2016 Nontrad Applicants' Progress Thread

Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
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Also:

33 applied (27 complete)
9 II (5 DO and 4 MD)
2 Rejections
16 Waiting
 
5 for 5 secondary apps received/completed by end of July

2 IIs completed this week (each was the first interview of the cycle for these schools, so hopefully that's a good thing)

3 schools - silence besides MUSC asking for additional residency verification documents


To all my fellow non-trads:
This has been said so many times before, but focus on what sets you apart from other applicants rather than the negative.

E.g. I had several F's before entering the military, I've taken courses at 8 different colleges, couldn't take a full course load the majority of the time, completed most of the pre-reqs online, I have no formal research experience, and it took me nearly a decade to complete the pre-reqs.

I know it's early in the cycle and I haven't been accepted yet; but it looks like spending years in the medical field, having unique ECs, leadership roles, and a commitment to serving others has outweighed the many many detractors I have as an applicant. I am hopeful it's going to be a great cycle for us all. Even if it's not, f**k it, I've gone too far to quit now and I hope you all feel the same way.
 
calisurfer19 said:
5 for 5 secondary apps received/completed by end of July

2 IIs completed this week (each was the first interview of the cycle for these schools, so hopefully that's a good thing)

3 schools - silence besides MUSC asking for additional residency verification documents


To all my fellow non-trads:
This has been said so many times before, but focus on what sets you apart from other applicants rather than the negative.

E.g. I had several F's before entering the military, I've taken courses at 8 different colleges, couldn't take a full course load the majority of the time, completed most of the pre-reqs online, I have no formal research experience, and it took me nearly a decade to complete the pre-reqs.

I know it's early in the cycle and I haven't been accepted yet; but it looks like spending years in the medical field, having unique ECs, leadership roles, and a commitment to serving others has outweighed the many many detractors I have as an applicant. I am hopeful it's going to be a great cycle for us all. Even if it's not, f**k it, I've gone too far to quit now and I hope you all feel the same way.
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F... YEAH
 
4 IIs so far. 2 waitlisted already. 2 more to go. I'm hoping for a few more IIs as we move through this cycle.

After reflecting back on my personal experience, I am a little bit regret about not emphasizing stronger examples in my life. The problem with me is that I have gone through so much, that I really dont know how to pick a story and go from there. Therefore, during an interview, I seem like a bland candidate as I go through the generalities of my application. I hope that this doesn't come back to bite me in the ass for my UW secondary. That's my dream school and I am also from the Seattle area.
 
68PGunner said:
4 IIs so far. 2 waitlisted already. 2 more to go. I'm hoping for a few more IIs as we move through this cycle.

After reflecting back on my personal experience, I am a little bit regret about not emphasizing stronger examples in my life. The problem with me is that I have gone through so much, that I really dont know how to pick a story and go from there. Therefore, during an interview, I seem like a bland candidate as I go through the generalities of my application. I hope that this doesn't come back to bite me in the ass for my UW secondary. That's my dream school and I am also from the Seattle area.
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Congrats! With 4 II already, I'd say you managed pretty well.


NonTrad16 said:
First school update! On-hold for re-review by GW. So... Nothing, really.

Positive side, this suggests I didn't accidentally curse in my essays, or come across as a complete sociopath. :=|:-):
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The more time between this post and any news, the less confidence I have. I will continue to draw inspiration from 30 Rock...

Liz-Lemon-gif.gif
 
3IIs, 3 Rejects, 1 hold. (Verified 6/2, majority of secondaries done before 7/19 added four more and finished those in early August)

Been silent for about a month now, though... starting to feel very anxious about being rejected from the rest..
 
Just interviewed at a dream school . . . 😍

(I know I shouldn't feel that way, but it's hard not to!)

And I received two more II while here, so I shouldn't have had such a large AACOMAS application. :/ I already interviewed at my top three DO schools.
 
I am so happy to see that all my fellow non-trads are doing pretty well on this cycle. We are definitely winning so far, and there is still A LOT more water to go under the bridge, so do not worry, because every little thing is going to be alright ( so I keep telling myself ). Most importantly is that we are all healthy and are able able to engage in this epic journey to become a healer of people. It never occurred to me one day I would graduate from a college or be interviewing for a medical school in the US. I still trip very hard, when I think where I came from- what I've done through out my life- and where I am sitting right now . Everyone has their own journey, and being non trad often means that we had to go through many hurdles/adversities and paved a circuitous path to medicine. However, these allowed us endless opportunities for immense personal growth, do not forget about that. This is my second cycle, so do not be discouraged.

