OldPreMeds Podcast

342: Am I Wrong for Retaking Classes At Community College?

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 15:00:00 -0500

This nontrad is looking for guidance on retaking some classes from undergrad at a community college after some negative feedback from their premed advisor.

Links:

341: Can I Take Prereqs While on Active Duty?

Tue, 12 Dec 2023 15:00:00 -0500

This nontrad is a registered nurse in the Air Force and is looking for the right time to begin their coursework. Is it possible to do while on active duty?

Links:

medicalschoolhq.net/advising

337: From Law School Dismissal to Med School: Where Do I Start?

Tue, 07 Nov 2023 15:00:00 -0500

This nontrad is seeking guidance on how to frame their story and where to start as they transition to pursue medicine after their dismissal from law school.

Links:

336: How Can I Be Sure I'm Ready for My Third Application Cycle?

Tue, 31 Oct 2023 17:00:00 -0500

This nontrad wants to know if they should pursue a postbacc or SMP before beginning their third application cycle.

Links:

Application Renovation

335: Is My Clinical Experience Too Old?

Tue, 24 Oct 2023 17:00:00 -0500

This nontrad is wondering if they should include three years of clinical working experience they have from 12 years ago on their application.

Links:

Medical School HQ - Advising

334: Military Contracts, Kids, and Postbacs: How Do I Plan?

Tue, 03 Oct 2023 17:00:00 -0500

This premed isn't sure if their timeline is going to line up well when they have so much on their plate already.

Links:

Will I See You Next Week?

Wed, 27 Sep 2023 02:29:00 -0500

This is a mini-episode to hopefully get you excited about MappdCon and make the financial burden of attending even less!

333: Can I Show My Non-Typical Path in the Disadvantaged Essay?

Tue, 26 Sep 2023 17:00:00 -0500

This nontrad has taken a different route than most, but isn't sure if their path qualifies them for the disadvantaged essay.

332: Will My 15-Year Old Prereqs Make the Cut?

Tue, 19 Sep 2023 17:00:00 -0500

They have a career as a nurse, but have never given up their dream of becoming a physician. This nontrad is looking for guidance on which prereqs to re-take.

Links:

331: Do I Have A Chance With a 496 MCAT?

Tue, 12 Sep 2023 17:00:00 -0500

This student has a 496 MCAT but feels confident about the rest of the application. Should they apply now, or should they wait a year?

Links:

Mappd (promo code OLDPREMEDS)

329: High Science Grades, Low Cumulative GPA

Tue, 15 Aug 2023 17:00:00 -0500

This student has a GREAT science GPA, but their old classes hurt their cumulative. Will they be ok?

328: Bio Degree to RN to MD

Tue, 08 Aug 2023 17:00:00 -0500

This Nurse is ready to pursue their dream- how can they tackle their academic past?

Links:

Mappd

Mappd.com (referral code OLDPREMEDS)

myLORS.com

premedhangout.com

Application Renovation

315: Is There Still a Stigma for Community College?

Tue, 18 Oct 2022 17:00:00 -0500

Will adcoms accept community college and online classes? Or is there a stigma?

Links:

308: Single Mom to a Deaf Toddler–Can I Make It?

Tue, 09 Aug 2022 17:00:00 -0500

This mom is in a rural community and needs help figuring out how to reach her goal of working with those like her child- how can we

Links:

www.premedhangout.com

307: Law School to Med School?

Thu, 28 Jul 2022 17:00:00 -0500

This law student wants to become a med student with no clinical experience. Dr. Gray weighs in here.

Links:

www.premedhangout.com (Use #OPMquestion)

306: How Do I Classify Additional Undergrad Work?

Tue, 12 Jul 2022 17:00:00 -0500

This premed took additional classes while still "Degree Seeking", how should they classify their courses?

Links:

298: Will My 7-Year-Old Drug Charge Hold Me Back?

Tue, 15 Feb 2022 15:00:00 -0500

This nontrad has great stats but is worried that an old drug charge will keep them out of med school. Can they overcome it?

Links:

PMY197: Can You Become a Doctor If You’ve Been Arrested?

PMY399: Social Injustices, the Law, and Applying to Medical School

297: Do I Apply Earlier or Gain Clinical Experience?

Tue, 14 Dec 2021 15:00:00 -0500

Today's nontrad has some shadowing hours but little-to-no clinical experience. Are they better off waiting a year to gain that experience?

Links:

296: I Failed My First Posbac. Now What?

Tue, 07 Dec 2021 15:00:00 -0500

Our nontrad today struggled through their postbac and is wondering what their options are now. Let's give this premed hope and a path forward!

Links:

The Premed Years Podcast Episode 288

Mappd

283: Are Volunteer Hours Really Necessary?

Wed, 04 Aug 2021 00:56:00 -0500

Does one really need to volunteer? Would schools frown upon lack of hours if time is spent in class, work, or with family? Listen as I discuss that and more!

Links:

Episode 451 of The Premed Years Podcast

282: Will Adcoms Understand Why I Lack Clinical Experience?

Tue, 27 Jul 2021 17:00:00 -0500

You have school, a job, or a family to take care of which limits the time left for clinical experience. Would med schools take that into consideration?

Links:

281: What Should I Do If I'm Failing My Postbac?

Tue, 20 Jul 2021 17:00:00 -0500

Most students aim for good grades during a postbac to prove their academic capabilities to med schools. What do you do if your postbac ends up being a disaster?

Links:

PMY230: Interview with Chad

280: Is a "Colorful Truth" Better Than Discussing a Red Flag?

Tue, 06 Jul 2021 17:00:00 -0500

This student asks if a "colorful truth" would be better than talking about their mental disorder and psychiatric intervention. Should you be true to yourself?

Links:

279: Will It Look Bad to Use an Old Letter of Recommendation?

Tue, 22 Jun 2021 17:00:00 -0500

Application Renovation videos

267: Is Combat Medical Experience Considered Clinical?

Tue, 23 Feb 2021 15:00:00 -0500

What types of experiences in the military are considered clinical experiences when applying to medical school? I'll tell you what to consider when applying.

Links:

258: Which Is More Important: Degrees or Coursework?

Tue, 15 Dec 2020 15:00:00 -0500

This IMG with a foreign degree now has 66+ credits in the US. Does she need to complete another degree in the US, or will recent coursework suffice?

Links:

Mappd

eShadowing.com

242: How Can You Find Out If Being a Physician Is Right for You?

Tue, 25 Aug 2020 17:00:00 -0500

You are interested in medicine, but you aren't sure being a physician is right for you right now. How do you find out? Can you change your mind later?

Links:

Specialty Stories Session 24: What is Forensic Pathology? Dr. Judy Melinek Shares Her Story

241: What to Do If You Aren't Willing to Relocate for Med School

Tue, 18 Aug 2020 17:00:00 -0500

PMY 230: Rejected from the Caribbean! Now with a US Acceptance

233: How to Discuss Medical Leave & Illnesses on the Application

Tue, 16 Jun 2020 17:00:00 -0500

You had to take some time away from school to heal from an illness or injury. You aren't required to disclose it on your app, but what if it comes up?

Links:

The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement

Secondaryapps.com

Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert Podcast

232: Should You Take Classes Just for Letters of Recommendation?

Tue, 09 Jun 2020 17:00:00 -0500

It's been a while since you graduated—should you consider taking courses at a community college to get more recent letters of recommendation?

Links:

National Association of Advisors of Health Professions (NAAHP)

227: Should You Take the MCAT Before Retaking Dated Prereqs?

Wed, 06 May 2020 00:00:00 -0500

You've taken your prereqs already, but it's been a while—13 years! Should you retake your prereqs before you retake the MCAT? Let's discuss!

Links:

226: What to Do When Your Dreams & Your Personal Life Are at Odds

Wed, 29 Apr 2020 00:00:00 -0500

You have a career, a family and other responsibilities that seem to be at odds with your dreams of becoming a physician. What can you do?

Links:

The Premed Years Session 230: Rejected from the Caribbean! Now with a US Acceptance!

mappd.com

225: How to Overcome the Medical School Application Algorithm

Wed, 22 Apr 2020 00:00:00 -0500

Our med school hopeful has a 514 MCAT score and a 3.9 gGPA, but is worried they might not make it past "The Algorithm" with a low uGPA. What can they do?

224: Can You Gain Clinical Experience Remotely?

Wed, 15 Apr 2020 00:00:00 -0500

I've always said it's considered clinical experience when you're close enough to smell the patient, but what about remote counseling and similar opportunities?

223: What's the First Step After Deciding to Apply to Med School?

Wed, 08 Apr 2020 00:00:00 -0500

You're switching gears and getting ready to pursue a career in medicine, but what's your first step on this new path? Let's discuss!

217: Can You Get into Med School With a Disciplinary Record?

Tue, 25 Feb 2020 22:00:00 -0500

Our med school hopeful was suspended after getting caught with marijuana. After a rocky start, can they turn things around and get into med school?

Links:

The Premed Years Podcast Episode 37: How to Fix a Medical School Application After Starting Premed Poorly

WhatsMyGPA.com

216: Disclosing Sources of Motivation When Applying to Med School

Tue, 18 Feb 2020 22:00:00 -0500

This premed and mother of two is wondering when and how to discuss her motivation for applying to medical school: her children. Let's discuss!

Links:

212: Factoring Combat Medic Training into GPA for Med School

Tue, 14 Jan 2020 22:00:00 -0500

Our medical school hopeful has received Advanced Individual Training to be a medic in the military. Do grades from this training affect their application?

Links:

Wed, 30 Oct 2019 00:00:00 -0500

What if you prefer to volunteer in a non-medical setting? Should you put medical volunteering ahead of causes that matter to you?

Links:

premed.tv

200: Should You Introduce Yourself to a Medical School?

Wed, 16 Oct 2019 00:00:00 -0500

Today's question: is there any harm or benefit to introducing yourself to a med school before you apply?

Links:

UC Davis Prehealth Conference

199: Visible Tattoos and Piercings at Interviews

Wed, 09 Oct 2019 00:00:00 -0500

Have you ever seen a doctor with visible tattoos? They're out there. Does that mean you can have visible tattoos and piercings at your medical school interview?

Links:

Ask Dr. Gray

YouTube Channel: premed.tv

Application Renovation (Apply to be featured on our second season!)

Meet Up at These Upcoming 2019 Events:

UC Davis Prehealth Conference (October 19, 2019)

University of Florida Premed AMSA Conference (November 13, 2019)

Chicago (November 18, 2019)

184: MCAT Timing—When is the Right Time For You?

Wed, 26 Jun 2019 00:00:00 -0500

The decision of when to take the MCAT is a difficult one that depends on each student. Today we look into how to determine what is the right time for you!

Links:

Next Step Test Prep (Use the promo code MSHQ to save some money)

183: Writing Your AACOMAS Activities—What You Need To Know

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 09:43:47 -0500

Having different requirements for each application service is stressful. Today we discuss everything you need to know about the AACOMAS Activites Section!

Links:

182: Making the Transition From Military Back to Undergrad

Wed, 12 Jun 2019 00:00:00 -0500

Nick recently separated from the Navy and is now working on his undergrad. He needs some tips/tricks on how to finish and some ideas to feel less alone.

Links:

The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement

181: When Should You Consider Retaking Classes

Wed, 05 Jun 2019 00:00:00 -0500

Our student has a masters in Biomedical Engineering and an upward trend. Although in some of their prereqs they have a few C's. Should they retake those classes?

Links:

AMCAS Course Classification Guide

180: Are Postbacs Only For Non-Science Majors?

Wed, 29 May 2019 00:00:00 -0500

Our student is looking into postbac programs to help raise her GPA and complete prereqs, but most programs are for non-science majors only. What should she do?

Next Step Test Prep Medical School Admissions Consulting

169: How To Thoroughly Review Your Own Med School Application

Wed, 13 Mar 2019 00:00:00 -0500

Many people experience the frustration of not knowing what they are doing wrong. Today I'll talk about how to review your own medical school application!

160: The Struggle With Consistency In Shadowing And Volunteering

Tue, 08 Jan 2019 20:00:00 -0500

Consistency is key, but what happens when there are areas of consistency in your application, but your shadowing and clinical are not? How will this be viewed?

Links:

159: Former OPM to Pediatric Resident—It's Possible

Tue, 01 Jan 2019 20:00:00 -0500

Today our student is a former OPM who has matched into a pediatric residency. Just a reminder that it is completely possible, so what is stopping you?

Links:

MedDiaries Podcast

158: How Does Affirmative Action Affect Medical School Admissions

Tue, 25 Dec 2018 20:00:00 -0500

As a Canadian & Metis woman, our student is looking for insight on being an Indigenous applicant and if there are affirmative action policies in place in the US?

Links:

154: When and How Should I Tell My Friends and Family I'm Premed

Tue, 27 Nov 2018 20:00:00 -0500

Today, our student has been keeping a secret and is wondering when he should come out to his friends and family that he may want to be a physician!

Links:

Premedscholarship.com

153: Nontraditional International Applicant Worried About Chances

Tue, 20 Nov 2018 20:00:00 -0500

As an international applicant, today's student is worried about his chances of getting into medical school and even if he should apply or look at something else.

Links:

152: How to Improve Your Med School Application as a Reapplicant

Tue, 13 Nov 2018 20:00:00 -0500

Applying to medical school is hard. Needing to reapply is even harder. Where do you start? What do you have to redo? That's what our question is today.

Links:

PMY 171: Reapplying to Med School: What You Need to Know to Improve

MCAT CARS Podcast

151: Shadowing a Military Physician, HPSP, and More

Tue, 06 Nov 2018 20:00:00 -0500

Our student today is interested in HPSP or Public Health Services but wants to know what a day in the life of a military doc is like. We answer her questions.

Links:

150: Improve Your CARS Score with the MCAT CARS Podcast!

Tue, 30 Oct 2018 21:00:00 -0500

Jack Westin was on the Premed Years Session 259 almost one year ago. we've launched the MCAT CARS Podcast and it's going to change the way you prep for the MCAT.

Links:

PMY Session 259: How Can I Improve My CARS Section Score on the MCAT?

Jack Westin

Jack Westin’s MCAT Question of the Day

149: Do LORs from Non-MD "Doctors" Still Count as Physician LORs?

Tue, 23 Oct 2018 21:00:00 -0500

As a nontrad student, you have had a lot of experience working in another field, like optometry. Can the Optometrists LOR count as your physician letter?

Links:

148: Should I Delay Med School Apps to Work on Extracurriculars?

Tue, 16 Oct 2018 21:00:00 -0500

Our poster today is worried that she isn't doing enough shadowing or volunteering to apply next cycle and is wondering if she should take a gap year to fix it.

Links:

Premed Diaries Episode 2: The Financial Pressure of a Premed Parent

Premed Hangout on Facebook

147: Will My Path and Injury Prevent Keep Me From Med School?

Tue, 09 Oct 2018 21:00:00 -0500

Our poster today struggled with grades after a traumatic brain injury. She's finally figured it out but wondering if medical school is not attainable now.

Links:

146: Introduction to Premed Diaries: Helping Premeds with Burnout

Tue, 02 Oct 2018 21:00:00 -0500

The very first episode of Premed Diaries, a podcast dedicated to you. With Dr. Allison Gray as the host, you are the featured guest by calling 833-MY-DIARY.

Links:

Call 1-833-MYDIARY and share your thoughts with us!

MedDiaries.com

145: Can I Recover From a Bad GPA to Get Into Med School?

Tue, 25 Sep 2018 21:00:00 -0500

This week we have a very common dilemma for a student who struggled early but found a way to turn it around but is now wondering if she can still get in.

Links:

Tue, 07 Aug 2018 21:00:00 -0500

Our poster today struggled to combine school work with being an entrepreneur. Graduating with a 2.4 GPA, he's wondering what is next to get into med school.

Links:

137: Losing Confidence to Apply Even with Great Grades

Tue, 31 Jul 2018 21:00:00 -0500

What happens if you screw up your undergrad GPA and lack the confidence to apply to med school, even with a great masters GPA? That's what we talk about today.

Links:

136: What is the Best Paid Clinical Experience for Med School?

Tue, 24 Jul 2018 21:00:00 -0500

The question today is one from a student who is looking to get more clinical experience and is also looking for paid jobs. He wants to know which is better.

Links:

Ask Dr. Gray: Premed Q&A

135: Is My New Research Opportunity Worth it in the Long Run?

Tue, 17 Jul 2018 21:00:00 -0500

Our student today asks the question but kind of answers it as well. With a new opportunity for research experience, he's wondering if it's worth the sacrifices.

Links:

134: How Do I Pay for a Postbac and Can I Repay Loans?

Tue, 10 Jul 2018 21:00:00 -0500

If you're a nontraditional student, taking out loans can be intimidating. How do you do it? How do you pay them back? Is it possible to pay them back?

Links:

The Premed Years Podcast Session 286: Common Mistakes and More About Financing Medical School

The Premed Years Podcast Session 223: Setting Yourself Up for Financial Success, Starting Now

White Coat Investor

Full Episode Blog Post
Check out our Nontraditional Premed Forum, and ask a question of your own!
Check out my Premed Playbook series of books (available on Amazon), with installments on the personal statement, the medical school interview, and the MCAT.
Related episode: 54-Year-Old Med Student Overcame 5 MCATs, Rejection, and More
Related episode: My Initial GPA Was a 1.8. Can I Still Get into Medical School?
Need MCAT Prep? Save on tutoring, classes, and full-length practice tests by using promo code “MSHQ” at Next Step Test Prep!

129: Should I Drop Out of My DNP Program to Go to Med School?

Tue, 05 Jun 2018 21:00:00 -0500

If you're in the middle of a DNP program but want to be a physician, what would you do? I'd drop out and start working on medical school, that's what I'd do!

Links:

The Premed Playbook: Guide to the MCAT

The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement

The White Coat Investor

The Premed Years Session 286: Common Mistakes and More About Financing Medical School

128: How Do I Transition from the Military to Being a Premed?

Tue, 29 May 2018 21:00:00 -0500

After a significant life event with his daughter being born with a rare congenital disorder, our poster today wants to get out of the military and go to medical school.

Links:

127: Can I Get Into a Good Medical School with my Past Grades?

Tue, 22 May 2018 21:00:00 -0500

Our poster today is wondering about his past IVY league undergrad GPA and MBA GPA and if he has a chance to get into a 'good' medical school.

Links:

The Premed Playbook: Guide to the MCAT

Facebook Premed Hangout

The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement

126: Should I Retake Core Classes From 10 Years Ago with C's?

Tue, 15 May 2018 21:00:00 -0500

If you've taken your med school prereqs a long time ago and you did poorly in them, should you retake them or take higher level courses? What about the MCAT?

Links:

The Premed Playbook: Guide to the MCAT

The Premed Years Podcast Session 188

The Premed Years Podcast Session 230

The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview

125: Should I Take the C or Withdraw From My Class?

Tue, 08 May 2018 21:00:00 -0500

What should you do if your mom passes away during your semester and your struggling to pass? Should you drop out? What about if you're getting ready to transfer?

Links and Other Resources

Full Episode Blog Post
Check out my book about the MCAT, co-written with Next Step Test Prep: The Premed Playbook: Guide to the MCAT.
Related episode: Should I Retake Core Classes from 10 Years Ago with C’s?
Related episode: Will Withdrawing from a Class Hurt My Med School Application?
Need MCAT Prep? Save on tutoring, classes, and full-length practice tests by using promo code “MSHQ” at Next Step Test Prep!

The Premed Hangout

121: How Much Clinical Experience Do I Need for Med School Apps?

Tue, 10 Apr 2018 21:00:00 -0500

As you start to look at your extracurriculars for medical school, you may start worrying that you don't have enough clinical experience. How much is enough?

Links and Other Resources:

Full Episode Blog Post
Check out our Nontrad Premed Forum, and ask a question of your own!
Related episode: How Much Shadowing Do I Need for Medical School?
Related episode: Am I Doing Enough Right Now to Get Into Med School?
Related episode: What Is the Best Paid Clinical Experience for Medical School?
Need MCAT Prep? Save on tutoring, classes, and full-length practice tests by using promo code “MSHQ” for 10% off Next Step full-length practice tests or “MSHQTOC” for $50 off MCAT tutoring or the Next Step MCAT Course at Next Step Test Prep!

120: Is There Risk in Applying to New Medical Schools?

Tue, 03 Apr 2018 21:00:00 -0500

As you build your school list, you may find that there are new medical schools opening when you are applying. Is it a good idea to apply to those schools?

Links and Other Resources

Full Episode Blog Post
Check out our Nontrad Premed Forum, and ask a question of your own!
Related episode: How to Choose Which Medical Schools to Apply To.
Related episode: Are All U.S. Medical Schools Created Equal?
Need MCAT Prep? Save on tutoring, classes, and full-length practice tests by using promo code “MSHQ” at Next Step Test Prep!

119: How Important is Volunteering as a Nontrad Premed?

Tue, 27 Mar 2018 21:00:00 -0500

When you're a nontraditional premed student working full-time and going to school doing a DIY postbac, should you be concerned about volunteering and other ECs?

Links:

personal statements and extracurriculars editing

118: Should I Postpone my MCAT Based on Low Practice Exams?

Tue, 20 Mar 2018 21:00:00 -0500

Today we have a nontrad student working full-time who hasn't taken the prereqs in over a decade not scoring well on his full-length exams. What should he do?

Links and Other Resources

Full Episode Blog Post
Check out my Premed Playbook series of books (available on Amazon), with installments on the personal statement, the medical school interview, and the MCAT.
Related episode: 3 Biggest Mistakes When Preparing for the MCAT.
Related episode: Should I Apply to Med School This Year or Wait?
Need MCAT Prep? Save on tutoring, classes, and full-length practice tests by using promo code “MSHQ” at Next Step Test Prep!

117: Does it Matter if I Don't Finish My Second Degree?

Tue, 13 Mar 2018 21:00:00 -0500

Our poster today has already completed one degree and is going back for a DIY postbac and is wondering if leaving her second degree early will be a problem.

Links:

One-on-One Premed Advising

116: Can I Take the MCAT and Apply to Med School with Prereqs?

Tue, 06 Mar 2018 20:00:00 -0500

Our question today is from a paramedic firefighter who is now interested in going to medical school but doesn't necessarily want to take the prereqs. Can they?

Links and Other Resources

Full Episode Blog Post
Check out our Nontrad Premed Forum, and ask a question of your own!
Related episode: How Recent Should My Prereqs Be to Apply to Medical School?
Related episode: Taking Prereqs and Preparing for the MCAT at the Same Time.
Need MCAT Prep? Save on tutoring, classes, and full-length practice tests by using promo code “MSHQ” at Next Step Test Prep!

115: Can I Take Classes at Another School While in a Postbac?

Tue, 27 Feb 2018 20:00:00 -0500

Today we have an interesting question from a student who is in a postbac but is looking at taking a class during the summer at another school. Is it possible?

Links:

OldPreMeds Forum

The Premed Hangout

114: Changing Careers with ADHD, Focusing on GPA and More

Tue, 20 Feb 2018 20:00:00 -0500

Our student today is changing careers and has some very specific questions about whether he should put ADHD in his application and what he should focus on.

Links:

OldPreMeds Forum

113: How Do I Choose a Major as a Nontraditional Premed Student?

Tue, 13 Feb 2018 20:00:00 -0500

How should you choose your degree? What if you aren't sure you're 100% committed to becoming a physician? What if you doubt yourself? What should you do?

Links:

The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement. You can preorder it now on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

112: Can I Get into Med School With a Low GPA?

Tue, 06 Feb 2018 20:00:00 -0500

Our poster today is wondering if she can get into medical school after starting her undergrad poorly. What should you do if you have a low science GPA?

Links and Other Resources:

Full Episode Blog Post
Check out our Nontrad Premed Forum, and ask a question of your own!
Related episode: What MCAT Score Do I Need if I Have a Low GPA?
Related episode: Medical School Mom: Prioritizing Family and School
Need MCAT Prep? Save on tutoring, classes, and full-length practice tests by using promo code “MSHQ” at Next Step Test Prep!

111: Should I Delay My Application Another Year?

Tue, 30 Jan 2018 20:00:00 -0500

When you decide to go to med school a little later, you may not have the shadowing and clinical experience you want, should you delay your application?

Links:

110: Should I Get a Second Degree or Just Take More Classes?

Tue, 23 Jan 2018 20:00:00 -0500

Our student this week is questioning if she should delay graduation vs studying for another degree. She's trying to raise her GPA to be more competitive.

Links and Other Resources

Full Episode Blog Post
Check out my Premed Playbook series of books (available on Amazon), with installments on the personal statement, the medical school interview, and the MCAT.
Related episode: What Should I Do If I Can’t Get a 3.0 GPA?
Related episode: What MCAT Score Do I Need If I Have a Low GPA?
Need MCAT Prep? Save on tutoring, classes, and full-length practice tests by using promo code “MSHQ” at Next Step Test Prep!

109: What Kind of Job Should I Get Before Applying to Med School?

Tue, 16 Jan 2018 20:00:00 -0500

With a current full-time job, kids and a roof to put over her family's head, this nontrad premed is wondering what she can do to get more exposure to medicine.

Links and Other Resources:

Full Episode Blog Post
Check out our Nontraditional Premed Forum, and ask a question of your own!
Related episode: What is Medical Scribing and How Can It Benefit Premeds?
Related episode: What Job Should I Do During My Gap Year?
Need MCAT Prep? Save on tutoring, classes, and full-length practice tests by using promo code “MSHQ” for 10% off Next Step full-length practice tests or “MSHQTOC” for $50 off MCAT tutoring or the Next Step MCAT Course at Next Step Test Prep!

108: Should I Change My Major to Something More 'Premed'?

Tue, 09 Jan 2018 20:00:00 -0500

Today we have a student who is worried that her current major isn't preparing herself for medical school and is wondering if she should change majors.

Links:

www.medicalschoolhq.net/forums

107: Should I Apply to Medical School This Year or Wait?

Tue, 02 Jan 2018 20:00:00 -0500

Our poster today is trying to figure out what schedule will work best for them. Should they apply this year or next based on the prereqs they have remaining?

Links:

OldPreMed forums at MedicalSchoolHQ.net

Premed Forum

106: Should I Take an MCAT Prep Course?

Tue, 26 Dec 2017 20:00:00 -0500

The MCAT is one of the biggest beasts on the premed path. Our poster today is questioning if they should take a prep course to help them with their score.

Links and Other Resources

Full Episode Blog Post
Check out my book about the MCAT, co-written with Next Step Test Prep: The Premed Playbook: Guide to the MCAT.
Related episode: MCAT Prep on Any Budget (Should I Spend $3,000?).
Related episode: Is One-on-One Tutoring for the MCAT Worth It?
Need MCAT Prep? Save on tutoring, classes, and full-length practice tests by using promo code “MSHQ” for 10% off Next Step full-length practice tests or “MSHQTOC” for $50 off MCAT tutoring or the Next Step MCAT Course at Next Step Test Prep!

105: How Much Shadowing Do I Need for Medical School?

Tue, 19 Dec 2017 20:00:00 -0500

The shadowing vs clinical experience debate rages on in this post. This nontrad student wants to know how many hours of shadowing she needs for her apps.

Links & Resources:

Full Episode Blog Post
MSHQ Nontraditional Premed Forum
Related episode: How to Effectively Shadow a Physician as a Premed Student
Related episode: What Is the Best Paid Clinical Experience for Med School?
Related post: Premed Clinical Experience: Shadowing vs Volunteering
Need MCAT Prep? Save on tutoring, classes, and full-length practice tests by using promo code “MSHQ” for 10% off Next Step full-length practice tests or “MSHQTOC” for $50 off MCAT tutoring or the Next Step MCAT Course at Next Step Test Prep!

104: Am I Too Old to go to Med School and be a Surgeon?

Tue, 12 Dec 2017 20:00:00 -0500

If you're thinking about going to medical school and being a surgeon but worried about how old you are, check out our latest episode!(Hint: Age doesn't matter)

Links and Other Resources

Full Episode Blog Post
Check out my Premed Playbook series of books (available on Amazon), with installments on the personal statement, the medical school interview, and the MCAT.
Related episode: 54-Year-Old Medical Student Overcame 5 MCAT’s, Rejection, and More
Related episode: How Old Is Too Old to Start Medical School?
Need MCAT Prep? Save on tutoring, classes, and full-length practice tests by using promo code “MSHQ” for 10% off Next Step full-length practice tests or “MSHQTOC” for $50 off MCAT tutoring or the Next Step MCAT Course at Next Step Test Prep!

103: Postbac Interview Questions and Resumes for Med School

Tue, 05 Dec 2017 20:00:00 -0500

What types of questions will postbac programs ask during your interview and how should you format your resume? Those are the questions we cover today.

Links:

The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview

OldPreMeds.org forums

102: Should I Take Science Prereqs at the Same School?

Tue, 28 Nov 2017 20:00:00 -0500

If you've taken some science med school prereqs at one school, how important is it to take the rest at the same school? That is what we're covering this week.

Links:

Medical School HQ Services

OldPreMeds.org forums

101: Will Having My Prereqs Done After Apps Hurt Me?

Tue, 21 Nov 2017 20:00:00 -0500

Our poster today is looking at his med school application timeline and wondering if completing his prereqs after he applies will hurt his application.

Links and Other Resources

Full Episode Blog Post
Check out our Nontrad Premed Forum, and ask a question of your own!
Related episode: Can I Apply to Medical School Without Prerequisites?
Related episode: How Recent Should My Prereqs Be for Med School?
Need MCAT Prep? Save on tutoring, classes, and full-length practice tests by using promo code “MSHQ” at Next Step Test Prep!

100: Should I Leave the Military to Go Back to School Full-time?

Tue, 14 Nov 2017 20:00:00 -0500

The military, like any job, can get in the way of you achieving your goal of becoming a physician. Our question today revolves around what to do to make it work.

Links:

99: How Soon Can I Ask for a Letter of Recommendation?

Tue, 07 Nov 2017 20:00:00 -0500

If you're like most nontraditional premeds, you probably don't have a lot of time to shadow. If you can't build great relationships for LORs, what do you do?

