2014 Nontrad Applicants' Progress Thread

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I know LSU-NO will take some OOS, but you better have strong ties to the state and the school. LSU-S won't take any OOS.
 
I am 25 years old, been married for almost 4 years and here is what I got going.

AMCAS (using the calculator)
cGPA 3.14
BCPM 3.14

AACOMAS
cGPA 3.28
sGPA 3.59

MCAT jul 25

Deans list last 3 semesters
350+ hours otolaryngology shadowing, pediatric and OR
60 hours emergency medicine shadowing
President of a Prehealth club
Secretary 1 year before that
Highest amount in organization raised for ACS
Last 60 hours GPA 3.8
Hospital volunteering 65+ hours
Cancer survivor
Disadvantaged economically
Family with 2 kids
4 years working in upper management experience
 
DrDreams said:
I am 25 years old, been married for almost 4 years and here is what I got going.

AMCAS (using the calculator)
cGPA 3.14
BCPM 3.14

AACOMAS
cGPA 3.28
sGPA 3.59

MCAT jul 25

Deans list last 3 semesters
350+ hours otolaryngology shadowing, pediatric and OR
60 hours emergency medicine shadowing
President of a Prehealth club
Secretary 1 year before that
Highest amount in organization raised for ACS
Last 60 hours GPA 3.8
Hospital volunteering 65+ hours
Cancer survivor
Disadvantaged economically
Family with 2 kids
4 years working in upper management experience
Click to expand...

Similar GPA stats. Also taking the July 25th exam. Good luck! 🙂
 
I'm a 34 yr old first time applicant. Did my undergrad in physics, which I've been putting to good use by working as a paramedic for several years. Just finished an informal post-bacc. cGPA and sGPA are both 3.8. Submitted AMCAS today, but not taking the MCAT til July 26. Applying only MD at this point and hoping for the best! Good luck everyone!
 
monkeyfeet said:
I'm a 34 yr old first time applicant. Did my undergrad in physics, which I've been putting to good use by working as a paramedic for several years. Just finished an informal post-bacc. cGPA and sGPA are both 3.8. Submitted AMCAS today, but not taking the MCAT til July 26. Applying only MD at this point and hoping for the best! Good luck everyone!
Click to expand...

From one Paramedic to another, welcome and good luck!
 
Amygdarya said:
I can't believe I got 38 (13/12/13) on my May 18th MCAT!!! I'm so happy! - and so relieved after the last year's 30Q (I didn't respect the beast and hardly prepared for it last year, stupid me). Ooph...

Updates:
- submitted AMCAS with 2 lower tier schools on June 16th, I will add more schools now that I know my new MCAT score;
- all transcripts are in, waiting on 3 of 4 LORs;
- still working on TMDSAS optional essays, hope to submit my TMDSAS in the next couple of days.

(but wow, I'm so psyched about my new MCAT score I'm actually shaking)
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Hi, congrats on your MCAT score 😀 I am very happy for you.
can you shared the secret to your success? How often did you study? What materials did you use / recommend? Any tips? I am currently studying for it
 
malaika said:
Hi, congrats on your MCAT score 😀 I am very happy for you.
can you shared the secret to your success? How often did you study? What materials did you use / recommend? Any tips? I am currently studying for it
Click to expand...
Thank you 🙂

There is no secret, no system even - I wish I could say I followed SN2ed's schedule (which I think is great and should do miracles to those who have time to follow it), but I was working full time and taking 3 classes during the 3-4 months I prepared for my second MCAT. I actually fell way behind my own schedule.

But here is what I think worked for me:

1. Study materials:
Basically, I had all the materials - EK, Princeton, BR. But here is what I used most - Princeton Hyperlearning Review materials (you can get them cheap at used book stores like Half Price Books - you don't really need the latest fancy color edition, the contents hardly changed in the past 5 years or so): physical and biological science review books (just the right amount of information), Science Workbook (it's *awesome*! more on it below), and all the Princeton verbal practice materials I could get my hands on (I'm not a native English speaker and, although I've been living in the US for over 10 years, have no communication problems and actually subscribe to The New Yorker and The Economist and read them for fun, I felt like verbal was my weakest area). I also did all the 101 EK verbal passages, occasionally looked through EK content chapters for a quick review and did some of the BR passages. But, in retrospect, the Princeton materials I mentioned would be enough. BR passages are good, but actually harder than MCAT and may occasionally be demoralizing. Princeton passages are the closest to the actual MCAT in difficulty, IMHO. Princeton Science Workbook has plenty of practice - I actually haven't finished it, although I went through most of it.
Bottom line: all the Princeton Hyperlearning materials you can get your hands on + EK 101 verbal passages.

