Non-traditional students

[familydoc04]

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I'm taking a quick survey to find out what the term "Non-traditional Student" means to different people. If you consider yourself to be "non-traditional" please post why (can be multiple reasons). Thanks

 

[matopet1]

Maried with 2 kids and I am 29. That is non traditional. I am wait listed at GW and I got in to 4 other schools. Feel free to send me an email. --Good Luck!!

 

[freshity]

hi. i'm 28, a spanish major in college, worked in education for five years, and did a year of post-bacc work. decided to go to med school around age 25 or 26. i think i'm non-traditional because i'm older and seem to have a very different range of experiences than the majority of students i met at interviews and thru other venues.

 

[Nanon]

32, married, didn't go to college until I was 26, and didn't go to highschool. This meant that I had to do much of my college work at a community college.

 

[spring]

I'm 24, took 2 years off working as an HIV prevention educator for a couple of months,
and a Lab Tech at a cancer center for about 1.5 years. Will be starting med school this fall
and i'm soooo looking forward to it.

 

[wooo]

29 when I started college

33 starting med school 😀 🙂 😎 😀 😀 😀 😀

 

[wooo]

oops...34 starting med school.

My birthday is the day before orientation starts. 😱 😱 😱 😱

 

[punkin2]

I'm 26 now and I'm applying with hopes to start in the fall of 2002. I went straight to college out of high school, and then onto graduate school where I received a masters. I worked for a few years and took post-bac classes to finish up my science requirements.

 

[electra]

age: 33

went straight to college after HS an finished degree in music in 1988.

Worked in sales management for 8 years beofre returning to school in 1995.

Graduated May 2000, double degree, sciences.

April, 2001, accepted at med school and am beginning fall.

Speaking for myself, I consider most students over age 25 to be non-traditional, as well as those who leave other careers for school. And, let's face it, students who work FT during school are most assuredly non trads, compared to the average! 😉

electra

 

[Strom]

32 yo, 2 kids, married, got bs in psycology in 91, ran the family business for 6 years. returned to school for 3 years of post bacc premed, extensive volunteering as EMT and SAR member. Starting at Finch University Health Sciences in Chicago in July. Will start practicing medicine when I'm 39 years old 😱

Of course, a non-trad could just be somebody with six fingers or one ear bigger than the other. It depends on your perspective. 😛

 

[12R34Y]

i'm 25 y/o and worked full time as a paramedic for the last 4 years. i think non-trad is anyone who did not go the common route.......highschool, college, medschool all before the age of 22-23 years old.

later

 

[familydoc04]

Oops - so in all fairness. I should have posted my own info: 30, married, non-science major - going into second year of medical school. Thanks for all the responses.

 

[kd]

30, married, 2 graduate degrees in non-science fields, will be MS1 at East Tennessee State CoM starting in August.

 

[HomerJ]

28 and starting this Fall. Married and no kids (whew). Worked for 2 years out of HS before starting college. Major was in biology. Graduated in 98 and completed my Masters in biochem in 00 (00 looks odd). Being non-traditional gives you an advantage over traditional students (i.e., 22 and fresh out of college) and that is life experience. This is so valuable because you cannot learn this in class.

 

[Jamier2]

25, did two years in the Army right out of HS, waited another two years for the inspiration to enter medicine. Will be 27 when I start med school (hopefully) and 31 when I get done. 🙂

I've also been married for six years. 😀

 

[EUROdocMOM]

29 y/o married with 2 kids. I live in Europe and took the MCAT here in April. Graduated in '93 in Chem, but had other obligations to attend. I have been a stay at home Mom, and currently work with teens in a mentoring program.
I have also worked in wellness and prevention programs.
I think I'm pretty non-traditional, and determined to do whatever necessary to become a physician.