My 8th sense (because I am that awesome, NOT) is telling me that we ALL are going to get somewhere. I noticed that everyone applied to a lot of schools as well (20+), so it only takes one 😉. Also, if you are committed as I am to become a doctor -which clearly the majority of you guys are, there are always the Caribean schools. I know that it is not the ideal and a lot of people frown upon it, but I have a friend, that just graduated fro one (SABA) and got his 1st choice residency in family practice in the US. He told me is not as bad as people portray it to be. As my interviews dates are approaching, I am not going to lie that I am feeling a little more apprehensive, but f.. it I am going to flare those interviews and give them a piece of my mind. Either is going to be an epic victory or or an epic loss, nevertheless it will be EPIC.
 
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Oof, just landed my 4th MD rejection of the cycle. I'm going to focus on my 2 MD II and the 20 schools I have still to hear back from...

Great job everyone!! So exciting to hear about all of the II and other lovely happenings =)
 
Did not feel good about this interview today. First interviewer hit me with a truck full of behavioral questions I stumbled over, and the second asked me questions that I'm afraid may have put me on the defensive more than I should've been.

Argh.

Oh well, tomorrow is another day. Much power and glitterlove to my non-trads.
 
Eccesignum said:
Did not feel good about this interview today. First interviewer hit me with a truck full of behavioral questions I stumbled over, and the second asked me questions that I'm afraid may have put me on the defensive more than I should've been.

Argh.

Oh well, tomorrow is another day. Much power and glitterlove to my non-trads.
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Sorry it didn't feel great -- but as the saying goes, applicants are frequently poor judges of interview performance.

I will imagine every hardass I see (obviously my flood of II is just around the corner?) as Goro. (Which is to say, a cat like that from Alice in Wonderland.)
 
Eccesignum said:
Did not feel good about this interview today. First interviewer hit me with a truck full of behavioral questions I stumbled over, and the second asked me questions that I'm afraid may have put me on the defensive more than I should've been.

Argh.

Oh well, tomorrow is another day. Much power and glitterlove to my non-trads.
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Behavioral questions ?
Also, could it have been a stress interview ??
 
I submitted apps 8/11, and I'm still waiting on verification through AACOMAS. It looks like they should be done around Wednesday. Then waiting for secondaries, interviews, acceptance or rejection. It will be nice to know if I can relax and wait for school to start, or if I need to press on and keep improving my apps for next year. Good luck to everyone!
 
breezy16 said:
Behavioral questions ?
Click to expand...

Those type of questions that start: "So, tell me about a time you..." and the prompt could be anything from 'Had a conflict with someone' to 'Lost a wrestling match to a purple llama'. I'd had a few things thought out for more obvious prompts but she got me with some I wasn't ready for.

Also, could it have been a stress interview ??
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Could've been. I may never know. Forward, ever forward.
 
So my application cycle is a very very very sharp double edged sword.



As far as DO schools go, my DO cycle is going well.

8 II's, and 1 acceptance. Happy about the acceptance!



My MD cycle though, is going pretty terribly.

2 Rejections, and 1 Hold. 20 schools giving me the deafening silence treatment.



Man, something is seriously wrong about this. I know MD schools are harder to get into, but this conundrum is more than ridiculous. Not a single MD II yet.
 
Gandy741 said:
So my application cycle is a very very very sharp double edged sword.



As far as DO schools go, my DO cycle is going well.

8 II's, and 1 acceptance. Happy about the acceptance!



My MD cycle though, is going pretty terribly.

2 Rejections, and 1 Hold. 20 schools giving me the deafening silence treatment.



Man, something is seriously wrong about this. I know MD schools are harder to get into, but this conundrum is more than ridiculous. Not a single MD II yet.
Click to expand...

I think you're a strong candidate for any DO school, but some of the MD schools have an obscene combination of MCAT/GPA and may cut people earlier by numbers. (The adcoms on here mention deans who favor high MCAT or GPA, etc) We have reverse stats, you have some better ECs, but I think the MD cycle might draw out a bit... Positive side: you have had a great DO run so far, suggesting your app is overall solid and you conveyed a message that they were interested in. You'll also have a lot of interview experience by the time the MD IIs start rolling in!

GT seems to be passed my complete date for some of their II, but the rejections they are doling out have complete dates a week or two earlier, so I see some news from them in the future... Seems like they lag behind on rejections. Where I will likely stand with 1 reject (GT guess) and 1 hold and 19 silence. Let's move into next week!
 
NonTrad16 said:
I think you're a strong candidate for any DO school, but some of the MD schools have an obscene combination of MCAT/GPA and may cut people earlier by numbers. (The adcoms on here mention deans who favor high MCAT or GPA, etc) We have reverse stats, you have some better ECs, but I think the MD cycle might draw out a bit... Positive side: you have had a great DO run so far, suggesting your app is overall solid and you conveyed a message that they were interested in. You'll also have a lot of interview experience by the time the MD IIs start rolling in!