2. Review vs. Practice:
- People differ on whether one should focus more on review or on practice. Of course, you should do both, but how much you focus on reviewing depends on how comfortable you are with the material in the first place and how well you can "wing it",i.e. apply basic knowledge to solve more difficult problems. Which, by the way, is pretty much the whole point of MCAT: even though it may seem that it asks some esoteric molecular biology or biochemistry questions, the vast majority of the questions can be brought down to analysis of the information provided in the passage in the context of the basic information you have. Independent questions, yes, are knowledge-based, that's why they're "easier" to answer: you either know the answer or you don't, so you make an educated guess (in most cases, even if you don't know the answer, you can eliminate 2 of the 4 answers, and then you have a 50% chance of getting the question right); so, questions are about "knowing" the material. Passages, on the other hand, require more *thinking*. If you can't answer many of the passage questions off the top of your head, it's OK: you actually need to use your noodle for those. I would say that, as a whole, MCAT is more of a "thinking" than "knowing" exam. And I think the biggest obstacle in improving one's MCAT score is not realizing that and not doing enough practice to learn the "thinking". I know people who took MCAT 3 to 5 times without improving; what they did was simply review the material again and again. Wrong! MCAT is not a regurgitation exam.
That is why I think that practice is paramount to MCAT preparation: this is how you learn how to "think MCAT". Princeton Science Workbook passages (and questions) are really good at teaching you that. Moreover, many of the Workbook passages are written in such a way that you can learn material from them.
So, *for me* practice trumps review, which, of course, doesn't mean you shouldn't review.

3. Review:
- Before you do the bulk of practicing, and certainly before you do most of your practice exams (though it's a good idea to do one practice AAMC test to see where you stand - or to scare yourself into studying🙂), review. I tried to review a chapter of a single subject in one to three days depending on the subject. I did review the four subjects in parallel (S2Ned's idea): Bio today, Physics tomorrow etc...
- Now, by review I mean reading the chapter and doing some practice on it: 3-5 passages or more if you have time. This way you can access how well you understand the material.
- Don't bother with trying to remember complicated formulas; MCAT is more about understanding concepts (and yes, the concepts would include F=ma, but not the Bernulli equation). If it wants you to use a complicated formula, it will provide you with it.
- I studied for about 4 hours most days; more on weekend. No, I didn't sleep much 🙂
- If you're not very confident about Physics (as I was), Nova Physics is your friend: it greatly simplifies the concepts and has decent MCAT-style questions.
- I meant to review each chapter twice, which is probably a good idea, but I ran out of time. If you have time, review the materials again after you complete reviewing, but don't do this at the expense of practice: in my opinion, it's better to review once and do a lot of practice than review twice and not do much practice.

4. Practice:
- Like I said, start practicing as you're reviewing. Once you're done with your first review cycle, switch into the practice gear. Basically, I did passages and questions whenever I had time. I brought Science Workbook with me to work: if I had 7 free minutes, I did a passage, if I had only 1, I did a question. I realize that not everyone can do that at work, but my point is, the more practice you do, the better.
- But practice smart! Review all the answers, not only the ones you got wrong, and have a log of errors. This will allow you to see whether you're weak on a particular topic, whether careless/calculation/lack of attention mistakes are your problem etc. You really can learn a lot from your mistakes.
- For verbal (which I was very scared of), I got every EK and Princeton Hyperlearning passages I could get - I had more than 200 in the end (101 EK + 71 or 79 TPRH + however many in other Princeton Hyperleaning practice materials I got). I did *every single one of them*. True story. In the last month before MCAT I essentially did a verbal section every day (7 passages in 1 hour). The reasons for doing that rather than 3-4 passages a day over a longer period of time, are: 1) I wanted to build stamina (I knew I was getting tired by the end of the section and did worse on the last 1-2 passages); 2) I wanted to get the timing right (while I always had time left on my science sections, verbal timing was a major issue for me; I actually ran out of time on my exam and didn't finish the last question, but oh well).
- Once you're done reviewing, schedule practice tests - I did 1-2 a week. I suggest doing all of the AAMC practice tests if you can afford it. Always practice under real test conditions, i.e. timed, no answers shown etc. These tests will give you a good estimate of what you may be getting (you may be getting something in the range of "your average AAMC" +/- 3). If you're not satisfied with your result, get back to reviewing and practicing; reschedule your test date if you have to: remember, all of your MCAT test score are on record (while I'm psyched about my 38, I have no idea what adcoms will think about my going from 30 to 38). And, of course, review your results carefully.

