2015 Nontrad Applicants' Progress Thread

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MCAT: took it 5/22 🙂
LORs: they're mostly written and on file (7/9), waiting on uploads
Transcripts: need to request, but only have 2 to worry about
AMCAS: mostly filled in, fine-tuning essays this week, working on school list after that

It feels like it's all finally coming together...
 
Hey everyone, another non-trad here excited for this cycle. Good luck all! My transcripts are in and I'm just waiting on a couple of letters at this point. Still modifying my activities and PS some but I think I'll be ready to go by the first week of June.

Has anyone found a good summary of the academic requirement changes that will be coming in 2015? Or is it going to vary by school? I'm hoping it doesn't come to that but I need to start thinking ahead just in case.
 
Any advice on how to condense work experience section? I have a lot more than 15 experiences I could list so I want to be strategic. Right now I am heavy on clinical work-paid, research/labs, non-clinical volunteer and presentations. I don't have hobbies, extracurriculars, etc. listed. Would it be good to have a diverse array of experiences within multiple categories?
 
Anyone want to give me any ideas on some things to bulk up my work/activities section? I work full time/school full time, plus being a mother. I don't really have much of anything aside from working as a CNA/HHA for the past 6 years, and I like to run marathons. What other stuff do people put?
 
MedicalMomma81 said:
Anyone want to give me any ideas on some things to bulk up my work/activities section? I work full time/school full time, plus being a mother. I don't really have much of anything aside from working as a CNA/HHA for the past 6 years, and I like to run marathons. What other stuff do people put?
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Volunteering/shadowing/research? If you have enough meaningful things you don't have to fill up the rest of the 15 with fluff.
 
Personal statement is a wrap. Feels good to have it done, and will have to do something nice for my family & friends (literally like 20 people, including a political speechwriter & an English professor at university) that gave me feedback and helped with it. I guess being older makes it more likely to find great people that will help you! 👍👍
 
milski said:
Volunteering/shadowing/research? If you have enough meaningful things you don't have to fill up the rest of the 15 with fluff.
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Yeah, I don't have any of those. I was going to stretch my time working in a hospital as somewhat of a shadowing experiance, since I worked closely with nurses and doctors every day. But, I have no research or volunteering at all.

I have: My work as a CNA/HHA at 3 places over 7 years
Deans list, every semester I qualified with enough credits
A scholarship I was awarded one year for $4,000-(renewable for up to 4 semesters as long as GPA stayed up) 1 of 8 to be chosen for it
And, the few activities I have time for: running, riding horses, inline skating.

Glycereine said:
I was going to ask that. I only have 8 things is that suicide?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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I only have 4, so 8 sounds great to me!
 
MedicalMomma81 said:
I have no research or volunteering at all. I only have 4, so 8 sounds great to me!
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Well I strongly disagree here: 4 experiences seems dangerously low, 8 experiences could be okay if they were all diverse: long term commitments, compelling awards (not just dean's list) or strong leadership positions. etc.

I don't think you have to fill all 15 slots but you should try to come close.

Also... No research could be okay if you have a good track record of volunteerism/commitment to underserved communities etc. because some schools favor altruistic character. No volunteering could be okay is you have a strong research/publishing background because some schools favor a more academic bent. However being deficient in both of these categories seems to show a lack of rigor and commitment to pursuing medical school, imo.
 
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Just to weigh in in case it helps: I've filled all 15 slots and had to condense some things together. I decided to list everything I've done since college. So I have two things from college (employment and athletics) then jobs, volunteering, clinical experience, shadowing, research, etc. since college.
 
Leslie_Knope said:
Just to weigh in in case it helps: I've filled all 15 slots and had to condense some things together. I decided to list everything I've done since college. So I have two things from college (employment and athletics) then jobs, volunteering, clinical experience, shadowing, research, etc. since college.
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I volunteered when I was in law school in the criminal courts... do I put this or not, since my PS is about how I left law for medicine...
 
Inygma said:
I volunteered when I was in law school in the criminal courts... do I put this or not, since my PS is about how I left law for medicine...
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That's up to you, but I would list it. It shows that you have the spirit of service. I'm listing my volunteer work for the Humane Society, which is not at all related to medicine.
 
So I just realized I need to choose my most meaningful activities and write about those. Ugh. I am not a fan of writing especially about myself! In my mind my app was all done when I finished the PS. Oh well.
 
