Which schools do most non-trads get in?

[ladpm]

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Hi -

I wanted to ask you guys if you happen to know which med schools have a history of taking non-trads especially for a non-minority male with a graduate degree both across the country and in my state of California? Should I brace myself now and say good-bye to the UC schools unless I have a stellar MCAT score and almost perfect GPA? How about schools that you know someone who got in? Thanks

 

[Law2Doc]

Hi -

I wanted to ask you guys if you happen to know which med schools have a history of taking non-trads especially for a non-minority male with a graduate degree both across the country and in my state of California? Should I brace myself now and say good-bye to the UC schools unless I have a stellar MCAT score and almost perfect GPA? How about schools that you know someone who got in? Thanks

This thread has come up before, so you may want to do a search. Pretty much all schools have taken nontrads (the list of schools would be 100+, so no point listing them), and most take a few a year. While a few schools seem to have more of a reputation for this, they probably end up getting a disproportionately higher number of nontrad apps, and so the competition is probably fiercer for the handful of spots they would give to nontrads to add diversity to a class. (My view). I suggest applying broadly. DO schools also have a good rep for taking nontrads, if that would be of interest. As for the UC schools, you need a high MCAT and good GPA whether you are a trad or nontrad -- they tend to be known as the most competitive set of state schools. Good luck.

 

[Non-TradTulsa]

Law2Doc gave some great advice which is hard to expand on without knowing your specific situation (the devil is always in the details) - what your age is, what your UG/grad majors were, prior GPA, all that stuff. If you're under 30, I wouldn't get too hung-up on the "non-trad" thing because, at most schools, you're really pretty traditional if you're still under 30.

I was facing a very steep hill as an older (40+) non-trad. Even with a pretty competitive MCAT and GPA, not every school seemed to be really excited that I'd applied there. Many non-trads look to their state schools. My state allopathic school took me this year, and I'm tickled pink (or tickled crimson, as it were) - it's a great school, I don't have to tear up roots, and it will be quite affordable for a guy who will only practice for 15-20 years. Unfortunately, you can't count on the University of California system to be "safety" schools for you - all of the UCs are (very) highly competitive. D.O. schools are a good choice and a viable option for many non-trads - they are definitely more open to non-trads. Good luck!

 

[Poseidon]

Hi -

I wanted to ask you guys if you happen to know which med schools have a history of taking non-trads especially for a non-minority male with a graduate degree both across the country and in my state of California? Should I brace myself now and say good-bye to the UC schools unless I have a stellar MCAT score and almost perfect GPA? How about schools that you know someone who got in? Thanks

Here was my experience last year, I have a graduate degree and am 37 years old, I scored a 36 on the MCAT and I did not even get an interview at any of the UC schools. Oh yeah, I was a California resident then too. Fortunately, I had researched other med schools that accept non-traditional students. Case Western Reserve in Ohio has a strong tradition and I was accepted there. The weather sucks but who has time to enjoy the weather during med school anyways. Good luck with your apps!

 

[relentless11]

UC's are traditionally competative even applying traditionally, and with spectacular stats anyway. Everyone has different things on their applications, so just try anyway.

Based on past threads, it appears UCSF, UCLA, and UCSD look kindly on those who have graduate degrees. Here at UCD, I know that our program looks kindly on non-trads, but to what extent, I do not know. One of the med students that I talked to back in 2001 too a year off after college to play soccer in Europe.

Of course UCSF, UCLA, and UCSD are on the ultra-competative side of the UC med school spectrum. So it will take more than good GPA/MCATs to even get an interview.

Here was my experience last year, I have a graduate degree and am 37 years old, I scored a 36 on the MCAT and I did not even get an interview at any of the UC schools. Oh yeah, I was a California resident then too. Fortunately, I had researched other med schools that accept non-traditional students. Case Western Reserve in Ohio has a strong tradition and I was accepted there. The weather sucks but who has time to enjoy the weather during med school anyways. Good luck with your apps!

Just curious, did you have any stats that the UC's would question. Your MCAT is great, but there had to be a red flag somewhere. UCLA tends to not be concerned about CA residency. While UCSF took my friend who had a PhD degree, yet she had a 33 on her MCAT. On the flip side she had a 3.91 graduate GPA, and tons of random other EC stuff. Other UC's were also pretty open to interviewing her to see why she chose this route into medicine.

 

[robh]

Here was my experience last year, I have a graduate degree and am 37 years old, I scored a 36 on the MCAT and I did not even get an interview at any of the UC schools. Oh yeah, I was a California resident then too. Fortunately, I had researched other med schools that accept non-traditional students. Case Western Reserve in Ohio has a strong tradition and I was accepted there. The weather sucks but who has time to enjoy the weather during med school anyways. Good luck with your apps!

37! You're a youngster. I'm 42 and heading to Case SOM this fall. Funny, I too had a 36 on my MCAT and a graduate degree... So to the original poster, it should be quite apparent that Case is THE place to be!

One other thought for the OP, the USNews report on medical schools lists the percentage of non-trads a school admits. Non-trad to the USNews report means that a student didn't go directly from undergraduate to medical school. That criteria makes this a poor test for TRUE non-traditionalness. However, it is highly specific in the OTHER direction. That is if the school only admits 15% non-trads, that means that at LEAST 85% of their students are traditional. So if you are thinking of applying to that school, you might want to think again...Northwestern. It's also very useful to determine acceptance rates and so on. I think it's worth the $15. Good luck!