2018 Nontrad Applicants' Progress Thread

[Ad2b]

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That suuuuuuuuucks....stay in it, keep reviewing. I would be the whiniest person in the world if that happened to me. Awful.

Life is what you make of it, I guess. I was on the other side of Yerkes and looking at it as if "a few more days to fine tune" ... but yeah 😵

 

[tetley]

Well, I turned up to take the MCAT yesterday, on time, there at 7 AM; parked outside the doors of the multi-story building. At 7:15, I went inside and was met by a very lovely lady who said the elevators were out; in fact, power to the building was out.

At 7:30, I was joined by two more testers. At 8, we were told that the power was out and a transformer had blown, possibly due to the storms the night before. By 8:30 we were told that the test was likely canceled. At 9 AM, we were told the test was 99% canceled and at 9:30 we were given ticket #s to call Prometric to reschedule our exams.

Yerkes-Dodson played itself out well. For the 10 of us ready to take it at that site yesterday, I bet we're on the other side of optimal now; figuring out how to get back in the mojo of test prep and readiness. It's not as simple as it sounds when one was ready to be done.

if it makes you feel any better, in the MIDDLE of my sister's take in 2004, there was a bar mitzvah that started one ballroom over (this was back when it was paper administrations)

TO TOP IT OFF, the theme was/it was hosted by.....






elvis.

 

[rabbott1971]

Life is what you make of it, I guess. I was on the other side of Yerkes and looking at it as if "a few more days to fine tune" ... but yeah 😵

Did you reschedule for next weekend? I would want to put it back on for as soon as possible...

 

[Ad2b]

Did you reschedule for next weekend? I would want to put it back on for as soon as possible...

I don't know that I get a choice? AAMC says it's Prometric's responsibility as part of the contract with the AAMC to make sure the facilities are operational, therefore, it's on Prometric to reschedule us.

Prometric has not called me yet - will call them tomorrow with my ticket #...

Also, Sept 9 is the last day most schools will accept for an MCAT score... probably because it's the last day listed on the AAMC site for this cycle. So, if they can't get me scheduled before that day or on that day, then ... deal with that when it comes.

I could probably add: it would be slightly less than ironic if that little thing named IRMA hits us too and delayed it again .... what is the probability of that

 

[rabbott1971]

I don't know that I get a choice? AAMC says it's Prometric's responsibility as part of the contract with the AAMC to make sure the facilities are operational, therefore, it's on Prometric to reschedule us.

Prometric has not called me yet - will call them tomorrow with my ticket #...

Also, Sept 9 is the last day most schools will accept for an MCAT score... probably because it's the last day listed on the AAMC site for this cycle. So, if they can't get me scheduled before that day or on that day, then ... deal with that when it comes.

I could probably add: it would be slightly less than ironic if that little thing named IRMA hits us too and delayed it again .... what is the probability of that

My advice is, don't get hit by a hurricane. Good luck!

 

[wholeheartedly]

I've been neglecting my moderator duties here a bit when it comes to providing current applicants with encouragement.

So here's a link to one of my favorite threads. Why is it so awesome? Because it was started in 2006 and has info on a whole heck of a lot of nontrads, including their status.

Go skim through this thread and see just how many of your nontrad predecessors now have statuses that say "attending" "resident" "fellow" and "medical student". So many made it! If that doesn't give you a confidence boost, I don't know what will.

~NonTraditionals~: Ages

 

[willow84]

Have any of you provided an update to your secondaries? I'm not sure how to even write an update. "Hello, I am now employed doing X and Y"?

 

[pupsnacks]

.

 

[sss1219]

Hi. 3 DO, 1MD. I am super excited/nervous. Reviewing interview questions, I can see alot of my answers might have to do with my past employment experiences in healthcare. Other than a good fit for their class, ability to adapt and perform well in medical school, compassion, etc, what would anyone say are the differences and/or similarities between employment interviews and med school interviews? I don't have any experience interviewing for anything other than employment as my undergrad did not have an interview process.

It really depends if your interview is MMI or one on one, blind or open application, or chill/conversational or stress/grilling by ethics scenarios

One thing that I've read around here is that a lot of people don't weave in their AMCAS experiences into their answers! I definitely need to work on that


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[littlesallywalker]

No one posting on this thread for awhile. Just looking for a little non-trad solidarity/reassurance. Still radio silence on all my apps, no II's, no rejections. Avoiding anxiously checking school threads on here, but wondering if I need to start worrying or applying to more schools or if there's some big red flag in my app I wasn't aware of (don't think so, but the process is so opaque at times!) Its still early yes?

