one year out of college is not 'non traditional'

[peehdee]

i don't think 'working' for one year out of college qualifies you as being 'non-traditional' does it?

when i think of 'non-traditional', i think of people who actually spent several years doing something else, accomplishing something else besides 'fix' their grades.

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[MoosePilot]

i don't think 'working' for one year out of college qualifies you as being 'non-traditional' does it?

when i think of 'non-traditional', i think of people who actually spent several years doing something else, accomplishing something else besides 'fix' their grades.

I tend to agree. Because it's normal to take 5 years these days, so someone taking 4 + 1 is really still normal. Even 4+2 or 5+1. I think 3 or more extra years would start being a little non-trad, especially if they're not a student the whole time.

 

[N-toxicologist]

I think more and more people are falling into the non-trad category, as it's becoming a pretty good thing to be. I guess if you think about the "traditional" student as the one who entered from high school, lives in a dorm or with parents, and lives by ther parents' means, the term "non-trad" encompasses a lot of people. It's not unusual for most students to work while attending school, although I wouldn't consider everyone who works a non-trad, if that's their only claim. Neither do I consider just anybody who took a year off. It's hard to explain; I'll just stop trying.

 

[njbmd]

i don't think 'working' for one year out of college qualifies you as being 'non-traditional' does it?

when i think of 'non-traditional', i think of people who actually spent several years doing something else, accomplishing something else besides 'fix' their grades.

Hi there,
Non-traditional can apply to anyone who does not go straight from college to medical school. This term usually does not apply to people who didn't get in on the first try and are re-applying. These are re-applicants. I will reinterate that being "non-traditional" does not bestow any special consideration upon an applicant. Your competition is still the traditional applicant who often comes armed with great GPAs and MCAT scores. Non-traditional may make you a more interesting applicant but you still have to post the grades and numbers to get an acceptance.

Argueing about who is and who is not non-traditional is about as pointless as the "Am I an URM?" debates. If you have to ask, you are probably not non-traditional.

njbmd

 

[JessiMac]

Hello all,

Even if you complete a graduate degree and apply to medical school, you are still considered a "non-traditional student". I do agree with the comment that more and more students are falling into the non-trad category because I think that more people want to try different things. For example, more students that apply to medical school have degrees in something other than biology. This is my speculation, but people want to add variety and don't want to be seen as the typical medical applicant. I am interested in any comments on this.

 

[VeganSoprano]

Technically, you're right. I'm having a tough time thinking of myself as non-traditional even though I'm 24 and got my bachelor's in 2001. The only thing that makes me feel non-trad is the fact that I left a career to return to school. I'd probably feel differently if I were married or had kids, though.

 

[JessiMac]

I am 26 and am married and am leaving a career to go back to school as well. I could "pass" for being a traditional student, but I am sure that when I actually interact with them I will feel differently. I wish I could come up with some strong reasons to validate my applying to med school at this stage. I guess the admissions committees will differ from school to school.

 

[JessiMac]

By the way, did anyone read an article about there being a shortage of physicians in years to come? I saw it on Medline Plus. If you search their articles by date, it was released yesterday.

 

[flighterdoc]

By the way, did anyone read an article about there being a shortage of physicians in years to come? I saw it on Medline Plus. If you search their articles by date, it was released yesterday.

It's the standard AMA article, they come out with it every year or two. It really doesn't mean much, since the AMA (through the LCME) isn't growing any new medical school programs - ie the pool of new (LCME trained) physicians is stable year to year while the demand increases.

 

[NonTradMed]

Technically, you're right. I'm having a tough time thinking of myself as non-traditional even though I'm 24 and got my bachelor's in 2001. The only thing that makes me feel non-trad is the fact that I left a career to return to school. I'd probably feel differently if I were married or had kids, though.

Ditto. I don't feel too nontrad simply because I came out of school less than two years ago (did masters after undergrad) and have been preparing to go back into school for about a year now....that left me about a year to actually focus on nonschool goals. I try to play off my experience in the work world as giving me more emotional maturity (it did) and a better understanding of how the 'real world' functioned (it has). I won't say that given the choice, I'd take this route again (b/c I know my current career is not what I wanted), but my path has gotten me to medicine once again, convinced me this IS the thing I want to do, and I guess all of us should be grateful that whatever nontraditional path we took, it has made us realize our passion for medicine.

 

[JessiMac]

I agree with you. I am in a similar situation, quitting a career to pursue medicine, and I do also realize more and more that this is what I want to do. Just the idea of getting closer to applying and being in medical school is motivation for me to quit my job and step out on a limb.

 

[JessiMac]

to flighterdoc: I was unaware of this, thanks. By the way are you military? (just a hunch by the name and quote)

 

[flighterdoc]

to flighterdoc: I was unaware of this, thanks. By the way are you military? (just a hunch by the name and quote)

Retired AF fighter pilot...

 

[JessiMac]

Retired AF fighter pilot...

Cool, both myself and my husband are Army 2LTs

 

[leechy]

i don't think 'working' for one year out of college qualifies you as being 'non-traditional' does it?

when i think of 'non-traditional', i think of people who actually spent several years doing something else, accomplishing something else besides 'fix' their grades.

I tend to agree. AT one of my interviews the dean said that they now classify non-trad as 3+ years out of college, since it's become so common to take a year or so off.

 

[PthaloKitty]

For example, more students that apply to medical school have degrees in something other than biology. This is my speculation, but people want to add variety and don't want to be seen as the typical medical applicant. I am interested in any comments on this.

I have only been out of school for a year and a half, but consider myself non-trad because I didn't go to school for anything related to medicine or science. I wasn't planning on "adding variety" as I only recently decided to go premed, but I am thankful for my previous decision to pursue something on the other end of the spectrum.

 

[Tamala]

Technically, you're right. I'm having a tough time thinking of myself as non-traditional even though I'm 24 and got my bachelor's in 2001. The only thing that makes me feel non-trad is the fact that I left a career to return to school. I'd probably feel differently if I were married or had kids, though.

I see myself as a non-trad eventhough I graduated in 2002. This winter will be my first time being in a classroom since . I guess because I was working in an area completely different from Dentistry, and I pursued other interests, and left school and academia to the side. My first degree was in Anthropolgy something completley different from Dentistry.

 

[thackl]

Average age for MS1's is around 25yrs. Call yourself what you want, I don't think anyone in this forum will get upset. What is traditional anyway? 22, bio degree.....