Links and Other Resources

Full Episode Blog Post
Check out my Premed Playbook series of books (available on Amazon), with installments on the personal statement, the medical school interview, and the MCAT.
Related episode: How to Get the Best Letters of Recommendation as a Nontrad.
Related episode: Do LORs from Optometrists Count as Physician LORs?
Need MCAT Prep? Save on tutoring, classes, and full-length practice tests by using promo code “MSHQ” for 10% off Next Step full-length practice tests or “MSHQTOC” for $50 off MCAT tutoring or the Next Step MCAT Course at Next Step Test Prep!

98: If I Can't Get a 3.0 GPA, What Should I Do Next?

Tue, 31 Oct 2017 21:00:00 -0500

If you needed an extra 4-5 years to get above a 3.0 GPA, what would you do? That's what our nontrad premed student is asking on today's podcast episode.

Links and Other Resources:

Full Episode Blog Post
Related episode: From a 2.7 Undergrad GPA to First Year Medical Student
Related episode: Carribean Medical Schools: What You Need to Know
Related episode: What MCAT Score Do I Need If I Have a Low GPA?
Need MCAT Prep? Save on tutoring, classes, and full-length practice tests by using promo code “MSHQ” at Next Step Test Prep!

97: Should I Quit My Job and Focus 100% on Being Premed?

Tue, 24 Oct 2017 21:00:00 -0500

Our poster today is a working professional but wants to now go to medical school. He's caught in the dilemma of continuing to work or quit his job to be premed.

96: Should I Choose a Postbac Based on a Certificate?

Tue, 17 Oct 2017 21:00:00 -0500

Some postbac programs market themselves as overing a certificate of completion. Does this certificate mean anything when it comes to med school applications?

Hangout Group

@medicalschoolhq

90: How Can I Get More Clinical Experience Working Full-time?

Tue, 05 Sep 2017 21:00:00 -0500

How can an Army Lieutenant premed student get more clinical experience and not just stock shelves and make beds? That's the question we cover this week!

Links:

OldPreMeds.org forums

89: Do I Have Enough Time to be a Premed and a Mom?

Tue, 29 Aug 2017 21:00:00 -0500

Our poster this week is worried about what being a premed and medical student will do to her relationship with her children and if it gets any better.

Links:

Hangout Group

MSHQ Facebook page

88: Do I Really Need to do Research as a Nontrad Premed?

Tue, 22 Aug 2017 21:00:00 -0500

This week, from OPM, our poster wants to know how important research is if he's only applying to state schools that aren't research heavy medical schools.

Links:

The Premed Years Podcast Episode 171: Reapplying to Med School – What You Need to Know to Improve

87: Will Being a Dispatcher Count As Clinical Experience?

Tue, 15 Aug 2017 21:00:00 -0500

Our poster this week wants to know if working as a volunteer dispatcher for EMS will count towards clinical experience for his applications to medical school.

Links:

www.medicalschoolhq.net/group

ryan@medicalschoolhq.net

AMSA PremedFest (Use the promo code MSHQ17 to save some money off the registration)

86: Katherine Overcame Her Fears and Is Going for it!

Tue, 08 Aug 2017 21:00:00 -0500

Katherine posted in the forums that an NPR story about tuition assistance finally gave her the push to pursue a career as a physician. Listen to the story.

Links:

www.medicalschoolhq.net/group

ryan@medicalschoolhq.net

AMSA PremedFest (Use the promo code MSHQ17 to save some money off the registration)

PMY 44: How to Pay Back Your Medical School Loans

Academy of Podcasters Awards Ceremony

85: My Initial GPA was a 1.8. Can I Still Get into Med School?

Tue, 01 Aug 2017 21:00:00 -0500

This week, our poster is worried about her first stint in college and a very poor GPA. She's wondering about a postbac or just jumping in to apps.

Links and Other Resources

Full Episode Blog Post
Check out my Premed Playbook series of books (available on Amazon), with installments on the personal statement, the medical school interview, and the MCAT.
Related episode: From a 2.7 Undergrad GPA to First-Year Medical Student.
Related episode: Can I Get into Med School with a Low GPA?
Need MCAT Prep? Save on tutoring, classes, and full-length practice tests by using promo code “MSHQ” for 10% off Next Step full-length practice tests or “MSHQTOC” for $50 off MCAT tutoring or the Next Step MCAT Course at Next Step Test Prep!

84: I'm Worried About my GPA & Online Courses, What Can I Do?

Tue, 25 Jul 2017 21:00:00 -0500

Our poster today is an Active Duty Navy sailor and is worried about his GPA and taking online courses and how that will affect him. Check out the podcast!

Links:

UNE Online

AACOMAS

HPSP/USCIS

83: Where Can I Find Clinical Research as a Nontrad?

Tue, 18 Jul 2017 21:00:00 -0500

Clinical research opportunities are easier to come by as an undergrad student. But what about for nontrads? Check out the advice in today's podcast.

Links:

82: Can't Find Volunteering that Works with Working Full-time!

Tue, 11 Jul 2017 21:00:00 -0500

Our question this week is from a nontrad looking at making a switch to medicine. He's working full-time and can't find any clinical volunteering experiences.

Links:

The Premed Years Podcast Episode 174: Interview with Kain

81: Will B's in my Orgo and Biochem Classes Hurt My Chances?

Tue, 04 Jul 2017 21:00:00 -0500

Our student this week is worried about a few B grades in Orgo and Biochem during his postbac and is wondering how it will affect his chances for medical school.

80: Can You Have Kids and Be a Good Medical Student?

Tue, 27 Jun 2017 21:00:00 -0500

This is a question that comes up a lot, usually from females, is whether or not a medical student can have a family while in med school. Check out the answer.

Links and Other Resources

Full Episode Blog Post
Check out my Premed Playbook series of books (available on Amazon), with installments on the personal statement, the medical school interview, and the MCAT.
Related episode: Medical School Mom: Prioritizing Family, School, and More.
Related episode: Do I Have Enough Time to Be a Premed and a Mom?
Need MCAT Prep? Save on tutoring, classes, and full-length practice tests by using promo code “MSHQ” at Next Step Test Prep!

79: MD or DO vs PA? How Should I Decide Which is Best?

Tue, 20 Jun 2017 21:00:00 -0500

Session 79

A common question among stressed out premeds – which do I choose, physician or PA? In this episode, I am sharing some insights into the differences between a physician and a PA as well as how to best choose between the two.

[01:18] OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

"I'm a new OPM (old premed), 31-year-old single, no kids. After taking a detour from the very traditional path, during my original undergrad 3.47 GPA in Biology, never took the MCAT, I figured out that I wasn't ready for medical school and started pursuing other interests outside of health care."

* As a nontraditional student, you're allowed to go pursue other things. If you think you're not ready, maybe you're a little burnt out from the premed path (all of us are a little bit), go and explore some other interests which is what this person did.

"Nearly a decade later, I am more convinced than ever that becoming a health care provider is the right career for me but I'm struggling with the decision of MD/DO versus PA. I don't have the requisite health care experience that would make me competitive for most PA programs but I'm going to have to spend one to two years full-time refreshing postbac coursework, taking the MCAT, etc. to go to medical school. So I could just easily spend the time working full-time as an EMT, CNA, or whatever. the problem is can't do both so I need to figure out which path I want to pursue sooner rather than later.

I've read some compelling statistics about PA that appeal me - 90% job satisfaction, two times the patient interaction time, 42-hour work week, etc. But those tend to come from sources that seem incredibly biased towards PA over MD. Furthermore, I am not 100% sure I'd be happy long term with the relatively diminished status of PA and/or whether I could do the type of international work as part of my life plan. Any thoughts, feedback, etc. from the OPM community especially from those who have explored decision for themselves would be most appreciated."

Here are my thoughts:

[03:50] Don't Base It on Job Satisfaction or Work Hours!

Deciding between being a physician and a PA - the problem with this at that high level where you're just comparing work hours and patient interaction time and job satisfaction, that means nothing. Go look at somebody who has the best job satisfaction who's only working 40 hours a week and has great interaction with their clients. You can't choose your career based on job satisfaction, ratings, work hours per week, or patient interaction. If that's how you're going to choose your career then you're not going to be happy in the long run depending on if you made the right choice or not.

[05:15] A Huge Difference Between PA and Physician

Unfortunately, it's not talked about enough but there's a huge difference between being a physician and being a PA. The PA world will tell you there's not that big of a difference and the physician world will say there is. I am a little biased as I'm a physician. But in practice, depending on what you're doing and on what state you're in considering states have different laws regarding PA's, the work around what a PA can do can vary drastically.

I've talked to PA's who want to go on to medical school and I've helped some of them get into medical school and the reason always comes back to not having enough knowledge to be able to treat the patients they want to treat. The physicians would usually tell PA's it's the doctor's job while they go take care of the minor stuff. So there's a huge difference in the types of patients you'll be able to see because your knowledge base is limited, your scope of practice is limited. The role of the PA was created to fill in more of the mundane, easier things that could be algorithmically handed over to a "mid-level" provider. There's a lot of rate around the term "mid-level' but we'll just call it that because that's the terms that's been thrown around for a long time and that's the term that I always use.

The PA and NP are trained to take care of easier things. You can't go through PA or NP school and have the same depth of knowledge as a physician to be able to treat the sort of diseases that you would see that a physician treats. You can't. So if you are okay regardless of job satisfaction, hours per week, or any of that stuff, get rid of that. If you are okay working and treating patients who have the sniffles or aches and pains, it's going to be a lot of repetitive things. Medicine in general is repetitive even for physicians. But if you're okay with treating some of the lower acuity things then great, go be a PA. If you're okay not having the full knowledge base to be able to take care of your patients then be a PA.

[08:17] How Should You Choose Between a Physician and PA

We need PA's and there are plenty of people out there that want to be PA's. They have that mentality, personality, and goals in life that fit with being a PA. But my point here is do not choose physician versus PA based on job satisfaction, patient interaction, and hours per week. Don't base it on years of schooling. Choose physician or PA based on the scope of practice you want and the level of knowledge you want and go from there. The only way you're going to find our is by shadowing a physician or shadowing a PA. Shadow many physicians in different specialties in different areas or shadow PA's in different specialties in different areas and talk to a lot of people. Find out what they like and what they don't like about their job. This is the best way to go about it.

[09:23] International Work

I'm going to assume that a PA degree is not recognized throughout the whole world. If you're interested in doing international work as a PA, you may want to look into this. For instance, DO or the osteopathic medicine degree started here in the U.S. and it's most recognized here in the U.S. Now the American Osteopathic Association is working on getting more countries to recognize the DO degree and they're doing well. So now as a DO, you can practice in more and more countries but there is a limitation there. Whereas an MD can practice everywhere. So if you are truly interested in international work then really look into the recognition of a PA degree and what privileges and credentials you would have in another setting.

[10:36] Final Thoughts

Don't look at hours of work or patient interaction or at job satisfaction. Find out what you want based on the depth of knowledge, the skills you learn as a physician versus a PA. Look at everything else in there and you can only do that by shadowing enough. That's how you should choose between a physician or a PA.

Links:

The Premed Years Podcast Episode 213: Stop Looking for a Backup Plan, It's Hurting Your Chances

78: What Happens If I'm Worried About Failing?

Tue, 13 Jun 2017 21:00:00 -0500

Session 78

This week, our poster is worried about that little voice in his head that is telling him he may fail at this whole "med school" thing. Listen to my response.

If you have any questions, please register at the OldPreMeds.org forums for free and ask away to get some awesome answers from the community.

[01:08] OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

"I've taken Ryan's advice to heart and believe that a backup plan will hurt my chances."

*Listen to The Premed Years Podcast Episode 213 where I talked about not having a plan B. Some people agreed with it and others but if you have a backup plan of being a nurse, PA, or NP, the psychology is that you are less likely to achieve your goal of becoming a physician because you're able to have that safety valve there.

"Not begrudgingly either, I was already convinced of this myself before I heard him say it several months ago so it was great to hear my instincts confirmed. As a 35-year-old nontraditional, convinced that I'm called to serve others as a physician. I eat, sleep, and breathe this journey every second of every day. Yet there are those moments when the still small voice of doubt whispers in my ear a little louder than usual. What if I fail?"

"This is a second trip through undergrad to earn my prereqs and at the end of the summer semester, my federal student loan eligibility will be cut off factoring in that they've reached the cap. I've needed to give up my full-time job so I can go to school full time as well as shadow, volunteer, and scribe and then supporting myself almost entirely on private loans. I have a solid two years remaining before I can take the MCAT and by the time I enter med school, I will be on the hook for $100,000 in additional private loan debt to cover tuition and living expenses before I even start medical school.

I have no qualms whatsoever about taking on this step because I know this is what I'm supposed to do. But the naysayer voice within that says I can't do this, that tells me just to give up after another sleepless night, simply will not stop asking what if I fail? I exercise regularly trying to limit caffeine and eat healthy. I was a personal trainer for years so I do all that I can to alleviate stress. What other suggestions do you have to shut up this voice?"

Here are my thoughts:

[03:57] What If I Fail?

That inner voice inside you is your guiding light. It's most likely your limbic system saying, "Stop, this is scary. We don't want to do this." Unfortunately, it's not very smart for the age we live in today.

That little voice in the back of your head used to be able to tell us, don't go out there. There's a saber-toothed tiger out there that's going to eat you. That was a great little voice to have in the back of your head a hundred thousand years ago. But in today's day and age, that little voice in your head always rears up when you're on the verge of something great or in the face of something tough. It's never there when you're sitting on the couch playing video games or when you're ordering pizza on the phone or when life is easy. It's always there when life is hard, when you're making decisions that have the potential to affect you and everybody else in your life as well as your future.

If your little voice is popping up and saying what if you fail, it means you're doing the right thing because it should be hard. That same question, "What if I fail?" can be asked by every student and it has nothing to do with you being a nontrad or all the loans you have. That voice is normal and everybody asks that everyday. Personally, when I release a new podcast and I have four already. What if I fail? What if this new one isn't popular? What if it's not good? This tells me to push forward.

[06:13] How You Define Failure

In your case, "what if I fail?" should be telling you to keep going. As you're going on your premed journey, define failure. Failure, to me, is giving up.

To you this could mean applying to medical school a couple of times and not getting in or going to a Caribbean medical school. But failure, to me, is just giving up even though you know this is still your dream and even if in two years down the line, you still wanted to become a doctor but you can't take it anymore. That, to me, is failure.

Failure is not a rejection from medical school. I was rejected from medical school and it wasn't failure. I was just told not yet.

[07:05] Change That Voice

Instead, change that saying of "What if I fail?" to "What if I succeed?" What would that look like? That would be awesome, wouldn't it? That you're in medical school and you're a medical student. Listen to that voice in your head because when it talks and speaks up, that means you're doing something right. So don't be afraid of it.

I know this is a very different show than usual but I like the psychology of thinking. A good writer, Seth Godin, talks about lizard brain which is that little voice in your head, the deepest and oldest part of our brain that told us to stay away from saber-toothed tigers and that's what's telling you "What if I fail?"

[08:05] Loans and Timeline

On a side note, be very careful with private student loans because they are much, much, much more strict than the federal student loans.

I also want to question what's taking you so long? Giving up a full-time job to shadow and everything else and it's still going to take two more years? This timeline seems to be off. I recommend you reach out to somebody or to an advisor. Shoot me an email. But I really think your timeline seems off in this whole thing. Lastly, to your question of "what if I fail?" it depends on what your definition of failure is.

[09:10] Final Thoughts

Join the collaborative community at OldPreMeds.org and ask a question. If you don't already, subscribe in your favorite podcast app. I actually created a video to show you how to do this. Check it out on www.medicalschoolhq.net/howtosubscribe

Links:

www.medicalschoolhq.net/howtosubscribe

The Premed Years Podcast Session 168

77: Should I Do a Postbac for My Postbac? Applying to 1 School!

Tue, 06 Jun 2017 21:00:00 -0500

Session 77

Today's question taken directly from the OldPreMeds.org forum is from a female nontrad student who is looking to possibly restart her postbac after starting it poorly about 5 years ago. She’s also thinking about applying to just 1 school.

[01:35] OldPreMeds Question of the Week: Her Backstory

"I obtained my B.A. in Anthropology in the Midwest many moons ago, worked as an on-camera model/actress to pay rent in my undergrad. Upon graduating, my agent sent me to LA where I worked for three years as a model and actress.

I moved back to the Midwest to begin my nontrad premed journey as a single gal when I was about 28 years old at the same school from where I obtained my BA."

[02:02] Similar to Jessica's Story

This is similar to Jessica's story back on The Premed Years Podcast Session 168. She was a former actress and did her Bachelor of Arts at NYU, lived in L.A. as an actress, and then she decided she wanted to be a doctor and then got ten acceptances.

[02:27] Suffering Grades

"It is a large university with a medical campus, undergraduate campus, and teaching and research hospital. I was so eager and motivated to be involved in all things medicine that I began working, or shall I say, living in a laboratory for a cardiologist. I literally craved to be there. I would beg my mentor to let me hop on rounds with him. I was eager to be in the lab to perform science to think to shadow and was ferociously stubborn about my goals. However, my tenacity for the hands-on work at the labs/hospital caused my postbac grade to suffer. Nothing too horrible but a few C's and mostly B's."

[03:06] Too Much on Your Plate

Postbac and C's and B's, that is kind of horrible. It is not very good for a postbac. When you're doing a postbac, the assumption is you've got to shoot for a 4.0. Obviously, you don't have to be perfect. But your goal is a 4.0 especially for nontrads who are trying to fix early grades.

As I've discussed before, one of the greatest mistakes premeds make is having too much on your plate that your grades suffer. You can hardly fix grades which means you can fix your grades but with more classes. But it's always average so you can't just replace anymore. Research and clinical experience can always be added.

[04:18] Poster's Questions

"Fast-forward a few years at 30 years old. After publishing much of my research, I met my husband. He plays in the NFL in our home city and has been for nine years now. His job is anything but traditional and the schedule in life is nothing short of hectic. These past few years, we have been married, traveled, settled into a home, and are thinking about a family soon. Even with all of this, I still have the itch. I am now 33 and wish to continue my journey. I'm so thankful for this website.

Should I do a postbac for my postbac? My grades were average at best, relatively speaking, but since so much had passed and I wish to perform well on the MCAT. Should I simply start over? My AMCAS GPA isn't the greatest, around 3.3 cumulative, 3.2 BCPM. I've not taken Orgo or Biochem. The classes were upwards of five years ago. So part of me wishes to start fresh for the MCAT and so admissions committees can see me ace these classes now. Or should I redo only the classes in which I didn't do well, continue to take o-chem and biochem and attack on some more upper levels?"

[05:33] Start Fresh

You can't really start fresh because those grades are going to be there. You're going to have to report those. Any classes you're going to retake are going to be averaged in. Yes, you can redo some of the classes you didn't do well in and hopefully you get better grades in those and it's still going to be averaged. The only difference is you're not repeating all of the courses.

It depends on whether you're talking about a formal postbac or do-it-yourself. If you're referring to a do-it-yourself, I probably wouldn't go back and repeat everything. Definitely repeat those with C's to try to get those up.

Could you repeat everything and start fresh and hope for a 4.0? Sure, that's going to take a little longer and it's going to be more expensive although it may not be a problem for you financially having a husband who plays in the NFL. So it's awesome to have that financial stability.

[06:57] Retake Classes

Contact the school that you're applying to or interested in applying to. If you're applying to several medical schools, figure out if they're okay with older grades. I've talked to a lot of nontrads who have 10-year old and 20-year old grades. Some say it's not a problem and not to worry about it while others want something within five years.

Moreover, retaking your classes would help you on the MCAT. The best way to start preparing for the MCAT is to do well in your undergrad, your core science courses. So if you retake those with a better foundation, better study habits, less time commitment, you will obviously do better.

I don't know if I'd repeat them all. Repeat those C's of course and then figure everything else out. Keep that AMCAS calculator open to see how it's affecting your GPA.

[08:18] Geographical Restriction

"I'm terrified. My husband's career could be seen as a silent blessing for my journey because we have the financial security to support a family and allow me time for my studies without worry. However, there is one medical school in our city and is my first and foremost choice to attend because our families are here and we wish to continue to settle here. The risk is great for limiting myself to one school. And to be clear, it isn't just the geographical location of the school that makes it number one on my list. It is my top choice for many reasons. I'll save those for another post to reapplying year after year however. So if there is anyone out there who has advice on a perplexing situation such as mine, it would be helpful."

[09:10] Applying to One School is Very Risky

This is a unique situation with the poster's husband being in NFL and being in the city he is in now. Some of you may have that same situation since I've talked to spouses whose husbands and wives are in the military. You're in once city. But are you still going to be in that same city in two years?

For this student, her husband in the NFL and they have trades in the NFL and cuts. Keep in mind that the limitation to one school is understandable to some extent but you're putting all your eggs in one basket.

With the off-chance that your husband gets traded or let go or cut, whatever, immediately after you applied to that one school, what happens next? You move to another city and maintain your current residence in your current city. How does that work? Think about that as well. Applying to one school is very, very risky.

[10:35] Talk to the Admissions Committee

I helped a student this year who applied to two school. Last year, she applied to one and didn't get in. This year, she applied to two and she got into the original she wanted to go to. We made it work.

So what I had her do is to go and talk to people. This poster talked about doing research for the cardiologist and doing tons of stuff. So go and talk to those people and let them know you're applying. Ask them who they know and who can you talk to. Go to the admissions committee. Talk to them and tell them why you want to come to that school and ask them what you need to do.

They're going to be somewhat restrictive in what they can tell you. They can never guarantee you an acceptance but they can help guide you. They are there to help you. They want the best students to apply to their school and if they can help form that best student in you, why not? When you are going to a limited number of schools for whatever reasons, go and get to know the school as much as possible.

[12:12] Form Great Connections

Back in The Premed Years Podcast Episode 74, I talked with Carie, a nontrad premed. Her husband was a helicopter pilot for the army and contractor. So he was always being deployed and Carie was very limited taking care of family and working. She was very limited of what she could do. She also had some geographic restrictions and some issues with taking classes only at a community college.

What she did was she formed great relationships with the admissions committees at a few school she was willing to apply to and told them who she was and what she was doing and asked for their feedback and she kept checking in with them semester after semester after semester and eventually she gained her acceptance into medical school. So go and form those connections because they're very important.

Links:

The Premed Years Podcast Episode 74

PMY 170: PA Turned MD Talks About Why He Made the Shift

76: How Will Being a Nurse Affect My Application to Med School?

Tue, 30 May 2017 21:00:00 -0500

Like some nurses, our poster this week has realized he wants more impact in healthcare. How will that affect applications, colleagues and more?

75: Concerns and Questions About Transitioning from PA to MD/DO

Tue, 23 May 2017 21:00:00 -0500

Session 75

This week’s poster is a practicing PA who has some questions about transitioning from being a PA to starting medical school. These are great questions commonly asked not only by PA’s, but also, by NPs and other nontrads who are in a healthcare-related field and would want to make that switch.

[00:56] OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

"Just stumbled across this forum. Happy to see there are other nontrads getting back on the horse too. I have a few logistical questions I hope you all could help me with.

Background:

I'm currently a practicing PA in Emergency Medicine in the ICU for around four years, looking to make the switch to medical school for a number of reasons, which I'm happy to elaborate on if needed. Three kids with a work from home husband, undergrad major of chemistry with cumulative GPA of 4.0 and a PA grad school GPA also 4.0. All med school prereqs essentially met via PA school prereqs. Haven't taken the MCAT yet but started studying and plan to take in the next one to two years.

Questions:

Would it be more financially wise for me to work an extra three to four years, pay off debt, and save up for cost of living with my PA salary before applying to and starting medical school? Or would it be better to start sooner rather than later, let the debt build on holy amounts of interest throughout med school and residency and have med school debt added on top of that knowing that I'll be making more money sooner?

Are there any legal issues or conflicts of interest against me picking up shifts as a PA while in medical school or working during med school in general? Do people do this?

Do I really need to obtain shadowing hours given my experience practicing medicine everyday?

Should I be going back to school just so I can get science LORs (Letters of Recommendation) or would it be sufficient to obtain letters of recommendation from my physician colleagues and PA faculty members?"

These are great questions that a lot of students switching from a career from another healthcare-related field like a Physician Assistant or a nurse have. Let's dig into each of the questions and discuss them.

[03:14] Making a Financial Decision

Is it financially wise to wait a couple years or do you start sooner rather than later? Yes, it would be more financially wise to pay off the debt before actually accruing more debt. This is a personal question that's hard to answer since you really need to sit down with a financial advisor and look at the lost income from giving up your PA work while attending medical school and the income you'll be making as a resident (which is most likely going to be a lot less than working as a PA) and finally, your work as an attending. What would it take to break even and pay off all of that debt and what that would look like. Be able to work out some different scenarios.

Therefore, it seems more financially sound and wise to wait a couple of years. Whether or not it's right for you, it's a personal question that only you can answer. Do you enjoy your job well enough now to give it a couple of years? Are you dead set on going to medical school? If you wait a couple of years, are you going to question that decision? Or should you just jump in now with both feet while you're ready and your husband supports you? These are some things to think about.

[04:40] Legal Issues and Conflicts of Interest

Are there any legal issues or conflicts of interest against picking up shifts as a PA while in medical school or working during med school in general? Yes, people do this.

I recommend that you talk with the medical school as you are accepted and you go through that process. Make sure you're accepted first and then go through the process telling them about you going to medical school and whether you could pick up some shifts. Your ability to pick up shifts is going to be few and far between since medical school is going to be rigorous so being able to work is going to be hard. But it is possible. Your credentials, certifications, and schooling as a PA are fine. If you need to change state, you're going to need to re-license yourself and all of that stuff that goes with moving to a new state. But you should be able to work as a PA. However, be careful with the clear delineations of what you're doing and what scope of practice you're practicing under.

Back in Episode 170 of The Premed Years Podcast, I talked with Brad who turned from PA to medical student and he shared his journey, why he was doing it, as well as practicing as a PA during medical school.

[06:10] Shadowing Hours

Do you need to obtain shadowing hours? Yes. Working as a PA side-by-side with physicians is not "shadowing" a physician. What you see working as a physician's assistant while 99.9% of it is going to be the same, go shadow for 10 or 20 hours. You don't actually need a ton of hours. Just go shadow and see what life is like when you're not working and you're able to just observe and take it all in. You've gotten through your education, PA's work side by side with physicians and even as you're practicing, so you understand it. Still, go get some shadowing hours so you can put it down on your extracurriculars.

[06:57] Letters of Recommendation

Do you need to go to school just to get science LORs? No, you don't. Most medical schools are going to recognize the fact that you're a nontraditional student. If you ask them, they will say they won't need those science LORs so go ahead and use a supervisor and anybody else who will write a great letter of recommendation for you.

[07:26] Final Thoughts

These are great questions a lot of nontrads have not just for PA's but those who are also in the medical field. If you have any questions you want answered here, go to www.OldPreMeds.org and register for a free account.

Links:

74: Should I Apply to Med School this Cycle With My Grades?

Tue, 16 May 2017 21:00:00 -0500

Session 74

Our poster this week is questioning whether or not he should apply this cycle with low grades and not a lot of extracurriculars. He is getting very nervous about applying and getting some cold feet.

If you have any questions, sign up for a free account at the OldPreMeds.org and join a collaborative community of like-minded students.

[01:05] OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

"I'm two years out of college with the hopes that I would have applied to medical last cycle (2016) to start in 2017. However, when the time came to send out my primary, I couldn't bring myself to do it. With a very low cumulative GPA of 3.05 and a science GPA of 3.25, a 502 MCAT and very, very few extracurriculars, I decided to wait a year and better my application. A year has come and gone and yet I still feel hesitant to apply. I have been working a job as an Emergency Room technician, volunteering in a hospital, and again preparing to take the MCAT. Even if I get an outstanding score on the MCAT, I feel that it will not be enough to get in. What is your advice? Do I apply anyways? Or do I spend another year in limbo and get a Master's or postbac while gaining more ECs (extracurriculars)?"

[02:10] Your Numbers Are Just a Portion of Your Application

This student is nervous about spending the money to apply to medical school without getting in. It's a legitimate concern, especially given the GPAs for this student which aren't great. Then a 502 MCAT with that MCAT isn't great. However, as I've mentioned in the past, the MCAT and GPA are just a portion of your application. So you can't only go on that.

[03:00] Clinical Experience & Extracurriculars

Episode 171 of The Premed Years Podcast, I had a discussion with a former Dean of Admissions at UC Irvine where she talked about a lack of clinical experience being one of the big reasons to not get into medical school.

This poster obviously recognizes the fact that they lack some extracurriculars and got a job as an emergency room technician. Does this mean you're interacting with patients? If that's what you're doing then great. Taking the MCAT again is also great and you have to do well.

[03:45] Taking Postbac Classes

What I would have liked to see over the past year is you taking postbac classes. It doesn't have to be a formal postbac but doing ore classes to bring up your GPA from a 3.05 and get a cumulative up to 3.2 or 3.3 and your science GPA up higher around to 3.5. This would be fantastic and it would make an admissions committee think twice about that application.

I had a great discussion with the Dean of Admissions at the University of Central Florida where we talked about nontraditional students who have done poorly in the past. He discussed how he looks at applications. He looks at the last 20 hours of science coursework and if you've done well in those last 20 hours, his assumption is you'll be fine in medical school.

The poster did not give any trends on their grades. They may have an amazing upward trend but their cumulative GPA and science GPA are still lower. A lot more information would be helpful here but if you were able to take the MCAT and get a great score, apply. The only worst thing that could happen is them telling you no.

Assume that your GPA is going to hold you back so start taking some classes and do that now. And get ready to apply again. The safer bet that a lot of students don't like to be classified as a reapplicant is usually an unfounded fear. Being a reapplicant doesn't hurt you. But on the safe side, you can continue working as an EMT in the hospital, take classes, and improve your GPA. Take the MCAT, do well on it and apply next year.

[05:55] Final Thoughts

There are so many variables that go into a good medical school application that can get overwhelming. What happened to this student is a common thing where you get shy about pulling a trigger and then you don't apply because you feel you're not good enough. Then a year goes by and you really didn't do much to adjust that so you're still not good enough and this becomes a cascading problem of never being good enough. So take those next steps. Figure out where you need to go and pull the trigger. Take some classes. Do whatever you need to do to improve that MCAT score and hopefully, you will put together successful application. Obviously, personal statement, extracurriculars, secondary essays, and interview prep all go into a great medical school application.

