Advice on being a non-traditional student...

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FutureMDKJP

FutureMDKJP

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I'm a non-traditonal student in my 4th year of undergrad. My major is biology and I feel like I have had too long of a journey in my undergrad years since I took time off and had a child. I was wondering if anyone had any tips or advice, motivation or anything. I'm wanting to go to med school within the next year.
 
Have you shadowed a doctor(s)?
Done non-clinical volunteering?
Done clinical volunteering?
GPAs
Taken MCAT?
Got LOR writers lined up?

FutureMDKJP said:
I'm a non-traditonal student in my 4th year of undergrad. My major is biology and I feel like I have had too long of a journey in my undergrad years since I took time off and had a child. I was wondering if anyone had any tips or advice, motivation or anything. I'm wanting to go to med school within the next year.
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Also, the application process takes a whole year.
So IF you had everything Goro mentioned lined up or done, and you applied this summer and got accepted, you still wouldn't start until Fall 2016.
Since you have to ask, I'll guess you don't have all those things done, so you're looking at a bare minimum of 2 years before you could possibly start medical school.
And if you only took a year or two off for having a kid, then you're not that far out of the normal time range. Some people start med school in their 30's or 40's. If you're still in your early 20's then relatively you're right on track.
 
aspiringXdoc said:
"Be kinder than necessary, everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle..."

Off topic but just want to say love that! @Prncssbuttercup
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It reminds me to try not to judge people because we never know what's really happening to them. We rarely know the battles others face or have faced.
 
So OP... if you haven't done any of what Goro listed, it will take you more than a year. I am a non-trad and it can be daunting. If you need inspiration, look to many of the long-standing threads, there are many people on this forum who are in their mid-late 30s and are in med school or are still applying. I'll be 40 when I start residency.
 
Prncssbuttercup said:
It reminds me to try not to judge people because we never know what's really happening to them. We rarely know the battles others face or have faced.
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how far olong are you in the process though? I'm 23 and I still feel like I have years to go. Maybe its because I have been in school for longer than the typical 4 years.
 
dorothyntoto said:
So OP... if you haven't done any of what Goro listed, it will take you more than a year. I am a non-trad and it can be daunting. If you need inspiration, look to many of the long-standing threads, there are many people on this forum who are in their mid-late 30s and are in med school or are still applying. I'll be 40 when I start residency.
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I'm just curious are you already attending medical school?
 
FutureMDKJP said:
how far olong are you in the process though? I'm 23 and I still feel like I have years to go. Maybe its because I have been in school for longer than the typical 4 years.
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I am 38, and a 3rd year. You have plenty of time. And as was said, if that is your picture, please take it down. Use something anonymous, it is your friend.
 
FutureMDKJP said:
I'm just curious are you already attending medical school?
Click to expand...
Yes, I am a 3rd year. OMSIII is osteopathic medical student-3rd year. OMSI would be a first year osteopathic student, and MSI would be an allopathic medical student in their first year. It's usually listed under people's names what they are... resident, attending, faculty, etc...
 
Besides the volunteering and shadowing, here is the academic plan I used and it worked well:

I already had a degree, but no science classes.
Fall year 1: chemistry 1, some BS classes like ethics
Spring Year 1: chemistry 2, some more BS classes like writing
Summer: volunteering

Fall year 2: bio 1, physics 1, ochem 1
Spring year 2: bio 2, physics 2, ochem 2
Summer: study and take MCAT and apply

Fall year 3: biochemistry, I think another writing class, some interviews
Spring year 3: no school, some more interviews, decide which medical school to attend
Summer: move to new city

Since you are a bio major, maybe you can skip some of the earlier steps because you have some or all of the science classes. But even if you don't need a single new class, it would take you from the summer of 2015 to entering the fall of 2016. From application to medical school takes a little longer than a year.
 
Public service announcement: you can either apply early, or you can take the MCAT in the summer. Can't do both. As you figure out your plan, your MCAT date needs to be in the spring or earlier. April is nice.
 
You're 23. You have plenty of time. The average matriculant across US schools is probably around 24 now. I don't have the data in front of me but it's easy to look up. Are you thinking M.D. and D.O.?