😵

 

[sss1219]

No one posting on this thread for awhile. Just looking for a little non-trad solidarity/reassurance. Still radio silence on all my apps, no II's, no rejections. Avoiding anxiously checking school threads on here, but wondering if I need to start worrying or applying to more schools or if there's some big red flag in my app I wasn't aware of (don't think so, but the process is so opaque at times!) Its still early yes?

😵

I was flipping out about this (especially possibly having a bad LOR) when I was in radio silence land and my fears quickly alleviated when I got out of it. Have a little faith in your application! If you put in the necessary time and effort, I am sure it is great.

 

[Dr. Meliodas]

No one posting on this thread for awhile. Just looking for a little non-trad solidarity/reassurance. Still radio silence on all my apps, no II's, no rejections. Avoiding anxiously checking school threads on here, but wondering if I need to start worrying or applying to more schools or if there's some big red flag in my app I wasn't aware of (don't think so, but the process is so opaque at times!) Its still early yes?

😵

Radio-silence on my end too, its still early don't stress. If by December no interviews lined up then we can start stressing

 

[_leo08]

No one posting on this thread for awhile. Just looking for a little non-trad solidarity/reassurance. Still radio silence on all my apps, no II's, no rejections. Avoiding anxiously checking school threads on here, but wondering if I need to start worrying or applying to more schools or if there's some big red flag in my app I wasn't aware of (don't think so, but the process is so opaque at times!) Its still early yes?

😵

I empathize. I think it's still early. This is my second time applying and my rejections peaked in October/November, with some scattered in January-February. How are you all keeping busy with this waiting period? I can't seem to get away from these SDN threads, and my nervousness increases when I see individuals who were complete after me receive invites.

 

[sss1219]

I empathize. I think it's still early. This is my second time applying and my rejections peaked in October/November, with some scattered in January-February. How are you all keeping busy with this waiting period? I can't seem to get away from these SDN threads, and my nervousness increases when I see individuals who were complete after me receive invites.

Netflix was huge for me at first but I kinda burned out from it. Recently I started watching a really hilarious streamer on Twitch and started self teaching myself violin, both of which have kept me pretty busy along with my daily gym time. Slowly starting to check my status pages less frequently, went from ~ twice daily to once every 3-4 days still pretty stressed though

 

[littlesallywalker]

Glad to know I'm not alone!

As for distractions:

Working extra shifts. Gardening. Trying to stay busy with various home and community projects. Reading more.

I do want to spend some time building my Spanish skills. And I'm looking at auditing or doing an online course in some advanced Bio field... not doing any paid for classes this semester cause I don't need the credits but feeling like I want to keep up the learning momentum I had over the last two years.

 

[_leo08]

Netflix was huge for me at first but I kinda burned out from it. Recently I started watching a really hilarious streamer on Twitch and started self teaching myself violin, both of which have kept me pretty busy along with my daily gym time. Slowly starting to check my status pages less frequently, went from ~ twice daily to once every 3-4 days still pretty stressed though

I see you're a reapplicant as well. Congrats on your interview - all you need is one!

 

[_leo08]

Glad to know I'm not alone!

As for distractions:

Working extra shifts. Gardening. Trying to stay busy with various home and community projects. Reading more.

I do want to spend some time building my Spanish skills. And I'm looking at auditing or doing an online course in some advanced Bio field... not doing any paid for classes this semester cause I don't need the credits but feeling like I want to keep up the learning momentum I had over the last two years.

Same with shifts and reading. Talk about being a nontraditional applicant. Hang in there. I'm sure that we'll both be somewhere next year!

 

[jazzmetal]

Still radio silence on all my apps, no II's, no rejections.

I'm in just about the same boat, except I did get one rejection. I'm spending my time grabbing as much work as I can, now that the financial reality of this whole endeavor is sinking in. Also arranging to rent the upstairs of my house since odds are 99.99% that I'd have to move if I actually got an acceptance for next year. It's been an adventure trying to cram all of my things into the downstairs where I'd previously been storing my unneeded junk. 🙂

Things seem eerily quiet on most of the school-specific threads I'm following. I guess adcoms are back from their summer and Labor Day vacations and focusing on the beginning of the semester? I did seem to survive a recent mini-wave of rejections at one school so - hope is still alive! lol

 

[rabbott1971]

I was hoping someone would pipe up on this thread! The wait after submitting applications is pretty bad. I was trying to compare it to waiting for MCAT results, and I have concluded it is worse.

