Please give it to me straight - what are my chances? Nontrad

[notEinstein]

Hi everyone. I’m hoping the experts here can “give it to me straight”. Dont spare my feelings.

I am close to turning 36 years old and desperately want to go to medical school. The problem? Well…

The bad: 18-25 years old: Went on and off to a Community College where I earned a 2.77 GPA. This includes 4 (four) F’s, 1 (one) D-, and 4 (four) W’s. Yikes! Ugly, to say the least. Left with 60 credits but no degree.

The good: At 33 years old I decided to go back to school. Southern New Hampshire University. Transferred what I could from community college. Earned two bachelors. One in Accounting/Finance and another in Business Admin. I finished with a 3.9 GPA (20 straight A- or better grades) at New Hampshire, but due to the community college mishaps, my cumulative GPA is only 3.3 cGPA.

The Next: I am now headed for a state college (SUNY) for a post-bacc (pre-req’s). The head of the pre-med program promised to write a letter of recommendation for medical school if I take my pre-req’s with them. It comes from the schools premed committee. So I start in the fall.

Current letters: I have a letter of recommendation promised from two other MD’s as well. One family friend who is a physician, and my mother boss of 40 years who has known me since birth. I don’t know what value these have (if any) since they were not in a teaching capacity, but I figured they can’t hurt.

EC’s: About 450 hours between clinical (tech work) and volunteer at the hospital. No research.

Current job: I am the President of a New York State Private Training School for Professionals. I would be leaving a $300+k per year job to do this, because medicine is my passion. I understand the opportunity cost. I am not making this move to earn more money - I am making this move to fulfill a passion.

Here is my question:

Assuming I do well on pre-req’s, and have a decent (508+) MCAT, what are my chances given the very rough past?

I mean - Is this just a pipe dream that is likely not going to work out, considering my history and age? Or do I have a legitimate chance? Do med schools look at a 36 year old applicant and believe my age makes me a less desirable candidate? What about my D’s and F’s from a decade ago? I’m just attempting to understand what chances my situation gives me.

Thanks for all your help. I really appreciate it.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Alejandro]

I'll take a stab at this-
First, we'll forget about the grades you had in community college. Everyone makes mistakes and you probably have way more insight than the 4.0 student who is 23 years old and has never had to take responsibility for failure.
Second, I think if you're walking away from another job to do this, thats pretty awesome, but I'm sure you have heard that medicine is not an easy job nor is the training pathway. You'll probably get paid less too, lol.
Third-if you do well on your postbac, I feel it can erase most of your woes with the gpa. Screeners do realize your upward trend, and there are definitely schools that admire those who have lived another life and can share perspective. The main thing I think schools care about are that you aren't an academic liability. Doing well on the postbac can solve those problems. I think maybe a couple more points on the mcat would be nice, but it is a big ask to take it all over again.

Otherwise, I commend you for considering a different career. I think it could work out, but just make sure you have done your research on what it means for your life going forward because its a huge commitment. And as you said, probably will need new letters.

 

[KaiBuzz]

Honestly, it doesn’t appear that you’ve taken any science courses or the MCAT so it’s very difficult to tell if you will have any success being admitted to medical school. Did you receive an online degree at SNHU? I highly recommend that you take all your pre-req courses in person. Finally, those MD letters are not what medical schools are looking for.

 

[notEinstein]

Honestly, it doesn’t appear that you’ve taken any science courses or the MCAT so it’s very difficult to tell if you will have any success being admitted to medical school. Did you receive an online degree at SNHU? I highly recommend that you take all your pre-req courses in person. Finally, those MD letters are not what medical schools are looking for.

Hi. Yes I am taking all pre-req’s in person at University. With labs in person.

I kind of figured the MD letters weren’t what schools would want. But the Md’s offered so I said yes. I guess they can just sit in the Interfolio account and collect dust when the time comes.

I suppose my question would have been better asked: Is there anything on my current resume that would disqualify me? Age? The F’s? The W’s? Anything of that sort.

 

[notEinstein]

I'll take a stab at this-
First, we'll forget about the grades you had in community college. Everyone makes mistakes and you probably have way more insight than the 4.0 student who is 23 years old and has never had to take responsibility for failure.
Second, I think if you're walking away from another job to do this, thats pretty awesome, but I'm sure you have heard that medicine is not an easy job nor is the training pathway. You'll probably get paid less too, lol.
Third-if you do well on your postbac, I feel it can erase most of your woes with the gpa. Screeners do realize your upward trend, and there are definitely schools that admire those who have lived another life and can share perspective. The main thing I think schools care about are that you aren't an academic liability. Doing well on the postbac can solve those problems. I think maybe a couple more points on the mcat would be nice, but it is a big ask to take it all over again.

