nontraditional

  1. S

    What classes should I take for a DIY post-bacc as a non-trad applicant who has already completed the prereqs and needs academic LORs?

    Sorry in advance for the length. Goal Cycle: 2025~2026 Demographics: F/27 (28 by the time I start applying next year), East Asian, Illinois resident Major: Biology BS (was originally interested in biomedical research), graduated 2019 Stats: cGPA 3.55, sGPA 3.28 Upward trend Freshman~Junior...
  2. H

    Biomedical Sciences masters program?

    Hello everyone, I am looking for some advice. Sorry for the lengthy post. I am a URM nontraditional premed student who graduated with a BS in biology and got a 3.28 cGPA and a 3.15 sGPA. I worked full-time for 3 yrs while in school to sustain myself, which made me miss out on many...
  3. L

    :)

    Hello everyone! 😙
  4. M

    What ECs are expected for non-traditional students? If my ECs are mainly prior to my postbacc, does that harm my application?

    Hello! I feel like there’s such a large range of what people are recommending as EC advice across various websites. For background: I have a degree in a medical related field (biomedical engineering), and a relatively low GPA (3.2, which counts as graduating with honors for my school as it is...
  5. H

    Advice Needed On Choosing Best Path To Reinvention

    Hello everyone! Thank you for taking the time out to read this. I need some help on how to reinvent myself and be a better applicant for medical school. For some context, I am in my mid 20's and I graduated in 2020 with a GPA of 3.23 and sGPA a bit lower than that. My ec's aren't great but I...
  6. P

    .

    .
  7. DocHopeful1

    My Vulnerable and Personal Caribbean Medical School Journey (Part 2-Final)

    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...
  8. S

    26 Year old career changer

    Hi, As the title says I'm in my late 20s working as an accountant. As a kid I always wanted to be a physician but was talked out of it and pursed a business degree. However, I am miserable. I simply can't do this the rest of my career. I see what my manager does and that seems even worse to me...
  9. D

    Will mediocre science prof. LoRs damage otherwise good references?

    Hello! I have posted about this question here on Reddit (there is a lot more detail there), but I wanted to crosspost my question on SDN, since I know there are some adcoms here somewhere, and I'd value their input. Basically, I transferred from a CC to a big public uni with an AA degree. I'm a...
  10. A

    Best schools for nontraditional students

    Hi all! Does anyone have any thoughts on the best schools for nontraditional students? My boyfriend is pursuing a long term dream of being a dentist and hoping to enter in fall 2024. He has a chemistry degree and graduated with a 3.6ish GPA and distinction/university research scholar honors in...
  11. J

    Advice on Joining Army/Air National Guard Prior to Med School

    Hi All, I’m looking for some advice on whether joining the Army or Air National Guard will hinder or aide my progress for applying to med school. It will most certainly prolong the process but I’m still interested to hear others opinions. I’m several years away from applying because I need to...
  12. M

    Switch to similar MA job where I may get research experience?

    Hello! So I currently work as an MA in a hospital setting and am being offered a job with someone who will be a sub PI for a CRO and who is simultaneously starting their own private family medicine practice. In my first interview they claimed it would be both research and MA , however in the...
  13. D

    RN to MD?

    Hi everyone, Thanks for reading this. I am an ER RN in my mid-20s in WA. I have always wanted to work in healthcare. When I was a child, I dreamt of becoming a doctor, however, once I learned about the rigorous admission requirements and long hours of residency, I decided I wanted to go the...
  14. Mued->Doc

    Focus on clinical hours or research for my EC’s?

