Do I have a shot?

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

slpsms

New Member
15+ Year Member
20+ Year Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2003
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
I returned to school this past year to complete a number of prerequisite courses for app to D.O. and, possibly, M.D. school. I just sat for the MCAT today and now it's just a matter of finishing up on my fall classes and getting those apps in order. I am a non-traditional applicant having completed my original tenure some 15 years ago and I am now applying in my late thirties. I'm not as worried about the age with the shift in applicant demographics and frequency of the non-traditional applicant, but I am concerned about my background and I was hoping for some feedback regarding my chances.


Here is the Reader's Digest version:

Originally graduated with a B.S. in Nuclear Medicine from Indiana University with an emphasis fairly heavily in the sciences. At that time I had some fairly poor attendance and motivation issues that resulted in an overall GPA of 3.31. Even with that GPA, most of my better grades were in the more difficult courses and it isn't too difficult to 'read between the lines' on my transcript. Since that time I have worked for ten years in Nuclear Medicine, two years in PET, and 6 years as a senior software consultant for a major Hospital Information Systems vendor.

I am in the midst of completing around 40 hours over the course of this calendar year at Indiana University including Org I and II, Physics I and II, Genetics, Embryology, Microbiology, Biochemistry, and so forth. I anticipate a GPA over the course of those 40 hours to be around a 3.95 (already received A's in both Organic courses). This will bring my overall GPA up to around 3.47 with a comparable science GPA. All this while working full time and raising a family and not having had a chem/bio/math course in 15 years. It is my hope that a greater weight will be given my current tenure considering the quality and quantity of work being done with a de-emphasis on some of the question marks from 15 years ago. I also hope that this performance reflects my drive and motivation in this pursuit.

In addition, I have multiple outstanding references who I feel will speak very highly from a pool of some of the top physicians and specialists in the state of Indiana including an instructor with the IU School of Medicine. Most of my recommendations involve physicians I have had the chance to work with, but a few have been on the patient end and they are a few of my best. Also have several academic recommendations in order as my grades since my return have generally been at the top of the class.

Anyway, I have put a lot of time into this pursuit and I will remain anxious until the final verdict has arrived. I was just hoping for some feedback regarding my background and odds of acceptance if I perforrmed competitively on the MCAT. Right now my primary option is Indiana University Medical School, however, I am also looking at a number of D.O. programs as secondary options. Included in that group of D.O. programs is the alma mater of one of my primary references. The good news is that everyone he has ever recommended to his alma mater has been accepted so I hope not to break the string!

Anyway, going to be a long wait to get the MCAT scores and an even longer wait for those letters in the mail. ANY thoughts would be eternally appreciated! Thanks to all in advance!
 
Those stats and ECs will get you into almost any med school in the country maybe even some top 10 schools. Age is not really a factor under 40.
 
I am assuming you can kick out a 30 or so on the MCAT.
 
I agree that you will have a great shot at getting into medical school. And I don't think age will be a factor - there are quite a few non-trads in my class.

Good luck!
 
I wonder why people do this on the board. Are you searching for approval? confedence boosters? If you are searching for one of these then you are in the WRONG PLACE. Everyone here is clueless about this process. IT IS RANDOM. No one can tell you your chances! They only give opinions, that's it. Why don't you consult an admissions counselor about being competitive? At least that way you will get answers that matter. BOTTOM LINE: No one knows the perfect formula for getting into medical school.
 
I wonder why people do this on the board. Are you searching for approval? confedence boosters? If you are searching for one of these then you are in the WRONG PLACE. Everyone here is clueless about this process. IT IS RANDOM. No one can tell you your chances! They only give opinions, that's it.

Excuse him for being human. Its our nature to compare ourselves to our peers and seek their opinion. I know I'll be doing it next year when I apply.
 
Hello,
I am going to go out on a limb and say with your past experience and your current academic success you will not have a problem getting in to a medical school somewhere. This is assuming that you do decent on the MCAT and write a personal statement explaining all that you explained in this post. Your age will not play any role in the application process and if it does I can only expect that it will help and not hinder you. You have gained life experience in your time and the admissions committee will look well on that. I don't care what anyone else tells you. If you do decent on the MCAT and maybe can go as low as mid 20's (for lower tier allopathic and osteopathic schools) you will be accepted. Call me bold, but I am stating that if you apply to enough schools, you will get in. I know many, many people with worse extracurriculars and worst undergrad GPAs that are roming the halls of local hospitals as med students. I hope this calms some of your fears and just trust me, You Will Get In if you are committed!!!

Good luck on your way to being a physician! There is a cliche that is very much true which states "The only person that can stop you from achieving your dreams is yourself"! If you want it bad enough, no one can stop you from it.
 
Even the misguided effort questioning the need for posts of such content. Approval? Confidence? Of course not. Perspective, and by that I mean the perspective of a varied demographic and not just some admissions counselor for a specific university when the standards and criteria will vary from school to school. It seems that some of the responses on this forum to this type question are from people who actually have gone through the process or have done as much research as myself and, thus, are not 'clueless', but are actually quite informed and, hopefully, not agenda driven.

Although many variables go into the selection proces, not the least of which is the collective achievements of the pool of applicants in a given year, I believe it is overly simplifying things to declare the process entirely 'random'. There is going to be a degree of subjectivity, but there are also going to be trends, habits, consistencies, time varying environment, emphasis on certain criteria, etc. And based on my personal observation on this site, several are qualified to offer insight based on experience.

As for my personal interest? Given my status as a non-trad applicant, spending a big chunck of the family savings on this endeavor, working overtime and doing school full time, putting this much time, money, and energy into this pursuit, then yes, I'm going to take an active interest and elicit the insight of as many sources as I feel appropriate and that includes the academic counselors. When I consider that my application is for the admission year 2004, a mere one year away, and I have to plan for lost income, savings maximization, raising a family, and all of that fun stuff, then you can bet I am going to take an active interest. Why? You say it yourself, nobody knows the perfect formula for getting into medical school. The best you can do is assimilate all the information possible and then you can at least get a general feel for the feasability of reasonable consideration based on a more educated guess.

Call that vanity, call it insecurity, or call it whatever. I personally call it being responsible. And I don't mean to imply I am the only one in this boat either. Everyone has their issues to deal with, plans to make, and concerns about their future. That is precisely why you see the question posed on this forum and others like it.

Thanks again to everyone for the responses!
 
Top