Otherwise, I commend you for considering a different career. I think it could work out, but just make sure you have done your research on what it means for your life going forward because its a huge commitment. And as you said, probably will need new letters.

Thank you for your post and sharing your wisdom on what schools are looking for.

I have given this career change considerable thought. Years of thought (and regret for not doing it sooner).

 

[Alejandro]

Age: no
Grades: no

I think just doing activities that really show clinical exposure and nonclinical volunteerism will be good for you. Other than that, just hit the grades. that'll be the biggest thing for you.

 

[Med Ed]

Here is my question:

Assuming I do well on pre-req’s, and have a decent (508+) MCAT, what are my chances given the very rough past?

I mean - Is this just a pipe dream that is likely not going to work out, considering my history and age? Or do I have a legitimate chance? Do med schools look at a 36 year old applicant and believe my age makes me a less desirable candidate? What about my D’s and F’s from a decade ago? I’m just attempting to understand what chances my situation gives me.

Thanks for all your help. I really appreciate it.

Do not worry about your age or remote community college performance. To get an acceptance you will just need to play the game in a smart and strategic way. Aside from doing well in the pre-reqs and getting a respectable MCAT score, here is the checklist:

Non-clinical volunteering: homeless shelter, soup kitchen, etc. Medicine is a service profession, and you will need to accrue experiences serving people who are in need. Applicants often underestimate the value of quality non-clinical volunteering, and get themselves screened out of many schools.

Shadowing: up to 50 hours total with at least some primary care exposure. You already have some clinical exposure through a tech job and as a hospital volunteer, which may suffice, but it's worth trying to get some one-on-one time following a practicing physician.

Letters: the ones you mention above should not be used. Family friend letters take up space but carry no weight, and deploying them will make you look clueless. The pre-med advisor at your SUNY should have advice for you since they will be assembling a committee packet on your behalf.

 

[FlaringRaynauds]

Age does matter at state funded schools because the taxpayers like to see a return on their investment via career longevity. There are no gaurantees you are going to make a 508+ or knock out 3.75+ GPA in your science classes. ( Most people in this world can't) . If you quit your job today and enrolled full time to complete your pre-reqs, you would be 39 when you matriculate if things go perfectly and 47 after completion of residency. You will have given up $3mil in career earnings during that time and occur $300k worth of education expenses. You obviously aren't to concerned about the ROI, but thought I would throw it out there. Can it be done? Yeah. Is it worth it? Only you can anwser that question.

 

[Goro]

Hi everyone. I’m hoping the experts here can “give it to me straight”. Dont spare my feelings.

I am close to turning 36 years old and desperately want to go to medical school. The problem? Well…

The bad: 18-25 years old: Went on and off to a Community College where I earned a 2.77 GPA. This includes 4 (four) F’s, 1 (one) D-, and 4 (four) W’s. Yikes! Ugly, to say the least. Left with 60 credits but no degree.

The good: At 33 years old I decided to go back to school. Southern New Hampshire University. Transferred what I could from community college. Earned two bachelors. One in Accounting/Finance and another in Business Admin. I finished with a 3.9 GPA (20 straight A- or better grades) at New Hampshire, but due to the community college mishaps, my cumulative GPA is only 3.3 cGPA.

The Next: I am now headed for a state college (SUNY) for a post-bacc (pre-req’s). The head of the pre-med program promised to write a letter of recommendation for medical school if I take my pre-req’s with them. It comes from the schools premed committee. So I start in the fall.

Current letters: I have a letter of recommendation promised from two other MD’s as well. One family friend who is a physician, and my mother boss of 40 years who has known me since birth. I don’t know what value these have (if any) since they were not in a teaching capacity, but I figured they can’t hurt.

EC’s: About 450 hours between clinical (tech work) and volunteer at the hospital. No research.

Current job: I am the President of a New York State Private Training School for Professionals. I would be leaving a $300+k per year job to do this, because medicine is my passion. I understand the opportunity cost. I am not making this move to earn more money - I am making this move to fulfill a passion.

Here is my question:

Assuming I do well on pre-req’s, and have a decent (508+) MCAT, what are my chances given the very rough past?

