Podcasts about prereqs

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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?

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.

This student went to community college before they attended a four-year university. They want to know if they need to retake the prereqs they took in community college.

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This nontrad is completing her ABSN but has decided to pursue the premed path. Should she start taking prereqs now or wait until she finishes her ABSN?

t's episode forty-two of Ask The Dean! This week, we answer your questions about medical school preferences for in-state vs. out-of-state applicants, the medical school application timeline, if June is too late to take the MCAT this cycle, and much more!

Today's crossword creator was on fire -- or at least thinking about fire, witness the three themed answers, MATCHBOX, TINDERPROFILE and FLINTMICHIGAN. Those three looooong answers made this a more strenuous Monday than usual, but that's why crosswords come with crosses. Speaking of fire, COALS (18D, Classic eyes for Frosty) also made an appearance, although the pluralization of what is already a collective noun did sound a bit off.After last week's ULTRAVIOLET, INFRA made an appearance in 43A, Prefix with red or structure. And earlier this month, REQS made a jarring appearance as the answer to March 3's 47A, Academic musts, for short -- so we were glad to see that the much more conventional PREREQS made it into today's puzzle, as in 46D, Algebra for calc, e.g.

It's episode twenty-eight of Ask The Dean! This week, Dr. Scott Wright, Dr. Ryan Gray, and Rachel Grubbs answer questions about scribing, remote clinical experience during COVID, what to do after getting Cs (or Fs) in prereqs, quitting your job to study for the MCAT, and more!!

Does taking your prereqs at a community college hurt your chances of getting into a more selective medical school? It depends. Listen to find out why.

It's a common question among nontrads—will my prereq courses still count when applying to med school? What about my MCAT scores? Let's find out!

Dr. Wright and Dr. Gray answer your premed questions about clinical experience, when to retake prerequisite classes, how med schools view your GPA, and more!

We answer 13 of your premed questions about clinical experience, research, MCAT prep planning, applying to med school as an international student, and more!

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: Full Episode Blog Post Meded Media Nontrad Premed Forum Premedforums.com mappd.com

Time is a precious commodity when you're a nontraditional student like today's caller. How should you spend your time as a nontraditional premed?

Should you start thinking about the MCAT as you're still taking prerequisites? Today's caller is getting started early. Dr. Gray talks timelines and prep.

Do nursing courses count toward your medical school prerequisites, and is there any truth to low medical school acceptance rates for nurses? Links: Full Episode Blog Post Meded Media The Premed Years Podcast MSHQ Facebook Hangout Group

Many medical schools don't accept online courses, but is that true across the board? Here's what to consider before taking prereqs online.

Community college is a practical choice for many students. Will premed courses taken at a CC hold as much weight as those taken at 4-year universities?  

Our student is in the Army Reserve, applying for the HPSP, and trying to get the MCAT out of the way. Can they take the MCAT before finishing prereqs? Links: Full Episode Blog Post Nontrad Premed Forum

Are you overwhelmed at navigating CASPA and completing PA school Prerequisites? Well, tune in to this week's episode of The PA Process for tips on how to complete these requirements. See below for the website referenced in the episode: http://paprogramsearch.com/search/ If you have questions, comments, or stories, you can reach me at the following: Email: jess_the_pa@yahoo.com Instagram: @jess_the_PA Twitter: @jess_the_PA

Edleda struggled with organic chemistry and at times the class made her doubt if she could do this. Today she discusses overcoming ochem and finding balance as a premed. Links: Full Episode Blog Post Meded Media

