Update on my progress so far (Summer 2015)

[quant_risk]

Greetings,

A while ago I posted a thread introducing myself and, like many of us non-trad, expressed my concerns about past downfalls/mistakes which could derail med school application. I have been reading so many familiar stories on SDN, but was always curious how those stories turned out to be, i.e. the journey and outcomes. I want to occasionally update my progress. Hopefully using this as an outlet to track self-progress, and to share with you my experience so far.

I resigned from my job in May. I was pulled and pushed on the decision for so long, and finally found the courage to do so. Of course, if it was not for the support of my loved ones, such courage would never be found.

I took Gen Chem I & II (w/ labs) and Physics I (w/ lab) this past Summer, and get all A’s. I also logged in over 200 hours of volunteering combined (hospice and hospital), over 40 hours of shadowing combined (Pediatrics and Neuro-surgery). I am also able to join a research group at a teaching hospital.

The most wonderful news of all, my wife and I are expecting a baby girl this Oct. Our first.

The Fall semester is starting next Monday. I will be taking Orgo I, Bio I, and Physics II together with research. The challenging part so far is registering for classes. As a DIY non-degree seeking student, I can only register for class a week in advance. It has not been fun running after professors asking to be included in classes I want.

I will update again when Fall ends. Maybe a baby picture next time.

Good luck,

quant_risk

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[heartsink]

Congratulations on your new girl! Sounds like a successful summer and beginning to your journey.

As a nonmatriculated student i empathize with low-priority registration. I can't get anything until after the quarter begins. I just finished first quarter of ochem this summer: practice those mechanisms and syntheses early, they add up fast!

Good luck going forward.

 

[VegasPreMed]

Congrats! We are expecting a baby boy in October and I will be finally graduating this Fall (after being in school since 2006...). Good luck this semester!

 

[quant_risk]

@heartsink Thank you. Registering for class is quite challenging at the moment for me. My game plan is now changed bc of no availability or time conflict. This semester I am taking Bio I & II w lab and Orgo I (still cannot get into a lab as of today). Hopefully an Orgo lab will pop up before this drop/add week. Thank you for the advice for Orgo. I hope you are breezing through Orgo II this term.

@VegasPreMed Congratulations on your baby boy, and on graduating this Fall. That's fantastic. I guess you will be focusing on preparing for the MCAT during the Spring? May I ask which materials are you using?

 

[TexasPostBaccPreMed]

Why don't you just switch to degree-seeking? No one is going to come looking for you if you don't finish it.

 

[VegasPreMed]

Congratulations on your baby boy, and on graduating this Fall. That's fantastic. I guess you will be focusing on preparing for the MCAT during the Spring? May I ask which materials are you using?

Just took it in May of this year. I used the Exam Krackers set along with some stuff from The Princeton Review, NextStep, Kaplan, and, of course, Khan Academy. I would definitely suggest grabbing as many practice tests as you can; I think I took around 12. Helped tremendously with building stamina for such a long exam. Hope it goes well for you when the time comes!

 

[quant_risk]

@TexasPostBaccPreMed From what I have been seeing, med school requires you to finish your degree before matriculate.

 

[TexasPostBaccPreMed]

@quant_risk oh I see, I assumed you already had a degree since you're doing a post bacc