Am I too old for medical school

[mike1234594]

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[ciestar]

Don't make multiple threads on the same topic.

 

[burntheblobs]

Take a deep breath. You have zero perspective. I worked a few years after college and am now applying at age 26. I definitely still feel young (because I am, dammit). You only feel old because you've never been at the beginning of a 35+ year career path before. Life lasts a long time, dude.

 

[Conflagration]

1. You're not even close to being considered old.
2. A gap year could be a benefit depending on how you utilize it.
3. You seem terrified of the crags in the mountains before you start hiking on the trail, man. Chill.
4. If you're genuinely not sure if you're feeling the MD/DO route, keep shadowing and getting exposure. A gap year isn't jack compared to 4 years of medical school and 3-7 more for residency.

Good luck, OP. 🙂

 

[kxc262]

Hi guys,
Should I feel guilty for starting medical school at age of 23 knowing that I could have started at 21 or 22 if I had the right planning.

So why do you feel guilty starting med school at 23? You need to ask yourself why you want to go to med school. Remember nontrad applicants are different because they did not follow the traditional paths. Spend your gap year wisely and use that time to build important experiences. You want to demonstrate personal growth.

 

[IL Pre Med]

 

[ThisCouldBeYou]

Gotta get rid of all that angst. You're 21 yo, done well so far. Worrying doesn't really add anything. Just, when you do apply, do it right the first time so it's your only time. 1) study the MCAT so your AAMC tests come up to where you'd expect them to be. (Check all the answers so you understand what you did wrong. Take those tests only once, since multiple times will give you a false read.) 2) get the MSAR and pick a range of schools that suit your profile 3) apply to your IS schools, a few reaches, and a handful of "just rights", about 15-20 in all. Have a good story to tell in your primary/secondary/interviews and GL.

 

[mik30102]

I'll hopefully be starting my MD at age 23... If you want retrospect imagine being 2 years delayed and finishing a pharmacy degree before applying 😛 You'll be fine.

 

[Ismet]

merging duplicate threads.

 

[Afford]

One year later isn't a big deal. I met many people in college who took a gap year in between high school and college or took two years for the Korean army and you couldn't tell them apart from everyone else. I'm spending my gap year doing something new that I would never have done if I entered medical school right away. It's also a great topic for those "tell us more about yourself that's not on your AAMC application". There are people who start medical school when they're 40+

 

[Mr Roboto]

Not even close to too old.

 

[DermViser]

I has always been my dream to become a physician and one of the things that scare me is that maybe i'll not be smart enough and end up being a failure.

I am 21 years old and I always feel that I am very old knowing that I won't be able to apply to medical school until next year ( 2015), and consequently I will start med school at age of 23( 1 gap year).

I feel really guilty for not applying this cycle because to be honest I did not study for my MCAT the right way( it really surprised me, because I have never had a problem with my premed courses.

what really makes me feel guilty is that most of my classmates are going to start medical school either this year or the next and I haven't even applied yet.

Moreover, I am really scared that if I start at age 23 I will be 27 when i am done with my MD( I am scared that I won't do well on my USMLE and not match for residency.)

I am just afraid of being a failure at age of 27 and wish that I did not choose this path in the first place.

All those ideas are just spinning in my mind right now and pushing me back from focusing on the real thing which is the MCAT.

Should I feel guilty for starting medical school at age of 23 knowing that I could have started at 21 or 22 if I had the right planning.

Is taking a gap year that bad, should I feel guilty about it and will I be successful in medical school.

 

[ciestar]

I think a gap year could benefit you. Just calm down and worry about yourself, it's your future, not their's.

Average age of matriculant is around 26 now. So define old.

 

[Conflagration]

Thank you guys, I felt better after sharing my thoughts. What about that I keep comparing myself to my college friends who have taken their MCAT already, and some of them have already applied. I just keep comparing myself to others because we were all in the same circle, we were all on the top 5% of the class and now I am the only one who did not apply and took is MCAT. This is why I started thinking that I might not be smart enough to get into med school and complete my USMLE successfully( which is harder than the MCAT.)
My questions might be a bit weird but to be honest that's what's going in my mind now. I really started having a lot of self doubt.
Again sorry for the multiple thread, I didn't do it intentionally, I just didn't know how to edit my title.

I'm not sure if you'll take any of this to heart, but you really shouldn't compare yourself to other people. It's a self-destructive thought pattern at its worst and it's just entirely too stressful to continue to perpetuate. It's not fair to you or to your friends, who I'm sure have probably caught some heat from you because you're frustrated and just want to be in their shoes for a while.

A gap year is not indicative of intelligence; there are plenty of stupid people that get degrees in four years, and plenty of smart people who need more time for their degrees and more time to get themselves ready for the app cycle. It doesn't make you stupid to take your time.

As for your general anxiety about the USMLE, it's really not warranted. You don't win wars sending everybody to all the battlegrounds. You've got to be strategic; and in order to kick the USMLE's ass, you first have to hunt down the MCAT.