GT seems to be passed my complete date for some of their II, but the rejections they are doling out have complete dates a week or two earlier, so I see some news from them in the future... Seems like they lag behind on rejections. Where I will likely stand with 1 reject (GT guess) and 1 hold and 19 silence. Let's move into next week!
Click to expand...

Indeed. I think you are right. But as you may be very well aware of, it would seriously pain me that, if at the end of they cycle, I were not given a MD interview invite because of a MCAT score that is slightly below the MD matriculant average. When applying to allopathic schools, I spent large portions of time with the MSAR to determine what schools would be a good fit for me stat wise. Most of the schools I applied to have a 31 MCAT/3.7 gpa average. My understanding of the medical school process is that as long as your stats are within a small range of the median, you have a shot.

However, this is not the case currently. I told a couple of my friends about what is going on this cycle, and they are also appalled at the emphasis MD schools place on stats alone.

It looks like many applicants like me and you are receiving the silent treatment. Oh well, all we can do is move onto next week as you say!
 
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New suggestion! At the very least, immediately download the free kindle sample of the Empathy Exams. I WISH I'd had this inside perspective on what medical schools look for, earlier.
 
Gandy741 said:
Indeed. I think you are right. But as you may be very well aware of, it would seriously pain me that, if at the end of they cycle, I were not given a MD interview invite because of a MCAT score that is slightly below the MD matriculant average. When applying to allopathic schools, I spent large portions of time with the MSAR to determine what schools would be a good fit for me stat wise. Most of the schools I applied to have a 31 MCAT/3.7 gpa average. My understanding of the medical school process is that as long as your stats are within a small range of the median, you have a shot.

However, this is not the case currently. I told a couple of my friends about what is going on this cycle, and they are also appalled at the emphasis MD schools place on stats alone.

It looks like many applicants like me and you are receiving the silent treatment. Oh well, all we can do is move onto next week as you say!
Click to expand...


From what I read, I believe that MD schools like MCAT scores at least 30 or above ( evenly spread), of course there are going to be outliers, but I think thatis or was the magic number.
 
So, what you guys doing to prep for your interviews?

I read the book " The medical school interview , Jessica Freeman and have been reading and watching a bunch of random videos on the web. If anyone has any suggestions of any good materials I would appreciate it.
 
I opted not to prepare at all, outside of reading about the schools I am visiting.
 
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I do my homework on the school, read over my app and make sure I can clearly explain things I did and why I did them, and make sure I can clearly (and briefly) explain 'Why medicine, why now?'. Other than that I've just compiled a few personal stories of things that have happened to me that are (in my opinion, lol) fairly interesting, and...that's about all I feel I can really do.
 
...also, know what person in the whole wide world, fictional or non, living or dead, you'd have dinner with, especially if interviewing at a certain school in Long Island. 😕 I managed to derp out pretty hard on what should've been a fairly simple question, haha.
 
B-wildered said:
From what I read, I believe that MD schools like MCAT scores at least 30 or above ( evenly spread), of course there are going to be outliers, but I think thatis or was the magic number.
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I wouldnt be nearly as worried if I had a 30.
 
Eccesignum said:
...also, know what person in the whole wide world, fictional or non, living or dead, you'd have dinner with, especially if interviewing at a certain school in Long Island. 😕 I managed to derp out pretty hard on what should've been a fairly simple question, haha.
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And be able to tell a joke! Apparently this has been a favored bit of cruelty in interviews.

("What do you call a guy with no arms and no legs in a pile of leaves?


Russell.")
 
Cawolf said:
I opted not to prepare at all, outside of reading about the schools I am visiting
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BOSS! :cigar: !

I need some sort of prep, since I tend to speak more than I should -ramble on my stories!
Eccesignum said:
...also, know what person in the whole wide world, fictional or non, living or dead, you'd have dinner with, especially if interviewing at a certain school in Long Island. 😕 I managed to derp out pretty hard on what should've been a fairly simple question, haha.
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Is it ok to say a dear family member who has passed away for these types of questions ?
 
B-wildered said:
BOSS! :cigar: !

I need some sort of prep, since I tend to speak more than I should -ramble on my stories!


Is it ok to say a dear family member who has passed away for these types of questions ?
Click to expand...

Yep. That was an example I was given by the interviewer herself (which messed me up hard cause her story was so poignant that afterwards as I was trying to answer I was like oh my god, nothing I say right now will sound that good, lol)
 
update for 2016 cycle: withdrawing my application and resubmitting on June 1 for 2017 cycle. Good luck to all of you this year!!!
 
Ad2b said:
update for 2016 cycle: withdrawing my application and resubmitting on June 1 for 2017 cycle. Good luck to all of you this year!!!
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Wait what. Mind sharing why? If you dont want to, I totally understand. That seems very drastic.
 
