Why do med schools allow 12-year-olds to attend?

Started by cubbbie
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cubbbie

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I think it's hilarious that some med schools will talk up how much they value maturity and life experiences and then, in the very same breath, mention that they youngest person in their class is 12 YEARS OLD!!!

This happened yesterday at a talk by an admissions person from University of Chicago.

Seriously, what's the point of admitting a 12-year-old? There can only be 2 reasons:

1.) Gimmickry

or

2.) The kid has only 8 years left to live and therefore will not be able to matriculate at the normal age and should be given a chance to pursue his dreams.

And yes, I am no doubt bitter that as a 24-year-old who was rejected from U of C, I got beat out by someone half my age. Damn.
 
Orr...the 12 year old is a genius and more mature than most older students>>?
 
cubbbie said:
I think it's hilarious that some med schools will talk up how much they value maturity and life experiences and then, in the very same breath, mention that they youngest person in their class is 12 YEARS OLD!!!

This happened yesterday at a talk by an admissions person from University of Chicago.

Seriously, what's the point of admitting a 12-year-old? There can only be 2 reasons:

1.) Gimmickry

or

2.) The kid has only 8 years left to live and therefore will not be able to matriculate at the normal age and should be given a chance to pursue his dreams.

And yes, I am no doubt bitter that as a 24-year-old who was rejected from U of C, I got beat out by someone half my age. Damn.
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I'm of the idea that we should let kids be....well....KIDS, for chrissake.

However, if this kid is really a genius....should we stop him/her from learning? For all we know, this kid might be the one to make some important discovery in medicine.

There are a lot of things we don't know, since none of us can predict the future. The adcoms are human beings just like you and I, and I'm sure they had some good bases and well-thought out reasons to admit this person into their medical school.

What else can we do but sit and watch what happens?? I guess we will see eventually.
 
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he had a 3.9 GPA from Loyola...

also he probably studies instead of posting on SDN
 
cubbbie said:
I think it's hilarious that some med schools will talk up how much they value maturity and life experiences and then, in the very same breath, mention that they youngest person in their class is 12 YEARS OLD!!!

This happened yesterday at a talk by an admissions person from University of Chicago.
Click to expand...

That 12-year old was admitted to their MD/PhD program with a very high MCAT/GPA. But currently the kid has to finish his graduate portion before starting medical training. He may not have much life experience, but if you think about it, he does sort of contribute to the class diversity there 😉
 
baylormed said:
However, if this kid is really a genius....should we stop him/her from learning? For all we know, this kid might be the one to make some important discovery in medicine.
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I have no doubt this kid is WAAAAYYY smarter than I am now or ever will be, but is there any reason to believe he'll become anything but even smarter in the 8-10 years between now and when he really should enter med school? If he's got the chops for it now, he'll be even better when he's, ok let's be generous, 18. What's the rush?
 
baylormed said:
However, if this kid is really a genius....should we stop him/her from learning? For all we know, this kid might be the one to make some important discovery in medicine.
Click to expand...

You know, we often hear of prodigies being admitted to college and grad school in their early teens, but very rarely do you ever get to hear what happens to them professionally after that. I for one would be very interested to know if these early geniuses really do go on to accomplish great things in their chosen fields.
 
Doogie Howser?!@?#


I wonder how he felt learning the reproductive system from books!!
 
Ok guys. I don't know why some of you are saying, "Oh, these kids are geniuses and a lot more mature than we are." The fact is, most of them are home schooled by their obsessive parents. They have no idea what they want to do or want to be. It has nothing to do with maturity and more to do with following their parents orders. You can't tell me some 12 year old kid on his own steam skipped 10 grade levels, knew he wanted to be a doctor before ever reaching the age where he can watch ER w/o crying, and can prove to the interviewers that he's validated his interest in the field through clinical internships. If you think about it, all of us could have probably entered college or med school 5-6 years earlier at the very least. What the hell do we learn in middle school/high school that's so damn hard or even remotely useful? But the thing is, why would you want to grow up so fast? This guy probably has no life, he can't even get legally drunk for another 9 years and he's in med school. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: I went to UC Berkeley, and there was this article on a brother and sister that are sophomores and they are 13, 14. They dont' even live in the dorms, they get driven to school by their parents. When asked why they wanted to go to college so soon, they said they wanted to and didn't feel they missed a thing. (btw, they were home-schooled). Seriously, what's the use of life if you can't even have a decent college experience. They finish med school 10 years before everybody else and start working their @sses off. By the time they realize it, they've missed their entire childhood/teenager rebellion years/college football years (sounds like child movie stars huh), not to mention that they probably can't get any gf or bfs cuz no one wants to be caught w/ having sex w/ a minor. I feel really sorry for these guys.
 