I mean - Is this just a pipe dream that is likely not going to work out, considering my history and age? Or do I have a legitimate chance? Do med schools look at a 36 year old applicant and believe my age makes me a less desirable candidate? What about my D’s and F’s from a decade ago? I’m just attempting to understand what chances my situation gives me.

Thanks for all your help. I really appreciate it.

There are MD schools, and all do schools, that reward reinvention. Once you finish your program and you have an MCAT score, let us know and we can advise on school lists. Chances for MD will be best with your state schools.

 

[Stuaccount]

Aim for a higher MCAT. The average is going up steadily because of better study resources being available so try to aim for >510. Don’t be tempted to use the family friend letters. Also pay careful attention to the official requirements for getting a committee letter, don’t rely on a promise. Given your current salary, try to bank as much money as you can before leaving. The process is expensive and your current income will make financial aid mostly unavailable.

 

[notEinstein]

Age does matter at state funded schools because the taxpayers like to see a return on their investment via career longevity.

This is what I feared. Thanks for telling me.

If you quit your job today and enrolled full time to complete your pre-reqs, you would be 39 when you matriculate if things go perfectly

Not 38? I am 35 now (turning 36 in the summer). Next year is Pre-Req post-bacc. Apply at 36 years old next May.

Matriculate (if accepted) in fall of 2026 at 38. Or am I missing something?

 

[notEinstein]

Aim for a higher MCAT. The average is going up steadily because of better study resources being available so try to aim for >510. Don’t be tempted to use the family friend letters. Also pay careful attention to the official requirements for getting a committee letter, don’t rely on a promise. Given your current salary, try to bank as much money as you can before leaving. The process is expensive and your current income will make financial aid mostly unavailable.

Thank you. I’m going to have to find a way to politely decline the Md letters. I’m not sure why they even suggested them - you would think they would know better.

 

[gyngyn]

I’m not sure why they even suggested them - you would think they would know better.

It's their way of showing support.

 

[notEinstein]

There are MD schools, and all do schools, that reward reinvention. Once you finish your program and you have an MCAT score, let us know and we can advise on school lists. Chances for MD will be best with your state schools.

I appreciate that offer. I have University of Buffalo, University of Rochester, and SUNY Upstate all within 1 hour of me. It would be a dream to not have to move, and go to one of these schools, but I am willing to move if need be. Buffalo and Upstate are both state schools.

 

[Stuaccount]

Thank you. I’m going to have to find a way to politely decline the Md letters. I’m not sure why they even suggested them - you would think they would know better.

You don’t have to decline them if it would be rude. Your interfolio idea was good.

 

[notEinstein]

It's their way of showing support.

You’re 100% right. I should not have sounded so callous.

 

[notEinstein]

So I spoke with one of the Md’s. He agrees that the other LOR’s would NOT be helpful, but he highly recommended I take and use his, as he is a faculty member (he is a practicing physician that also teaches) at one of the medical schools in my area and he feels that will carry a lot of weight.

Do you all agree with this, or do you think I should thank him for the letter but not use it?

 

[AJS59]

So I spoke with one of the Md’s. He agrees that the other LOR’s would NOT be helpful, but he highly recommended I take and use his, as he is a faculty member (he is a practicing physician that also teaches) at one of the medical schools in my area and he feels that will carry a lot of weight.

Do you all agree with this, or do you think I should thank him for the letter but not use it?

Others can weigh in more, but what could the MDs possibly provide? Sure, they "know" you as family friends, but all they would say is "I know xxx person is a good person." None of what they would say would be helpful, I think.

When looking for your LORs, you should be looking at both academic (faculty) and non-academic (people who know you through your activities, clinical and non-clinical)

 

[notEinstein]

Others can weigh in more, but what could the MDs possibly provide? Sure, they "know" you as family friends, but all they would say is "I know xxx person is a good person." None of what they would say would be helpful, I think.

I definitely see your point.

 

[karaya]

Not 38? I am 35 now (turning 36 in the summer). Next year is Pre-Req post-bacc. Apply at 36 years old next May.

Matriculate (if accepted) in fall of 2026 at 38. Or am I missing something?

I suspect this schedule will become impacted. Have you done any science prereqs? Is your postbac program designed to cover all the prereqs in 1 year? Typically, the 5-semester chemistry sequence goes Chem 1, Chem 2, O-chem 1, O-chem 2, Biochem. O-chem 2 may be optional, but Biochem is essential for the MCAT. Nevertheless, it should take at least 2 years--unless your program is accelerated.

