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I am 51 yrs old am I to old?
Started by houstongirl
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Where are you in your process?
I have two masters already .
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So you have finished all of the premed prereqs and are ready to take the MCAT?
But be prepared to answer that question 1000+ times in the next two years. Take the April MCAT and do well to prove your brain can still do those damned tests, get everything in EARLY (I'm NOT kidding EVERYTHING includes your transcripts from all schools and LORs) to both DO and MD schools and see what happens.
Seriously, what's the worse thing that can happen if you try? You won't get in..... and what will happen if you don't try? Same answer. Difference is you'll wonder what would have happened if you don't try.....
Seriously, what's the worse thing that can happen if you try? You won't get in..... and what will happen if you don't try? Same answer. Difference is you'll wonder what would have happened if you don't try.....
I think this descision is difficult to make at any juncture. Those going straight through from undergrad worry if 'life experience' would have helped. Those that took a few years off wonder why their brain forgot everything or why it takes 5 years at night to finish 2 years of science pre-req classes. And those older non-trads wonder when they will really be too old. That last question is for you to decide. What else are you going to be doing for the next 20 years that will make you happy? What is your specific situation. A lot of things come into play. Good luck making a difficult decision.
I say yes, you are. I'm a fourth year medical student just so you know where it's coming from. Medicine is a lot different once you are in it. I would not do it if I were already established in life, etc. Do something more fun!
Like everyone stated, be prepared to answer the many questions that adcoms might have concerning your age. If you have already fullfilled the prereqs, then def. go ahead and apply. But I would think that you would need to be above the average (in regards to MCAT score and GPA) in order to be competitive. Also, if medicine is what you really want to do, then keep your options open. I am not sure whether you would be willing to go to the caribbean or even doing a DO, but I would think that you would'nt want to spend years applying if you didn't get in the first time into a MD program.
So my advice is to research the MD programs (look how many non-trads that they accept, average age, etc). Then apply to MD and DO programs!
Good luck!
It really depends on you and on your financial situation. We have a guy in our class who's in his mid-50s, so it's doable. Personally, I'd feel uncomfortable borrowing six figures for school in my fifties, and I'd wonder if you would really have enough working years to comfortably pay it off.
You are never too old, but there are certainly issues.
First, as was suggested in this thread, if you have to borrow money for med school you may never get far enough in your career to be debt free. This may make for a very financially unsecure golden years.
Second, how is your health and stamina? -- medicine is not a desk job and you are going to be expected to be running around the hospital and being on your feet up to 30 hours in a row during rotations and residency.
Third, you do realize that you will be decades older than your classmates, and by the time you get through school and residency training many people your age will be retiring?
Finally, there really won't be many people out there similarly situated. Most of the "older" nontrads out there will be in the 27-40 age group.
If none of these things bother you then go for it. Good luck!
There's a 51 yo guy in my class.
6
63768
i am shadowing a physician who entered medical school at the age of 54. she had originally wanted to be a physician but was rejected because she was a woman. became a schoolteacher for decades and after her kids grew up, she wanted to go back to live her dream. she's a family physician and 70.
QofQuimica
Seriously, dude, I think you're overreacting....
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I agree with Law2Doc (as usual 🙂 ) Med school is a huge undertaking at any age, but you in particular would have some major obstacles to overcome, not the least of which will be bias against you because of your age. (Just read some of the earlier posts in this thread.) First, you will have to take the MCAT and do very well, which is not an easy thing to do. Statistically, non-trads over age 30 are the lowest-scoring age group. The AAMC doesn't keep separate tabs on MCAT scores for people beyond the early 30s, but the general pattern is a consistent and significant decline in MCAT scores from age 19 to the early 30s. You will have to beat the odds, so to speak, and you will not be given a break just because you went to college ten, twenty, or thirty years ago. (If anything, your record will be scrutinized MORE if your pre-req grades are old.) The financial issues are significant, as are the lifestyle issues. Are you married and/or do you have children living at home? How will this affect them? Are they supportive? If they aren't, that's going to be very hard on you. Med school is stressful enough even when you have a very strong support system. Finally, I don't have any sense of why you want to go to med school. Any older applicant has to justify their decision to switch careers, but you in particular will be scrutinized closely. Why do you want to switch careers now, when you should be entering the prime earning years of your previous life? Giving that up is not something to take lightly.
I hope these thoughts are useful to you, and best of luck with whatever decision you make. 🙂
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I know people here say you're a little on the old side to undertake med school and by traditional standpoints I say yes....but I've actually met people in their 60's who worked for the govt. got good retirement benefits and actually went back to school to get degrees...whether they be undergrad, grad and professional schools! law school, u name it. Its was their free time and that's what they wanted to do with their free time! Retirement can be boring??? maybe?? I dunno.