He's MSTP. He'll be nearly 20 when he's done. He's going into research then, won't primarily be a practicing physician then. He has an IQ over 200. Let him be a miracle worker and stop bitching everyone.
 
In my state you can't get a medical license till you are 21, that alone is reason not to admit him.
 
cubbbie said:
I think it's hilarious that some med schools will talk up how much they value maturity and life experiences and then, in the very same breath, mention that they youngest person in their class is 12 YEARS OLD!!!

This happened yesterday at a talk by an admissions person from University of Chicago.
Click to expand...

Anyone else's respect (and/or interest) in U of C just go down just a teeny bit...? :laugh:
 
Stolenspatulas said:
He's MSTP. He'll be nearly 20 when he's done. He's going into research then, won't primarily be a practicing physician then. He has an IQ over 200. Let him be a miracle worker and stop bitching everyone.
Click to expand...

But you've got to admit that med schools wouldn't view a regular candidate in that way. Or at least they claim not to.
 
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I applied to MD/PhDs at the Ninja Turtles Academy for Biomedical Sciences and the Power Rangers University School of Medicine when I was 12...

Got in to the Turtles Academy (a foot soldier wrote me a great rec), but only as an MD 🙁 I got flat out rejected by PRUSOM, cuz the Pink Ranger was my interviewer and it was her time of the month (she has to wear the Red Ranger's uniform during those 3 days and she hates it).
 
Anyone else realize that in the original Power Rangers, the black ranger was African American and the yellow ranger was Asian American? I should start an AA thread about that...
 
This is crazy, I feel sorry for him because he wont be able to experiance his childhood and teen years as a normal child. But if thats what he wants to do then more power to him, its his decision so ey we cant do anything bout it!!😀
 
How do you spell jealousy?

If he can learn the material and do well on the tests, then he deserves to be there just as much as someone ten years older.

He didn't get the chance to have a prick of a room mate in University, to get trashed at some club, and other notable life experiences that go on in this ten year frame of time - that's a good thing.

Let him study, become a doctor, and when he is of the right age he can go and pass his licensing examinations.

20 years from now it won't make a difference to his patients (if he doesn't just do pure research - like someone above said he might).
 
MDstudent101 said:
This is crazy, I feel sorry for him because he wont be able to experiance his childhood and teen years as a normal child. But if thats what he wants to do then more power to him, its his decision so ey we cant do anything bout it!!😀
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Missing college might suck, but middle school and high school? No thanks!
 
smuwillobrien said:
How do you spell jealousy?

If he can learn the material and do well on the tests, then he deserves to be there just as much as someone ten years older.

He didn't get the chance to have a prick of a room mate in University, to get trashed at some club, and other notable life experiences that go on in this ten year frame of time - that's a good thing.

Let him study, become a doctor, and when he is of the right age he can go and pass his licensing examinations.

20 years from now it won't make a difference to his patients (if he doesn't just do pure research - like someone above said he might).
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Agreed. From what I read from the article, it does not seem like he was forced into medicine by his parents, but rather that it was what he was interested in all his life.
While some of you are bitter and jealous, at least he made it in WITH high grades/high MCAT.
 
The handling of child prodigies has long been a controversial subject. I'm glad W.A. Mozart developed his compositional skills at an early age so that the world was left with the large ouevre of his incomparable music despite a short life. Not sure I like the way his father paraded him all over Europe, though, when he should have been in kindergarten.

I don't necessarily have a problem with LeAnne Rimes winning a grammy at 14 or Shirley Temple starring in 40 films by the time she turned 12. The standard model of development from childhood to adulthood need not apply to everyone and probably shouldn't apply to those with extraordinary talents. It's when those talents are exploited by adults to the potential harm of the child that someone needs to step in. Judy Garland's tragic life might have turned out differently if someone had protected her interests.

