thread for non-trads taking MCAT & applying this summer?

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coffeebeanjenn

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Hey!

I was wondering if there is a quorum of non-trads who work full time & are taking the MCAT and/or applying to med school this summer. I thought we could have an ongoing thread to keep each other motivated, especially after a long day in the office... The non-trad forum has a lot of great "what are my chances" and "advice" threads, so I was hoping to start something a little different. Yes? No?

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hey, i am also nontrad.
i am writing the mcat, june 13 (pretty nervous as this is my first time writing it). Right now, most of my time is spent finishing up pre-reqs (ochem, biochem etc...). but my worklife will pick up significantly come end of june.
 
Count me in! I'm taking the MCAT on May 24th (if life doesn't intercede), and applying this summer.

I work full time, but just found out that my primary PI is OK with me re-arranging my schedule so that I can take Anatomy and lab over the summer. It's all day Friday and all day Saturday, so I would work Sunday through Thursday. The only thing that truly sucks about this is that I will never get to see my kid for more that 3 hours at a time all summer, and this makes me really sad.

I have the fear, but I'm also excited. It took me 15 years to get to this moment, I kid you not. So wish me luck! :luck:

S.
 
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May 23!!! Good luck guys - I'm applying without my scores (based on if my diags continue to be good) released on the day Amcas opens so I have a leg up in the time factor. It's risky, but I'll only not do this if I feel bad about the test afterwards or if my diagnostics become inconsistent.
 
Oh and I'm only taking one summer class in case I need to fit an August retake in there too. I love this thread, bc we do need support. This is terrifying!
 
May 23!!! Good luck guys - I'm applying without my scores (based on if my diags continue to be good) released on the day Amcas opens so I have a leg up in the time factor. It's risky, but I'll only not do this if I feel bad about the test afterwards or if my diagnostics become inconsistent.

FYI, for the med school admissions offices I've spoken with (around 15-20 so far) around 1/4 suggest applying ASAP, they date your app with the initial aamcas primary application date, i.e. UIC. 1/2 state that they will send out a secondary to everyone as soon as you apply (even without MCAT score) i.e. George Washington; therefore you can complete most of the process, complete the secondary, and then as soon as your MCAT scores are available, they'll "roll in" to the schools automatically from Aamcas. 1/4 roughly say they do nothing until MCAT scores are available: an application is not considered complete until then.

Re: timing: I have asked every school I speak with how important timing is, regarding an applicant's success. Concensus is that applying 3-4 months before the deadline is suggested for the schools with Dec/Jan deadlines. August/Sept apps in general are OK per the schools I've spoken with, Nov/Dec put you at a pretty major disadvantage. i.e. one admissions director I spoke with 2 days ago said 1/3 of their apps are in by 10/1. (public, less competitive school in midwest).
 
Hey guys! Sounds like a great thread - count me in!

I'm at work right now (shhh!), so I have to make this a quick one, but I too am a non-trad, working full-time and planning to take the MCAT this summer (July 8th is the plan right now). I will be a reapp, though, so I already have a set of scores (two, actually) that will be on my AMCAS when I submit it on the first day.

I definitely would recommend submitting AMCAS in early June. Even if you get your scores and have to retake, there are some schools that may interview you with your first scores . . . you never know! And it's key to get those secondaries turned around quickly. There will likely be a thread (or you can do some digging to find an old one) with secondary questions on it, so you can prepare those essays even before you get the secondary. Do it! Timing is key, particularly given what happened this year: with the MCAT offered so many more times, many more people applied early this year than previously, so that puts you seriously behind if you're submitting your AMCAS primary in late summer/early fall. Everything takes longer then: AMCAS verification, receiving secondaries, notification that you're complete, etc.

Ok, that's my $0.02 right now!

I'm excited to have a group to check in with this summer! :luck: to all. :D
 
Hey y'all....I actually ditched out of work slightly early today so that I could get some mcat studying in as well. I'm taking a short break from chem right now and saw this thread and thought I'd contriubute.