Even assuming accelerated curriculum, your schedule is very tight and would leave little time for dedicated MCAT study. Take it from me--I took the MCAT in June, after finishing Biochem in May, and my application was borderline late.

 

[Goro]

I appreciate that offer. I have University of Buffalo, University of Rochester, and SUNY Upstate all within 1 hour of me. It would be a dream to not have to move, and go to one of these schools, but I am willing to move if need be. Buffalo and Upstate are both state schools.

Albany, Hofstra, NYMC all reward reinvention too.
So far, haven't seen any evidence that U Rochester does.

 

[quintapov]

I'm in my 30s and I got two As this cycle. I'm an academic so I have a very strong research background. My clinical experience is not great though.

I can't tell you if you'll get in because a lot about this process doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but I can safely say clinical experience is much more valuable than research for most schools.

 

[notEinstein]

I suspect this schedule will become impacted. Have you done any science prereqs? Is your postbac program designed to cover all the prereqs in 1 year? Typically, the 5-semester chemistry sequence goes Chem 1, Chem 2, O-chem 1, O-chem 2, Biochem. O-chem 2 may be optional, but Biochem is essential for the MCAT. Nevertheless, it should take at least 2 years--unless your program is accelerated.

According to the pre-med director of the school, their students often only have about 1/2 to 3/4 of their pre-req’s done when they apply. She said pre-req’s have to be done prior to matriculation into med school, not for application. I guess some students literally finish them the summer before they start med school.

So she has about 60% of my pre-req’s scheduled to be completed at application time, and the remaining 40% would be completed in the year prior to matriculating.

Year 36: First year of pre-req, apply to med cycle at end of school year (May).

Year 37: Hopefully get accepted. Finish pre-req’s

Year 38: MS1.

Is she wrong?

 

[IntoTheStorm]

Hi. Yes I am taking all pre-req’s in person at University. With labs in person.

I kind of figured the MD letters weren’t what schools would want. But the Md’s offered so I said yes. I guess they can just sit in the Interfolio account and collect dust when the time comes.

I suppose my question would have been better asked: Is there anything on my current resume that would disqualify me? Age? The F’s? The W’s? Anything of that sort.

There may be some medical schools that you cannot apply to because of an online bachelor's degree, but there are also schools that don't care. You'll just have to carefully vet all of the schools you plan to apply to.

I'd say as long as your post bacc is in person, you have as good of a shot as anyone!

I also did pretty poorly my first several years of college and am returing to school in my mid-30s to pursue medicine. If you have the drive and passion for it, I say go for it.

 

[ontiquicuo]

Year 36: First year of pre-req, apply to med cycle at end of school year (May).

Year 37: Hopefully get accepted. Finish pre-req’s

Year 38: MS1.

When will you take the MCAT?

 

[Med Ed]

Age does matter at state funded schools because the taxpayers like to see a return on their investment via career longevity.

Every committee is different, but I have only seen the longevity issue really come to the fore with applicants who are around 50. Someone who finishes residency at 45 can still practice for 20+ years. The bigger issue for the OP will be assessing his suitability for a career in medicine.

 

[Med Ed]

Is she wrong?

Not per se, but if your plan is to showcase your newfound academic prowess it will help to apply with more pre-reqs under your belt than less. And @ontiquicuo is right, the MCAT has to be planned for, as well.

While your timeline is theoretically possible, it may be more realistic to assume an extra year to get your application in solid shape.

 

[LizzyM]

You would be crazy to take the MCAT without having completed o-chem and biochem so taking the MCAT and applying after year 1 of a 2 year post-bac is foolish.

Do it right and do it once. That advice applies to both the MCAT and the application process itself.

 

[notEinstein]

When will you take the MCAT?

March 2025.

I am reading all 7 kaplan mcat books, doing anki cards, taking Khan academy mcat prep, and signing up for Jack Sparrows course soon.

I have 10 months to study. If I don’t do well enough, I can always wait and take it again the next year, but i’m hoping 10 months of studying will garner an acceptable grade.

I plan on knowing bio, ochem, etc, inside and out before I ever take the classes. Part of my turnaround with grades is due to me realizing that I learn far better outside of the classroom (on my own) than I do inside the classroom.

 

[notEinstein]

There may be some medical schools that you cannot apply to because of an online bachelor's degree, but there are also schools that don't care. You'll just have to carefully vet all of the schools you plan to apply to.

I'd say as long as your post bacc is in person, you have as good of a shot as anyone!