In the case mentioned at the beginning of this thread, it's difficult to know whether the child has been pushed to do something he's not ready and eager to do on his own. If he hasn't been pushed into it, I think it's ok as long as he continues to get responsible care and guidance from parents and professors.

I do think it would be questionable for the U of Chicago to look for favorable publicity from enrolling this kid.
 
The irony of all this maturity talk is that I know some 12 year olds that are way more mature than most of my pre-med classmates.

Hec, I wouldn't trust most of the pre-meds at my school to be my doctor, ever.
 
MinnyGophers said:
Agreed. From what I read from the article, it does not seem like he was forced into medicine by his parents, but rather that it was what he was interested in all his life.
Click to expand...
Maybe. But winthug did make a good point in that the kid's road to medical school is awfully alot for a 12 year old... but then so is high GPA and MCAT. I'd think it was some combination of the two. Perhaps he had some inkling of what he wanted to do with his great intellect, and his parents nurtured it and supported it. Whether they crossed that line into crazy parent mode, I'd have to agree there is not enough evidence to say for sure. But definitely is a possibility.
 
MinnyGophers said:
Agreed. From what I read from the article, it does not seem like he was forced into medicine by his parents, but rather that it was what he was interested in all his life.
While some of you are bitter and jealous, at least he made it in WITH high grades/high MCAT.
Click to expand...

He's 12! I have pimples on my nutsack that are older than him.

Regardless, I'm not jealous. I'm glad I went to college and high school; I had a great time. More power to him. 👍
 
Billy Shears said:
He's 12! I have pimples on my nutsack that are older than him.

Regardless, I'm not jealous. I'm glad I went to college and high school; I had a great time. More power to him. 👍
Click to expand...

When you know what you want, you know what you want.
😎

Yeah it sucks that he didnt attend high school/college which is such a big chunk of his life, but you don't miss what you never experienced.
 
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I can't remember how long ago and where I read this, but I do remember reading that these young talented kids end up dying early for many reasons.


little_late_MD said:
You know, we often hear of prodigies being admitted to college and grad school in their early teens, but very rarely do you ever get to hear what happens to them professionally after that. I for one would be very interested to know if these early geniuses really do go on to accomplish great things in their chosen fields.
Click to expand...
 
Sounds like this young person is full of himself.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sho_Yano

I don't care how smart this kid is, I would never have him come close to me in a medical emergency. He is to young and has not lived enough of life to understand life's complexities.

For crying out loud, he probably has not even had a first kiss yet (moma doesn't count). Yes he may read about how hormones work, but does even know what being aroused feels like physically? There is no way he can relate to patients at his young age.

He is better of being used for his smarts in the lab setting for a few years first and then when he goes on a first date and has a first kiss and understands human pleasure, then I might allow me to step in the room and see my medical case (hypothetically speaking).
 
jonathon said:
I can't remember how long ago and where I read this, but I do remember reading that these young talented kids end up dying early for many reasons.
Click to expand...

Completely unfounded guess, but it wouldn't surprise me if more than one was suicide...
 
Depakote said:
That's great... but it takes more than stats to be a doctor. Hell, I'll take a MS3 with life-experience and a 27 MCAT over a 12 year old 4.0, 45 any day.
Click to expand...

True. One can see that he doesnt have much life experience....
He's in the MD/PhD program though, which was probably factored into the decision of admitting in as a scientist vs a practicing doc.
The kid coatuhored a scientific paper. He has the goods.
 
jonathon said:
I can't remember how long ago and where I read this, but I do remember reading that these young talented kids end up dying early for many reasons.
Click to expand...

well, as a kid wiz you start out as a superstar, and you remain a superstar for a period of time ... but eventually you start to flatline, and i think that can be hard to take. eventually you start to go bald and nobody can distinguish you from all the other bald md/phds. the only difference is that while everyone else enjoyed a steady climb to their level of success and expertise, you spiked, hit your head on the ceiling, and had no where to go.

then again, he'll be done when he's 20, so he could go on to get his law degree. he'll finish with that around age 23, so from there he could start thinking about getting into politics. or prior to that he could spend a few years becoming a tai chi master. i guess there are all sorts of possibilities.
 