 

[ericmonty]

I think anyone who goes straight through undergrad and into medical school while majoring in a science and not having any external experience (job, volunteering, spouse, children, etc.) is considered a "traditional student". I majored in exercise science, which exposed me to the medical field (eventually leading me to realize that I want to be a physician). I did an internship in cardio-pulmonary rehab to graduate with my BS in Exercise Science. After graduation I worked as a medical assistant / stress test technician for six months at a cardiology group office. I started back to school in spring 2001 to complete my pre-med requirements while working at a hospital as a phlebotomist. I'll finish classes in spring 2002 and take the August MCAT, and hopefully secure a spot in medical school for the fall of 2003. I think I'm non-traditional, but most of all I feel very fortunate that I realized early that medicine is my calling (if I get accepted first time I'll be 26 starting med school!) 🙂

 

[WanabeDR]

What is the advantage of being Non-traditional student? 🙄 😛

 

[electra]

I don't know that there is an advantage to being a non-traditional student. It depends on the side you're looking on.

Non-trads (usually) have some increased life experience, which (for us) puts many events in life into perspective. It also fosters an attitude of "what does it take, and I will get the job done."

However, I think non-trads may face some discrimination from adcmons who question why we are starting a new career. We may also face some lack of support from friends and family, who question our decisions. And, let's face it, adding together a sometimes not-so stellar GPA to the pre req classes can really hurt.

And, many non-trads are forced to work quite a lot while in school, to support themselves and their families. That cn make it very hard to study and be involved in as many outside activities as we (and the adcoms) would like.

 

[RockOn]

25 y/o,decided to become a physician at 21 after voluntering as a reasearch assistant in a hospital. 7 1/2yrs to finish undergrad, did two yrs at community college (got out of high school by coasting and only career heading was "I like science"). Worked almost FT and commuted from parents house (read basement) entire time. Spent 1yr in AmeriCorps FT as an HIV educator/prevention counselor/ tester /community health outreach worker. Starting at a traditionally black college this fall because I like their focus and goals.(I'm white)

Funny thing is that my boss kept telling me to mark disadvantaged on my app. and tells me that I did a lot. I thought I was, at least, semi-normal. In my small world I guess I wasn't thinking that people got to go to college and someone else paid so they didn't have a job, didn't worry how to get the money for new brakes on their car, etc... I thought I had it made that my parents, although never having gone to college supported me and let me live at home, eat their food and use as much shampoo and water as I wanted. 🙂

 

[beached whale]

I consider myself a non-traditional student. 26, married, having a baby in November, graduated liberal arts in 97 with a concentration in Religion and Writing (minor in bio)and my junior year at Oxford university. Finished writing a novel before graduating. Then joined the Army after graduation (enlisted - not officer) as a combat medic for a year. After that, I established residency in NC and took my pre-med classes. Then found out (surprise!) that we are having a baby the year I am applying (this year). I just hope I don't find myself leaking during the interview.

 

[newgirl]

I will be 25 when I start in the fall - fine arts major in college - spent several years after graduating working for a fine arts bronze casting foundry and fulfilling pre-med requisites. 😛

 

[LabRat27]

I consider myself nontrad because in spite of the fact that I've wanted to be a doctor since I was a kid, I only recently got my act together and succeeded at getting into medical school!

I got a B.Sc. in Exercise Science and followed that with an M.Sc. in Epidemiology. I worked 2 years in clinical research, and decided to do a second bachelor's degree to complete my pre-req's and up my GPA. I finished my B.A. in Psychology and went back to work in research, but I'm starting med school this fall at the age of (nearly) 27. Also, I've been nearly-married (i.e. LiS) for over 5 years.

I think that being non-trad is a HUGE advantage. As long as you've shown that you can succeed in the typical pre-med classes, you have experiences and maturity that most 22-year-olds are still light years away from. I know that I am CERTAINLY nowhere near the person I was when I first finished undergrad, in spite of the fact that it was only 6 years ago! That showed especially at interviews. I didn't get interviews everywhere I applied, but I got into every school that interviewed me.

 

[EUROdocMOM]

HEY NON-TRADS,
what are you focusing on and highlighting in your personal statements? Or what did you ...for those already past this stage of the game...
I have heard that we should structure our essays a bit differently. I have so much to say, but am having trouble narrowing the field. I come from a non-research background, have average MCAT's, and average GPA (Chem Major) at a well respected school.
How far back should we go? Do these people care what I did in college almost a decade ago or should I focus more on the here and now????
ADVICE PLEASE!!!