Taking the mcats on May 23rd and really excited about it. Keep all the updates coming cause who knows, maybe some of us could get into the same schools and become study partners down the road.

Good luck everyone
 
Hi all,

I'm planning to apply this summer and take the MCAT in August. I get butterflies in my stomach just thinking about it. I've been steadily working toward this for the last 4 years. It doesn't seem like it should be time already but on the other hand it seems like I've been dreaming of this forever.

Like so many others I work full-time, am trying to finish up my classes, and study for the MCAT. (Plus baseball season starts next week & I have 2 playing so I'll be studying at the ballpark a lot!!! :laugh:) Reading about others going through the same thing really does help. Keep the posts coming.
 
May 31 MCAT for me and submitting early June. I can't believe this is coming so fast. I'm am 38, working full time, mother of 2 small children, dentist and business owner. There is hardly a second in the day to study other than the wee hours of the morning. Starting since January, I usually study from 3-6 am for the MCAT every day. I will be so glad when it is over!
 
Great! Happy Saturday.

I'm at the library trying to finish up a take-home final (part time MS program). The Audio Osmosis CDs, MIT open course ware, and podcast lectures from iTunes have been a lifesaver, because I can at least review while I'm in the car or at the gym. I'm not taking the MCAT until 18 July, which is really late, but I knew I couldn't reasonably be ready before then because of work & school. It'll be fine, though... and I'm not taking any classes this summer so I can focus on the MCAT & AMCAS.

I'm totally impressed that pete0643 gets up at 3:00am to study every day... Actually, everybody here impresses me, but that really stuck out because I am *not* a morning person.

Have a great day--it's beautiful in DC today so I'm thinking I may study outside for a while.
 
Hey guys,

Glad someone started this thread. Though I've already taken the MCAT in january I'll be applying this summer with you guys. To those guys that are going to be taking the MCAT I just wanna say "do your best the first time." I know a lot of us nontrads have to work full time. Just put in as much effort as you possibly can and get this done right the first time.

Has anyone started on their amcas application yet? I'm using the 2008 application as a template. Amcas said that all the info will roll over into the 09 year.
 
I'm finishing my last two pre-reqs in early May, and I've signed up for the July 18 MCAT. Especially with the semi-late MCAT, I'm a borderline D.O. applicant, but I'm ready for school and don't want to wait a whole another year. I guess if the practice tests aren't going great I might postpone the test and just wait to apply for 2010 - and probably go to one of the D.O. SMPs in fall 2009. Luckily, I get to study a lot during my EMT job.

I'm working on learning a few things that the MCAT covers that my courses did not cover at all (many of the physio aspects for bio) or did not cover well (optics and sound for physics) before beginning the Examcrackers 10-week schedule in early May.

Good luck everyone.
 
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I finished my pre-req's this semester....took a Kaplan MCAT prep course from January through March and I will be taking my first (and hopefully only) MCAT exam on May 23rd. I'm actually getting a little leery, waiting so damn long for the MCAT....I've been studying now for over 3 months and still over 1 month to go! I plan on applying through AMCAS before my score is in as well, from everything that I've heard the earlier the better.
 
I'm finishing up my pre-reqs this semester and over the summer, and taking MCAT's May 31st - anybody have any feedback on EK's Audio osmosis? I can borrow them from school and I'm considering listening to them on the 45 min rid there and back - have people been finding them helpful?

Put most of my info into AMCAS 2008, but its surprising how long it takes to even formulate the wording for EC descriptions! Even reading some of the threads regarding the subject, everyone has different advice. Some say to keep things concise and to the point, others say to include what that activity means to you, or something along those lines. Hard to know which route to go...
 