I hadn’t even considered this, so thank you for bringing it up. How would they know? My transcripts don’t state “online” and SNHU existed for 70 years before the internet. Do they ask whether you were on campus or online? Do I need to go take some snapshots of myself on campus? 😀

 

[Fluidity of Movement]

March 2025.

I am reading all 7 kaplan mcat books, doing anki cards, taking Khan academy mcat prep, and signing up for Jack Sparrows course soon.

I have 10 months to study. If I don’t do well enough, I can always wait and take it again the next year, but i’m hoping 10 months of studying will garner an acceptable grade.

I plan on knowing bio, ochem, etc, inside and out before I ever take the classes. Part of my turnaround with grades is due to me realizing that I learn far better outside of the classroom (on my own) than I do inside the classroom.

The mcat doesn't work like "oh I did bad let me just do it again".

10 months of study while working + school full time isn't even enough time for you to do content review, much less be fully prepared for the actual exam.

Maybe I missed your timeline of trying to cram everything in now, before you start classes? The timeline still doesn't work. If you are taking full-load post bacc level courses how are you going to prep for MCAT effectively?

I think you may be getting a bit ahead of yourself. As a fellow 3x something, those x's really become less and less important, and what Lizzy said about taking the time to do it right is infinitely superior to gassing your way into a brick wall.

Even if you manage to avoid further academic fallout, the emotional (and physical) toll may be too much.

I hadn’t even considered this, so thank you for bringing it up. How would they know? My transcripts don’t state “online” and SNHU existed for 70 years before the internet. Do they ask whether you were on campus or online? Do I need to go take some snapshots of myself on campus? 😀

Yes they ask you on the application explicitly to list every class you took online. The prejudice for online programs is real. If there is no indication on your transcript about it being online then it will be up to your discretion the level of cunning you are comfortable with.

 

[notEinstein]

The mcat doesn't work like "oh I did bad let me just do it again".

Ok that’s good to know. I was specifically told by the premed Md who runs the program that SUNY schools can see all Mcat scores but only consider the highest score, so it’s not a problem to go from say a 495 to a 510 (just an example). I’m starting to question if she doesn’t have a grasp of the process that she is running.

 

[Fluidity of Movement]

I’m starting to question if she doesn’t have a grasp of the process that she is running.

You don't need to question, the answer is a resounding "yes" unfortunately, unless there was some miscommunication or perhaps they were just referencing that particular school(s).

The people here with all of the fancy badges under their names are the ones you can trust. Most have decades of experience not just on SDN but as experts in admission. It's not like the echo chamber of blind leading blind in r/premed.

 

[notEinstein]

You don't need to question, the answer is a resounding "yes" unfortunately, unless there was some miscommunication.

The people here with all of the fancy badges under their names are the ones you can trust. Most have decades of experience not just on SDN but as experts in admission. It's not like the echo chamber of blind leading blind in r/premed.

I appreciate all the advise I have received. Thank you.

 

[Med Ed]

Ok that’s good to know. I was specifically told by the premed Md who runs the program that SUNY schools can see all Mcat scores but only consider the highest score, so it’s not a problem to go from say a 495 to a 510 (just an example).

Some schools only look at the highest, some average them, some consider all of them. A single high score is always the best approach.

I’m starting to question if she doesn’t have a grasp of the process that she is running.

Unfortunately this is a common affliction. The large majority of premed health advisors have not been through the process themselves, nor have they served on admissions committees (like some of us on SDN do or have done). That does not make them completely ignorant, but you'll do well to take everything with a grain of salt and weight multiple opinions.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Ok that’s good to know. I was specifically told by the premed Md who runs the program that SUNY schools can see all Mcat scores but only consider the highest score, so it’s not a problem to go from say a 495 to a 510 (just an example). I’m starting to question if she doesn’t have a grasp of the process that she is running.

I think some schools will disclose on the MSAR how they look at multiple MCAT scores (How does your admissions committee consider MCAT scores?). We warn people that, for screening purposes, many schools average the scores. But yes, all reported scores are transmitted to schools you apply to.

 

[IntoTheStorm]

I hadn’t even considered this, so thank you for bringing it up. How would they know? My transcripts don’t state “online” and SNHU existed for 70 years before the internet. Do they ask whether you were on campus or online? Do I need to go take some snapshots of myself on campus? 😀

I believe when you enter the courses on AMCAS it asks whether it was online or not.

Do you have to tell them if it was online if it doesn't show up on your transcript as such? No, but if they really wanted to, they could contact the school to find out. It's up to your level of discretion what you do when you enter those courses in AMCAS.

