2017 Nontrad Applicants' Progress Thread

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tetley said:
I really, really don't want to have to re-take the MCAT, but I've done so much to improve that I don't know what else I could do
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I feel you on this. I'm scared to sell my books even though I can't imagine retaking it.
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It is great to see so many nontrads having success so far.

I just got my first MD acceptance today! I spent nearly a decade thinking that this dream was just not possible for someone like me. I've checked the acceptance email a half dozen times to make certain it really said what I thought it did.

To those of you still working towards applying or waiting on good news, keep the faith. We can do this!
 
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holdthemayo said:
It is great to see so many nontrads having success so far.

I just got my first MD acceptance today! I spent nearly a decade thinking that this dream was just not possible for someone like me. I've checked the acceptance email a half dozen times to make certain it really said what I thought it did.

To those of you still working towards applying or waiting on good news, keep the faith. We can do this!
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Holy shiz. Congrat man. Way to go!!
 
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tetley said:
I really, really don't want to have to re-take the MCAT, but I've done so much to improve that I don't know what else I could do
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Feel the same way! I actually have to retake it now.. signed up for Jan test date so I'm studying my butt off. I'm shooting for 509 and I'll be set!
 
tetley said:
I really, really don't want to have to re-take the MCAT, but I've done so much to improve that I don't know what else I could do
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Hey, if you want to talk about the specifics of your app PM me or something.
 
libertyyne said:
Hey, if you want to talk about the specifics of your app PM me or something.
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I appreciate it
I still have like 15 schools left to hear from, so idk if it's time to start planning for another test again
 
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Relieved to say I got my first II! It's hard to not second guess yourself throughout this process.
 
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I'll jump on the thread here too! Been impatiently waiting, but finally some news. One II and one rejection this week!

Good luck to all those taking the path less traveled!
 
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Hi, everyone! I know I've been absent but I just wanted to say I'm still cheering for all of you. I'm writing this on a plane to an interview and I thought I'd send out some positivity to all our nontrad folks. Keep the faith, guys!
 
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brainnurse said:
Hi, everyone! I know I've been absent but I just wanted to say I'm still cheering for all of you. I'm writing this on a plane to an interview and I thought I'd send out some positivity to all our nontrad folks. Keep the faith, guys!
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Good luck!


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Declined the offer/withdrew my application from the first school that accepted me tonight, which was a weird feeling. I feel bad, since they put all the time and effort into reviewing my stuff. And I loved the people there, but there are better fits for me personally in terms of the grading system, city and affiliated medical center.

I hope the spot goes to one of y'all.
 
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I just got my first acceptance this morning!!!! :soexcited:I want to give some hope to those of you still waiting for IIs and acceptances...this is my second application cycle, and this acceptance came from my only II so far this year. I'm in such a daze, can't stop smiling at work!
 
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Fancy_Feast said:
I just got my first acceptance this morning!!!! :soexcited:I want to give some hope to those of you still waiting for IIs and acceptances...this is my second application cycle, and this acceptance came from my only II so far this year. I'm in such a daze, can't stop smiling at work!
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Annnddd I just got another interview. What a day! I'm emotionally exhausted!
 
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Now is as good a time as any to be questioning whether I really want to put myself through medical school, right?! To be fair, I've been questioning for a long time. I just stuck with the path because I never found a solid alternative plan, and it was scary to have no direction at all. Starting to wonder whether being direction-less is better than trapping myself in 4+ years of something that will almost certainly make me miserable.

So...one of the schools I interviewed at will likely release a batch of decisions tomorrow!
 
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beebreezy said:
Now is as good a time as any to be questioning whether I really want to put myself through medical school, right?! To be fair, I've been questioning for a long time. I just stuck with the path because I never found a solid alternative plan, and it was scary to have no direction at all. Starting to wonder whether being direction-less is better than trapping myself in 4+ years of something that will almost certainly make me miserable.