Depakote said:
That's great... but it takes more than stats to be a doctor. Hell, I'll take a MS3 with life-experience and a 27 MCAT over a 12 year old 4.0, 45 any day.
Click to expand...

I have to agree. I would rather be seen by a well-adjusted adult, by that I mean someone who had their first smoke/beer/kiss when they were 12 or 13, then been seen by a doctor who was in med school at age 12.
 
eternalrage said:
Anyone else realize that in the original Power Rangers, the black ranger was African American and the yellow ranger was Asian American? I should start an AA thread about that...
Click to expand...
Yes but the Red Ranger was never an American Indian, and the Blue Ranger wasn't from New England (or was he?!).

yeah I ran out of anything witty by the time I hit blue.
 
jonathon said:
http://www-news.uchicago.edu/citations/04/040627.yano.html

Looks like many people don't like the idea of this kid being able to see patients at such a young age. How would he react with giving a breast exam or pelvic exam at such a young age?
Click to expand...

Man, after reading this article, I feel SOOOOOOO bad for his younger sister. Forget the prodigy, SHE'S the one who's going to end up having problems.

I grew up in the shadow of my older brother, and it sucked royally, but it was nothing compared to this. Wow.
 
foofish said:
Anyone else's respect (and/or interest) in U of C just go down just a teeny bit...? :laugh:
Click to expand...

U of C is famous for this. Not just in medicine, but in all fields. They're a Nobel Prize factory. They really do rate you on how well they deem you can provide them with notoriety and/or prizes.
 
cubbbie said:
Man, after reading this article, I feel SOOOOOOO bad for his younger sister. Forget the prodigy, SHE'S the one who's going to end up having problems.

I grew up in the shadow of my older brother, and it sucked royally, but it was nothing compared to this. Wow.
Click to expand...

I think it will depend on her parents' expectations of how far she will go as well... But yeah, there is a high chance she'll have some serious inferiority complexes, especially since she doesn't appear to be "as brilliant" as her brother.
 
Natural Light said:
I have to agree. I would rather be seen by a well-adjusted adult, by that I mean someone who had their first smoke/beer/kiss when they were 12 or 13, then been seen by a doctor who was in med school at age 12.
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Dude. His clerkship is the first time he will experience porn when he goes through OB/GYN. I bet someone is gonna have to cover his eyes. 😱 😱 😱
 
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winthug said:
Dude. His clerkship is the first time he will experience porn when he goes through OB/GYN. I bet someone is gonna have to cover his eyes. 😱 😱 😱
Click to expand...

Nah. The kid will bump into porn on the internets by then.
 
I can see a point in this kid’s life where he becomes the director of some medical specialty but then hits a flat line eventually or struggles with understanding how complex life is. In that article I posted, I got the impression that he doesn't understand the conflicts, being the ethical ones, that are present in everyday life. It was even mentioned that this young kid doesn’t understand why his med school classmates keep talking about the grey area with ethical issues. This kid thinks that if everyone would just follow the rules the way they should be followed, there wouldn’t be problems. Ummm, this young kid has a lot to learn about how the American society works.

This young kid needs to study the works of De Carte, Linenback, Locke, Kant, and Polayni. But even if this kid was to read up on the works of these philosophers, he most likely will not be able to interpret the workings of these famous philosophers because he has not had the experiences in life yet to be able to relate to them.

For instance, can this kid, at such a young age, understand what the good life is and how different cultures view death and medical ethical issues (like pulling the plug or having an abortion)? The good life is not just being rich. I doubt he can understand the virtues one needs to practice to lead a good life and the moral issues that need to be discussed and followed to lead a good life?

I would rather have a doctor that doesn’t have a clue about how to spell all 20 amino acids but rather understand the ethical issues with a patient’s autonomy.
 
i'm not pissed about the kid - he's smart so he should do it. i'm more disappointed, like the op, at the fact that the adcoms talk about how they want life experience and not all these young 21 year olds, and then go and admit a pre-teen. sigh, why can't it be all about ability, and not "the game"?
 
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