Leslie_Knope said:
So I just realized I need to choose my most meaningful activities and write about those. Ugh. I am not a fan of writing especially about myself! In my mind my app was all done when I finished the PS. Oh well.
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Oh dear... I would not want to upset you on a weekend but I have a bad word for you - secondaries. 😀 Like it or not, there will be a lot more to say about yourself. 😉
 
milski said:
Oh dear... I would not want to upset you on a weekend but I have a bad word for you - secondaries. 😀 Like it or not, there will be a lot more to say about yourself. 😉
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I know! One step at a time. That's why I compartmentalize these tasks. Secondaries don't exist until I get them. Although I will be prewriting starting in mid June.
 
Leslie_Knope said:
I know! One step at a time. That's why I compartmentalize these tasks. Secondaries don't exist until I get them. Although I will be prewriting starting in mid June.
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The MSAR has a list of which schools send secondaries automatically and which screen first. The number of schools that send automatically is the large majority. I'm surprised by that but I guess not because it is $$$ for them. Especially at up to $120 a pop. Jeez!
 
I still need to write my PS =(. I am also stressing because I have not heard from my science professor who has said he is going to write me my letter, I don't want to have to scramble to get a lackluster science class letter at the last second from someone else.
 
ConsultantMD said:
The MSAR has a list of which schools send secondaries automatically and which screen first. The number of schools that send automatically is the large majority. I'm surprised by that but I guess not because it is $$$ for them. Especially at up to $120 a pop. Jeez!
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Ya I strongly dislike the automatic secondaries. It seems like a slimey process just to take more money especially if they know you have no real shot at the school. But gotta play the game!
 
Inygma said:
I still need to write my PS =(. I am also stressing because I have not heard from my science professor who has said he is going to write me my letter, I don't want to have to scramble to get a lackluster science class letter at the last second from someone else.
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Oh no! Hopefully you hear back soon and it's all unicorns and rainbows. 🙂 Write the PS! Go go go!
 
ConsultantMD said:
The MSAR has a list of which schools send secondaries automatically and which screen first. The number of schools that send automatically is the large majority. I'm surprised by that but I guess not because it is $$$ for them. Especially at up to $120 a pop. Jeez!
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I dislike automatic secondaries. I am not made of money. In fact, money is the limiting reagent in my medical school application process.
 
Inygma said:
Ya I strongly dislike the automatic secondaries. It seems like a slimey process just to take more money especially if they know you have no real shot at the school. But gotta play the game!
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Yeah I don't think you have a choice, I made a spreadsheet and half of mine are automatic thus far. It is a game.
 
ConsultantMD said:
Yeah I don't think you have a choice, I made a spreadsheet and half of mine are automatic thus far. It is a game.
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What's in your spreadsheet? I'm a bit wary of the difficulty of organizing so many applications. I hope to apply to about 15 schools if I can find the money. I'm curious how you're organizing yourself.
 
I doubt that they are doing it because of the money. Most likely they don't have the resource to screen applicants twice.
If you want the ultimately annoying secondary - there is at least one school which wants money to pre-screen you for the secondary. :uhno::bang:
 
milski said:
I doubt that they are doing it because of the money. Most likely they don't have the resource to screen applicants twice.
If you want the ultimately annoying secondary - there is at least one school which wants money to pre-screen you for the secondary. :uhno::bang:
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Which school is that?
 
milski said:
I doubt that they are doing it because of the money. Most likely they don't have the resource to screen applicants twice.
If you want the ultimately annoying secondary - there is at least one school which wants money to pre-screen you for the secondary. :uhno::bang:
Click to expand...

I'd almost prefer this... The time/investment into secondaries is going to be severe, I am expecting some NOPE's due to my red flag, and would prefer it before significant investment if the school is going to have a big issue with it.
 
Inygma said:
I'd almost prefer this... The time/investment into secondaries is going to be severe, I am expecting some NOPE's due to my red flag, and would prefer it before significant investment if the school is going to have a big issue with it.
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I have a pretty huge red flag too. I've called or emailed every school I plan to apply to to make sure they will consider me. At the end of the day who knows if they really will?
 
Leslie_Knope said:
What's in your spreadsheet? I'm a bit wary of the difficulty of organizing so many applications. I hope to apply to about 15 schools if I can find the money. I'm curious how you're organizing yourself.
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It is basically everything the MSAR has but in spreadsheet form, so tuition, state, public/private, how many apply, how many are interviewed based on my state residency, how much $ they get for research, curriculum, other notes, and then the secondaries. As a former consultant, spreadsheets are my go-to, lol.
 
