What's the typical percentage of non-traditional students in an admitted class year?

[ayjaystudent]

I noticed that some school's average age was 23. This leads me to believe that almost all of them are straight outta college.

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[QofQuimica]

There is no typical percentage. It depends on the applicant pool along with matriculant preferences (since, even if accepted, nontrad students may choose to attend elsewhere). My entering class with an average age of 23 ranged from age 17 to age 31 (me).

However, for nontrads in their 20s and 30s, the bigger issue is less their age, and more their lower stats on average. My entering class also had average stats of 3.8 GPA and 36 MCAT. The handful of nontrads who can compete on that academic level were highly sought after by our adcom. It's just that, unfortunately, there aren't very many of them.

 

[libertyyne]

There is no typical percentage. It depends on the applicant pool along with matriculant preferences (since, even if accepted, nontrad students may choose to attend elsewhere). My entering class with an average age of 23 ranged from age 17 to age 31 (me).

However, for nontrads in their 20s and 30s, the bigger issue is less their age, and more their lower stats on average. My entering class also had average stats of 3.8 GPA and 36 MCAT. The handful of nontrads who can compete on that academic level were highly sought after by our adcom. It's just that, unfortunately, there aren't very many of them.

I know it is too late, I wish I had taken that into consideration into my school selection criteria.

 

[ayjaystudent]

I know it is too late, I wish I had taken that into consideration into my school selection criteria.

What was your school selection criteria?

 

[libertyyne]

What was your school selection criteria?

I abstracted all the MSAR data by hand and then created a spreadsheet which incorporated GPA, sGPA and MCAT 10th, 90th and Medians for acceptees percentiles. Afterwards I just wrote an equation to autocompare to my stats and change the color of the schools name to green if I met the criteria. I also incorporated some logic of excluding schools that did not accept less than 25 % of OOS students. I should have added a qualitative portion to look for schools that actively look for non trad applicants, but I manually excluded any schools that were a no- go for my wife and some where the cost of living would be exorbitant.

Its really just a simple filter to see which schools would select students with similar stats to have a good idea where to apply.

 

[CastleG8]

I abstracted all the MSAR data by hand and then created a spreadsheet which incorporated GPA, sGPA and MCAT 10th, 90th and Medians for acceptees percentiles. Afterwards I just wrote an equation to autocompare to my stats and change the color of the schools name to green if I met the criteria. I also incorporated some logic of excluding schools that did not accept less than 25 % of OOS students. I should have added a qualitative portion to look for schools that actively look for non trad applicants, but I manually excluded any schools that were a no- go for my wife and some where the cost of living would be exorbitant.

Its really just a simple filter to see which schools would select students with similar stats to have a good idea where to apply.

I am glad that I live in Texas. It makes applying a no-brainer with so many state schools with an IS bias.

 

[ayjaystudent]

I am glad that I live in Texas. It makes applying a no-brainer with so many state schools with an IS bias.

@CastleG8 -- Is that how to apply to Texas schools even for non-residents? Do applications via AMCAS have no bearing in Texas schools?


@libertyyne -- That's a pretty nifty way of selecting schools. I like!

 

[Goro]

It depends upon the school. MSAR can tell you this for MD schools. The numbers tend to be higher for DO schools.

As an example:
Albany: 29% have a grad degree; 2/137 from a post-bac program
Dartmouth: 27% grad; 21/92 have post-bac coursework
Yale 15%; 6/104 with post-back courses

I noticed that some school's average age was 23. This leads me to believe that almost all of them are straight outta college.

 

[CajunMedic]

I can tell you when my D.O. class started, our youngest was 17, oldest was 53. Over 50 percent have masters degrees. A good 10-15 percent of us were non-trads. We're the only class without a PhD in it that our school has had so far.

 

[chrisjh]

My entering class with an average age of 23 ranged from age 17 to age 31 (me).

Age 17.....wut

 

[libertyyne]

Age 17.....wut

There are some college programs for the gifted that allows them to complete a bs before the age of 17

 

[precisiongraphic]

There are some college programs for the gifted that allows them to complete a bs before the age of 17

Yes UWash has a program that accepts students as early as 7th grade. I know one student who had an ACT score of 25 (without HS algebra, calculus, science or English classes) in 7th grade, which is above the matriculation average for UWash.

