Have you recently realized your passion for medicine but have gotten stuck on how you can possibly meet all the requirements as a non-traditional med school applicant? I’ve been there.
I almost gave up on my dream of pursuing medicine, but I’m here to tell you that it’s never too late to take the next step.
After my first failed attempts at applying in 2016, I dedicated my time to gaining clinical experience, revamped my application, and ended up with acceptances from 10 different schools as a non-traditional applicant four years later. Here’s how I did it!
This post is all about non-traditional med school applicant.
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Non-Traditional Med School Applicant’s Success Story
What Is a Non-Traditional Med School Applicant?
A non-traditional medical school applicant is anyone who did not follow the typical path to becoming a doctor.
Traditional applicants usually know going into undergraduate that they want to work in medicine, so they make a plan to check off their medical school requirements as they complete their undergraduate education. They take the right courses, sign up for certain extracurricular activities, and spend time preparing for the MCAT. They may also have access to a pre-med program or advisor that helps them navigate the process.
As a non-traditional applicant, you probably made the decision to attend medical school later than most students. Common characteristics of non-traditional applicants include:
- Being over the age of 25.
- Having a non-science related undergraduate degree.
- Taking more than one gap year between undergraduate and medical school.
- Changing careers or majors.
Sporting one or more of these characteristics means that your path to a medical career will be less direct than traditional applicants, but it’s still absolutely achievable.
I was a non-traditional applicant (started medical school at age 26, with 3 years between undergraduate and my medical school applications), and I still got 10 acceptances from different schools!
With enough hard work and commitment, you can do it too.
The Bright Sides
Believe it or not, there are actually some advantages to being a non-traditional med school applicant. One of the biggest things you can use to your advantage is your unique background and life experiences.
Rather than viewing your non-traditional path to medicine as a hindrance, try to spin it as an asset.
You bring experiences and skill sets to the table that other traditional applicants won’t have. Maybe you, like me, had the opportunity to study or work abroad for a while. Or, you might have been able to dedicate a lot of time to volunteering and helping out your local community. Think about how each of your experiences can make you a better medical professional.
Medical schools need applicants from all different walks of life, including different educational and professional backgrounds.
Diverse perspectives are necessary for continued growth and education, especially in fields like medicine that are constantly changing. Medical schools may see your non-traditional background as an opportunity to add a new voice to the conversation at their school. Don’t be afraid to lean into your unique perspective and let it set you apart.
The Downsides
Unfortunately, being a non-traditional med school applicant also has its downsides.
Since you probably didn’t follow a dedicated pre-med track in undergraduate, you might be missing a lot of the required coursework and field experience needed to create a competitive application. You’ll have to take the MCAT as well, and that’s no easy task even with undergraduate preparation.
Every school lays out its own requirements for GPA, MCAT scores, pre-requisite classes, and necessary field experience, so you may have to narrow down your choices to a select pool of schools that have requirements you can reasonably achieve.
But, don’t worry – you can still make it into an excellent school as a non-traditional applicant!
But Am I Too Old for Medical School?
You’re never too old to apply to medical school!
The average first year student is usually around 24 years old, but there is no age limit to submitting your application. According to data gathered by the AAMC, in recent years, about 25% of medical students were 25 or older and 5% were 30 or older.
There are other people just like you and me who have successfully made the switch into medicine. I followed a very non-linear path to medicine, and I’m still going strong, living it up as a fourth year medical student. You can do it too!
If you want to read through my full story and how I used my 4 gap years in between undergrad and medical school – check out my blog post Is a Gap Year Before Med School Right for You?.
A Checklist for Non-Traditional Applicants
If you’ve already started researching your medical school application, you might be feeling overwhelmed by the vast sea of requirements in front of you.
I’m here to tell you exactly how you can knock out every single one of those requirements and write an amazing application as a non-traditional medical student.
Medical School Requirements
Here are the core admission requirements you can expect at most medical schools:
- A four-year degree from an accredited college or university
- Pre-med coursework, including Biology, English, and Chemistry
- High GPA (average 3.7 for admitted students) and MCAT score (average around 511)
- Extracurricular activities, including shadowing, clinical experience, research, community service, etc.
- Letters of recommendation
It’s a long list, but it’s not as difficult as it looks! There are ways you can get your hands on all these requirements, even as a non-traditional applicant.
Prerequisite Courses
The list of prerequisite courses you’ll need changes from program to program. You can check out some of the school’s websites to find the exact specifications, or go to the AAMC database to find an extensive overview.
In general, you’ll have to complete classes in Biology, Physics, Math, Chemistry, and Humanities.
