age as a limiting factor?

[biojunky]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hi everyone,
I was just told that "A LOT" of medical schools only look at applicants that are over 21 years old and throw out anyone in the pool who is under. I have never heard such a thing. By the time my application goes through, I will be barely 20 years old. I am a 3rd year with senior standing at an accredited college, graduating next year with a bio major and a psych minor with various extracurricular activities. I feel ready to apply this year and am taking my MCAT in less than three weeks, but if the schools aren't even going to look at my app because I'm not TWENTY ONE, then there is no point in applying. This rule seems slightly ridiculous to me though. (I personally know a LOT of twenty one year old's who are a HECK OF A LOT less mature, in a lot of ways, than I am!).
Has anyone else heard of such a rule? Is it a rule that everyone has been aware of except for me? Or is it not even true?
Please respond if you know- especially if you can add in a link or something with evidence to support your claim 🙂
Thank guys.
-biojunky

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Who knows. Medical schools do like their non-trads. But if your 21 and got all the stats and ec's then you'll get into medical school

 

[nm8948]

I have heard of some schools considering the applicants age - but I have always heard that the older you are (usually beyond 23) the worse your chances are. However, I highly doubt that any of these age rumors are true and I can't see the fact that you are 20 hurting your chances. I wouldn't worry about it! Just show that you are a mature an capable person 🙂

 

[chman]

Hi everyone,
I was just told that "A LOT" of medical schools only look at applicants that are over 21 years old and throw out anyone in the pool who is under. I have never heard such a thing. By the time my application goes through, I will be barely 20 years old. I am a 3rd year with senior standing at an accredited college, graduating next year with a bio major and a psych minor with various extracurricular activities. I feel ready to apply this year and am taking my MCAT in less than three weeks, but if the schools aren't even going to look at my app because I'm not TWENTY ONE, then there is no point in applying. This rule seems slightly ridiculous to me though. (I personally know a LOT of twenty one year old's who are a HECK OF A LOT less mature, in a lot of ways, than I am!).
Has anyone else heard of such a rule? Is it a rule that everyone has been aware of except for me? Or is it not even true?
Please respond if you know- especially if you can add in a link or something with evidence to support your claim 🙂
Thank guys.
-biojunky

I have never heard that. Someone went to the UW at age 16.... Anyways, I highly doubt that. However, I do think that you may need to demonstrate maturity a little more than the average applicant. As long as you can do that I don't see any reason why your age should be a factor. But then again, I don't really know for sure.

 

[AH3]

I think two major question marks with younger applicants are maturity and quality/quantity of ECs. They may be plenty smart, but if they have been on the "fast track" through school they may have missed out on some important experiences or never taken the time to truly explore themselves and potential career options. Not saying that's you, as I'm probably only a few months older, but I would guess that's more what medical schools are thinking as opposed to rejecting someone just because their age. So as long as you demonstrate maturity, you should be fine.

Just curious, where did you hear that? Always consider your source.

 

[biojunky]

OK, thanks so much guys! That's exactly what I thought. I think I'm just gonna try this cycle and see what happens.

In response to AH3: The reason I'm younger is that I skipped a grade in ELEMENTARY SCHOOL! So I'm pretty much up to par with everyone else at this point. If there is anything in my application that isn't good enough for medical schools, it is definitely not brought about because of an issue of age. And my source is a person in the health-care profession who has been a mentor to a lot of different students as they went through the medical school process.

 

[imorbust]

I have heard of some schools considering the applicants age - but I have always heard that the older you are (usually beyond 23) the worse your chances are. However, I highly doubt that any of these age rumors are true and I can't see the fact that you are 20 hurting your chances. I wouldn't worry about it! Just show that you are a mature an capable person 🙂

Yeah, I'd assume those rumors are false (especially the bit about age 23), particularly since the average age of matriculants to US med schools is 24-25. 😉 http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/applicantmatriculant/table6-facts2009age-web.pdf

For many if not most schools, they state they do not discriminate based on age. But as for the rest, I think it's usually the extremes of applicant age that might raise questions...if you're a young teen or 30s/40s, but those students still get accepted. On the younger end of the scale, it's only really problematic if you graduate med school before you're 21, as some states have an age requirement for practicing medicine....but that only applies once you have your MD. So matriculating at age 20 or 21, you'll be fine.

 

[red10]

20 isn't significantly younger where i feel like they'd be like "hmmm no the 21 year old is probably more mature" now if you were 18 I can see that being a little bit of an issue.

I was 20 when I began applying because I have a late birthday but I got into schools and when i asked why i was rejected at others no one ever said "well you're a little young for us" hahaha

 

[chman]

OK, thanks so much guys! That's exactly what I thought. I think I'm just gonna try this cycle and see what happens.

In response to AH3: The reason I'm younger is that I skipped a grade in ELEMENTARY SCHOOL! So I'm pretty much up to par with everyone else at this point. If there is anything in my application that isn't good enough for medical schools, it is definitely not brought about because of an issue of age. And my source is a person in the health-care profession who has been a mentor to a lot of different students as they went through the medical school process.