 

[Med Ed]

I hadn’t even considered this, so thank you for bringing it up. How would they know? My transcripts don’t state “online” and SNHU existed for 70 years before the internet. Do they ask whether you were on campus or online?

SNHU has <4,000 on-campus students and ~135,000 online students. My assumption is that a degree from that institution was obtained online until proven otherwise.

 

[notEinstein]

SNHU has <4,000 on-campus students and ~135,000 online students. My assumption is that a degree from that institution was obtained online until proven otherwise.

This thread did get me thinking so I emailed a few school admission offices to ask. I’ll report back if I hear back.

 

[LindaAccepted]

Hi everyone. I’m hoping the experts here can “give it to me straight”. Dont spare my feelings.

I am close to turning 36 years old and desperately want to go to medical school. The problem? Well…

The bad: 18-25 years old: Went on and off to a Community College where I earned a 2.77 GPA. This includes 4 (four) F’s, 1 (one) D-, and 4 (four) W’s. Yikes! Ugly, to say the least. Left with 60 credits but no degree.

The good: At 33 years old I decided to go back to school. Southern New Hampshire University. Transferred what I could from community college. Earned two bachelors. One in Accounting/Finance and another in Business Admin. I finished with a 3.9 GPA (20 straight A- or better grades) at New Hampshire, but due to the community college mishaps, my cumulative GPA is only 3.3 cGPA.

The Next: I am now headed for a state college (SUNY) for a post-bacc (pre-req’s). The head of the pre-med program promised to write a letter of recommendation for medical school if I take my pre-req’s with them. It comes from the schools premed committee. So I start in the fall.

Current letters: I have a letter of recommendation promised from two other MD’s as well. One family friend who is a physician, and my mother boss of 40 years who has known me since birth. I don’t know what value these have (if any) since they were not in a teaching capacity, but I figured they can’t hurt.

EC’s: About 450 hours between clinical (tech work) and volunteer at the hospital. No research.

Current job: I am the President of a New York State Private Training School for Professionals. I would be leaving a $300+k per year job to do this, because medicine is my passion. I understand the opportunity cost. I am not making this move to earn more money - I am making this move to fulfill a passion.

Here is my question:

Assuming I do well on pre-req’s, and have a decent (508+) MCAT, what are my chances given the very rough past?

I mean - Is this just a pipe dream that is likely not going to work out, considering my history and age? Or do I have a legitimate chance? Do med schools look at a 36 year old applicant and believe my age makes me a less desirable candidate? What about my D’s and F’s from a decade ago? I’m just attempting to understand what chances my situation gives me.

Thanks for all your help. I really appreciate it.

Given your recent academic record and professional responsibilities, as long as your MCAT and post-bac grades are competitive, your academic problems from a decade ago shouldn't matter.

Regarding your age, we've had successful clients in their 40s. I also know of a physician (not a client) who went to med school in her mid-late 30's. (She also had a business background.) So it is possible.

I don't remember if they went to a state school or not.

IOW nothing you wrote tells me that your dream is a pipe dream provided that you do what other pre-meds need to do: demonstrate that you know what you're getting into by acquiring clinical exposure, show that you have the academic chops to handle med school, and that you also are passionate about service and specifically serving the underserved.

 

[notEinstein]

This thread did get me thinking so I emailed a few school admission offices to ask. I’ll report back if I hear back.

I just got a response from one MD school. Posting an update as it may be helpful for anyone who finds this thread in the future.

They said "Thank you for your interest in (redacted). As long as all of your pre-requisites and labs were taken in person, there is no issue on our end. There is no preference given to major chosen or in-person/online courses."

This is a Top 30 med school. Still waiting to hear back from the other two.

 

[chssoccer7]

I just got a response from one MD school. Posting an update as it may be helpful for anyone who finds this thread in the future.

They said "Thank you for your interest in (redacted). As long as all of your pre-requisites and labs were taken in person, there is no issue on our end. There is no preference given to major chosen or in-person/online courses."

This is a Top 30 med school. Still waiting to hear back from the other two.

I recommend reaching out to every school you intend to apply to (if they don't list it on their website) and checking, as it's a lot of time and money wasted if you find out they don't after submitting your application.