So...one of the schools I interviewed at will likely release a batch of decisions tomorrow!
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I went through a decade with no direction. I worked a dozen poverty-wage jobs, dropped out of school twice, sold plasma for food money, and even used a payday lender to cover rent. I was so messed up that I couldn't handle simple issues and ended up with no hot water for months. I was using the YMCA showers and had no heat during one winter in Oklahoma. It's hilarious to look back at how messed up things were. That was the worst time of my life and then I joined the Army.
Pursuing medicine changed everything for me. I love having a goal of improving my application until I get accepted. I recall staying in some broken down house with my brother and we would literally hear gunshots about once a month coming from the apartments a block away. When we moved in the prostitute working the vacant home had to relocate. (Lawton, OK). Man, stick with it!
I spent 4 months studying for the MCAT in my car (saving for application cycle) using Walmart's free wifi to watch all khan academy videos. I am having a blast because I see the light at the end of the tunnel. I look at all my relatives hopelessly stuck in a terrible life doing things they hate for poverty wages. Things will work out well if you stay motivated to pursuing a singular goal.
 
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CastleG8 said:
I went through a decade with no direction. I worked a dozen poverty-wage jobs, dropped out of school twice, sold plasma for food money, and even used a payday lender to cover rent. I was so messed up I couldn't handle issues and ended up with no hot water for months and used the YMCA showers. It's hilarious to look back at how messed up things were. That was the worst time of my life, then I joined the Army. Pursuing medicine changed that for me. I love having a goal of improving my application until I get accepted. I recall staying in some broken down house with my brother and we would literally hear gunshots about once a month. Man, stick with it!
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Well, my changing paths would probably look more like preparing to take the LSAT and applying to law school. I just worry, and have worried all along, about the job market being abyssal for law grads. I don't know. I'm really lost. There's a lot to the story of why I chose to pursue med school that had nothing to do with me wanting to be a doctor. I don't think it's a good sign that I feel like I'm lying in all of my interviews, but it is true that suffering through a medical education would give me stability.
 
beebreezy said:
Well, my changing paths would probably look more like preparing to take the LSAT and applying to law school. I just worry, and have worried all along, about the job market being abyssal for law grads. I don't know. I'm really lost. There's a lot to the story of why I chose to pursue med school that had nothing to do with me wanting to be a doctor. I don't think it's a good sign that I feel like I'm lying in all of my interviews, but it is true that suffering through a medical education would give me stability.
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Law school sounds risky to me. I had a few moments when I thought about just going into Pharmacy school, but mostly because I doubted my academic abilities and the possibility of redemption from a terrible gpa.
I get the feeling that you feel pressured into pursuing medicine. Is that right? I imagine that medical school would be hard to endure without some level of enthusiasm for making it to the end. I never thought I would make much money in life and I hardly think about the money. I work as a security guard for $9.50/hr and I refresh my status portals all night and practice Spanish. I am super excited, even if I have to be a re-applicant.

Sorry for digressing so much. I just don't understand completely where you are coming from. You probably need someone close to talk to about it. I would say med school all the way! Do you really feel insincere when you speak about medical school motivations? I feel guilty when I think about compensation physicians get and pretend that isn't even some fraction of a motivation, but I never felt like it was my main motivation. I feel bad for people being pressured by family. For me, finding medicine was a happy mistake. It never occurred to me until I was in a stable place in my life, which wasn't until I was in my 20's.
 
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CastleG8 said:
Depression. Sorry. I am sure some people on here wiser than me can say something to help. I have no tact using this form of communication in forums. Could you even manage depression during med school? I get the blues, but never suffered long term.
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.
 
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Nah, you aren't the only one feeling that way on these forums! Don't be sorry.
 
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I got the lucky call today!!! I am going to be a doctor!!!!! It's been such a long journey!! I got the call a few hours ago and I am still freaking out!!! Ahhhh!!! Good luck to you all!!!


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I got the call today too!!! Feels amazing to officially say I am going to be a doctor!! Good luck to everyone still waiting to hear! You will get that call soon!!


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HIV said:
I got the call today too!!! Feels amazing to officially say I am going to be a doctor!! Good luck to everyone still waiting to hear! You will get that call soon!!


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Congratulations!
 
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Good luck to all of you fellow non-traditional students
 
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Two of my schools sent out their first batch of acceptances yesterday, no love for me :( The waiting game continues!
 