I guess just be prepared to have endurance in med school it will be tought physically and mentally and u won't have the same stamina as the rest of your peers...but are u too old? I don't know. Many people go back to school at different points in their life...if you are financially viable, and really want it I say go for it...it doesn't hurt to try.....besides it doesn't hurt to keep the brain sharp!! 😀
I guess just be prepared to have endurance in med school it will be tought physically and mentally and u won't have the same stamina as the rest of your peers...but are u too old? I don't know. Many people go back to school at different points in their life...if you are financially viable, and really want it I say go for it...it doesn't hurt to try.....besides it doesn't hurt to keep the brain sharp!! 😀
FWIW, unlike law schools and other graduate degrees, med schools are going to more strongly discourage and weed out folks who just want to go to med school so as not to be bored or use their free time during retirement. This is not a program for folks who just have idle curiousity, it is one for folks who want to practice. There is a looming shortage of doctors and med school seats are finite, so someone who doesn't truly want or plan to practice at all ends up generating one less valuable resource, and the med school fails in its mission. Thus while you absolutely will see a handful of retirees from government and other fields going back to law school to stave off boredom, which schools don't care if you ever become a lawyer or sit for the bar as there are already plenty of lawyers, you almost never will see someone admitted to med school doing the same thing. But this is not really the OP's situation, as 51 is not exactly ancient, and generally not retirement age, and if the OP is of good health and stamina, she could probably still work for over a decade post-residency. (And with student loans will probably have to), which should be enough to satisfy med schools.
Whenever I see discrimination (in this case age discrimination) I'm always curious to ask a few questions/thoughts:
1) Regarding finances, why are people here assuming the OP either a) Can't get a scholarship to med school like the "young" people frequently do b) attend a state school like the "young" people do, and thus not incur so much debt or c) Have saved enough money to attend med school?
2) People like to talk about young people having more stamina and I really don't get how on earth that's possible when so many of the so called "young" people I attend school with are over weight and out of shape. The OP is in that generation of folks that started tht excecise /fitness revolution in this country so why isn't the assumption being made that she DOES have the stamina that probably rivals her younger counterparts?
3) Another advantage the OP may have OVER younger students is that she will likely have already had her children. That means she won't have to worry with childcare or infertility for delaying childbirth, like others will have to.
4) All things being equal except age, I'd pick an older physician over a younger one in a heartbeat because I've seen maturity save lives and the hubris of youth almost kill others.
Having said that, I think others are correct in stating that you will encounter discrimination just stay encouraged by other "groups" that have experienced discrimination. Prepare well (key point here), give it your best shot, and try again if not successful the first time!
Best of luck!
1) Regarding finances, why are people here assuming the OP either a) Can't get a scholarship to med school like the "young" people frequently do b) attend a state school like the "young" people do, and thus not incur so much debt or c) Have saved enough money to attend med school?
2) People like to talk about young people having more stamina and I really don't get how on earth that's possible when so many of the so called "young" people I attend school with are over weight and out of shape. The OP is in that generation of folks that started tht excecise /fitness revolution in this country so why isn't the assumption being made that she DOES have the stamina that probably rivals her younger counterparts?
3) Another advantage the OP may have OVER younger students is that she will likely have already had her children. That means she won't have to worry with childcare or infertility for delaying childbirth, like others will have to.
4) All things being equal except age, I'd pick an older physician over a younger one in a heartbeat because I've seen maturity save lives and the hubris of youth almost kill others.
Having said that, I think others are correct in stating that you will encounter discrimination just stay encouraged by other "groups" that have experienced discrimination. Prepare well (key point here), give it your best shot, and try again if not successful the first time!
Best of luck!
N
njbmd
Is 51 too old? In terms of just the age, 51 is not too old. The University of Maryland accepted and graduated a 61 year old female in the 1990s. There have since been a couple of medical students in their 60s who have been accepted and attended medical school.
The oldest person in my medical class was 53 when he started. He is now in Family Medicine working on a Native American reservation in South Dakota. There were three students in my class that were in their late 40s who are now either in residency or practicing.
Yes, you will be asked about your age (which is number) and your stamina (which is an individual matter). There are plenty of 21 year olds out there who do not have the stamina for medical school and are happily doing something else.
What you have to realize is that like any other applicant to medical school, you have to meet the admission requirements, have extra curricular activities that show that you are interested in serving your fellow humans and excellent letters of recommendation from professors who know you well. In addition, you have to have the willingness to sit in a classroom and go through clinicals and residency with students who are half your age.
Other than that, make your application competitive and apply. Your age is not going to keep you out as a single factor.
The oldest person in my medical class was 53 when he started. He is now in Family Medicine working on a Native American reservation in South Dakota. There were three students in my class that were in their late 40s who are now either in residency or practicing.
