot because most science classes are on the other days. Also I get finaacial Aid but it only covers enough for 12 credits if I take less I loose money for housing if I take more the same. Its hard looking for scholarships because I don't qualify for any I get tired of searching and searching sometime I just feel like giving up. Jobs don't want to work with your schedule so I feel like I'm a slave going in two directions slave to work and a slave to my dreams. My plan A is medical schol plan B is Teacher I feel sad like I'm on a bridge if i go past the rope I fall and I'm finished I have a big fear of being homeless and alone I like being on here you guys are like theraphy but free.

ladyscorpian14 said:

Age: 20
Education: Working on my associate to transfer to univ southern maine for there education major
Employment: I work right now at forever21 10 hours a week and victoria secret 30 hours a week
Volunteer: none right now don't have any time
Plan: my plan is to take the requirments for my degree while taking the pre-med courses . I took Bio 1 already taking Bio 2 and gentics next semester so all i will have left is chem 1 and 2 organic 1 and 2 , biochem and physics 1 and 2 my goal is to be done with my degree Spring 2012
Start med school fall 2012 if I'm lucky.

obstacle- My family doesn't know I want to go to medical school. They think I'm wasting my time getting my education degree because teachers don't make any money. My family is poor they can't help with anything that is why they are so worried with me taking out so many loans. I made so many mistakes in the past starting from middle school that is why I had to get my GED. I should have listen to my parents and gotten my diploma because you can't run forever. Now I have to take remedial class in my worst subject math which is holding me back in chemistry because I really need it before I can take it.I have to work to be able to have housing my loans are helping a little. I can only take classes Tues/Thurs which hurts me alot because most science classes are on the other days. Also I get finaacial Aid but it only covers enough for 12 credits if I take less I loose money for housing if I take more the same. Its hard looking for scholarships because I don't qualify for any I get tired of searching and searching sometime I just feel like giving up. Jobs don't want to work with your schedule so I feel like I'm a slave going in two directions slave to work and a slave to my dreams. My plan A is medical schol plan B is Teacher I feel sad like I'm on a bridge if i go past the rope I fall and I'm finished I have a big fear of being homeless and alone I like being on here you guys are like theraphy but free.

Click to expand...

If I can make a suggestion, you should do what ever you can to get a job at a university, especially at a university hospital. There's a plethora of jobs at universities and their associated hospitals - ex. secretary, pharmacy tech, housekeeping, patient transport, etc. - that require little or no prior training or experience. Oftentimes these jobs are hard to get but if you do they offer great benefits (paid vacation, sick leave, family medical leave and best of all TUITION BENEFITS).

My hospital allows its employees to take 10 credits (equivalent of two lectures courses w/ lab) every quarter. Plus because hospital work is shift work it's very amenable to people taking classes especially if you're willing to work third shift (11p-7a). This is how I funded my entire post-bacc (13 classes) and didn't pay a cent out of pocket.

It's usually pretty hard to get these jobs but here are some suggestions:

1) Call some local temp agencies and see if they staff your local university and university hospital. Many times impressing managers during a temp gig will lead to a full time job offer
2) Volunteer at your local university hospital and use it as a way to get in good with nurse managers on the unit
3) Try to work your connections. Most of the people on my unit got their jobs because a current RN, doctor, NP, or unit clerk recommended them for a open position.

GOOD LUCK! I'll be rooting for you.

Age: 29
Education: BS in Technical Management/Project Management Summer '09
Employment: Major Telecommunications company working as Business System Analyst
Volunteering: some at a big Children's hospital in Atlanta-roughly 3 months back in '01.
In Progress: Finish undergrad degree, apply for informal post bacc in Fall 09 and apply to med school 2011

Hi everyone,

Would love to be a part of this. I would say 90% of the people I encounter keep questioning my decision... I've wanted this for years, and hopefully I will make it through and get there!!

Age: 27
Education: Undergrad major Economics
Employment: Worked in Investment Banking and Trading for 5 years. Now focusing on clinical volunteer work and research opportunities full time
Volunteering: Extensive public health volunteer work in past, looking for "clinical" stuff now.
Process: Just sent off my apps to post-bac programs. Hope to do an accelerated course and apply in the summer of 2010!
My biggest concern: Having multiple kids along the way... If there's a will, there's a way!!!