5. Attitude and the exam:
- Attitude is important! You need to be confident and focused. I was kind of fuzzy on my first MCAT, which could have contributed to the result. I was a lot more confident and focused the second time. I don't mean to suggest anything esoteric, but you may try meditation - or something as simple as closing your eyes and focusing on your breathing for a couple of minutes.
- Try taking your exam as stress-free as possible. Of course, there is a lot we can't control, but do your best at controlling the things you can.
- I used both full breaks between sections: went to lady's room (pardon the TMI, but you gotta take care of your physiology!), drank my canned coffee drink (a caffeine addict here) and went back to my computer with 2-3 minutes to spare. Instead of starting the section right away, I allowed myself to calm down and focus with the eye closing and breathing thing (if you're worried about losing track of time, 1 minute is about 10 deep breath - hey, aren't we aspiring doctors?). I believe my confidence and calmness, as well as the clearness of my mind made a substantial impact on my second MCAT.

Sorry for the wordy post, and hope some of it is helpful. In the end, a lot depends on your personal strengths and weaknesses, your study habits etc. But, I think, a lot of quality practice and the right attitude will help anyone.
 
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Update: MCAT 31. BS 10, PS 10, VR 11. So happy!
 
Another 5/23 MCAT updater.

10/10/9 official mcat. Above what I thought but below what I need (by 1). I still think I'm going to apply and see how it pans out. I have most of my application filled except for essays so it's time to finalize everything and go pester one of my professor (who still hasn't turned in my letter).
 
MCAT update: 10VR/8PS/6BS. Verbal states the same, PS went up by 2 (surprised after how tough it was), BS went down by 1. Gonna stick with this one and hope for the best
 
Amygdarya said:
Thank you 🙂

There is no secret, no system even - I wish I could say I followed SN2ed's schedule (which I think is great and should do miracles to those who have time to follow it), but I was working full time and taking 3 classes during the 3-4 months I prepared for my second MCAT. I actually fell way behind my own schedule.

But here is what I think worked for me:

1. Study materials:
Basically, I had all the materials - EK, Princeton, BR. But here is what I used most - Princeton Hyperlearning Review materials (you can get them cheap at used book stores like Half Price Books - you don't really need the latest fancy color edition, the contents hardly changed in the past 5 years or so): physical and biological science review books (just the right amount of information), Science Workbook (it's *awesome*! more on it below), and all the Princeton verbal practice materials I could get my hands on (I'm not a native English speaker and, although I've been living in the US for over 10 years, have no communication problems and actually subscribe to The New Yorker and The Economist and read them for fun, I felt like verbal was my weakest area). I also did all the 101 EK verbal passages, occasionally looked through EK content chapters for a quick review and did some of the BR passages. But, in retrospect, the Princeton materials I mentioned would be enough. BR passages are good, but actually harder than MCAT and may occasionally be demoralizing. Princeton passages are the closest to the actual MCAT in difficulty, IMHO. Princeton Science Workbook has plenty of practice - I actually haven't finished it, although I went through most of it.
Bottom line: all the Princeton Hyperlearning materials you can get your hands on + EK 101 verbal passages.