I've found EK's Audio Osmosis pretty helpful for when I'm in the car. I try to match the audio lecture to whatever subject I reviewed for the MCAT the previous night. I find that makes it a little easier to visualize the equations and concepts that they talk about. They're a little silly/cheesy at times, but it's not overly distracting. If you have a 45 minute commute each way, they'd probably be useful to you (an extra 1.5 hours studying a day!) --especially if you can borrow them for free.
 
I just finished a section in my exam krackers gen chem, and got a 10 on that lame little 30 minute test (which I finished in 20 minutes). This means nothing in reality. I know this. But for some reason, this makes me UNBELIEVABLY HAPPY. Because I'm a dork.

geekgeekgeek...

S.
 
Hey all. Semi-non-trad here. Just took my MCAT 4/18, done with all my classes and am applying through linkage to start this fall, if no linkage luck will be applying for Fall of '09 with everyone else. If anyone has any questions about the MCAT PM me.
 
What the heck is linkage? How are you applying for this cycle this late - it's pretty much over???
 
What the heck is linkage? How are you applying for this cycle this late - it's pretty much over???

Linkage is if you are doing a specific post-baccalaureate pre-medical or special masters program. Sometimes the school you are doing it at will have a special arrangement with a medical school (either their's if they have one or a different one). Usually with the arrangemnet, the medical school will set aside a certain number of seats in their class for people applying from the pre-med program. Linkages are different for each institution, but in my case, they reserve a certain set number of spots for people applying through linkage, interview those applying for it, and grant a certain number of us conditional acceptance. We then take the MCAT and either keep our seat or have it revoked depending on if we get the minimum score set by the school which in my case is a 9, 9, 9.
 
OHHH - how freaking awesome is that? Good luck on keeping your seat. I'm sure you can do it.
 
The Audio Osmosis CDs, MIT open course ware, and podcast lectures from iTunes have been a lifesaver, because I can at least review while I'm in the car or at the gym.

What podcast lectures are you talking about? I am completely in love with podcasts :love: and have searched on iTunes for (seemingly) any and all MCAT/premed/medical podcasts, but haven't found any that seemed like MCAT review.
 
Best of luck to all of you! May you continue the fine non-trad tradition (hah!) of owning the MCAT, acing your interviews, and gaining the acceptance you want! It feels great, so keep the faith.
 
I downloaded intro physics and physiology lectures from Berkeley (I think I found them by searching for course names like "physics" and "anatomy," but you could try the school). There were some orgo lectures on there too, but I haven't downloaded them yet (I'm not sure my orgo is strong enough for me to visualize the reactions...) Let me know if that doesn't work, and I'll retrace my steps and send better instructions.

What podcast lectures are you talking about? I am completely in love with podcasts :love: and have searched on iTunes for (seemingly) any and all MCAT/premed/medical podcasts, but haven't found any that seemed like MCAT review.
 
OHHH - how freaking awesome is that? Good luck on keeping your seat. I'm sure you can do it.

tyvm. I have to get the seat first unfortunately which I am waaaayyy more worried about then getting the MCAT score, that is the easy part.
 
Hey there fellow non-trads. :) Great idea for a thread, it's exciting to see everyone getting ready!

I was going to apply last year, but it was quite a summer and I ended up postponing. Among other things, I took the MCAT last year (July) - and there was a problem during the exam administration. They HAD TO REBOOT MY MACHINE (sorry, still can't say that in a normal tone of voice) during my essay. The problem affected my PS and essay quite a bit (I lost half my essay time), so my scores are really skewed with a low essay and PS. AAMC gave me a letter to include with my applications explaining the situation, but they did not offer a re-take, paid for or otherwise, which I really was expecting. Anyway, my advisors have both told me I should just focus on my essays and current class (Dev Bio) since my overall score is good enough that I'll pass the screening programs. If anyone wants more details on that experience feel free to PM me.

