Do Nontraditional Applicants have an Advantage/Disadvantage?

[kawi609]

Are there any advantages or disadvantages for being a nontraditional applicant? I'm a bio major and after high school I missed 5 years before attending college. Does that make me nontraditional?

What will I benefit out of being a nontraditional student?

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[esob]

You would be considered non trad but how you benefit depends on what you've learned/done in that time. Most non trads have had a job or some other real world responsibility like kids that should in theory make them a more mature individual. Those who have done well have the advantage of being able to demonstrate a skill set that most traditional students can't really lay claim to. Conversely, if the non trad has spent the last 5 years sponging off their parents and playing xbox, well then that's probably not probably going to look very good on application, lol.

 

[DrMikeP]

Are there any advantages or disadvantages for being a nontraditional applicant? I'm a bio major and after high school I missed 5 years before attending college. Does that make me nontraditional?

What will I benefit out of being a nontraditional student?

Yes you are a nontrad.

It's both an advantage and disadvantage and a lot will depends on how you package yourself. That depends mostly on how much you can make yourself look like a traditional student academically/gpa, LOR's, etc.

Advantages are often maturity, knowing what you want and life experience to know for sure, life experience for EC's, re-invention can be rewarded, etc

Disadvantages: Nontrads sometimes struggle getting back into the academic routine, sometimes gpa's have weaknesses that are difficult to overcome, some med schools have a bias toward those who have a certain cookie cutter profile, etc

Good luck

 

[Goro]

The bolded is the most important thing.

To disadvantages, one might add lack of research experience. Key word is "might" because adcoms know that non-trads have lives too.

Yes you are a nontrad.

It's both an advantage and disadvantage and a lot will depends on how you package yourself. That depends mostly on how much you can make yourself look like a traditional student academically/gpa, LOR's, etc.

Advantages are often maturity, knowing what you want and life experience to know for sure, life experience for EC's, re-invention can be rewarded, etc

Disadvantages: Nontrads sometimes struggle getting back into the academic routine, sometimes gpa's have weaknesses that are difficult to overcome, some med schools have a bias toward those who have a certain cookie cutter profile, etc

Good luck