Age: 26
Education: BS in Finance
Employment: Worked for 2 years at an investment bank after not quite completing 1 year of law school (definately worrying me a bit when it comes time to apply).
Volunteer: Will be volunteering at a local hospital in January
Plan: Sent off apps to one post-bac program (considering others) and will be volunteering at a local hospital starting in January.
Biggest Concern: Everyone I know tells me I'm insane (friends/family etc) and that I'm too old to be doing med school since I'll likely end up doing my post-bac part-time over 2 years due to financial issues and wouldn't start med school until age 29/finish residency at 37. I have to admit it's a pretty daunting prospect but it's encouraging to see people here who are the same age or older and have been successful.

Age: 26
Education: BS in mathematics. PhD (in progress) - mathematics at UCSD (and not the useful applied math--I'm working on the crazy pointless math).
Employment: I've been a TA for the last 4 years. I'll teach a class over the summer. As for a real job--worked for the gas company fixing meters ages ago.
Volunteer: Volunteering in an urgent care center for about 100 hours since Nov '08. Sitting in on lab meetings at an orthopedic research center (not really volunteering but clinical exposure nonetheless). I volunteered at an emergency room back in '03 for 100 hours or so but I assume that's useless now.
Plan: Already took all premed classes as an undergrad so I just have to retake the MCAT; I took the exam in '03 so the scores are out of date. I need to update my LOR from my undergrad professors. They're on file but I need them to change the date at the top and write a few lines about what I've been doing since. Need to tell my advisor that I'm planning to leave math and go to medical school and ask for a letter from him--this will be scary. I've heard horror stories about when this happens--some advisors refuse to talk to their students after saying they're going to do ANYTHING other than the same research they're doing. I'll just cross my fingers.

I'm down! Definitely need all the support I can get and hopefully help others along the way too! Already posted something similar in another thread but here it goes...

Age: 28

Education: A.A., San Diego Miramar College (2002-2003); A.S., Oakton Community College (2004-2005); B.S. Computer Science, University of Illinois (2006-2007); MEng Bioinformatics, University of Illinois at Chicago (2007-2010); CumUG GPA 3.36 w/156 semester credits; BCMP GPA 3.52

Employment: United States Marine Corps, Configuration Manager, Jun1999-Jun2002; Netco Government Services, Network Operations Lead Engineer, Jun2002-Dec2003; Kraft Foods North America, Senior Network Engineer, Jan2004-Sep2005; Federal Aviation Administration, Airspace Lead Engineer, Oct2005-Jun2006; Harris Corporation, Network Operations Manager, Jul2006-Current

Volunteer: Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton (Surgical, L&D, Radiology), 65hrs; Scripps Health Encinitas (ER), 86hrs; UCSD Cancer Center (Community Outreach), 20hrs; San Diego Young Marines (Drug Prevention), 340 hrs

In Process: Currently completing my graduate work but also pursuing programs that will allow me to finish premed requirements with the focus on getting into an MD program by 2012. Although I work full-time, go to school full-time, am in the reserves (just came off of deployment), and volunteer, I plan on quitting work to pull up my sciences GPA and primarily focus on areas in medicine.

Did this thread result in anything, out of curiosity... it's been silent for a while... oh well. Don't care here goes.

Age: 27, prob 29-30 by the time I go
Education: BS in Physics/Chem, emphasis in engineering. GPA 3.7sthg I think. Currently pursuing PhD in BME. GPA in grad 3.9
Employment: in grad school TA 2yrs, research asst the rest
Volunteer: Hospital ER, therapy program for kids, one more... all will be multiple years of this work by the time i apply
In Progress/Plan:
1) need shadowing
2) making a list of schools, need to finalize it soon so can make sure i know what prereqs i have to do for which schools
3) do biochem and probably a bio class as prereqs before i finish here
4) gotta get freakish study on for mcat since it's been awhile, and take that
5) cram all that plus LORs into an application
6) somehow make my grad school schedule flow and play nicely with all of this prep work!

Issues are going to include financial worries (can't expect to get money, and the FAFSA is going to make the awesome assumption that my parents should help me pay for school even though I'm 30...), length of time worries (the 'oh wow I'm going to be in school til I'm 40, busy off my *ss, and won't have time to find anyone' mentality, and after that I'll be paying off massive, massive debt for quite a while too...), and of course the imposing issue of getting in and getting through! I can't find the magic pattern because of course it's noisy data - people who could blow my credentials out of the water get rejected at schools that aren't CrazyRankSchools and people who are supposedly 'borderline' get in to top schools. Makes predicting how things will go tough

Omashu said:

But when it's all said and done...I still want to become a doctor. And that makes me one of two things: an idiot or passionately determined to practice medicine.