    Hello everybody, I wanted to get some advice on what y’all would focus in terms of EC’s to build the best application I can. Medical school is the goal for me, and I would be happy with getting into anywhere because I just really want to help people in the hardest of times, but I also want to...
  15. J

    Non-trad & low GPA

    Hello all! Long story short I am first-gen, sexual minority, and completed undergrad back in 2014 as a Human Biology major at UC San Diego (cGPA of 2.8, sGPA of 2.72) and did the majority of my lower divs at community college after having to move back home due to some family deaths and shaky...
  16. M

    New York Postbacc - advice for someone limited due to health & finances

    Background: 4.0 GPA as a psychology (neuroscience concentration) and journalism major at a SUNY school. Already completed a couple of science courses, i.e. GenChem I and Genetics. I am 29 and have 8 years of clinical research and shadowing experience in immunology, epigenetics, and neuroscience...
  17. H

    New York Post Bacc -School Advice

    Hi all. Wanted to post on here to see if I could squeeze out any information regarding SUNY post baccs. I am applying for the fall to SUNY Farmingdale, SUNY Old Westbury and SUNY Purchase to their post bacc programs. Does anyone have any information regarding the listed schools and/or their...
  18. B

    Non-Trad, Low cGPA Seeking SMP Advice

    Hi All I'm a non trad student with a low undergrad GPA. I've been steadily working on bringing it up to apply to medical school through a DIY post-bacc. I've decided to apply to an SMP and am seeking information on a few specific programs. My stats are: BA - Photography cGPA: 2.81 (brought up...
  19. monkeym8

    About to graduate with MPH but still have a desire for medical school

    hey there! my name is Kevin and I have an interesting dilemma... about myself: child of immigrants who escaped the khmer rouge, have a hearing loss, ADHD, and grew up in a rural community. have shadowed derm, ent, family I graduated from a top public university in 2019 with a BS in Public...
  20. M

    Am I being led astray?

    Hi everyone, I am a non-traditional. 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 career that the autonomy, and intellectual stimulation of becoming a physician was...
  21. Asclepius2000

    Introduction to the SDN Pre-medical community

    (Note: I posted this in the Nontraditional forum but decided to cross-post here because it is naturally much more active.) Good evening, fellow pre-meds! Selfishly, I thought it might be a good exercise - perhaps even cathartic - to write out my (very preliminary, exploratory, non-committal)...
  22. Asclepius2000

    Introduction to the Nontraditional SDN community

    Good evening, fellow nontrads! Selfishly, I thought it might be a good exercise - perhaps even cathartic - to write out my (very preliminary, exploratory, non-committal) plans. For some context, a little about me: 35+ year old male, married, young children under four. Sole breadwinner - work...
  23. suj_k

    Travel RN to MD - post bacc/SMP?

    Hello! Long time lurker here. I’ve browsed through several forums to see how other nurses have made the transition, and I’m excited to start this journey! I’m currently traveling as an OR nurse. I graduated in 2018 with 3.36 cGPA, and 3.45 sGPA. Still have to take Physics 1/2, Biology 2, Orgo...
  24. F

    I’d love some advice on my next step

    Hey all, Non trad mom here! I’m graduating with my bachelors this May, likely with a 3.6 gpa . However, due to my academic past (esp grades 7-10 years ago) , my gpa for applications are 3.018. My trend is upward, but I do have a mixture of Bs and As. My extracurriculars need strength as well...
  25. W

    Nontrad, age 30, finishing prereqs and unsure about extra-curriculars

    Hello! I wasn't sure what to do for the title so hopefully that sums it up. I am a nontrad with ~3.0 GPA, looking to apply in the 2023 cycle. I have not completed my MCAT, but I have scored 510 on a couple of practice tests, and I will be studying this year (with the goal of increasing my...
  26. Ryze

    Going back to medical school in your 30s after being a PA for awhile? Worth it or nah?

    I would love to hear thoughts/arguments on both sides. Especially experiences from those who have went back to medical school after becoming a Physician Assistant! How did it affect your life - family life, financially, mentally, etc? Is it worth the stress? Tell me: 1) Why I should do it? 2)...
  27. H

    1 vs 2 year Post Bac Program Advice

    Hi there! I am currently a senior in college and have taken a few science courses (Chem I, Cell Bio, Genetics, and Physics I) but still have to complete the remaining courses so as to apply to medical school. I applied to Thomas Jefferson post bacc program (P4) and got accepted! I had applied to...
  28. N

    NonTraditional Veteran seeking guidance.

    Hey members of SDN, new here, so I will get straight to the point. I am a 29 year old male soldier in the Army (25N - Network Specialist). I will be starting terminal leave in a couple weeks and will be ready to get back to the civilian world. I have already accepted a job offer as a full-time...
  29. H

    Glide Year "Psychedelic Pharmaceutical Investigation" Masters a Good Idea or not?

