2014 Nontrad Applicants' Progress Thread

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Amygdarya said:
Well, in a way we're all waiting for 6-8 months 😉

Good luck with your applications!
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Thanks, and same to you! Hopefully, we will know what's in our future in 8 months! 🙂
 
NuttyEngDude said:
I wonder it would be like to go to a school of ALL non-trads
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I think it would be bittersweet.

On one hand, people would be more mature, helpful, probably less gunnerish, and on the other hand, there would be fewer people to be pissed off at for not having "life" experience, or for not having to sit out a cycle or two, or for having longer to pay off massive debt.
 
I've often wondered what it would be like to compose a class of med school faculty with some of the people on here. I think it'd e cool to learn from Winged Scapula, Q, Prowler, ShyRem, and some others. Adding a class of interesting and diverse nontrads would be neat too. Maybe that's what I'll do when I win the lottery, build a dream team med school (that would have to accept me, lol)
 
acceptmeplease said:
I think it would be bittersweet.

On one hand, people would be more mature, helpful, probably less gunnerish, and on the other hand, there would be fewer people to be pissed off at for not having "life" experience, or for not having to sit out a cycle or two, or for having longer to pay off massive debt.
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Amygdarya said:
I dunno about you guys but I would let a few trad students in. For diversity 😛
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I think it would never happen, i'm just wondering what it would feel like, sort of as a mental curiosity 😛
 
As a student that is about to transfer to another school by the next fall. Does it hurt my chances for my application?

I'm currently a second year student at my university and I already took a year of Calc I and II, finishing up my first semester of Bio I with lab as well as intro psychology, statistics, and fiction. Will this put me at a disadvantage?
 
Ziggy213 said:
As a student that is about to transfer to another school by the next fall. Does it hurt my chances for my application?

I'm currently a second year student at my university and I already took a year of Calc I and II, finishing up my first semester of Bio I with lab as well as intro psychology, statistics, and fiction. Will this put me at a disadvantage?
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This is not a place to ask these questions (this thread is for non-trads applying this year to discuss their application progress), you could open your own thread.

But, in any case, I don't think transferring to another school will hurt your chances, as long as you don't go from a substantially higher ranked school to a lower ranked school (so that adcoms may suspect you transferred because of the difficulty of the school) and maintain high GPA. Also, it is generally considered better to take a sequence of classes (say, Bio I and Bio II) in the same school with the same professor - because, again, it *may* look like you switched to a different school/professor because of difficulty - but it shouldn't be a problem if you transfer to a school of similar or higher perceived difficulty (eg., if you transfer from a community college to a 4-year university it's good; the other way around is bad).

tl;dr: no, it won't hurt you as long as you don't transfer to an easier school and maintain your GPA.
 
Now that I'm holding acceptances, all of which are conditional since I haven't taken organic chemistry II, I'm starting to feel panicky. It's a notoriously hard class to get into around here, because everyone needs to take it (and I'm not a matriculated student, so no priority registration). I'm compiling a list of schools within an hour drive that offer the course, just in case my alma mater can't fit me in. But I've noticed that my top choice med school allows you to substitute biochem in place of orgo...and it happens that one of my LOR authors is teaching an evening biochem course next semester. Anyone care to comment on which they'd take in my situation?
 
Pose said:
Now that I'm holding acceptances, all of which are conditional since I haven't taken organic chemistry II, I'm starting to feel panicky. It's a notoriously hard class to get into around here, because everyone needs to take it (and I'm not a matriculated student, so no priority registration). I'm compiling a list of schools within an hour drive that offer the course, just in case my alma mater can't fit me in. But I've noticed that my top choice med school allows you to substitute biochem in place of orgo...and it happens that one of my LOR authors is teaching an evening biochem course next semester. Anyone care to comment on which they'd take in my situation?
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Without knowing the financial offers, I'd take the class that allows the broadest range of options.

If you KNOW you want to go to that top choice regardless of cost, I guess it could make sense to take biochem instead. But otherwise you're limiting your options pretty severely, no?
 
That's a fantastic point.
 