Links:

The Premed Years Podcast Episode 171: Reapplying to Medical School - What You Need to Know to Improve

The Premed Years Podcast Episode 013: Interview with Dean of UCF College of Medicine

UC Irvine School of Medicine

University of Central Florida - College of Medicine

73: Will My Medical History Affect My Chances at Med School?

Wed, 10 May 2017 04:00:00 -0500

Session 73

The paperback version of The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview is set to be released in June. In celebration of that launch, simply preorder it from Barnes and Noble before June 06, 2017 and get almost $100 worth of giveaways including a brand new, amazing mock interview platform which is only available right now to those who preorder the book. This platform will enable you to practice your interview skills anytime you want and even share video recordings of your interviews with mentors, advisors, friends, and family. Access to this platform is worth $47 a month but you get a free month if you preorder the paperback copy of the book from Barnes and Noble.

You will also get access to my 13 video series of which are courses I've done on the medical school interview (regular price is $47). To know more, text PREORDER to 44222 and you will get instructions on how to buy the book and how to submit your receipt to get access to this free gift.

Today's question is about whether an applicant's medical history would affect their application to medical school, which is a common question we get. Do you need to mention it in your personal statement? If so, how will this affect your application?

[04:00] OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

“I am currently back in school working on completing course prereqs for medical school. I'm just wondering, is a medical history taken into account when applying to medical school especially mental health?

In 2016, undiagnosed OCD led me to develop an eating disorder for which I'm currently in recovering as well as chronic depression. I'm wondering if these life events could affect my medical school application. Aside from my mental health history, I am working towards a strong application (knock on wood). My undergrad GPA is 3.9. My current science and math GPA is 4.0. I'm about to begin volunteering at a hospital and I work 24+ hours a week in an advanced stage dementia nursing home, basically, as a CNA. I serve as a peace corps volunteer and I'm nearly fluent in Spanish.”

Here are my thoughts:

[05:00] Medical School Application

Luckily, for this student, their mental health has obviously not affected their grades. Ultimately, what the question comes down to is, what do I have to tell the medical schools?

The plain answer is nothing. There is nothing on the application that asks about your health. What could come up is if you had any significant gaps in education and you have to explain those. And even if you do have those gaps in your education, you don't have to explain those by saying you've had chronic depression, OCD, or an eating disorder. Instead, be very generic and say you've been dealing with some health issues that have gotten under control and since coming back to school, you've been fantastic. And it shows!

[06:34] Medical License Application

When you go for your medical license, you will be asked a question about any health issues that are going to prevent you from taking care of patients. It doesn't sound like this poster has anything that would prevent them from taking care of patients so this is not something to worry about.

However, this comes into play if you have brain tumor and it's affecting your cognition and your ability to think and control impulses. Then you're starting to deal with some questionable issues. If you have a vision problem or severe carpal tunnel, for instance, and you're a surgeon then maybe that's a problem. You're going to have to disclose that on your applications for your medical license as well as your credentials at the hospital.

[07:33] A Red Flag

Whatever you have is none of the medical school's business. I highly recommend that even if this has motivated you to go into medicine, be very careful about talking about those things on your application and in your personal statement. This could pose a big red flag.

Medical schools are looking at thousands of medical schools so why would they take a chance on you when they can just put you aside and look at somebody else, just as qualified as you are, that doesn't have any red flags?

Back in Episode 194 of The Premed Years podcast, I talked to a student who is legally blind from a condition and he applied to a medical school. His personal statement was all about his blindness and how that's motivating to continue. However, he didn't get into medical school and thought maybe he shouldn't have done that. The next time he applied, he didn't mention anything about his blindness. He was able to hide it to a certain extent, like if it was bright out, he was able to see well enough that he didn't need a walking stick. Then he got accepted to medical school and the packages that came after his acceptance asked him about whether he needed accommodations and that's when he said he's legally blind. Currently, he is residency and is doing very well.

[09:46] Final Thoughts

As you are struggling with mental health issues or whatever you're dealing with, guess what? We are all dealing with something.

One of the reasons I left the Air Force and I'm doing the podcasts full time now and I don't practice medicine anymore is I was diagnosed with MS (which was also one of the reasons I got into the Air Force instead of doing Orthopedic Surgery which was what I really loved to do but it could have made my disease worse but it wasn't worth it). Hopefully, this discussion has helped you figure out whether this is something that's going to affect you. Usually, it doesn't. We have our own concerns like how the admissions committee members are going to look at you. But for the most part, your business is not the medical school's. Keep it to yourself and keep taking care of yourself on your journey. Hopefully, you will do very well.

72: Is All Hope Lost for this Discouraged Postbac Student?

Tue, 02 May 2017 21:00:00 -0500

Session 72

The premed path is long and daunting. But what should you do if you’re so committed to becoming a doctor and yet you’re not able to translate that into having good grades? Our poster this week has struggled big time. Unfortunately, he still hasn't found a way to straighten out their grades.

If you haven't already, please sign up for an account at the OldPreMeds.org and feel free to post some questions so we can have them answered here on the podcast.

[01:10] OldPreMeds Question of the Week

"I'm currently in a postbac program as my 'second chance' attempt. I graduated from my undergraduate program with a Biology degree but did horrible. I was not focused and my extra curricular activities were my priority. I ended up graduating with a 2.6 GPA.

I know it would be a good idea for me to apply to a postbac program to show med schools that I actually can succeed in higher level science classes. Unfortunately, this was not the case.

I always have something going on at home with family or I'm working a lot. I think I've been living where I am for so long that I just need a fresh start somewhere else with no distractions. And I only work because it's the only way I can provide for myself but it definitely takes away from my studies. I feel like I'm just a complete failure once again. I earned three C's, a D in the postbac program, which I know looks bad on my transcript but I'm taking the class over I got a D in. I'm most likely not even going to boost my undergraduate GPA over a 3.0 like I thought it would. I've faced the facts that my undergrad GPA will just not be competitive.

Being a doctor is still my dream and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get there even if I have to take a billion more steps than the average but is all hope lost for me? If not, what next steps could I take. Would doing a Master's program be smart? I know it will be difficult convincing any school of my capabilities but I'm ready to put in the work. Any suggestions would be amazing."

Here Are My Thoughts:

[02:57] Special Master’s Program

Let's face the facts here. You have shown time and time again that you were not a good student. I'm not sure if taking a Master's coursework is going to fix that for you. What you need to fix is yourself.

As you've mentioned, maybe you just need a fresh start somewhere and get rid of distractions. But you have to really ask yourself if that's going to give you the fresh start. Listen to Episode 230 of The Premed Years Podcast where I talked with Chad who was recently accepted to two medical schools. He was a lot like you who always had something going on and was never able to focus on coursework. He did terrible and didn't do well in his undergrad. He didn't do well in postbac and he got rejected from Caribbean medical schools. I even joked in that podcast that I didn't even know Caribbean schools rejected people but apparently, they do. Chad eventually went on to do a Special Master's Program (SMP), which is basically a Master's postbac. He did well and was accepted to the medical school associated with that SMP and was also accepted at another school.

You could look into something like an SMP. But based on your track record, I’m not sure what's going to change. Perhaps you need to continue taking some undergraduate classes and make sure you're ready to commit to an SMP, which is going to be another $20,000 to $40,000. Don't take that next step unless you know you're ready and unless you have fixed yourself.

[05:14] Focus on Being a Student

In Episode 230 of The Premed Years Podcast, Chad said that he had to quit working then he actually found work that was flexible enough for him to go and do what he needed to do. But for the most part, he got rid of all his commitments and focused on being a student. He lived on food stamps and on different public assistance programs. And this is something for you to think about. What lengths can you go to so you can make sure you have food and shelter but also have time to study?

[06:00] Final Words

Fix those things. Make sure you're dedicated to being a student. Make sure you're just not a bad student and are making other excuses. Get rid of distractions. Take some classes. Do well in them and prove to yourself that you're ready for that next step. Then take that next step. Lastly, look into a Special Master's Program (SMP) which is the only Master's program I would look out for you. Do not do MPH and any other Master's program. Just go to an SMP if you can get into one.

Links:

Premed Years Podcast Session 230: Rejected from the Caribbean! Now with a US Acceptance!

71: Should I Give Up On MD Dream If I Apply Late in the Cycle?

Tue, 25 Apr 2017 21:00:00 -0500

Session 71

Our poster this week is wondering if applying late is going to hurt his chances of getting into an MD school and if he should just focus on DO schools. Should you “give up” applying to MD schools just because you’re taking the MCAT at a later date?

[01:15] OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

"I'm beginning to realize that I might have to give up on MD and focus on DO only. I'm taking O. Chem 2 and Philosophy this summer and will have all prereqs completed except the Biochem and Bio3 for those schools that require it. Although I wanted to take O. Chem at another place, I had to take it at this community college because of timing. The problem is that this community college is one of those "Harvard on a hill" types. Science classes and labs are loaded up with busy work and homework. I'm starting to realize that the bulk of my MCAT prep will have to happen after the semester ends, which means June and July and MCAT July 28. That would push my application into mid-September and my understanding from that other site (SDN) is that mid-September is quite late for MD but on time for DO. So what to do? Give up hopes of MD, stick with the DO cycle only? Apply MD and hope for a miracle? I don't have a problem with DO per se as my ultimate goal is Family Medicine or Internal Medicine.

The only issue I have with DO is that most schools have you move after second year and then again after third year. There are few schools that allow both clinical years that would be completed in the same town and those would be the ones I would target. I would not want to apply to schools such as PNWU (Pacific Northwestern University). I don't want to be moving between Alaska, Oregon, Washington, Montana, and Idaho every three months for rotations. My number one choice is UC San Diego but that's going to be a tough one unless my MCAT score rocks. My estimated Science GPA is 3.63. I am an over-represented minority, will have mediocre ECs and LORs., and don't have any kind of amazing life story.”

[03:29] Is August Too Late to Apply?

The poster here is an over-represented minority and interested in UC San Diego but is taking a late MCAT. July 28 MCAT is late and it's not terrible. Well, it's kind of bad. Looking at the date, you're going to get the score back or the school is going to get the score back on Tuesday, August 29. That would be end of August which means it's going to be a late August date.

I recently talked to a premed advisor at a local school who reached out to fifteen medical schools talking about sending committee letters and if a late August committee letter would still be okay. Out of the 15 schools, 12-13 said it was okay and they'd still consider it early while 2-3 of them preferred mid-August. Although this is a small sample size, it goes to show you that a lot of schools out there are still ramping up their admissions in August and September.

[05:05] The Normal Application Time Frame

Remember the normal time frame is to submit in June. Schools get your primary application. For AACOMAS application, schools will start to get it early June this year, while AMCAS application will not get it until late June. They send you secondaries and you fill those out, assuming that schools start to receive secondary applications starting mid-July. Applications start to get looked at and then interview invites start to go out. Following that, they would start accepting people after the interviews.

[05:50] Early Application and Rolling Admissions

Think about where you are in line. If you're going to take a late MCAT, you still need to apply early. Have those transcripts verified early because the biggest hangup in the application is this manual process done by people. So you need to get in line to get your transcripts verified. Get those applications out and start to fill out those secondaries and have the MCAT as the only thing that the school is waiting for.

Hence, there is no reason to "give up" on MD. Just apply and see. I wouldn't NOT apply to MD schools just because it's later in the application cycle. I also disagree with the fact that it's still "on time" for DO considering that the DO application starts to go out before MD applications.

So don't have that mindset of giving up MD just because it's a later application. A lot of people get accepted to MD and DO schools that apply late. Of course, you need good scores and stats to bring you over the hurdle considering it's a rolling admissions process. This is another reason I don't agree with being "on time" for DO because most schools have a rolling admissions process. Either way, if you're applying late to either application cycle, you're still going to be later in the cycle for everybody. This means less interview spots available and if you get one and are interviewed, it's going to be a little bit later. Typically, there are less acceptances to hand out because it's a rolling admissions process.

[08:16] Final Thoughts

Don't give up on MD. Apply to both MD and DO and do your best. Give it your best shot. Ideally, you're taking the MCAT earlier but it is what it is. I hope you understand the importance of taking it earlier in the application cycle. As I'm recording this in 2017, the latest that I'm pushing students back to is mid-June because then if you get your score back in mid-July (the date secondaries are coming back if you're up-to-date) and so it's not delaying the application a lot, if at all. Ideally, take the MCAT in March or April but if you need to take it a little bit later, then do it. You obviously want to take it when you're prepared. Do not take it early just because you have to. There's a big difference there.

Links:

AMCAS

AACOMAS

70: Should You Quit Your job to Study for the MCAT Full-Time?

Tue, 18 Apr 2017 21:00:00 -0500

Session 70

The MCAT is hard. Being a nontrad and studying for the MCAT can seem impossible. Should you quit your job to study for the MCAT full-time? That is the question.

We take your questions directly from the OldPreMeds.org forums and answer them here on the podcast. If you haven't yet, sign up for an account and join this awesome community.

[01:20] OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

"I'm debating whether I should resign from my job or not. I graduated last year and have been balancing working a very full-time job, 40-50 hours a week, and MCAT studying. I've taken the old MCAT before the change happened in January and scored a 20 literally but I'm a very good student with a 3.97 GPA. I was taking a Kaplan course at that time while taking three science courses and thesis and cram-studied for 18 days. In retrospect, I needed to strategize and needed more time."

Note: This student was obviously taking the January 2015 test and I'm assuming they cram-studied because they were trying to take the test prior to the change to the new MCAT.

"I'm aiming to take the exam in January of 2017. I already unofficially pushed back the exam twice due to events at work and feel like I need to study head-on but I haven't seen much improvement despite on and off studying since last October. My biggest fear is quitting and not doing as well on the exam as I've hoped. But I'm also so tired when I come home from work and I know that something needs to change at work. Financially, I have about three months worth of rent for New York City and I;m concerned about finding a job to sustain me after my exam.

But my main focus at this point is to do well on the exam and I don't want delay taking this exam anymore. I'm going to ask my employer if I can take a one-month leave of absence from late December to my January exam date and somehow find a way to use my vacation days so I can work three to four days a week. Would this be enough time to improve my score to 510+? My first Kaplan practice test score was 491. I'm determined to do well but for some reason, I'm not making much progress on this exam. Or is quitting your job for the exam worth it for the exam? Would med schools look unfavorably if I were to study for the MCAT head-on?”

Here are my thoughts:

[03:50] The MCAT is Like No Other

I don't think med schools care if you quit your job and only studied for the MCAT. They just want to see you have a good grade. So you don't really want to worry about that.

This student was good in school but bombed the MCAT, studying for 18 days and trying to cram in one of those last test dates in January 15, like every other student was trying to do and didn't do well with a 20.

My first point is that the MCAT is not like any other test you're going to see in your life through your undergrad years or your postbac years. It doesn't care if you have a 3.97 GPA. All it cares about is how well you're going to do on the MCAT. So you need to well on the MCAT which means studying specifically for the MCAT and that also means studying for more than 18 days.

[05:30] Take Many Practice Tests

This was actually posted in August and the poster was looking at taking it in January and possibly taking a one month leave of absence to cram for the MCAT. I still consider one month as cramming for the MCAT. The goal is to take many practice tests. Go and listen to The MCAT Podcast, if you don't already, where you we cover topics like how long to study for the MCAT or how many practices tests should you take, and all of these types of questions.

[06:18] Should You Quit Your Job?

Every job is different. There is a difference between a librarian job which is relatively easy compared to this job that this poster has, working 40-50 hours a week and coming home too tired to study. That's a huge difference! Therefore, you need to take into account what your life is, your job life, and the amount of energy you have to give to prepare for the MCAT. Your priority would be MCAT but you obviously have to sustain yourself financially with living, food, and everything else. But this poster only has their three months worth of rent. So could you take on a room mate? Or go and live in with somebody? Adjust your lifestyle to make it a priority to study for the MCAT.

[07:33] The Best Case Scenario

The best case scenario is always studying full-time for the MCAT. But that is not reasonable for everyone and not a doable thing. So you need to be able to study as much as possible and that means you may have to adjust some things like going down to doing part-time, or going down to three or four days a week, or to four or five hours a day instead of 40-50 hours a week.

[08:03] My Final Thoughts

Again, the MCAT comes first. It doesn't matter if you quit your job and study full-time. The medical schools are not going to look at that negatively. One month is not enough time to study for the MCAT for most people. If you think about a normal study schedule, you're taking the unscored AAMC MCAT a week before your exam, you're taking one of their scored two weeks before the exam, you're taking one of their scored three weeks before the exam, and then you're taking four or five or six other full-length practice exams for the month before that. So you're looking at about two months minimum to start fitting in practice exams and doing everything else. As you can see, it takes some time so you need to plan it.

Links:

MedEdMedia Network

The MCAT Podcast 34: How Many MCAT Practice Tests Should I Take?

AAMC practice tests

The MCAT Podcast 37: How Do I Know If I’m Ready to Take the MCAT

69: How Do I Know if Medicine Is Right For Me?

Tue, 11 Apr 2017 21:00:00 -0500

Session 69

Taken directly from the OldPreMeds.org forums, today's question comes from Kyle, a student who's not really sure if he's interested in medicine. If you think you’re on the same boat as Kyle then all the more reason you should listen to this episode.

This question basically relates a little bit to The Premed Years Session 229, where I spoke with Renee, a 54-year-old medical student. She was actually 53 when she reapplied to medical school. She was a former nurse turned nurse practitioner turned nurse educator and had a very successful career. But at the back of her mind, she has always wanted to be a physician. Through the encouragement of her kids, she actually went back and finally made a leap. Listen to her story about how she took the MCAT five times and had to reapply to medical school but was finally successful and is now a medical student.

By the way, we have a new podcast coming up where we will be covering USMLE Step 1 and COMLEX Level 1, the first part of the board exams that you take as a medical student. Stay tuned as it will be out in a couple of weeks.

[03:25] OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

" I really need some objectivity right now. Up and down academic trend maybe 3.0 Science GPA, maybe a 3.1, graduated with a Allied Health degree, not strong GPA throughout program, finally picked it up final semester of my degree. Prereqs General Biology 1 - 3.7 after retake. General Biology 2 - 3.0. Postback, informal, very slow-paced right now. Chem 1 retake -4.0, Genetic - 4.0, Chem 2 - currently taking.

Here's the deal. I'm just not sure I really want to be a physician. There's a lot that goes into this thinking but fundamentally, I'm not sure I want to do what a doctor does. I've done volunteering, shadowing, etc. I like the science side of it and not really dealing with treating or caring for people. I've gone from pre-nursing, pre-pharm, to premed throughout my academic career and currently in a health profession that is none of those but I'm enjoying my job. Who else out there is struggling with this doubt? But it's not just doubt in my abilities, work ethic, time to do this while working full time. But like I said, fundamentally, I don't think I want that role like I once did. If someone was there before, what brought you back to pursue medicine? You hear that cliche that if you can see yourself doing something other than being a doctor, then don't become a doctor. This has been an ongoing multi-year, multi-seasoned fight and I just don't know if I have what it takes nor if I really want this."

[05:07] Here are my thoughts:

The short answer is go find something else to do. It's as simple as that. The role of a physician is very much ingrained in patient care. When you say you're not sure you want to do what a doctor does and that you really don't like dealing with treating or caring for people, that right there tells me that you should not be a doctor. And that's is truly okay.

I talk about it on The Premed Years Podcast all the time that it is great to realize that you don't want to be a doctor because it's a long, hard, and expensive process. Then in the end, a lot of physicians actually question whether it was all worth it and a lot of physicians do not like being a doctor anymore. So for you to find this out now is great! Go find something else that you love to do. It doesn't even have to be in health care. You've talked about going from pre-nursing to pre-pharm to premed. Get out of medicine altogether and find something else that you really love.

[06:35] A Farewell to Being Premed

If you're struggling with similar things as Kyle is, I highly recommend you listen to Session 29 of The OldPreMeds Podcast where I read a post from somebody who wrote a farewell letter to being a premed. It's a great post from somebody who realized that it wasn't just what they wanted anymore. And that's okay.

Going back to Kyle, congratulations for figuring this out. Go enjoy whatever it is that you're meant to do. Go find it.

Links:

The Premed Years Podcast Specialty Stories Podcast

The Premed Years Podcast Session 229: 54-Year-Old Med Student Overcame 5 MCAT s, Rejection, and More

The OldPreMeds Podcast Session 29: A Farewell Letter to Being Premed

68: Which Postbac Should I Choose? Does Prestige Matter?

Tue, 04 Apr 2017 21:00:00 -0500

Session 68

Our poster this week is trying to decide between two postbac programs in New York and is worried about picking one that may be looked less upon based on the name.

We take questions directly from the OldPreMeds.org forums and answer them here on the podcast. "Old premed” is a relative term as you could be a 23-year-old “old premed” or be a 40, 50, or even 60-year-old “old premed.” In this case, an old premed refers to a nontraditional premed student. So if you consider yourself one (or even if you're a traditional student), you are welcome to be a part of our community and we'll be happy to answer any questions from you.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

"I'm having a hard time deciding between Fordham or Hunter for my postbac. While Hunter is cheaper, I do not want to get caught up in their bad bureaucracy or have to take an extra semester because I couldn't get a class seat. Additionally, I cannot apply to Hunter until January versus my Fordham admissions rep saying he would process my application in two weeks and I can start this summer. It's more risky applying to Hunter and I don't want to delay my goals for a year on the chance I might not get in.

Fordham's night and weekend classes would usually free up my schedule for shadowing and volunteering while letting me study during my peak hours as a morning person. Hunter seems to offer more resources, guest lectures, advising. Both programs offer committee letters. My biggest fear is Fordham won't be prestigious enough and harm my application. Is my final GPA truly what med schools care most about?"

Here are my insights:

[03:06] Is It Good Enough?

This comes up a lot when parents and students try to decide which institution to go to for undergrad, for postbac, or for medical school because you're worrying about the name of the school and how it will affect your application to medical school or residency. "Is it good enough?" That is the never-ending cycle of question.

My simple answer is - Yes. It is good enough.

Schools are accepting students from all over the country and the world. They are taking students from community colleges or rural liberal arts schools. They are also taking students from the big names like Harvard. And it's based on numbers.

My alma mater, the University of Florida, has one of the largest state schools in the country and they typically produce the most medical school matriculants every year. It's a huge, well-known state school and it's not known for the academics, in fact, it's one of the top party schools. But it's still a great school that produces a lot of students. Hence, it's not the name of the institution that you will be judged upon by medical schools.

[05:06] How to Choose Your School

Sure, there are medical schools that would look at an institution’s name and some admissions committee members may have their biases. But this should not be the driving factor in your decision, but rather, everything else that you talked about in terms of how it works with your schedule, how it fits with your internal clock as a morning person, etc. This is how you should be judging these things and not based on the institution's prestige. On The Premed Years Podcast, I talk a lot about choosing a school that will make you great, not choosing a great school. Just because a certain school has a great name attached to it doesn't mean you will flourish there. You need to choose a school that will help you be great and will let you shine.

Links:

University of Florida

Fordham University

Hunter University

67: How Should I Prepare For My First Shadowing Experience?

Tue, 28 Mar 2017 21:00:00 -0500

Session 67

This week’s question is all about shadowing, basically some do’s and don’ts to make sure you get the most out of your shadowing experience.

We take questions directly from the OldPreMeds.org forums. If you haven't yet, go register for an account. It's free and easy. Feel free to ask questions.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

From Lydia:

"I'm preparing for my first shadowing experience. I'll be shadowing a heme/oncologist MD. Does anyone have any suggestions for how to make the most of my experience. I'm planning on bringing a notebook and some good questions. Any other ideas or suggestions or must-ask questions? Thanks!"

Here are my insights:

[01:34] Shadowing and Clinical Experience

Shadowing is so important in the game of premed life in order for you to understand what medicine is like. However, please note that shadowing and clinical experience are two different things.

Clinical experience involves hands-on interaction with patients where you help them do things and talk to them. Hence, you are really interacting with them.

Shadowing, on the other hand, is supposed to be a very passive experience where you're literally a shadow because you're there standing in a corner or behind the physician or beside the physician to just watch and observe. You're not there to ask questions during the patient interaction. You're not there to talk to the patients. Some physicians, however, are okay with students who shadow to do exams on the patient, if the patient allows it obviously.

Some physicians will ask your thoughts during an exam or during taking a patient's history. Basically, every physician is different.

So just go in with the assumption that you're only going to stand there, watch, and be silent. Your opportunity to ask questions to the physician happens afters the patient encounter but only if they allow you to. Some physicians won't give you any time to ask questions while other physicians will let you ask questions in between every patients. But just go in with the assumption that you won't be able to ask questions or interact in any way and that you're just going to be following the physician around. Anything else that is above and beyond that assumption is great.

[03:57] What to Bring

Don't go in with anything (notebook, pens, paper, etc.) unless it's a tiny book that will fit in your pocket. You're going in dressed up in business casual unless you're told something else by the physician or the clinic where you're shadowing. Go in with as little as possible so that you are not burdening the clinic with needing to store your stuff. Leave your backpack or purse in the car. Go in with nothing. The less you have, the better.

[05:05] Questions to Ask

Let the questions come to you naturally as you leave. Don't go in with a list of questions with what medicine is like and what life is like. Just ask questions at the end of the day about what you saw that day or the process you saw during that day. As you build that relationship, more and more of these questions can come. Ask questions about the patient at the end of the day. Do not ask a generic list of questions because that is not necessary.

[05:50] Taking Notes

As you're done for the day, you may now get your notebook out and start journaling -physician's name, dates and times, what you saw, what left an impression on you, what made an impact on you, diseases you've seen, the kind of patient interaction the physician had, what you liked or not liked about what you saw that day, what could have been done better or different. Write those things down and be sure to keep a journal of all your interactions of shadowing, volunteering (even including the non-medical stuff). Keep a journal of all your experiences because this can help you with filling out your AMCAS application, AACOMAS application, or the Texas Medical and Dental Application Service in that you have these memories and notes to go back to.

Links:

Texas Medical and Dental Application Service d Media Network

AMCAS application

ACOMAS application

66: Should I Take Online Courses to Prepare for the MCAT?

Wed, 22 Mar 2017 04:00:00 -0500

Session 66

This week, a student asked about retaking old prerequisite classes that they previously did well in, hoping to better prepare for the MCAT. The classes that the poster has been considering to take, however, are online. What are the options?

If you have any questions, register for an account at OldPreMeds.org and join the collaborative community there.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

"I am 'stuffling' (I wasn’t really sure what the poster meant by this word) in deciding whether or not to retake my science courses online. I took most classes, bio and general chem, about ten years ago and recently took some courses to prep for the MCAT. I took the MCAT two years ago and scored a 500.

I want to retake all science classes to help me prepare better for the MCAT. Unfortunately, I can't do daytime classes because I work and I have a family to support and the schools where I live do not offer these classes in the evening. Will it be okay if I took these classes online? Will medical schools accept them or am I better off not retaking these courses. My science GPA is 3.7 and my overall is 3.9. I really want to apply to medical school as soon as possible as I'm 31. But I really need a bit more review on physics because that is my weakest point. Any advice would be helpful."

Here are my thoughts:

[03:00] Prerequisite Classes

Retaking the MCAT is obviously a huge endeavor. 500 is not a great score but it's a score and a 3.7/3.9 is a great GPA. Interestingly, you only mentioned Bio and General chemistry so I'm wondering if you really understand all the prereqs for medical school. Now with the new MCAT, it's not just Biology but also, Psychology, Sociology, Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry. Some of the medical schools are adding some of those Psychology and Sociology classes to their prereqs so that's something to look into.

[04:00] Taking Online Prereqs

If you go back to OPM Session 18, it talks about online degrees. But the person here is just taking online courses to supplement her previous courses in order to give her a better foundation for the MCAT.

My biggest piece of advice is to look into the MSAR (for MD schools) and look at the requirements for each of the schools since they will tell you whether or not they accept online courses.

In this situation, you did well in your courses to begin with (assuming you did all of the prereqs) so let's say you're taking these online courses not to boost your GPA but as a refresher. This is something you have to ask the medical about. Reach out to the school and present your situation telling them you did well in your previous classes. Since they're older, are they going to take these older classes? And would it be okay if you took these online courses now not for boosting your GPA but really just to prepare for the MCAT.

[05:52] MCAT Prep Course

Another option is just to apply and see what happens. 500 is not a great score but it's the average MCAT score so it will limit what schools will look at you.

The last options is spend the money on a MCAT prep course instead of online courses and use the MCAT prep course materials to relearn the information you need to learn. Personally, this would be the route I would take. I would self-teach myself, use Khan Academy videos online, and take a look at the Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) from Stanford University for example and see if they have any Physics courses online for free. I'd take a look at whatever online resources are out there and self-teach myself through those online resources and through the study material from these courses. Check out Next Step Test Prep, specifically their new MCAT class where they teach you the material online and at your own pace. They also have online office hours five days a week to have your questions answered. Compared to other big-named companies, they have more materials and they're much cheaper. Save some money by using the code MSHQ.

Links:

Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs)

Specialty Stories Podcast

65: Can I See Your Stats to See How Competitive I Am?

Tue, 14 Mar 2017 21:00:00 -0500

Session 65

Our poster today is a working mom who fell into a very common premed trap of trying to compare her stats to those of others students. The problem is, it doesn’t work that way!

If you have any questions that you would like answered here on The OldPreMeds Podcast, go to the OldPremeds.org, sign up for an account and join in their collaborative environment.

[01:23] OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

"First off, I am so happy to have found this site. I found my way here, thanks to The Premed Years Podcast. I am a 29-year-old working mom, I have two young children and who has been in the environmental health and safety industry mainly for manufacturing companies for about six years.

I originally applied to medical school in 2008 but I call it a wimpy effort at best. By the time I finished my undergrad, I was not very confident in my dreams or my commitment to four plus additional years in school, and ended up taking my backup plan (Kindly listen to The Premed Years Podcast to know my thoughts on having a backup plan). I got my Master’s in Environmental Talks and immediately started working after graduation. Over the years, the realization that medicine was in fact my dream has become a lot more obvious, but I have never felt like there was a good time to transition.

About six months ago, I bit the bullet and signed up to retake the MCAT. I took it January 28th so I’ll be receiving my scores at the end of February. My plan is to apply early for the 2018 cycle. My stats are potentially competitive, 3.9 undergrad GPA and 3.6 graduate, along with a good community service history and participation in undergrad grad research and shadowing.

