Non-traditional applicants to elite medical school examples

[szechuan_sauced]

Hi Everyone!
Can non-traditional folks who got into great medical schools share their journeys?

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[Dorodo07]

Hehe what’s “great” for you?

 

[Nontrad_FL_LGBT]

I got into UVM and I think it's a great school. It's not T20. 🤷‍♂️

 

[szechuan_sauced]

Hehe what’s “great” for you?

T20 or whatever their dream school was!

 

[szechuan_sauced]

I got into UVM and I think it's a great school. It's not T20. 🤷‍♂️

What was your journey like? e.g., what did you do for clinical hours, letter of recs, etc

 

[Nontrad_FL_LGBT]

What was your journey like? e.g., what did you do for clinical hours, letter of recs, etc

N

MD & DO Post in: 'WAMC - Nontrad Career Changer ~3.4 cGPA, ~3.6 sGPA 509 MCAT'

Jan 30, 2024

I apologize @chilly_md , I typed up a long post that apparently never sent. tl;dr, I had to leave off some schools that didn't accept online coursework for certain labs. I did add Wayne and Oakland, typo on my part from editing last year's WAMC list I guess. If I have to re-app, will def be sending DO this time, I appreciate the recs.

In good news, I just got my first II today, from UVM! So stoked, they're my top choice so please wish me luck!

• Nontrad_FL_LGBT

• 

 

[Pile O' Nephritis]

Hi Everyone!
Can non-traditional folks who got into great medical schools share their journeys?

They're all great!

 

[ttwhite]

Are you aware of any list of schools that are okay with online pre-recs, including labs?
I spent a few hours scanning the big 150 page AAMC MSAR PDF, trying to figure out what schools accept online. It would be a lot of work to clean up this list -- i.e. verifying completeness, and accuracy. Also, there are caveats ofc -- e.g. UA Tucson doesn't accept online biochem. And this list doesn't include any DO schools.

N

MD & DO Post in: 'WAMC - Nontrad Career Changer ~3.4 cGPA, ~3.6 sGPA 509 MCAT'

Jan 30, 2024

I apologize @chilly_md , I typed up a long post that apparently never sent. tl;dr, I had to leave off some schools that didn't accept online coursework for certain labs. I did add Wayne and Oakland, typo on my part from editing last year's WAMC list I guess. If I have to re-app, will def be sending DO this time, I appreciate the recs.

In good news, I just got my first II today, from UVM! So stoked, they're my top choice so please wish me luck!

• Nontrad_FL_LGBT

• 

There are a lot of caveats, I'm sure there are many inaccuracies and very incomplete, but this is what I got? I have to assume others have refined a list somewhere...

UA

AZ PHX

Mayo AZ

U BC?

medcol Wisconsin​

Wash State

U Wash

Loma Linda

Standard

NYU

Vandy

UC Davis

UCI

UCR

UCSD

Colorado?

FSU?

?Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science​

?MSU

?UM

?missouri-colombia​

UNLV

Northeast ohio

?Univ Utah

?Drexel

UCF?

FIU?

 

[Nontrad_FL_LGBT]

You don't want to apply to a bunch of random state schools. Most of the public schools preference their own residents, that's another thing you should scan on MSAR. As a result, a bunch of those are probably not worth applying for.

 

[Pile O' Nephritis]

Taking pre-reqs online is not recommended. Even at schools who "accept" them it may make you significantly less competitive. You need to e-mail schools individually asking about their preferences. Make a template e-mail and send it to the schools, it should not take long

 

[Jball43]

Hi Everyone!
Can non-traditional folks who got into great medical schools share their journeys?

I wouldn’t say I got into an elite school, but I got into the top medical school in my state, which was my #1 overall choice out of the three schools in my state. It took me three years to do all the pre-requisites, working full time, and eventually, studying for the MCAT. I didn’t worry about min maxing, I just did what I could to get by. I took classes wherever, in whatever form I could. In the end, I got a nice scholarship and I’m going to be an MD without leaving my family behind. I think being a non traditional is a great asset, lean into it.

 

[ttwhite]

I wouldn’t say I got into an elite school, but I got into the top medical school in my state, which was my #1 overall choice out of the three schools in my state. It took me three years to do all the pre-requisites, working full time, and eventually, studying for the MCAT. I didn’t worry about min maxing, I just did what I could to get by. I took classes wherever, in whatever form I could. In the end, I got a nice scholarship and I’m going to be an MD without leaving my family behind. I think being a non traditional is a great asset, lean into it.