Click to expand...

I think this describes how I feel. Or maybe I'm an idiot who passionately wants to practice medicine. No matter what I add up on the 'con' side I can't shake it, so I am ready to believe it's real

I'm stealing the format of someone else's more extensive intro

Age: 28 (married with a 6 year old, have 3 step kids)

Education: AA - Liberal Arts, BS - Anthropology & Human Biology with a second major in Medieval Renaissance Studies with double minors in Theater and History, MS - Space Studies. Currently going back to school to finish up my premed prereqs. Will be starting at post-bacc at Agnes Scott next school year. What is sad is that although I should have a science GPA of about a 3.7 given my major GPAs, it ends up being about a 3.3 at the moment if I only look at undergrad science courses that are definitely considered BCPM and almost a 3.6 if some of my others count, but I do have like 25 more credits left to go.

Employment: Not in any particular order -> Small business owner (have owned 3), Parent, Consultant (Academic, Writing, and Tech Transfer), Copy editor, Research Assistant, Information Broker, Day Trader, Teaching Assistant/Co-instructor, Webmaster.

Volunteering: Currently volunteering in the Emergency Room, also volunteering for a non-profit space education organization as a copy editor. I also have over 4000 hours doing LGBT outreach. And I volunteer at my daughter's school.

Clubs/Extracurricular: I'm in three honour societies. Have held 4 offices in the student section of a professional organization. Have sat on several other committees including department level, college level, university level. Also have been on committees at the main level of another professional organization. I've presented several conference papers, have had journal articles published, and have been a three time guest on a space radio show.

LOR's: I already know I can get a letter from the President of the NPO I work with (he wrote as a non-scientist for my post-bacc), my undergraduate biological anthropology advisor who later became a client of mine frequently writes letters for me, at least one of my graduate school professors (I had him for three science courses) will write for me as he has written for me before. When I join the post-bacc, I am supposed to get a committee letter too.

Shadowing: So far I only have 2.5 hours of shadowing a plastic surgeon. He knows I want to shadow him some more so next time he performs surgery at the hospital I volunteer at, he is going to try to sneak me back again. Since I can't shadow my neurologist (since I'm his patient) he is trying to help me shadow another neurologist. I'm supposed to call back that neurologist's office tomorrow.

Right Now: Volunteering in ED, Trying to get more shadowing in, retaking Chem 2 in spring, taking Physics 2 in spring, waiting for Fall so I can start my post-bacc. Currently also applying for some scholarships.

Biggest Obstacle: My significant other travels a lot and I always have to work my classes around my daughter's schedule.I was also recently outed at the hospital where I volunteer so there is a question over if I am going to remain there. I'm also feeling terrified over the MCATeven though as someone with degrees in two sciences, I don't feel like I should nearly be as worried as I am. I'm going to take the MCAT in Spring 2011as the post-bacc gives a free MCAT class to its PMPB students.I am going to have to fight for inclusion of some of my weirder courses to boost the BCPM GPA, luckily I have the syllabi.

I finished my undergrad after 8 ('00 to summer 08)years where i withdrew 4 fall semesters due to personal circumstances going into my junior year. I dont know how to explain it. It wasnt due to drugs, alcohol, etc. but I just didnt know what i wanted to do. I lost a lot of money. I was a biology major but switched to the natural sciences major in order for me to finish over the summer (i had two sciences plus labs and a writing practicum to finish in my bio major but none was offered in the summer). I only have C's in Ochem 1 and 2, Genetics, and Evolution. I HAVE A 2.90 science GPA but the way my transcript is so checkered, I dont know how to explain my self as i am trying to enroll in a post-bac program.

In the summer of 2006 i attended two mediocre Caribbean schools that did not require the MCATs and completed a year down there before i couldnt stand the lack of structure and half ass administration as well as the fact they WERE NOT ACCREDITED yet. I returned to the states at the end of spring '07. I cant even find the first school i attended to get my first semesters transcript and i am done wasting my time trying to find them or even put i went to the caribbean since the schools were not legit in the first place.

I NEED EXPERT HELP and ADVICE as i am now studying for the MCAT with Kaplan and Examcrackers so i can get a high score that will hopefully weigh out my horrible undergrad.