About to drive a couple hours to the airport to fly out for my first interview tomorrow morning! The odyssey of the journey is keeping my mind off of my interview jitters, but I'm sure once I'm safely aboard the plane things are gonna go to hell in a handbasket in terms of butterflies in my stomach. Oof. Hope everyone's cycles are continuing with positive results!
 
Gandy741 said:
Wait what. Mind sharing why? If you dont want to, I totally understand. That seems very drastic.
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Two weeks ago, my dad suffered a heart attack. While he survived, a DNR was put into place. Three days after that, a different family member of mine passed away; funeral was last week up north; on top of that my contract was supposed to be signed two weeks ago and due to Labor Day holiday, it went unsigned until Th the 10th... and there was one more major event that happened outside my control (and not for public consumption; not relationship related).

My MCAT prep suffered for a day due to my dad but plummeted after the death. That rocked me to my core and on top of the job situation and the other, it was too much.

I was a no-show yesterday for the MCAT. I will sit for in in January, app on June 1 and thus be early rather than late. Logically, withdrawing from this cycle - while painful - makes the most sense.
 
Ad2b said:
Two weeks ago, my dad suffered a heart attack. While he survived, a DNR was put into place. Three days after that, a different family member of mine passed away; funeral was last week up north; on top of that my contract was supposed to be signed two weeks ago and due to Labor Day holiday, it went unsigned until Th the 10th... and there was one more major event that happened outside my control (and not for public consumption; not relationship related).

My MCAT prep suffered for a day due to my dad but plummeted after the death. That rocked me to my core and on top of the job situation and the other, it was too much.

I was a no-show yesterday for the MCAT. I will sit for in in January, app on June 1 and thus be early rather than late. Logically, withdrawing from this cycle - while painful - makes the most sense.
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Holy.. I am very sorry for your misfortunes. Yes, withdrawing is a good decision for now.

Hope everything works out for you!
 
@Gandy741 - thank you! Yes, it has been a really @#$ty few weeks. One of those things and I would have taken the MCAT and continued on but 4 things, all major, all at once = brain fried.

I tried to get back on track. Pre-dad's issue, I was testing well, confident, EAGER, and excited. The day after his event, I was okay - not quite as eager but back on track. The death ... I'm still reeling a bit.

Come June 1, I will be hitting submit. Hopefully, there will still be some of you around to help me celebrate and encourage the new crop of applicants onward.

Things always work out for the best!
 
Ad2b said:
Two weeks ago, my dad suffered a heart attack. While he survived, a DNR was put into place. Three days after that, a different family member of mine passed away; funeral was last week up north; on top of that my contract was supposed to be signed two weeks ago and due to Labor Day holiday, it went unsigned until Th the 10th... and there was one more major event that happened outside my control (and not for public consumption; not relationship related).

My MCAT prep suffered for a day due to my dad but plummeted after the death. That rocked me to my core and on top of the job situation and the other, it was too much.

I was a no-show yesterday for the MCAT. I will sit for in in January, app on June 1 and thus be early rather than late. Logically, withdrawing from this cycle - while painful - makes the most sense.
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I am extremely sorry for your lost. I think you made the right decision and wish you the best of luck.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Ad2b said:
@Gandy741 - thank you! Yes, it has been a really @#$ty few weeks. One of those things and I would have taken the MCAT and continued on but 4 things, all major, all at once = brain fried.

I tried to get back on track. Pre-dad's issue, I was testing well, confident, EAGER, and excited. The day after his event, I was okay - not quite as eager but back on track. The death ... I'm still reeling a bit.

Come June 1, I will be hitting submit. Hopefully, there will still be some of you around to help me celebrate and encourage the new crop of applicants onward.

Things always work out for the best!
Click to expand...

Well I know that Goro has said multiple times that taking a step back when necessary as you are currently, is actually a really good indicator of good decision making. So if you have to explain why you withdrew it will actually make you look better. Basically what I am saying is dont be worried about the actual withdrawing of the application. So at least there is that positive that you have out of your current situation.
 
Ad2b said:
@Gandy741 - thank you! Yes, it has been a really @#$ty few weeks. One of those things and I would have taken the MCAT and continued on but 4 things, all major, all at once = brain fried.

I tried to get back on track. Pre-dad's issue, I was testing well, confident, EAGER, and excited. The day after his event, I was okay - not quite as eager but back on track. The death ... I'm still reeling a bit.

Come June 1, I will be hitting submit. Hopefully, there will still be some of you around to help me celebrate and encourage the new crop of applicants onward.

Things always work out for the best!
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I'd like to imagine that when you apply there will be some (many, hopefully!) of us who were successful this cycle willing and happy to help guide you through yours.

Sorry for your loss, can't imagine what you're going through. Glad you were able to take the step back and deal with it away from the pressure-cooker timeline of apps. Best of luck next year and look forward to seeing you in the 2017 thread.
 
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