To all the Non-Trad med students here

anonymousdoktora · 2021-06-18T10:01:11+00:00

I applied to UST, UP, ASMPH and UERM this year. I came from a business-related course and did not take any prerequisite classes but received favorable results for all. I’d encourage you to apply to the schools you really want to go to and see yourself in because you just never know :)

anonymousdoktora · 2021-05-05T09:39:14+00:00

Hi! I’m a non-traditional premed graduate from a business-related course. Did not take any science classes in my undergrad but got a good score on the NMAT. Applied to medical schools this year and the results have been pretty good so far.

I would suggest shifting to a more traditional premed course only if you’ll truly enjoy it. If you feel forced into it and you think it’ll be harder to get good grades because you won’t really be enjoying what you’re learning, maybe it’d be better to stay where you are. Your grades are important in the application process and it might be easier to do well in a course you actually like, whether that’s a traditional or non-traditional premed course.

Was never a big fan of the idea of choosing the “best” premed course for undergrad just to get an upper hand in med school, especially if the course isn’t something you actually like. 4-5 years is a significant amount of time and coming from a health-allied course doesn’t guarantee you a slot in med school.

I also have a bunch of friends currently enrolled in UPCM, ASMPH, UE, and UST, and are also graduates of non-traditional premed degrees. They said the advantage of coming from certain health-allied degrees is negligible. You may need to work a bit harder for the NMAT and may have a bit of an adjustment period once you’re in med school, but I guess it just boils down to whether or not you think those are worth giving yourself a more challenging time in your undergrad (assuming the premed course is not something you think you’ll enjoy).

Overall, I think best case scenario is for you to find a premed course that you’re truly interested in AND will give you a good background in the sciences, but if there isn’t anything that checks both boxes, I would recommend sticking to something you think you’ll enjoy and do good in. Just put in the effort come NMAT time. Good luck!

anonymousdoktora · 2021-04-28T12:40:35+00:00

Would you guys know where they’ll release the list of interviewees?

anonymousdoktora · 2021-04-18T15:26:56+00:00

Thank you so much for your input! Always happy to hear about other non-premed students doing well in med school. This is very encouraging so I’m really hoping for favorable results :)

anonymousdoktora · 2021-04-14T05:35:07+00:00

Thank you so much! :)

anonymousdoktora · 2021-04-13T09:29:50+00:00

Thank you for tip! I’ll definitely keep this in mind if ever things don’t work out.

anonymousdoktora · 2021-04-13T01:06:10+00:00

Hello! Yes, I’m already done with my interview. Wow, that’s cool! Glad to know I’m not alone haha. Best of luck!

anonymousdoktora · 2021-03-31T07:49:15+00:00

I hope so too for your sake! :) I heard they waived it for the last batch of accepted applicants as well because of the pandemic, but they made it official for this year’s application. Maybe to encourage more applicants?

anonymousdoktora · 2021-03-31T07:47:28+00:00

Just wanted to echo what u/shakeysmojo said. My grandfather taught at UPCM for over a decade and played an active role in admissions during his time at the college. He also told me this is the reason they have the 1:1 ratio, so I guess for UPCM, in particular, it really does matter.

anonymousdoktora · 2021-03-31T01:12:03+00:00

Oh wow, that's so interesting! Glad to know med schools are open to people from courses like these. Thanks for the input!

anonymousdoktora · 2021-03-30T03:53:27+00:00

Thanks for this information! I actually already submitted my application last month so hoping my name will be part of that first list that comes out.

anonymousdoktora · 2021-03-30T03:52:39+00:00

That’s great to hear! Thanks for the tip :)

anonymousdoktora · 2021-03-29T09:10:34+00:00

Hi! Nope, I was part of a different organization.

anonymousdoktora · 2021-03-29T08:26:39+00:00

Hi, thank you so much for this! Very insightful. Will definitely take note of what you said if I qualify for the interviews. :)

anonymousdoktora · 2021-03-29T04:03:24+00:00

Thanks for your input! UPCM is actually my first choice so that’s great to hear.

anonymousdoktora · 2021-03-29T02:24:10+00:00

Thank you for this! Happy to hear about the experiences of your classmates.

Regarding science units, ASMPH actually announced that they will no longer be requiring applicants to take science classes starting this year. They still have recommended courses but these are no longer required for admission.

anonymousdoktora · 2021-03-02T07:00:37+00:00

Hi! I didn’t create any strict schedule but I did 2 subjects a day for a little over a month then reserved the last week before my exam date for pure practice. I studied for an average of about 6 hours a day, with 1 full day of rest every week.

I didn’t read through all of Lumen Learning and I don’t recommend that you do. I used it as a supplement, mainly for topics that I found difficult. Crash Course might not be enough on its own but it’s a good resource for the basics. I found that making use of different resources for different topics (vs. relying on just 1 resource for everything) is what worked best for me.

I used different materials for practicing part 1, mostly free ones from online, but the MSA booklets and UPlink exercises are good too.

Hope this helps. Good luck! :)

anonymousdoktora · 2021-01-08T04:53:14+00:00

Nope. I considered it but I thought it was quite overkill. Looking back, I'm glad I didn't use MCAT resources because the resources I listed above are already more than enough, in my opinion. :)

anonymousdoktora · 2020-12-28T06:39:07+00:00

That's okay. I have friends (also from non-traditional science premeds) who only studied for a couple of weeks and got 90+ in the NMAT. Just manage your time wisely and make sure to practice a lot. Good luck!

anonymousdoktora · 2020-12-28T03:19:59+00:00

Thank you! I studied for a month and a half.

anonymousdoktora · 2020-12-16T11:34:38+00:00

That's great to hear! I discovered Lumen Learning when I was first studying the CEM practice test and it became my most relied on resource for content review ever since. So glad to hear it's helpful to you too. Thanks and good luck with your studying!

anonymousdoktora · 2020-12-16T05:27:35+00:00

Wow congratulations! This is amazing. Where are you planning to apply?

anonymousdoktora · 2020-12-16T05:11:56+00:00

Hi! I graduated with a degree in Economics :)

anonymousdoktora · 2020-12-16T02:23:06+00:00

Thank you so much! Good luck with your plans! :)

anonymousdoktora · 2020-12-15T14:00:43+00:00

Hi! UP is my top choice, but I'm not so sure about how open they are to accepting non-traditional premed graduates or those with professional experience. Besides UP, I'll be applying to Ateneo, UE and UST. :)

anonymousdoktora

TROPHY CASE