 

[harleyman]

38 years old, married(second time) 5 kids, owned own business up till 98, received BS in Chem last month start medschool in August 01 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀

 

[WanabeDR]

Well, am I NON-TRAD or not!
I am 22yr/o. When I graduate from high school in Cairo, I went straight to VET-SCHOOL(they have different system over there). It wasn't my choice, but I had to get in(you must have O/GPA of 98% to get in med-school, 96%Dental school, and 94% Vet-school 🙂 ). I was at that college for 2yrs, then applied for US immigrant, and get accepted. I left that college without any regret, because I never wanted to be Veterinarian(I hate dogs 🙁). Anyway I came here and start college all over again. I have to more yrs to go 🙁, which mean I will be probably 25yr/o, when I start med-school..aaahhhhh I don't even know if my Girl friend will be patient with me that long. I really won't blame here if she leave me 🙁 🙁because of that. 😡 I hope Not.

 

[pcl]

Originally posted by EUROdocMOM:
•HEY NON-TRADS,
what are you focusing on and highlighting in your personal statements? Or what did you ...for those already past this stage of the game...ADVICE PLEASE!!!•

I'm 25 soon to be 26. I've been a practicing Industrial Engineer in a hospital for the past 3 years, working on projects to help the hospital/ clinics become more efficient, implement new technology, evaluate our existing services/layouts/staffing/access, etc. I had no idea I would get bitten by the medicine bug until I worked in the hospital. I never took bio or orgo in my undergrad, had to take them later. I've spent the last two years taking prereqs, trying to figure out if I should go for MD, PA, DO or RN... I just knew I needed something more clinical once I was in this role for a while. It has definitely given me a different perspective on how & why I am am doing this than most other people.

In my personal statement, I focused on the life experience that drew me to healthcare, the volunteer and work experiences that have convinced me that I can do this, and (very briefly) why ad coms should ignore my freshman year grades (Ugh! 2.5!)

Turns out I will be attending CWRU in the fall. I have met several other non-trad students there including a single mom!

Good Luck non-trads! Rock on!

PCL

 

[beached whale]

As far as the personal statement goes, I think we have it a bit easier since the most common question people seem to have is what made us change our mind from a previous career path to this one? Or stated differently, why didn't we pursue medicine in the first place? I think approaching your statement from that angle, instead of attempting to write a biography of every life experience we have had since high school is a good place to start. When I am confronted with an open ended essay question like the personal statement, it helps me to imagine the unanswered question the reader is wondering about and focus my essay on that topic. Your experiences (work, volunteering, school, etc) will already be on your application - this is your chance to focus on what has been pivotal for you, to highlight your own personal journey to the place you are at now (applying to med school).

 

[familydoc04]

Hey - glad to see the topic getting so much attention. In terms of the personal statement, I focused on answering the questions Why medicine? and Why now? and if room, What will you do with the MD/what are your professional interests. I used the details of what I had been up to over the 7 years before I applied to help with the answer. Like with personal statements for "traditional" students, you want to avoid simply making a list of accomplishments - they have that already. I think admissions committees look at grades and test scores to see if you are up for the challenge of medical school, so unless there are skeletons you need to explain (As in why you failed that course freshman year of college, but are a brilliant student now...), I would not waste space trying to convince them that you are up to the challenge. I also understand the format of the AMCAS has changed somewhat and I am not really familiar with it. You may have done many diverse things - try to focus on those that fit with the theme to answer those questions...Good luck!

 

[Strom]

😀 Looks like I'm the winner. Any old fogies out their who care to compare DOB's

Strom 'prunes good' Thurmond

 

[Nova]

I'll bite. 😉

I'm currently 33, will be 34 this November (that's a birth year of 1967). I left high school and attended an acting college in New York City which I left after discovering that most stage actors are, frankly, terrible people to other actors. I lived in NYC for two years before moving to Allentown to live with friends, where I spent some time doing various jobs as a temporary secretary.

Then I met a very special man and moved in with him. Three years later, I got a job at AOL in their tech support department. For five years, I worked there until I reached just about the top tech rung at AOL, a job that has no corollary in any other field. Part UNIX programmer, part systems admin, part network admin. I'm proud of that accomplishment. I was one of the only women working in that department that wasn't an administrator of some sort. And I did it all with OJT, no formal schoolwork and no degree.