2. Review vs. Practice:
- People differ on whether one should focus more on review or on practice. Of course, you should do both, but how much you focus on reviewing depends on how comfortable you are with the material in the first place and how well you can "wing it",i.e. apply basic knowledge to solve more difficult problems. Which, by the way, is pretty much the whole point of MCAT: even though it may seem that it asks some esoteric molecular biology or biochemistry questions, the vast majority of the questions can be brought down to analysis of the information provided in the passage in the context of the basic information you have. Independent questions, yes, are knowledge-based, that's why they're "easier" to answer: you either know the answer or you don't, so you make an educated guess (in most cases, even if you don't know the answer, you can eliminate 2 of the 4 answers, and then you have a 50% chance of getting the question right); so, questions are about "knowing" the material. Passages, on the other hand, require more *thinking*. If you can't answer many of the passage questions off the top of your head, it's OK: you actually need to use your noodle for those. I would say that, as a whole, MCAT is more of a "thinking" than "knowing" exam. And I think the biggest obstacle in improving one's MCAT score is not realizing that and not doing enough practice to learn the "thinking". I know people who took MCAT 3 to 5 times without improving; what they did was simply review the material again and again. Wrong! MCAT is not a regurgitation exam.
That is why I think that practice is paramount to MCAT preparation: this is how you learn how to "think MCAT". Princeton Science Workbook passages (and questions) are really good at teaching you that. Moreover, many of the Workbook passages are written in such a way that you can learn material from them.
So, *for me* practice trumps review, which, of course, doesn't mean you shouldn't review.

3. Review:
- Before you do the bulk of practicing, and certainly before you do most of your practice exams (though it's a good idea to do one practice AAMC test to see where you stand - or to scare yourself into studying🙂), review. I tried to review a chapter of a single subject in one to three days depending on the subject. I did review the four subjects in parallel (S2Ned's idea): Bio today, Physics tomorrow etc...
- Now, by review I mean reading the chapter and doing some practice on it: 3-5 passages or more if you have time. This way you can access how well you understand the material.
- Don't bother with trying to remember complicated formulas; MCAT is more about understanding concepts (and yes, the concepts would include F=ma, but not the Bernulli equation). If it wants you to use a complicated formula, it will provide you with it.
- I studied for about 4 hours most days; more on weekend. No, I didn't sleep much 🙂
- If you're not very confident about Physics (as I was), Nova Physics is your friend: it greatly simplifies the concepts and has decent MCAT-style questions.
- I meant to review each chapter twice, which is probably a good idea, but I ran out of time. If you have time, review the materials again after you complete reviewing, but don't do this at the expense of practice: in my opinion, it's better to review once and do a lot of practice than review twice and not do much practice.

4. Practice:
- Like I said, start practicing as you're reviewing. Once you're done with your first review cycle, switch into the practice gear. Basically, I did passages and questions whenever I had time. I brought Science Workbook with me to work: if I had 7 free minutes, I did a passage, if I had only 1, I did a question. I realize that not everyone can do that at work, but my point is, the more practice you do, the better.
- But practice smart! Review all the answers, not only the ones you got wrong, and have a log of errors. This will allow you to see whether you're weak on a particular topic, whether careless/calculation/lack of attention mistakes are your problem etc. You really can learn a lot from your mistakes.
- For verbal (which I was very scared of), I got every EK and Princeton Hyperlearning passages I could get - I had more than 200 in the end (101 EK + 71 or 79 TPRH + however many in other Princeton Hyperleaning practice materials I got). I did *every single one of them*. True story. In the last month before MCAT I essentially did a verbal section every day (7 passages in 1 hour). The reasons for doing that rather than 3-4 passages a day over a longer period of time, are: 1) I wanted to build stamina (I knew I was getting tired by the end of the section and did worse on the last 1-2 passages); 2) I wanted to get the timing right (while I always had time left on my science sections, verbal timing was a major issue for me; I actually ran out of time on my exam and didn't finish the last question, but oh well).
- Once you're done reviewing, schedule practice tests - I did 1-2 a week. I suggest doing all of the AAMC practice tests if you can afford it. Always practice under real test conditions, i.e. timed, no answers shown etc. These tests will give you a good estimate of what you may be getting (you may be getting something in the range of "your average AAMC" +/- 3). If you're not satisfied with your result, get back to reviewing and practicing; reschedule your test date if you have to: remember, all of your MCAT test score are on record (while I'm psyched about my 38, I have no idea what adcoms will think about my going from 30 to 38). And, of course, review your results carefully.