So, I'm working on my personal statement right now, and trying to figure out the list of schools I'll apply to. Is anyone else completely struggling with the PS? And also freaking out at how expensive applying to 10+ schools will be?! I'm planning on submitting my AMCAS as soon as is physically possible, I partially filled out the 2008 so that's already underway. Nervous...excited...nervous...excited...
 
Wow, that really sucks - I'm really surprised they didn't offer you a free retake, thats pretty ridiculous!! Your VR and BS scores are great though!

Defnitley agree with you on the PS stress - trying to explain my change of career, and why medicine in a convincing and concise manner is difficult! Can't wait to get this process rolling, but definitley super nervous too!
 
Yes, keeping the PS eye-catching, concise, AND meaningful? I say it's like real estate, there's location, price, size - pick 2 of 3. :rolleyes:

One good thing about being a non-trad, however, is that we have more life experience to pull from. Part of my problem is that so many things have shaped me it's impossible to pick one to focus on.

ps. Thanks for the encouragement about the MCAT. I was horrified that they didn't do anything about it, but at least I have a report from them detailing the situation and my committee letter will address it (they're horrified too, and know I would have done much better). On that note, I have to say, I'm going through harvard extension for my committee letter instead of my undergrad and I :biglove: them. So supportive, I hope everyone has an experience like that.

Your app looks very strong as well, smash that mcat! :)
 
Just joined and glad to be part of such a supportive community!

I posted this question on two other threads, but it might be more appropriate here with other non-trad students. Anyone have any thoughts on the following:

I plan on applying early (first week of June) and broadly (I'm an Ohio resident so all my in-state schools as well as 18+ more like Rochester and Tulane) for Fall 2009 admission. I took the MCAT recently, and after getting them back, I'm nervous about my score. I'm thinking about retaking for a July/August test date and this time taking the ExamKrackers classroom course to help prepare. I was also thinking about not checking the "will retake MCAT in the future" box on AMCAS so that my application will get verified sooner (I understand this is a risk and that I may be screened out due to my old scores, correct?) However, I imagine completing the secondaries sent out to all applicants will be very time-consuming and I don't know how this will mix well with studying for the retake. Anyone else have experience with doing these two simultaneously?

Or, should I hold off on retaking and only do so towards the end of the year if my application is not well-received and reapply next cycle? The idea of taking an ExamKrackers course is not so attractive due to the cost on top of how much I will have to pay to submit primary and secondary applications (from a financially disadvantaged background). But, if I take the MCAT again, I want to do it one more time and use all of my ability to do it right.

Please PM if you had (or know someone who had) a similar experience or if you need more information from me to give your two cents.

Thanks to everyone in advance.
 
I also work full time and am finishing up a year of physics/physics lab, the last bit of coursework I needed to apply to med school. I opted to take the MCAT in late August because it has just been too hard to study physics, work and prepare for the MCAT and I wanted to give myself the most time possible to study. I shocked myself and actually did great in physics, but I remain really scared to take the MCAT; geez, what a monster this is hanging over our heads!
 
hey all, taking the Mcat on the tenth, and hopefully applying first week of June. I'm a Minnesota resident and my wife and I would like to stay in the upper midwest... hopefully things work out.
 
I'm in the same boat - taking the test on the 10th, and applying in early June. And, like many non-trads, my application process is somewhat restricted geographically; my fiance is starting law school this fall at Wake Forest. So I REALLY need to get into UNC, Duke, or Wake Forest, or else she'll have to transfer. Fingers crossed!
 
Hello all. I am not a pre-med applying, but an old hat at the process (I'm currently a 3rd yr resident in Med-Peds). I too had an issue crop up during my MCAT. I think that year was the last to take the paper test. During the test about 1/3 of the people in the room realized that there was a major mistake in the verbal reasoning section. The topic was on white dwarf stars and the questions were about restauranteuring.