I’m not super confident that I did well on the MCAT and I am trying to gauge the point at which I decide that I will not submit an application. I’m applying to an allopathic program if that makes any difference. Does anyone mind sharing their own stats and/or opinion of a threshold MCAT score for applying?"

Here are my insights:

[3:10] Trust Yourself, Trust Your Stats

It does not matter what other people’s stats are. The only person you're competing against to get into medical school is yourself. You need to trust yourself. You need to trust your stats and know that stats are only part of the application.

A 3.9 undergrad GPA is great. A 3.6 graduate GPA is good. An MCAT score is one part of a puzzle for a full application. A 29-year-old working mom will have a great story to tell if she tells it properly.

Here’s the biggest part of the application that people miss. You have to tell that story about the nontraditional journey that you have been on that separates you from everybody else. What makes you special? It’s not your MCAT score. But it’s your story, your journey, your path. That’s the story that you need to tell. It doesn’t matter what your MCAT score is.

[4:39] Applying to Only One School Might Hurt Your Chances

One thing that stood out in this question. This student said that she was applying to an allopathic program. One program.

This is a huge mistake. I understand that students, especially nontraditional students, have challenges such as location restrictions. And if you're a working mom, you're married, and your husband has a job and can’t relocate and the kids are firmly integrated in the schools and cannot relocate, then applying to one school is going to be a huge, HUGE risk. If I were that mom, I would then have serious conversations with my husband and with the kids, and clearly explain to them that I may have to move alone for a little while or all of us may have to move and start afresh so I can fulfill my dream of becoming a physician.

It is a huge challenge, a huge risk to apply to only one medical school. The average number of applications for MD schools is 14 to 15 as well for DO schools. Assuming most students apply to both MD and DO schools then that would mean applying to thirty schools.

[06:27] Applying Broadly and Other Things to Consider

It’s a lot of schools. It’s a lot of money. But every school is looking for something different. Every school is looking for a part of the community that they’re trying to build. As a 29-year-old working mom, the student who posted this question may fit in great at one school (regardless of her stats) because of her background as a working mom and her life experience. But it might be a school that’s two states away and this is also something you need to take into account when applying to medical school.

As a nontraditional applicant, it’s hard to think about applying broadly when you have a husband, or a wife, or other significant others and kids, and you're thinking about moving them. And so there are lots of things to think about when it comes to that.

[07:22] My Final Thoughts

Other people’s stats absolutely do not matter. Your 3.9 and 3.6 are not my 3.9 and 3.6 and 510 on the MCAT. If you've got a 510 on the MCAT and we had the same exact stats, it does not matter because your story is different than mine.

Stop trying to compare yourself or compare your stats to other students. They don’t compute. There is no correlation between your stats and somebody else’s stats. Just stop it.

Links and Other Resources:

The Premed Years Podcast Session 213: Stop Looking for a Backup Plan, It's Hurting Your Chances

Next Step Test Prep (Use the code MSHQ to save some money on full-length practice exams, their online courses, and their one-on-one tutoring.)

64: Are There Ways to Go to Med School Without Taking the MCAT?

Tue, 07 Mar 2017 20:00:00 -0500

Session 64

We take questions directly from the OldPreMeds.org forum and deliver the answers right here to you.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

"I'm about to graduate from college this upcoming May and would like to apply to medical schools. I wanted to apply to linkage programs so I can get into medical school without having to take the MCAT. I still have not taken the MCAT.

However, I cannot apply to postbac programs because I've taken all the premed courses and have done very well in them. So that eliminates any postbac linkage programs.

I know there are tons of linkage programs for undergrad sophomores and juniors but since I'm no longer a sophomore or junior, what other options do I have besides applying to medical school the regular way?"

Here are my insights:

[02:45] Thinking Outside the Box

The MCAT is a beast of its own and that's why you have resources like The MCAT Podcast to help make taking the MCAT easier for you. If you haven't yet, go check it out. It's a podcast I do with Next Step Test Prep, a test prep company that offers one-on-one tutoring as well as 10 full-length practice tests for the new MCAT. They also have a brand new course which they've set out. (Use the code MSHQ to save some money on their products and services).

[03:35] Ways to Get Into Medical School

There are a couple of ways to get into medical school. First is the traditional route which involves applying at the end of your junior year or beginning of your senior year for entrance the following year. So there's no break between undergrad and medical school except for a summer off. Within that normal route, you will have take the MCAT.

[04:03] Early Acceptance Programs

Perhaps the more appropriate term to use rather than a linkage program is "early acceptance." For most of these programs you apply during your sophomore or junior year. For some schools, you don't have to take the MCAT. While for others, you still have to take the MCAT provided that you have a minimum score to still be accepted into medical school.

My undergrad institution, University of Florida has the Junior Honors Medical Program where you apply as a sophomore and they look at your SAT score and the first couple years of your undergrad classes. I think you have to take the MCAT on that one.

[4:53] Programs without MCAT Requirement

There are programs out there where you don't have to take the MCAT. I recently helped a student get into A.T. Still University where they have an early acceptance program and she no longer has to take the MCAT and got her early acceptance.

[5:05] What Are the Options for Nontraditional Students?

If you're listening to this as a nontraditional student, those options are probably not going to be available for you. Instead, you can look into postbac programs, which are there to help increase your grades if you started off poorly and then you've decided to come back and work harder. These are grade-enhancing programs that allow you to go back and take these prerequisite courses over again. Some of those programs will have linkages to medical schools.

There are also Special Master’s Programs that have linkages to medical schools. These are master degree programs to help you improve your grades so you can prove to medical schools that you can handle the curriculum. I really wouldn’t recommend taking it as these programs can be very expensive. Also, in a lot of these programs, you will have to take some classes with the first year medical students.

[6:45] Take the MCAT. Take a Prep Course.

If you've done well in your classes, there is no reason to avoid taking the MCAT. Bite the bullet. MCAT is a necessary evil. If you've done well in your undergrad classes, that is the number one way to prepare for the MCAT. So go back and relearn that material. Take a prep course such as Next Step Test Prep and use the code MSHQ. Just take the MCAT and you will be fine.

Links and Other Resources:

Specialty Stories Podcast

Next Step Test Prep (Use the code MSHQ to save money off their offerings.)

University of Florida - Junior Honors Medical Program

If you're on any social media platform, use #tripod and let people know all about The OldPreMeds Podcast.

63: I'm Switching From Optometry, What Do I Do Now?

Tue, 28 Feb 2017 20:00:00 -0500

Session 63

Our poster today is a former student interested in optometry but is now trying to pursue medicine. A poor MCAT score is holding him back though plus his premed advisor told him he had zero percent chance of getting into medical school due to lack of research experience. Is research really necessary? How else can you improve your application given these circumstances?

The OldPreMeds community has been around for a long time helping nontraditional students like yourself on their journey to and through medical school. If you haven’t yet, sign up for an account today and if you have any questions, ask away.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

Today’s post is one from Louis Gonzalez.

"I am 27 years old. I have put off going to medical school for the last five years due to personal and family reasons. I’ve been taking care of my sister who developed a form of psychosis back in the spring of 2013 and I was my grandmother’s caretaker during her fatal bout with liver cancer in 2014.

I was trying for optometry school but after shadowing several optometrists, I just don’t think that it was the correct field for me. I graduated in 2011 with a 3.4 science GPA and a 3.7 accumulative GPA. I, at this time, only have 450 hours of volunteering and three years worth of science tutoring biology, microbiology, chemistry and organic chemistry.

Tutoring at the local community college near my home, I can’t travel that far due to my sister’s health. I did have shadowing experience but the doctor I shadowed back in 2011 doesn’t have an office in this state anymore. I know I’ll have to start shadowing and taking my MCAT. I got 23 on the 2012 MCAT, but what else should I do to prepare my application? I’m taking my MCAT in mid-August. So is it a good idea to get letters of recommendation right now and apply late? Or wait until next year and ask those professors in early 2018 to write letters of recommendation?

Also, is research necessary? I went back to talk to an advisor at my university about applying to medical school in December, but she told me that I had a 0% chance of getting into medical school at this point due to my lack of research. Overall,any advice would be most helpful."

Here are my insights:

[03:15] Zero Percent Chance and Research Experience

First of all, as much as I love premed advisors, I just have to disagree with "0% chance" of getting into medical school because zero percent chance is never the answer.

Anyway, do you have to have research? No. It’s a tricky thing because when you’re applying to medical schools and you’re looking at the MSAR and the College Information Book, you'd see various breakdowns of students that were accepted including what percentage of them had research. And it’s a large majority. But the bottom line is that you do not have to have research.

If you’re interested in research, great and go seek it out. I highly recommend you go and get research because it’s interesting and just to see if you might like it or not. It's very easy just like any other experience of shadowing or getting clinical experience.You could either do laboratory research or clinical research wherein you’re helping a physician do some data analysis on their patients. Again, you don’t have to have research but I would recommend you get it or at least "dip your toes" in it for a little bit to see if you like it.

[04:45] Older Prereqs and Preparing for the MCAT

Your GPA scores, volunteering experience, and science tutoring are great. Your prerequisites are a little bit older (take a listen to OPM 62) but it's probably still okay. I recommend you check in with each of the schools you're interested in applying to just to make sure they're okay with having some older prereqs.

Just as I talked about last week, you got a 23 on the MCAT so it may help you on the new MCAT to take some more courses to help solidify your knowledge of the sciences that are going to be tested on the MCAT. But it comes down to you just not understanding what the MCAT is all about. For this reason, I would highly recommend looking into a Next Step Test Prep or another one-on-one tutoring company. If you decide to go with Next Step Test Prep, use the code MSHQ to save some money on their tutoring programs. You really need to understand how to take the MCAT to do well on it.

[06:02] Application Timeline & Letters of Recommendation

If you plan to apply this year (2017) and take the test in August, I would recommend that you don't apply this year. August is too late to apply this year. It’s not a 0% chance but I would never recommend to anybody that’s applying in 2017 to take the MCAT in August of 2017 because your application is not going to be complete until a month after that. By that time, you’re several months behind and most medical schools are going to have the people they want to interview already lined up and ready to go. They're just waiting for those last few really top notch applications to come through before the deadline, which is usually at the end of October. So if you have to take the MCAT in August or mid-August, I would delay applying until 2018.

Regarding letters of recommendation, start asking for them around February and have your letter writers submit their letters for 2018, applying in June of 2018.

[07:22] Shadowing and Clinical Experience

Look into some more shadowing and more clinical experience since admissions committees want to see sustained engagement in the medical field. While you had a volunteering a while ago, you didn't mention what type of volunteering it is so I'm going to assume it's not medically related. Get some clinical experience being around patients just to make sure this is really what you want to do.

Lastly, I'm glad that you pointed out that you decided not to apply for optometry after shadowing optometrists. This is the very reason medical schools want to see some shadowing experience from students in order to get that same feel and that gut feeling whether to go for it or not.

Links:

OPM 62: What Should I Focus on With Old Prereqs and ECs?

MSAR

College Information Book

Next Step Test Prep (Use the code MSHQ to save some money on their tutoring programs.)

62: What Should I Focus on with Old Prereqs and ECs?

Tue, 21 Feb 2017 20:00:00 -0500

Session 62

My name is Dr. Ryan Gray and I am the Director of the National Society for Nontraditional Premedical and Medical Students, also known as OldPreMeds.

Taken directly from the forums at OldPreMeds.org, our question this week comes from a nontraditional student who took a lot of classes many years ago and is wondering what's the best route to take to get back into the premed game.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

"I’m new here and so glad to have found this site. I graduated with a science degree in 2000 at a competitive school, and while I was interested in medicine and took all the premed required courses and had around a 3.5 GPA, I wasn’t sure about my passion for it, and frankly not mature enough for that commitment. Instead, I got an MPH in Health Management and have been in the field ever since working in health IT, management consulting, and currently working at a hospital managing a department.

But after seventeen years of working in healthcare, I want to move from being in the support services and management to being a care provider, and looking to explore getting an MD or a DO. I should also mention that I’m married and have two young kids, so certainly this is a decision that would disrupt all our lives. I know my coursework is outdated but what options should I pursue?

I contacted one postbac program near me and they said I would qualify for their two-year-career changer program and would have to retake all my old courses, and that a lot of schools want to see all course requirements done within the last five years. I really don’t want to take two years to retake coursework and have been reading about do-it-yourself postbacs, but I am unclear on how many courses to take and what courses to take for that matter to make me a more attractive candidate.

I’m looking at the websites of schools near me, I live in southern California, but it seems unclear. Also would I need to take any extracurriculars? I work in healthcare, and while I’m not a provider, I know a lot of the ins and outs, sacrifices and dedication needed. It’s been a long while but in the past, pre-marriage and pre-kids, I volunteered for hospice and enjoyed it. Extracurriculars would be tough with kids so I’m hoping to avoid it if possible. I’m just starting this process so any advice is welcome."

Here are my insights:

This is an example of someone who has been having that itch of getting into medical school that has never really gone away, which is common to a lot of nontraditional premed students.

[3:40] Taking Postbacs & Working Full-Time or Part-Time

Now that you have your wife and kids, the question is, can you afford to stop working to take classes full-time?

When I recently attended University of Central Florida's Medical School Admissions Symposium, I had dinner with a bunch of premeds and nontrad premeds and talked with Cain (listen to his journey on The Premed Years Podcast Session 174). Now a first year medical student, Cain was also a nontrad premed who was working full time. At dinner, he mentioned that he wished he would have been more intentional and that he should have pulled that trigger a little bit sooner to stop working full time and jump back into his courses.

So this is something you need to think about whether you really want to commit and reduce your workload and go part time (if you can), or quit altogether and rely on your spouse's income (if possible).

[05:45] Retaking Coursework

The fact that your prereqs are 17 years old, that can and will play a role in many schools accepting you. While I agree that schools like to see coursework done within five years, I don't know if I would say “a lot of schools.” I’d say, there are some schools out there that would want to see newer coursework.

Newer coursework is going to help prepare for the MCAT as this is going to be the big hurdle. Hence, retaking the coursework to prepare for the MCAT is something you might want to think about.

[06: 25] Extracurriculars

If location is an issue and you can only go to a handful medical schools then start to get to know them and reach out to them. Explain to medical schools your situation and ask them.

I've talked with the Dean of Admissions at UCF when I was there for the symposium and he mentioned that they love nontraditional students because they add so much to the class. He also said that when they're looking at an application, they do look at what your responsibilities are as you're going through these process. So if you have a family and a job, they're not going to assume you have all extra time to go and do all these crazy extracurriculars.

So think about how much time have you got for all of this stuff. Are you able to quit your job? Or call these schools to see what they say. Medical schools have different ways of looking at students so reach out to them and find out.

Even if you have healthcare work experience, it doesn't mean you fully understand what it's like to be a physician. So you need to shadow some physicians to get that experience of what it's like to be one. As a healthcare administrator, you're probably not around with patients a lot so you need to put yourself in clinical situations. Try to put yourself around as many patients as you can and get that experience of being around sick people again to make sure you enjoy it.

[08:45] Retaking Classes to Prepare for the MCAT

You have a couple options to take. You can go to a formal do-it-yourself postbac which can be very costly and can take you a year or two to do it. You can also take a do-it-yourself postbac and pick and choose the classes you want to retake.

But do this only after making sure that it's okay with them that you're not retaking all of your prereqs (because maybe they just want to see whether you've still got science under your belt and prove to them that you can handle the load and coursework.)

As I’ve already mentioned, the first step is to reach out to the schools you’re interested in applying to and ask them. Tell them your situation and go from there.

Links:

University of Central Florida - Medical School Admissions Symposium

The Premed Years Podcast Session 174: Academically Dismissed to Medical Acceptance (My interview with Cain)

61: How Does it Look to Adcoms as a 50 Year Old Applying?

Tue, 14 Feb 2017 20:00:00 -0500

Session 61

Our question this week comes directly from OldPreMeds forums. Our poster wants to know how adcoms will view his or her application as a 50-year-old.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

"I am 50+ years old and I have a deep desire to apply to medical school. Although I majored in biology and acquired a Master's in biology over 20 years ago, I have done so to pursue clinical research and biotechnology. However, I recently completed a Master's in Health Technology and the new medical initiatives in reform of Medical Care through the ACA has really sparked my interest to serve as a physician, making healthcare accessible to all. Is it practical for one over 50 to apply to medical school? How favorable does the admissions committee look at older medical applicants?"

Here are my insights:

[01:45] Health Care Access to All

Making healthcare accessible to all is a great desire but a physician has a small part in that. It's good for a policy maker like getting involved through an MPH in making policy and figuring out how to better help the community access healthcare.

A physician, however, has a very small role in making healthcare accessible to all. You can actually make it accessible to a small percentage of patients you see. While you may be serving those underserved, it is still a small portion of the total population.

Think about your desires and what it is that you truly want to do.Figure out if it really is being a physician that will make that difference. Being a physician, you only get to take care of one patient at a time so making health care "accessible to all" doesn't really fit into that. If you truly want to be a physician then great but I would question your motives to be a physician if your desire is to make healthcare accessible to all. Think through that.

[03:22] Health Care Reform

This post was posted on December 2016 after Donald Trump had won the election before he had taken the oath and became President and had signed the Executive Orders to start dismantling the Affordable Care Act. If you're interested in medicine because of what the ACA has done, realize that it's going to look totally different by the time you become a doctor.

I have to warn you based on your current ideas and thoughts because if you're applying because you love the ACA and you want to make healthcare accessible to all, medicine is going to look completely different by the time you apply to medical school as well as by the time you get out and start practicing and go through residency and so on.

You really have to do this for the right reason, which is usually to take care of patients one at a time regardless of how the healthcare system looks.

[04:50] Question on Age

Your age is going to raise some yellow flags, which means people are going to question your desires because they want to make sure you're doing this for the right reasons. Some medical schools will be biased and would not want to accept you due to your age. Why give a spot to a 50 years old when they can give it to a 20+ years old that's going to have 30 years more work than you may have? So there will be this kind of thoughts out there. But every year, we hear stories of 50-year-old's or even 60-year-old's starting medical school. So it is possible.

Go back and listen to The Premed Years Podcast Session 11, where I interviewed Kate, a 56-year-old third year medical student so she started medical school at 53.

[06:15] My Final Thoughts

I encourage you to continue on exploring why you want to go through this and if this is what you really want then push full steam ahead. Some school might frown upon it, other schools are going to look highly upon it. But it only takes one school to say yes. So keep digging and keep pushing forward if that is what you're really interested in.

[07:07] MCAT Prep Help

If you need help with MCAT prep, I highly recommend Next Step Test Prep. They are known for their one-on-one tutoring, which is what I would have gone through for MCAT prep if I had to do it all over again. With basically the same price as an in-person Kaplan or Princeton review, Next Step can give you a one-on-one tutor to help you figure out how to take the MCAT. Use the code MSHQ to save some money on their tutoring, full-length practice tests, and their new online course. Plus you get live office hours with the people that wrote that test.

Links:

OldPreMeds Next Step Test Prep (Use the code MSHQ to save money)

The Premed Years Podcast Session 11: Interview with a 56-Year-Old Medical Student

Affordable Care Act

Specialty Stories Podcast

ryan@medicalschoolhq.net

60: Deciding if Medicine Is Right For Me at 30 Years Old

Tue, 07 Feb 2017 20:00:00 -0500

Session 60

Taken directly from the OldPreMeds.org forums, today's question comes from a 30-year-old nontraditional student with a professional background in pharmaceuticals and now she's looking at changing her career and committing to medical oncology.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

"I am so happy to have found this community. I am 30 years old with a professional background in pharmaceuticals, formerly a QC Chemist, and currently an oncology R&D project manager, and an academic background in microbiology, a B.S. with a GPA 3.3/4.0, and business MBA 3.8/4.0.

Fairly recently, difficult life experiences have helped align my priorities and have increased my desire to help people who are suffering. Because of my interest in solving complex problems, my desire to aid people in life and death situations and my passion to contribute to a relatively nascent scientific field, I believe that I can best serve patients as a medical oncologist.

Although I really enjoy my current job, I feel a strong urge to contribute to the enrichment of patient's well-being on a more intimate level. My goal is to decide whether or not to commit to the medical school route by the end of February. To aid in this decision, I have spoken to a NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) resident and an Oncology Fellow, and am setting up time to shadow physicians.

I am also trying to better understand what would be required for me to be a strong medical school candidate. I would apply in 2018. Does anyone have suggestions they’d like to share? I believe I’d need to take some classes to boost my undergraduate GPA and would need to attain a very strong MCAT score, and would need to start volunteering in a clinic. I want to be sure that if I applied to medical school in 2018 I will be seriously considered so I can start my training as soon as possible."

Here are my insights:

[03:10] Shadowing, Volunteering, and Clinical Experience

The poster has a great background for wanting to enter medicine. She has been exposed to one side of medicine but found a passion to work closer with patients.

I would be wary of talking to residents and fellows and medical students about their experiences because you're practically talking to them at the worst possible times in their life. A fellow is probably a little bit less stressed out but the resident is going to be super stressed out so they may not have the best advice for you. Medical students are also going through a tough time in their life. Hence, I am here to give you an advice, who is on the other side where things have already calmed down and you’re done with training.

If you're interested in that, the best thing to do is to start shadowing physicians so you can get one-off experiences and their points of view. The best way to tell you if you're going to like the life of a physician is to experience it yourself though shadowing, seeing, and observing in the sense of what it's like to interact with patients. Volunteering is important as well as getting that clinical experience, being around patients and interacting with them. Making sure that you like being around sick people is very important.

[05:15] MCAT and Coursework

You're going to need a good MCAT score. Your GPA is okay. Having a Microbiology degree, 3.3 is not a great GPA so retaking some of your courses will help boost your GPA assuming you do well in those classes.

Do what is easiest for you. Taking them at a community college is fine especially when you're working full time. Taking night classes offered at your local four-year university is fine too. Taking those classes will help prepare you for the MCAT which is going to be the biggest hurdle for you.

[06:00] Final Thoughts

Shadow. Make sure this is right for you. It's not the end of the world if you don't get in considering that it sounds like you like your current job. But if you truly want to go down this path and really decide to be a physician, then even if you don't get in your first year, figure out why and reapply.

Links:

http://www.oldpremeds.org

Shoot me an email at ryan@medicalschoohq.net

59: Should I Look at Residency Rates When Looking at Schools?

Tue, 31 Jan 2017 20:00:00 -0500

Session 59

In this episode, Ryan takes a question directly from the OldPreMeds.org forums and delivers the answer right here to you. This week’s question is an interesting one:choosing which schools to apply to.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

“I was looking into residency match rates of DO versus MD programs using the school website and comparing them to an NRMP. I noticed that the 2016 data for DO match rate was 80.3% versus 93.8% for MD. When I look at the data from DO schools like Western and Touro I find reports of 90% to 100% match rates. Is the difference because of the schools and the 80.3% looks at all DO programs? Should one look at the individual school match rate instead of the overall match rate when choosing a program? If anyone has information about the discrepancies please let me know”.

(2:00) Questioning the data

I dug into this a little bit to figure out where this person was getting their data. I pulled up the information from the American Osteopathic Association Intern and Residency Registration Program match data; this is the matching system for DO students. I also looked at the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) that matches for MD residencies.

So just to backtrack and give you a little information: two different tracks, DO and MD. A DO is doctor of osteopathic medicine, MD is a medical doctor, just two different types of medical school. You both end up being physicians at the end of the day; there's really no difference and actually, their residency programs are merging. Not a lot of information has come out on how that's going to happen, but I believe the year is 2020 when that happens. Therefore, much of this information, by the time you start medical school and as you're listening to this, perhaps won’t matter because much of it will have changed. However, I still wanted to reply to this question because I thought it was a good one.

Here’s my take on this question:

(3:20) Match Rates

This student is claiming the 2016 data for DO match rate was 80.3%. However, when I bring up the 2016 match data, I see an unmatch rate of 13% - which is a match rate of 87%. So I'm not sure where this student was coming up with 80.3%. If you just look up DO match rates for 2016, the website comes up and it's the match data for the DO applications and has a list of every school.

The highest school on here, the highest non-match school is at 28.6%, so that's a match rate of 71.4% which isn't very good at all. That school is Touro University in Nevada (TUNCOM) There are several different Touro schools and that is the worst one by far. The next closest one on here isn't far behind at 26.9% non-match, and that one is William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Mississippi.

(5:15) Matching vs. Unmatched

Percentage matched vs. Percentage Unmatched. The way that the AOA lists this, is they have percentage matched, percentage non-matched, and then percentage of non-participants. When you look at percentage matched, it's only 40.9% and you might think, 'Wow that's crazy, how come nobody's matching?' But then when you combine that with non-participants, DO students that are matching outside of the DO residency matching program (as a DO student you can match through the MD matching program and you're counted as a non-participant). When you look at the percentage matched at 40.9% and the percentage non-matched at 46.1%, the result is 87%, which is obviously the leftover from the non-match of 13%. So 87% of DO students are matching.

(6:35) Is every spot getting filled?

Not every prelim spot is getting filled. Now here's something to think about when it comes to residency matching. When I looked at the NRMP match data, they have the total match of 96.3% of all US spots filled. So not every residency spot is getting filled, which is not good. And when you look at it, you have several different types of programs that are more than likely not getting close to getting filled, and those are prelim spots. If I look at surgery prelim- and a prelim is a PGY1 year only. It's basically saying, 'Hey come to our prelim spot, and try out for our residency.' It is basically if you didn't match anywhere else, then a prelim spot you can hopefully come into our program after you do well your prelim year. If you look at surgery prelim according to NRMP, it only filled 64.4%. There were a lot of spots available.

(8:00) Know yourself, and your competition

If you’re not matching, you are probably trying to match into a very competitive program that you aren't qualified to match in. What does this all mean? It means that a lot of people that aren't matching are probably trying to match into a very competitive program that they aren't qualified to match in. It's very similar to trying to get accepted to Harvard, Yale, and Wash U medical schools when you have a 3.0 GPA and a 500 on the MCAT. You're dreaming a little bit too big, but it also could be that that year that you're applying for something is a very competitive year and a lot of people are trying to match into it and you just didn't make the cut.

Typically, the students that go through the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP, formerly called Scramble) get notified during the time period before the match and are notified that you did not match. You then enter this SOAP program and you find residencies that didn't fill, and a lot of them are going to be PGY1 only spots. Some of them may be internal medicine spots and you wanted to do something else besides internal medicine. However, there are these other spots, and if you want to match into one of those programs you can go do that. There's a whole separate system outside of the normal match program to allow students that didn't match to get into a program so that they can continue their post-graduate training, which is necessary if you want to be a doctor here in the US.

(9:38) Know when to ask questions, and which ones to ask

My personal belief? You shouldn't look at residency matching rates for choosing which schools to apply to, with one exception. Look at those huge outliers like Touro Nevada, like William Carey University, and ask yourself:

Why is their match rate so low?
Are they a brand new school and they're just getting ramped up
Perhaps their first round of students that they let in weren't the best students?
Are they just getting their curriculum under control?
Are they under some sort of probation because their curriculum isn't training students well enough?

Then call the school and say, 'Hey I noticed your residency match rates are pretty terrible,' and find out from them what they have to say. If it's a school that you're interested in going to because the location is perfect for you, consider it.

(10:45) Past performance does not predict future performance.

It's like the stock market: it doesn't matter what the stock market did yesterday, it's not going to determine what it does tomorrow. It's a good predictor, it's a good kind of rule of thumb to think about it, but things change, people change, professors change, and you - the person that is actually learning and studying and figuring this all out, is one of the biggest variables to all of this. So if you are motivated, if you are driven, if you are determined to get whatever residency spot you want, then you will probably do well. You cannot rely on the school to help you match somewhere. The school is there to help support you, but you need the drive and motivation to do it yourself.

(11:32) My Bottom line

When it comes to residency matching and picking schools, look at those huge outliers, but outside of that I wouldn't look at residency programs to determine where you want to go to school. Locations, curriculum and many other factors come into play.

Resources Mentioned on this Episode:

American Osteopathic Association Intern and Residency Registration Program

https://medicalschoolhq.net/pmy-215-why-do-you-want-to-be-a-doctor-you-need-to-know-this/

Touro University Nevada

Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program

William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine

58: Show I Focus on the MCAT and Ignore Extracurriculars?

Tue, 24 Jan 2017 20:00:00 -0500

Session 58

If you are not a traditional student entering the medical field on your terms, you may have had some hiccups along the way but now you’re ready to change course and serve others as a physician. This podcast is here to help answer your questions and help educate you on your non-traditional journey to becoming a physician.

In this episode, Ryan takes a question directly from the OldPreMeds.org forums and delivers the answer right here to you. Today’s question comes from a student looking to figure out if he needs to do some extracurricular activities while studying for the MCAT as well.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

“I’m currently studying for the MCAT. I graduated two years ago in 2015 and after working in the emergency room as a medical scribe this past year, I realized becoming a physician was my calling. I stopped working as a scribe in August 2016 and returned back to school in September 2016, taking a few courses that I thought would help me with the MCAT. I also took the MCAT prep course which began in October and I had hopes of taking the MCAT in January. But unfortunately my scores are not where they need to be. As a result, I pushed my MCAT back to the end of March.

With that being said, I was planning on taking it in January and have other things lined up between now and March, such as a part-time job and volunteer work.

I am concerned about putting more things on my plate while approaching the MCAT and I am wondering what would be the best course of action. I could either continue studying for the MCAT for another two months with little else to show on my resume besides that (i.e. any extracurricular activities for six months and just studying for the MCAT). Or I could take on those extracurricular activities , such as volunteering and the part time job and try to balance it all out while studying for the MCAT. I feel like focusing on the MCAT is the best course of action and not getting bogged down with other activities but I am worried that med schools will look at this six-month time period and wonder -- ‘what else were you doing during this time period’?-- as if studying for the MCAT was not enough and I should have been doing extracurricular activities as well.

Any advice would be great. Thank you!”

--- Jacob

Here are my insights:

(4:10) You shouldn’t worry about what medical schools are going to think.

If you are new to this podcast, I encourage you to go back and look at the forums at OldPreMeds.org. The first person who commented on the forum basically said the same thing; you shouldn’t worry about what medical schools are going to think. However, there is one caveat: med schools will see this break and wonder why there was this break, if you really wanted to become a physician.