5. Attitude and the exam:
- Attitude is important! You need to be confident and focused. I was kind of fuzzy on my first MCAT, which could have contributed to the result. I was a lot more confident and focused the second time. I don't mean to suggest anything esoteric, but you may try meditation - or something as simple as closing your eyes and focusing on your breathing for a couple of minutes.
- Try taking your exam as stress-free as possible. Of course, there is a lot we can't control, but do your best at controlling the things you can.
- I used both full breaks between sections: went to lady's room (pardon the TMI, but you gotta take care of your physiology!), drank my canned coffee drink (a caffeine addict here) and went back to my computer with 2-3 minutes to spare. Instead of starting the section right away, I allowed myself to calm down and focus with the eye closing and breathing thing (if you're worried about losing track of time, 1 minute is about 10 deep breath - hey, aren't we aspiring doctors?). I believe my confidence and calmness, as well as the clearness of my mind made a substantial impact on my second MCAT.

Sorry for the wordy post, and hope some of it is helpful. In the end, a lot depends on your personal strengths and weaknesses, your study habits etc. But, I think, a lot of quality practice and the right attitude will help anyone.
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This is awesome meeh!!! You are my hero. Thanks for taking the time to share this. Im definitely bookmarking this post. I have the EK books and will get the other ones you used as well. This is so helpful.

My plan is to take mine early next year. So i have just now began to work with a 6month plan and practice very hard. I may PM you for some guidance if you don't mind. Thanks again for your time. Very inspiring.
 
malaika said:
This is awesome meeh!!! You are my hero. Thanks for taking the time to share this. Im definitely bookmarking this post. I have the EK books and will get the other ones you used as well. This is so helpful.

My plan is to take mine early next year. So i have just now began to work with a 6month plan and practice very hard. I may PM you for some guidance if you don't mind. Thanks again for your time. Very inspiring.
Click to expand...
You're welcome 🙂
There is a lot of good advice about MCAT on SDN (I benefited from reading it myself), including stories from other people who went from =<30 to 35+. You can compare the different methods and pick and choose what should work best for you, get your own set of materials, make up your own schedule.

Do get more prep materials - practice materials in particular. EK books are good for a quick last minute review when you're already familiar with the material, but have insufficiently little practice. EK 101 Verbal is golden, but I wouldn't recommend the rest of EK 101 series, as it's not in MCAT format.

Sure, feel free to PM me. (I may occasionally take a few days to answer, but I do answer in the end 🙂)
 
Retook MCAT in May.

9/11/9 - 29: Same as last year. I was pretty furious about that result, which was 4 points below my average going in. I am positive I know more than last year, but what can you do? Last year I felt lost during the MCAT, this year I felt very engaged. I think I made the classic mistake of second guessing myself too much. I probably needed another 2 months, to work out the niggling doubts about certain concepts.

Submitted Early Decision Application on Monday (6/24).

6/24: AMCAS Processing Complete.

I'll keep you all posted for further information.
 
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25 year old male non-trad here. 2013-2014 cycle is my first time applying to medical school.

Began my freshman year at community college in 2005 as a physical education major. Eventually changed major to biology, but was not yet seriously considering medicine as a career. Took Biology, English, Calculus, Chemistry & Organic Chem. at community college to meet eligibility criteria for transfer to a 4 year school. Transferred to an Ivy. GPA at community college ~3.6, GPA at Ivy ~2.9. Basically, my grades tanked - a combination of preparation at community college and lack of maturity. AMCAS cGPA 3.3, sGPA 3.3

Undergraduate EC's: Organized a clinical interest club (student clubs were a big deal at my school,) lived in a foreign language dorm for 1.5 years, teaching assistant for two physiology classes (one lecture, one lab), shadowed a cardiologist through an alumni shadowing program during winter break senior year (~24 hours total.) Volunteer swim instructor for physically disabled students 2 semesters (~50 hours total.)

Though I had started to consider medicine during my senior year, I also became interested in research. Graduated in 2010, volunteered for 3 months in an emergency room (~120 hours) while I looked for jobs. Worked full time in a neuroscience lab for about 1.5 years; learned a lot about the role of scientific research in advancing the medical field, but ultimately decided that I needed to pursue medicine to achieve the fulfillment I sought. MCAT in 2012, V 8, PS 10, BS 12 30 S

Have just finished my first year of a two year MS in Physiology. 8 credits biochemistry, 8 credits physiology. gradGPA 3.85; Future courses: "Bioinformatics and Functional Genomics", "Cardiovascular Development", "Histology", "Histology Lab", "Molecular Biology & Immunology of Tumor Cells".