 

[ChopinLiszt]

I was hoping someone would pipe up on this thread! The wait after submitting applications is pretty bad. I was trying to compare it to waiting for MCAT results, and I have concluded it is worse.

At least with the MCAT you knew when the hammer was going to drop!

 

[willow84]

I'm trying not to panic, but the more I see the school-specific threads blow up with IIs (especially waaaaay after my complete date) the more I freak out. I'm starting to feel like I won't get anymore IIs. 🙁

 

[@Hazel-rah]

I think being aware of sdn makes the wait excruciating. Like, when I applied to other schools in the past, I submitted and then forgot about it. The ability to know when each individual action is taken is painful. Why did we create this system!?

Going back and looking at last year's threads, you can see that it is still so super early. It's not even October! If you started in July, you're ~8-10 weeks out. But there are still like 16 weeks left until most IIs start dwindling down.

But I totally sympathize with everyone. My most favorite school makes an announcement every Monday about how many interviews they gave out and it is like a stab through the ribs every time I see it and have an empty inbox. It's like the worst possible version of picking teams for kickball in elementary school. It's like the intelligent adult version of the Bachelor (or Bachelorette)
Will I get a rose this season?
The medical school ad coms hold our egos in the palm of their hand and they couldn't possibly care any less than they do.

Already there is so much hostility in the minimal communication I receive from schools. I don't think they like having to deal with the thousands of (often whiny) applicants either.....
"Please do not call us!" "Please do not contact us!"
"If you do not respond to this by X, we will rescind your offer."

I'm going backpacking this weekend. Looking forward to a couple nights off....but will return Monday for another smackdown from #UmichMedMondays :-(
Hang in there everyone!

 

[485686J]

Hang in there. Persistence pays off. I got my first interview in New Mexico at Burrell on the 20th. Sweating bullets. Then PNWU on the 29th. Hopefully some of the anxiousness wears off between now and then.


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[ChopinLiszt]

Hang in there. Persistence pays off. I got my first interview in New Mexico at Burrell on the 20th. Sweating bullets. Then PNWU on the 29th. Hopefully some of the anxiousness wears off between now and then.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

good luck on those interviews!

I have one interview so far - really hoping to get a few more, but even having one is very helpful. That total silence for two months was rough. I wonder if my age is a factor, too, because I'm seeing plenty of people get IIs with lower stats/ECs (who were complete after me, too) at my in-state places.

 

[_leo08]

Non-traditional applicants = gap years = life experiences = wisdom = more wholesome perspective and approach towards conflict resolution, leadership skills, etc. = you cannot teach this in medical school = we will be fantastic medical students because we will be ahead of the game with this unique perspective = brilliant physicians because we've experienced years in the "real world". At least that's what I tell myself when I'm moody about II. If you're a reapplicant too, then it's been an uphill battle and journey of growth because one cycle of rejections has a real impact on your self-esteem. So how on Earth did we galvanize ourselves to do this again? Genuine passion for the field, that's what. It's the end of the week so enjoy your weekends free of studying and remember that no news is still considered good news at this point!

 

[Ad2b]

I have one interview so far - really hoping to get a few more, but even having one is very helpful. That total silence for two months was rough. I wonder if my age is a factor, too

pfft - don't be stealing my "old haggishness" 🙂 and I have NO interviews... (haven't applied yet either for this cycle)

 

[DBC03]

Just thought I'd check in today. I have just one II (from a few weeks ago at this point). I've applied to over 30 schools with what I feel like is a fairly well-rounded application, but all I'm hearing is crickets. I'm not even being rejected at this point. But I'm super grateful for one II, so here's to the rest of the cycle!

 

[Ad2b]

I have just one II (from a few weeks ago at this point). I've applied to over 30 schools with what I feel like is a fairly well-rounded application, but all I'm hearing is crickets.

Many don't get interviews until after Thanksgiving... if at that point, there's a lot of sage wisdom that comes from the adcoms on here. So:

1. Don't stress until Black Friday
2. Breathe
3. Nail the one II you have

 

[rabbott1971]

good luck on those interviews!

I have one interview so far - really hoping to get a few more, but even having one is very helpful. That total silence for two months was rough. I wonder if my age is a factor, too, because I'm seeing plenty of people get IIs with lower stats/ECs (who were complete after me, too) at my in-state places.