I would also recommend crafting a good school list of both MD and DO once you get your MCAT. I assume you aren't just going to apply to the 3 you mentioned emailing. Also, "top X" doesn't matter as pretty much all schools have niche things in their application process. Some might care about online degree, some might not. Some schools might have a bias against age depending on who screens your application, some might have a bias for it. I was specifically told by the admissions dean at a school I applied to that they have one application reviewer who had family in the military and as such, tends to give a lot of weight to veteran applicants (the dean gave a talk at my undergrad). Most of the "top" schools expect to see some research (but not all). Basically all that to say, don't hedge your bets at one or only a couple schools. You never know what eyes will be on your application and what they care about.

As far as MCAT, I would really struggle to recommend teaching yourself o-chem. It is possible that it can be done, but it's very risky. It's also possible it wouldn't really matter as you might get one of the MCATs that has little o-chem, but you might not. Studying for the MCAT while working/doing other things full time was very rough, and I had taken all the pre-reqs already. I'm in my thirties as well and studying for it while taking a full semester kicked my ass. Whether you need to take it more than once may be another story depending on score, but you're certainly only going to want to take it once- make it count.

You're in your thirties, I assume you've got enough maturity and logical decision making to figure out what you want to do with your life. It is absolutely possible; I'm in my thirties as well with a ton of F's and W's from the past, nobody cared. It is also a path fraught with risk depending on how you do things. I suggest minimizing the risk as much as possible so you minimize your time on the pre-med path. It doesn't take a lot to go wrong before you're sitting at home figuring out what to change for the next cycle, which if you are like me, due to age was not something I wanted to consider. Do it once, do it right, move on to the next step. Good luck!

 

[notEinstein]

I recommend reaching out to every school you intend to apply to (if they don't list it on their website) and checking, as it's a lot of time and money wasted if you find out they don't after submitting your application.

I would also recommend crafting a good school list of both MD and DO once you get your MCAT. I assume you aren't just going to apply to the 3 you mentioned emailing. Also, "top X" doesn't matter as pretty much all schools have niche things in their application process. Some might care about online degree, some might not. Some schools might have a bias against age depending on who screens your application, some might have a bias for it. I was specifically told by the admissions dean at a school I applied to that they have one application reviewer who had family in the military and as such, tends to give a lot of weight to veteran applicants (the dean gave a talk at my undergrad). Most of the "top" schools expect to see some research (but not all). Basically all that to say, don't hedge your bets at one or only a couple schools. You never know what eyes will be on your application and what they care about.

As far as MCAT, I would really struggle to recommend teaching yourself o-chem. It is possible that it can be done, but it's very risky. It's also possible it wouldn't really matter as you might get one of the MCATs that has little o-chem, but you might not. Studying for the MCAT while working/doing other things full time was very rough, and I had taken all the pre-reqs already. I'm in my thirties as well and studying for it while taking a full semester kicked my ass. Whether you need to take it more than once may be another story depending on score, but you're certainly only going to want to take it once- make it count.

You're in your thirties, I assume you've got enough maturity and logical decision making to figure out what you want to do with your life. It is absolutely possible; I'm in my thirties as well with a ton of F's and W's from the past, nobody cared. It is also a path fraught with risk depending on how you do things. I suggest minimizing the risk as much as possible so you minimize your time on the pre-med path. It doesn't take a lot to go wrong before you're sitting at home figuring out what to change for the next cycle, which if you are like me, due to age was not something I wanted to consider. Do it once, do it right, move on to the next step. Good luck!

Thank you for your advice. I appreciate it.

I have considered hiring an MCAT tutor. While teaching myself has lead to success, perhaps you’re correct that I will need additional help

As for the schools - I’m surprised the other 2 haven’t replied yet. Perhaps that means something. Either way, as you mentioned I plan on applying to A LOT of schools - including nearly every DO school (though I would prefer MD).

 

[Myopicvisions]

Hi everyone. I’m hoping the experts here can “give it to me straight”. Dont spare my feelings.

I am close to turning 36 years old and desperately want to go to medical school. The problem? Well…

The bad: 18-25 years old: Went on and off to a Community College where I earned a 2.77 GPA. This includes 4 (four) F’s, 1 (one) D-, and 4 (four) W’s. Yikes! Ugly, to say the least. Left with 60 credits but no degree.

The good: At 33 years old I decided to go back to school. Southern New Hampshire University. Transferred what I could from community college. Earned two bachelors. One in Accounting/Finance and another in Business Admin. I finished with a 3.9 GPA (20 straight A- or better grades) at New Hampshire, but due to the community college mishaps, my cumulative GPA is only 3.3 cGPA.

The Next: I am now headed for a state college (SUNY) for a post-bacc (pre-req’s). The head of the pre-med program promised to write a letter of recommendation for medical school if I take my pre-req’s with them. It comes from the schools premed committee. So I start in the fall.

