![Sarah’s Nontraditional Path to DO School: From Humanities Major to Med Student [Episode 630]](https://cdn-images-3.listennotes.com/podcasts/admissions/sarahs-nontraditional-path-TilGkCWz_H1-2T5h978OYxb.1400x1400.jpg "Sarah’s Nontraditional Path to DO School: From Humanities Major to Med Student [Episode 630]")
Send us your admissions questions!
What does it look like to leave a successful career in book publishing and build a new path to medical school? In this episode of Accepted’s Admissions Straight Talk, Dr. Valerie Wherley speaks with Sarah Shirley, an osteopathic medical student at the Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific, about her journey from English and comparative literary studies to book publishing, premed coursework, and Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) school.
Sarah shares how hospital volunteering helped her test whether medicine was the right fit, why career changers need to take their doubts seriously without letting fear make the decision for them, and how she built a med school application around authentic experiences rather than a “checkbox” list. She also discusses letters of recommendation, the value of staying fully present while shadowing, and the journaling habit that helped her make stronger recommendation requests.
The conversation also explores osteopathic medicine, including what drew Sarah to the DO philosophy, how osteopathic manipulative medicine shaped her understanding of patient care, and why applicants should learn the tenets of osteopathy before writing their secondary essays. If you are a nontraditional applicant, a humanities major considering medicine, or a premed wondering whether your path is too different, this episode offers practical advice and honest encouragement.
00:00 Meet Sarah Shirley: From Humanities to DO School
03:21 Finding Medicine Through Hospital Volunteering
05:14 Deciding to Pursue the Premed Path
08:10 Self-Doubt, Failure, and Changing Careers
14:34 Building a Meaningful Med School Portfolio
22:29 Asking for Strong Letters of Recommendation
30:30 Why Osteopathic Medicine Was the Right Fit
Related Episodes
Follow Us
YouTube
Facebook
LinkedIn
Contact Us
www.accepted.com
support@accepted.com
+1 (310) 815-9553
![How This Reapplicant Got into PA School [Episode 621]](https://cdn-images-3.listennotes.com/podcasts/admissions/how-this-reapplicant-got-IzWELi6BdYu-LYTA7FsP39H.1400x1400.jpg)
![How to Get the Most Out of Premed Shadowing [Episode 620]](https://cdn-images-3.listennotes.com/podcasts/admissions/how-to-get-the-most-out-of-9h8ZrMvLk5s-0rdLayiVUBX.1400x1400.jpg)
![USC Chan Doctorate of OT Program: Innovation, Leadership, and a Holistic Path to Occupational Therapy [Episode 623]](https://cdn-images-3.listennotes.com/podcasts/admissions/usc-chan-doctorate-of-ot-DbS4HmLsxOe--CANSrpG4HU.1400x1400.jpg)
![WashU Doctor of Physical Therapy Admissions: Inside a Top-Ranked Program [Episode 622]](https://cdn-images-3.listennotes.com/podcasts/admissions/washu-doctor-of-physical-HPbkMIUB30i-9F05gOPEClk.1400x1400.jpg)
![How to Get into Touro University California College of Osteopathic Medicine [Episode 619]](https://cdn-images-3.listennotes.com/podcasts/admissions/how-to-get-into-touro-BxRTJv18Xbn-OMWSLetfkdg.1400x1400.jpg)
