MOVED Question:Non-traditional Student and School List/Ethos Fit

[AndrewTaylorStill's femur]

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[Bonne Nuit]

How should non-traditional applicants have gone about creating a school list? As much as we don't want to believe that admission committees can be ageist, some schools have taken less than 2 students over the age of 30 consistently per MSAR. From everything I have heard, it seems D.O. schools do not hold the same bias.

The ethos of the institution is very important to me. But how can one come to understand the rhythm of a school until they are a student? Having spent nearly all of my 20s in a laboratory, I am pursuing medicine to build relationships. Humanities in medicine are far more important to my interest profile than tinkering in a lab and never discovering the next great treatment. I truly want to build relationships with future patients in my community. I want to ensure I find the school that will train me to realize my vision.

I am a first-generation college student from a modest blue-collar corner of the Midwest. My upbringing may explain my distaste for pomp, prestige, and elitism. However, I do want my training to be excellent as possible.

How does one formulate a school list that fits their vision for their career and ensures excellence in their education? How does one balance this?

Just plugging some data into MSAR--my stats align with the University of Cincinnati and Icahn. A quick peek at the age distribution for these schools on MSAR is promising that they would not be leery of admitting an older student. But, this picture feels incomplete; I do not for a second think these institutions' missions align with my intent in practicing medicine. I am almost certain I would pursue a residency in internal medicine, med-peds, or PM&R possibly. None of these fields are particularly hard to match

So, how does one get a more complete feel for the quality of education and the beat of the institution, across both MD and DO schools?

Preface: I am a poor interviewer--nervous as can be. Truly, this is a problem I need to solve and trying many creative ways to attack this issue. I also have a history of "selling myself short." I am applying for a third cycle this coming year after two failed cycles--the first a failed DO cycle where I applied early decision: obviously the decision was "no." My second cycle, I ended up applying MD exclusively with an 11 point MCAT increase and two years more clinical experience. One interview; one rejection. "We are concerned about your horsepower to get through medical school. We would interview you again after we see your graduate school grades." MSAR reveals they have accepted a scant number of older students.

Checking the physiology graduate school box with a 4.0, and I am looking at another application cycle. I believe my philosophy aligns slightly better with rural DO schools, but I am open to any medical school that will provide an outstanding education for me as a clinician.

Are there any wise former or current non-trads who are navigating a similar path? Should I apply 50:50:: DO:MD?

A school list for the upcoming cycle--with the information above, does a school list below seem like a good plan? Would any of these schools be risky to attend? With everything I have mentioned above, should I add any schools.
CCOM Midwestern (this school is very geographically convenient)
Stritch is the best school for me geographically. Have an inkling that the med school dislikes reapplicants. And that secondary to my older age, "I would have an uphill climb."
UICOM--any campus, but I think Rockford may align best
Maybe Rush, Maybe RFU
MSU COM
KCU-COM
DMU-COM
ATSU-KCOM
MU-COM
OU-HCOM
KYCOM
CUSOM
SIU
SLU
Penn State
Cincinnati
Oakland University William Beaumont
Carle (poor fit mission-wise, good location for my life)
Medical College of Wisconsin
Loma Linda
Missouri


And shooting for the stars:
Dartmouth
McGill
Mayo

Hi there,

At age 34, I applied to a few dozen USMD programs and received 7 interviews and 5 acceptances. I applied solely based on the school list that the generous SDN admissions committee members provided me ahead of my cycle. They helped me cut through the fat of the MSAR and optimize my application strategy.

I did not get the sense that my age was holding me back in the application process, even though I am in the 99%ile of medical students in terms of age. In fact, I found my life experiences garnered a lot of interest from adcoms. You didn't say how old you are, but I caution you to not read too much into the MSAR stats. The reason these schools aren't matriculating a lot of students in the older age brackets is simply because we're a fairly rare breed.

I recommend re-posting this question in the WAMC forum: https://forums.studentdoctor.net/forums/what-are-my-chances-wamc-medical.418/ and follow their template precisely. To receive the best possible guidance, you will need to provide a lot more information than you provided here. You have a great graduate GPA, but that's only a small part of the puzzle.

But, generally speaking, a nontraditional's application strategy is similar to that of a traditional student: unless you are a truly superstar applicant (sky high grades and MCAT), you're playing a numbers game. This means applying to as many places as you can afford that are in line with your stats and extracurriculars, and the SDN adcoms can help you identify those programs.

At this point, you're on cycle #3 so applying as broadly as possible is going to be especially important for you. If you want to be a doctor, you need to be prepared to matriculate where you're accepted. If you receive multiple As, then you can start assessing how well the different programs fit with your vision and geographic preferences.

 

[AndrewTaylorStill's femur]

Hi there,

At age 34, I applied to a few dozen USMD programs and received 7 interviews and 5 acceptances. I applied solely based on the school list that the generous SDN admissions committee members provided me ahead of my cycle. They helped me cut through the fat of the MSAR and optimize my application strategy.

I did not get the sense that my age was holding me back in the application process, even though I am in the 99%ile of medical students in terms of age. In fact, I found my life experiences garnered a lot of interest from adcoms. You didn't say how old you are, but I caution you to not read too much into the MSAR stats. The reason these schools aren't matriculating a lot of students in the older age brackets is simply because we're a fairly rare breed.

I recommend re-posting this question in the WAMC forum: https://forums.studentdoctor.net/forums/what-are-my-chances-wamc-medical.418/ and follow their template precisely. To receive the best possible guidance, you will need to provide a lot more information than you provided here. You have a great graduate GPA, but that's only a small part of the puzzle.

But, generally speaking, a nontraditional's application strategy is similar to that of a traditional student: unless you are a truly superstar applicant (sky high grades and MCAT), you're playing a numbers game. This means applying to as many places as you can afford that are in line with your stats and extracurriculars, and the SDN adcoms can help you identify those programs.

At this point, you're on cycle #3 so applying as broadly as possible is going to be especially important for you. If you want to be a doctor, you need to be prepared to matriculate where you're accepted. If you receive multiple As, then you can start assessing how well the different programs fit with your vision and geographic preferences.

Thank you Bonne Nuit,
I did as you suggested, adding service hours, more numbers, and clinical hours