ConsultantMD said:
It is basically everything the MSAR has but in spreadsheet form, so tuition, state, public/private, how many apply, how many are interviewed based on my state residency, how much $ they get for research, curriculum, other notes, and then the secondaries. As a former consultant, spreadsheets are my go-to, lol.
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Oh, I have something similar for this stage, but I feel I need something to organize secondaries, updates, interviews, etc.
 
Leslie_Knope said:
Oh, I have something similar for this stage, but I feel I need something to organize secondaries, updates, interviews, etc.
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I kept one document per each school with the questions for the secondary plus my essays plus whatever else came up related to that school. I also had a single spreadsheet with things like primary submission, secondary received, secondary submitted, etc.
 
milski said:
I kept one document per each school with the questions for the secondary plus my essays plus whatever else came up related to that school. I also had a single spreadsheet with things like primary submission, secondary received, secondary submitted, etc.
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Thanks! I'll do something like this. Great idea and I appreciate you sharing it.
 
Leslie_Knope said:
Just to weigh in in case it helps: I've filled all 15 slots and had to condense some things together. I decided to list everything I've done since college. So I have two things from college (employment and athletics) then jobs, volunteering, clinical experience, shadowing, research, etc. since college.
Click to expand...

Yes, yes, yes, this is very good. You seem to be taking the application cycle in stride and looks like you will be a well-rounded* and successful candidate. Well-rounded being the key to success... which is why the more experiences the merrier. (I had trouble condensing down to 15, too. Lumping a few things together helps. For example, all small-time academic awards and scholarships can be summed up in one slot.)

<side note for anyone who cares> Last year when I was going through this process I tried to think about my candidacy as traditional + (plus) instead of non-traditional. I positioned myself to be all the things a traditional candidate was and more... more experience, more interesting, more chops. This is how you win. You have to use all the extra time you have taken to your advantage & you should have a lot of experiences to show for it.
 
chiberian husky said:
Yes, yes, yes, this is very good. You seem to be taking the application cycle in stride and looks like you will be a well-rounded* and successful candidate. Well-rounded being the key to success... which is why the more experiences the merrier. (I had trouble condensing down to 15, too. Lumping a few things together helps. For example, all small-time academic awards and scholarships can be summed up in one slot.)

<side note for anyone who cares> Last year when I was going through this process I tried to think about my candidacy as traditional + (plus) instead of non-traditional. I positioned myself to be all the things a traditional candidate was and more... more experience, more interesting, more chops. This is how you win. You have to use all the extra time you have taken to your advantage & you should have a lot of experiences to show for it.
Click to expand...
Thank you! This actually leads me to the next question I was about to post.

My mentor who serves on a large adcom suggested I use one of my spots to talk about my hobbies/free time. I'm not convinced. My private life currently is a lot of reading while I nurse and lie down with my son. La Leche League meetings about twice a month. And yoga. It just doesn't seem meaningful to include. Thoughts from this group would be appreciated.
 
Leslie_Knope said:
Thank you! This actually leads me to the next question I was about to post.

My mentor who serves on a large adcom suggested I use one of my spots to talk about my hobbies/free time. I'm not convinced. My private life currently is a lot of reading while I nurse and lie down with my son. La Leche League meetings about twice a month. And yoga. It just doesn't seem meaningful to include. Thoughts from this group would be appreciated.
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When you enter activities, you have to choose a type of the activity. One of these types is "Hobbies." I think it would not be there if it was not a reasonable idea to add that type of activities. It should help represent you as a Leslie Knope instead of a Sheldon Cooper.
 
milski said:
When you enter activities, you have to choose a type of the activity. One of these types is "Hobbies." I think it would not be there if it was not a reasonable idea to add that type of activities. It should help represent you as a Leslie Knope instead of a Sheldon Cooper.
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Also don't you think 15 is overkill? Doesn't it detract? I have only filled out 8 but I'm thinking about how someone will look at this and it could look overdone.
 
Leslie_Knope said:
Thank you! This actually leads me to the next question I was about to post.