Chances are, you probably checked off at least a few of the prerequisite courses during undergraduate. If you’re still missing some, you can make them up by enrolling in a post-bacc or Masters program.
Depending on your schedule, you might be able to complete them in the background while you work on other aspects of your application, like studying for the MCAT and earning clinical experience.
Letters of Recommendation
It can be hard to request letters of recommendation as a non-traditional medical school applicant, especially if you’ve been out of undergraduate for a while. In general, most schools ask for letters from 2 science professors, 1 non-science, and 1 from a physician you shadowed.
The exact requirements for this can vary from school to school though and some also accept letters from work or volunteer supervisors instead of professores, if you have been out of school for a number of years. So make sure to check this on the schools’ website or on MSAR, for those you plan to apply to.
You can still ask your professors, but it may be better to request letters from those who have worked with you more recently, as they will have fresh knowledge about your best skills and qualities.
A lot of the time, you can knock two items off your checklist at once by asking for letters of recommendation from your supervisors at your clinical experience positions. They can offer a testament to your abilities because they work in the medical field themselves. They also will have witnessed your commitment to and passion for medicine firsthand. Really strong letters from those might be able to balance any mediocre letters from professors you had way too long ago.
The MCAT
You will have to take the MCAT before applying to medical school. If you’ve already taken it once before, you might have to retake it, either to earn a better score or because your old score won’t be accepted anymore (as it was for me).
You should aim to exceed the average MCAT scores for accepted students at all the schools on your list, so be prepared to study hard.
Especially as a non-traditional student, you might be juggling a lot of responsibilities at once, making it more challenging to create a realistic study plan. But what if you had a tool that would make this 10x easier for you? In my course MCAT Roadmap, you get access to my step-by-step Study Schedule Tool so you can wake up in the morning knowing exactly what to tackle that day.
Plus tons of tips on how to select your MCAT date, suggested materials, extra resources and more.
Shadowing and Clinical Experience
Shadowing and clinical experience help you showcase your commitment to medicine and your ability to perform in a medical work environment.
It is much more low stakes, relying mostly on observation and requiring you to perform very few tasks. It acts as an opportunity for you to experience different professions and medical fields before you fully dedicate yourself to the medical school path.
Different schools have different shadowing requirements, but I would recommend completing around 40 hours. Once you reach that point, it’s better to start putting your time toward hands-on clinical experience instead.
You can find shadowing opportunities by contacting hospitals and offices in your area or searching online for virtual shadowing options.
Unlike shadowing, clinical experience involves hands-on work and interactions with patients. There are tons of positions you can explore before attending medical school that count as clinical experience, including:
- Emergency medical technician (the source of my clinical experience)
- Certified nursing assistant
- Phlebotomist
- Medical assistant
- EKG technician
- Clinical laboratory technician
- Medical records and health information technician
- Medical scribe or transcriptionist
- Free clinic volunteer
- Dialysis technician
Think about where your interests in medicine lie and search around for entry-level jobs that let you jumpstart your career and build a better application by working directly in a clinical environment.
Find more tips in my blog post How To Get Clinical Experience.
If you don’t have the extra time to figure out all the details yourself, no worries, there is help!
In my Free Premed Workshop, I share the key strategies that helped me earn 10 acceptances + all the mistakes I made the first time (when I didn’t get accepted).
You’ll learn how to share your unique story in your essays, avoid sounding generic, how to cast a wide net and identify residency bias among schools + much more!
Are Some Medical Schools More Open to Non-Traditional Applicants Than Others?
Most medical schools are open to applicants from all kinds of backgrounds, but some may be more willing to relax their requirements than others. Non-traditional applicants may find it easier to get into schools that have more lenient starting requirements or offer paths and programs to help you get where you need to be.
As you explore your options, think about which areas of your application are the strongest and which are the weakest. You can strategically plan out your options to select schools that are more flexible about the weaker aspects of your application or more heavily focused on what you do best.
Let’s say, for example, that you don’t have very many letters of recommendation from professors. Albany Medical College allows non-traditional applicants to submit letters from “a supervisor in a paid or volunteer research or clinical role” to supplement your application.
Small details like that can go a long way, so pay attention as you research different schools.
Final thoughts for Non-Traditional Med School Applicants
It’s never too late to chase your dreams! Even if you didn’t follow the traditional pre-med track straight to medical school, you still have an excellent chance to become a doctor.
This is your chance to show them that your extra life experience is a strength, not a weakness. The additional effort you might put into your pre-med path will strengthen your resilience and help you become a stronger applicant one step at a time. You got this!
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