Session 09 Today, we're hearing from a premed who's struggling with balancing time management and finances. It is hard to be a premed, but it is even more difficult when you have a full-time job a family to support, and your classes are not offered at convenient times. [01:14] Caller of the Week "I'm a little frustrated with the whole college experience. I am an older premed student. I'm 28 years old. I have a family. I'm getting married. I spent a lot of time at the community college, not really knowing what I wanted to do and thinking I was never smart enough to be a doctor even though I always wanted to. I never had the grades in high school. I was an average student. But then I started taking the courses at my community college. I started doing really well. I was getting 4.0's in the sciences and the math. I was doing really well. So I'm like, why not give the premed life a shot? And I did really well. I busted my butt to get out of this community college and transfer to a local four year and I picked this particular school because I thought that it would be more adult friendly. At a community college, it's right next door to another community college that they accept a lot of transfer students from. I think 60-65% of their students are transfer students and adults, older students. So I thought it would be a more working and adult friendly, more friendly towards students and families. But I'm finding more and more that that's not the case and I'm getting really, really frustrated with having to take these courses and take time off of work to do them. All of the sciences are early morning classes, three, four days a week and I just can't take that time off of work and be able to support my family. So I'm really struggling with the time management and the finances. I don't have a way to keep going to school and work to support myself and my daughter. I'm really at a loss here. What to do? I don't know if I should go back to the community college and take the courses there and they'll take courses that the university and at least try to show to med schools that I'm not taking these courses at a community college because they're "easier." I'm taking them because I don't have a choice. I'm doing what I have to do. I don't know if it's worth the risk to do that. And it may be a red flag on my application even if I keep doing relatively well. Or on the other hand, is it worth quitting my job and putting that full load on my wife to pick up the slack and make her breadwinner and I'll be bringing home nothing. I really don't know what to do - get a part-time job, working at a hospital or something. But even then, I don't know if that's enough to make ends meet. The cost of living is pretty high where I live. So I'm not really sure at all what to do. If anyone has any experience with this kind of thing or making this kind of decisions. Or if any of the Doctors Gray have an input, it would be great to hear from you. Thank you very much." [04:35] A Tough Decision and Every Situation is Unique Anybody in your shoes would feel that way. It's a tough decision what you're facing. It sounds like you did great at a community college and then transferring to a four-year university because a lot of people say med schools won't look fondly on community college courses. Now, it's hard because it's not working with your schedule and it sounds like you're doing so much working a 50-hour week, providing for your daughter, and taking classes full-time on the premed track. That's a lot! "In general, in this life, do what works." Every situation is unique. Some medical schools may look more negatively upon a student who has just community course credit. However, it's a statement that doesn't take anything else into account. While you are dealing with a very complex situation. You are caring for your daughter and working more than full-time to provide for her while also working as a premed. So your situation is different than anyone else's because it's a unique situation. Hence, it's not fair to anyone saying that community classes are not that hard. [07:08] Back to Community College If you have the opportunity in your medical school application to talk about how you were trying to do what works to provide for your family and to also be successful on the premed track, I think many admissions officers would understand that decision. They would understand the decision if you went back to a community college. If I were in your shoes, I would