Anyway, I retired from AOL by selling stock options and began running a horse breeding facility. As I described it to a friend, it was like going from being Mike Tyson to being Ghandi. My high-stress high-action lifestyle abruptly became calm and cool.

It's driving me nuts. And I've had a revelation -- I'm sick of living my life for me and me alone. Tell ya what, I've had the money, I've had the prestige. It's not enough. I want a job where I can put my talents (ability to learn new tasks quickly, good intelligence, ability to empathize) to use, to good use. I figure, I've been given gifts, and how better to honor the giver of those gifts than to put them to use, right?

Now, is that non-traditional enough for ya? 😉

Nova

 

[Big Bill]

Originally posted by Strom:
• 😀 Looks like I'm the winner. Any old fogies out their who care to compare DOB's

Strom 'prunes good' Thurmond•

How old are you? Im 35.

 

[jf]

Decided to return to school at 25 to pursue medicine. Graduated college in 95, and worked as a trader on Wall St. for 2 1/2 years. Went back to school to do the pre-req's as I was a pol. sci major undergrad without science as a background. Involved in neuro research for last 1 1/2. In addition, I have been working and volunteering as an EMT, and more recently as a paramedic for the last 3 years.

Starting med school this August at 28 years old, yahoo!

I'm a non-trad because I am older and wiser, ha ha.

A long a tough road, but surmountable!

Good luck to all!

 

[sparkle]

You young'uns got me feelin' old. I'm 40, female, never married, no kids. Hold a bachelor's in music, a masters in non profit business and certificates in other disciplines. Self employed for many years, worked for a variety of employers in a variety of positions. Working full time now while taking my premed requirements and preparing for the MCAT. In my highschool yearbook I said I wanted to be a doctor...I've taken the scenic route. Responsibilities to older parents (now deceased) and having to pay my own way through school dictated many of my life decisions. Now I'm having a blast in all these fantastic science classes and finally getting it all right.

P.S. Did I win the old lady award?

 

[Big Bill]

P.S. Did I win the old lady award?

Glad to see you are doing well and for your info there is a lady who is on the 'Old Pre-Meds' meesage board at Yahoo groups who I think is getting ready to start her internship and she is 53. So no I would have to say your are not the oldest here. 😀 😀

 

[BeckyG]

I agree with everyone re: the advantages of applying as a non-trad student. I am 26 (applied when 25) and will be at UCSF this Fall. As someone else posted, I think one thing non-trad students have to prove to adcoms is their motivation and knowledge of what a career in medicine entails (more so than traditional applicants). Other than that, we have an advantage in the depth and breadth of our experiences -- all of which should be brought out in some way in the personal statement.

In my personal statement, I discussed (creatively, I hope) why I wanted to go in to medicine by talking about 4 major experiences, what they meant to me and how they would prepare me for medicine. For instance, I talked about an incident in college as a junior advisor when I had to help one of my first-year students struggle with depression -- all while she was standing on the roof of our dorm! I discussed what helping her meant to me (e.g., how much I like to help people) and what the experience taught me. In addition, although I did not highlight this, it hopefully displayed my leadership capabilities and abilities to cope under pressure.

So, I think if you write about a couple of experiences that had an important influence on you, taught you something about why you might want to go in to medicine, and demonstrates some of your strengths -- and then tie that in with info about your motiviation for medicine, you should have a very powerful statement.

Also, like others have said, don't worry about explaining negatives, unless you think they will bar you from receiving an interview invitation. Example: I went to law school for 6 weeks after college. After much deliberation, I did not discuss this in my statement. Rather, I talked about how I had LEARNED what kind of career I wanted from my post-college experiences. Of course, during interviews, some people asked about the law school and I dealt with it then. Some did not care; others (like Georgetown) could not get over it.

I hope this is helpful. Good luck to everyone.

 

[Harbindoc]

Becky G,

I sent you a private message. 😉

 

[whynotme?]

