Q: I'm a nontraditional applicant with a professional career. I am considering medical school. Is there a resource where I can find general information concerning the application process?
A: AAMC web page contains a variety of resources. Also, the MSAR material (available at various libraries, premed advisors offices and directly from the AAMC) is 'highly recommended for all prospective applicants'. The document includes various data concerning applicant pools and individual schools.
Q: I am a nontraditional applicant with many transcripts from many programs including Ugrad, Post Bacc, and Grad courses. How are GPA's computed by AMCAS?
A: AMCAS computes GPAs for each of Fresh, So, Jun, Sen, PostBacc, Cumulative Ugrad and Grad and for each of BCPM, AO, and TOTAL (BCPM + AO).
Q: Are AMCAS post bacc GPAs within BCPM AO and TOTAL broken down by their year of completion?
A: No. AMCAS collects all posbacc courses within their respective areas (BCPM / AO) and reports their respective averages; e.g., Postbacc BCPM GPA is one number, Postbacc AO GPA is one number, and Postbacc TOTAL GPA is one number
Q: Are AMCAS Grad GPAs within BCPM AO and TOTAL broken down by their year of completion?
A: No. AMCAS collects all graduate courses within their respective areas (BCPM / AO) and reports their respective averages; e.g., grad BCPM GPA is one number, grad AO GPA is one number, and grad TOTAL GPA is one number
Q: I am a nontraditional applicant looking to expand my connections and gain general feedback. Who can I ask to help me with writing my personal statement (PS) for medical school?
A: Most if not all medical schools have a diversity office charged with helping minority, female, and non-traditional applicants who are applying to medical school. You should contact your state schools and find out whether they offer PS advice or workshops through the diversity office. You can also ask other SDN members to read and critique your PS.
Q: I am a nontraditional applicant and have been out of college for several years. What do I do about getting letters of recommendation (LORs) from science or non-science professors?
A: If you are a graduate or post-bac student, ask your current professors to write LORs. If you have been working full-time with no classes for several years, you may be allowed to substitute employment letters. However, some schools may require refresher coursework and letters from those professors. Other potential sources of LORs for non-trads include volunteer coordinators, physicians whom you have shadowed, or researchers for whom you have volunteered. Contact the individual schools for more information about appropriate sources of LORs.
Q: I am a nontraditional applicant without access to premedical advising and coordination services. How do I coordinate sending LORs to medical schools?
A: One option is to use an electronic LOR clearinghouse like
Interfolio : Recommenders submit letters directly to Interfolio, and you then forward the letters electronically or by postal service to respective schools. Alternately, ask recommenders to send individual letters to each school where you complete a secondary. If you apply to a large number of schools this may be problematic. It is highly recommended to follow standards rules of professional etiquette in these matters; e.g., Always provide your LOR writers with addressed, stamped envelopes etc.
Q: I am a nontraditional applicant without access to a pre-med advisor, and I need some help to figure out how to make my application competitive for admission to medical school. Where do I start?
A: Call all of your state schools, and schedule an appointment to meet with the admissions dean at one or more of them. Bring copies of all of your transcripts, your MCAT scores if you have them, and a CV listing your activities, employment history, and awards. Leave your ego at home. Ask this person what you can do to improve your application and your chances for admission. You will get relevant personal feedback, you will gain a valuable contact at that school, and you will be given a very frank and specific set of criteria detailing what they are looking for in their successful applicants. Then you can come up with a specific plan to improve your application based on their assessment of your shortcomings.
Q: Are there special factors that admissions committees consider for nontraditional students?
A: The motivation for the career switch of a nontraditional applicant is a factor unique to nontraditional students. Consequently, it can be of common interest to admission committees.
Q: Are there schools 'known' for having interest in 'nontraditional students'?
A: 25+ candidates are universally welcome to apply to all schools.