This person could be very good, but it is always good to get multiple opinions. I have heard some "pre-health" counselors say some pretty off base stuff. One told me that I would be screwed without a science major. I have also heard some older doctors say some things that are a bit off. One said that volunteering and shadowing was a waste of my time as far as my app goes. The reason being that the process has changed a lot since he had applied. Just something to think about...

 

[Amrazzz]

looks like we're in the same boat here (i posted a similar question earlier if you want to check it out). I'll be 20 when I graduate, but will be 21 when I matriculate. I don't see how one year should even be considered a limiting factor , even with a mediocre resume.

 

[imorbust]

This person could be very good, but it is always good to get multiple opinions. I have heard some "pre-health" counselors say some pretty off base stuff. One told me that I would be screwed without a science major. I have also heard some older doctors say some things that are a bit off. One said that volunteering and shadowing was a waste of my time as far as my app goes. The reason being that the process has changed a lot since he had applied. Just something to think about...

Exactly. When I was a premed, our advisors made a point to say you should take application advice from physicians with a grain of salt. Many doctors think they know what gets someone into medical school, but few actually know...and the process has changed so dramatically that what was true 10-20 years ago is no longer true (case in point, the science vs. non-science major issue). It's similar to why it's a notorious bad idea to get a family friend/mentor who is a doctor to write you a LOR....they might think they know what makes an impressive letter, but usually they do not, and they also lack the contact/experience to make the letter at all useful or impressive. In terms of the age thing, I would check the websites of the schools you're applying to, but otherwise I wouldn't worry to much. I'm a member of my school's admissions committee, and age has never come up as a factor (positive or negative) in any discussion I've been involved in.

 

[beautifulyou]

You're fine. I also applied and was accepted at age 20 and had no problem. One of the medical school deans that I spoke to even said that the youngest person admitted at that particular school was only 17! By all means, apply!

 

[Danlee07]

I'm gonna be just turning 19 by the time i'm graduating, and I have my ECs.

My only problem is that i was young & dumb. i just got to rebellion stage in teenage years + any freshman's wild side just ended up with me messing up two years instead of just one. I'm guessing you weren't like me, but you have steady ec's and good stats. I'm sure that you'll be fine, but just be prepared to answer how you handled situation blahblahblah at a certain point. I get asked those questions all the time with different stuff i apply to.

 

[loljkttyl]

You can always apply to Mount Sinai, which produced the youngest person ever to become a doctor at the age of 17, according to Guinness Book of Records.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balamurali_Ambati

 

[Daedra22]

I turned 20 this semester, and I've been accepted to med school for the fall. I don't feel that my age has been of any disadvantage, but it may depend on your life experiences. I've been through a lot and I had a lot to talk about, so my maturity definitely was not a question. If you have good qualifications and have proven yourself to be reliable, you should be okay.

 

[Ischemic]

age doesn't matter. If you're qualified they will accept you. If you suck your age also wont matter as you wont' get in

 

[mvenus929]

UNC, I believe, discriminates against younger applicants, and say so on their website. They expect younger applicants who want a chance to have a much better application than someone a few years older.

I was rejected when I applied young, but a large part of it is that I didn't have clinical experience. There are many people who get accepted young, but don't underestimate the value of a year to mature more. I know you think you are mature now... I certainly did as well, but I've grown so much in the past 3 years (when I was first getting ready to submit my application) that I hardly recognize that person anymore. Of course, I didn't listen to anyone who had taken a year off either... I wanted to hurry up and get into medicine, so I suspect you'll come to the same conclusion. Best of luck either way 🙂

 

[armybound]

Maturity will be a concern, but that's what LORs and the interview are for.

 

[searun]

As long as you are old enough to shave and don't look like that 17 year old kid who got booted from American Idol this week, you should be fine.

 

[Maneuver]

Hi everyone,
I was just told that "A LOT" of medical schools only look at applicants that are over 21 years old and throw out anyone in the pool who is under. I have never heard such a thing. By the time my application goes through, I will be barely 20 years old. I am a 3rd year with senior standing at an accredited college, graduating next year with a bio major and a psych minor with various extracurricular activities. I feel ready to apply this year and am taking my MCAT in less than three weeks, but if the schools aren't even going to look at my app because I'm not TWENTY ONE, then there is no point in applying. This rule seems slightly ridiculous to me though. (I personally know a LOT of twenty one year old's who are a HECK OF A LOT less mature, in a lot of ways, than I am!).
Has anyone else heard of such a rule? Is it a rule that everyone has been aware of except for me? Or is it not even true?
Please respond if you know- especially if you can add in a link or something with evidence to support your claim 🙂
Thank guys.
-biojunky

Depends I'll have to see the stoichiometry

 

[Tired Pigeon]

Served on adcom this year. Age was not a consideration, but maturity was incredibly important.

 

[teddy bear doc]

IMO, the argument could be made that any age is detrimental. If you are 20, you could be seen as immature or inexperienced (even if you feel that isn't the case). If you are 30, well you are clearly not dedicated to medicine because if you were, you would have done this 10 years ago... My point is, if sell yourself well, no matter what age you are, you can do it. Good luck to you! If you need a boost on the age stuff, look at ksmi. I think she was 20 when she applied (albeit with an incredible app) and got in like EVERYWHERE. Age didn't seem to be a detriment in her case though; that's what I mean.