I am looking in the Drexel pathway of medicine post bac program

Now i have worked countless hours in the E.R. and the O.R. My dad is an E.R. doctor so that helped me out a lot to get that opportunity but the last thing i want to show is that whole "oh i come from a family of physicians" blah blah....

any help guys

Age: 23

Education: BA - Slavic Languages & Literatures (languages: Russian, Czech, and basic Polish) with a minor in Russian & Eurasian Studies, from one of the Ivies. Currently in an MA/PhD program in Slavic linguistics. I have to complete one more course and pass my second MA exam to get that degree, and I'm certain I'm walking away after I have that. My undergrad. GPA was 3.6. My current GPA is much higher -- in 4 quarters of courses, I received 11 A's and 2 A minuses. Other than that, I have none of the science requirements.

Employment: Just library jobs and one-time things, including transcript work for a fairly well-known author. Although it's not really "employment", I've also had photography published.

Volunteering: I've played music at several local fundraisers for Amnesty International. Next month, I'll be starting at an animal shelter and checking out some of the local hospitals. I'll hopefully find a volunteer position at the children's hospital.

Clubs/Extracurricular: Most of my extracurriculars are from high school and college, so this is another weak spot for me. I don't know if things I did in college and especially high school would be seen as relevant.

LOR's: My only sources would be non-science professors, and sadly, one of the ones who knew me best passed away last week, unexpectedly. The other professor who knows me best is in another country, and I should probably figure out how to contact her since it could take a while. I hope that I meet some people in volunteering in the medical field or through shadowing. I also hope to get to know some professors through a post-bac program.

Shadowing: None so far, but I'm going to start searching next month. The university hospital has shadowing programs, but they're only available to volunteers.

Right Now: Focusing on finishing my MA and really researching the medical profession by volunteering and shadowing so I can be absolutely sure it's what I want before I start preparing to apply for a post-bac next autumn.

Biggest Obstacle: Recovering from being burnt-out from graduate school, finding out if I really, *really* want to be a doctor, and figuring out a way to get all of this done. My SO is applying for Masters programs, so I won't know for a while where he'll end up and whether I'll be following him.

EMTB2MD said:

Hello everyone,

I have an idea that I think may benefit all serious non-traditional medical school applicants here regardless where you are in the journey to becoming an MD. As a non-traditional premed it sometimes seems like the entire world is against what you want to do. Everyone in my family thinks I'm crazy to give up a lucrative financial career to enter the world of medicine. I'm looking to form a group of non-trads who are in their late 20's, 30's and even 40's to go along with me on the journey. Having an accountability partner along the way can help and motivate us to pursue our dreams. If anyone is interested in this or thinks it is a good idea then respond either here or privately. It is so easy to put our dreams on the back burner of life and not engage and take action in making our dreams a reality.

Ken

Click to expand...

Count me in.

33 years old
Left career in automotive dealership management earning $130k year
1st year in college, 4.0gpa so far
married with 2 kids
Currently volunteering in Emergency Dept. everyweek at local hospital.
Applying to a local physcian scribe program for premed students to get shadowing experience.
Taking all pre-reqs first two years and going to take MCAT in August prior to Junior year.
I plan on taking a large course load of upper level classes my junior year.

Medicine has been a passion of mine for about 8 years, and I'm finally committed to acheiving my goal. Really want to be a Internist, Hospitalist, or General Surgeon.

nontradfogie said:

Age: 35
Education: Biology
Employment: 10 years biomedical research, 1 year public school teacher, 1 year nurse's aide at a cancer hospital
Volunteering: 2 years inpatient pediatric unit, 1 year cancer hospital, 50+ hours physician shadowing, 1 year volunteer psychology researcher, 3 years tutoring in public schools.
In Process: Currently working on secondary apps for 2009 matriculation

Me in a nutshell:
Tanked undergrad. Left w/o graduating. Slowly finished my undergrad degree over many years. (from start to finish took me 16 years, I did alot of traveling and worked alot of fun part-time jobs while doing research). Just graduated in Dec of 2007. 4.0 GPA in the last two years of part-time coursework at respected university. Final AMCAS GPA 3.35, BCPM 3.5, MCAT 34R (VR 11, PS 11, BS 12, R).
Married with the best wife a guy could ask for - completely supportive and understanding of the huge debt, no money for ~10year thing.

Click to expand...

Good luck to all the new posters. Just finished the first half of M1.

Met a lot of great people on this forum that helped me weather my application cycle. We still keep in contact, comiserate, and make each other laugh.