Graduate EC's:
Vice President of Graduate Student Association - oversaw planning of annual graduate student research forum (the college's 3rd largest event after commencement and new student orientation)
Vice President of a clinical interest club of the medical school where I am doing my MS.
Graduate Research Assistant in a lab studying stem cells in cardiac regeneration in models of diabetic cardiomyopathy and chronic heart failure. No publications, but writing my master's review article in this lab.
Emergency Room Volunteer at a large academic hospital in New York City. Provide non-medical interpretation to Spanish & Russian speaking patients. Bring patients pillows, food, transport to imaging or admitting floor. (~115 hours, will probably be double that by end of summer)
Shadowing:
heart failure specialist - attended rounds, first-assisted in the cath lab (~60 hours, 3 months)
heart failure specialist - attended rounds, presented case studies (~50 hours, 3 months)
neuropathologist/neuro-oncologist - attended case presentation conferences where neurologists, neurosurgeons, radiologists, oncologists, pathologists evaluated cases and collaboratively planned treatment; attended histopathology sessions, learned about tumor diagnosis on the microscope and some basic principles of diagnostic pathology; attended departmental seminars on things like traumatic brain injury, neurodegenerative diseases, brain tumors (~100 hours, 10 months)


Applying early & broadly to MD schools. Really hoping I won't have to put my career on hold after this year. Does anyone want to chance me? Thanks & Good Luck!
 
Submitted my TMDSAS - kind of late considering that submission opened on May 1st, but the optional essays took me forever. Now on to UTSW secondary, prewriting my top choice AMCAS school secondaries and obsessing over AMCAS school selection.

3 our of 4 LORs are in. Ironically, the last one left is from the person I'm currently working with.
 
Captain Sisko said:
Applying this cycle for the first time. 30 y/o career changer, engaged to a gal ten years ahead of me in this process (she's finishing a fellowship during the app year). did ok in undergrad and grad school, with a 4.0 a la carte postbac over two years. despite the common wisdom in pre-allo I'm hoping my major and coursework will color my middling undergrad gpa, hope my mcat(35+) does that too.

good luck everyone, let's see some more stories!
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submitted my first secondary yesterday! i spent a good amount of time on it, hopefully the others go quicker. but i feel like I've to put up a good effort on these to make each one worth the fee. i suppose that'll go out the window by the twentieth set, eh?
 
Got all the secondaries finished from the do schools that have replied yet.....hoping for some more love soon
 
AACOMAS is almost done. Still tweaking the personal statement, and I do still have to take the MCAT which I have planned for Sept. Since I only recently had this epiphany that I must apply to med school, I haven't studied much for the MCAT yet. I took my first practice test today and got a 24, and I haven't had any of those classes for over 7 years. So I'm not at all upset about the 24 at this point.
 
I had a few questions to anyone who has any answers to these questions. I finished (but failed) my 2nd year of dental school and the Academic performance board dismissed me from school. I wanted to be a dentist, but I could never get the handskills down. I could not make things look the way I needed them too, I would have undercuts on the time on crown preps, I just could not cut teeth well. So basically, I've been kicked out of school and can maybe come back as a 2nd year a year from now. But that is not a guarantee and I already know my handskills aren't going to get any better.

That being said, I am considering different careers in healthcare. Namely medicine, but I am also considering nurse practitioner, nurse anesthetist, physician's assistant. Has anyone ever left dental school due to issues with handskills? Or decided to go to medical school instead because you didn't like teeth?

Someone please help!!!
 
Secondary application invitations have started to arrive...
 
Yeah, I got a secondary from Dartmouth and George Washington. Odd since I still haven't been verified yet. Still waiting on my MD LOR also.
 
I got my MCAT today: 30, V9, P10, B11, which isn't great but it's about where I was scoring. I think that puts me in the running for my top choices (Tufts, NYMC).

I've gotten two secondaries and a random email from Cooper. I'd LOVE to apply DO, but I'm having so much trouble finding someone to shadow!!
 
