Non trad with family and responsibilities...what should they do?

[tuffguy13]

I can imagine a scenerio where a person who already has a career and possibly even family wants to go to medical school. With medical school competition very fierce, it seems like for traditional students its not so much about picking where you want to go but just getting into a program period.

I'm sure the same applies for non trad, the only problem is if a person has a career/family already, doesn't that kind of limit their choices as to where to go for medical school, especially geographically? I would assume that people who have a family and kids don't really have the option to just get up and leave everything behind for a few years...

What should a person in that situation do?

I was thinking in the event of rejection, keep re-applying at the same desired geographically close school until acceptance....otherwise I really don't know...

Anyone else have an experience similar to the one mentioned above want to share what they did?

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[sindadel]

My strategy was to apply narrowly the first time and then broadly the next application year (which would have been probably 2 years later due to residency requirements).

I have three kids. I applied to my local schools - one 5 minutes away and one 3 hours away. I got into the one 3 hours away and am commuting home on weekends, living apart from my husband and kids during the week. So far it's working well enough that we are going to continue.

Definitely make an appt with your local school and see what kinds of things they value. This is good because it helps determine whether they are a good match for your interests as well. You may find that there's a lot you don't care for.

Finally, I think it is very good to really bring the topic of moving onto the table. In order to have a realistic chance at med school, many people have to relocate. Look for career opportunities for your spouse, school districts, houses, cultural opportunities etc. in many other cities with med schools in reach. Consider moving and think about what that would look like. It's no more unreasonable to move for your career dreams than if your spouse's company transferred him/her and you had to move - that happens all the time.

 

[troublebubble]

We did this. It requires an absurd amount of advance planning the way we did it. My spouse, about five years ago, was unhappy with her job. She looked for new jobs in a city and state that had 3 med schools within a reasonable range so that I would have a lot of options. Then I worked my tail off on the MCAT so i could feel reasonably confident about getting into one of them. It has worked out.

Kill the MCAT and it will be a little less of an issue. But do be prepared to move, as sindadel said.

 

[cabinbuilder]

Since I am from Alaska where there are no medical schools i just applied broadly and went where they took me. I have two kids and it was irrelevant to me to move 2000 or 5000 miles. The cost was really the same. You just have to plan to quit your job and live on loans. Have good credit and a few open credit cards for emergency. Make sure your car is in good shape to last you through school. Pay your rent/daycare/groceries first before anything else and then stagger your bills if you have to. It's hard but doable.

 

[Nanon]

My family and I just moved 2000 miles for me to go to school... and I was pregnant, too. It's reaaaaalllly hard, but it's doable. The key is flexibility - how flexible is your spouse, how adaptable are your kids (and you!) - and disciplined planning. This has been a huge adjustment, but we're keeping our eye on the prize and know that this will benefit all of us. Plenty of families move for jobs, and that's how we look at it.

 

[nontrdgsbuiucmd]

What should a person in that situation do?

I was thinking in the event of rejection, keep re-applying at the same desired geographically close school until acceptance....otherwise I really don't know...

Anyone else have an experience similar to the one mentioned above want to share what they did?

Sure, what I did was to discuss med school with spouse to get her buy-in. The deal was that if I were to do this (all premed classes over a year or so fulltime work) that we would move if need be. Spouse was OK with this, or I would not have started down this path. For me, there was too much risk in taking all premed classes in order to only apply to a few local schools.

The possible problem with your idea above of "continuing applying to close school until acceptance" is that some schools only allow a few applications by an applicant. Even if the school allows it, if you've applied to the school numerous times and been turned down numerous times, your life is pretty much in limbo with no guarantee of acceptance at any point. Schools look for different things; maybe the nearby school is seeking a different applicant than one with your background, will you allow that to prevent you from becoming a physician?

The way that I got into my local school was to meet with admissions officers, find out what they valued most highly, gain those experiences, and clearly and repeatedly state that this was my top choice school and I was firmly committed to going there. And now I am!