probably go back to the community college and take more of your courses there because you want to do what's going to work for you. If it doesn't work for your family and it doesn't work for your schedule and for you to be able to make ends meet and to be taking these early morning classes at the university and there aren't a lot of other options out there, then do what works. Are there other four year schools that offer classes at other times? But that would mean transferring which is a huge deal. Realistically speaking, if you looked at all the options and you're at this school where the only offer classes in the morning, it's hard to argue that you should stay there. To be able to provide for your family and also be able to do the work you do, it makes a lot of sense to take a lot of those classes at a community college. [09:09] Splitting Your Classes One option is maybe there's a class that you can take at a university instead of taking all of them at a community college. But at the end of the day, you want to do what works because you don't want to be so stressed out, burned out, and miserable in this process. That alone will make it harder for you as an applicant and it will be harder not to burn out. "Having to work and go to school at the same time, in and of itself, nevermind having a family, is really, really challenging." [10:27] It's Not Just About Grades, It's About You And just because you're going to a community college doesn't mean you'll be receiving letters of rejections from medical schools. You will have an opportunity to talk about why you took a lot of your classes in community college. You have been successful and getting fantastic grades in your classes and that is huge. Ultimately, don't forget that your application will be unique. It's not just about your grades and the name of the school you went to. It's you! And you will have the opportunity to shoe the best version of yourself and explain why you made the choices you did. "Being able to provide for your family is a very basic thing." Remember that you will have the opportunity to talk about why you made the choices you did and go back to those community classes and do well. Again, if you do, keep one class at the university if possible. But if you can't then that's fine too. [12:50] Talking About Finances There are always options and financial advisors in medical schools can provide you help. A lot of you are struggling, especially nontrads, when it comes to finances. And the price tag on medical school can really be daunting. There are loans and many of us have them. There are other types of things you can do as well. You can sign up for rural-based scholarships or programs that have you work for a certain place for a while and in exchange, you won't have to pay as high a fee. There are a lot of options out there. Many premeds don't consider looking at the cost of living as a medical student. And that will change from where you are now unless you're planning to apply to schools around where you now live. [14:25] Go with Your Gut None of these decisions are easy and you have to go with your gut. It sounds like you're leaning forward to going back to that community college so don't beat yourself up. You're a caring individual and trying to make things work. So have faith in yourself as you've gone this far already. Your daughter will look up to you so much for having made a success of this and going through this process. Sometimes, it can feel you don't have a lifeline but you're strong and resilient. Again, go with your gut. If you think you have to take some of those classes elsewhere then just do it. "Admissions officers are not just going to completely discount you if your classes are all at a community college." [16:00] Listen to The Premed Years Podcast In Ryan's podcast, he talks all the time about how we, as premeds, are not a number. You're not a grade. You're not an MCAT score. You're everything put together and everybody's story is unique. He has a lot of insights in his podcast to share so please take a listen to it. [17:30] Leave Us a Message I would love to hear from you every week! Whether you're having your high moments as well as your low times, if you just want to vent about anything, we're here to listen to you. Call 1-833-MYDIARY and hit 1 to leave a message for Premed Diaries. You can leave a diary entry up to 30 minutes. Press 5 if you want to leave some feedback to any of our diary entries. Links: The Premed Years Podcast

