Special Masters Program at 40?

[Winkie]

Need advice from other non-traditional students...
I am thinking of enrolling in a special masters program to improve my application, however I am 40 years old. Does anyone know of any much older students who have been sucessful in the special masters program to medical school route? I have pretty much been rejected from all the MD schools I applied to this year, waiting on DO schools (hopefully DO will work out for me and this will all be mute) and am not ready to give up "the dream" just yet. My MCAT was pretty bad, 27L. I know I can improve it, but don't know if it would be best to take the MCAT again and retry for next year or retake the MCAT, attend a special masters program and then reapply. (Graduated 2005, but took classes as I could afford them while I worked full time, so they stretch over 15 years. Science GPA 3.66, total GPA 3.15 (approx. 100 credits of art/french studies before switching major to Micro, where I started over so total undergrad credits=196. Hence, big discrepancy between science and total GPAs))
Thanks for your help.

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[DrMidlife]

Need advice from other non-traditional students...
I am thinking of enrolling in a special masters program to improve my application, however I am 40 years old. Does anyone know of any much older students who have been sucessful in the special masters program to medical school route? I have pretty much been rejected from all the MD schools I applied to this year, waiting on DO schools (hopefully DO will work out for me and this will all be mute) and am not ready to give up "the dream" just yet. My MCAT was pretty bad, 27L. I know I can improve it, but don't know if it would be best to take the MCAT again and retry for next year or retake the MCAT, attend a special masters program and then reapply. (Graduated 2005, but took classes as I could afford them while I worked full time, so they stretch over 15 years. Science GPA 3.66, total GPA 3.15 (approx. 100 credits of art/french studies before switching major to Micro, where I started over so total undergrad credits=196. Hence, big discrepancy between science and total GPAs))
Thanks for your help.

Look for posts by DrJD over in the postbac forum. He's in the Gtown SMP at age 38, just got acceptances to MD schools.

 

[Winkie]

DrMidlife, thank you, I will check him out.

 

[DrJD]

DrMidlife, thank you, I will check him out.

Hey Winkie I just now saw your post...

I'm not quite 38 yet though DrMidlife

Anyway, as a non-trad in the SMP I can tell you that you would not be the first and I don't think you would get a second look from many of the students. I've noticed in my class that it seems like most of the students graduated from college last year, so in 2008... They consistently make me feel quite old, but I digress...

There is a PhD student at Georgetown who did the SMP a couple years go (he decided he'd rather get a PhD than an MD while in the program.) Anyway, he is probably in his mid fifties and he did very well in the program.

I can't speak for all SMP's, but at G-town the class is largely young but I think you could fit in and do very well here. The friends that I spend the most time with are ones that I have found near my own age. I found that talking with the other students about their parents and them going "home" on the weekend just made me feel old and got annoying really fast.

Check out my blog for more info about the G-town SMP, and feel free to ask any specific questions you may have here, via PM or on my blog. I'd be happy to help you make your decision in anyway I can

 

[Winkie]

Thank you both, DrMidlife and DrJD, for your time and kindness.

 

[SxRx]

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