Non-Traditional Students

[MedProdigy]

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In general, what do med schools think about applicants who have been working in a business field for several years before applying to med school? Plus, Minus, or Doesn't Really Matter?

 

[Mbeas]

dude, come on...how many more threads are you gonna make about topics that have already been discussed? search function.

 

[goldenwest]

Hey, bud! Glad to hear from you again. 🙂 Let me be a straight shooter. This should probably go over in the non-trad forum with similar, related questions. If you take a quick peek at the forum hierarchy it may reveal some new forums you didn't even know existed. There's tons of fun to be had on SDN if you play by the rules lol! 😀👍

 

[slatermd]

In general, what do med schools think about applicants who have been working in a business field for several years before applying to med school? Plus, Minus, or Doesn't Really Matter?

The general thought about non-trads is that their decision to pursue medicine may be better thought-out than a 21 year-old's. You could, of course, prove them wrong.

To get into med school you have to make a compelling case for why you want to be a doctor, and not something else. Older applicants who have been/done something else, have a little extra leverage.

 

[MedProdigy]

Hey, bud! Glad to hear from you again. 🙂 Let me be a straight shooter. This should probably go over in the non-trad forum with similar, related questions. If you take a quick peek at the forum hierarchy it may reveal some new forums you didn't even know existed. There's tons of fun to be had on SDN if you play by the rules lol! 😀👍

Goldenwest, once again, I don't know why you don't just ignore the post. Stop ruining decent topics with your mindless garbage.

 

[goldenwest]

Goldenwest, once again, I don't know why you don't just ignore the post. Stop ruining decent topics with your mindless garbage.

I don't see how one measly post of mine can ruin a topic. I'm only offering these suggestions to the threads that need it. Some are pertinent. Also, it's not mindless garbage - it's just the way the forum works. Nobody likes spam. It's not my intention to piss you off; it's my intention to get it through to you that there is no reason to be creating so many threads in inappropriate forums with easy questions when you have google and an SDN search function.

 

[wrigley09]

I quit my job of 4 years in the energy industry (I did marketing) to do my prereqs for med school. I think it helped me tremendously...the fact that I quit a good job with a great salary and benefits to pursue a career in medicine spoke volumes to my commitment. I used my personal statement to tell my story and talk about my old job, which probably made it stand out a little bit. Also, my experience gave me a huge advantage in interviewing. In general, when you've worked in business for a while, you're used to talking to older people, used to interviewing and are more relaxed in general. I think that my essay and interviews alone got me an early acceptance (my MCAT score was slightly low, and my GPA was only a little above average).

I also second what the person said earlier in the thread. Check out the non-trad boards. There are a lot of us, and those boards can be a valuable resource! Good luck 🙂

 

[phltz]

It varies a lot from school to school. Hopkins, for example, has a reputation for preferring students pretty much straight out of college, while Columbia really seems to like people with more life experience.

 

[mauberley]

Goldenwest, once again, I don't know why you don't just ignore the post. Stop ruining decent topics with your mindless garbage.

The advice to post in the non-trad forum still stands, however. Many non-trads who would be able to help you dare not venture into the pre-allo forum.

 

[Geekchick921]

Moving to the Non-Trad forum per the OP's request.

 

[Helen Wheels]

IMHO, it is a plus. I think most schools appreciate applicants that have a few years of work experience under their belts. Also, medicine does have a business side to it. I noticed several med schools when I was applying that offered a joint MD/MBA. Still, don't expect your real world non trad experience to get you in without the grades and MCAT.

 

[n3xa]

Also, my experience gave me a huge advantage in interviewing. In general, when you've worked in business for a while, you're used to talking to older people, used to interviewing and are more relaxed in general.

Sometimes I regret going to graduate school prior to applying to medical school, but those times are far and few between.

If I can handle someone giving me a picture of a molecule and asking me how I would go about synthesizing it during an interview, I'd like to think I can handle almost anything!