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: Full Episode Blog Post The Premed Playbook: Guide to the MCAT The Premed Years Podcast Session 188 The Premed Years Podcast Session 230 Nontrad Premed Forum MedEd Media The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview

Session 280 This week we’re taking questions directly from the MSHQ Premed Forums. If you’re not familiar with the forums, check them out and join the conversation! For The OldPreMeds Podcast, we have a sub forum called the Nontrad Premed Forum. We also have the General Premed Forum where traditional students (nontrads welcome too!) can ask questions. In this episode, we have pulled out questions from the forums and discuss them here. Also, make sure to register there so you can join an amazing, collaborative community of students and feel free to throw in some questions there. Meanwhile, here are some special announcements: First, we have The MCAT Book coming out soon! Go to mcatbook.com and click on the "Let Me Know" button. Put in your name and email address so you can get notified. Second, I'm currently working on The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement. Just go to the personalstatementbook.com and sign up to get notified once it comes out. Back to today's episode: [03:58] Nursing Major or Premed? "I'm a freshman in college and I've been dealing with "which major problems" since high school. I'm indecisive once it comes to choosing a major. I want to choose nursing not because it's a shorter education route but because I plan on having it as a backup plan if medical school doesn't work out for me. Except, I want to go to medical school but I have lots of self-doubt about my ability mentally and physically to graduate from med school. I also consider having my major be premed because I know if I don't get any prereqs done at the end of four years, I'll have to go back for another two and a half years of college to complete those prereqs before even applying to medical school." You don't need to worry about your major. When it comes to applying to medical school, you don't need to worry about what major you have. It just doesn't matter. The thing that matters the most are the prereqs. "A lot of schools are getting away from having prereqs but you still need those to prepare yourself, to give you that science foundation to do well on the MCAT." Now, a lot of medical schools are getting rid of a lot of prereqs, but you still need to do well on the MCAT which means you still need to take the prereqs anyway And most of the prereqs are centered around doing well for the MCAT. [05:30] The Backup Plan This student has some self-doubt and that's normal. We all have self-doubt. But if you let that dictate having a backup plan, you definitely do as little as possible to succeed in your goal of becoming a physician. Being a nurse is a great career, but if you want to to be a physician, get rid of that backup plan and bite to the nail to achieve that goal. At almost every point of the medical journey, there will always be that self-doubt - as soon as you start medical school, during clinical rotations, internships, or as soon as you becoming an attending. It doesn't end. It's called impostor's syndrome. So you have to let that go and fight through it. Know that if this is what you want, you would do whatever it takes to do it and not have a backup plan to fall back to. On a side note, most schools don't have a "premed" major although there are a few schools that do. But most don't. You can just major in chemistry, biology, exercise physiology, history, Spanish. You can major in whatever you want as long as you get those prereqs. [07:42] Taking Prereqs Classes Out of Order "Some of the classes which I'm retaking were originally taking decades ago. And so, I've forgotten much of the material. Recently, I went to a premed admissions fair where several admissions advisors from some east coast medical schools told me to redo my course work to "prove" that I could still handle academically rigorous material. For example, one advisor told me to retake physics. Because when I last took it decades ago, I got a B in the first part. I could never full understand forces on inclined planes. So to retake physics, I need calculus which I have forgotten. I originally took three semesters of Calculus back in the 80s and did well on all but the third part. That was for my first non-science degree. Then for my second degree, I had to retake these Calculus courses in 2006. I got a B in part 2. Although I realized that Calculus has not changed much, I found the material much harder to understand and comprehend during my second time through. I have been out of school for many years and this challenge to keep up with college students half my age. Now I have the opportunity to retake Calculus I and III on the quarter system on a more rigorous school than the one at which I took the original Calculus courses. However, because of my work, Spring quarter which starts next month, I cannot take Calculus 1 before Calculus 2 and only Calculus 2 fits my schedule this spring quarter. I could then take Calculus 1 during the summer. I've asked others in my program who have gone through the same sequence. Some took them simultaneously, some also took other measures of classes. For example, several students were taking Biochemistry and General Chemistry at the same time. Usually, General Chemistry comes before Biochemistry." "You don't have to keep up with college students. Your only competition is yourself." [09:39] Will It Hurt Your Application? Can you take the out of order? Yes. Is it ideal? No. There's a reason there's a 1 and 2. Each class is supposed to build on each other. Of course, you can do it. You're going to have to teach yourself some of the concepts. The biggest question is whether it will hurt an application? No. The admissions people are telling you to do it. It's only going to help your application assuming you do well in the classes. This is common for nontraditional students. They take courses a long time ago. The go out and have their career and have their family. Then at one point, they wake up and realize they've always wanted to be a doctor. From that point forward, they seek out what they need to do to get into medical school. A lot of them will contact schools and a lot of them will advise to take more recent course work to "prove" that you can handle the coursework. It's not wrong. Medical school is hard. Just because you were a good or decent student 20 years ago, doesn't mean that you have the same aptitude today or the same willingness to do it. Going to school and being a student are different than being an employee. "Are you really that interested in being a student or is the idea of being