I would say, though, that six months is okay only if as soon as you take the MCAT, you pick it right back up so that while there is this break, you are continuing to do it. Don’t drop it completely and then apply and then have this break that ended a year from when you actually submit your applications.

(5:12) Doing some extracurricular activities MAY help your MCAT score.

If you can step away from the books a bit and clear your mind, you give yourself a “brain break”. It will also help during those times when you are bogged down studying for an eight hour practice test, frustrated that you didn’t achieve the score you wanted and you are ready to give up; doing those extracurriculars and being around physicians is going to shine some light on why you are going through the journey in the first place!

Having some variety will be good for you and allow to break the monotony of just studying for the MCAT. You will come back refreshed, ready to learn and perform better.

(6:15) If your practice test grades are not increasing, go check out Next Step Test Prep.

Their job is to figure out why you’re not doing well on the test. Their tutors are not there to help you learn the content; rather, their job is to help you with the test. Kaplan, Princeton Review , etc are great for teaching you content but Next Step Test Prep tutors are there to help you overcome your brain block on doing well when it’s time to take the test.

Links and Other Resources:

http://www.oldpremeds.org

The Premed Years Podcast Session 171: Reapplying to Med School - What You Need to Know to Improve

** Use the promo code: MSHQ for savings on tutoring

57: Rejected at 32 - What Should I Do Now?

Tue, 17 Jan 2017 20:00:00 -0500

Session 57

In this episode, Ryan takes a question directly from the OldPreMeds.org forums and delivers the answer right here to you. Today's scenario is a perfect example of why grades can't get you an acceptance to medical school.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

The poster is 32 years old dropped out of high school when he was 18; developed weird health issues in his 20's that got him obsessed with biochemistry and medicine; went back to school at 26 and graduated from a community college with 4.0 GPA.; about to graduate from the University of Michigan with BS in Biochemistry with 3.97 GPA.

The poster originally wanted to get a PhD in Biochemistry but decided to go for an MD. He spent the summer studying for the MCAT and took it on August 20 and got a 515. His biggest issue is his extracurricular with not a lot of volunteer experience but did quite a bit for a nonprofit donating free pet food to animal rescue groups, zero research experience, and very few shadowing hours.

He has not been rejected from all of the schools he applied to but in the event he gets rejected, what should be done? Poster is afraid he'll be too old to make medical school financially worth it.

Here are the insights from Ryan:

From PhD to MD:

Why? You have to figure out a story about why the shift from wanting to be a PhD to an MD.

Taking the MCAT on August 20:

This is a big red flag because this means you didn't get your score back until late September. 515 is a great score but not getting your MCAT in until late September would mean your application was not complete until that time.

By that point, several schools have already looked at all the applications and saving a few spots for the last few that come in which are stellar applications.

Extracurriculars:

One of the major reasons students are rejected is the lack of clinical experience.

When you combine this lack of clinical experience with not telling your story well enough about why you just randomly decided to switch to an MD, schools may be concerned about your desires and motives to be a physician.

Major takeaway from this episode:

You need to do a better job at telling your story. You need to get more clinical experience and be around sick patients. They need to truly understand why you switched from wanting to get a PhD to an MD. Tell that story. Get that experience. Then reapply next year. Your MCAT score will still be good and you won't be as old.

Links and Other Resources:

The Premed Years Podcast Session 217

www.medicalschoolhq.net

56: Huge News for Nontrads - No More Grade Replacement

Tue, 10 Jan 2017 20:00:00 -0500

Session 56

In this episode, Ryan breaks from what he usually does here on the podcast where he pulls up a questions directly from OldPreMeds.org forum as he talks about this HUGE announcement this past week from the AACOM that affects nontraditional students more than traditional students.

Osteopathic medical schools are more favorable to non-traditional students, You may have struggled in the past, did poorly in undergrad or at a community college, gave up on your dream, only to find that passion again and want to try to fulfill that dream and become a physician. You've probably heard that as a nontrad applicant with poor grades in the past, applying to DO schools would be beneficial to you. Historically, that has been the case.

NO MORE GRADE REPLACEMENT

AACOMAS Application had a grade replacement policy for repeat coursework. However. effective May 1, 2017 (applying in 2017 to start school in 2018), AACOMAS will no longer replace your old grade with your new grade.

As per AACOM.org:

"Effective May 1, 2017, AACOMAS will include all course attempts in the GPA calculation. This change applies to students matriculating into the 2018-2019 academic year. In the event of multiple attempts of the same course, AACOMAS will no longer drop initial course attempts from the GPA calculation." Read full notice on AACOM.org

Here are the insights from Ryan:

This will affect a lot of you who are currently in school retaking classes because you were going to rely on this grade replacement policy.

The American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) did you wrong. If they were planning this policy change, they should have given you a transition period so students currently in school and in the process of repeating classes would have 2-3 years to apply to use the grade replacement policy before it changed.

If you applied in 2016 to start in 2017 but you didn't get into medical school, when you reapply this year, your GPA will change according to the new policy assuming you had repeated coursework.

The Silver Lining

Osteopathic medical schools may continue recalculating weighing your GPA per established admissions practices.

Problem: This puts the work onto each of the medical schools which have a lot of work to do to begin with. They usually have filters in place where they can filter out based on a GPA cutoff or MCAT cutoff. If you're a student where your GPA is going to drop from, say 3.6 to 2.6, guaranteed, your 2.6 is going to be filtered out.

Solution: Advocate for yourself and speak out to the medical school and ask them to consider taking a look into your application.

Major takeaway from this episode:

If this is affecting you, keep your head up. Just keep doing well. Advocate for yourself. If this is truly what you want to do, you'll make it work.

Links and Other Resources:

Read the actual notice from AACOM.

Check out the Specialty Stories podcast on www.medicalschoolhq.net

55: Reapplying to Medical School, Retaking Classes and the MCAT

Tue, 03 Jan 2017 20:00:00 -0500

Session 55

In this episode, Ryan talks about whether or not your chances of getting into medical school will get slimmer if you’re retaking the MCAT for the third time and whether taking a Master’s in a tech science-related course affect your application.

Your questions, answered here on the OldPreMeds Podcast. Ryan again dives into the forums over at OldPreMeds.org where he pulls a question and delivers the answers right on to you.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

Poster is 25 years old and working in the industry for the last 2.5 years. He/she is currently studying for a Master's in software engineering and graduating in Spring '18. Despite that, he/she is considering applying for medical school after listening the OldPreMeds podcast. While taking undergrad in electrical engineering, he/she did premed simultaneously for Texas Medical Schools with a 3.6 GPA.

Poster applied in 2015 but screened away; taken MCAT twice (1st-27 and 2nd-29). Poster is looking to apply in 2018 and planning to take Kaplan to prep for the MCAT in 2017. Poster is also looking at volunteering and shadowing experiences next year. Poster is close at finishing Master's in software engineering where the company pays for it.

Since this is the third time of taking the MCAT, are the chances of getting in slimmer? Is everything riding on the next MCAT score?

Here are the insights from Ryan:

Your chances of getting to medical school (in terms of the admissions side) have nothing to do with your MCAT score or how many times you take your MCAT score. However, there are some restrictions in how many times you can take the MCAT.
3x in a single testing year
4x during two consecutive periods
7x in a lifetime.
For somebody taking it 4-7 times, there's a reason there's a need to take it so many times. How did you prepare for the MCAT the first two times? And why are you doing Kaplan this time?

About test prep courses

Things being third time taking the test, consider taking Next Step Test Prep because they offer one-on-one tutoring although they also have an online course now.

Is everything riding on your next MCAT score?

Everything is not riding on your next MCAT score but you should do well on it. Find out why you're not doing well. There should be a reason why and hopefully, Next Step can figure that out for you.

Should you be taking any courses or a postbac?

No, you have a good GPA. You took the required classes in school. The only question is - do you think you're prepared enough for the MCAT with having your premed classes a number of years ago? Or can you self-study and re-learn the foundational content for the MCAT so you can use that information.

The MCAT is not a content-heavy test but it focuses more on critical thinking and analysis.

Does completing a Master's in software engineering help or hurt your chances?

Software engineering is tech science-related so it doesn't help you or it doesn't necessarily hurt you. It can only hurt you if it takes you concentration away as well as your time for doing other things like shadowing and getting in extracurricular activities and studying for the MCAT.

Can you still submit your application in 2017?

You have 6 months to apply at the very start of June 2017. Theoretically, you could take the MCAT in June but it's still doable to submit your applications early, get you secondaries back and by the time you submitted those, your MCAT score is back. This will not delay your application but the problem is that you won't know your score when you submit your application.

Look at taking the MCAT in June, working with a test prep company up until then and take the practice tests. If you're not doing well in the practice test, then don't apply until next year so you can figure out how to improve.

Another key point:

Make sure your shadowing and clinical experiences are up-to-date. Medical school want to see that you continue to be involved in medicine throughout this whole time.

Major takeaway from this episode:

Yes, you have a good shot at getting in but you just need to work on your MCAT score and figure out why you're not doing well on it.

Links and Other Resources:

Next Step Test Prep - Use the code MSHQ and save some money www.mededmedia.com

The Premed Years Session 171: Reapplying to Med School - What You Need to Know to Improve

Leave us a rating and review at www.oldpremeds.org/itunes

www.teepublic.com and search for “premed”

54: How Can I Improve My Med School Application?

Tue, 27 Dec 2016 20:00:00 -0500

Session 54

In this episode, Ryan talks about how you can improve your medical school application where he touches on some points such as postbac courses, clinical experience, and international clinical volunteering.

Your questions, answered here on the OldPreMeds Podcast. Ryan again dives into the forums over at OldPreMeds.org where you can ask questions, get answers, and participate with other students.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

Poster has the following credentials:

3.0 undergrad GPA
3.8 Master's GPA in Health Administration
28 on old MCAT (now studying for a year and hopes to get a 510+ on the new one
3+ years of research experience as a lab technician for a medical school but they have a 3.25 undergrad GPA cutoff
2 shadowing experiences
Clinical volunteering with 3-week international trip and 25 hours in emergency department

This student is taking some postbac courses this upcoming semester including advanced biochem and advanced genetics and maybe an O chem retake.

How can you best utilize my time to improve my application when you work full time and you're planning to apply this upcoming cycle entering 2018 class?

Here are the insights from Ryan:

Master's degrees don't really have a huge effect on your application especially Health Administration GPA because it's not a "hard sciences."

Shadowing experiences and clinical volunteering

Two shadowing experiences wouldn't be a lot unless they are long term. You need a good 25-30 hours of shadowing or a little bit more as a minimum.

International trip is okay although a lot of medical schools don't really like international clinical volunteering. It's actually debatable whether it helps your application or not because it's seen as unnecessary.

More than your stats

Your application is much more than just your stats since it includes everything about you.. Your personal statement is huge as well as your extracurriculars and how you described them.

Major takeaway from this episode:

Get enough clinical experience. Get a great MCAT score. Think about some more classes to bump up your undergrad GPA.

Links and Other Resources:

53: Can I Use Military Medic Experience in Place of Shadowing?

Tue, 20 Dec 2016 20:00:00 -0500

Session 53

In this episode, Ryan talks about a question from a former Air Force medic who is now working towards applying to medical school. Would it suffice if the time since your last clinical experience was almost 2 years ago? Or should you get more?

Your questions, answered here on the OldPreMeds Podcast. Ryan again dives into the forums over at OldPreMeds.org where they pull a question and deliver the answers right on to you.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

Today's poster is a former Air Force medic and worked as a public health technician while in the Air Force. He was into it for a total of 8 years and is now in college working towards becoming a doctor. His current main focus is earning great GPA and studying for the MCAT.

Because he has spent 8 years working in a hospital (close to doctors and working one-on-one on multiple occasions), can this experience be used as a shadowing experience? (He's applying to medical school in 2018 and the last time he would have worked with a doctor would be November 2016) Should more shadowing be done?

Here are the insights from Ryan:

Medical schools want to see that you have sustained commitment to medicine as a whole.

If your last exposure was close to 2 years since, it's going to look bad on your application and they'll wonder why you didn't continue to expose yourself to medicine. Not surrounding yourself with medicine for two years is questionable.

Being a military medic or being around military medicine is completely different than it is for civilian medicine in terms of the environment and how things are paid for and done.

You would be better served by getting more clinical experience and shadowing more physicians. If you have two years until you're applying, start shadowing once every other week for an hour or two. You don't have to do a ton of stuff.

Being a former Air Force medic, you're close to getting your EMT certificate or license to be able to go and get more clinical experience as a civilian.

Major takeaway from this episode:

All your experience plays a huge role in your application but 2 years is too long ago to not continue to do something now.

Links and Other Resources:

52: The Specialty Stories Podcast is Live!

Tue, 13 Dec 2016 20:00:00 -0500

Session 52

This is a full recording of the first episode of the Specialist Stories podcast, which is another addition to the MedEd Media Network. The idea of this podcast was actually born out of The Academy where Ryan had several interviews with different specialists to help students get an understanding of what each specialty was like as well as their pros and cons.

Through the Specialist Stories podcast, Ryan interviews different physicians from various specialties to help medical students and premedical students get different perspectives on what led them to their career path. Guests will be sharing with you stories of specialists from every field to give you the information you need to make sure you make the most informed decision possible when it comes to choosing your specialty.

In this week's episode, Ryan talks with Dr. Michelle Hure, a dermatopathologist who has her own solo practice in her community.

Here are the highlights of the conversation with Dr. Hure:

When Michelle knew she wanted to be a dermatologist:

From an interest in trauma surgery to dermatopathology
Realizing the need for work-life balance
Coming to a point of not wanting to do until her 4th years during rotation

What she likes about her specialty:

Changing people's lives and curing cancer
Getting to do surgery
Being able to get home at 5
Making use of her brain everyday

What a dermatopathologist does:

Two routes:

Dermatology residency
Pathology residency

As a pathologist, it involves diagnosing conditions or interpreting biopsies that is key to a patient's treatment plan. You are the doctor's doctor
Can do both clinical and pathology

A day in the life of Michelle:

Reading slides of biopsies she has taken personally or those from other doctors
Seeing patients at 10 am

Traits that lead to being a good dermatopathologist:

Open mindedness: Being able to think of different possibilities and looking at slides without any biases
Knowledge of clinical history and clinical medicine
Curiosity
Openness to different differential diagnosis
A lot of thinking and investigation

What makes a competitive applicant to dermatology and dermatopathology:

Dermatopathology is very tough to get into since there aren't many programs so programs available are highly competitive.
Be always in your game. Walk the extra mile.
Do rotations in a place you're really interested in doing your residency as well as your fellowships.
Be willing to take initiative.

What residency was like for her:

Collaboration as an important piece
Pick a residency at the particular institution where that fellowship is to have a higher chance of getting in.

What she wished she knew going into dermatology/dermatopathology:

It's possible to have a family early on.
Family comes first, residency and fellowship come second

What she wished primary care providers knew more about dermatopathology:

Training in dermatology and pathology

What Michelle likes most about being a dermatopathologist:

Intellectual stimulation
Patient interaction
Surgery
Being able to cure cancer

What she likes the least about her practice:

Dealing with insurance companies

If she had to do it all over again, would she choose another specialty?

No, not at all.

What is the future of dermatopathology?

The pressure of being more noticeable to people so that biopsies must be done by experts in the field and not just "general" pathologists - It's not about money, it's about patient care!
The saturation of the field

Some pieces of advice to those wanting to be a dermatopathologist:

Look for work-life balance. You have to be happy with the specialty you pick. In dermatology or pathology, you will do well money-wise, but you're also going to have a good work-life balance, which is one of the most important things you need to consider in going to a particular field. Pick a specialty that you're going to do well in and you're going to be happy with.

Links and Other Resources:

Specialist Stories Podcast

Email Ryan at ryan@medicalschoolhq.net

51: What is the Best Way to Learn MCAT Testing Strategy?

Tue, 06 Dec 2016 20:00:00 -0500

Session 51

In this episode, Ryan talks about the best ways to learn about MCAT strategies. The MCAT is a test that focuses less on content and more on critical thinking as you break down the passages, the questions and the answers. You can spend all the time reading books to learn the MCAT but if you don't learn the strategies, then you've failed in your MCAT prep.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

The poster is preparing for the MCAT with Khan Academy videos and the Kaplan 7-book set and has learned concepts as well as when you pay for a $2500-prep course but not the exam strategy as much. Is there any other way to learn exam strategy (i.e. YouTube, website, or practice) or is the only real way to enroll in a prep course?

Here are the insights from Ryan:

The number one way to learn MCAT strategy is to learn from an instructor.

The best way to practice taking the MCAT is to take practice tests. But the best way to learn strategies is by watching and learning from an MCAT tutor and instructor.

Other ways of learning MCAT strategies for free:

Listen to the MCAT Podcast

There are also YouTube videos but be careful though because most of the stuff you will find may not be of the best quality.

Buy a set of practice tests.

Start with AAMC practice tests (2 scored and 1 is not)

Ryan recommends Next Step Test Prep and use the code MSHQ to save some money on that.

About Next Step Test Prep:

They are known for their one-on-one tutoring but they now also offer an MCAT Prep Course at $1,250 with a discount using the MSHQ code. Next Step Test Prep gives you access to live office hours with their course.

Links and Other Resources:

www.oldpremeds.org

Next Step Test Prep (Use the code MSHQ to get a discount off their materials and services)

AAMC practice tests

Khan Academy - MCAT

50: Should I Apply to an Out of State Medical School?

Tue, 29 Nov 2016 20:00:00 -0500

Session 50

In this episode, Ryan basically talks about picking medical schools to apply to and whether you should apply to out-of-state public schools. This is another question pulled out from the forums over at the OldPreMeds.org which you should check out, if you haven't yet, so you too can start joining the discussions or post any questions that you have related to your medical school replication.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

Poster is talking about applying in the upcoming cycle and curious about how to go contacting admissions at a state school which generally offers an extremely low number of interviews to out-of-state (OOS) applicants. Poster lived in this state for less than a year in the last five years with immediate family in the vicinity of the school. Poster is drawn by the school's commitment to service in the community and its leadership in the field of medicine and its proximity to family. Who do you contact at the medical school with the application season coming up? And what should you say considering a complicated residential history?

Here are the insights from Ryan:

Where do you want to go to school?

State schools in other states

Dig into the state schools that you're looking at in other states because there is a high likelihood that they give extreme preference to in-state applicants. State medical schools are funded by the state and are there to train students who hopefully stay and work in that state.

Private schools

Majority of private schools don't give any preferential treatment to in-state applicants.

What are your chances?

To not apply to a public out-of-state school because your premed advisor told you not to is silly. There is always a chance. But you should have a good reason why you want to go to that public OOS school.

What are your ties to the state?

Having family in that area is the perfect reason why you want to go to that school so you can have that support structure. Talk more about the living in the area and staying there and the more likely you're getting an interview. It boils down to having ties to the state so you can sell yourself to the admissions committee.

How do you reach out to the school?

There is really no need to reach out to the school. Instead, just put together a well-thought out personal statement and talk about your reasons for applying there. They're going to ask about it on your secondaries so be prepared as well.

Links and Other Resources:

AAMC postbac database - Career Changer Postbac Programs

The Premed Years Podcast www.medicalschoolhq.net

49 : Do I Need to do a Masters to Get Into a Postbac Program?

Tue, 22 Nov 2016 20:00:00 -0500

Session 49

In this week's episode, Ryan gives his take on whether you should do a masters program prior to taking a postbac program and he also sheds some light to the confusion around undergrad, postbac, and graduate GPAs.

If you haven’t yet, register at OldPreMeds.org so you can post your first question right here on the podcast.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

The poster is a true nontraditional student who didn't want to go to medicine until after graduating college. They decided to pursue a medical career after graduating from a public university with very good standing but didn't do so well with their freshmen and junior year where and ended up graduating with a 2.8 GPA with English, Sociology, Psychology, and Calc1 prereq in 2015. Since then, they've been working full time and part time. Now she has decided to pursue medicine, got her CPR card, and looking into applying to postbac programs but not sure whether they have the academic potential to apply to postbac programs.

Some have said that instead of going straight to a postbac premed program, they should instead get their master's degree and along with good postbac GPA overall, they should then apply to a postbac premed program, then medical school.

Do you need to do a Masters to get into a postbac program?

Here are the insights from Ryan:

On your applications, your GPA is broken down in a couple different ways:

Undergrad GPA
Postbac GPA - while listed separately, is counted as an undergrad GPA
Graduate GPA

If you get a Master’s GPA, that's only affecting your graduate GPA, and not your postbac GPA or your undergrad GPA.

A postbac doesn't necessarily have to be a postbac-specific program, but any undergrad classes that you were taking after you get your degree.

Ryan recommends:

Unless you really want a masters in whatever you're planning on studying, a masters degree for the sake of boosting your GPA for medical schools or postbac programs is a waste of time.

This poster's GPA might not be competitive enough for formal postbac programs so he/she will have to look around and use the AAMC postbac database and look for the Career Changer Postbac Programs and reach out to them.

Here are your possible options:

You can take the prereqs as a non degree-seeking undergrad student (so this would be a DIY postbac and this would be your postbac GPA) at a four-year university
The only differences between a formal postbac and a do-it-yourself postbac are the level of support and the cost.
Formal postbacs are more expensive because they are like mini-universities within a university which have separate advising setup specifically for postbac programs (Also included are shadowing experiences, clinical experiences. MCAT prep, etc.)
However, there is no difference between getting 4.0 in a formal postbac and getting a 4.0 in a DIY postbac program as a non degree seeking student on your applications. Either of both will be your postbac GPA which will be factored into your undergrad GPA.

Major takeaway from this episode:

Do well as a non degree seeking student. Do well in a formal postbac. But the master's degree is a waste of time.

Links and Other Resources:

www.oldpremeds.org

48 : What Are My Chances After Dropping Out at a Caribbean School?

Tue, 15 Nov 2016 20:00:00 -0500

Session 48

In today's episode, Ryan sheds light on a question related to getting into a US-based medical school when you previously went to a Caribbean school, failed the first semester, and then dropped out. What are the chances?

Your questions, answered here on the OldPreMeds Podcast. Ryan and Rich again dive into the forums over at OldPreMeds.org where they pull a question and deliver the answers right on to you. Sign up for an account to join the collaborative community of students.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

Poster applied to medical school after completing an MPH and didn't get into any US medical school. He then decided to forego reapplication and went to a Caribbean medical school; didn't pass the first semester and had to repeat the entire first semester but thinking through, found that they're not in a conducive environment for studying plus residency chances in the US wouldn't be great. So poster bailed and decided to work harder, get smarter, and reapply in the US. Is it worth taking a chance and reapply to medical schools? What else can be done and how can you address the fact that you started medical school and then dropped out?

Here are the insights from Ryan and Rich:

How MPH is viewed by medical schools:

MPH isn't that strong of a masters degree to hold a lot of water for medical schools

Why students go to Caribbean medical schools and then eventually decide to drop out:

Offshore schools are attractive to students being publicly traded companies.

Offshore medical schools have reasonably decent and rigorous medical education programs that people are not prepared for that.

Some questions to consider:

Is it worth the expense of going through a Special Master's Program (SMP) at this point?

Can you take higher level biomedical courses (high level undergraduate or beginning graduate courses) not for the degree but just to show them you can do well?

How to discuss your case of dropping out:

Getting allured in your desire to be a doctor and not thinking, you rushed in. Then you realized for many reasons that it was not going to be an environment that you were going to do well in and look well for the future. In short, you just have to lay it all out there. Don't try to hide something you can't hide or even try to minimize it.

Should you discuss this in your personal statement?

Make your medical school application a coherent, concise, and compelling narrative showing your motivation, commitment, and achievement to become a doctor.

This is a glaring red flag that you HAVE to discuss in a paragraph in your personal statement on the primary.

What are your chances?

Your chances are low but that doesn't mean you don't stand any chance. You can't change your past but you have to go with the best you can.

So many schools are now giving completely unscreened secondaries so you have more of a chance to develop it and discuss it in words.

Advocate for yourself. Build those relationships with people that can open some doors for you.

Links and Other Resources:

Check out The Premed Years Podcast at www.medicalschoolhq.net.

47: How do MD Schools View Shadowing DOs?

Wed, 09 Nov 2016 08:43:49 -0500

Session 47

In this episode, Ryan and Rick tackle a question about shadowing experiences and whether it matters that you're shadowing a DO (osteopathic) when interested in going to an MD (allopathic) school. Ryan and Rich also take a step further and talk about how most DO schools stress the importance of shadowing a DO when applying to a DO school.

Once again, Ryan and Rich digged into the forums over at OldPreMeds.org where they pull a question and deliver the answers right on to you.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

The poster, Matt, said that every DO school requires that you shadow a DO. How do allopathic schools view shadowing a DO versus an MD? Matt is applying to both schools.

Here are the insights from Ryan: and Rich:

What medical schools look for is "healthcare experience" which could be in multiple ways:

Shadowing
Volunteering in clinical or hospital setting or employment
Community/social service is close to that

Shadowing MD vs. DO:

An MD or DO is your degree from school. Most doctors look at your residency and what you did a residency in. That said, having an MD or DO is essentially meaningless in the practice of medicine.

If you're applying to MD school and shadowing a family practice but have a DO, have him write a letter of recommendation as a practice doc. DO is in the title but Rich doesn't think medical schools really care or think of it as less worthy than it would with MD.

Some points to consider:

Shadowing is just observing. In itself, it's not as valuable to medical school as some of the healthcare experiences can be.

Letters from doctors you shadowed are not really important as you don't usually have an in-depth relationship. Most schools are not that impressed by a shadowing letter as being all that valuable.

The College Information Book for most schools would say that a letter of recommendation from a DO is strongly recommended. Ryan recommends to take this as a requirement if they say so. DO schools care that you understand the DO philosophy and have shadowed a DO.

Major takeaway from this episode:

Go find somebody to shadow that is going to interest you. Spend quality time with him/her and get a good letter of recommendation after spending some quality time. The letters after their name don't matter. Doctors are doctors. The only difference is that when you're applying to DO school, it's recommended that you shadow a DO so you can observe their OM (Osteopathic Manipulative) medicine or therapy.

Links and Other Resources:

College Information Book

46: How Should I Evaluate Postbac Programs?

Tue, 01 Nov 2016 21:00:00 -0500

Session 46

This week's question is coming from a 36-year old, single mother of three who is looking to get into medical school. Listen in as Ryan and Rich share their insights into how you can actually evaluate postbac programs.

Your questions, answered here on the OldPreMeds Podcast. Ryan and Rich again dive into the forums over at OldPreMeds.org where they pull a question and deliver the answers right on to you.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

Poster is looking at UCLA postbac program, part of the UCLA Extension School; she said it's the only program that doesn't require a GPA minimum but she's concerned if this is going to hurt her appearance at medical schools because of this.

How should a nontraditional student evaluate postbac progams?

Here are the insights from Ryan:

Evaluate the logistics of your life.

A young single student has different concerns than a mom of three. Go to the best school if you can. But if you don't have time logistics to study, you're not going to be successful. So evaluate what you need.

The GPA point of interest is not a valid concern.

Medical school are not going to worry what GPA you had going into a postbac but they're going to worry about your GPA coming out of the postbac.

Some things you need to consider:

Is it going to be in the morning or the evening?
Is it a full time system or part time?
What is the cost?
Do you need an advisor?
Do you need a prep course for MCAT?
Are there any links for this postbac?
Does it have any connections with medical school?
Does it have any EC coordination?
Place for training or research
Success rate (Be careful of this.)
Find out what their stats and requirements are. (Not having a committee or composite letter from them is a big red flag.)

You can do an informal postbac.

This means not going through a formal postbac program but rather, you take the courses that you need to improve especially if you have low GPA.At this point, advising for this particular case is very important.

There is no MSAR for post bac.

There is no standardization.

Links and Other Resources:

In celebration of The Premed Years podcast, Ryan is holding a contest where you can get a chance to win some one-on-one coaching with Ryan. Simply head over to www.medicalschoolhq.net/contest to join.

45: What Can I Do if my GPA is too Low for a Postbac Program?

Tue, 25 Oct 2016 21:00:00 -0500

Session 45

In today's episode, Ryan is joined once again by Rich as they take questions directly from the OldPreMeds.org forums. Listen is as they try to outline possible routes to take to get into medical school when your GPA is too low to get into a postbac program.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

The poster is a recent BS graduate from a school in California and medical school has always been in their eyes but graduating with a 2.86 GPA and feeling they have no chance; they took too many units out f worry that they wouldn't be able to graduate in four years; bad grades in Gen Chem and O Chem, getting D's and repeating those and still didn't do well (B in Gen Chem and C in O Chem). Their premed advisor at their school told them to give up their med school dreams. They're still volunteering and still want to go to medical school; haven't taken the MCAT yet and looking at taking a postbac but GPA qualifications are too high for what their GPA is.

What is a student supposed to do when you have a low GPA and you're looking for a postbac when they have minimum requirements for GPA?

Here are the insights from Ryan and Rich:

Many students see a GPA number and don't see anything past that.

Rich recommends either of these two paths:

Start within a formal postbac.

Take classes as a non matriculating student at whatever school you can get to in order to get better coursework and prove your GPA.
The prerequisites are not the same as a Special Masters Program (SMP)
You may have to go through informal postbac, a formal postbac, and then SMP to get into an MD school - this is long and expensive path

Go to a DO school.

The repeats can be done again and they will only count the last retake in your GPA for school.
The schools will know you repeated it but the GPA they will consider for entrance will be that.
Assuming you want to stay in California, they have a limited space for postbac and limited space for informal postbac. California is probably the most competitive state for medical school.
DO school may just be a better path in terms of time, chances, and money.

Going to a Caribbean school:

This should be your very, very last resort. The quality of education is not the point but it's their way of taking students and the chances for residency in the US

Do not think about the Caribbean until you've gone through two complete cycles, both MD and DO, with a break in between for repair and enhancement. One of the most common mistakes is students reapplying too soon.

Major takeaway from this episode:

Go through an informal postbac, formal postbac. Don't take the MCAT until you've got your GPA up and ready. If you don't get in, try a Special Masters Program. Or just take the DO route directly. Consider other medical mid-level professions such as NP and PA as you would still be part of the team.