The interruption cost all of us several minutes and disrupted concentration for all. We were offered either a letter explaining the problem and releasing our score, not releasing our score and retaking the MCAT for a reduced price, or just releasing our score without the letter of explaination. The letter was released to the primary school only unless you specifically asked for it to be sent elsewhere. Despite all this I still did well and chose to have my score released WITH the letter just to cover my a**.

Anyway, good luck to all!!!
 
Hello all. I am not a pre-med applying, but an old hat at the process (I'm currently a 3rd yr resident in Med-Peds). I too had an issue crop up during my MCAT. I think that year was the last to take the paper test. During the test about 1/3 of the people in the room realized that there was a major mistake in the verbal reasoning section. The topic was on white dwarf stars and the questions were about restauranteuring.

The interruption cost all of us several minutes and disrupted concentration for all. We were offered either a letter explaining the problem and releasing our score, not releasing our score and retaking the MCAT for a reduced price, or just releasing our score without the letter of explaination. The letter was released to the primary school only unless you specifically asked for it to be sent elsewhere. Despite all this I still did well and chose to have my score released WITH the letter just to cover my a**.

Anyway, good luck to all!!!

That is horrible! I am sure the only reason they even offered the retake for a reduced price is because there were so many people involved. It's pretty impressive that you did well enough anyway!
 
YESS. Me too. Taking the MCAT next weekend.
Good luck everyone.
 
Hey!

I was wondering if there is a quorum of non-trads who work full time & are taking the MCAT and/or applying to med school this summer. I thought we could have an ongoing thread to keep each other motivated, especially after a long day in the office... The non-trad forum has a lot of great "what are my chances" and "advice" threads, so I was hoping to start something a little different. Yes? No?

Count me in. I'll be taking it in July or August. I actually have Princeton Review, Kaplan, and Examcrackers. Why? B/c clearly I'm a psycho, which also explains why I'll be (hopefully) entering medical school at 31.

Princeton Review's book is by far the best, in case anyone's wondering.
 
How are you going about it? I'm starting with eliminating schools unavailable b/c of in-state prefs, then using the MSAR data converted to various types of lizzy scores compared to my own. Leaving in a few just because I'm stubborn. Next is to go by their programs and preferences I guess! So much crap to sort through....
 
great thread - great support - glad to see this - i work full-time and am applying this summer asap. i have to re-take the mcat which will happen 6/13 but plan to apply thru amcas on june 1. does anyone know if completing the amcas (personal statement and all else) is "doable" between now and then (i have a class at night, full-time work, and am prepping for the mcat but feel i must apply june 1 to have a chance, given my underdogginess).

thanks - a fellow nontrad.

p.s. i am doing a similar thing with regard to eliminating schools - you never know which ones may like you so you have to be "stubborn" sometimes. otherwise, a lot of in-state stuff could be important, but for those of us out-of-state from our native-born states may need to look in to firming things up with adcomms or associates of medschools to make it clear that we hail from such states, ya hear?
 
Ack! Haven't been able to study for the MCAT for two weeks because of work (and a much needed trip with my mom)... studying starts again tomorrow in crazy earnest. I too am geographically limited to where I can apply, but I'm going to apply early to my first choice and then if I don't get in I'll re-evaluate.
 
My husband is downstairs studying for law school finals, and I'm upstairs working on my personal statement. It's pouring rain outside, and I'm guessing we'll have cereal for dinner tonight. :)

Hope everyone else is having a good Sunday!
 
My husband is downstairs studying for law school finals, and I'm upstairs working on my personal statement. It's pouring rain outside, and I'm guessing we'll have cereal for dinner tonight. :)

Hope everyone else is having a good Sunday!

Ah, good to hear someone else is suffe....working hard. After 9 hours studying yesterday and today I'm so ready for this semester to be OVAH! So that I can focus on my ps. :) Good luck with yours!
 