Thanks for sharing dude! Even if it's not the norm, helps to hear examples. It's stressful to rearrange your life to get the pre-med work, yet get the impression that the way you're going about it is nuking your chances. If it's the path you're taking, make the best of it

 

[xDNA]

MD 2° = 25 | II = 8 | A = 5
LM = ~57
WARS = 50
sGPA 3.4x cGPA 3.0x DIY POST BAC 3.8 (Aug2020) 493 MCAT ---> (May2021) 502 MCAT
URM - Non-Trad
I applied to 27 schools (all allopathic) in total iirc. I believe ~5 of the 27 I applied to were T20, I was fortunate to get WL --> A from one of the t20 schools. The other 4 As were low-mid tier schools

EDIT: Career changer, Father of 2, former NICU RN. Just strong "journey traveled" type application. Disadvantaged, first gen american, first to go to college.

 

[juicy_scooby]

I have 9 A's this cycle, 7 DO and 2 MD, and will be attending Dartmouth for med school.
GPA 3.3 total, though in undergrad it was a 2.9 or so. MCAT 511. 28 years old.

Lots of things done in the last 10 years, but I think the biggest factor was my career as a respiratory therapist for the past 3 years. Doing ECMO and working at a major teaching hospital helped with connections and stuff too. Needless to say, this is like a best case scenario for me in so many ways. This was a big reach school for me, getting in still feels surreal.

Happy to answer more questions if you're curious. It's unlikely but possible!!

 

[Z_C]

Hi Everyone!
Can non-traditional folks who got into great medical schools share their journeys?

I'm happy to DM! What in particular are you looking for?

 

[ttwhite]

MD 2° = 25 | II = 8 | A = 5
LM = ~57
WARS = 50
sGPA 3.4x cGPA 3.0x DIY POST BAC 3.8 (Aug2020) 493 MCAT ---> (May2021) 502 MCAT
URM - Non-Trad
I applied to 27 schools (all allopathic) in total iirc. I believe ~5 of the 27 I applied to were T20, I was fortunate to get WL --> A from one of the t20 schools. The other 4 As were low-mid tier schools

EDIT: Career changer, Father of 2, former NICU RN. Just strong "journey traveled" type application. Disadvantaged, first gen american, first to go to college.

Can you elaborate on 'journey traveled'?

 

[xDNA]

I mean, like I wasnt super strong academically. but I overcame alot. Dad HS drop out immigrant, mom had significant health issues and was legally blind significant part of my life limiting her ability to work. We suffered from homelessness several times growing up. Navigated college by myself because no one in my family ever went to college. Ended up having to drop out of the initial UG I went to because my family couldnt afford it. So then I went to an associates program and worked the entire time to put myself through college. both associates and bachelors degree.

 

[GreenIsAnAwesomeColor]

Edit

 

[schmoob]

Jonny Kim

 

[DivorceLawyer2011]

Hi Everyone!
Can non-traditional folks who got into great medical schools share their journeys?

Non-trad here. I'm a 41-year-old MS1 attending med school in NYC. While I'm sure it's cliche of me to say, I tend to be of the belief that all U.S. med schools are "great" in their own way. Frankly any school listed in the WDMS that will get you an MD/DO/MBBS etc gets the job done in my book. I've found that so much of med school is your own independent learning outside of class.

In any event, to answer your question: prior to med school I was a lawyer and law professor for about 15-ish years. I did my undergrad at a public university, grad school at a mid-tier ivy, earned another graduate degree at a more well-known ivy, and then of course law school as part of a joint masters/JD program. After law school I earned an advanced law degree at a T20 law school. I had a few publications - not many, probably around 10 at the time I applied to med school. Only one of them was what I view as a "significant" publication in law, but just the same I was proud of them and happy with their quality. Prior to grad education I was in the US Marine Corps.

Med school has been great so far. Sometimes I think my memory isn't what it once was, but I'm thankful for the opportunity to be here. My classmates have been very kind and supportive. I originally thought that perhaps I would be a bit of an "other" given my age, but I haven't found that to be the case.

The biggest change in my journey has been economic. It was a very large lifestyle change: I was a partner at a very established law firm, and likely will never earn as a physician anything close to my income as a lawyer. Before I applied, I was worried that my wife would be disappointed/upset/(maybe even angry), but she understood that I was unhappy as a lawyer and was (and still is) very supportive. At the end of the day your family is there with you for the long-haul, so I wouldn't have gone to med school without my wife and daughter's support.

Hope this helps!