Links and Other Resources:

44: How to Write About an Extended Gap in My Personal Statement?

Tue, 18 Oct 2016 21:00:00 -0500

Session 44

In this episode, Ryan answers a commonly asked question among nontraditional students which is about how you can fit in your life experiences into a personal statement. How do you actually fit your life into 4500 or 5300 characters?

We take questions directly from the OldPreMeds.org forum where they will be answered here on the podcast. If you have questions, whether you’re a nontraditional or traditional student, go to OldPreMeds.org and register for an account.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

The poster is asking how to fit everything into his personal statement considering that he has done a lot of traveling and did online courses because his parents threatened to take away his funds for school if he didn't study. Now, he has been working hard in the last few months to gain volunteer hours, research work, shadowing experience, focusing on GPA, studying for the MCAT. However, he is having a hard time visualizing how all the travel experience and unique approach to his 20s will look in a personal statement versus being lazy or avoiding work life.

Here are the insights from Ryan:

"How do you fit in your life experiences into a personal statement?" Such is a wrong question for you to ask.

Your life experiences are a huge part of who you are in your application. However, your personal statement is your story about why you're pursuing medicine. At the end of your personal statement, the admissions committee needs to be able to understand why you want to be a doctor.

So it's not about your travel experiences, not about how all this travel has led to you being culturally diverse or how it's helped you develop time management skills, etc.

Therefore, the question should be:

"Why do you want to be a doctor and how do you write about that?"

Have these travel experiences deepened your resolve to be a physician? If yes, then talk about a little bit of that since you need to support "why you want to be a doctor" with these experiences you've had along the way.

Major takeaway from this episode:

You don't need to talk about your travel and how it's taught you all these skills in your personal statement. This does not belong there. What your personal statement should contain rather is why you essentially want to become a doctor.

If you need help with your personal statement, Ryan offers editing services. Simply go to www.medicalschoolhq.net/personal-statement-editing

Links and Other Resources:

43: Questions for a Student with a Low Undergrad & Postbac GPA

Tue, 11 Oct 2016 21:00:00 -0500

Session 43

In this episode, Ryan tackles the issue of a student who is struggling with very low undergrad and postbac GPA scores and a low 2015 MCAT score. Find out what options you could possibly take when facing this kind of situation.

Your questions, answered here on the OldPreMeds Podcast. Ryan again dives into the forums over at OldPreMeds.org where they pull a question and deliver the answers right on to you.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

Poster is in need for help and advice for applying to medical school; graduated in 2002 with a very low GPA (2.01) and have take classes with postbac GPA of 2.7 and Science GPA at 3.3. Overall GPA at 2.37. Because of low undergrad GPA, poster is unable to get premed help from the school where they've taken current postbac courses. Overall Science GPA of 2.7 is because of classes taken while doing research which are graduate level courses taken in order to be able to work in a lab. Not prepared for the classes but needed the job to pay rent and help his soon-to-be wife at that time to pay for physical therapy school. Have worked in basic research labs for 3 years, published 2 papers, and post tier presentations at international conferences. Work experience: clinical research (4 years) and lab assistant at a medical school (anatomy lab and orthopedic surgical training center); MCAT 2015 score of 26 and 3; currently working on physical therapy research and teaching; looking for premed advising help.

Here are the insights from Ryan:

Figure out why you're not doing well in school. No excuses. What is your struggle?

A Science GPA of 2.7 is not going to cut it. An overall GPA of 3.7 is not going to gut it. An MCAT score of 26 is not going to cut it. And it's getting old since most schools are going to stop accepting the old MCAT score. You probably have to take it again.

Do some soul searching and figure out where the issue lies. You need to improve your grades if you want to get into medical school.

There is no point in doing more postbac classes unless you can do really well and only apply to DO schools to take advantage of grade replacement for GPA calculations.

Another possible option is a Special Masters Program (SMP), basically a postbac masters level program that goes into the different category in your application under graduate school courses whereas your postbac classes are still lumped in with your undergrad classes and undergrad GPA. Try to see if there is any Special Masters Program near you and see if they have linkage to medical schools, where if you do well in the SMP, you will have a guaranteed spot in the medical school it's associated with.

Your last option is the Caribbean school. Reach out to them and see if your GPA is good enough for them. These schools are for profit institutions and they usually take anybody and everybody. But they might not even accept your low GPA.

Major takeaway from this episode:

You have a lot of work to do. Your research and clinical experiences are great but they're not going to overcome your GPA or MCAT score. So figure out how to improve those or look at doing something else.

Links and Other Resources:

42: Is Medicine Still an Option for Me at this Point?

Tue, 04 Oct 2016 21:00:00 -0500

Session 42

Ryan takes another question over at the OldPreMeds.org forum and delivers the answer right here on to you. If you haven't already, sign up a at the OldPreMeds.org and feel free to drop in any questions or issues you might have or join a collaborative community of nontraditioonal premedical and medical students.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

Poster is a 50-year old addiction specialist, with a great high school GPA, good undergrad GPA with a good trend in last years as an undergrad. She's interested in going to DO schools because of the "holistic" philosophy. She has extensive medical experience working as CNA and volunteering in the Emergency Room at a Children's Hospital. She realized she didn't want to go down the nursing path and enjoyed working with addicts and alcoholics and has been doing this now. Her questions are as follows:

Is medicine as option for me at this point in my life or should I just quit while I'm ahead and go for the clinical psych degree?

Postbac courses vs. community college courses vs. university courses? (Their alma mater doesn't allow students to take classes as non-degree seeking students add you need to declare a second bachelor's)

Can you combine community college courses and university courses?

Will it be necessary to update the medical experiences?

Here are the insights from Ryan:

If you want to be a physician no matter what your age, move forward and try to be a physician.

Otherwise, when you take the psych degree and only to realize that you really should have gone for your medical degree, imagine spending money and spending five years when you did that only because maybe you were too old to get your medical degree

Don't look at this from an age standpoint. If you're thinking you're too old to do it, you're wrong.

If you think you don't have the experiences to do it, you're wrong. (You have to get them of course but just because you don't have them yet doesn't mean you're not moving forward)

Therefore, the option is always YES to apply to medical school.

Postbac programs:

If you're dedicated enough to do everything on your own and do all the necessary stuff (study for MCAT, volunteering, clinical experience), then you don't need a formal postbac program.

Postbac program pro:

They will help you with everything along the way to ensure you're prepared to apply to medical school.

Postbac program con:

They are usually expensive; oftentimes, worth it if you need that structure, but expensive.

Community college courses vs. university courses

The gold standard for this are the four-year universities

But you can still take community college courses if that's what you need to do based on :

Budget
Schedule
Location

So which is better?

There is no right or wrong answer because everyone's situation is different.

Combination of community college courses and university courses

Yes, you can mix and match courses.

Caveat:

If you're taking community college courses because you can't handle the university courses, then that can be a red flag. So be ready to answer questions like why you took such course at a community college, whether thinking it's going to be easier or just to get the A.

Ryan's best advice:

Pick one or the other instead of switching back and forth or combining them.

Updating medical experience

If you've done it so long ago, reintroduce yourself to some experiences; although working as an addiction specialist working with patients is good patient care and valuable. But it doesn't hurt to go and get a more updated experience like shadowing one-on-one with a physician just to understand what life is like as a physician.

Links and Other Resources:

The PreMed Years Podcast Session 74: Listen to Ryan's interview with Carrie and her experience applying to medical school coming from a community college

41: Should I Write About Red Flags in My Personal Statement?

Tue, 27 Sep 2016 21:00:00 -0500

Session 41

In this episode, Ryan tackles a question about personal statement specifically about whether or not you should mention red flags in your personal statement. Is it safe to mention that you’ve been partying too much? Listen in to know more about Ryan’s take on this.

Each week, Ryan pulls out a question directly from the OldPreMeds.org forum and answers it here on the podcast. If you haven’t yet, join the positive and collaborative community of nontraditional premed and medical students by signing up at the OldPreMeds.org.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

Poster is currently writing his personal statement and has seen from different sources that red flags should be brought up in the application. His first two years were not good years academically and wanted to talk about it. If he did bring it up, should he say that he was getting lost partying too much over those first two years or should he give a vague reasoning?

Here are the insights from Ryan:

Should red flags be mentioned in your personal statement?

Yes and no.

Two important analogy questions to consider:

What was it that planted the seed in your head to become a physician?
What experiences watered that seed?

Do you mention too much partying in a personal statement?

No. Partying too much can be too much of a negative and plays too much into your personality of not caring too much and picking one thing over the other.

What can you mention in a personal statement?

Here's an example:

Even though you got off to a slow start academically, you have course corrected and showed your strength as a student in the last two years and during your postbac.

Write it down in one or two sentences.
Just lay a little hint that something happened and then move on.
Once you're there for the interview then you can explain things in more depth.

Major takeaway from this episode:

The goal of your personal statement is to lay down why you want to be a physician, what experiences have you had that have strengthened that desire. Do not dive too much into red flags as they're a waste of space and the admissions committee would not want to hear about those at this point.

Links and Other Resources:

The Premed Years Podcast Listen to The Premed Years Podcast Session 161: 5 Biggest Medical School Personal Statement Mistakes

Podcast Addict app on Android

Stitcher app on Windows

40: Can Being a Single Parent Prevent Me from Becoming a Doctor?

Tue, 20 Sep 2016 21:00:00 -0500

Session 40

In today's episode, Ryan answers a question about being a single parent in medical school.

Questions are pulled out from the forum over at OldPreMeds.org. Feel free to leave your question over there or engage with an awesome community of collaborative and positive premed and medical students.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

Poster is a single dad who works two jobs and in school full-time. He has shared 50-50 custody of his son and knows med school is a full time job. If he had full custody of his son, how flexible are medical schools with this kind of situation? Are there any resources for this kind of situation or personal stories related to this?

Here are the insights from Ryan:

A lot of nontraditional students have significant others in their life. Medical school is not impossible for single parents but here are some things that you need to consider:

Medical school is a full time job (even more than that once you start your clinical years). Hence, you are going to rely on other people for the care of your child.

Resources from medical schools:

Most medical schools do not have resources for single parents. Their job is to educate students to become physicians and not a daycare for children of their students. (Although there are may be a few schools that may also have child care services for their students.)

Taking loans:

If you are the breadwinner for the family and you go to medical school, your ability to take loans from the federal government to pay for medical school is capped at what the budget is set by that school. The budget doesn't usually include any sort of extra food or clothing for family members, much less for child care.

If you have custody of your child and have to pay for child care, then that money has to come from somewhere and not built into your loans. Either some of your family members take care of the child or pay for the child care services or figure something else out. Private loans are not the best option for you to pay for it.

Major takeaway from this episode:

The best situation is to have family members nearby to help shoulder the burden. If this is what you want to do, then you will definitely figure out a way to do it.

Links and Other Resources:

www.MedEdMedia.com

The PreMed Years Podcast

39: Does Shadowing a Family Member Look Bad?

Tue, 13 Sep 2016 21:00:00 -0500

Session 39

In this episode, Ryan tackles a concern raised by an aspiring medical student regarding how shadowing with immediate family or volunteering for a family nonprofit organization will affect your medical school application.

Your questions, answered here on the OldPreMeds Podcast. Ryan dives into the forums over at OldPreMeds.org where he pulls a question to deliver the answers right on to you.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

Dave is a 30-year old software engineer looking to make a switch to a career in medicine; graduating with a degree in General Studies with GPA of 3.52. He decided 18 months ago to return to school to pursue his dream of providing care and service to the community as a physician. Dave has been taking as many courses at community colleges and almost done with base prerequisite coursework. Taking the MCAT in early 2017 and applying in June 2017 for the 2018 class. Dave is struggling to find time to take all the coursework, plan his study for the MCAT, find volunteering and shadowing opportunities, and fulfill his familial obligations (with his wife and a 5-year old). How are family connections to extracurriculars viewed? He has shadowing his brother who is a practicing DO. He has also volunteered hundreds of hours for a 501-C3 nonprofit organization made up entirely of family members where they help cancer patients and survivors. Is this considered valid volunteering? Will this be an issue?

Here are the insights from Ryan:

Shadowing family members is not a problem. The problem is in getting a letter of recommendation from the physician you're shadowing.

A strong letter of recommendation comes from the physician you're shadowing whom you've built a relationship with over a prolonged period of time. Quality, not quantity.

If you can shadow one physician for a long time, build an awesome relationship with that person then they can write you a killer letter of recommendation. A letter of recommendation from your brother probably will not be looked favorably upon because you just can't trust a letter of recommendation from a family member. It's perfectly fine to shadow a brother but if you really want a strong letter of recommendation from a physician, have your brother help you find somebody else to shadow. Your connection with your brother is still very helpful because he can help you find someone else to shadow.

If you're volunteering with a nonprofit, it doesn't matter who else is volunteering or working there. The key thing here is the experiences that you talked about with interacting with cancer patients and survivors are what's going to be so powerful as you write about them on your application. Your experiences will be huge here regardless of family ties.

Major takeaway from this episode:

Find a physician to shadow who can make a strong letter of recommendation for you while volunteering for a nonprofit organization makes a great experience for you regardless of who else is working or volunteering for that organization.

Links and Other Resources:

www.cramfighter.com

The Premed Years Podcast Session 195 features Cram Fighter, a software to help you plan your studies for the MCAT and create a custom schedule for you.

38: What Should Nontrads Focus on in Their Personal Statement

Tue, 06 Sep 2016 21:00:00 -0500

Session 38

In this episode, we tackle personal statements for the "older among us." Is there a need to justify why you applied to medical school so late in life? Is there a need to specifically discuss this on your personal statement? Or should you save this for the interview? Is there a difference between younger nontrads and older nontrads?

Our questions are pulled directly from the forums over at OldPreMeds.org so we can deliver the answers right on to you.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

Poster is currently drafting their personal statement and finding to continuously trying to answer the question, "If you want to be a physician so badly, then why haven't you done it by now?" Is this something that needs to be justified? Poster can't cover all the events that led them to apply so late in life. Should they discuss it all or save it for the interview? Are there topics older applicants should cover in the personal statement that the younger nontrads don't?

Here are the insights from Ryan:

How do you fit in everything in your life into 5300 or 5400 characters?

Your job is not to talk about everything you've done in your life.
The job of the Personal Statement is to let the reader know why it is that you want to become a physician. (Not what's taking you so long or what have you been doing in interim)

Some things to consider when answering why you want to become a physician:

Start with what got you interested in medicine. What was your initial draw to medicine?
Talk about the most meaningful experiences you've gained throughout your path

What the admissions committee members want to see from your personal statement:

The impact that the experience had on you and your impact on the patients or scenario.
Your experiences as adding and continually strengthening your desire to become a physician and your resolve to do it.
Your experiences as securing in your mind that you want to be a physician and is really the only course that makes sense for you

Major takeaway from this episode:

What took you so long doesn't really matter unless it supports your desire to become a physician. Then add it and talk about it. Think about the most impactful memories that you've had that are continually pushing you and reminding you why it is that you want to be a physician and write about those things.

Links and Other Resources:

Ryan does Personal Statement editing, if you need help, visit www.medicalschoolhq.net/personal-statement-editing

37: Is Research More Important than Clinical Experience?

Tue, 30 Aug 2016 21:00:00 -0500

Session 37

Each week, Ryan pulls out a question from the forums over at OldPreMeds.org so we can deliver the answers right on to you.

This week's question comes from a student asking about research experience, specifically about whether admissions committees are biased towards applicants with research experience that they would value it over clinical observation.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

Looking through the MSAR Admissions Requirements, one of the things that jumped out at them was the percentage of accepted applicants with research.lab experience. In many cases, the school reported higher numbers of accepted students with this experience than physician shadowing/observation, typically in the 85-95% range. Are admissions committees biased towards applicants with research experience that they would value it over clinical observation? Or is it that more students are reporting their lab experience from prerequisite coursework?

Here are the insights from Ryan:

Medical schools need to understand that you know what it's like to be a physician; hence, the importance of shadowing. You don't need a ton of shadowing to understand what it's like.

However, shadowing is not the same as clinical experience. While technically you're close enough to smell patient, you're still not really "smelling" the patient.

Clinical experience involves patient interaction or getting your hands dirty doing patient care. Work like being a CNA,paramedic, EMT, nurse, or PA are huge clinical experiences.

Research is something that is perpetuated in the premed world as a necessity to get into medical school.

Caveats:

If you want to go into an MD/PhD program, research is the main driver during your premed years to get into an MD/PhD program.
If you want to go into a research-heavy institution, research is going to be very important.

The emergence of evidence-based medicine:

The actual act of research is not necessarily important but it's important that you understand the process. You don't need to publish anything to get experience and gain benefit from research, However, as a physician, it is important that you’re able to read research articles and statistics and understand everything that goes on behind the scenes with researching and the scientific method.

The admissions committees are not leaning one way or the other. They only need to make sure you know what life is like as a physician so they're looking for the clinical experience.

Major takeaways from this episode:

Shadowing shows you what's it's like to be a physician. Clinical experience proves you actually like being around sick people.

You don't have to have research (although some schools require it like the University of Utah which have set number of hours of research, shadowing, and volunteering)

Look at each of the schools you're interested in applying to. See what they require and then follow what you enjoy the most after all of the requirements are met.

Links and Other Resources:

MSAR Admissions Requirements

University of Utah Medical School Admissions

36: Can I Get in Enough Shadowing and Clinical Experience?

Tue, 23 Aug 2016 21:00:00 -0500

Session 36

In today's episode, Ryan welcomes a question from a student named Matt regarding getting shadowing and clinical experience - how much is enough, what better way to approach a physician, and can you shadow the same physician on a regular basis?

Your questions, answered here on the OldPreMeds Podcast as Ryan and Rich pulls a question from the forums over at OldPreMeds.org and delivers the answers right on to you.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

Matt is a 41-year old student how is extremely excited and nervous about this endeavor; no clinical or shadowing experience; hoping to apply next June and intends to spend the next 8 months shadowing and gaining clinical experience. Will this be sufficient? Or should the application be put off for another year?

Matt applied to join the local volunteer rescue squad where he is to commit 35 hours a month; what else can he do to gain clinical exposure?

Matt intends to shadow a few physicians across a range of specialties and attempts to spend a bit of time with the ones that feel like the most positive experience. Is there a better approach? Is it appropriate to ask a physician to shadow on a regular basis or is there a point where you are just interrupting his or her job?

Here are the insights from Ryan:

When you're applying 8 months away from the next application cycle and you don't have any clinical or shadowing experience, yes it is bad. How do you know you want to be a physician without any clinical or shadowing experience? This would be the first red flag to an admissions committee person.

Can you get enough clinical and shadowing experience in the next 8 months?

Yes, as long as it's quality experience where you hang around enough patients in a clinical setting to know you're okay dealing with sick people.

How can you get more clinical experience?

Consider being a scribe or any experience where you are close enough to smell the patient.

Shadowing experience

Shadowing is important to understand what life is like as a physician. You don't need to shadow every specialty out there to see which one you like because that's what medical school is for where you get to rotate different specialties. Your job when shadowing is to only understand what life is like as a physician.

Things to consider when shadowing:

Setting

Physicians working in an academic setting are different than those in an outpatient or community hospital. Try shadowing somebody in an academic hospital setting and somebody in a community hospital setting, as well as in an academic outpatient setting and in a community outpatient setting.

Shadowing on a regular basis

Yes, you can ask a physician on a regular basis. This is actually great as you're gaining a relationship that you can lean on later for a good letter of recommendation, hopefully. You may interrupt the workflow to some extent but not terribly. If you get a physician that says no, then that's fine and move on to another who says yes.

Links and Other Resources:

35: What Jobs Should I Do During My Gap Year?

Tue, 16 Aug 2016 21:00:00 -0500

Session 35

In this episode, Ryan answers a question from a poster concerned about what kind of jobs can be done during gap years to help get them into medical school. Ryan makes two important points on the show today which you shouldn’t miss out on.

The questions shared on this podcast are taken out of the forums over at OldPreMeds.org where they pull a question and deliver the answers right on to you.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

Poster graduated in 2013 with a degree in BS Biological Sciences and Chemistry with one year of research before graduating; decided to become a physician that year and thought of taking a year off to volunteer and study for the MCAT and get a paid research assistant position while applying to medical school. It didn't turn out this way as poster took the pre-2015 MCAT on the last day the exam was offered and ended up with an average score; GPA 3.1. Poster is applying to an academic enhancer postbac program this Fall/Spring while preparing to take the MCAT after the program ends. Writing the personal statement is a challenge with only 6 months volunteer experience at a clinic and 4-month work experience as a medical assistant. Poster wants to know what other medical jobs or opportunities exist that will help a lot for medical school admission; something that utilizes her biology and chemistry knowledge. What sort of jobs can you do with a bachelor's degree before going into medical school that will help you get into medical school?

Here are the insights from Ryan:

Scores are scores. The 3.1 is below average. The data for medical schools that they provide is an average, a statistical number derived from adding together all of the classes' MCAT scores and GPAs and dividing by the total number of students. So the 3.5 number that you're looking at for a school includes 3's and 3.1's and 3.2's and 3.3's.

Don't kill your chances of medical school and not apply just because you don't think you're good enough. Let the medical schools tell you that you're not good enough.

Not applying to medical school because thinking you won't get in is definitely not appropriate.

On looking for jobs...

Don't look for a job that you think will help you get into medical school. Don't do any in your life that you think will help you get into medical school. There are no check boxes to get into medical school. You have to do what you are passionate about.

It's hard to find research positions at a university as a non-student so keep on trying. You need to go out and find those relationships with people that will help you get your foot in the door into possible research opportunities.

Research is great if that's where your heart is at. It may help you with medical school applications if you're looking to apply to a research-heavy institution. Consider being a scribe:

It's an amazing job for gaining the experience of what like if like as a physician and seeing the dynamics of patient care.
Being a scribe is one of the best clinical experiences you can get which increases your chances of getting into medical school.

Major takeaways from this episode:

Don't think about it as what job will help you get into medical school. Think about what you're interested in doing because that will show the most during your medical school interviews. Whether you're passionate about something or not will always come through.

Don't just not apply because you're scores are not good enough. Score and stats are just one part of the application.

Links and Other Resources:

www.medicalschoolhq.net/ems

34: Is it Necessary to Shadow if I'm Already in Healthcare?

Tue, 09 Aug 2016 21:00:00 -0500

Your questions, answered here on the OldPreMeds Podcast. Ryan again dives into the forums over at OldPreMeds.org where he pulls out a question and deliver the answers right on to you. In today’s episode, Ryan answers a question raised by an NP looking into going to medical school and asks about the need for shadowing experience.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

Poster is an NP looking to go back to medical school and become a fully fledged professional. Would want to return to primary care one day as a fully fledged professional on the MD/DO route. As an NP, has worked alongside MD's and DO's in primary care and doing things they do such as patient care. Do you still need to shadow? Is it desirable to still shadow other specialties?

Here are the insights from Ryan:

The goal of shadowing is to really understand what you're getting yourself into.

Shadowing for you may not be required but there is a difference between working as an NP and a physician.

Go out and shadow other specialties to be a little bit more well-rounded and understand the fuller picture of what other physicians may do.

Shadowing in your case isn't for letters of recommendation but for you to get a bigger picture. Don't necessarily go crazy with your hours. Get maybe 10-40 hours and a couple hours here and there.

Links and Other Resources:

www.OldPreMeds.org

www.themcatpodcast.com

33: Introduction to The MCAT Podcast

Tue, 02 Aug 2016 21:00:00 -0500

Session 33

The OldPreMeds Podcast started as a collaboration between the Medical School Headquarters and the OldPreMeds.org, the site for nontraditional premed and medical students.

Currently, Dr. Ryan Gray is the Director of the National Society of Nontraditional Premed and Medical Students and now runs, operates, and publishes OldPreMeds.org which is now part of the Medical School Headquarters.

The Medical School Headquarters is also starting a new collaboration with Next Step Test Prep to produce The MCAT Podcast, which has been in the works for several months now. Today, they are sharing with you their very first episode on today's session.

The MCAT Podcast is a weekly episode dedicated to the MCAT. Ryan will be mainly talking to Bryan Schnedeker, Next Step Test Prep's MCAT Guru where they discuss the different aspects of the MCAT to help you get a better grip of the MCAT especially being nontraditional students.

Go to www.themcatpodcast.com and sign up to be notified when it's going to be on iTunes. What The MCAT Podcast offers:

Weekly information all about the MCAT
Tips, tricks, and common pitfalls
Content to help you break down some of the passages
Ways to things about passages
How to rule out questions
Shorter format (around 10 minutes)
Easier to consume

John Rood is the Founder and President of Next Step Test Prep which he started in 2009. John has a background in test prep and they started out doing one-on-one tutoring for the professional graduate schools in Chicago until eventually spreading to other cities and going online.

In 2013, Bryan Schnedeker joined the company and currently serves as the Vice-President for Next Step's MCAT and Tutoring. Bryan is Next Step's resident MCAT Guru having taught and tutored MCAT students over the past 15 years.

About Next Step Test Prep:

One-on-one tutoring programs

35,000 students have signed up for different MCAT practice tests and materials

Customization is at its core seeking to meet the individual needs of students

They have a team of five people working full-time on MCAT content and 15-20 people working part-time on specialized parts of their content.

About Ryan Gray:

A physician by training (an Air Force flight surgeon for five years)
Stumbled into the premed advising world after talking to young airmen in the Air Force about what it's like to go to medical school and coming across a particular website offering very negative and cutthroat information
Wanting to create a safe place for people to go and get collaborative information that is not cutthroat and competitive
Started the Medical School Headquarters in 2012

Today, Ryan runs the following podcasts:

The Premed Years Podcast - 3 1/2 years old; nominated 2x as a Top Podcast in the Science and Medicine Category; with almost a million downloads
The OldPreMeds Podcast

Next Step pivoting into providing courses:

Going into the course market to put together a course with all the essential resources that any of the other major label courses would have:

12 full-length exams
11 books containing thousands of pages
Course priced at $1,300 ($700-$900 less than students would have paid for courses under the legacy pricing system)

A Next Step exclusive: Customized study plan tool Diagnostic test followed by a short questionnaire that will allow a generation of a custom unique to you study plan so you're following the best possible prep for your needs

Our goals for The MCAT Podcast:

Regularly repeating podcast of 5-15 min. mini-lessons on MCAT itself, building study plans, quick reviews, pitfalls and how to avoid them
You get a little nugget of MCAT wisdom offering high value to students

Links and Other Resources:

Go to www.oldpremeds.org/mcatclass and use the coupon code: MCATPOD to save money off their tutoring and 10% off their products

www.mcatpodcast.com/subscribe

32: How do I Prepare for the Medical School Interview?

Tue, 26 Jul 2016 21:00:00 -0500

Session 32

Your questions, answered here on the OldPreMeds Podcast are taken directly from the forums over at OldPreMeds.org where they pull a question and deliver the answers right on to you.

Today's question is about preparing for the medical school interview being a nontraditional student. Ryan lays out some relevant pieces of advice to help students rock the interview come interview day.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

Poster is a nontraditional re-applicant who applied very late in the cycle and had a mediocre MCAT score, being her two biggest hurdles. Since then she has worked to improve on several areas of her application and applied early in this year's cycle. She chose to apply to 12 schools and received an interview to interview at a school in August. How do you prepare for interviews particularly for nontraditional students?

Here are the insights from Ryan:

Know who you are.

Know what your future is going to look like. Check out Episodes 192, 19, and 91 of The Premed Years Podcast to get more tips about the medical school interview process.

Diversity is key.

What does your nontraditional background bring to your classmates and add to the diversity of the class?

Diversity is a huge buzzword these days with holistic admissions processes at medical schools. But you have to be able to tell that story as to why you're diverse.

Do a mock interview.

Talk with somebody who knows the process. Record yourself (audio or video) to see and hear yourself. Make it as real as possible and go through it so you can watch yourself. Get feedback from the person you're talking with on the answers you gave to see how it sounded like to the interviewer.

Links and Other Resources:

Session 192 www.medicalschoolhq.net/192

Session 19 www.medicalschoolhq.net/19

Session 91 www.medicalschoolhq.net/91

31: Committee Feedback on a Bombed Med School Interview

Tue, 19 Jul 2016 21:00:00 -0500

Session 31

In this episode, Ryan focuses on the medical school interview process, an important topic to discuss considering that it's interview season and Ryan has a book coming up on Kindle. Find out more about it on www.medschoolinterviewbook.com and sign up to get notified when it releases. This book will also hit physical bookstores by the first part of next year.

Ryan pulls a statement from the forums over at OldPreMeds.org and he discusses how critical preparing for an interview is.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

Poster got an interview feedback from one of the schools they applied to last year. The school quoted the committee stating that they felt the interviewee was extremely nervous, talking very rapidly, so rapidly that they often could not understand what was said. The committee felt as though the interviewee came across as closed-minded and lacking of self-awareness due to a combination of the choice of words and phrases used during the interview as well as the inability to fully answer some questions. Some comments were not received favorably by the committee and viewed as very disrespectful. Poster is at a loss as to how to correct this.

Here are the insights from Ryan:

This is what happens if you don't prepare properly for your interviews.

Mock interviews are very, very important to understand how the words floating around your head come out of your mouth and land on the interviewer. It's your job to make sure the words you're saying land favorably on the interviewer.

You can't control everybody listening to you to agree with you but if you're saying stuff that are very off-putting then you're obviously doing something wrong.

As you prepare for your interviews, record yourself with a video camera or an audio recorder.

Have somebody go through the interview process with you.

If you need a list of questions, check out www.medschoolinterviewbook.com to sign up and get notified when the book is released. It contains almost 600 possible questions as well as questions you can throw at your interviewers. The book also has over 50 real answer from mock interviews Ryan has done with students including the feedback he gave to students.

Links and Other Resources:

30: A Statement Made About How Important Interviews Are

Wed, 13 Jul 2016 02:42:18 -0500

Session 30

Your questions, answered here on the OldPreMeds Podcast. Ryan again dives into the forums over at OldPreMeds.org where they pull a question and deliver the answers right on to you.