I'm sitting on a waitlist that has had no movement at all. So I've given up hope of starting med school in August.

I submitted to AMCAS on 6/18 and AACOMAS on 6/24. Not as early as I wanted, but still way better than last year when I submitted in late July and early August. I'm using my day off this week to begin prewriting secondaries.
 
BrainOnFire said:
I got my MCAT today: 30, V9, P10, B11, which isn't great but it's about where I was scoring. I think that puts me in the running for my top choices (Tufts, NYMC).

I've gotten two secondaries and a random email from Cooper. I'd LOVE to apply DO, but I'm having so much trouble finding someone to shadow!!
Click to expand...

There are many DO schools that do not require a DO letter. Matter of fact, there's a list floating around SDN somewhere of schools that do and don't.
 
Hi everyone. Long-time lurker. This is my first post! I hope I'm doing it right...

I'm applying this year so I want to introduce myself. I'm a 39-year old career changer (finance). I have solid numbers: 41 MCAT (15PS/12VR/14BS), 3.79 cGPA, 3.97 sGPA. I was a math major for my undergrad. I'm doing a DIY post-bacc right now. I had to take some of the prereqs at a community college so that I could keep working at the same time. I'm a full-time student at a 4-year school now. I'm hoping that my MCAT score will offset any concerns schools might have about having taken prereqs at a CC.

I have lots of ECs. I've volunteered in hospitals for a few years. I have a lot of non-clinical service activities too. The one big hole in my application is research. I haven't participated in research since undergrad, and the research projects I worked on then were in math and computer science, not the life sciences. I considered pushing my application back one more year so that I could work on a research project, but decided against it. I can't wait another year and I think my application is strong enough.

I'm tied to my home (NYC) for a few reasons so I'm only going to apply to about 10 MD programs within a certain distance from here. I guess I'll find out if my age and lack of research disqualify me for the Ivies or if my numbers and life experiences open the door.

AMCAS submitted 6/21/13. At the rate they're going, I'll be verified at the end of July or early August.

Good luck to everyone!!
 
katiemaude said:
I'm sitting on a waitlist that has had no movement at all. So I've given up hope of starting med school in August.

I submitted to AMCAS on 6/18 and AACOMAS on 6/24. Not as early as I wanted, but still way better than last year when I submitted in late July and early August. I'm using my day off this week to begin prewriting secondaries.
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I feel for you! (I have just started my first cycle and I already dread the though of having to go through this again...) Hope things work out for you in the best possible way!
 
Do Something said:
Hi everyone. Long-time lurker. This is my first post! I hope I'm doing it right...

I'm applying this year so I want to introduce myself. I'm a 39-year old career changer (finance). I have solid numbers: 41 MCAT (15PS/12VR/14BS), 3.79 cGPA, 3.97 sGPA. I was a math major for my undergrad. I'm doing a DIY post-bacc right now. I had to take some of the prereqs at a community college so that I could keep working at the same time. I'm a full-time student at a 4-year school now. I'm hoping that my MCAT score will offset any concerns schools might have about having taken prereqs at a CC.

I have lots of ECs. I've volunteered in hospitals for a few years. I have a lot of non-clinical service activities too. The one big hole in my application is research. I haven't participated in research since undergrad, and the research projects I worked on then were in math and computer science, not the life sciences. I considered pushing my application back one more year so that I could work on a research project, but decided against it. I can't wait another year and I think my application is strong enough.

I'm tied to my home (NYC) for a few reasons so I'm only going to apply to about 10 MD programs within a certain distance from here. I guess I'll find out if my age and lack of research disqualify me for the Ivies or if my numbers and life experiences open the door.

AMCAS submitted 6/21/13. At the rate they're going, I'll be verified at the end of July or early August.

Good luck to everyone!!
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Hey! Awesome MCAT score and interesting background - these will very likely get adcoms' attention (as you probably know, more prestigious schools are more likely to be interested in unusual backgrounds than less prestigious ones). Lack of (recent/life science) research should not necessarily hamper you, as long as you have had some solid healthcare exposure. Good luck!
 
Thanks, Amygdarya! You have quite an inspirational life story yourself. Good luck with your apps this cycle too! And thanks for the affirmations!
 
