There are some things you need to consider before taking the leap.

Here's everything you need to know about getting into medical school.

As a nontraditional student.

Georgia, jubal Med school insiders dot com.

Let's start by defining some terminology.

When you think of a traditional medical school applicant, the image probably comes to mind of a bright eyed pre med.

In their early twenties, they probably started college immediately after high school, pursued their undergraduate degree in biology or chemistry and did well in their classes.

They participated in a variety of extracurriculars, including research, volunteer work and physician shadowing, achieved a decent score on their cat and applied to medical school at the end of their third or fourth year of college.

This is the traditional pathway to medical school and most medical school applicants you'll encounter will more or less look like this.

On the other hand, nontraditional students are all of the other pre meds that don't fit into this typical mold that being said, the specific definition of what constitutes a nontraditional student can vary depending on who you ask.

Most people would probably agree that anyone who pursued a different career before deciding to switch to medicine would be nontraditional.

On the other hand, some medical schools consider pre med students who have taken any time off between undergrad and applying to medical school to be nontraditional regardless what is important to understand is that there are many different types of students, each with their own unique pathways to medicine that may be considered nontraditional.

You could be a pre doing a post back program after college to improve your G.

P.

A before applying to medical school, you could be a software engineer in your thirties, looking for a new career and a new challenge.

Or you could even be like Michael Butler, who recently graduated from medical school at the age of 62 after over three decades of working in engineering and finance.

Although it's relatively straightforward to tell first year college students what they should do to get into medical school.

The pathway for nontraditional students is often less clear.

Here's what you need to consider first.

You should thoroughly educate yourself about the path to becoming a doctor before deciding to pursue medicine.

Although having a passion for helping others and a desire to study medicine is important for any aspiring doctor.

There are numerous other factors that you need to consider.

The pathway to becoming a doctor is long and arduous.

It requires substantial dedication and sacrifice.

So it's critical to understand what you're committing to up front to become a doctor in the US, you must earn a bachelor's degree and complete all the required medical school.

After that, you must complete four years of medical school, followed by 3-7 years of residency.

For those interested in more specialized fields of medicine, there are also various options for fellowship after residency, which last 123 years when you tally it up, it generally takes between 11 and 14 years to become a doctor in the United States.

In addition to the substantial time commitment, you also need to understand the financial implications of pursuing a career in medicine due to the rigors of medical education.

In the United States.

Most schools, Students from working during medical school, this means that a large percentage of students are reliant on loans to support them through their medical education.

In 2022, the average cost of medical school tuition was approximately $55,000 per year, which equates to about $220,000 over four years of medical school.

It should come as no surprise then that the average medical student graduates with approximately $242,000 of debt and ultimately pays between 365 and $440,000 for their student loans plus interest.

This is one of the reasons why you'll hear me say time and time again that you should not pursue medicine if you're only interested in the money.

These are just a few of the factors you should consider before deciding to switch careers for a more comprehensive breakdown.

We have numerous videos on this channel discussing how to decide if a career in medicine is right for you.

So I suggest you watch those if you're considering making the switch.

Once you've decided that a career in medicine is right for you.

The first step is to earn your bachelor's degree and complete your medical school prerequisites.

Most medical schools will require at least two semesters of biology with lab two semesters of General chemistry with lab, two semesters of organic chemistry with lab, two semesters of physics with lab, one semester of biochemistry and two semesters of english.

Some schools have additional requirements, however, so you'll need to check the specific schools you're interested in.

It should be noted that some of these courses come with their own prerequisites.

For instance, with chemistry, you will often need to complete two semesters of general Chemistry before you can take organic chemistry and then two semesters of organic chemistry before you can take biochemistry.

If you're currently in college or are coming from another career that didn't require you to get a bachelor's degree.

This is where you'll need to start, you'll need to complete all of these prerequisites as well as any other requirements necessary to earn your bachelor's degree.

If you've already graduated with a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.

Your best option is often a post baccalaureate program, commonly referred to as a post back.

These are certificate programs that allow you two take the courses required for medical school.

They can last anywhere from nine months to three years, depending on your speed and the prerequisites you've already completed some post bag programs are even affiliated with medical schools and offer the opportunity to apply for medical school linkage allowing you to start right after you complete your pre med requirements.

One thing to keep in mind, however, is that some schools have expiration dates on your prerequisite coursework.

So if you earned your bachelor's degree a decade ago you may have to retake some of your classes after figuring which prerequisites to take.