So, if you want it, go forth! And if you don't, there's no shame in that, but then you should look for that something else. Alright?

Good luck, OP. 🙂

 

[Goro]

Some of my all-time best students have been in their 30s and 40s. Just graduated one at 50.

So quit fussing.

Thank you guys, I felt better after sharing my thoughts. What about that I keep comparing myself to my college friends who have taken their MCAT already, and some of them have already applied. I just keep comparing myself to others because we were all in the same circle, we were all on the top 5% of the class and now I am the only one who did not apply and took is MCAT. This is why I started thinking that I might not be smart enough to get into med school and complete my USMLE successfully( which is harder than the MCAT.)
My questions might be a bit weird but to be honest that's what's going in my mind now. I really started having a lot of self doubt.
Again sorry for the multiple thread, I didn't do it intentionally, I just didn't know how to edit my title.

 

[Zaids37]

I'm going to be 23 when I first start too! Not too old at all dude if fact I'm pretty sure we're still considered young

 

[ciestar]

Thanks guys, that was very inspiring. I have one more thing that I started thinking of lately. One of my close friends advised me do dental school instead of medical. He said that I would finish in four years and not worry about residencies and start living your life early. I don't really know anything about dentistry school and I am not really interested in it, but should I even give it a thought. I would be 27 years old dentist who just started his job, rather than 27 years old MD( which I am dreaming of) who might not get a residency and end up as a failure. Is that too much too say or even think about, have anybody before thought that they might fail at medical school and end up with no job.

No, I'm more worried about getting into medical school.

I'm applying next year and I'm 23 (almost 24 ) NOW. I'm not too torn up about it. It's reality and i have to take advantage of what I can do for myself right now.

 

[Ismet]

Thanks guys, that was very inspiring. I have one more thing that I started thinking of lately. One of my close friends advised me do dental school instead of medical. He said that I would finish in four years and not worry about residencies and start living your life early. I don't really know anything about dentistry school and I am not really interested in it, but should I even give it a thought. I would be 27 years old dentist who just started his job, rather than 27 years old MD( which I am dreaming of) who might not get a residency and end up as a failure. Is that too much too say or even think about, have anybody before thought that they might fail at medical school and end up with no job.

Dentists have residency too, though it depends on the field you're going into. Same with pharmacy residencies. There's only so much education and practice you can pack into 4 years.

Stop worry about your age. I entered med school and promptly turned 23 a month later. A large chunk of my class took 1-2 gap years, so they started when they were 24-25. Each class at my school has a couple people in their 30s who had completely different careers before deciding on going back to school. You are not old in general, you are not too old for med school, get over the age thing and focus on putting together the best app you can. Also consider talking to a professional (counselor/therapist/etc) about these feelings of self-doubt. You should not be thinking about USMLE before you've even taken the MCAT. One step at a time, or you'll drive yourself nuts.

 

[tofuuu]

Thanks guys, that was very inspiring. I have one more thing that I started thinking of lately. One of my close friends advised me do dental school instead of medical. He said that I would finish in four years and not worry about residencies and start living your life early. I don't really know anything about dentistry school and I am not really interested in it, but should I even give it a thought. I would be 27 years old dentist who just started his job, rather than 27 years old MD( which I am dreaming of) who might not get a residency and end up as a failure. Is that too much too say or even think about, have anybody before thought that they might fail at medical school and end up with no job.

The only problem I see here is that you're letting your fear of failures get in the way of achieving your dreams.

What's the big deal about falling every once in a while? There's always the option to get back up again. If being a physician is something that you really want, then it should be worth it to fall over and over again to get there. Besides, no great success was ever achieved without any failures.

 

[tofuuu]

Thank you, you are right I should not be worrying about those things right now, i should focus more on my present and not my future.
Do you guys have any words of motivation or some personal experiences during your undergrad or med school that you would like to share and think might be inspirational. Like were you ever scared, or a some moments of doubt, for stepping such a big step or even thought about the consequences? I would love too read some personal experiences that would be motivational for many premed on this thread.

Life doesn't always go the way you want it. That's just how life works. But what matters is how you deal with the things life throws at you. You control what you can control and make the best out of your situation. You know, there are many people out there in this world that don't even have the opportunity to pursue their dreams. Worse, there are people who don't even dare to dream because they know that they're not in the right circumstances to do so. We are so privilege to be in the position where we can pursue whatever we want. The only thing that can limit us is ourselves. So don't waste this opportunity because not everyone is as lucky as we are to be born in a country where something called the American Dream exists. Just my two cent.

 

[What's Up Doc]

Lol this could almost be a troll post. "Decent" gpa of 3.9, way younger than most med school matriculants, already stressing about step 1? You'll be fine OP. And there are a ton of threads about gap years, read those.

 

[feeling-dizzy]

Yawn, Are you serious? When I read the thread, I though you are over 40 years old. Seriously, don't worry; I am 28 this years and still applying.

 

[AspiringERMD]

When I read that you were 21 and freaking out because of your age, I assumed it was a typo.