nontrad

Hey folks! Been a long time lurker of SDN and fairly active on Reddit as well. Wanted to come on here because I've seen so much great and transparent advice, and am currently in need of help. Looking forward to chatting with y'all. 25M, ORM, TX Resident - looking to apply Summer 2026...

I’ll be starting my content review for a Feb/Mar 2026 MCAT test date and was considering to purchase the self-paced MCAT prep from Kaplan. The main reason I was considering this, was because back in 2003 when I was first studying for it their books were outstanding and leading the pack for MCAT...

Hey all! Thanks in advance for reading this and your advice. After retiring from the business world in 2023, I made the decision to go back to the original dream: becoming a physician. My path initially being in 2001, but in the wake of 9/11 I dropped out of college to join the military...

Nontrad working full time in life science for 5 years post grad. How many postbacc credits should I aim for? Also, I’m working full time, so the less time I spend on classes, the more time I can spend prepping for the MCAT. Here’s my GPA so far. uGPA: 3.23 gradGPA: 3.86 Overall scienceGPA...

PLEASE DO NOT QUOTE THIS MESSAGE thank you for your reply!

Hey everyone, I’m a Nontrad working as a scientist for 5 years post grad. Haven’t taken the MCAT. I’ve been considering 2 SMP’s as they have a really high linkage to their medical schools. The conditions of their linkage are a good SMP GPA and an MCAT >490. So far it seems like 95% of students...

Hey everyone, first time poster here. I was wondering if someone could help point me in the right direction. Here is my background and stats: Career changer from life science to medicine. BS in 2019, MS in 2020 (Immunology) working in biotech cancer therapeutics research for about 5 years...

Hello! My name is guttergrades, and I have a terrible GPA (2.7cgpa, 2.5sgpa). No upward trend. I failed multiple classes and have 6 W’s. It’s bad. My grades were terrible, so I switched my bio major to an unrelated major. I now work a full-time office 8-5pm job. 2025 Accomplishments: Received...

Hello, So long story short, I was dismissed from one of my undergrad schools in my early 20s because of a Title IX accusation from a relationship that ended very very poorly. It was a tough time, and I honestly didn’t know what I was going to do with my life. Medicine or healthcare wasn’t even...

Hi, I graduated with a BS in Computer Science and formed very positive relationships with some CS professors. I worked with them on multiple research projects and did well in their course. I believe they can write a strong LoR to package in my committee letter but the university is requesting 2...

I'm quite nontraditional age-wise (30) but I have always wanted to be a doctor since my premed undergrad days. I'm trying to see if I should apply this upcoming cycle? I have most of the volunteering, both clinical and nonclinical, shadowing done (and still doing) and will be done with all...

Hello everyone, 28M, Asian, Security Engineer here to seek advice/mentorship on the best path forward to becoming a doctor. I apologize for the long post. Feel free to skip the motivation to get to the profile and stats. Motivation: My role model in life is my grandpa who was a very selfless...

Hi everyone, I'm currently doing my master's in physiotherapy at a university in Ontario, but realized that medicine is ultimately what I want to be doing for the rest of my life. I haven't yet taken the MCAT and I'm missing prerequisites to apply, but I am going to finish my last year of...

hi all! I am a non-trad student planning to apply in 2026 with a low gpa. I'd say, like most people, my interests/activities widely vary, which is why I am having some trouble about what potential activities to include when I apply. I'd love advice on what areas I should focus on, what...

I submitted my primary in June and was verified in July, most secondaries sent by mid-August. I decided in July to repeat some very old prerequisites at my local university. I did not have a transcript showing these courses when I submitted my primary. Should I upload this through AMP to my...

Hey fellow community, I am going insane; here are my stats. Florida resident, 33 years old Professional chef since failing out of college circa 2013 Overall GPA 2.51, Since returning to school last year 3.87/BCPM 3.85 in 55 credits Worked in Michelin kitchens in NYC Father of 2 small children...

Hello all, I am 32. A dad and returning to school. My overall GPA is about 2.51, including classes I quit in 2013. I returned, to premed a year and a half ago, my GPA since has been 3.87, BCPM 3.85 with about 55 credit hours (all on the backdrop of winning a chef award, working 70+ hours a week...

Good afternoon all! I have one post in the past where I somewhat introduce myself, but I'll touch on it here for simple context. I looked around a bit, and this seemed within the norms to make a post like this, but if I'm wrong, please let me know or delete it. I apologize in advance for the...

Title. I'm nontraditional and applying with a killer MCAT score, a PhD, many many pubs and patents, 15K + hours clinical and volunteer experience. I have a couple C- in my gen chem series. My PhD GPA was 4.0. I took grad level chem courses and got As. For schools where prereqs don't expire (the...

Specifically my postdoc PI. I have a PhD. He usually addresses me as "Dr. Double_doc_in_progress" but would that come off badly to ADCOMS since I'm not a "real" doctor? Should he address me as "Ms. Double_doc_in_progress" or by my first name? The questions that come up as a nontrad.... Thanks...

