- Joined
- May 14, 2015
- Messages
- 3
- Reaction score
- 3
New to SDN! Hi!
I'm a 27 year old non-trad pre-medical student currently completing a Bio/psych dual major at a (reputable) state university. I'm also a single parent to a seven year old! My story unfolds like this:
Attended college out of high school as a full-scholarship philosophy major with vague pre-medical leanings, though I performed only averagely (3.2gpa), then left school abruptly. Ended up traveling across America on a bicycle for a year, writing short stories and then (surprise!) starting a family.
Returned to my native New Orleans, bought a gutted house in the ninth-ward (it's almost done...six years later), and completed an associates' level nursing program at a pretty good school in town. I just couldn't shake the desire for a career in healing, but wasn't in a position to go pre-med; I needed a paycheck. It was a tremendously rewarding experience, though. I worked critical care for a year (oh, those long, 12+ hour nights) before getting lined up with a wonderful Case Management job for an insurance company (you've heard of them).
I make my own hours and meet with clients in their homes, as well as with their doctors/providers. I do health education, case management (think medical social work), coordination of services, medication reconciliation/management, and a short list of other things, working predominantly with the chronically ill and routinely hospitalized.
I also volunteer all over the place...in New Orleans, there is always a need somewhere. I'm a volunteer nurse educator for my daughter's charter school, where I teach hand washing, talk about diet, do little educational programs about the human body, etc. I also work with the local HOP clinic doing outreach.
Now I'm back in school and making excellent grades, as in nothing that doesn't start with A. Never knew I liked hard science quite this much. I finish the bio portion of my degree next Spring (including stats, biochem, immunology, genetics, mole bio, along with all the prereqs), apply for med school, and finish up the psych half of the program the following two semesters.
My question is this:
I don't think I'm a terrible candidate, especially given my interest in primary care and the fact that I'm very much OK with (if not preferential to) a DO program. However, at the risk of getting cocky, I'm starting to wonder whether I'd be reasonable to apply to some of the dreamier schools: Tulane, Vanderbilt, Mayo, SF, etc. Nothing is stopping me from doing what I've always wanted to do and become a doctor. But I'm curious how some of the higher caliber schools react to non-traditional students that don't have a ton of time in the lab, but are extremely passionate about primary/preventative/family care nonetheless.
I'm sure not cut out to be some CVT surgeon: I'm not part of any sexy research studies, and haven't logged a lot of voluntary lab hours. But I do believe my resume is half-way decent, and only set to improve. Do I have a shot at higher tier schools, or should I stick with the little DO programs I initially thought were pretty much the only option?
Thanks
I'm a 27 year old non-trad pre-medical student currently completing a Bio/psych dual major at a (reputable) state university. I'm also a single parent to a seven year old! My story unfolds like this:
Attended college out of high school as a full-scholarship philosophy major with vague pre-medical leanings, though I performed only averagely (3.2gpa), then left school abruptly. Ended up traveling across America on a bicycle for a year, writing short stories and then (surprise!) starting a family.
Returned to my native New Orleans, bought a gutted house in the ninth-ward (it's almost done...six years later), and completed an associates' level nursing program at a pretty good school in town. I just couldn't shake the desire for a career in healing, but wasn't in a position to go pre-med; I needed a paycheck. It was a tremendously rewarding experience, though. I worked critical care for a year (oh, those long, 12+ hour nights) before getting lined up with a wonderful Case Management job for an insurance company (you've heard of them).
I make my own hours and meet with clients in their homes, as well as with their doctors/providers. I do health education, case management (think medical social work), coordination of services, medication reconciliation/management, and a short list of other things, working predominantly with the chronically ill and routinely hospitalized.
I also volunteer all over the place...in New Orleans, there is always a need somewhere. I'm a volunteer nurse educator for my daughter's charter school, where I teach hand washing, talk about diet, do little educational programs about the human body, etc. I also work with the local HOP clinic doing outreach.
Now I'm back in school and making excellent grades, as in nothing that doesn't start with A. Never knew I liked hard science quite this much. I finish the bio portion of my degree next Spring (including stats, biochem, immunology, genetics, mole bio, along with all the prereqs), apply for med school, and finish up the psych half of the program the following two semesters.
My question is this:
I don't think I'm a terrible candidate, especially given my interest in primary care and the fact that I'm very much OK with (if not preferential to) a DO program. However, at the risk of getting cocky, I'm starting to wonder whether I'd be reasonable to apply to some of the dreamier schools: Tulane, Vanderbilt, Mayo, SF, etc. Nothing is stopping me from doing what I've always wanted to do and become a doctor. But I'm curious how some of the higher caliber schools react to non-traditional students that don't have a ton of time in the lab, but are extremely passionate about primary/preventative/family care nonetheless.
I'm sure not cut out to be some CVT surgeon: I'm not part of any sexy research studies, and haven't logged a lot of voluntary lab hours. But I do believe my resume is half-way decent, and only set to improve. Do I have a shot at higher tier schools, or should I stick with the little DO programs I initially thought were pretty much the only option?
Thanks
