Timeline to apply next year

[Nontrad Dad]

Hi all,

First off, I can't believe I'm actually posting this question. It was nearly 4 years ago that I started taking the thought of trying to become a doctor seriously...and now here I am asking about applying in the upcoming cycle!

Apologies if this has been covered extensively somewhere else already, but I can't seem to find a good timeline for what I should be registering for/worrying about the winter prior to applying, especially for nontrads. There are plenty of timelines/resources out there for traditional students (ie start prepping for the MCAT summer of your Jr year, etc) but no guidelines for nontrads...which makes sense too because our paths are, well, nontraditional.

But any rough timelines/advice on what I should be doing right now would be greatly appreciated! Currently, I'm prepping to take the MCAT in the spring, but that's pretty much it. By next week, I will have completed *most* of my pre-reqs -- I've just got labs to do.

Thanks very much in advance!

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[AnotherLawyer]

Priority one should be doing well on the MCAT. If you lack shadowing/volunteering/clinical experience, get more of that. Request LORs if you haven't already. And then prewrite your personal statement and getting everything else ready so that you can submit your apps on or as close to day 1 as possible. Good luck!

 

[SymphonyNo9]

Personal experience:
Done my ECs before winter.
Requested LORs in winter (or even earlier) to give writers some extra time to write and submit.
Drafted my PS and other AMCAS stuffs to give yourself enough time to edit.
Studied for the MCAT from December to April, and took it in April.
April test will give you your scores back in May, for generating school list.
Finalized PS and AMCAS in May, in order to submit in early June.
Looked for a gap year job, hopefully a meaningful one, and started in the summer. (or continue what you were doing)

It's pretty similar to the schedule for traditional students. It's not fixed for everyone. I know someone delayed the MCAT to have better scores or got things done very early in the game.

 

[Nontrad Dad]

Thanks for the advice guys! This is really helpful.