Gurby said:
Two of my schools sent out their first batch of acceptances yesterday, no love for me :( The waiting game continues!
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Which schools sent them out? And I'm right there with you on the waiting game.
 
jaydedjane said:
Which schools sent them out? And I'm right there with you on the waiting game.
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WashU and Hofstra. Far as I can tell nobody who interviewed on my date or later for WashU got an acceptance, and they did tell us that most would be given out at the end of the cycle, so not too worried there. Hofstra stings a little bit, since I was in one of the first batches of interviews and have a really competitive application there. I definitely botched the interview hard though, in retrospect.
 
sunshinefl said:
I just got my first acceptance!!!!!!!!!!! At Des Moines University! I'm going to be a doctor!!!!!!
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Congratulations! I applied there too. It's one of my top schools. I hope to get accepted too
 
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sunshinefl said:
I just got my first acceptance!!!!!!!!!!! At Des Moines University! I'm going to be a doctor!!!!!!
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Yes, congratulations, my fellow Florida nurse!!! I was rooting for you!
 
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Put on hold today at my top choice, OHSU. It was totally expected as >80% of interviewees are put on hold, but I can't help but be bummed. Especially as a final decision won't be released until April. Sad/frustrated with their admissions strategy because we can't fully plan our lives next year. Grateful I have my Rush acceptance, as I know I'd be happy there, but Chicago is just not home -- Oregon is, and I want to move back there very badly.

Almost feels as if early interviewees are punished, as a high percentage are put on hold in order to evaluate against later interviewees :( what's meant to be will be. Time to practice patience and acceptance!
 
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First time posting in the non-trad thread. Got accepted to one of my top choices last week. It's been three years since I decided I needed to pursue medicine and I worked so hard to get here. Such an unreal feeling. I think being a non-trad, many schools were willing to overlook my mediocre GPA. I still have interviews next week at Albert Einstein and Hofstra, so I'm looking forward to returning to New York again!
 
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Now that some of my schools are starting to send out acceptances I was unusually hopeful on this Monday morning... But I guess I will have to continue exercising my patience :scared:
 
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Wishing everybody a happy and safe Thanksgiving.
For those of you who are still waiting to see what you will be doing next year, whether it is waiting for interview invites, waiting for post-interview decisions, or waiting to get off wait or hold lists, I hope your wait is short and ends with success.
 
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upside
getting published in a high impact journal

downside
still crickets
 
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Ugh. Still in hold at OHSU (apparently a few acceptances went out today) and SUC'ed for the second time at UW.

So hard knowing I need to plan with my wife, the house we own, etc.


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mavric1298 said:
Ugh. Still in hold at OHSU (apparently a few acceptances went out today) and SUC'ed for the second time at UW.

So hard knowing I need to plan with my wife, the house we own, etc.


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I totally understand and I'm in the same boat. It's not easy... But hang in there!
 
Happy Thanksgiving guys! I am thankful for the support and advice here, and for the two IIs I've received.

Story I thought you guys might enjoy from my recent interview. During the financial aid talk the aid officer starts off with, "I know this won't apply to many of you, but for the purposes of financial aid determinations you are considered financially independent from your parents at age X. If you are less than age X, even if you have been supporting yourself for years, are married with 3 kids, etc. your parents' financial assets will still be taken into account for aid determinations." An interviewee near me sighs loudly at the injustice of it all and says something along the lines of, "...but nobody THAT old is going to be starting medical school." Meanwhile, I am doing a happy dance inside as I realize I could possibly attend this medical school without messing with my parents plans for retirement/longterm care for my brother or covering everything with loans. I guess being older and having earned very little for most of my career is finally paying off ;)

Also amusing was overhearing the conversation of a few current students/ recent graduates from the college I graduated from years ago. One student who had spent all of one year working was telling those still in college how much the "regular working life" had helped him mature. I avoided rolling my eyes, but did tell them that I'd also gone to the same college. They of course asked the year I graduated and when I told them one girls eyes went wide and she said, "I hadn't even started high school by then!" Oh well, I guess it's a good sign that I apparently look younger than I in fact am.

Edit (Sunday): And I just received my first rejection of the season. It's school close to home with strong research opportunities, so it does sting a bit. I was just looking to see last week how I could update them with a new paper, and saw they were one of the places that only accepted updates after extending students interviews. Oh well, you win some (hopefully), you lose some.
 
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