Pose said:
Now that I'm holding acceptances, all of which are conditional since I haven't taken organic chemistry II, I'm starting to feel panicky. It's a notoriously hard class to get into around here, because everyone needs to take it (and I'm not a matriculated student, so no priority registration). I'm compiling a list of schools within an hour drive that offer the course, just in case my alma mater can't fit me in. But I've noticed that my top choice med school allows you to substitute biochem in place of orgo...and it happens that one of my LOR authors is teaching an evening biochem course next semester. Anyone care to comment on which they'd take in my situation?
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Community college if it's an option.
 
didymus, welcome, don't be shy and good luck! 🙂
 
Amygdarya said:
didymus, welcome, don't be shy and good luck! 🙂
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Thank you for the welcome 🙂 I realized after posting that I was putting my story in a thread for the wrong year; when I read "2014 Applicant Progress," I misinterpreted it to be a thread for those applying in 2014. When the time comes--and the right thread--I'll return.
 
Hey all. I forget if I've ever posted here, but just wanted to say "hi". Nontrad here, and by nontrad, I mean I graduated from college over a half a decade ago.

23 schools. 8 interviews. 2 acceptances. I thought I'd have a longer way to go this year because my GPA wasn't so hot, but it's been an incredible cycle. I don't know what to do with myself for the next couple of months before school starts. 🤣
 
I've decided to cancel my interview at Vermont. Unless i get invited to one of the stronger schools that have been ignoring me thus far (Brown, Dartmouth, Michigan, Baylor, Emory ) I'm done!
 
Captain Sisko said:
I've decided to cancel my interview at Vermont. Unless i get invited to one of the stronger schools that have been ignoring me thus far (Brown, Dartmouth, Michigan, Baylor, Emory ) I'm done!
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Congrats!

I think I am done as well. Good feeling 🙂
 
Also hi non-trads! I only just discovered this thread, glad to have the company
 
Captain Sisko said:
I've decided to cancel my interview at Vermont. Unless i get invited to one of the stronger schools that have been ignoring me thus far (Brown, Dartmouth, Michigan, Baylor, Emory ) I'm done!
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Nice, enjoy some well deserved rest!

On my side, If the Army sends me one more email, I might cave in and add them on AMCAS. 😀
 
I get an email from the military at least every other day!

I just canceled my first interview, at Wayne State. Tuition would've been by far the most expensive of the schools I've already been accepted to, and as a nothing-special OOS applicant, I doubt I would've been given financial incentive to go there. Hopefully I opened up an interview for someone else.
 
Etyan said:
That's a mere 5 years!

Maybe if it were half a century Nontrads here would be more astonished :LOL:
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Ha. Didn't realize the criteria were so strict. I don't think I could go through all this in my 50s.
 
Pose said:
I get an email from the military at least every other day!
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Actually, that's not going to work - I'm not eligible! They want me to have a degree by 6/1/2014.

Amygdarya said:
That would be 70s! 🙂
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My grandparents slept only a few hours at that age - might be useful during residency. 😉
 
I think I'm not eligible for the military. Once you're 30 you're out of the running.
 
milski said:
My grandparents slept only a few hours at that age - might be useful during residency. 😉
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Just like my friends tell me I have the 2 most important qualifications to be a doctor: I can go for weeks on as little as 5 hours a sleep a day on average and my handwriting is terrible 😛
 
Captain Sisko said:
I think I'm not eligible for the military. Once you're 30 you're out of the running.
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Oh, that too? I guess it's really gave over for me there. 😀

Amygdarya said:
Just like my friends tell me I have the 2 most important qualifications to be a doctor: I can go for weeks on as little as 5 hours a sleep a day on average and my handwriting is terrible 😛
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I have the handwriting covered. 😉 One of the great things about undergrad were the ample opportunities for afternoon naps. 😀
 
had my first interview ~2 weeks ago and I don't think it went very well-I was nervous and I realized that I forgot to sell myself completely! I got the flu pretty much immediately after landing so I've been in bed ever since. Long story short, I didnt write thank you emails 🙁
blergh, what crappy timing
 