Today, the questions revolves around the interview process and the feedback they received from a physician about the interview process.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

Poster had a talk with a neurosurgery resident and gave so much insight into the journey, highlighting the fact that entry to medical school is not a destination. He is in the last year of residency as a chief resident after 18 years of education and residency. Poster shares the resident's insights and the deal breaker is the actual interview where only personality matters subject to the interviewer. Poster wants to ask any other insights into the interview.

Here are the insights from Ryan:

There are no such things as GPA and MCAT cutoffs.

If you got an interview at a medical school, they've taken the leap of faith that your scores are competitive enough to be a student at that school.

Once you have your interview and matched up among everybody else that had an interview, your GPA and MCAT still might fall short. If you have a perfect interview against another perfect interview of a student and everything else is equal but the other student has a higher MCAT score or GPA, they might get the spot over you.

Go into the interview thinking that the acceptance is yours to lose. You have to be there prepared and ready to go.

Over the years, schools have been refining what they use to select students. The AAMC has the core competencies that medical schools look at. Then the medical schools look at your applications, secondaries, interview skills and comparing you to a core competency list which takes some subjectivity out of it.

Ryan is releasing an interview book soon on Amazon as well as its print version. Go to www.medschoolinterviewbook.com to sign up and be notified when the book releases or if it's already out.

Major takeaway from this episode:

Personality is not the only thing that matters and that it is subject to the interview. Personality matters in everything in life and you need to be prepared for that interview.

Links and Other Resources:

29: A Farewell Letter to Being Premed

Tue, 05 Jul 2016 21:00:00 -0500

Session 29

Today's episode is a lot different from the previous sessions where Ryan and Rich pull out a question from the OldPreMeds.org forum. In this session, Ryan reads out a post sent by someone over at the same forum as he bids goodbye to being a premed.

Hopefully, this session will help you gain insights into your journey towards becoming a physician and pay attention to your thought process as to whether this is something that you really like and if so, whether you’re willing to put all the work in.

Some points from the poster’s letter:

Realizing this is not a path he/she will complete
Struggling for the past six years to study for the MCAT but unfruitful
Having very poor study habits and knowledge of the MCAT sciences is very lacking
Only made it through college because professors were generous at allowing them cheat sheets during exams and having open book during the final exams

“You have to ask yourself if you want it. Then you have to ask yourself if you want it bad enough to actually put the work into it and do it.”

Poster’s realizations:

Not willing to put the effort into overcoming the barriers of entry to medical school.
He/she values time to self and family more than the prospect of becoming a doctor
Enjoys being a musician more than studying for the MCAT which he/she finds stressful and depressing

“My admission here is not that I do not think I'm capable. It is that I do not think I am willing. Too much false hope from too many people and not enough listening to those who warned me along the way. Not enough paying attention to how the really hard classes indicated that I would not make it.”

Here are the insights from Ryan:

This is a very common thought process for people as they make the decision of whether or not to continue this path or jump ship and find something else to do.

Take some time and do some self-inspection.
Figure out if this is really what you want to do.
You have to be willing to put in the time and effort to do well in your classes.
Take a deep look inside yourself and ask yourself if this is worth it.

28: Do I need to Rewrite my Extracurriculars as a Reapplicant?

Tue, 28 Jun 2016 21:00:00 -0500

Session 28

Ryan and Rich again shed light on your questions directly from the forums over at OldPreMeds.org.

This week they particularly talk about the importance of writing your extracurriculars and meaningful statements well. It can't just be a job description but it should show how you are as a person.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

A question coming from a reapplicant asking about redoing the extracurriculars. Do they need to rewrite their extracurriculars and the most meaningful essays they're selecting for their three big extracurriculars?

Here are the insights from Ryan & Rich:

Things to consider:

How extensive have you been?
Has anything been changed and updated?

You may get by without extensively rewriting your extracurriculars and meaningful statements for the most of the secondary applications. So it's not bad to continue with what you've had.

But if you've reapplied to schools before with the same information and it hasn't worked then consider what you're being effective.

Have someone who does not know you well critically analyze your writing prior to getting into another application cycle as this somehow mimics the members of the admissions committee that don't know you at all.

Student really spend time on the personal statement and the first two secondaries. But people overlook the extracurriculars, which need to be well-written. They should be:

Concise
Coherent
Compelling
Short paragraphs

Your extracurricular statement must show you as a person.

Characteristics
Intelligence
Motivation
Commitment
Attention to detail

Major takeaway from this episode:

Be sincere about your motivation and your story. Start with your core or why and move from there.

Links and Other Resources:

27: Does Massage Therapy Count as Clinical Experience?

Tue, 21 Jun 2016 21:00:00 -0500

Session 27

Your questions, answered here on the OldPreMeds Podcast. Ryan and Rich again dive into the forums over at OldPreMeds.org where they pull a question and deliver the answers right on to you.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

The poster is a current massage therapist. She is in training for a clinical massage training. Would massage therapy become more accepted and being an alternative modality in the health field, how is this going to be viewed by medical schools?

Here are the insights from Ryan & Rich:

Massage therapy is a licensed field in most states. A lot of schools that offer it are accredited secondary institutions.

Rich doesn't think that most medical schools will think that it will add much to your application. It's not patient contact per se nor is it volunteering. But it's a work experience that you can list.

Other experiences you need to get include are volunteering and shadowing.

There are massage therapists who work in more clinical settings like nursing homes, some physical therapy practices and osteopathic practices in some hospitals for patients. If you're able to find positions such as these then this may be useful to your medical school application.

26: Should I Retake the MCAT? Is there a Minimum MCAT Score?

Tue, 14 Jun 2016 21:00:00 -0500

Session 26

In today's episode, Ryan and Rich discuss how to go about it when you’re considering to retake the MCAT as well as the minimum MCAT score required by different medical schools.

As always, this question has been pulled out by Ryan and Rich from the forums over at OldPreMeds.org so they can bring the answers directly right onto you.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

Student is working full time and with two boys; took the MCAT for the first time in September (which is a bit late) and received scores in October; looking at schools they're interested in applying to but only one of them had a minimum percentile listed. MCAT score of 504 and trying to figure out what to do next.

Here are the insights from Ryan & Rich:

The ultimate rule for MCAT:

Do not take the test until you are ready.

When are you ready to take the MCAT:

Having completed the prerequisites to have sound foundation in the basic sciences and other subjects for the MCAT

Timing the exam

Taking prep and practice exams

Feeling confident to go in and take the exam

How schools screen scores:

Most schools don't have a specific minimum for the MCAT. When they screen the applicant, they don't really screen them. They may have a minimum screening to send you a secondary. Most schools may have a formula that takes your GPA and MCAT with a minimum score to review somebody or not.

The reject review step:

An application that does not make their minimum scores.

Application is physically reviewed by somebody to check if there is any issue.

What is the average minimum?

124-125 in each section should be considered about the minimum

How do you succeed on the MCAT in this case?

Consider quitting full time job and study for the test again full-time

Include MCAT prep over a longer period Whatever method you pick, have a disciplined study routine

Do not take the MCAT until you're ready.

Make sure you're solid two weeks before the exam and ready to go.

Ryan recommends using Cram Fighter that provides you with a study schedule to keep track and stay on task

Major takeaway from this episode:

Take the MCAT only when you're ready. You need to have your head game there or you will not do well. Have a plan.

Links and Other Resources:

www.cramfighter.com

25: Should I Drop Out of My Masters Program and do a Postbac?

Tue, 07 Jun 2016 21:00:00 -0500

Session 25

In today's episode, Ryan and Rich take a question pulled out directly from the forums over at OldPreMeds.org as they discuss getting a master's program versus postbac program.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

Poster, Megan, is a 27-year old professional with accumulative undergrad GPA of 3.04; currently enrolled in a master's degree program in molecular biology and biochemistry. She is now wondering if she should stop her master's degree program and go back and do more postbac work to help erase some of her other previous grades. Should she drop out of her master's program and go back and do undergrad classes for postbac?

Here are the insights from Ryan & Rich:

Go to AMCAS and AACOMAS to do grade conversions and get an idea of what you're year by year grade in science versus nonscience and get an idea of what your grade trends are.

Master's programs are tricky in that their GPAs will not directly enhance a weak undergraduate GPA. They also have a reputation of awarding grades surely high for most graduate programs.

Postbacs and SMPs designed specifically for a premed have more traction. If you're doing it part-time while working full-time, this is not something you can finish a year and go back and do something else.

This all depends on what your undergraduate record looks like and what paths you may want to go, whether you need to do grade replacement and focus on a DO route, or have some good upward grade trends that can be salvageable for MD route or how far along are you from the master's to prevent the motivation and commitment question that will come out in some ad com's eyes.

Major takeaway from this episode:

A traditional master's program still is not going to be as acceptable or impactful as a special master's program or a postbac depending on your background. However, some schools may look at a master's degree more heavily. Some even use it to replace an undergrad GPA.

Links and Other Resources:

AACOMAS

AMCAS

24 : How Is My Academic Dismissal Going to Hurt My Chances?

Wed, 01 Jun 2016 02:57:47 -0500

Session 24

In today's episode, Ryan and Rich take another question directly from the OldPreMeds.org and they specifically discuss how getting academically dismissed in undergrad can possibly hurt your chances of getting into medical school.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

The poster is a student, 35 years old (by the time they will apply to medical school); thinking about transferring to finish their Bachelor's degree; academically dismissed from undergrad ad transferred credits to community college and now wants to finish at another four-year institution. How is this going to hurt their chances of going to medical school?

Here are the insights from Ryan & Rich:

Being dismissed is a major issue and has to be reported. A few considerations:

When was the student dismissed? During freshmen year who got wild and got thrown out? Or somebody who spent three years struggling and got thrown out?
How far in your career have you gone?
How long ago was that?

There are medical schools that like "redemption" - people who have shown they've come out of their academic holed and climbed up.

Students going to a community college generally have very few credits from their original degree:

You have to write a concise and compelling narrative explaining the pattern of failure to success.
Consider the DO route that considers grade replacement so you can make up for some of the failures you took during undergraduate.

A well-crafted application applying to a target rigorous school can make the person successful in getting into medical school.

You can only go forward. There is nothing else you can do in a case like this. You have to deal with whatever the application interview comes up with.

Major takeaway from this episode:

Keep on and don't think it's impossible. Own up to your mistakes as you go forward and be able to talk about them.

Links and Other Resources:

The Premed Years Episode 174

23: How Much Will My Undergrad Hurt My Chances at Med School?

Wed, 25 May 2016 03:56:00 -0500

Session 23

In today's episode, Ryan and Rich take a question from the forums over at OldPreMeds.org about whether a poor undergraduate school can hurt your chances at getting into medical school.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

Scenario: From an NP who wants to go back to medical school; Mom with 2 kids; Has been a nurse practitioner for 5 years and made up her mind to follow her dreams of going to medical school. Enrolled in a community college but worried about her undergraduate science GPA of 2.9 and receiving F in one of her classes.

How much is her undergraduate grades going to haunt her as she tries to move forward?

Here are the insights from Ryan & Rich:

Only 2% of people who apply to PA also apply to MD or DO school.

PA itself seems to become a direct route for people to go into medicine.

It's a grade baggage you don't have to worry about

NP course load might be lower than a special master's program (MPH)

An NP degree is a great accomplishment. Although it won't directly impact the GPA, it will certainly impress the admissions committee.

How the admissions committee looks at your numbers:

Generally, students get too focused on a single GPA number. Go to the AMCAS and look up what your grade chart will look like (science vs. non-science). This is how an admissions committee sees your grades.

They don't see a single number, but the net trend and the totals at the bottom to give them a good idea of what your trends are like.

Major takeaway from this episode:

Your undergraduate school days may haunt you but you have plenty of opportunities to overcome them.

22: Choosing Between an SMP vs Postbac Program

Wed, 18 May 2016 02:55:50 -0500

Session 22

Your questions, answered here on the OldPreMeds Podcast. Ryan jumps into the forums over at OldPreMeds.org where he pulls a question and delivers the answers right on to you.

In today's episode, Ryan tackles the topic on taking a postbac or SMP for a 32-year old science major with a lot of credits while having poor numbers. Listen in to learn more about this.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

The poster is a 32-year old nontraditional premed student; graduated in 2007 with a chemistry/computer science double major; Science GPA with 3.05 and accumulative of 3.13; lots of credits to GPA's. Should they take the basic prerequisite science classes considering the not-so-stellar grades? Formal postbac program would be great but most of them specify that the applicant cannot have more than 50% science grades completed.

Here are the insights from Ryan:

Two types of postbac programs:

Career-changers

Where you haven't taken a lot of science courses

They don't want you to have any of your sciences done or at least not a lot of them done

Record-enhancers

You went through school as a science major, knew you wanted to be premed, but you struggled so you need help to enhance your GPA

They have specific postbac programs for students like this poster

Out of 223 postbac programs, there are 152 record-enhancing programs

Are SMP's high risk?

SMP's are great because they're usually tied to the medical school and you're taking classes with medical students

You are performing for the school to say that you're doing just as well as their medical students and that you're building relationships

Caveat:

If you do the math to enhance the record with a lot of credits to take more science courses and get straight A's, the GPA is not going to move very much.

In this case, consider a special masters program because it will be a separate grade in the application.

Links and Other Resources:

AAMC List of Postbac Programs - Special Program Focus

MedEdMedia.com

21: Volunteering or Working When There is a Time Crunch

Tue, 10 May 2016 21:00:00 -0500

Session 21

In this episode, Ryan pulls out a question directly from the OldPreMeds.org forums. It's all about working and volunteering and how to squeeze it all in. Ryan also covers a very important aspect of applying to medical school when it comes to updating your application.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

Poster is a student in a premed postbac program and will finish next year and applying for 2018 matriculation; with 30 hours of shadowing and three months of volunteering experience at a clinic; working at a radiology department for transport about 25 hours a week; and bartending 1-2 nights a week to pay the bills. Poster finds it difficult to volunteer with a year plus to work and volunteer after postbac before matriculation, but is it too late to add volunteer hours to the resume?

Here are the insights from Ryan:

Updating your AMCAS application as your resume grows:

Once you submit your application for verification, there are only a few things that you can change in your AMCAS application and your extracurriculars are NOT one of them.

The only things you can update are:

ID number, name, address, contact information, date of birth, sex
Letters of recommendations
MCAT test dates
Schools you're applying to
Release of application information to your prehealth advisor

What you can do, however, is send an individual letter to each of the application services (which means you have to add in some work sending individual letters or emails to each of the schools you applied to updating them about it)

Work versus volunteer:

Volunteer experience is very important while work is also very important in order to pay your bills so it's basically a personal decision. Everybody is different with the amount of work they have to do and the amount of bills they have to pay.

Major takeaway from this episode:

Choosing between work and volunteering is a personal decision but you have to keep in mind that lack of clinical experience is one of the biggest reasons students aren't getting into medical school.

Links and Other Resources:

The Premed Years Session 171

20: Interview with a 56-Year-Old Medical Student

Wed, 04 May 2016 04:00:00 -0500

Session 20

In today's episode, Ryan talks with Kate, a 56-year old 3rd year medical student at West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine as she shares with us her path to becoming a physician.

Kate was initially a bio premed major until she decided to stop and pursue a career as a nurse until changing careers to becoming a nurse midwife and doing another career change into finally becoming a physician.

Kate is definitely proof that anything is possible. Anyone can get into medical school. You just need to put in the work and you'll get there.

Listen in to Kate’s amazing journey!

Here are the highlights of the conversation with Kate:

Kate's path to becoming a physician:

Decided to become a doctor when she was 10
Interest in rural family practice growing up in rural locations for the most part of her life
Initially a biology premed major until midway through college
Transferred to a nursing program in her junior year
Working as a nurse midwife for 13 years prior to medical school
Switching from being a nurse to a nurse midwife and a teacher in nursing
Deciding to go back to medical school at the age of 50

Why Kate decided to stop being premed the first time:

Medical school as having a cutthroat environment
Finding the length of education to be overwhelming
Found interest in what the nurses are doing and wanting immediate gratification
The thought of raising kids
Lack of research into the whole thing when she made her decision

The driving force that made her decide to get into medical school:

Being involved in her local community and seeing the need for primary care
Seeing physicians as a really huge instrument for change especially in the effective organization around public health issues
Thirst for knowledge and wanting to become a "change" agent

Resources she tapped into initially:

Kate googled "old premedical students" which led her to OldPreMeds.org
Knowing what prerequisites were needed
Her family physicians

Taking her postbac program:

Not being able to get to the classes she needed
Ended up applying to two schools for a "structured" postbac program
Quitting her job to do the program full time
Having that fear in terms of finances

Getting the finances:

Applying to the National Health Service Corps each year and not getting it

Applying for loan repayment program as her plan B

Considerations for choosing the schools she applied to:

Emphasis on rural primary care and global medical outreach
Geography (closer to family)
Specifically choosing osteopathic medical schools but ended up applying to 6 DO schools and 6 MD schools and getting 6 interviews

The interview process:

Having a collegiate footing with the interviewer being a nurse educator herself
Giving her an edge as a nontraditional old premed having had some experiences

The biggest obstacle that she had overcome:

Talking herself out of trying

Links and Other Resources:

West Virginia School of Medicine

National Health Service Corps

AAMC list of postbac programs

If you need any help with the medical school interview, go to medschoolinterviewbook.com. Sign up and you will receive parts of the book so you can help shape the future of the book. This book will include over 500 questions that may be asked during interview day as well as real-life questions, answers, and feedback from all of the mock interviews Ryan has been doing with students.

Are you a nontraditional student? Go check out oldpremeds.org.

For more great content, check out www.mededmedia.com for more of the shows produced by the Medical School Headquarters including the OldPremeds Podcast and watch out for more shows in the future!

Hang out with us over at medicalschoolhq.net/group. Click join and we'll add you up to our private Facebook group. Share your successes and miseries with the rest of us.

Email Ryan at ryan@medicalschoolhq.net or connect with him on Twitter @medicalschoolhq

19 : Should I Apply to Med School Without Many Extracurriculars?

Wed, 27 Apr 2016 04:09:18 -0500

Session 19

Your questions, answered here on the OldPreMeds Podcast. Ryan and Rich again dive into the forums over at OldPreMeds.org where they pull a question and deliver the answers right on to you.

This is a common question for non traditional students who have to juggle time taking care of family, test prep, classes, and so many other things that some of them might even get left out.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

Finished undergrad with a double major in English Literature and Spanish Language; decent GPA; struggled in the Science prerequisites; not getting a lot of volunteering and shadowing done. Should you apply with such little experience? Or should you take some time and get the experience you need under your belt before applying?

Here are the insights from Ryan & Rich:

A common assumption that the more you do as an undergrad in terms of academia, the better candidate you are - that's not always the case.

All your grades for allopathic medical schools will count whether you retake them or not.

Medical school want to see:

Motivation
Commitment
Achievement

Commitment must be shown through extracurriculars that you've committed to for some time

You want to be the strongest applicant on your first application you can be. Not having sufficient volunteering, shadowing, extracurriculars will make you a weaker candidate.

Consider taking time until you have those experiences under the belt to become a stronger, more competitive candidate.

Shadowing vs. volunteering:

Volunteering is when you're doing something for others (clinic, nursing home, geriatric care, etc.)
Shadowing is something you do for yourself (following a doctor around)

Links and Other Resources:

The Premed Years podcast session 171 - Reapplying to Med School - What You Need to Know to Improve

The Premed Years podcast session 75 - What Are My Chances of Getting into Med School?

If you have questions you want answered here on the OldPremeds Podcast, go to oldpremeds.org and register for an account. Go into the forums and ask a question.

Listen to our first episode at OPMPodcast.com/1 to find out more about who we are.

Also check out the Premed Years Podcast at www.medicalschoolhq.net.

Find us on iTunes and go to opmpodcast.com/itunes and leave us a rating and review.

Check out MedEdMedia.com for all the shows that we produce including The Premed Years and the OldPreMeds Podcast. We will soon be launching a medical school podcast as well so stay tuned!

Email Dr. Ryan Gray at ryan@medicalschoolhq.net or connect with him on Twitter @medicalschoolhq.

18: Will Medical School Accept an Online Degree for Undergrad?

Wed, 20 Apr 2016 05:40:51 -0500

Session 18

Your questions, answered here on the OldPreMeds Podcast. Ryan and Rich again dive into the forums over at OldPreMeds.org where they pull a question and deliver the answers right on to you.

Today's question is quite interesting as it pertains to busy nontraditional students who may not have time to go to classes and the risk of taking online coursework over the in-campus classes.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

Can you use an online degree for medical school?

The poster considers doing an online degree as an older nontraditional student. They've email premed consultants and directly to medical schools and thinking about doing a BA online at the University of Florida. Final 30 hours would be online and completing premed coursework at a local campus.

Here are the insights from Ryan & Rich:

Some places online courses but most schools do not accept that.

MSAR lists which schools will accept or not accept online prerequisites

Undergrad institutions providing online courses are putting their name on the course.

These schools would argue that their online course is as good as any course that they teach in-campus so in all the transcripts you won't know whether it's an online class or not.
Medical schools would like to see whether it's online or not. They may ask a question on your secondary to state if you're taking any online coursework.

If you're doing the prerequisites in an actual campus and the rest of the degree online, there still could be some risks to it.

It could limit you to what medical schools to apply to
It may put you at a competitive disadvantage in the applicant pool

Major takeaway from this episode:

It is such a time-consuming and expensive process to apply to medical school so you wouldn't want to run such a risk. If taking an online course is a risk worth taking, go for it.
Don't rely on one just one medical school to apply to. Do your research. Check out the MSAR or the CIB to arrive at the best decision possible.

Links and Other Resources

MSAR

CIB

If you have questions you want answered here on the OldPremeds Podcast, go to oldpremeds.org and register for an account. Go into the forums and ask a question.

Listen to our first episode at OPMPodcast.com/1 to find out more about who we are.

Also check out the Premed Years Podcast at www.medicalschoolhq.net.

Find us on iTunes and go to opmpodcast.com/itunes and leave us a rating and review.

Check out MedEdMedia.com for all the shows that we produce including The Premed Years and the OldPreMeds Podcast. We will soon be launching a medical school podcast as well so stay tuned!

Email Dr. Ryan Gray at ryan@medicalschoolhq.net or connect with him on Twitter @medicalschoolhq.

17: As a Nontrad, How Should I Create a Med School List?

Tue, 12 Apr 2016 06:14:45 -0500

Session 17

Your questions, answered here on the OldPreMeds Podcast. Ryan and Rich again dive into the forums over at OldPreMeds.org where they pull a question and deliver the answers right on to you. Today, they cover tips you need to know when making your school list in narrowing down which medical schools to apply to.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

How do you sort through the 150+ medical schools out there and pick the ones that you apply to?

Here are the insights from Ryan & Rich:

Tips in creating your med school list:

Get a copy of the MSAR (Medical School Admissions Requirement) published by AAMC) which summarizes each school of their class, their setup, requirements, and their average GPA and MCAT score. For the osteopathic schools, check the College Information Book to get the same information.

Take a realistic look at your grades and see if you're going to fit within the range of the medical schools you're applying to.

For nontraditional students consider to increase your overall GPA even though the actual may be a little bit lower.

Consider all the schools in your state, both state schools and the private schools. Consider it a part of your normal broad application process.

State schools look at the factor of being in-state or out of state. States will look at in-state applicants closer than out of state applicants.

Some things you need to consider:

Most students apply between 12 and 24 schools.
City or more rural
Specialty of the school you want to be associated with.
Weather

Major takeaway from this episode:

Pick your schools wisely because it's a big part in the application process and a great deal of money is involved too.

Links and Other Resources

If you have questions you want answered here on the OldPremeds Podcast, go to oldpremeds.org and register for an account. Go into the forums and ask a question.

Listen to our first episode at OPMPodcast.com/1 to find out more about who we are.

Also check out the Premed Years Podcast at www.medicalschoolhq.net.

Find us on iTunes and go to opmpodcast.com/itunes and leave us a rating and review.

Check out MedEdMedia.com for all the shows that we produce including The Premed Years and the OldPreMeds Podcast. We will soon be launching a medical school podcast as well so stay tuned!

Email Dr. Ryan Gray at ryan@medicalschoolhq.net or connect with him on Twitter @medicalschoolhq.

16: When Should I Expect an Interview or Be Told I'm Rejected?

Wed, 06 Apr 2016 09:25:39 -0500

Session 16

Your questions, answered here on the OldPreMeds Podcast. Ryan and Rich again dive into the forums over at OldPreMeds.org where they pull a question and deliver the answers right on to you.

Today, the discussion touches on the secondaries, interviews, the timing, and the process of it all.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

The poster has completed 9 secondaries and already has 2 scheduled interviews. If the school is not going to offer an interview, do they let you know or do they just leave you hanging? What kind of timeline do most schools work on?

Here are the insights from Ryan & Rich:

The timeline of the secondary process:

AMCAS application (not transmitted to the schools until starting July 1st)
Many schools start sending the secondary before your primary application has been processed and transmitted to them
AMCAS provides schools (upon request) contact information for applicants for them to be able to send unscreened secondaries to all students who select that school.
You get many schools so when the application transmits for the secondary sent unscreened, you get other schools with very minimal screening and very low MCAT and GPA grade cutoff or formula.
Virtually all students will be getting a secondary.
Most schools will wait until the secondary gets in and then review it

After interview, depending on the school, the status may vary according to:

Rejection
Hold status
Leave you hanging

Hence, all schools vary in terms of the secondaries so there is no general rule whatsoever. Most schools though, hold most students until later in the cycle when they decide to wait list or reject.

If you don't hear about an interview, you may just have to wait to find out. The waiting game can be painful because they won't finalize it until April 30th.

Get your applications early so things get reviewed early. However, medical schools may review applications not in a chronological fashion.

Major takeaway from this episode:

Each school has their own culture and mission. Many schools will eye much more on the secondaries for soft answers, motivation, commitment, achievement than they do on the primary application. So a lot of schools look at the secondary more intensely than they do the primary.

The application can be painful and slow but that is the game. School take in a lot of applications so it may take a long time to get through them all. So stay encouraged and motivated while you're waiting for the answer (hopefully an interview invite).

Links and Other Resources:

If you have questions you want answered here on the OldPremeds Podcast, go to oldpremeds.org and register for an account. Go into the forums and ask a question.

Listen to our first episode at OPMPodcast.com/1 to find out more about who we are.

Also check out the Premed Years Podcast at www.medicalschoolhq.net.

Find us on iTunes and go to opmpodcast.com/itunes and leave us a rating and review.

Check out MedEdMedia.com for all the shows that we produce including The Premed Years and the OldPreMeds Podcast. We will soon be launching a medical school podcast as well so stay tuned!

Email Dr. Ryan Gray at ryan@medicalschoolhq.net or connect with him on Twitter @medicalschoolhq.

15: How Recent Should My Prereqs Be Before Applying to Med School?

Tue, 29 Mar 2016 21:00:00 -0500

Session 15

Your questions, answered here on the OldPreMeds Podcast. Taken directly from the forums over at OldPreMeds.org, Ryan and Rich pick a question and deliver the answers right on to you.

For this week, Ryan and Rich discuss about course timing and coursework expiration.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

The poster took coursework 30 years ago and wasn't premed at that time. She retook most of the lower division coursework 7-9 years ago. During the intervening years, she was doing some upper division stuff, studying for the MCAT and taking care of life. Their advisor suggested that the prereqs should be taken within five years of applying to medical school. Is there an expiration for coursework?

Here are the insights from Ryan & Rich:

For most school, there is no set expiration for prereqs.

In the last couple of years, medical schools would like to see the coursework within 5 years or some evidence of academic achievement during the past 5 years (if you have completed degrees before that)

Becoming more complex because the AAMC has changed the MCAT recently adding more content.

For prereqs approaching 10 years, consider retaking some of the courses or continue taking the advanced classes. Basic or introductory classes change rapidly.

In general, there is no requirement or specific timing on your prereqs. It usually depends on the school you’re applying to.

Major takeaway from this episode:

Get the definitive answer to go to the medical school that you're interested in applying to and ask them what they think.

Links and Other Resources:

If you have questions you want answered here on the OldPremeds Podcast, go to oldpremeds.org and register for an account. Go into the forums and ask a question.

Listen to our first episode at OPMPodcast.com/1 to find out more about who we are.

Also check out the Premed Years Podcast at www.medicalschoolhq.net.

Find us on iTunes and go to opmpodcast.com/itunes and leave us a rating and review.

Check out MedEdMedia.com for all the shows that we produce including The Premed Years and the OldPreMeds Podcast. We will soon be launching an MCAT podcast and a medical school-focused podcast so stay tuned!

Email Dr. Ryan Gray at ryan@medicalschoolhq.net or connect with him on Twitter @medicalschoolhq.

14: Can I Take Community College Courses for a Postbac?

Wed, 23 Mar 2016 01:45:52 -0500

Session 14

Your questions, answered here on the OldPreMeds Podcast. Ryan and Rich again dive into the forums over at OldPreMeds.org where they pull a question and deliver the answers right on to you.

This week, the OPM duo takes on a dual-edged question about taking a post bacc at a community college.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

The poster needs to do some GPA-fixing, working full-time, and making pretty good money so quitting their job is not ideal. However, the only place to take classes in a DIY post bacc is at a community college. Are community college classes going to hurt?

Here are the insights from Ryan & Rich:

This depends on the applicant's overall background. In general, community colleges are not going to enhance your application as much as a 4-year school would.

The negative impact can be minor to moderate depending on the medical school you're applying to and your background.

Community colleges are definitely better than nothing.

Take some upper level classes or additional classes at a 4-year school and show them that you can handle the work.

If you are previously a non-science major and your first time taking your science classes, this will have less of an impact. Here are some questions to consider:

Why are you at a community college now trying to fix your GPA?
Were you a liberal arts major and just didn't care to study the romantic languages you were trying to learn?
Have you not ever taken any science courses and this is your first time?
Or are you just going to the community college because it's "easier" than the sciences courses you already took at your 4-year school you previously were at?

Major takeaway from this episode:

Everybody is unique so your story matters in the application.

Links and Other Resources:

If you have questions you want answered here on the OldPremeds Podcast, go to oldpremeds.org and register for an account. Go into the forums and ask a question.

Listen to our first episode at OPMPodcast.com/1 to find out more about who we are.

Also check out the Premed Years Podcast at www.medicalschoolhq.net.

Find us on iTunes and go to opmpodcast.com/itunes and leave us a rating and review.