View attachment 223588

I haven't read anything that would make me think older applicants are less likely to get an II, or get their II later than other applicants. Now I have a beard, and I am definitely suffering from the well-known anti-beard adcom bias. Hopefully I can overcome it with pure awesomeness! 🙂

 

[sss1219]

I haven't read anything that would make me think older applicants are less likely to get an II, or get their II later than other applicants. Now I have a beard, and I am definitely suffering from the well-known anti-beard adcom bias. Hopefully I can overcome it with pure awesomeness! 🙂

Assuming all academic things equal, I feel like nontrads would be more desirable than trad students simply because they usually have more professional experience/are more mature overall. There are a lot of schools that entirely cater to nontrads too, like OHSU.

But these first couple months are usually reigned over by the superstars (super high LizzyM's, d1 athletes, veterans, URMs, etc.) so we should feel very blessed if we are able to grab one or a couple IIs this early on. State residency heavy schools often go against this though, hence why we see a lot of lower stat people getting interviews.

 

[Ad2b]

I haven't read anything that would make me think older applicants are less likely to get an II, or get their II

A friend of mine is 58, MS3; another friend just finished PGY-3 at 59 and she might actually be 60; another friend is 52, MS2; another friend is 43, DO2; another person I know was DO1 at 59; was told by my former state school that they'd had an MS1 at 54 (yay for me!), can't count how many 30s and 40s that I've heard about getting seats in both types of schools...

My friend who is the MS3 told me last year when I was gut-punched:

"You know, I've never heard of anyone at our age who puts forth the effort not getting in. It might not be the first cycle or the 2nd but everyone I know, has gotten a seat."

Hoping not to be her first variance from that perfect score 😉 And none of you guys/gals will be either!

 

[485686J]

I haven't read anything that would make me think older applicants are less likely to get an II, or get their II later than other applicants. Now I have a beard, and I am definitely suffering from the well-known anti-beard adcom bias. Hopefully I can overcome it with pure awesomeness! 🙂

Is there really an anti beard attitude? I've got a short beard I was just gonna clean up nice prior to interviewing, or should I just shave up completely?


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[Eccesignum]

Hey folks! Hope your cycles are going well. I sent this in PM to someone last year and figured it might help people who're prepping for interviews:

"At any school, be absolutely sure you can answer:
1) So, tell me about yourself. Who are you?
2) Why medicine?
3) Why is our school the best school for you? (Super important, KNOW THE SCHOOL)
4) Tell me about X EC on your AMCAS. Why did you decide to do that? What'd you learn? (For this one BE PREPARED to tell some detailed, personal stories about things that happened while you were doing various ECs)
5) Tell be about a time you worked in a team/had a problem with someone in your group (I got asked this a million times)
6) Tell me about a time you dealt with an ethical issue (I was also asked about times I felt I witnessed some kind of negative bias)
7) Where do you see yourself 10/15 years from now?
8) Greatest weakness and strength
9) What do you think will be the most difficult aspect of medical school for you
10) Why should we give you this seat?

They may not be asked in exactly those words but those were the most common themes I ran into. Then you'll get the less common questions, some of which are designed to catch you off guard and just have to be answered on the fly. Know the heck out of your own application, as anything you write is fair game to be asked about. I printed a copy of mine and read it over the night before every interview, just to re-familiarize myself with what I'd said. And again, def check the SDN interview section. Many schools re-use their specific questions year to year, I got some good ideas of stuff to be prepared for from there."

 

[rabbott1971]

Is there really an anti beard attitude? I've got a short beard I was just gonna clean up nice prior to interviewing, or should I just shave up completely?


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I was mostly kidding, the picture I sent was unbearded, so it wouldn't hold me back from getting an II. But, if I do get interview(s) I will shave it. So the thought process is that some older more conservative types have a dislike of beards. There isn't anything to gain by having a beard, so why risk it.

 

[Dullhead]

3 interview invites this week all at DO, at my #1, #2, and #4 preferred DO schools.

Sure makes me feel much less nervous about my MD interview.

Good luck Miani!

 

[whatIknow]

Assuming all academic things equal, I feel like nontrads would be more desirable than trad students simply because they usually have more professional experience/are more mature overall. There are a lot of schools that entirely cater to nontrads too, like OHSU.

But these first couple months are usually reigned over by the superstars (super high LizzyM's, d1 athletes, veterans, URMs, etc.) so we should feel very blessed if we are able to grab one or a couple IIs this early on. State residency heavy schools often go against this though, hence why we see a lot of lower stat people getting interviews.

Been reading some of your posts.... it is a very long process that drags out literally till June. It is brutal, confusing and humbling. Try to relax and good luck.