MamiMD said:
had my first interview ~2 weeks ago and I don't think it went very well-I was nervous and I realized that I forgot to sell myself completely! I got the flu pretty much immediately after landing so I've been in bed ever since. Long story short, I didnt write thank you emails 🙁
blergh, what crappy timing
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Get better!
It's not too late to send those thank you emails - or cards. Better late than never. The consensus is, thank you letters most likely don't matter as far as your chances of getting accepted go, but it's a good idea to send them anyway simply for the sake of being nice.
Hope your next interviews go better - but keep in mind that you can't really tell how your interview went, and even if you could, so much goes into consideration besides interview, one may have a weak interview and get accepted, and vice versa.
Bottom line: keep going, try doing your best, be nice to everybody no matter what - and you'll see what happens at the end of the cycle 😉
 
MamiMD said:
had my first interview ~2 weeks ago and I don't think it went very well-I was nervous and I realized that I forgot to sell myself completely! I got the flu pretty much immediately after landing so I've been in bed ever since. Long story short, I didnt write thank you emails 🙁
blergh, what crappy timing
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Don't worry yourself sick. I had an interview in which I totally missed every opportunity to sell myself, or even answer "why medicine." I didn't realize what they were indirectly asking me until after the interview. As long as you stay composed and answer questions clearly, I wouldn't worry much. I overanalyzed every interview I've had so far, thinking I did horribly, and I've been accepted to each. Relax, it's over!

I also didn't send thank you notes. Meant to...forgot.
 
MamiMD said:
had my first interview ~2 weeks ago and I don't think it went very well-I was nervous and I realized that I forgot to sell myself completely! I got the flu pretty much immediately after landing so I've been in bed ever since. Long story short, I didnt write thank you emails 🙁
blergh, what crappy timing
Click to expand...

I had the same experience with my first interview. Thought I totally bombed it; stuttered, stammered, and thought I didn't connect with the interviewer. Also, got sick on my way home. 5 weeks later…I was accepted. Like the MCAT, you can't accurately gauge how you did, so don't worry about it and start thinking about what you would do differently for the next one.
 
Dear AMCAS,

Sending me an email which starts with "Congratulations, you are one step closer to medical school." and proceeds to inform me that my application has been verified, something I have known for almost a month, is not a good way to solicit feedback. Not if you want that feedback to be unbiased... :stinkyfeet:
 
FIRST ACCEPTANCE!

It's my second cycle. Applied very late last year, wasn't complete until January (!!), but had two interviews out of 5 applications (both MD) in Feb/March. The first cycle resulted in one WL and one rejection. This year I was complete in late July at close to 20 schools.

Only one interview this year, and at a DO school. I don't care if I don't get any other IIs. OK maybe I care, but the panic is gone.

Stats are 3.4 GPA, balanced 30 MCAT. I'm in my mid-30s.

I'm so thrilled!!!! I did it! I can't believe it! AAAAHHHHHH
 
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yay!! I'm so happy for you! I'm so glad to hear of y'all's successes! very uplifting. now.. I'm just hoping I'll hear something good soon..this wait is so hard!
 
Hang in there PescadoAmor! It's still relatively early in the cycle, too early to despair for sure.

I really root for reapplicants. I cringe at the thought of having to go through this process again, but you guys did it - and now I'm so happy for your hard won and well deserved acceptances!
 
PescadoAmor said:
yay!! I'm so happy for you! I'm so glad to hear of y'all's successes! very uplifting. now.. I'm just hoping I'll hear something good soon..this wait is so hard!
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Rather than just "liking" Amygdarya's post, I wanted to explicitly give you support as well. We are all in this till the bitter end!
 
Thanks for the encouragement guys! two more big stake interviews coming up! Wish I had more IIs, but I'm happy with what I have 🙂
I definitely feel that with one interview under my belt that things will go way better in the future. I learned SO MUCH from it- and the best part was how at home I felt in a place like a med school. I really felt like I deserved to be there and like I could succeed. It wasn't how I expected to feel 🙂

I also love seeing acceptances in this thread 😀
CONGRATS TO EVERYONE!
 
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