How much does your age work for you?

[drdan83]

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If wisdom comes with age, how much does every extra year help you out?

30 somethings, on the whole, are wiser than 20 somethings. Does this play a considerable role in the admissions process or do you still just get bunched together in the whole pool of applicants?

 

[n3xa]

If wisdom comes with age, how much does every extra year help you out?

30 somethings, on the whole, are wiser than 20 somethings. Does this play a considerable role in the admissions process or do you still just get bunched together in the whole pool of applicants?

People usually ask me what kind of anti-aging cream I use.

 

[TriagePreMed]

My rudimentary understanding is that ADCOMS prefer 25-30 year old students because they are young enough to have a long career in medicine and have usually had experience and maturity enough to know that medicine is right for them. Once you are over 30, you don't necessarily get discriminated or something like that, but it is questioned why it took you so long to get into medical school and if you're not just a person that's had a bad career and wants to jump ship into something they believe is profitable. These standards are by no way absolutes; it is merely the belief going around. ADCOMS come in all flavors like people in this forum.

 

[shauna]

If wisdom comes with age, how much does every extra year help you out?

30 somethings, on the whole, are wiser than 20 somethings. Does this play a considerable role in the admissions process or do you still just get bunched together in the whole pool of applicants?

For me it has been the advantage of interviewing and industry experience, identifying and improving weaknesses, appreciating opportunities, prioritizing and planning development, simplifying decisions, and finally, not being so hard on myself.

 

[shauna]

Once you are over 30, you don't necessarily get discriminated or something like that, but it is questioned why it took you so long to get into medical school and if you're not just a person that's had a bad career and wants to jump ship into something they believe is profitable. These standards are by no way absolutes; it is merely the belief going around. ADCOMS come in all flavors like people in this forum.

Good to know.

 

[drdan83]

My rudimentary understanding is that ADCOMS prefer 25-30 year old students because they are young enough to have a long career in medicine and have usually had experience and maturity enough to know that medicine is right for them. Once you are over 30, you don't necessarily get discriminated or something like that, but it is questioned why it took you so long to get into medical school and if you're not just a person that's had a bad career and wants to jump ship into something they believe is profitable. These standards are by no way absolutes; it is merely the belief going around. ADCOMS come in all flavors like people in this forum.

I had the same feeling. Luckily I'm in the bracket!

I asked because I think your age equates to experience and that is something that you can use to bolster your application. Now I just have to figure out which specific schools are looking for non-trads.

 

[NightGod]

People usually ask me what kind of anti-aging cream I use.

I get this a lot, too. Almost no one believes I'm old enough to be the father of a 14 yr old and 16 yr old, especially not college-aged people. I still get carded for cigarettes and alcohol every so often.

 

[chrissyxf]

Lucky! I went to a bar with my boyfriend (I'm 26, he's 27). I ordered first and they carded him but not me. ouch.

 

[shauna]

I get this a lot, too. Almost no one believes I'm old enough to be the father of a 14 yr old and 16 yr old, especially not college-aged people. I still get carded for cigarettes and alcohol every so often.

Hopefully increasing numbers of adcoms will realize that age is relative and not fixed.

 

[NightGod]

Lucky! I went to a bar with my boyfriend (I'm 26, he's 27). I ordered first and they carded him but not me. ouch.

LOL that's brutal. When I go with my buddy I often get carded at the door and they look at him and say "you're good".

 

[qtpai]

It's mostly top schools like Hopkins, HMS, UCSF, and Yale. I hear the entire UC system in general likes non-trad students. There are probably others, but these are the ones that come to mind.

This is reassuring. I keep taking my time until I feel really ready, and I hope this will be evident and attractive to medical schools when the time comes. My numbers are good, I'm perhaps even a little mature! So it's time to roll the dice soon.

 

[PlacentaSac]

Add Georgetown to your list. They absolutely love older students here. The faculty and Dean talk about it all the time. They love maturity and real life experience.

 

[NightGod]

It's mostly top schools like Hopkins, HMS, UCSF, and Yale. I hear the entire UC system in general likes non-trad students. There are probably others, but these are the ones that come to mind.

That's awesome to hear. Hopkins is a dream list school for me (even if it DOES snow there)!

 

[BPlaysItCool]

Yeah. I don't what's funnier the grade C movie dialogue or the mutually congratulatory narcissism.

Yes yall are the slightly seasoned, low fat, south beach diet, sex smoothy crowd. Congrats.

Age is palatable as a novelty. Like an olive in a martini. And speaking of martini's. If yall are gonna swagger. At least act like sinatra and martin. And not like sitcom rejects.

 

[jissho]

I am in the 25-30 age bracket and have been told that I look young (some think I look like a highschool student ). I am not going to worry about this one at all when it comes to admissions and interviewing . It's mostly out of my hands.

 

[NightGod]

Yeah. I don't what's funnier the grade C movie dialogue or the mutually congratulatory narcissism.

Yes yall are the slightly seasoned, low fat, south beach diet, sex smoothy crowd. Congrats.

Age is palatable as a novelty. Like an olive in a martini. And speaking of martini's. If yall are gonna swagger. At least act like sinatra and martin. And not like sitcom rejects.

Sweet! I didn't think we had gotten above D grade dialogue! Thanks for the compliment. I'm gonna add this to my AMCAS app for sure.

 

[Quizlet04]

Yeah. I don't what's funnier the grade C movie dialogue or the mutually congratulatory narcissism.

Yes yall are the slightly seasoned, low fat, south beach diet, sex smoothy crowd. Congrats.

Age is palatable as a novelty. Like an olive in a martini. And speaking of martini's. If yall are gonna swagger. At least act like sinatra and martin. And not like sitcom rejects.

Dean Martin or Rowan and Martin of Laugh In? If the latter, does this mean I can finally go back in time and bang Barbara Feldon? SWEET!!

 

[sepho]

Just for comparative purposes, would you say that a "seasoned" non-traditional student would be seen as comparable to a traditional student with slightly higher stats?

 

[EdLongshanks]

Just for comparative purposes, would you say that a "seasoned" non-traditional student would be seen as comparable to a traditional student with slightly higher stats?

No, as non-trads, our academics will be treated just like a traditional student. Because we have more years, we should have more volunteer and community experiences than traditional students have, but this doesn't make up for bad stats.

 

[Nasrudin]

Indeed. The above posters are absolutely correct. Medical school age averages have shifted to the mid 20's.

A class full of doogies is no good. A geriatric class is no good. There are well qualified nontraditionals--replete with bangin stats--pouring into the admissions process.

Expect no breaks. Try to sell what you have. Work it like it's nobody's business.

 

[zetorche]

don't know that it made getting in easier but it sure made it easier once I was. I was 32, married with a 2yo when I started. I had a 3.1 undergrad but somehow, when I went back to school it was all easier. I hardly study except right before a test, I don't even buy most other books people swear by, and I still do better than most of the straight out of college crowd. I attribute it to being able to fit the concepts we are learning into the frame of reference that my age has provided. That, and the young'ns say I seem to have dated women with most of the illnesses we learn about.