Nontrad introduction: Ready to go for it

[Mountain King]

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Hey fellow nontrads! I look forward to getting to know you fine ladies and gents as I go through this process.

I could use some advice on my situation. A quick summary of my journey: having no direction and being in a terrible relationship wreaked havoc on my undergraduate experience.

The bad:

• Started undergrad in Fall 2004, finished in Spring 2012.
• I took time off school twice for years at a time to work in retail because I had no direction in my life. I did a pre-health major because my dad said "You should be a pharmacist or something."
• 14 withdrawals with no good excuse for them really. 5 in a semester of 2006, and 9 in spring 2009, summer 2009, and fall 2009.
• Although some professors that I had years ago would have written me letters then, I no longer think they will remember me.
• I believe my GPA's are low: MD cGPA = 3.33 & sGPA = 3.27 ------------ DO cGPA = 3.41 & sGPA = 3.39

The good:

• Did alright in my prerequisite courses
  • Gen Chem I / Lab: A- / A-
  • Gen Chem II / Lab: A+ / A
  • Bio I / Lab: A- / A
    
  • Bio II / Lab: C --> A+ / C --> A
    
  • Phy I / Lab: A+ / A
    
  • Phy II / Lab: C --> A+ / A-
    
  • Org I / Lab: A / A
    
  • Org II / Lab: B / B
• Even though it's a bit of a bummer to go through this process at 28 years old, I feel as if though I'm prepared for it now that I have turned my life around emotionally and have matured a great deal.
• I have worked at an education company for 2 years now and have settled into a management position.
• I absolutely know that this is the path for me, and that it's truly the only way I'll ever feel fulfilled.
• I have shadowing experience in gastroenterology (8 hours), orthopedic surgery (50+ hours), plastic surgery / ENT (16 hours), and emergency medicine (24 hours).
• Witnessed multiple procedures: tonsillectomy, rhinoplasty, breast augmentation, liposuction, intraspinal injections, and a colonoscopy.
• I have volunteered in a hospital before and I signed up to do four hours a week again at the same hospital. I think I did a stretch of a year of volunteering before.

My questions moving forward, other than "Am I crazy?", are:

• Should I take some non-degree seeking courses if I can to show some academic stability and to raise my GPA?
• My volunteering hours and shadowing experience are spread out. Most of my shadowing was done in 2012 with some in 2013, but I haven't kept up with it this year because I was promoted at my job. Are these experiences irrelevant since I haven't done anything in over a year?
• Will any of my courses be out of date? I took gen chem I and II, bio I, and phys I in 2004-2005.
• I'm assuming MD schools are out of the question. Is that incorrect? I live in FL if that helps.
  
• Anyone else ever try to reconnect with professors years and years later for letters of recommendation?
• What else can I do to really put my past academic blunders behind me?

Thanks all. I'm excited about this.

 

[clairephillips]

1) You are NOT crazy! I've been a teacher for three years and am 31 years old. I just received my first acceptance and have two more interviews left, with one school I'm between interview and result for. You CAN do this, and 28 dotted not make you an old man.

2)Your experiences are perfectly fair game to list on applications, but you do need to bee active in something to keep yourself involved. 2 hours a week of continued involvement would be plenty.

3) I'm unsure what to recommend on coursework. Your gpa is perfectly sufficient for DO, but low for MD. My gut reaction would be to recommend an SMP if you want to go MD, which would give you a solid graduate gpa, show consistency, put you in touch with professors who could write you letters, and some even help you prepare for the MCAT. If you want to go DO, go see some of the professors you had near the end of your college years rather than the beginning. They'll be more likely to remember you. Do take your CV with you - it will help for them to be able to add updated details.
4) Most schools don't consider the time since you took a course. I got in and had four interviews, having taken general chemistry in 1999. There are a few schools that won't take then though, so make a decision on programs you're most interested in and then double check ok their websites.
5) I got letters from professors from 2010-2012 semesters. Pick favorites who really might remember you and explain how difficult it is to have someone who will remember you, then ask for help. Again, go see them.
I don't see the dropped courses as a huge deal. I had many drops too. However, you need to be able to explain them in a reasonable manner in case you are asked. From your work history, I would suggest discussing the need to work to pay bills, so you were unable to maintain your coursework...

This is doable, and sdn is much more helpful than most people's awful premed advisors. I would strongly suggest you cross post this in the "What Are My Chances" forum and get advice from people a little more educated in this than me, but I'm highly to help as much as I can. Good luck!

 

[clairephillips]

1) You are NOT crazy! I've been a teacher for three years and am 31 years old. I just received my first acceptance and have two more interviews left, with one school I'm between interview and result for. You CAN do this, and 28 dotted not make you an old man.

2)Your experiences are perfectly fair game to list on applications, but you do need to bee active in something to keep yourself involved. 2 hours a week of continued involvement would be plenty.

3) I'm unsure what to recommend on coursework. Your gpa is perfectly sufficient for DO, but low for MD. My gut reaction would be to recommend an SMP if you want to go MD, which would give you a solid graduate gpa, show consistency, put you in touch with professors who could write you letters, and some even help you prepare for the MCAT. If you want to go DO, go see some of the professors you had near the end of your college years rather than the beginning. They'll be more likely to remember you. Do take your CV with you - it will help for them to be able to add updated details.
4) Most schools don't consider the time since you took a course. I got in and had four interviews, having taken general chemistry in 1999. There are a few schools that won't take then though, so make a decision on programs you're most interested in and then double check ok their websites.
5) I got letters from professors from 2010-2012 semesters. Pick favorites who really might remember you and explain how difficult it is to have someone who will remember you, then ask for help. Again, go see them.
I don't see the dropped courses as a huge deal. I had many drops too. However, you need to be able to explain them in a reasonable manner in case you are asked. From your work history, I would suggest discussing the need to work to pay bills, so you were unable to maintain your coursework...

This is doable, and sdn is much more helpful than most people's awful premed advisors. I would strongly suggest you cross post this in the "What Are My Chances" forum and get advice from people a little more educated in this than me, but I'm highly to help as much as I can. Good luck!

Sorry, this isn't typed perfectly. I wrote you on my phone. 🙂

 

[feeling-dizzy]

You are my age. 28 is not old, just not super young 🙂
Tackle MCAT first, do a practice exam to see where you are at. Without an MCAT score is impossible to tell where you are at, consider you took premed courses long time ago. GPA seem ok for DO; a reach for MD though

 

[ConsultantMD]

Agreed, we will be able to point you in the right direction with an MCAT score. Many schools ask about time lapses in your education, so you will need to come up with something concise for these answers.

My GPA is not too dissimilar to yours, and this was after a DIY post-bacc of upper level biology classes (so maybe that might be something you could do). I had a top 5% MCAT score, which I think really helped my case. I have been accepted, and have interviewed at top 10 schools so don't count yourself out of those schools where you fall below the 10th percentile in terms of numbers. You may have to apply to a lot of schools (it was very expensive). It is definitely within reach, but you will need to work on your 'case'. Many will not buy it, but some will! Good luck!

 

[Mountain King]

Thanks for the responses everyone. I will look into taking some post-bacc classes, but I don't think I can afford them. I have around 35k in loans from undergrad. Do people normally take out loans in order to do a post-bacc?

If I were to crush the MCAT (a big if, I know), would applying in 2015 without doing a post-bacc be warranted? My transcripts don't have much of an upward trend going for them and that worries me.