My mentor who serves on a large adcom suggested I use one of my spots to talk about my hobbies/free time. I'm not convinced. My private life currently is a lot of reading while I nurse and lie down with my son. La Leche League meetings about twice a month. And yoga. It just doesn't seem meaningful to include. Thoughts from this group would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

I used exactly one slot for my most significant hobby. In my case it was a sport that I have played since my youth & continues to be a important part of my daily life/ routine. I think it is important to show that you are human, too... and a dedicated hobby shows that you have good balance and diverse interests in your life. Love of reading/La Leche League/Yoga, any one of these would be a good pick.
 
chiberian husky said:
I used exactly one slot for my most significant hobby. In my case it was a sport that I have played since my youth & continues to be a important part of my daily life/ routine. I think it is important to show that you are human, too... and a dedicated hobby shows that you have good balance and diverse interests in your life. Love of reading/La Leche League/Yoga, any one of these would be a good pick.
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OK. He suggested I list all of them in one place. I might just list la Leche League even though it's relatively new - only been participating for about five months now. But it's been very important to me. Thanks!
 
milski said:
When you enter activities, you have to choose a type of the activity. One of these types is "Hobbies." I think it would not be there if it was not a reasonable idea to add that type of activities. It should help represent you as a Leslie Knope instead of a Sheldon Cooper.
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Thanks. I guess I just feel insecure like maybe my hobby isn't good enough to list. Typical pre-medical self-doubt.
 
ConsultantMD said:
Also don't you think 15 is overkill? Doesn't it detract? I have only filled out 8 but I'm thinking about how someone will look at this and it could look overdone.
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I think it's important to be somewhat balanced between whatever you enter. If you have been employed somewhere for 10+ years, it probably does not make much sense to list a few other jobs which lasted a few months. If you are just coming out of undergrad and have had a couple of summer jobs, it would be reasonable to list each of them. Same approach for any other type of experience - try to maintain the same scale between entries and use as many/as few as you need.
 
Leslie_Knope said:
Thanks. I guess I just feel insecure like maybe my hobby isn't good enough to list. Typical pre-medical self-doubt.
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Nah, don't be insecure, just be honest, be yourself... think like "not only have I done all this awesome stuff but I also do all this other awesome stuff in my spare time" 🙂
 
How are people picking their most meaningful activities? I have significant work experience and research experience, but I'm not sure if I should put my sport (college and pro) as most meaningful or not, since it's not directly related to medicine, but was meaningful in general and is something different.
 
Hello fellow nontrads!

I've been working on my personal statement and am hit with a dilemma that I hope you guys could help me resolve.

Would you deem it necessary to mention your undergraduate years where you were on a non-premed track? I ask because I graduated college a few years ago where I was a liberal arts major and had no desire or plans to pursue medicine. However after graduating college and being inspired from a pretty amazing clinical experience (my initial inspiration), and ultimately finding out that I have the aptitude and passion for medicine (through more experiences), I became pretty determined on my track towards medicine.

Initially I wanted to dedicate a paragraph(ish) explaining my commitment to service-oriented careers and transition that to the clinical experience I had after graduating. However the more and more I read it, the less I think it's necessary for me to include that time period (although I know adcoms will definitely be intrigued as to what I was doing during my undergraduate after all....). I feel like I have so much experiences and lessons learned that have all fundamentally helped me in my pursuit of medicine that I'd rather not waste any more character space on things that did not directly impact this pursuit.

What is your recommendation on what I should do, or how I can bridge my undergraduate years along with my post-bacc years?

Thanks!
 
bltng said:
Hello fellow nontrads!

I've been working on my personal statement and am hit with a dilemma that I hope you guys could help me resolve.

Would you deem it necessary to mention your undergraduate years where you were on a non-premed track? I ask because I graduated college a few years ago where I was a liberal arts major and had no desire or plans to pursue medicine. However after graduating college and being inspired from a pretty amazing clinical experience (my initial inspiration), and ultimately finding out that I have the aptitude and passion for medicine (through more experiences), I became pretty determined on my track towards medicine.

Initially I wanted to dedicate a paragraph(ish) explaining my commitment to service-oriented careers and transition that to the clinical experience I had after graduating. However the more and more I read it, the less I think it's necessary for me to include that time period (although I know adcoms will definitely be intrigued as to what I was doing during my undergraduate after all....). I feel like I have so much experiences and lessons learned that have all fundamentally helped me in my pursuit of medicine that I'd rather not waste any more character space on things that did not directly impact this pursuit.

What is your recommendation on what I should do, or how I can bridge my undergraduate years along with my post-bacc years?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Had you considered medicine before/during undergrad and decided afterwards or was it not even on the radar at that point? If the former, then I would say mention it. If the latter, you could perhaps leave it out or only give it a sentence or two.
I have a somewhat similar story and felt I needed to mention undergrad, for a number of reasons surrounding overall life-goal motivation. PM me for more details or a copy of my PS to see what I did with that.
 
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