Hello everyone,
I am a 42-yr old premed who is studying now for April's MCAT. I'm also looking at which schools seem to favor non-traditional students.
I am an Ohio resident, and I do know that Case has a tradition for the non-trad, but there must be others too.
I've always wanted to go to med school. After 4 years in the Air force, I returned home to start the pre-med college process. I went to school part-time while working at a local area hospital in Cleveland. After a few years of taking one class at a time, and making low wages at the hospital, I put everything on hold.
Thirteen years later, doing fairly well in business, I still couldn't get med school out of my mind. So, I decided to make the break. That was two years ago. I've been at Ohio State and am about to get a BS in Nutrition. I've got a 3.7 GPA, made the dean's list all but one quarter, and I am in an honors program. I'm also a TA in chemistry, and will be starting a research project in the spring.
That's my story, so if you have any recommendations on which schools I should look at, or any other advice, please reply.
Welcome!
My advice would be to ignore what people say about “this school favors non-traditional students and this one doesn’t, etc.”. Just find any school that you feel will be a good fit for you. This is difficult since there are so many (120+ allopathic and 20+ osteopathic) but it’s easy to start narrowing down by location, competitiveness, etc. There is lots to read on here about different schools so start exporing. This part of the application process is a lot of fun…like being in a candy store. Good luck!
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The number one source for rankings is obviously US News and World report. They do a rank based on research and one based on primary care. They also publish data about total numbers who applied, instate, out of state, interviewed, and accepted. I think they have even more info but I'm not sure. US News should't be used as the end all be all of who is best. It really is about who is best for you. None the less some of the numbers are interesting.
Second pick up a copy of Medical School Admissions Requirments (MSAR) published by the AAMC. There is a profile of each school and it gives similar data on applied, interviewed, accepted. These profiles are great intros to a schools overall philosophy.
interesting -when I read mpp’s reference to competitiveness - I didn’t think of the school ranking at all - or even competitive to get into -
I assumed he meant how competitive the students are amongst themselves - what is the “vibe” at the school -
OSU is the place! Case Western is too. If no luck, you may want to look at MCO in Toledo. George Washington in DC is known to like non-traditional. Also try Albany Medical College. But most important of all, do well on MCAT. With your GPA and a decent MCAT score, you will get in one of these places.
Thanks for listing a few schools that I wouldn't have thought about. I feel the same way about the MCAT. I am already taking the on-line practice tests from the AAMC website, and reviewing old Kaplan books. But, I am curious, is there a reason you say that OSU is the place? It has not been my impression that OSU leans favorably toward the non-traditional, but maybe you know something that I don't. Please share. I am hoping, though, that the fact that I'm undergrad here at OSU helps my chances.
The fact that you are an Ohio resident will definitely be a big plus given the fact that OSU has to take 80% of their med students from the in-state pool. I am not sure being an OSU undergrad would help, though. Based on my own experience at OSU, I think they very much welcome diversity and would like to have a few people with quite different background (education, age, experience....). Plus, with a class size of 210, they can afford a few slots for that. I myself am a very non-traditional applicant, mid-30s, a mother, foreign BA, non-citizen, non Ohio resident, overseas work experience..... So far, my contact with OSU has been very pleasant and they showed a lot interest in my package. My GPA and MCAT are pretty decent, which provides certain comfort level for them. In your case, you have good RECENT GPA to show that you can do it. Just nail the MCAT. I am sure you will have a good shot there.
I've heard some rumors about downsizing their class in the future. So hurry up before that happens! Good luck.
Ya know, on multiple occasion in the history of OPM, there have been attempts to compile a nontraditional-friendly med school list. On each attempt, we generally came to the conclusion that it is not truly a black/white issue – meaning, this is not a Yes or No question.
What we have found is that virtually all schools are open to some degree or another. Furthermore, the degree of receptiveness is more dependent upon the quality of the applicant’s presentation than it is purely on age/nontraditional status alone. While there are definitely schools out there who are far from open, with each one of them that someone names, others will quickly counter with instnaces where that allegedly “closed” school has admitted x-number of non-trads.
For example, Baylor College of Med is notoriously not accepting of nontraditional applicants. However, one our very own, Pam Lupo (mother, nontrad & second-career person), has gained entry there and will begin this fall. I was personally & expressly told by Rush, over the phone, that as a nontraditional applicant, I was wasting my app fee there…but I believe I do recall that we have a member of OPM currently enrolled there.
I can personally attest to the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine being extremely open to nontraditonal applicants. As someone who is actively involved in that school & personal friends with both Dean of Students & the Director of Admissions, I know that KCOM actively seeks a demographic balance for every entering class. The adamantly feel that a mix of traditional & nontraditional adds a great deal of palpable value for every member of every class. As an about to be alumnus, I can wholeheartedly agree with that mindset.
So, my recommendation is not to wholly surrender your quest to compile such a list, one of all of the “nontrad friendly schools”; but that you should consider modifing your search a little. Focus on finding programs that are “best fit” scenarios. By now, you should have a fairly strong indication who you learn best…look at how the schools’ curricula are structured to see if it is a system in which you can flourish. Look at the demographic breakdown of the school, usually on their web site. Is this a group in which you would feel at home? Is the school located in a place where you & your family would not only enjoy living, is a place that you can afford? As a nontrad, esp with a family, “quality of life” issues should be a more intimate feature of your school search.
I know you would rather have been provided a simple list of programs; however, this process is far more complex than that. And, as such, necessitates a much more in depth search & evaluation by lees tangible parameters than are they simply nontrad friendly. Med school is a tremendous amount of hard work. Undertaking this in a place or program where you & your family are not happy could spell misery and in the owrst case scenario, failure where there should have been success.
I hope that this advice proves helpful to you.