Edit: And the student did no test prep - went in cold.

 

[libertyyne]

Yes UWash has one that accepts students as early as 7th grade. I know one who had an ACT score of 25 (without HS algebra, calculus, science or English classes) in 7th grade, which is above the matriculation average for UWash.

Uwash is exactly who I was thinking of!

 

[ayjaystudent]

There are some college programs for the gifted that allows them to complete a bs before the age of 17

If he's that gifted, couldn't he have gone to an MD program? Unless of course it was a preference.

Yes UWash has a program that accepts students as early as 7th grade. I know one student who had an ACT score of 25 (without HS algebra, calculus, science or English classes) in 7th grade, which is above the matriculation average for UWash.

Edit: And the student did no test prep - went in cold.

How did that kid fare after? Is he a practicing Physician now?

 

[precisiongraphic]

If he's that gifted, couldn't he have gone to an MD program? Unless of course it was a preference.




How did that kid fare after? Is he a practicing Physician now?

Kid's in med school now but didn't enter at 17.

 

[Whyamionhere]

Yes UWash has a program that accepts students as early as 7th grade. I know one student who had an ACT score of 25 (without HS algebra, calculus, science or English classes) in 7th grade, which is above the matriculation average for UWash.

Edit: And the student did no test prep - went in cold.

Always freaked me out seeing 12 year olds in class with me. Good for them I guess but damn.

 

[ayjaystudent]

Always freaked me out seeing 12 year olds in class with me. Good for them I guess but damn.

Damn Doogie Howser, MD.

 

[backside_attack]

@CastleG8 -- Is that how to apply to Texas schools even for non-residents? Do applications via AMCAS have no bearing in Texas schools?


@libertyyne -- That's a pretty nifty way of selecting schools. I like!

TX schools (except Baylor, including TCOM) have their own application system - TDMSAS. The IS bias is a law in TX - no more than 10% of an incoming class can be OOS, but it can be far less or even 0% if the school makes that admission choice. It's an uphill battle for OOS applicants, but don't let that deter you from applying. It's actually very economical in comparison to AMCAS and probably ACOMAS (I didn't apply DO, so I can't speak to that $$). I had several interviews and OOS acceptance there so it is possible. Also TX residents typically participate in a "match" through TDMSAS to match to a medical school, and OOS has the advantage of multiple offers.

 

[QofQuimica]

Age 17.....wut

Yes, age 17. He went through our entire first year of med school being unable to vote, sign his own apartment lease, or buy cigarettes (never mind alcohol). I am not sure how old he was when he started college, but he did already have a BS, and he did not attend high school. Obviously not your typical adolescent, and certainly a nontrad in his own right.

 

[ayjaystudent]

TX schools (except Baylor, including TCOM) have their own application system - TDMSAS. The IS bias is a law in TX - no more than 10% of an incoming class can be OOS, but it can be far less or even 0% if the school makes that admission choice. It's an uphill battle for OOS applicants, but don't let that deter you from applying. It's actually very economical in comparison to AMCAS and probably ACOMAS (I didn't apply DO, so I can't speak to that $$). I had several interviews and OOS acceptance there so it is possible. Also TX residents typically participate in a "match" through TDMSAS to match to a medical school, and OOS has the advantage of multiple offers.

Thanks for the response. This is eye-opening.

I'm a former Texas resident (graduated from a public Texas university), and my father & brother are still living in the state. I hope I get brownie points for this. I've been living in Cali for the past 5 years.

 

[QofQuimica]

High school was an absolute - absolute - waste of 4 years of my life. I learned nothing except how to care a lot about the opinions of petty and often mean spirited people.

I probably wouldn't put it quite so strongly, since I started taking college classes while in HS and earned the equivalent of most of an AA before graduation. But I do feel a bit wistful to see the educational options that are available for kids now that were not available in the late 1980s-early 1990s when I was in HS. I would have loved to be home schooled, for example, since I had zero interest in any of the typical high school social events. These days, home schooling over the Internet is mainstream and even trendy, while the only kids who got homeschooled back then were "weirdos."

 

[esob]

I'm curious to see a comparison of the % of non trads pre 2007 to post 2007. But yeah, I would imagine in varies in any given year since most people can't afford to just quit working and go to school for 4 - 6 years without making any money.