Thanks, sorry to argue
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It is difficult to predict where you could receive interviews. With no clinical volunteering/employment your chances for interviews are limited.Hi. Yes, despite living abroad, I am still a resident of a state. I'm currently a resident of North Carolina.
Your situation is so unique that it is difficult to give advice. @Goro has a list for reinventors and it includes all DO schools. Your opinion @Goro?Thank you so much for taking the time to make a list and provide advice!! It's definitely tricky as a nontraditional as I'm not sure I can find a lot of people with a similar background to compare to. So it is really appreciated. I probably should have reached out before beginning the process, but I wanted to actually put in the work beforehand, thinking if I actually completed the courses & MCAT and received the scores I was looking for, it could make acceptance more of a reality. Of course last year with a 2.0 undergrad I figured I'd just get laughed at if I reached out.
I feel like my situation is completely unknown. I'm really proud of my postbacc grades and MCAT, but maybe my undergrad from 15 years ago and inability to partake in clinical volunteering/work will be the dealbreaker.
Btw, thanks for bringing Methodist to my attention. I wasnt aware of that opening.
Yes. You only need 150 hours of clinical volunteering with patient contact to avoid being screened out at schools. However, you need the hours before you submit your application. You could accumulate those hours in a month. November is not late for a DO application and even early August would be fine for a MD application. You could also greatly expand your MD list with 150 hours of clinical volunteering ( ER tech, hospice, hospital volunteering)Also, honestly, I didn't realize how important clinical volunteering was. I dont have a ton of resources. I'm kinda on an island so I only researched profiles of other older applicants and somehow it didn't seem like a deal breaker. If I can secure a way to visit the states this summer, would that be something I could try to take care of in a few weeks to a month? Do you know what a minimum amount of hours would look like for an old nontraditional like myself? Thanks for any reply🙂
Yes.Thanks again! I'm so sorry to keep taking your time! Are the 150 hours a hard cutoff set for all ages? If someone is an old nontrad working guy in their late 30s like myself, would I still be expected to accumulate 150 hours?
Thanks for your concern! The original issue was I didnt realize I needed a certain amount of clinical hours. I have come to accept that I was wrong and the hours are necessary. The second issue is some respected members told me it was no problem to complete the clinical hours in a few months since I live outside of the country and coming to the states to complete the hours is a huge financial burden. Yet a couple other posters who I dont think are as informed told me that if I complete my hours in a short time frame I am making a mistake and that I have to go slowy and do my 150 hours over many years. I felt this argument was faulty because if I were an adcom I could see either argument. If an applicant completed 150 hours in a few months, that could also show dedication and hard work. After all, med school and residency will require learning vast amounts of material in short time periods and working for very long consecutive hours. I honestly couldnt understand why someone would randomly argue with me and tell me by trying my hardest, I would be putting myself at a disadvantage. I guess it could be viewed either way depending on the adcom. Some might think I am rushing it, some might be impressed with the dedication. However, if the shoe was on the other foot, I wouldnt tell someone their shot at med school will be ruined unless I was100% sure.OP: you should reach out to admissions representatives. That's our job. Let us tell you what areas require improvement to maximize your chances. Just understand some of us have admissions experience and are telling you from what we have seen our adcoms determine are important characteristics for incoming students.
That's the joy of serving on admissions committees. For me I want to make sure you understand the commitment involved with the debt burden you will assume because failing out of medical school with 400-600K committed does not make anyone feel good.Thanks for your concern! The original issue was I didnt realize I needed a certain amount of clinical hours. I have come to accept that I was wrong and the hours are necessary. The second issue is some respected members told me it was no problem to complete the clinical hours in a few months since I live outside of the country and coming to the states to complete the hours is a huge financial burden. Yet a couple other posters who I dont think are as informed told me that if I complete my hours in a short time frame I am making a mistake and that I have to go slowy and do my 150 hours over many years. I felt this argument was faulty because if I were an adcom I could see either argument. If an applicant completed 150 hours in a few months, that could also show dedication and hard work. After all, med school and residency will require learning vast amounts of material in short time periods and working for very long consecutive hours. I honestly couldnt understand why someone would randomly argue with me and tell me by trying my hardest, I would be putting myself at a disadvantage. I guess it could be viewed either way depending on the adcom. Some might think I am rushing it, some might be impressed with the dedication. However, if the shoe was on the other foot, I wouldnt tell someone their shot at med school will be ruined unless I was100% sure.