How old is too old for med school?

[familyaerospace]

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Oh haha, my bad. 😳 I thought you were female for some reason.

You and @Lawper both.

 

[3838]

Hey guys, I'm going to be about 27 by the time I finish up my bachelors in biology. I plan on applying for med school. By the time I finish med school I'll be 31, not including residency. How many employers actually look at age? Will age affect a residency opportunity also?

That's not too old. A family friend went and re-did medical school at the age of 35/36. She stopped working/OB/GYN is a difficult residency to land as an IMG (the reason my mother is a psychiatrist, not an OB). She just missed medicine/OB/GYN THAT much. Philosophically speaking, if you're not working towards something that will make your life more meaningful, life can be dissatisfying. My parents and family friends (who are physicians in all sorts of different fields - primary care, anesthesiology, psychiatry, OB/GYN, Emergency Medicine, Geriatrics, I could keep going honestly...) have all advised me to not think of med school and residency as something you have to begrudgingly make it through. They said to enjoy the journey -- though exhausting, it can be extremely fulfilling and enjoyable with the right mindset.

 

[IL Pre Med]

That's not too old. A family friend went and re-did medical school at the age of 35/36. She stopped working/OB/GYN is a difficult residency to land as an IMG (the reason my mother is a psychiatrist, not an OB). She just missed medicine/OB/GYN THAT much. Philosophically speaking, if you're not working towards something that will make your life more meaningful, life can be dissatisfying. My parents and family friends (who are physicians in all sorts of different fields - primary care, anesthesiology, psychiatry, OB/GYN, Emergency Medicine, Geriatrics, I could keep going honestly...) have all advised me to not think of med school and residency as something you have to begrudgingly make it through. They said to enjoy the journey -- though exhausting, it can be extremely fulfilling and enjoyable with the right mindset.

I like what you say here about enjoying the journey and I do believe it's true, but this part of the journey sucks! (Applying to get in that is)

 

[FFH]

I know how you feel, I'm 29 now and while I was getting a second undergraduate degree (first one was foreign and MS did not give a S about it). l was taking the same premed course with all the 19 year olds. It definitely feel a little weird seeing that you are doing exactly what they are doing. However, every 19 year old I met in class thought that I was also below drinking age, so I've got that going for me at least.

 

[hmockingbird]

My class has maybe about 10 people who started in their late 20s or early 30s. The rest is pretty evenly split between mid-20s and typical starting right out of college. We also have someone in their 40s going back for a second career. It's not as uncommon as you think!

 

[nemo123]

At one of my schools, we were told that there was someone who was 50+ in the M1 class.

 

[FFH]

I once shadowed a 75 yr Ped ED doctor. He was a philosophy professor for something like 20 years before he started medical school. The school won't take him due to his age, he sued and won. Now he has been practicing for like 16 years if my memory serves me well. The school was U of Texas I believe.

 

[Time Table]

I'm 19, but people say I pass for a 25 year old with a stache and goatee. Idk if i'll keep It during (future) interviews, but it does make look more mature than I really am. So I guess the age comes with a sense of maturity and possible wisdom which you can use to your advantage

 

[moisne]

Hey guys, I'm going to be about 27 by the time I finish up my bachelors in biology. I plan on applying for med school. By the time I finish med school I'll be 31, not including residency. How many employers actually look at age? Will age affect a residency opportunity also?

My school average age of acceptance is 27. Considering I know some fresh out of college, there will also be some 30+