Applying to medical school is an expensive, time-consuming process. You're not that far behind at 23. The thing you don't want to do is rush into an application cycle where you are "late" e.g. waiting for a September MCAT score--when applications open in May/June--or waiting on committee letter/letters of recommendation for your application to be complete at places. Ideally, you apply when you are ready, in which case the following "ducks" should be in a row:
  • you have a GPA within the accepted range for the schools to which you're thinking of applying
  • your MCAT is within the accepted range for the schools to which you're thinking of applying
  • you have meaningful exposure to clinical medicine, through some combination of shadowing, employment, or volunteering
  • you have demonstrated altruism through community service/similar ECs
  • research is a huge bonus, and required depending on where you are planning to apply
Medical schools won't be going anywhere. You're 23. Don't rush. Get everything in order and try to do it right the first time, whether that is at 25, 27, or later.

Good luck.
 
DrMidlife said:
Public service announcement: you can either apply early, or you can take the MCAT in the summer. Can't do both. As you figure out your plan, your MCAT date needs to be in the spring or earlier. April is nice.
Click to expand...
This is the premed's dilemma. I decided to apply later, with a better MCAT. In April, I was still taking physics and biology, learning the MCAT topics.

In retrospect my MCAT was so fantastic that I probably overstudied for it. If I had taken it earlier and applied earlier (I was complete August 1st) maybe I would have gotten more interviews? Anyway, what's done is done and I am happy where I ended up.

Tough call, and thanks for pointing it out.
 
My theory with summer MCATs is that a lot of people honestly believe they'll throw a 40. Sure, with a 38+ and a strong GPA and a friendly home state and a good school list and no app damage, you can gamble on a September app or whatnot. But in May when you plan on a September 40 and you get a September 27, you have a mess to clean up.

I'm fairly appalled with this year's crop of "I don't want to listen to reason" premeds looking for permission to be stupid. So while I'm a total Sazerite fangirl, I cringe every time I see an exceptional anecdote. I have SDN PTSD or something.
 
DrMidlife said:
I'm fairly appalled with this year's crop of "I don't want to listen to reason" premeds looking for permission to be stupid. So while I'm a total Sazerite fangirl, I cringe every time I see an exceptional anecdote. I have SDN PTSD or something.
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This totally made my day. Urgent care is actually slow today. 7 patients in 5 hours. I had to laugh out loud.

To the OP: you just had a child. Enjoy them while they are small. Sleep, do nothing, go to the playground, library, play groups with them. Med school will be there when you are ready. Don't rush those early years with the kids - you don't ever get that time back.
 
cabinbuilder said:
To the OP: you just had a child. Enjoy them while they are small. Sleep, do nothing, go to the playground, library, play groups with them. Med school will be there when you are ready. Don't rush those early years with the kids - you don't ever get that time back.
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Wise words indeed.
 
FutureMDKJP said:
I'm a non-traditonal student in my 4th year of undergrad. My major is biology and I feel like I have had too long of a journey in my undergrad years since I took time off and had a child. I was wondering if anyone had any tips or advice, motivation or anything. I'm wanting to go to med school within the next year.
Click to expand...

Wondering how you are doing, OP. I know the path that @cabinbuilder and I propose is not everyone's idea of bliss, nor is it an option that can be readily pursued by all. I only toss it out there for consideration to my young friends because so many of my five star memories come from that chapter of life when my primary focus was savoring every moment with the little ones. There are certainly countless ways to map out the combination of childrearing and a medical career. This was just one way I could highly recommend. All the best to you, whatever you decide.
 
it'sabeautifullife said:
Wondering how you are doing, OP. I know the path that @cabinbuilder and I propose is not everyone's idea of bliss, nor is it an option that can be readily pursued by all. I only toss it out there for consideration to my young friends because so many of my five star memories come from that chapter of life when my primary focus was savoring every moment with the little ones. There are certainly countless ways to map out the combination of childrearing and a medical career. This was just one way I could highly recommend. All the best to you, whatever you decide.
Click to expand...
 
Well my child is currently 2 so he's past the infant stage but I am considering your advice on enjoying life with my baby boy. At the same time I do feel like of I don't continue pushing and working towards my goal of attending medical school or even a masters program before attending, I will become stagnant. I always want to utilize my brain power and not lose it. Thank you for the advice.
 