Age: 23
Education: currently working on a BS in Biology/Pre-Medicine Emphasis at a community college, and in a transfer program to a local University after my two years at the community college have been completed.
Employment: i've had a full-time job at ACS, Inc. since i turned 18. i quickly moved from a customer service representative, to a Team Coach, to a Quality Assurance Analyst, and then when i decided to go back to school full-time, back on the good ol' phones again as a customer service representative. haha
Volunteering: i have been, and will continue to volunteer at a local hospital as a Patient Advocate, approximately 2 hour per week, and also, an additional 4 hours a week in the same hospital's gift shop.
In-Process: i have two ER Physicians that i have been referred to from my academic advisor, with whom i will hopefully begin to shadow with during the next couple years. i have been in college now for about 1 & 1/2 years. i was a Nursing major, but decided that i should not/ever settle. the Nursing major was not challenging enough for me, and i knew that i would never be settled with my career choice, and would end up regretting my past choices. i have had a 4.0 for 4 semesters in a row now, and ever since changing my major, plan on continuing to maintain it. i may be considered "old" for doing what i'm doing, but i refuse to not follow through. i know exactly what i wish to dedicate my life to, and that is medicine. i had the "long talk" with my family, and i have tons of support. it's going to be a long, hard road... but i will always be up for that challenge. for me, classes begin again on the 22nd. and i simply, cannot WAIT! i love school, and i love learning, and well.. to sum up... like i said before... i'm a complete loser. haha!

Age: 31, international (green card application in progress)

Education: B.S. in Chemistry and M.S. in Biochemistry from one of the top Russian universities (my diploma is under evaluation by an international education service now, but who cares anyway?) (1996-2001) (cGPA~sGPA=3.34 - I was kind of immature and honestly didn't study all that much); PhD in Microbiology and Immunology from a U.S. medical school (2003-2008) (sGPA=3.54 - kind of an upward trend, though I was so focused on actually doing research - and my papers can prove it - I hardly studied again)

Employment: Research assistant in basic science research in a U.S. medical school (2001-2002); postdoctoral researcher in a bigger, better U.S. medical school (2008-current)

Volunteering: currently volunteering in the Emergency Room of my university hospital; have been volunteering as a high school student summer research project and grad student mentor, lead grad student discussion groups, taught med students Med Micro labs and conferences; some minor volunteering experiences such as science fair judge, community health fair volunteer (explaining people about vaccinations), blood drives etc.

Leadership: I've been the chair of a postdoctoral organization at my good big U.S. medical school and have organized a number of useful career seminars and social events for postdocs... my committee has been really active.

LOR's: I know I can get great recommendations from my PhD mentor and one of my grad school professors, also probably the director of the Med Micro course I participated in teaching... I don't know who else, definitely not my current PI (who looks down on anyone who considers any career outside of basic science research in academia, so I'm not sharing my plans with her). Any suggestion on how many letters and from whom I should get?

Right Now:
- First things first: getting my green card.
- Contacting med schools that accept internationals to see if any of them can accept my Russian/grad school credits (I've had *lots* of physics, chemistry and biology, all at advanced levels, so I'm not too happy about retaking the prereqs) (and I heard such schools do exist - AECOM is an example) and whether they accept community college credits (yeah, I know...).
- Meanwhile, taking classes at local community colleges (I know it's a far from optimal choice, but it's my only choice considering how little time and money I have): got 14 credits this summer (A&P I, Psychology, Philosophy, Spanish I), all As (hey, an upward trend! yeah, I know, it's a community college, but still 14 credits during the summer while working full time - and full time in research is not at all 9 to 5), taking 18 credits this Fall (A&P II, Spanish II, English Composition I, World Religions, Physics I - figured refreshing physics won't hurt), planning on taking more classes in Winter, Spring and next Summer semesters.
- Continue volunteering in ED - I've been doing it for more than 2 years, and I'm actually enjoying it! I guess the main secrets to being content with your ER experience are: 1) curb your expectations (no, you are not going to see an open heart massage); 2) check your attitude at the door (so what if you think you are a future hot shot neurosurgeon? Go get a warm blanket to the patient in room 6! By the way, in the past year I've trained several new volunteers and noticed that "attitude" is more common among trad pre-meds); 3) as my yoga teacher said one, be useful as well as ornamental: find something useful to do, don't just sit and wait for instructions; 4) talk to - or, rather, listen to patients, you will learn a lot about life; 5) realize that little things - like a small token of attention - *do* matter, and be proud of the little things you do; 6) don't just focus on sucking up to doctors, be nice to nurses - they're the ones who can show you something clinically interesting; 7) unless you totally hate it, stick to your volunteering: once the medical personnel start recognizing you by your name, they will rely on you more, entrust you bigger responsibilities, and share their experiences with you - priceless!
- Preparing for MCAT which I'm planning to take early 2012, so I can apply to medical schools in June 2012.
- Continuing to teach (aka volunteer because I don't get paid for it) Med Micro labs and conferences this Fall.
- Trying to switch from my basic science research job to something more clinically related like clinical research coordinator. Any tips on getting this job?
- Looking for additional volunteer opportunities (a children's hospital, a higher volume public hospital ED, which is also the local trauma center, looking into hospices etc.). Any suggestions on whether I should do more clinical volunteering or rather another kind of volunteering? What about EMT-B?
- Looking into shadowing/observership at one of the local hospitals, though I don't really see much point in that.

