cpa2md,
I am 38 and have been working for 17 years .. currently a senior manager in IT.. I am looking into applying for 2009 .. taking MCAT on May 31 '08.. finishing up prereqs in the community college.. 4.0 GPA so far.. have an undergraduate BS in Computer Science from a Foriegn country but have MS (Computer Science) GPA 4.0 and MBA GPA 3.46 from the united states. I am a native of Houston.. I really would like to go to UT houston or any school in Texas.. I am also volunteering in the hospital and shadowing a physician in town.
How did the schools treat you as a non-trad ?
Exactly like you, I want to work rest of my life in the area where I will enjoy and be happy and contribute more.. .. and I have two kids .. 12 and 10 years.. they are really excited about my career change.. and my husband is very supportive also..
I met with A&M admissions.. and also with Texas tech.. I would rather go the A&M because it will be close to home..
Thanks a lot in advance for any insight...
Yay!! Good for you!!! (someone who actually reads this thread no less!!)
My experience is that UTSW and UTH don't like non-trads too much. I didn't apply to Baylor, but have heard the same about them. UTMB, A&M, and San Antonio are all known for their acceptance of non-trads. I didn't apply to North Texas, but they are also well known for their love of non-trads.
UTMB would be great for you - there are several people there who commute to Houston, and they have their afternoons free most of the time. I interviewed there, but never heard anything else from them (they haven't even rejected me formally yet). It would've been 5 hours from my house, anyway, so I would've had to think long and hard about it.
To be honest, as much as I wanted at first to go to school here in San Antonio, I'm just as glad that I'm not (or so I keep telling myself!). I've heard some things I just don't like about UTHSCSA, and their admissions people are not forthcoming about things at all. As it is, I'll be commuting on weekends (about 2 1/2 hours), but I'll have all week to concentrate on my school stuff, and not worry about the logistical things like what's for dinner.
My advice (even though I'm not all the way there yet)...
1) Apply EARLY. The first set of applications get sent to the schools mid-June. Make sure yours is one of them, with the MCAT score close behind.
2) Do really well on your MCAT. My first MCAT score was a 25 (I was REALLY sick when I took it), and I think the 31 on my second MCAT was not taken as seriously because of the 25.
3) Apply broadly. I applied for 07, but only applied to San Antonio. They wouldn't look at my second MCAT, so I was stuck reapplying. I think the 2 MCATs, the reapplication, and their knowledge that I really only wanted San Antonio was the reason they rejected me.
4) Don't give up!!! Recognize that even with fabulous things going for you, this is still a very random process. I had 3 interviews within the first 2 weeks of the interviewing season, yet was only accepted to one school (and I'm not a social dweeb - I know how to interview.) Last year I had nada.
5) Communicate with your family!! Since you've obviously read a few things I've written, you know that my family is 100% behind me. Recognize that as big a sacrifice as you are making, they are making a bigger one, and they didn't have a choice in it like you did. My kids hear on an almost daily basis, "next year, this won't..." or "next year, you'll have to..." It is extremely hard, but know that it is all for the end result. As a corollary, be nice to your friends, because you will be calling on them a whole lot to help with transportation and the like!
6) Take everything you hear with a grain of salt. No one has all the answers, no one is where you are, no one really knows what you are feeling. People (including me) are more than willing to give advice, but you still have to go with your gut. You (and your husband) are the ones making the decisions, and you know what is right for you and your family.
7) Don't sweat the small stuff (or the green stuff). It will work out. I know that I am spending money that should otherwise go to my kids' education, my retirement, etc. I should be working at my lucrative job making money, instead of biding my time and spending it hand over fist. Too bad. That's not in the cards right now, but if I stopped and worried about it, my dream would fail. I have to focus on the dream, and accept that by the time I die, the loans will all be paid off. If not, I have life insurance.
8) Listen to your kids. Hug them, love them. Someone told me the other day that the time I'm away at school will go by so fast, and I had to tell them that's not what I want to hear. By the time I'm through with school, my son will be graduating from high school. I don't want that to go by too fast.
9) Accept whatever happens. Recognize that what we plan is not always what God has planned for us. Our timing is not God's, and we can't make things work out our way just because we think they should. That doesn't mean you're not allowed to cry when they don't work the way you think they should.
That's all I can think of for now.
😉 Feel free to pm me if you have any specific questions, or need someone to talk to!