The short of it is I am a non traditional student seeking to apply this cycle. I completed the majority of my prereqs at a local community college. For Biochemistry I took the UCSD extension course ( https://extendedstudies.ucsd.edu/courses-and-programs/biochemistry ) which is a 10 week...

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Hello all! I'm sure a lot of folks are as excited as I am that the AMCAS application is open. I'm interested in some advice on a few sections as I am a super non-trad who graduated in 2012 with a BA in biology, worked in an unrelated industry role for several years, completed a PhD in...

Hi SDN Community, I am humbly asking for some honest advice and insight. I am 34 years old. Despite five attempts (yes, I know) to get into medical school starting in 2015, I have not been successful. I graduated from UC Berkeley back in 2012. My last MCAT score from August 2020 was 521 (98th...

I have a bit of a unique situation, and I would like some guidance moving forward with respect to applying this cycle. I began my college career as a nursing major, and transferred to Biology after working in the hospital as a tech for a period of time. I realized rather late into my college...

Hi Everyone, I'm a non trad hoping to apply this next cycle. I have been combing msars trying to build a school list but it has been difficult with my lopsided stats. Stats Undergrad cGPA 3.0 (in Environmental Studies). CC Post Bac GPA 4.0.Overall cGPA: 3.48. Overall AMCAS sGPA 3.504. Overall...

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Here’s my academic story— 2003 — Graduated straight A student in HS 2007 — Struggled with undiagnosed ADHD and never finding the appropriate subject fit; low GPA at small liberal arts school (2.4 I believe) in a non-STEM field. Toward the end I was involved in a horrible abusive relationship...

Hello SDN friends, Currently active duty, looking to apply in the '24 cycle. Some family health issues that have developed over the past few years have me wanting to move home to the DC/Baltimore area. This is extremely important to me. I graduated from the Naval Academy a couple of years ago...

Hi everyone, I graduated university ~10 years ago with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. I prioritized working and other things over school and had multiple F’s and D’s. I’ve always felt passionate about medicine but always felt it was unattainable. I’ve taken the past few years to fully...

Hello!! :) Scores: Undergrad: 3.28 (freshman: 3.3, sophomore: 3.03, junior: 3.2, senior: 3.5) Syracuse university Grad: 3.7, Masters of biomedical science 26 credits MCAT: 511 (125, 126, 129, 131) Personal: 24yo white woman Grew up in CT, been a resident of NY for 3 years Research...

cGPA and sGPA as calculated by AMCAS or AACOMAS Undergrad cGPA: 3.16 AMCAS and 3.16 AACOMAS sGPA: 2.98 AMCAS and 3.04 AACOMAS Postbacc 4.00 Graduate SMP in Biomedical Sciences cGPA: 3.82 AMCAS and 3.82 AACOMAS sGPA: 3.81 AMCAS and 3.82 AACOMAS cGPA: 3.31 AMCAS and 3.31 AACOMAS sGPA: 3.21...

Basically, I'm looking for both a general WAMC and some ideas of low- and mid-tier schools to add to my list, which I think is too top-heavy for my cumulative GPA, lack of pubs/posters, and low service hours. Not really interested in TMDSAS or DO schools. All advice welcome! Background...

Hello! I am a non-trad/veteran/career changer looking for some guidance on whether I should pursue an SMP to become more competitive for CAA school. My cGPA is 3.37, and my sGPA is 3.55 (I graduated in 2020 with 58 credits from a CC and the remaining at a private university). After I left...

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Hi All, I’m on a reinvention journey and taking postbacc classes to improve my low GPA. I understand 30-40 credits in postbacc classes are considered adequate. As of now, I completed 13 units, taking 1-2 classes a quarter because of my full time job and other responsibilities. I’m now wondering...

Hello again SDN! This is insane that I'm back on here years later. I am here to finally reveal the ending of a story I started several years ago. ✨spoiler alert✨ I matched into my #1 program! Here is the link to Part 1 of my story: My Vulnerable and Personal Caribbean Medical School Journey...

I'm finally able to share my story with a happy ending. Four application cycles, 3 MCATs, 50+ medical schools, thousands of dollars on secondaries, tons of rejections, and countless tears/mental breakdowns later, I can finally say that I have been accepted into my dream school (a US MD program)...

33 y/o, non-trad, and recently did a career change. I will be taking math classes (potentially some english too) this year and will jump on science pre-reqs starting next fall. Is getting a CNA license (pay $$$$ for that license, take 3 courses in the summer) worth it to get direct patient care...

Context: I am a computer science major at a lesser-known 4-year state school. I completed 6 semesters (3 years) at this college before I was diagnosed with cancer last August. I had a mediastinal NSGCT in my right lung and my oncologist told me I had a 40-45% percent chance of survival. Really...