Biggest Obstacle: Ehm, that I'm a darn foreigner? Also, I had a major depressive episode in my last year of grad school, and though I'm perfectly fine now, fears that it may recur do lurk in my mind... Though my psychiatrist says I'm perfectly fit to be a doctor (He also says he's treated quite a few perfectly functional med students, residents and attendings.) He actually serves as my part-time medical school application adviser (I know I shouldn't mention depression anywhere in my application - or pretty much ever in my hopefully future medical career - but this is an anonymous forum, isn't it? )

Age: 27 years old
Education: UC Davis Class of 2006 - Evolution & Ecology, BS with a minor in Women & Gender Studies // bcpmGPA 3.3 cGPA 3.5
Employment: Currently employed at a natural foods grocery store in the wellness dept. Previously, I've worked in a call center (as a supervisor) and at a labor union (as a web designer and editor). Right now, I work about 30 hours per week.
Volunteering: Since 2006, I haven't done anything. I will start volunteering in "Patient Care" at the orthopedic trauma and surgical specialty unit later this month. I am also working on becoming certified as a doula and volunteering my services to low-income women.
In Process: I plan to apply June 2013 for matriculation in 2014. Here is my plan so far:
> Begin/continue volunteering as described above.
> Begin/continue shadowing. I found a doctor who specializes in hospice care. She will also provide me with additional contacts in other specialties.
> Fall 2012: take one science course to get back into the swing of academics.
> Winter 2012: cut down to about 15 hours per week at work and study for the MCAT intensively. My goal for the MCAT is 39 or higher. I scored a 35Q back in the day, so I know I can do this.
> March or April 2013: take the MCAT.

Am I missing anything? Is there anyone out there planning on applying next year that would like to buddy up?

Not sure how many people will be interested by this revived post, but (tentatively) planning to apply 2014 cycle for class of 2019. Still need to take all prereqs, the MCAT, and do some GPA repair at the same time...

Age: 38

Education: BA in English Lit from top small liberal arts college, but with low GPA
MAT in Elementary and Special Education from large university, with 4.0 GPA

Employment: Currently full-time single mom to my 2 year old
Hoping to start working part-time (less than 4 hrs/wk) teaching swimming lessons soon
Trying to get a part-time position (20 hrs/wk) as an entry-level lab tech...
Planning to spend the next two years with a fairly heavy courseload, so not interested in full-time employment.

Volunteering: Currently, 2 top hospitals in Boston:
Hospital A: Neonatal ICU, greeting parents (and soon to be working with the nurses and cuddling the babies!). Started at the hospital in September as a patient escort and courier, graduated to the NICU in May. Currently have about 75 hours; schedule is very flexible, so not sure how many to aim for over the next 2 years? I chose the NICU because it gives me patient exposure to two populations I'm very interested in (OB/GYN and Pediatrics), possibly including some bad outcomes, and I'm concerned about how I'll cope with that...

Hospital B: Emergency Department - Radiology; I transport patients (some I escort, others are in wheelchairs or on stretchers) to and from radiology and the other sections of the ED. Started at the hospital in May. Schedule is fixed at 3 hrs/wk. Again, not sure how many to aim for by application time in 2014? I chose the ED because of the wide variety of patient exposure, as well as to test out my stomach in terms of unpleasant sights and smells...

I also have some past volunteer experiences, but nothing too recent or clinical. In high school I did some overseas volunteering (one summer in Mexico, another in Ecuador) with a health improvement theme, so not sure if that would be considered clinical. Also, not sure how relevant it will be to Adcoms since it was 20+ years ago...