Yay! Good to see a thread of folks in similar situations equally stressed!
I'll finish Physics the same week I start Organic over the summer, and then taking the MCAT on August 15. I'm so nervous about applying late, as my original undergrad GPA wasn't the greatest, but I hate the thought of waiting another year.
Luckily, I have a job that actually encourages studying when possible and is an hour's commute, so thank goodness for Audio Osmosis!
 
Everyone must be busy studying and filling out AMCAS because this thread needs a bump!!

I'm thinking about retaking for a July/August test date and this time taking the ExamKrackers classroom course to help prepare. I was also thinking about not checking the "will retake MCAT in the future" box on AMCAS so that my application will get verified sooner (I understand this is a risk and that I may be screened out due to my old scores, correct?) However, I imagine completing the secondaries sent out to all applicants will be very time-consuming and I don't know how this will mix well with studying for the retake. Anyone else have experience with doing these two simultaneously?

Or, should I hold off on retaking and only do so towards the end of the year if my application is not well-received and reapply next cycle? The idea of taking an ExamKrackers course is not so attractive due to the cost on top of how much I will have to pay to submit primary and secondary applications (from a financially disadvantaged background). But, if I take the MCAT again, I want to do it one more time and use all of my ability to do it right.

Please PM if you had (or know someone who had) a similar experience or if you need more information from me to give your two cents.

Thanks to everyone in advance.

Hi quitecontrary! I too am pretty nervous at the thought of studying for my re-take and trying to complete secondaries at the same time . . . especially while working full-time. I think I'm going to take some time off of work to try to get things done and I'll put the harder secondaries off until after my retake (July 8).

Just to clarify a couple of things in your post, checking the "retake" box on AMCAS won't delay AMCAS verification (because you already have a score). If you're nervous about getting "screened out" by schools on the basis of your score, definitely check the box. It will let all of your schools know to hold judgment on your app until your retake scores are available. Most schools (the ones that don't screen) will send you automatic secondaries, so you can (and should) do those, even before you get your scores back, because that way as soon as you get your scores, your schools can evaluate your app. However, if you feel pretty nervous about the re-take and would prefer to hold off on sending in secondaries until you get your re-take scores back, that's an option . . . but depending on when your retake is, it could put you at a disadvantage to wait. If you're submitting secondaries in August, that's not too bad. September, not as good, October worse, etc..

Doing a retake in January or April of next year if your app cycle doesn't go well is another viable option. I don't know where your score is, but if it's a 28 or above, you may want to play your hand without a retake this cycle. I certainly can't make that decision for you (and of course, you need to take into account all kinds of things like GPA, ECs, LORS, etc. to really make that decision). I'd recommend doing some mdapps searches with your MCAT score and the schools you're applying to to see if there are others that have gotten in with stats similar to yours.

Ok, there's my 2 cents. I'm too sleepy now to add more, but I'll be back!

Ooh . . . and I put in a little request on the 2008 non-trad progress thread for a mod to create one of those for 2009 . . . hopefully that will happen soon and we can all "hang out" there. :)

:luck: to all!
 
I definitely do not recommend Examkrackers. I signed up for their course and was told I could take the courses at any location due to travel for work. They cancelled the course at the location I was going to attend for a week, at which point, I requested to switch over to private tutoring (the course did not yet start and I did not attend any classes yet). They refused to accomodate my request indicating that I would be sent the lecture materials and the instructors would "catch me up". I don't think it is unreasonable to think that 6 hours of classroom is not equivalent to emailed lecture materials and answering my questions through email.

They also would not waive the $300 cancellation fee. So now I am out $300 and also lost any discount for pre-registration with other MCAT prep courses. Terribly disappointed.
 
I like Exam cracker material but not the class

_____________________________

I'm a non trad (engineering)
3.73, 3.63bcpm
27N

Do i stand a chance?
My retake is scheduled for july 16.
Is an August 16 app too late?
Is there a way to apply with the crappy mcat to some of the lower schools and hold off for my retake scores on the better schools?



Thx!!!
 
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