 

[ChopinLiszt]

Been reading some of your posts.... it is a very long process that drags out literally till June. It is brutal, confusing and humbling. Try to relax and good luck.

It's true. And things can turn around in a heartbeat, after an eternity of waiting. This kind of drama is right up there with my teenage girls' group chats.

 

[sss1219]

It's true. And things can turn around in a heartbeat, after an eternity of waiting. This kind of drama is right up there with my teenage girls' group chats.

Wait, what? I don't think there was any drama in what I said, I just regurgitated common knowledge from all over this site. Reviews are not done chronologically at many schools and various kinds of applicants tend to get the majority of the first couple months' worth of IIs because their apps get prioritized for review. And while maturity isn't assumed with all nontrads, having life experience is a common plus among their apps.

Sorry if something I said did come off disrespectful though :/

 

[jazzmetal]

Wait, what? I don't think there was any drama in what I said, I just regurgitated common knowledge from all over this site. Reviews are not done chronologically at many schools and various kinds of applicants tend to get the majority of the first couple months' worth of IIs because their apps get prioritized for review. And while maturity isn't assumed with all nontrads, having life experience is a common plus among their apps.

Sorry if something I said did come off disrespectful though :/

I think the poster was just saying that the application cycle can be dramatic, not that you were being dramatic. At least that's how I read it.

 

[sss1219]

I think the poster was just saying that the application cycle can be dramatic, not that you were being dramatic. At least that's how I read it.

Guess I need to stop checking my statuses so much and sleep more

 

[jazzmetal]

Guess I need to stop checking my statuses so much and sleep more

Absolutely give yourself a break. You have an interview! Kudos! 🙂

 

[littlesallywalker]

Since I posted last week I was offered two interview spots! So things are finally moving a bit over here in my world 🙂

 

[ChopinLiszt]

Wait, what? I don't think there was any drama in what I said, I just regurgitated common knowledge from all over this site. Reviews are not done chronologically at many schools and various kinds of applicants tend to get the majority of the first couple months' worth of IIs because their apps get prioritized for review. And while maturity isn't assumed with all nontrads, having life experience is a common plus among their apps.

Sorry if something I said did come off disrespectful though :/

No, I totally meant the drama of the cycle!! Sorry for the confusion! And I was probably just being dramatic, too, because most days are just filled with busy life stuff and waiting.. but then out of nowhere you can get these big highs or lows. Most of the time I keep a pretty level head about things, but sometimes I fall into worrying a bit, and other times I get really excited thinking about the possibilities, etc. I think it's only natural to have the roller coaster of emotions if you care enough, and especially for us non-trads who maybe have higher stakes than undergrads (potentially wasting our families' time and money, not just ours), and who have been waiting a bit longer to apply, etc. I basically feel like I can die happy now just because I have interviews at Mayo and Duke - even if I get no more IIs and even if I don't get in. But before that I had no idea if I would get any IIs at all. So yeah, it's a roller coaster. 😉

 

[jazzmetal]

I have interviews at Mayo and Duke

WELL DONE!

 

[ChopinLiszt]

WELL DONE!

Thanks! I'm very grateful and excited and somewhat shocked! And nervous about Duke's 8 MMI stations..

 

[willow84]

Oh man, congrats on Duke! I haven't heard from them since submitting in late July. That secondary was such a beast; I'll be bummed if I don't get a II!

 

[ChopinLiszt]

Oh man, congrats on Duke! I haven't heard from them since submitting in late July. That secondary was such a beast; I'll be bummed if I don't get a II!

I submitted July 17 and just heard back this week. I wasn't really expecting to hear back at all - in fact, I had just spent the weekend with my family in NC telling them I wouldn't be back for an interview. You just never know!

 

[willow84]

I submitted July 17 and just heard back this week. I wasn't really expecting to hear back at all - in fact, I had just spent the weekend with my family in NC telling them I wouldn't be back for an interview. You just never know!

Ah, that makes me feel better. I just checked my spreadsheet, and I submitted 7/20. So not too much later than you. Fingers crossed I'll hear from them soon!

 

[rabbott1971]

I submitted July 17 and just heard back this week. I wasn't really expecting to hear back at all - in fact, I had just spent the weekend with my family in NC telling them I wouldn't be back for an interview. You just never know!

Good job Shoppin'List.

 

[willow84]

Is anyone going to hear from schools on 10/16? I interviewed at two places last week that will tell me yay or nay on that day.... three weeks from today! Eeeek