DrMidlife said:
Public service announcement: you can either apply early, or you can take the MCAT in the summer. Can't do both. As you figure out your plan, your MCAT date needs to be in the spring or earlier. April is nice.
Click to expand...
Another option? I took the MCAT in September and applied the following June. It worked for me.
 
Ugh, this thread is making me wish I could just have another kid before I start school. 🙁 If my husband and I weren't dealing with infertility, I could be a mom of two and maybe would have delayed my application. But you can't plan these things. And life is short.

OP, you are so "young" still.
 
OP, take a class or two if you're getting bored, or do some EC stuff to shore up your resume (shadowing, volunteering, etc). I had two children while in med school (currently 2 yr & 9wks old), and I'm worried that when June 15th comes around and my surgery prelim starts I'll basically miss the entire first year of my daughter's life. But we do what we must. I'm graduating med school at 32 and while I remember being 23 and feeling like I was so far behind and going nowhere fast, when I look back on it now, I just have to laugh at myself.

Also, please do not misconstrue this as a "You can't do med school with a small child" response, because that is absolutely not what I mean, and also completely untrue. I would just refrain from rushing things if there's no real reason to do so.
 
eablackwell said:
OP, take a class or two if you're getting bored, or do some EC stuff to shore up your resume (shadowing, volunteering, etc). I had two children while in med school (currently 2 yr & 9wks old), and I'm worried that when June 15th comes around and my surgery prelim starts I'll basically miss the entire first year of my daughter's life. But we do what we must. I'm graduating med school at 32 and while I remember being 23 and feeling like I was so far behind and going nowhere fast, when I look back on it now, I just have to laugh at myself.

Also, please do not misconstrue this as a "You can't do med school with a small child" response, because that is absolutely not what I mean, and also completely untrue. I would just refrain from rushing things if there's no real reason to do so.
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I think feeling the need to rush is my major issue. Which really shouldn't be one because I'm not in a race with anyone. But I didn't think your response was offensive in any way. I'm just trying to weigh my options and pursue the correct path towards attending med school. It's very helpful to obtain feedback from a med student like yourself. Thanks so much.
 
Leslie_Knope said:
Ugh, this thread is making me wish I could just have another kid before I start school. 🙁 If my husband and I weren't dealing with infertility, I could be a mom of two and maybe would have delayed my application. But you can't plan these things. And life is short.

OP, you are so "young" still.
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I missed this post earlier. Not sure of your situation, but my husband and I struggled with infertility also. We had an ectopic when we were 22/23 yrs old, it burst and I lost a tube. We tried for 5 yrs after to conceive again (we were actually using 2 types of contraception when the ectopic happened), and nothing, so I decided to go to med school instead of continuing to try because it was ridiculously depressing. Then while in med school we thought, what the heck, let's just try...ended up conceiving my son after 6 months trying, second time around conceived my daughter on the 3rd month. As I said, no idea of your situation, but you just never know how things will turn out.
 
eablackwell said:
I missed this post earlier. Not sure of your situation, but my husband and I struggled with infertility also. We had an ectopic when we were 22/23 yrs old, it burst and I lost a tube. We tried for 5 yrs after to conceive again (we were actually using 2 types of contraception when the ectopic happened), and nothing, so I decided to go to med school instead of continuing to try because it was ridiculously depressing. Then while in med school we thought, what the heck, let's just try...ended up conceiving my son after 6 months trying, second time around conceived my daughter on the 3rd month. As I said, no idea of your situation, but you just never know how things will turn out.
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I don't want to derail OP's thread, but we need IVF to conceive. And I guess you could call me an attachment parenting mom, so I would really like/need six months of maternity leave. It's just unlikely to happen.
 
cabinbuilder said:
Bugs me when I come across a word or phrase I don't know and when google fails me it makes me crazy.
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The only time I was happy to get zero hits on a word was when I invented the word "forgivageddon". I tried googling it today, and it looks like people are using it elsewhere on the Internet now. I'm so proud!


Edit: nvm, about half of the hits on the first page are redirect spam, leading to loan refinancers and stuff. Oh well.
 
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