Any MD/PhD's that started this process older than 28?

[ely]

knowing the length of some programs and difficulties that might arise with research, i know that some may view this route as more advantageous towards the younger crowd. especially with some situations leading up to almost ten years before you get your degree. i was wondering though if any applicants or current students now are almost pushing the age thirty mark, or more helpful, programs that tend to favor the quality of the applicant rather than how many gray hairs they are sprouting. i know that's the majority of the case for all schools, but wondering if any programs out there have more than one non-trad in their class.

sidenote - neuronix, is everyone in your class right out of college? weren't you a non-traditional applicant from what i recall? (maybe not, so ignore if it's not the case)

p.s. my first post so please forgive if this question has been raised before.

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[TicDouloureux]

There's a guy in my class that started at age 31. He had a master's then worked in a lab for a while I think. And we had a student who was 32 when he started. He was a Catholic priest in his previous life. And a girl in our first year class is in her late 20s I think - she worked as a nuclear engineer in the army. We've had a quite few other students who spent a couple years working in a lab or something before applying. And Mormon students are always a couple years older because they spend 2 years on their mission.

I think as long as you've been doing something constructive (i.e. not working at Taco Bell) during your time after college, and you've demonstrated an interest and aptitude for research, you'll be a fine applicant.

 

[tedrik]

I was told by a friend of mine, a 30+ y/o nontraditional applicant, that UCSF looks favorably on applicants such as yourself. He said that he felt as though his life experience helped him get accepted to their MSTP.

There have been a few applicants such as yourself on MSTP threads, but here are two that I can find:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=55521
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=53703


good luck!

 

[tr]

There's a thread on this topic going on right now in the nontrads forum. I don't recall the title of the thread, but I believe the OP was ZanMD.

 

[Habari]

of the students in the 1st year mstp class here at cornell/rockefeller/ski - about half took more than 2 years off, a handful more took a year off, and the rest are straight out of college. the oldest in their mstp class is 27 or 28, and the youngest is 19 - so quite a range. again - age isn't a compelling acceptance critereon, rather, what you have done with whatever time you have taken, and how much potential it portends.

 

[ely]

appreciate all the help....

 

[Neuronix]

sidenote - neuronix, is everyone in your class right out of college? weren't you a non-traditional applicant from what i recall? (maybe not, so ignore if it's not the case)

I was what some would consider non-trad, but I'm not really any older than most people in medical school. We did have two MD/PhDs in my year start the program at 25, both of which took a few years off, and I've seen students start at up to age 30 in other years. I really wouldn't worry about your age as long as you aren't worried about how long it takes to become a physician-scientist...