a physician greater than the allure of retaking classes and being a student first?" And this is where "prove it" comes from. You need to do well in the classes and succeed. You also need to get that upward trend going. At the end of the day, you have to show the admissions committee that you can still be a student and you have a semester or two of coursework to show them that. So this is not going to hurt your application (as long as you don't do poorly in those classes.) [12:10] Clinical Experience in a Podiatry Clinic This is another common question that comes up. What constitutes clinical experience for your application to prove to medical schools that this is what you want to do? "I'm currently working as a medical assistant/scribe for a local podiatrist. I have lots of good experiences I don't think I would get a lot of other places especially because I don't have any special licensure (EMT, MA, CNA, etc.). I was recently in a discussion with my premed advisor who suggested to me that this experience might not be viewed as actual clinical experience by MD and DO admissions offices. I was surprised by this due to the scope of my experiences. Is this true? Should I try finding a different opportunity to replace this one or will this be able to compare with other experiences in "actual" clinical settings?" So is this clinical experience? Yes, 100%. But is it good clinical experience? No. But it doesn't mean you avoid talking about it in your applications. But it means you should go and try to get clinical experience with physicians (MD and DO). Podiatrists are physicians as well. They're allowed to call themselves physicians. They're as close to MDs and DOs as any other health professions. They just happen to specialize in a certain part of our body. They do surgeries, they operate. They go to medical schools. They have a long curriculum in medical school. They do clinical experiences.But it's still podiatry. Medical school admissions committees are going to look at your experience and ask for the rest of it. Where's the time you spent being around non-podiatry patients? They want you to show them those experiences. Show them how those experiences have led you to want to be an MD or DO. "There's a huge difference in how your actions are speaking to the admissions committee." Scribing at a podiatry clinic, solely, can send a signal that you only want to be a podiatrist, not an MD or DO. Instead, you want to be a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine. There's a difference in how your actions are speaking to the admissions committee. So while it is a good clinical experience, it's not the right clinical experience for your ultimate goal of becoming a physician. It's the same thing for any other clinical experience - dentist office, chiropractic office, naturopathic office, etc. If you want to go to medical school, then you need to get clinical experience around MDs and DOs. [15:47] Graduating Early and Applying Early "I'm a first year premed nutrition student but I came into college with nearly 45 AP credits so I can graduate a year early with only taking 12 to 13 credits per semester. everyone has told me that I should a minor or take extra classes and graduate in the Fall of 2020 instead of the Spring of 2020 and apply for admissions for Fall of 2021 instead of Fall of 2020. I would really like to go straight into medical school after I graduate though. So I'm thinking about applying next Spring for the Fall of 2020. I'm just concerned about my extracurriculars. I'm just concerned about my extracurriculars. I didn't realize I wanted to be a doctor until this past Fall. So I haven't gotten involved in any premed clubs or shadowing or research or volunteering. I plan on starting research and volunteering very soon. But I'm worried that if I apply in about a year, I won't have extracurriculars on my application. I'm also worried about the MCAT. I am planning on taking it next spring and there's really no room for error if I don't do well on that attempt since I'm trying to send in my application as early as possible. I'm not sure how setting is going to go yet since I'll be taking OChem 2 and Biochem that semester as well. I guess I'm just wondering what do you all think? I really want to graduate on time without taking a gap year but are my extracurriculars going to be too weak. Will it be too hard to study for the MCAT while taking those difficult courses next Spring?" Graduating early is great. There's less debt that you're going to incur being a student for an extra year. But I also don't agree on applying that early. As mentioned, you haven't done any shadowing, research, or volunteering yet. How do you know you want to be a physician? How have you proven to yourself that this is what you want to do? I would challenge you that you have no clue yet. It may sound great. You may have this great idea of what's next but you don't know. You need to go out and get some clinical experience. You need to go out and shadow. Put yourself around patients. Put yourself around physicians. And then start confirming that this is what you want and then start going down the path of when to take the MCAT and when to apply and so on. I don't think it's a good idea to take the MCAT while still taking Ochem 2 and Biochem. That is a lot! Those are some heavy-hitting courses that are well-involved in the MCAT. To take those courses and to be studying for the MCAT at the same time is going to be very hard. So on top of not being super prepared for the MCAT because you're still taking courses, you're also rushing everything else. And you're still not sure that this is what you want to do. You may think you know, but you don't. You haven't proven to yourself through your actions that this is what you want. Go out and shadow. Go out and get the clinical experience. And prove to yourself that this is what you want. Then after getting that shadowing or clinical experience, you can concisely state in your application - personal statement, extracurrriculars, interviews - explain why it is that you want to be a physician. "Why do you want to be a physician? That is a key question that you have to answer. And it is only through those experiences where you will be able to formulate a solid answer to that question." So go out right now. Take that gap year. Prepare for the MCAT. Get those clinical experience and shadowing experiences. Prove to yourself that this is what you want. Continue those things consistently through the application process and into matriculating into medical school. Taking a gap year is not that big of a deal. Travel. Go out and get some life experiences. Links: Check out the mcatbook.com MSHQ Premed Forums The OldPreMeds Podcast Nontrad Premed Forum General Premed Forum