Current letters: I have a letter of recommendation promised from two other MD’s as well. One family friend who is a physician, and my mother boss of 40 years who has known me since birth. I don’t know what value these have (if any) since they were not in a teaching capacity, but I figured they can’t hurt.

EC’s: About 450 hours between clinical (tech work) and volunteer at the hospital. No research.

Current job: I am the President of a New York State Private Training School for Professionals. I would be leaving a $300+k per year job to do this, because medicine is my passion. I understand the opportunity cost. I am not making this move to earn more money - I am making this move to fulfill a passion.

Here is my question:

Assuming I do well on pre-req’s, and have a decent (508+) MCAT, what are my chances given the very rough past?

I mean - Is this just a pipe dream that is likely not going to work out, considering my history and age? Or do I have a legitimate chance? Do med schools look at a 36 year old applicant and believe my age makes me a less desirable candidate? What about my D’s and F’s from a decade ago? I’m just attempting to understand what chances my situation gives me.

Thanks for all your help. I really appreciate it.

Its not a pipe dream. Which Suny school? (You can hit me up on DM)

 

[notEinstein]

Its not a pipe dream. Which Suny school? (You can hit me up on DM)

PM’ed you.

 

[blameitonbaby]

Hi everyone. I’m hoping the experts here can “give it to me straight”. Dont spare my feelings.

I am close to turning 36 years old and desperately want to go to medical school. The problem? Well…

The bad: 18-25 years old: Went on and off to a Community College where I earned a 2.77 GPA. This includes 4 (four) F’s, 1 (one) D-, and 4 (four) W’s. Yikes! Ugly, to say the least. Left with 60 credits but no degree.

The good: At 33 years old I decided to go back to school. Southern New Hampshire University. Transferred what I could from community college. Earned two bachelors. One in Accounting/Finance and another in Business Admin. I finished with a 3.9 GPA (20 straight A- or better grades) at New Hampshire, but due to the community college mishaps, my cumulative GPA is only 3.3 cGPA.

The Next: I am now headed for a state college (SUNY) for a post-bacc (pre-req’s). The head of the pre-med program promised to write a letter of recommendation for medical school if I take my pre-req’s with them. It comes from the schools premed committee. So I start in the fall.

Current letters: I have a letter of recommendation promised from two other MD’s as well. One family friend who is a physician, and my mother boss of 40 years who has known me since birth. I don’t know what value these have (if any) since they were not in a teaching capacity, but I figured they can’t hurt.

EC’s: About 450 hours between clinical (tech work) and volunteer at the hospital. No research.

Current job: I am the President of a New York State Private Training School for Professionals. I would be leaving a $300+k per year job to do this, because medicine is my passion. I understand the opportunity cost. I am not making this move to earn more money - I am making this move to fulfill a passion.

Here is my question:

Assuming I do well on pre-req’s, and have a decent (508+) MCAT, what are my chances given the very rough past?

I mean - Is this just a pipe dream that is likely not going to work out, considering my history and age? Or do I have a legitimate chance? Do med schools look at a 36 year old applicant and believe my age makes me a less desirable candidate? What about my D’s and F’s from a decade ago? I’m just attempting to understand what chances my situation gives me.

Thanks for all your help. I really appreciate it.

Can you explain to us why you want to go to medical school vs. NP, PA, nurse, respiratory therapist, or another clinical role? MD is a lot of work and a big time investment. Have you done any shadowing yet?

My idea is to take the MCAT and come back here and report your score. Then we can give you a better idea re: your chances.

 

[notEinstein]

Can you explain to us why you want to go to medical school vs. NP, PA, nurse, respiratory therapist, or another clinical role? MD is a lot of work and a big time investment. Have you done any shadowing yet?

Couple hundred hours shadowing a primary physician and 40~ish hours shadowing an Opthalmologist.

Mother worked for 40 years in the hospital as a neurological tech so I spent much of my formative years in the hospital, at a time when rules were not quite as strict as they are now. Aunt, Sister, Niece are all in medicine. It seems to run in the blood, as I feel extremely drawn to it.

NP would require a similar time commitment - 3 years for a nursing degree, plus 2 more years for NP graduate school. PA would be 1 less than year medical school, and I have considered it.

My idea is to take the MCAT and come back here and report your score. Then we can give you a better idea re: your chances.

Will do. Scoring in the 508 range on FL’s, but have 8 more months of studying to improve that.