Ok, here goes....I am a mother of 3 (all under the age of 6). I currently hold a B.S. in Special Education and a Master's degree in School Psychometry. I have worked in a physical therapy clinic as a technician( and this was before P.T.A's so I did a lot of wound debrisment,range of motion, etc), have run a grant funded program for children with disabilities, worked in a nursing home etc.... I think non-traditional qualifies as anyone who doesn't go straight through college and directly into med school. Just my 2 cents. Good luck to all.
K.

 

[Barton]

Do I qualify as a Non-Trad? I am 23. I graduated with a degree in history last december. I am applying to med school for fall 2002. I will spend the next school year taking bio-science courses at my local univ. I have completed my pre-med prereqs, but want to bolster my biosci. Any thoughts?

 

[AJM]

Originally posted by Barton:
Do I qualify as a Non-Trad? I am 23. I graduated with a degree in history last december. I am applying to med school for fall 2002. I will spend the next school year taking bio-science courses at my local univ. I have completed my pre-med prereqs, but want to bolster my biosci. Any thoughts?

I don't think I would consider you a non-traditional applicant. While your history major is more interesting than the typical biology degree, it is very common for students to have non-biology degrees. Regarding your year off -- your time off sounds more like you are taking time to apply and to take some more classes (an extension of your undergraduate education). To give you some perspective, in my entering class in medical school, the majority of students took at least one year off before starting med school, and most of those students did not consider themselves non-traditional.
But then again, those definitions are not black and white, and applicants consider themselves non-traditional for many reasons.

 

[Barton]

ajm- thanks for your evaluation. It's actually good to know that I'm not the only one doing it this way.

 

[John DO]

I'm 27, married eight years, two children (6 and almost 2), and have been an Optician for eight years. I always wanted to study medicine, but was unable because I was the primary caregiver for my ill in-laws (one had multiple myeloma and the other heart disease and diabetes). I love who I am now, but couldn't have arrived here without the sum total of my experiences!

 

[spacecadet]

I'm 31, have a master's degree in Aerospace Engineering, and I'm applying for the class of 2002. I've worked in industry for about 8 years and now I've decided to go into medicine. I also have a 16 month-old son.

Pam

 

[8deuce]

hey everyone!

let's begin. i'm 31 and a father of 2 fantastic boys. i recently completed my first two years of college at the community college and now studying at a university. from high school i worked for two years and then decided i was in need of discipline so i joined the army. i soon went to airborne school and did great so i went to ranger school but messed up my knee in the 3rd week so i got dropped. was then stationed in ft. bragg,nc in the great 82nd airborne division. i served and fought in the Persian Gulf War and luckily did not get hurt. got honorably discharged and then went to work in the real world for a pharmaceutical company for 4 years. i always wanted to become a doctor so i decided to go to college full time. but just as this began my wife passed away and it took me about a year to get back into the normalcy of life. i then began work as a pharm tech and my hopes of becoming a doctor were alive again. i then went back to college and have not stopped. all while having another child, working, school, and tutoring at a mentoring program for inner city youth. i will be taking my mcat next april and will apply to about 30 schools. oh i'm a urm also. now is that non-trad enough? take care all! and good luck to all the non-trads. we rule!!!!!!! 😎

 

[army doc 2B]

I am 26 year-old Army Medical Service Corps Captain that will be heading off to the USUHS this fall. I graduated from Tulane University in 97 with a BSE in Biomedical Engineering. I went into the the Army to pay back my scholarship and ended up working as an environmental engineer. Even though I had always intended to go to med school, I got a little burned out from E school and decided to hold off for a few years. I completed the rest of my pre-reqs and applied last year only to be wait-listed. I am completely psyched to be starting this fall. It seems like it has taken awhile, but I wouldn't trade my experiences for the world! Good luck to all going through the process! 🙂

 

[GusAristidesLaskaris]

38-years-old, former Marine Infantryman (1983-1991), Current Registered Professional Civil Engineer.

I have a wife, two kids, and four dogs.

I'm starting at LSU-Shreveport School of Medicine in August.

 

[Big Bill]

Devildog, Congrats on your acceptance to med school. I will be Kinda in the same boat as to getting in at 38 hopefully. what do you think of navy HPSP would it be something you would consider. If I get in Im thinking about Navy or Army. Im a little torn between serving with the marines and having to delay residency due to GMO tour. Or going with Army and moving. Semper Fi