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!

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: Full Episode Blog Post OldPreMed forums at MedicalSchoolHQ.net Premed Forum The MCAT Podcast Next Step Test Prep

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: Full Episode Blog Post OldPreMeds.org forums Medical School HQ Services

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!

Our poster is 29-years-old and has a cumulative 2.5 GPA and is wondering what he can do to prepare for a successful application to medical school. Links: Full Episode Blog Post OldPreMeds.org forums MedEd Media

How do you study for your prereqs in a postbac, do well in them, and prepare to be successful on the MCAT? That's what we'll talk about today! Links: Full Episode Blog Post The MCAT Podcast MedEd Media

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: Full Episode Blog Post MedEd Media The Short Coat Podcast UNE Online AACOMAS HPSP/USCIS

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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: Next Step Test Prep OPM Session 18 MSAR Khan Academy Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) MedEd Media Network OldPreMeds.org The Premed Years Podcast The MCAT Podcast Specialty Stories Podcast The Short Coat Podcast

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: The Short Coat Podcast MedEd Media Network MSAR College Information Book OPM 62: What Should I Focus on With Old Prereqs and ECs? Next Step Test Prep (Use the code MSHQ to save some money on their tutoring programs.)

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: MedEd Media Network University of Central Florida - Medical School Admissions Symposium The Premed Years Podcast Session 174: Academically Dismissed to Medical Acceptance (My interview with Cain)

We've discussed prereqs before back in Session 9 and Session 16. This week we're going to talk about any other courses that you should take for the MCAT. Links and Other Resources Check out my book about the MCAT, co-written with Next Step Test Prep: . Related video: . Related episode:  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 

Sociology may seem like a common sense subject that you don't need to take before you take the MCAT, but you should listen to this and maybe think about it. Links and Other Resources Check out my book about the MCAT, co-written with Next Step Test Prep: . Related episode:  Related episode: . 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 

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 www.mededmedia.com

Bryan and Ryan talk about what prereqs you should have completed, which ones you can self study, and which ones you can skip for the MCAT. Links and Other Resources: Related episode:  Related episode:  Related episode:  Need MCAT Prep? Get tutoring, classes, and full-length practice tests at .

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.

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

WEEK 2 OF THE GREAT EIGHT! #ROMANS8

In today’s episode, Ryan and Allison answer some questions that have been emailed to us over the last couple of months. This week, we touch on topics involving taking prerequisites at a community college, personal statements, volunteering opportunities, finding a mentor, choosing an undergrad school, and more Links and Other Resources: Full Episode Blog Post MSHQ 019: Interview with a Medical School Interview and Admissions Expert MSHQ 023 : Interview with Dr. Polites of MedPrep at Wash. U. MSHQ 035 : How to Fix an App After Starting Premed Poorly MSHQ 047 : Avoid Burnout as a Premed, Med Student and Beyond MSHQ 068: The Changing Landscape of Medical School Admissions Check out our partner magazine, www.premedlife.com to learn more about awesome premed information. 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! Free MCAT Gift: Free 30+ page guide with tips to help you maximize your MCAT score and which includes discount codes for MCAT prep as well. 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. Next Step Test Prep: Get one-on-one tutoring for the MCAT and maximize your score. Get $50 off their tutoring program when you mention that you heard about this on the podcast or through the MSHQ website. Listen to our podcast for free at iTunes: medicalschoolhq.net/itunes and leave us a review there! Email Ryan at ryan@medicalschoolhq.net or connect with him on Twitter @medicalschoolhq