The next factors to consider.

Are your hard metrics namely your G.

P.

A.

And M.

Cat.

Although you're more than just letters and numbers on a piece of paper, the reality is that your G.

P.

A.

And MCAT score are still incredibly important in medical school admissions during the most recent 2022 to 23 medical school application cycle.

The average MD matriculate had a G.

P.

A.

Of 3.75 and M.

Cat of 5 12.

And the average D.

O.

Matriculate had a G.

P.

A.

Of 3.56 and at of 505.

The day data are clear on average students with higher G.

P.

S.

And M.

Cat scores matriculate into medical school at higher rates compared to students with lower GPS and SAT scores.

If you're starting your prerequisites from scratch, you'll need to make sure you do well and achieve the highest G.

P.

A.

Possible.

This is also a great time to dial in your study strategies so that by the time you take the cat you'll be well prepared.

We have a variety of videos covering evidence based study techniques as well as how to prepare for your cat links in the description.

On the other hand, if you've already completed your bachelor's degree but your G.

P.

A.

Is not where it needs to be.

You may want to consider retaking courses or completing a post back program to bolster your application.

Regardless.

It's important to consider your G.

P.

A.

And M.

Cat when planning out your approach as a nontraditional student depending on your starting point, you may need to set aside additional time to improve these metrics even if you've already completed all of your prerequisites.

Once you've considered your hard requirements for medical school, your next consideration should be your extracurriculars.

Depending on your experiences before pursuing medicine, you may already have a substantial leg up on traditional students.

For instance, if you are working in the medical field as an E.

M.

T.

Paramedic or nurse, you will have substantially more clinical experience than many other pre meds.

Regardless of your background, your extracurriculars are a chance for you to demonstrate your commitment to medicine which is incredibly important as a nontraditional student because you're coming from another career path, you'll need to demonstrate to admissions committees that you understand what it means to be a doctor and the rigors of train ahead of you getting experience volunteering in the clinical setting, shadowing physicians and performing research are key to demonstrating your dedication to medicine.

These experiences will also help you build relationships with physicians and professors who may write you letters of recommendation when you ultimately apply to medical school.

This brings me to my last point, which is to build a compelling narrative for your medical school application.

Although this is an important consideration for any medical school applicant, it's arguably even more important for nontraditional students as a non additional student.

Your unique pathway to medicine can help or hurt you depending on how you frame it.

On the one hand, admissions committees are used to seeing pre meds who followed the traditional cookie cutter approach to their medical school application.

Students like these are a dime a dozen, which often makes it difficult for them to stand out.

On the other hand, it's far less common to see students who have lived completely different lives or pursued other interests before deciding on a career in medicine.

Leaning into this aspect of your application can help you stand out from the crowd and show admissions committees that you bring unique experiences and a fresh perspective to the table.

That being said, coming from a non traditional pathway can also hurt your chances.

One of the reasons that medical school is so competitive is that schools want to make sure they're choosing students who will be able to handle the academic rigors of medical school and residency.

They want students who are committed and will see their goal of becoming a doctor through to the end if you already had a successful high paying career before medicine, medical schools may question your dedication.

After all, you already chose a different career in the past, so you need to convey what's changed and why medicine is the career for you furthermore, Medical school and residency are long and challenging.

So having an easy fallback plan can make you seem like a flight risk.

You need to show medical schools that you're committed to medicine and won't fall back on your previous career when the going gets tough.

These are important considerations when crafting your medical school application and there is no single right way to approach them.

Instead, how you frame your previous experiences will vary depending on on you, your strengths and your unique pathway to medicine.

That being said, navigating the nuances of crafting a narrative that serves you instead of hurts.

You can be incredibly challenging.

But at med School Insiders were here to help our team of top performing doctors, has years of experience serving on actual admissions committees at top medical schools and will help you craft a compelling application and cohesive narrative that presents you in the best light possible.

We know exactly what medical schools are looking for because we've been on the other side of the table.

We also pride ourselves on a systematic and tailored approach that takes every student's unique circumstances and starting point into account.

You can rest assured that you'll never receive a cookie cutter plan, whether you're traditional or nontraditional, you'll get a customized plan built just for you.

Learn more about our admissions consulting services at med School Insiders dot com.

Thank you all so much for watching.

If you enjoyed this video, be sure to check out how to get into medical school with a low G.

P.

A.

Or this other video.

Much love.

And I'll see you guys there.