any nontraditional people accepted into MD program

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makeitrain6969

makeitrain6969

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So I keep reading that MD program likes only the traditional student (graduated high then straight to college). Just wondering are there any nontraditional student here that are in the MD program (got a G.E.D, started college at a late age, got a college degree in something not geared for med school, made mistakes in life and etc)?
 
makeitrain6969 said:
So I keep reading that MD program likes only the traditional student (graduated high then straight to college). Just wondering are there any nontraditional student here that are in the MD program (got a G.E.D, started college at a late age, got a college degree in something not geared for med school, made mistakes in life and etc)?
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There certainly are. There's a whole forum dedicated to just those people.
 
Nontraditional applicants are becoming an increasingly attractive population of students for medical schools to admit, as far as I can tell. Per several admissions officials to whom I have spoken, it is no longer a prerequisite that you be a high-achieving, straight-through traditional student. Granted, they tend to make up the vast majority of admissions, but I would venture a guess that they also tend to make up the vast majority of applicants.
 
makeitrain6969 said:
So I keep reading that MD program likes only the traditional student (graduated high then straight to college). Just wondering are there any nontraditional student here that are in the MD program (got a G.E.D, started college at a late age, got a college degree in something not geared for med school, made mistakes in life and etc)?
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Whatever you're reading, you should probably stop.... Just about every MD program in the US is interested in non-trads... Just remember that life experience isn't considered a substitute for good numbers
 
I'm willing to bet that Non-trad students have a higher acceptance rate than traditional students. Sure, there are more traditional students in school, but traditional students make up a vast majority of applicants.

It really says a lot about a person's "commitment to medicine" if they give up a career to pursue medicine at a later age. I've been met with nothing but respect from the doctors that I have worked with so far. (Not that they look down on traditional medical students. I just mean that I am not treated differently because I have less hair.)

Getting into an MD school is not about fitting a mold anymore, it's about flaunting your personal attributes and kicking @$$ in school-and-on-the-MCAT.
 
redsquareblack said:
Nontraditional applicants are becoming an increasingly attractive population of students for medical schools to admit, as far as I can tell. Per several admissions officials to whom I have spoken, it is no longer a prerequisite that you be a high-achieving, straight-through traditional student. Granted, they tend to make up the vast majority of admissions, but I would venture a guess that they also tend to make up the vast majority of applicants.
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Nice. I happy to hear MD programs are more open to nontraditional students like DOs.
 
OneTyme said:
I'm willing to bet that Non-trad students have a higher acceptance rate than traditional students. Sure, there are more traditional students in school, but traditional students make up a vast majority of applicants.

It really says a lot about a person's "commitment to medicine" if they give up a career to pursue medicine at a later age. I've been met with nothing but respect from the doctors that I have worked with so far. (Not that they look down on traditional medical students. I just mean that I am not treated differently because I have less hair.)

Getting into an MD school is not about fitting a mold anymore, it's about flaunting your personal attributes and kicking @$$ in school-and-on-the-MCAT.
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I strongly agree with you. I want to go into medicine due to my own life experience and working in the medical field. Im a nontraditional student who will get into MD at a late age..
 
phltz said:
There certainly are. There's a whole forum dedicated to just those people.
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makeitrain6969 said:
Do u have the link by any chance
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I'll give you the benefit of the doubt (colorblind?): http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forumdisplay.php?f=110
 
At my school the number of accepted nontraditional students is actually rising. Students who have worked for a few years or had other professional pursuits tend to be more mature and dedicated than the ones who have only ever known college (according to some).
 
makeitrain6969 said:
Are there specific MD programs more open to nontraditional students?
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In my experience quite a few of the public schools in the Midwest are very non-trad friendly. I don't know how the numbers work out admissions-wise, but they seem to have a good network of resources available (i.e support for handling med school with kids, etc.).
 
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