AACOMAS verified today. Still waiting on AMCAS. I also got an email yesterday from Cooper saying that they'll send me a secondary when AMCAS verifies my app.
 
First time posting in this thread! 25, will have been out of college for 5 years by the time I matriculate, have been working as a clinical research assistant and taking my pre-med courses since I graduated.

This wait for verification is soooo painful. I feel so behind since I wasn't marked as ready for review until 6/25. 🙁. UGH. Good luck to all! Here's hoping we're successful this time around.
 
First time posting in this thread as well. 24, out of college for 2 years. I did a DIY post bacc while working full time as an ED tech. AACOMAS verified last week, AMCAS verified this morning. First time applicant hoping to get some NJ love 🙂 good luck to everyone!
 
Had a job interview yesterday with a consulting firm! Has nothing to do with my application to medical school, aside from the fact that I need money pretty bad. Not sure what will happen during interview season...
 
Hi everyone! I'll be 36 this year, married and have a teenager who will graduate this year. I've been a police officer for a long time and have been going to school during the day while working a midnight shift. Managed to get into the honors program and am sitting at a cGPA of 3.68 and a sGPA of 3.54. MCAT scheduled for August. Sure wish I'd have done that earlier but oh well.

Good luck to everyone and .... is it over yet!?!
 
AMCAS verified 7/10
I just can't wait for the deluge of secondaries I'm about to receive.
 
This is shaping up to be an exciting (and expensive!) year. My AMCAS app was transmitted on 06/28 and my TMDSAS (Texas) on 06/19. So far I am complete at 8 schools, which means my apps are more than halfway complete.

I got my first interview invite. 🙂 It's for the last week of summer on the coast, so we're turning it into a family beach trip. It's a great school and I'm looking forward to the interview.

I also received a request for my letter of recs for Mayo. My partner has started looking at jobs and housing all over the place, but I'm sitting tight until I know where we'll be. I'm glad the kiddo will have two-three years of elementary school wherever we end up. I think it will ease his transition to be able to stay at the same school for a little while.

Good luck everyone!
 
All of my LORs have finally been received by both AMCAS and TMDSAS (my transcripts were received a long time ago), but I'm still waiting to be verified. That's what applying to AMCAS on June 16 and TMDSAS on June 27th will do to you 🙁 I took a long time for my essays.
While I did start worrying that applying late had put me at a disadvantage (though I'm trying to keep the anxiety at a respectable non-trad low level), the fact that my primary applications have not been verified yet may be a blessing in disguise: it gives me enough time to work on secondary essays, which is something I take very seriously.

A more interesting piece of information to you: fellow non-trads, there is light in the end of this tunnel! Well, at least to some of us 🙂 I recently met a person who just became an attending/assistant professor at a top 25 medical school. She used to be a psychologist, then a nurse, then she went to medical school (matriculated at 36 years old - it was UTHSC San Antonio if anyone's interested), did her residency and subspecialty fellowship - et voila!
 
DR MOM said:
I got my first interview invite.
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Schools are already giving out interview invites? I didn't even think most people had their secondaries submitted yet. Or was this ED?

Either way, congrats!!
 
Pose said:
Schools are already giving out interview invites? I didn't even think most people had their secondaries submitted yet. Or was this ED?

Either way, congrats!!
Click to expand...

Thank you! Texas schools start interviews on the earlier end of the cycle. I think two of the schools have invites out. I'm not even in the first batch - the early folks are 08/02!
 
Hey everyone! I'm a former high school teacher, started down the pre-med path in 2011 with chemistry 101 and am applying this year. I was pretty on top of getting my AMCAS in early and yesterday I got my first interview invite- and it's at a top school! So excited and I hope everyone has an awesome cycle!
 
I'm a nontrad and applying this cycle. Good MCAT, 4.0 post-bacc.

Can I just say that this is the hardest point in time I've ever experienced in this whole process? I work full time. My job is intense and high-stress research. I've been working the whole time I've been doing my post-bacc, including when I was prepping for the MCAT. I got my primary in the last week of June.

Facing down these secondaries is the hardest thing I've had to do so far. I come home from work late and I didn't have a problem studying after, but now I need to write essays and get them out to my proofreaders and then edit them again and it's just emotionally draining and awful.
 
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