    I've done a DIY post-bacc with 72 credit hours total, 52 being BCPM. I have a 3.71 cGPA during only my post-bacc hours, but my total cGPA including undergrad several years ago is still 3.38... Additionally I scored a 514 on the MCAT. I have 2600 EMT hours, 1600 Scribe hours, Hundreds of...
  30. boston_3

    Engineering Courses for Fulfilling Physics Pre-req?

    I was wondering if anyone has used engineering courses as a non-trad student to fulfill the physics requirements? I can't seem to find a straightforward answer on how this works, so I'd love to hear from someone that has encountered this issue!
  31. leadsquid

    For those that were not STEM majors: Learning curve for Chem and Physics?

    How did you all fare in General Chemistry and Physics 1 when you first started your post-bacc? I am couple years out of college and did not have any science classes. Did you learn all of the material you needed to in the classes or was there a steep learning curve initially due to there being an...
  32. healthEngineer

    WAMC (2022/2023): 3.7 cGPA, 3.62 sGPA, 516 MCAT, CA Resident, UCLA, Nontraditional

    Hi. I am planning to apply to medical schools in 2022 and I’m interested what schools I should target given the information below. Any input would be appreciated. :) 1) cGPA 3.7, sGPC: 3.62 2) MCAT: 514 [130, 124, 130, 130] (8-26-2021) to 516 [131, 126, 130, 129] (9-3-2021) a) I knew I messed...
  33. aquamist

    Nontrad Prerequisites

    I'm a nontraditional student (finished both undergrad and my MPH at UC Berkeley, currently working in health tech), and I'm currently working to take post-bacc prereqs (ones I haven't taken before...they're not for academic enhancement purposes). I have to take a year of gen chem, a year of o...
  34. G

    How to ask for LORs during COVID-19?

    Hi everyone, as the title may suggest I was wondering if anyone could advise on how to ask for letters during the ongoing pandemic. Prepandemic, the ideal situation was to sit down with your writer and hand over a resume/CV. Is this still advised when asking professors from undergrad for a...
  35. A

    Social science major applicant--question about upper-level science courses

    Hey everyone, I'm a non-traditional applicant. I'm in my mid-20's and was an Army medic before college. I currently work in an ED. I have a ~3.8 overall GPA and a ~3.6 science GPA. I have several thousand hours of patient care experience in a variety of settings. I'm also a political science...
  36. D

    Sending Out Cold Emails

    Hello! I'm a recent B.S. graduate that's trying to look for work in a research lab in the interim of trying to get into a masters, then further on Med School. It took me about six years (an extra two years after I walked at commencement) to officially graduate because of financial issues and...
  37. Bpetro93

    Northeast Ohio Medical University-personal experience

    I was waitlisted for both NEOMED and Wright State this past year after applying at the end of the application cycle (in October). I was presented with an early assurance opportunity with NEOMED, which would require that I complete a 1 year masters with the school before starting at the COM in...
  38. T

    Post bacc vs masters for Sub 3.0 Student

    I need help deciding whether post bacc or an SMP is the best option for me to get into medical school. I graduated from a higher end university in 2019 with a cGPA of 2.5 and sGPA of 2.4. Since then, I’ve been taking all science classes (44 credits) via an informal post bacc (retaking pre reqs...
  39. AsILayFaulkner_8

    Looking to pursue an SMP for reinvention and found one for FREE (ish) at a medical school?

    Hello all! Looking for advice in pursuing an SMP for reinvention. I found a program that is practically free, offered at a pretty good medical school, and seems pretty interesting. It is an MS in Pathology and says it offers courses with the same rigour as medical school in the program...
  40. Dobermann

    MD & DO WAMC and School List Help (Nontrad, 3.07/3.69/517)

    As the title states, I am a non-traditional applicant looking to get some help finalizing a strategic school list to hopefully get an MD/DO admit with only one application cycle. The specifics are below, but I am a career-changer and reinventor with poor/uneven stats and several red flags. I...
Top