Clubs/Extracurricular: Currently financial and time constraints keep me from doing much without my daughter, but we do take swim classes together.
Also, I just completed a lifeguard training class (in prep for working at the pool).
Used to sing in a choral group that gave several concerts each year and had high-intensity weekly rehearsals.
Used to spend a lot of time horseback riding (here's where finances come into play!).

LORs: I know two MDs from undergrad who are now established in their careers and may write letters (one was a non-trad and is a mentor, the other was trad and is a great resource). I expect to get a letter from Hospital A (see Volunteering), and hopefully one from Hospital B as well. I have a couple of colleagues from former professional days that have written letters for me in the past. I should be able to get a couple of letters from science profs over the next two years' coursework. From this pool of 7-9, I hope to get at least 4 that are strong enough to go with my application.

Shadowing: Have a college friend who's in a position to set me up with his colleagues (and has offered to do so) for shadowing. Plan to spend about 40 hours with MDs in a variety of specialties as well as about 24 hours with DOs. Planning to spread this out over the next 6 months or so.

Right Now: Just getting started on pre-reqs. I'm still debating about whether to take general chemistry I & II (with lab) as an accelerated summer course or wait until the fall. Taking it over the summer will set me up to take orgo during the year. It will also give me a sense of whether I can handle taking both bio and physics at the same time as orgo... Doing so would enable me to devote next summer to MCAT prep, so I can take it in August 2013. I would then spend the 2012-2013 school year focused on upper-level bio classes to additionally bolster my uGPA.

Biggest Obstacle: Low undergrad GPA. My BA was about a 2.44; my only goal back then was to graduate, so I did the bare minimum necessary to get assignments done for each class... While I did acceptable work for my major, I took some classes (like accelerated German) that required a LOT more time than I put in. I just didn't do most of the work. In grad school I put in the time, did most of the work, and I maintained a 4.0 (while working full-time). For my prereqs I plan to put in even more time and do ALL of the work! If I maintain 4.0 in prereqs (and I take 17 classes prior to application cycle), then I can pull cGPA up to about 3.2 and sGPA to 3.9

Thanks for replying! Your plan looks excellent and you sound very organized. Keep us posted.

startingover84 said:

Thanks for replying! Your plan looks excellent and you sound very organized. Keep us posted.

Click to expand...

Thanks! I've given this a lot of thought, and I find that the hardest part for me - at my age - is making the decision/commitment to completely go for it.

Your plan sounds great, but why do you think you need a 39+ MCAT? I originally thought I would need a score like that, but recently I've been thinking that anything above 95th percentile (35ish) should be enough to overcome my GPA... So, I've been hoping that a 36 should be sufficient... Of course, I'll still be aiming higher...

Equestrian said:

Thanks! I've given this a lot of thought, and I find that the hardest part for me - at my age - is making the decision/commitment to completely go for it.

Your plan sounds great, but why do you think you need a 39+ MCAT? I originally thought I would need a score like that, but recently I've been thinking that anything above 95th percentile (35ish) should be enough to overcome my GPA... So, I've been hoping that a 36 should be sufficient... Of course, I'll still be aiming higher...

Click to expand...

I guess I don't need a 39, but that's my goal. I did 35 in college while I was taking a full course load, working two part-time jobs, and in a NCAA Division I sport. I just know I can do better. I will be happy with 11+ in each subject, though.

Well, since someone has decided to dig this up, I might as well throw in my 2 cents, lol.

Age: 38

Education: Currently an undergrad at University of Miami majoring in Microbiology/Immunology. I just finished my first semester after transferring from CC with my AA. As such, I am in my 3rd year and will be applying next cycle. I am by far and above the oldest pre-med on campus and refer to myself as "Dinosaur Pre-Med!" Everyone is twice my age, lol.

Employment: Before the recession ruined my career, I worked for 15+ years in the wholesale building material business starting in the warehouse and working every job on the way up (sales, purchasing, logistics and operations) before eventually running a muti-million dollar branch location for a large national corporation. Once my career was destroyed, my family (wife, mother, and aunt) rallied around me and gave me this wonderful opportunity saying they would find a way to make it work. So, I am not working and am a full time student. It is amazing to really see just how much my family believes in me.

Clubs/Extracurricular: Though I am one of the oldest students I have seen on campus, I have decided to fully delve into the undergraduate experience and joined the Microbio Club. I did not just do it for my application, I have been told I am one of the most active members this past semester. I table, do fundraising, and community outreach.