Check out MedEdMedia.com for all the shows that we produce including The Premed Years and the OldPreMeds Podcast. We will soon be launching a medical school podcast as well so stay tuned!

Email Dr. Ryan Gray at ryan@medicalschoolhq.net or connect with him on Twitter @medicalschoolhq

13: Should I Apply Early Decision to Medical School?

Wed, 16 Mar 2016 10:05:43 -0500

Session 13

Each week, Ryan and Rich directly pull up a question from the forums over at OldPreMeds.org as they deliver the best answers right on to you. If you have questions you want answered here on the OldPremeds Podcast, go to oldpremeds.org and register for an account.

This week's topic is on Early Decision, whether it be a wise decision to apply for it and weighing out between its risk and reward.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

The poster is deciding if they should apply for Early Decision in the current city they live and also wanting to apply for the HPSP scholarship. What are the pros and cons?

Here are the insights from Ryan & Rich:

What is Early Decision?

It is a program by some medical schools typically designed for students who:

Are very strong candidates
Have a strong geographic connection to the school
Make a strong case why they be a good fit for that school

When you apply for it, it means you have committed on the AMCAS application to only apply to that school until a decision is made.

The risk of early decision:

This raises an issue that if the decisions do not come out by October and if you don't get accepted the Early Decision, you have now set yourself back for all the other medical schools to apply to.

Major takeaway from this episode:

Rich recommends:

Do not consider early decision unless you are extremely strong, have extremely good geographic connection to the area, and you are a good fit for that school.

How are you a good fit for that school?

Specific on the school's mission such as role in medicine, primary care, or some other aspect that you can show that would make you a good fit.

Ryan recommends:

Do not apply for an early decision because the risk is higher than the reward.

Links and Other Resources

If you have questions you want answered here on the OldPremeds Podcast, go to oldpremeds.org and register for an account. Go into the forums and ask a question.

Listen to our first episode at OPMPodcast.com/1 to find out more about who we are.

Also check out the Premed Years Podcast at www.medicalschoolhq.net.

Find us on iTunes and go to opmpodcast.com/itunes and leave us a rating and review.

Check out MedEdMedia.com for all the shows that we produce including The Premed Years and the OldPreMeds Podcast. We will soon be launching a medical school podcast as well so stay tuned!

Email Dr. Ryan Gray at ryan@medicalschoolhq.net or connect with him on Twitter @medicalschoolhq.

12: How Will Grad School Affect My Chances of Getting In?

Tue, 08 Mar 2016 20:00:00 -0500

Session 12

Your questions, answered here on the OldPreMeds Podcast. Ryan and Rich again dive into the forums over at OldPreMeds.org where they pull a question and deliver the answers right on to you.

Today, they talk about the impact of grad school on an application. Listen in as they discuss the implications of applying to medical school with an appearance of withdrawals on your grad school transcript.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

What choices are going to enhance the medical school application or at least minimize the negative impacts given these scenarios:

Leaving a semester transcript blank to save money but increase tutoring hours for other things in order to make some money.
Finish the semester but with W's on their transcript, there is appearance of quitting and confusion
Finish all of it even if it's costly.

Here are the insights from Ryan & Rich:

Not having the information before starting grad school is going to affect you.

Medical schools generally look at your undergraduate grade GPA for the admissions. Grad school grades, however, do not have a major impact upon acceptance. Hence, having good grades in grad school won't enhance your application with a few exceptions such as:

Special Master's Programs
Few traditional hardcore science master's usually marketed and listed as special master's

What are Special Master's Programs?

They are a form of post bacc that differ than just taking the required classes. They are designed loosely to be an addition year into a medical school semester. In short, they serve as a stepping stone for direct acceptance into medical school.

Investigate what the program is going to do for you
Investigate the cost
Investigate their success or their placement

On the other hand, having bad grades or withdrawals have a negative impact on your application, which questions your commitment, motivation, and achievement.

The 32-Hour Rule:

Some medical schools take the last 32 hours of your coursework (grad school/post bacc coursework) and replacing all of your other coursework GPA-wise. So they calculate your GPA based on those last 32 hours of coursework.

Major takeaway from this episode:

Look at the entire picture of what your application is going to look like.
Don't assume that this one part of your application is going to make your entire application.
Take a look at the whole picture of what you're going to look like on paper to an admissions committee.

Links and Other Resources

If you have questions you want answered here on the OldPremeds Podcast, go to oldpremeds.org and register for an account. Go into the forums and ask a question.

OPM Session 03: Your Premed GPA is More than Your Premed GPA

Listen to our first episode at OPMPodcast.com/1 to find out more about who we are.

Also check out the Premed Years Podcast at www.medicalschoolhq.net.

Find us on iTunes and go to opmpodcast.com/itunes and leave us a rating and review.

Check out MedEdMedia.com for all the shows that we produce including The Premed Years and the OldPreMeds Podcast. We will soon be launching a medical school podcast as well so stay tuned!

Email Dr. Ryan Gray at ryan@medicalschoolhq.net or connect with him on Twitter @medicalschoolhq.

11: Which MCAT Materials are the Best for Me?

Wed, 02 Mar 2016 07:52:22 -0500

Session 11

Your questions, answered here on the OldPreMeds Podcast. Ryan and Rich again dive into the forums over at OldPreMeds.org where they pull a question and deliver the answers right on to you.

Today, they discuss about the best resource for studying for the MCAT, what you need to do, and some things you need to consider to find your best resource.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

Looking at retaking the MCAT with a 19 on the old exam and trying to avoid going to the Caribbean. What is the most useful resource for studying for the MCAT?

Here are the insights from Ryan & Rich

MCAT used to be a 3-part exam:

Biological sciences

Physical sciences

Verbal Reasoning

In 2015, MCAT now covers 4 sections:

Chemical and physical foundations for systems

Critical analysis and reasoning

Biological and biochemical foundations

Psychosocial and biologic foundations of behavior

What you need to do for the MCAT:

Have a preparation plan.
- The courses you take as an undergrad are not enough preparation,
Understand how the exam works.
- Understand the strategies for reading and answering the questions.
- Practice, practice, practice.
- It's not just knowing the content or how to approach the exams, but it's having a head game to take the exam.
- Don't take the exam until you're ready to do so.
- Get started with the AAMC exams (the closest thing as the real exam as possible.)
- Get another set of exams with one of the providers.

"How Many Practice MCAT Exams Should I Take?"

Rich's rule of thumb is to do 4-6 practice exams under realistic conditions in getting scores you're comfortable with before you take the actual exam.

"Which MCAT Prep Company Should I Use?"

Look at your finances. It could cost $2,000-$3,000 to take a course.

You may self-study (if you have good habits and can be disciplined) and get retail books provided by an MCAT prep companies such as Kaplan, Examkrackers, Princeton Review.

Live classroom or live online?

That's your personal preference.

Which of the courses of these companies are going to work for you?

Kaplan stresses the most amount of strategy to take an exam.

Princeton Review is a content-heavy course.

Examkrackers offers online and in-classroom classes but there are mixed reviews about their classrooms.

Free online resources like the Khan Academy (a few years ago, they hooked up with AAMC to run a contest and funding for people to rate MCAT prep materials for their system)

Things to consider here when choosing your resources:

Your learning style

Your discipline in studying

Your financial considerations

Understand where you are in the process and how are you going to be able to schedule all these things

Major takeaway from this episode

Rich personally believes that everyone should be in some sort of formal course (online or classroom). If you're thinking about investing a couple hundred thousand dollars of debt to go to med school, then $2,500 to pay for a prep class is not that expensive.

Links and Other Resources

Check out AAMC’s MCAT 2015 practice test.

Test prep companies:

If you have questions you want answered here on the OldPremeds Podcast, go to oldpremeds.org and register for an account. Go into the forums and ask a question.

Go to medicalschoolhq.net/mcat for a ton of great MCAT information. Listen to our first episode at OPMPodcast.com/1 to find out more about who we are.

Also check out the Premed Years Podcast at www.medicalschoolhq.net.

Find us on iTunes and go to opmpodcast.com/itunes and leave us a rating and review.

Check out MedEdMedia.com for all the shows that we produce including The Premed Years and the OldPreMeds Podcast. We will soon be launching a medical school podcast as well so stay tuned!

Email Dr. Ryan Gray at ryan@medicalschoolhq.net or connect with him on Twitter @medicalschoolhq.

10: Who the Heck is this Rich Guy Anyway?

Wed, 24 Feb 2016 02:36:16 -0500

Session 10

Every week, we answer your questions here on the OldPreMeds Podcast where Ryan and Rich Levy again dive into the forums over at OldPreMeds.org, pull a question, and deliver the answers right on to you.

Today, however, is a fun and unique episode as we re-introduce Rich and get to know him more in-depth…

Here are the highlights of the conversation with Rich Levy

Rich’s path to the OldPreMeds.org

Having the epiphany of wanting to go back to medical school in 2002
Coming across the website for the National Society for Nontraditional Premedical and Medical Students, otherwise known as OldPreMeds.org, a small online group that he got involved with
By 2005, Rich took over as the group's business manager, running conferences
Rich has helped develop the organization into a much more solid and effective resource for nontraditional students
Getting to see all the sides of the medical school application process giving Rich a different view and understanding

Factors that did not allow Rich to go to medical school

Personal relationships
Monetary considerations
Financial crisis

Lessons learned from taking the postbac

To prove to medical schools that he can do it.
To prove to your yourself that you want to do it, willing to work this hard and long to get to some place

Major takeaway from this episode

Consider postbac as much expensive place, time, effort, and resources to answer that question and realize in your first year that you can't really do this.

Links and Other Resources

Check out Tim Horeczko’s podcast The Pediatrics Emergency Medicine Playbook

If you have questions you want answered here on the OldPremeds Podcast, go to oldpremeds.org and register for an account. Go into the forums and ask a question.

Listen to our first episode at OPMPodcast.com/1 to find out more about who we are.

Also check out the Premed Years Podcast at www.medicalschoolhq.net.

Find us on iTunes and go to opmpodcast.com/itunes and leave us a rating and review.

Check out MedEdMedia.com for all the shows that we produce including The Premed Years and the OldPreMeds Podcast. We will soon be launching a medical school podcast as well so stay tuned!

Email Dr. Ryan Gray at ryan@medicalschoolhq.net or connect with him on Twitter @medicalschoolhq.

9: Do Surgical or EM Residencies Like Older Applicants?

Tue, 16 Feb 2016 20:00:00 -0500

Session 9

Ryan and Rich once again dive into the forums over at OldPreMeds.org where they pull a question and deliver the answers right on to you. In today's show, they discuss about residency matching for older students.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

Entering into a residency program in later 40's. Family, internal medicine, and psychiatry will be amenable to the older residents, but how about surgery or emergency medicine? Are there stories wherein older 4th year's are not considered for or are at a significant disadvantage for these two specialties?

Here are the insights from Ryan & Rich:

In some ways, older students have the more advantage in residency than traditional students.

Job experience

Residencies are a job where you're expected to work in a small group and be responsible for what needs to be done.
Most traditional students have never had a job in their life. Older students have worked and understand what it means to be responsible, to be on time, and to be supportive of your team in doing that.

The ability to network

Going into residency has a lot to do with board score. There is a significant amount that has to do with networking:

Letters from your professors
How you do an interview
Small group dynamics around you

Issues

Each medical specialty has its own culture.
- Rich has observed no bias in emergency medicine people in their 30's and 40's. As with surgery, it depends on the surgical specialty and the culture on the program.
More competition
- Residency slots become more competitive.

Major takeaway from this episode

Older medical students who have done successfully in medical school, have done well in their boards, have done well in their rotations, and have done all the networking necessary to get into a residency slot, probably have as good a chance as any other student landing a spot for most specialties.

It doesn't matter how old you are, whatever you want to do, you can make it happen!

Links and Other Resources

If you have questions you want answered here on the OldPremeds Podcast, go to oldpremeds.org and register for an account. Go into the forums and ask a question.

Listen to our first episode at OPMPodcast.com/1 to find out more about who we are.

Also check out the Premed Years Podcast at www.medicalschoolhq.net.

Find us on iTunes and go to opmpodcast.com/itunes and leave us a rating and review.

Check out MedEdMedia.com for all the shows that we produce including the Premed Years Podcast and the OldPreMeds Podcast. We will soon be launching a medical school podcast and possibly an MCAT-specific podcast so stay tuned!

Email Dr. Ryan Gray at ryan@medicalschoolhq.net or connect with him on Twitter @medicalschoolhq.

8: Can I start an MD/PhD Program at an Older Age

Tue, 09 Feb 2016 20:00:00 -0500

Session 8

In this podcast, Ryan and Rich take a plunge into the forums over at OldPreMeds.org where they pull a question and deliver the answers right on to you. Today, they discuss about the issue on age especially when considering to take an MD/PhD program.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week: MD/PhD possible at age 40?

Embarking on a premed journey at 40 years old and planning to start his postbac courses this Fall at a 4-year college. If he started medschool at 43 with a 7-year MD/PhD program plus a 4-year residency, he won't be working until 54. With a PhD in Social Science discipline and NPH and working at public health and related fields. Is it worth considering going back and doing the MD/PhD at their age and with the education already gained?

Here are the insights from Ryan & Rich:

More training involved

Age does not impact medical admissions. However, MD/PhD is a little bit different as it's geared towards biomedical research, bench research, wet research, and is perceived to be a more conservative, disciplined group of people so this involves more training.

Difficult program

Geared towards hard core research (laboratory, in-depth scientific research) and applicants who apply for these have a significant amount of in-depth research (many of them have original or near-original work) so they are highly sought-after spots because they are supported (paid for completely through the medical science training program and monthly stipend)

Other things to consider

Long time in school
Many people who do medical research only have an MD
People who do clinical/ lab research or more geared towards the social aspects of medicine, an MD is more than enough a degree to do that with.

It is going to be a difficult road for a non-traditional student without significant research background to get into an MD/PhD program.

Major takeaway from this episode

While you can have it, what else are you going to give up in order to get it? This is a personal choice you have to make for yourself, for your partners, and your family.

Links and Other Resources

Learn more about Jessica's story who received 10 acceptances to medical school at medicalschoolhq.net/168.

If you have questions you want answered here on the OldPremeds Podcast, go to oldpremeds.org and register for an account. Go into the forums and ask a question.

Listen to our first episode at OPMPodcast.com/1 to find out more about who we are.

Also check out the Premed Years Podcast at www.medicalschoolhq.net.

Find us on iTunes and go to opmpodcast.com/itunes and leave us a rating and review.

Check out MedEdMedia.com for all the shows that we produce including the Medical School Headquarters and the OldPreMeds Podcast. We will soon be launching a medical school podcast as well so stay tuned!

Email Dr. Ryan Gray at ryan@medicalschoolhq.net or connect with him on Twitter @medicalschoolhq.

7: Should I Mention Children in My Med School Application?

Tue, 02 Feb 2016 20:00:00 -0500

Session 7

Every week, Ryan and Rich share their thoughts and insights here on the OldPreMeds Podcast as they seek to answer the questions raised over at the OldPreMeds.org. In today's episode, the question is all about children and medical school, specifically mentioning children in your application.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

Do you mention your children in the application especially if it adds to your narrative of why you wanted to become a doctor?

Here are the insights from Ryan & Rich:

If your children have anything to do with your forthcoming, motivations, desires, and commitment to medicine then it is certainly important to mention that.

Can you put down parenting as an extracurricular?

No, if it's just being a parent in itself. But if you're doing things around your child that are organized (e.g. PTA, little league coach, soccer coach) these can be activities that would list well on an extracurricular activity.

How do the admissions committees look at students with children?

Parents who are on the admissions committees would probably look highly on someone who has been able to successfully got good grades, MCAT scores, and has been able to take care of two kids while doing a full time job. This is a show of discipline in her efforts and a high level of maturity and responsibility.

Links and Other Resources

If you have questions you want answered here on the OldPremeds Podcast, go to oldpremeds.org and register for an account. Go into the forums and ask a question.

Listen to our first episode at OPMPodcast.com/1 to find out more about who we are.

Also check out the Premed Years Podcast at www.medicalschoolhq.net.

Session 61 of The Medical School Headquarters Podcast - Medical School Mom – Prioritizing Family, School and More

Find us on iTunes and go to opmpodcast.com/itunes and leave us a rating and review.

Email Dr. Ryan Gray at ryan@medicalschoolhq.net or connect with him on Twitter @medicalschoolhq.

6: How to get the Best Letters of Recommendation as a Nontrad

Wed, 27 Jan 2016 01:34:49 -0500

Session 6

Ryan and Rich answer your questions over at the OldPreMeds.orghere on the OldPreMeds Podcast. In today's episode, they will touch on letters of recommendation - what the admissions committee is looking for, how to get strong ones, and when is the best time to get them.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

How do you get a good letters of recommendation? Do you need to take more upper division science course work to get a good letter of recommendation? Does the letter of recommendation need to come from a professor you interacted recently?

Here are the insights from Ryan & Rich:

Many medical schools require 2 science professors and 1 non-science professor for a letter of recommendation

What the admissions committee wants to see from the letter of recommendation:

How you're evaluated in a class setting in recent history

Ways to get good letters of recommendation:

Take another course or two and make an attempt to network and get a letter written.

Get a committee letter which takes away the need for specific individual letter requirements and get one overall evaluation from your undergraduate school.

Some schools have recommendations for nontraditional students

SUNY Upstate Medical School- Students who graduated more than 5 years ago and are currently employed may submit one letter of recommendation from a current supervisor or someone form a science faculty they took a course from a while ago
Weill Cornell Medicine (Cornell University)- Supervisor at work or research professor; students working in career fields like nursing or other medical fields can get a letter of recommendation from a supervisor from a physician you work with that may be useful

General Note:Students (nontraditional especially) should think about networking when they start going back to medical school because they need to get good letters of recommendation.

When is the time to get letters of recommendation?

Don't wait until application season to ask for letters of recommendation. You can have your letters sent to Interfolio.com and they will hold on to the letters until you're ready to apply to medical school.

If you feel that a person is going to write you a strong letter of recommendation, ask for it even if you're applying next year.

Major takeaways from this episode:

Make an effort to network and even as you go into medical school, network early because you will need letters of recommendation again when you apply for residency.

Schools have different specific requirements for letters of recommendation so check out the MSAR and go through the College Information Book to find out what each school wants for letters.

Links and Other Resources

If you have questions you want answered here on the OldPremeds Podcast, go to oldpremeds.org and register for an account. Go into the forums and ask a question.

Listen to our first episode at OPMPodcast.com/1 to find out more about who we are.

Also check out the Premed Years Podcast at www.medicalschoolhq.net.

Find us on iTunes and go to opmpodcast.com/itunes and leave us a rating and review.

Email Dr. Ryan Gray at ryan@oldpremeds.org or connect with him on Twitter @medicalschoolhq.

5: Applications - When Should I Apply to Medical School? Does it Matter?

Tue, 19 Jan 2016 20:00:00 -0500

Session 5

Ryan and Rich again take in questions from the forum over at OldPreMeds.org where they pull a question and deliver the answers right on to you.

In today's episode Ryan and Rick talk about the risks of late application to medical school and the repercussions of taking the MCAT late.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

If you are taking the MCAT on August 22nd and sending in the primary application in July, are you going to compete for a very few (less than 25%) remaining interview slots in most schools?

Here are the insights from Ryan & Rich:

Applying to medical school has to be done early and often.

Consider this scenario during the medical school application process:

Several schools in late September suggest that 50% of the interview slots have been assigned
There are rolling admissions
Limited number of interview slots
Your chances start going lower and lower

Reasons for the slim chances:

There is enormous competition.
There are 50,000 people applying for 20,000 MD spots
20,000 people are applying for 7,000 DO spots
Steep competition with lots of good candidates
The process involves time and processing, verifying and transmitting applications to the AMCAS or AACOMAS
Each school may get 5,000 applications for just 100 spots
There are so many OCD, neurotic, and near paranoid premeds when it comes to submitting early (An Admissions Committee said that they got 25% of their applications on the first day of transmission, which was on opening day)

What is "Rolling Admissions?"

Med schools admit students as they come through the application cycle (no end date as to when all the admissions will be announced); instead, they do this as the cycle continues. Hence, the first day of acceptances can be sent out by October 15. Schools lock down good candidates before they get offers from other schools.

Fewer seats and more applicants = application screening gets more critical

What happens when you take the MCAT late:

If you're taking the MCAT late, you still have to submit your applications early so it can go through the verification process. Once there is a mark that you have an MCAT pending, the school will sit on it and wait till they review everything. But at least they already have your application.

Rich recommends that if you need to take a late MCAT, think about applying the next cycle. Otherwise, take the MCAT early enough to get your score back and apply early.

A professor at the NIH said that the application process is your first medical school test, an open book test, and applying late is your first failure of this test in medical school.

Major takeaway from this episode:

Submit your applications early. Take the MCAT early enough to get your score back so you can apply early.

Links and Other Resources

If you have questions you want answered here on the OldPremeds Podcast, go to oldpremeds.org and register for an account. Go into the forums and ask a question.

Listen to our first episode at OPMPodcast.com/1 to find out more about who we are.

Also check out the Premed Years Podcast at www.medicalschoolhq.net.

Find us on iTunes and go to opmpodcast.com/itunes and leave us a rating and review.

Email Dr. Ryan Gray at ryan@medicalschoolhq.net or connect with him on Twitter @medicalschoolhq.

4: DO vs Caribbean Medical School? What Should I Do?

Wed, 13 Jan 2016 03:00:00 -0500

Session 4

In today's discussion, Ryan and Rich answer a question related to last week's episode question which has been broken into two parts.

To check out last week's episode, go to www.opmpodcast.com/3.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week - DO vs Caribbean:

A U.S. DO school or a Caribbean MD? Which is a better choice? (More job prospects)

Cumulative GPA is not above 3.0 unless over 120 hours of classes are taken; Science GPA 3.5+

Here are the insights from Ryan & Rich:

Always, always, always go for a U.S. MD or DO over Caribbean even if it takes you a couple of application cycles to try

Squeeze in the residency slots can affect the Caribbean students more.

Consider the stats:

In U.S. medical schools,

About 40% of people get accepted
Residency matching rates after 5 years at 94%
Residency matching rates after 8 years at 97%
Placement rate at 100% (get residency slots outside of the main match)
Attrition rate at 3%

In short, most people who start med schools in the U.S. are able to finish.

Other things to consider:

Residency slots for the ACGME - MD and DO will be one credited residency program with one match
1-2% of the U.S. med school graduates who never look for residency go with research or other non-clinical fields

What happens if you go offshore schools?

They would accept almost everyone but only 50% of people who go to the big 3 or 4 Caribbean schools actually get a degree.

If you start a Caribbean med school or any other off shore med school, you may only have 1-2% chance of actually earning a degree.

Your chances of getting a residency slot are 40-45%. ( A huge risk in the amount of loans plus you won't be able to practice medicine; most likely, you will end up being an Anatomy teacher in the medical school)

For-profit nature Caribbean schools vs. U.S.:

For-profit schools in the Caribbean are 100%; in the U.S., only two of all DO and MD schools (out of 175) have a for-profit basis.

Major takeaway from this episode:

Only consider Caribbean medical schools as your last resort after you've applied twice and done repair to consider all other options.

Schools are different. The big schools in the Caribbean may not be as valuable as some of the smaller schools in Australia and in Israel, which have different school setup and histories. In either case, the residency match rates and the numbers for that are just working against anyone who goes offshore.

Links and Other Resources

If you have questions you want answered here on the OldPremeds Podcast, go to oldpremeds.org and register for an account. Go into the forums and ask a question.

Listen to the OPM Podcast Episode 3 to hear the first part of this 2-part question

Listen to our first episode at OPMPodcast.com/1 to find out more about who we are.

Also check out the Premed Years Podcast at www.medicalschoolhq.net.

Find us on iTunes and go to opmpodcast.com/itunes and leave us a rating and review.

Email Dr. Ryan Gray at ryan@medicalschoolhq.net or connect with him on Twitter @medicalschoolhq.

3: Your Premed GPA is More than Your Premed GPA

Wed, 06 Jan 2016 03:00:00 -0500

Session 3

Your questions, answered here on the OldPreMeds Podcast. Ryan and Rich again dive into the forums over at OldPreMeds.org where they pull a question and deliver the answers right on to you.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

A U.S. DO school or a Caribbean MD? Which is a better choice? (More job prospects)

Cumulative GPA is not above 3.0 unless over 120 hours of classes are taken; Science GPA 3.5+

Here are the insights about GPA from Ryan & Rich:

There is an assumption about GPA that it's all a number. The truth is that it's beyond a single number.

A cumulative GPA is not the only thing the medical school admissions committee is going to look at. Other things they will look for are:

Science vs. non-science

Bio, Chem, Phys, and Math (BCPM) vs. others

Grade trends

Other additional degrees or coursework (post-bacc)

-Combined with the rest of your undergrad

-Reported as a separate line item

Some schools where your post-bacc or graduate program or last year or two of your undergraduate count as your official GPA for admissions purposes - the "32 hour rule"

Wayne State University
Michigan College of Human Medicine
Boston University Medical School
Louisiana State University - New Orleans

AAMC survey got 127 replies from medical schools for what factors they consider

Therefore, don't just look at the number. Instead, look at the overall factors going on.

Other considerations in the application

MCAT is the most efficient method to show that you can handle the work.
Take an MCAT prep course few hours a week for a few months and get a much better score.
Put your application together in a more coherent, compelling, and concise manner to really convince the schools.
Go through at least two application cycles before considering an offshore medical school
Arrogance vs. overconfidence
EC's, personal statement, and secondaries

Major takeaway from this episode

GPA is not the be all and end all when applying to any medical school. The second part about Caribbean medical schools will be tackled in the next episode.

Links and Other Resources

If you have questions you want answered here on the OldPremeds Podcast, go to oldpremeds.org and register for an account. Go into the forums and ask a question.

Listen to our first episode at OPMPodcast.com/1 to find out more about who we are.

Also check out the Premed Years Podcast at www.medicalschoolhq.net.

Find us on iTunes and go to opmpodcast.com/itunes and leave us a rating and review.

Email Dr. Ryan Gray at ryan@medicalschoolhq.net or connect with him on Twitter @medicalschoolhq.

2: How Old is Too Old to Start Medical School

Wed, 30 Dec 2015 09:19:00 -0500

Session 2

In this episode, Ryan and Rich dive into the forums over at OldPreMeds.org where they pull a question and deliver the answers right on to you.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

What age is too old for medical school?

Here are the insights from Ryan & Rich:

Age is not a factor. Here are some facts and figures:

About a thousand a year over the age of 30 matriculate every year into an allopath medical school which is about 5% of the total number of students who start the year.
From that number, about 200 are of the age of 35.
About 350 people a year over the age of 31 start osteopathic school
10-12 people a year over the age of 50 start medical school

Success Story:

One of our more recent success stories is Laisha Heedman, a nurse/midwife who recently graduated from the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine at the age of 57. She has gone onto residency and family practice medicine.

Is there any bias that goes on with age?

The percentage of applicants is nearly the same as the percentage that you get accepted regardless of age range.

Applicants who are above 40 years of age seem to be less represented but there is no bias going on. Factors that may be affecting the demographics are difficulty in preparing, getting the grades, and doing things that need to get done when you are working full time and you have a family.

Many people who have been successful in other medical careers such as nurse/midwife, nurse practitioner, nurse, PhD researchers have also been successful at getting into medical school at 40 and above.

MD vs DO?

The applicant base for MD schools is about 50,000 while for DO schools, it's under 20,000 - large difference.

For an applicant per seat basis, it is therefore more competitive to get into an osteopathic school than it is to get into an allopathic school.

Do older students have less years of good working time?

Different variables to consider:

Burnout as one of the common issues of physicians
Prior working experience in healthcare as a nurse/midwife or other medical-related

What the admissions committee will actually be looking for:

Will this person be a good physician that you want to be treated by?

Links and Other Resources

Listen to our first episode at OPMPodcast.com/1 to find out more about who we are.

Find us on iTunes and go to opmpodcast.com/itunes and leave us a rating and review.

Email Dr. Ryan Gray at ryan@medicalschoolhq.net or connect with him on Twitter @medicalschoolhq.

1: Introduction to the OldPreMeds Podcast

Wed, 30 Dec 2015 09:10:01 -0500

Session 1

Welcome to the inaugural episode of the OldPreMeds Podcast!

OldPreMeds.org is a site dedicated to nontraditional premed and medical students. This podcast is going to take questions that students post in the forums over at OldPreMeds.org which will be turned into episodes. Your questions will be answered to help you on this journey to becoming a physician.

If you're a nontraditional student entering the medical field on your terms and you may have some hiccups along the way or perhaps changing careers and you're ready to change course to go back and serve others as a physician, then this podcast is here to help answer your questions and educate you.

The OldPreMeds Podcast is published by Dr. Ryan Gray who is also the publisher of the Medical School Headquarters Podcast, which has been around for more than 3 years now.

A Brief Overview - Who We Are

OldPreMeds.org was founded in 1998 by six slightly older students who were getting harassed for some online forum for an MCAT prep course. They decided to create a mailing list that began with six students. Rich Levy eventually got involved with the site since 2002 and formally took over eight years after serving as both executive director and publisher of the OldPreMeds.org.

OldPreMeds.org has now joined the family of Medical School Headquarters where Ryan has taken over on the role of publisher of the OldPreMeds.org website as well as in helping direct the society that it runs under.

Currently, the site has over 10,000 registered members and over 25,000 monthly unique visitors, being the largest organization that is solely dedicated to nontraditional students who tread the path of medicine.

OldPreMeds.org is founded under the auspices of the National Society for Nontraditional Premedical & Medical Students.

Where we are headed to moving forward

What used to be the nontraditional is now the new traditional and with so much misinformation out today both for nontraditional students and the regular students about medical school prospecting and application, we are dedicated to overcome this major challenge and put clear emphasis on accurate, referenceable, attributable information.

OldPreMeds.org provides a safe place for students to go and ask questions and not be judged in the same way that you will be in other sites.

Rich is not exiting completely as he will still get on the podcast, along with Ryan, to share their wisdom to listeners. If you have questions you want answered here on the OldPremeds Podcast, go to oldpremeds.org and register for an account. Go into the forums and ask a question.

Links and Other Resources