Are Younger Applicants at a Disadvantage?

[tabletop]

I've heard that if you apply at age 19 or 20 to med school (meaning that you'd probably be 20 or 21, respectively, when you matriculate) that you're at a disadvantage. Do you think this is true?

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[MrBurns10]

I've heard that it may put you at a slight disadvantage, but if you come off as mature you won't have a problem. Out of my class of 100, we had a 17 year old, a 19 year old, and two 20 year olds...so it can't hurt that much.

 

[Livingapparatus]

I've heard that it may put you at a slight disadvantage, but if you come off as mature you won't have a problem. Out of my class of 100, we had a 17 year old, a 19 year old, and two 20 year olds...so it can't hurt that much.

17? thats crazy

 

[Narmerguy]

It just seems weird for someone 17 to be in med school....jeesh by the time the guy is 21 he'll be diagnosing patients while his peers are getting smashed for the first (legally atleast) time.

 

[175961]

yeah, kudos to the 17 year old....the little basty

 

[WannaBePreMed]

17... I'm thinking there's a lot of sacrifices that have to be made when your that age in med school, but great for him/her

 

[bozz]

I've heard that if you apply at age 19 or 20 to med school (meaning that you'd probably be 20 or 21, respectively, when you matriculate) that you're at a disadvantage. Do you think this is true?

definitely not


it's your experiences that make you mature, not your age. You being 19 or 20 vs. someone being 21/22 means you either skipped a grade, or started school early, or graduated early. So if you count skipping kindergarden nap time as valuable time that can never be recovered, maybe you could make a case that you lack the maturity to enter medical school. Otherwise, it makes absolutely no difference. I doubt a 19 year old who gets to the interview stage is going to be less mature than a 21 year old.

If you have good numbers and ECs, nobody can lay a finger on you. Good luck!

 

[sunny1]

I've heard that if you apply at age 19 or 20 to med school (meaning that you'd probably be 20 or 21, respectively, when you matriculate) that you're at a disadvantage. Do you think this is true?

I think if you can prove that you're mature and have motivation for entering the profession, that's great. Certainly there are younger people who get accepted.

The main disadvantage is that you will have had a limited number of years to accumulate a list of extracurriculars and accomplishments, while the average 23-24 yo matriculant will have had, say, 3 additional years to add to their range of experience.

 

[bozz]

I think if you can prove that you're mature and have motivation for entering the profession, that's great. Certainly there are younger people who get accepted.

The main disadvantage is that you will have had a limited number of years to accumulate a list of extracurriculars and accomplishments, while the average 23-24 yo matriculant will have had, say, 3 additional years to add to their range of experience.

What about the average 21 year old coming straight out of college. Are they at a disvantage?

 

[MrBurns10]

17? thats crazy

oh and he's your typical teen (he's 19 now)...he plays StarCraft during lecture yet still aces everything. he's a cool kid, too.

 

[Bacchus]

17? thats crazy

My son or daughter would be waiting until they're atleast 18 or 19...

 

[tabletop]

What about the average 21 year old coming straight out of college. Are they at a disvantage?

Yeah, that's why this all confused me. If you're planning on doing the standard 4 years undergrad and then going straight to med school (at age 21/22), I don't understand why that would work against you. But the avg age of entering med students is 24, which really surprises me. That means most people take 2-3 years off.

..unless the average is being offset by a bunch of 30-year-olds or something. In which case, it might be nice to know the median

 

[Livingapparatus]

oh and he's your typical teen (he's 19 now)...he plays StarCraft during lecture yet still aces everything. he's a cool kid, too.

well thats badass

 

[tastybeef]

oh and he's your typical teen (he's 19 now)...he plays StarCraft during lecture yet still aces everything. he's a cool kid, too.

He's working on his hand-eye coordination for future surgeries.

 

[fizzle]

He's working on his hand-eye coordination for future surgeries.

Starcraft doesn't require much hand-eye coordination

It's action games (like Counter strike) and such that require it.

 

[tabletop]

dang, is he some type of genius or something? or did his parents just really push him?

 

[MrBurns10]

dang, is he some type of genius or something? or did his parents just really push him?

genius, definitely