Am I considered a non-traditional and other important questions

[LabRat86]

I want to apologize in advance if these questions seem dumb

1) I am currently studying to be a medical technologist and plan to work for two years before applying to medical school (Got to pay off the loans ). Will this make me a non-traditional student?

2) Will I have to retake those pre-req again?

3) Can I still use the LORs from the ones I collected while in school or do I have to get new ones?

Thank You

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[ChairmanMao]

I want to apologize in advance if these questions seem dumb

1) I am currently studying to be a medical technologist and plan to work for two years before applying to medical school (Got to pay off the loans ). Will this make me a non-traditional student?

2) Will I have to retake those pre-req again?

3) Can I still use the LORs from the ones I collected while in school or do I have to get new ones?

Thank You

1. No, in order to be considered a non-trad, you have to have been out of college for more than a few years or have switched from a different career path than the one that you started with when you graduated.

2. If all your pre-reqs covered the requirements for med schools, no. Retaking classes were you got a C or better might actually hurt you. Just make sure that your MCAT scores are recent and no more than 3 years old.

3. Yes, you can use LOR's that you collected from your professors while in college, however, you might also want to solicit a few additional LORs from your current employer or people who've known you recently.

 

[2008orbust]

NOn-trad is defined very loosely. Most say it is anyone who didn't do the straight to UG to medschool road. There are no membership requirements to join our club.

Many schools ask that LORs be less than one year old.

Good luck to you.

 

[LabRat86]

Does the less than one year old rule apply if my school has a premedical committee?

 

[njbmd]

I want to apologize in advance if these questions seem dumb

1) I am currently studying to be a medical technologist and plan to work for two years before applying to medical school (Got to pay off the loans ). Will this make me a non-traditional student?

2) Will I have to retake those pre-req again?

3) Can I still use the LORs from the ones I collected while in school or do I have to get new ones?

Thank You

You would be considered a non-traditional student in that you didn't go straight from undergraduate/graduate school into medical school. Being non-traditional and $3.85 will get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks.

You need to check with the schools that you are interested in applying to in terms of age of pre-reqs. You should be fine but check to be sure especially if you get delayed more than a couple of years in terms of applying to medical school.

You should have new LORs. A LOR should not be more than one year old. Surely, you can find a pathologist or two to write a LOR for you. You might also contact the folks who wrote your previous letters, give them an update and ask for a new letter when the time comes.

 

[LabRat86]

So do you guys think I should start asking for LORs while still in school or ask them when I am ready to apply?

 

[fireflygirl]

So do you guys think I should start asking for LORs while still in school or ask them when I am ready to apply?

I think your LORs should reflect your ability as a student, professional, and and as a person. That being said, if you have some activities that have been very significant to you and have helped you shape into the person you are going to be in the future and as a doctor, then I think it would be helpful to get the LORs for those activities while in school. However, you will change and grow as a person over the time you spend outside of school too and it would also be helpful to have your employer write an LOR for you as well. In the end however, you want LORs that make your strengths and talents shine through so whether you find someone to write about that in school or later on when you are working before you apply to medical school isn't going to be as important as what they say about you.