LORs: This is one thing I am very worried about. My science classes this past semester were gigantic! I tried to initiate a more personal relationship with my professors, but they were not receptive and were actually bordering on rude and indignant. I am taking Orgo 2 this Fall with the same professor I took 1 with (got a B ) and am going to try to butter her up. She does not present a very accessible demeanor an only has office hours one day a week for 45 minutes. I took most of my pre-reqs at CC (except for Orgo) so I am out of luck there. The professors for my major commute from the med school campus to give lectures and then go right back to their labs. I stressing over this situation due to the importance of strong LORs. I will only be taking 4 more science classes before applying so I am a little worried.

Shadowing/Volunteering: I have shadowed my son's ENT who has known me for a few years now. He is my biggest advocate outside of my family and is the one who really gave me the last bit of encouragement to follow this path when I thought I was too old. He said he would do whatever he could to help me.

One big problem I am having in this arena is that with my stats, I am probably going to be a more likely candidate for DO school and I can't find a DO to shadow. I tried the iMentor site, but haven't gotten a response. I have tried calling around and get told no by everyone. I will, of course, keep trying.

I also volunteer in an ER 4 hours a week. I only have about 50 hours as of now, but should have a couple hundred by the time I apply.

Right Now: Even though I am a year away from applying, I have signed up for the MCAT in August for which I am currently studying (SN2ED plan). I just want to get it out of the way now so if I do poorly, I have plenty of time to make it up.

Biggest Obstacle: Low GPA for Allo. I am sitting nice for DO though. Currently with 2 semesters of undergrad left before applying, I am currently sitting at 3.17 cgpa/3.25 bcpm for MD and 3.53 cGPA/3.57 sGPA for DO. The very best I can do for MD if I get straight A's these next two semesters is a 3.36 cGPA for AMCAS. I am not sure if that is good enough.

There is a caveat to my grades however and I can explain somewhat. My GPA is dragged down by a poor first attempt at college 20 years ago. I had to drop out because Hurricane Andrew destroyed my family home and through the rebuilding process tried to force myself into school in a very bad situation and did very bad. While this is a good explanation for the poor performance, it weighs my MD gpa by 6 tenths of a point. After being out of school for 16 years, my GPA since starting back in 2008 is almost 3.8. It would be near perfect if I didn't get some B's this semester.

Let me say firmly that I have no problem with DO school. I very much subscribe to the philosophy and will happily apply and matriculated if accepted, but my heart is at a particular MD school (UM Miller). I would cut off a leg and donate it to the anatomy department for acceptance there. That being said, I am going to need some holistic love from them, lol! A lot of applicants have been scared away due to some budget constraints they are currently having, but trust me, they aren't going anywhere. Maybe that will play in my favor if the applicant pool is reduced somewhat, lol.


All in all, I am working my butt of for this dream. As hard as I have worked throughout my life, I have never worked this hard in just the sheer amount of time I put in. I am at school every day during the semester and study all night. If there is ever anything I can do to help anyone, I am at your service!! Good luck!!

Age: 24
Education: BA in Communication, 2011
Employment: Was unemployed for 10 months after graduation. Interned for no pay at a big university medical center 2 hours from home. Am currently in sales and hating it.
Clubs: Was in 1 leadership club during undergrad.
LOR: Should have some solid LORs. 1 from a communications prof, 1 from bio prof, 2 from D.O.s and possibly 1 more from a physician.
Shadowing/Volunteering: Have shadowed in orthopedics, orthopedic surgery, family medicine, child psych, and peds. Most of my shadowing has taken place in orthopedics. Have interned/volunteered at a community medical center, as well as at a large university medical center,volunteered at a local ymca, and plan on volunteering at a local hospital in the coming months.
Obstacles: Probably my low cGPA from undergrad (2.85). But, my sGPA is 4.0 (only two classes). So, I plan to take my pre-reqs over the next two years, If I can get straight As then I'll get my GPA to a ~3.1 and still have a really good sGPA. But aside from the numbers my biggest obstacle has been my confidence. The only reason I didn't major in pre-med as an undergrad is because I never saw myself as an "academic" or a "genius" which is what I always thought you had to be in order to go to med school. But I can't see myself doing anything else, I really enjoy medicine and I am actually pretty good at grasping the material.
Right Now: right now I am working in sales and it is awful. I plan on quitting in a few months and going back to take my pre-reqs while working part-time. I cannot wait for my classes to start. I know it will be a tough journey ahead but I look forward to embracing the grind. You only live once, so find out what your passion is, chase it down and achieve it! Good luck everyone!