Yes, you will be asked about your age (which is number) and your stamina (which is an individual matter). There are plenty of 21 year olds out there who do not have the stamina for medical school and are happily doing something else.
What you have to realize is that like any other applicant to medical school, you have to meet the admission requirements, have extra curricular activities that show that you are interested in serving your fellow humans and excellent letters of recommendation from professors who know you well. In addition, you have to have the willingness to sit in a classroom and go through clinicals and residency with students who are half your age.
Other than that, make your application competitive and apply. Your age is not going to keep you out as a single factor.
OP- You're going to come across some age discrimination, but you can get past it. Apply to both MD and DO (osteopathic schools have historically been more accomodating to nontraditional applicants) and have a thick skin.
Also, don't be too frustrated by SDN. Keep in mind that many posters are going to be in their early 20's and see 51 as very, very old.
Also, don't be too frustrated by SDN. Keep in mind that many posters are going to be in their early 20's and see 51 as very, very old.
(c) is a possibility, which is why most of the posters in this thread prefaced their posts with "if" the OP has to take out loans. But as to your other points, have you priced state schools? They are cheaper but certainly not cheap. Most people still borrow a ton to go to them. Also most people, young or old, get very little or nothing in the way of scholarships in med school and the vast vast majority of people who attend have some level of student loan.
Good post, 1Path. On all points.
I am pretty consistently suprised by the fact that premeds I come across have been some of the least fit people I know. Many are nominally health conscious (don't smoke, don't eat too much fast food), but I get the impression that excersize for many is put on a back burner due to books.
I am 34 and run marathons and triathlons, though I'm no great athelete. I am routinely beaten by folks in their fifties.
I worked an 11pm-4am shift at the ER after long daytime responsibilities and would work amongst premeds who were leaning against walls and slouching around the place due to fatigue. If the OP has lived a life of good diet and exercize, s/he will as much energy as your average premed applying to med school.
Very true. For financial caveats for someone applying in their fifties, I would hope they have a pretty good retirement plan set up. Paying off student loans in 10 years is very very do-able, but you many not have as much as you'd expect afterwards to set aside for retirement.
Well, I focused on finances because I'm borrowing a ton of money to attend school, and that's not an unusual experience for both the young and the older medical students. Have you looked at the average level of indebtedness for students even from the supposedly cheap state schools?
I think you're seeing discrimination where it doesn't exist.
N
njbmd
There are plenty of programs out there that will pay your tuition (even at age 51) such as the Public Health fellowships for primary care. Also, if your grades and MCAT exam scores are high, you can get a full-ride tuition scholarship. Finally, many practices (I have four offers sitting on my desk now) will pay off your student loans if your join their practice.
Don't let finances keep you from applying as there are loads of options out there where age is not a factor. My classmate who started medical school at age 53, had a Public Health fellowship that has paid all but one year of medical school for him. He will have no problem paying back less than $35K even on a primary care salary.
I think it may be a little like the Doppler Effect. What you see or hear (perceive) depends on where you stand. Someone standing on the "twenty-something" tier of the age time line may see things markedly different than someone in their 50s with the chance to attend medical school. The medical community has a history of accepting diversity so I think someone with the intense desire to pursue a career as a physician and has the stats, health, etc., should be given the chance.
While these programs and scholarships exist, they hardly cover a large percentage of med students, and primary care debt forgiveness type programs, where available, tend to limit your career choices significnatly, which may or may not be appealing to the OP. As I and others stated above the VAST proportion of people in med school have little or no scholarships and are going to school via debt financing. If folks can line up other options, fantastic, but it is not the norm.
The only time you're too old is when you're dead. I'm 50, working on completing my premeds. I've spent 25 years "settling" in my working life, accepting jobs simply because someone offered me a job and I needed the money. There's been no joy, no passion, no sense of accomplishment, and I've had no positive impact on someone else's life. The thought of continuing in this vein for another 20-some-odd years puts a knot in my stomach the size of a basketball. I refuse to "settle" any more. I've always dreamed of being a doctor and now that I'm back in school, volunteering, and shadowing doctors, my life is filled with joy, passion, and a real sense of purpose. As for the financial end of things, I make so little now, I'd never be able to retire anyway. If I'm going to work till I drop anyway, why not work at something I love?
So, if being a doctor is your dream, don't let anyone talk you out of it. Also, check out OldPreMeds.com - a wonderful site with lots of practical advice as well as lots of posters happy to be a source of encouragement.
So, if being a doctor is your dream, don't let anyone talk you out of it. Also, check out OldPreMeds.com - a wonderful site with lots of practical advice as well as lots of posters happy to be a source of encouragement.
At 51, I would think very long and hard about whether you want to do this. You will be 60 by the time you finish your training. Do you want to spend your 50s working these long hours, being supervised by people 30 years younger? It may be a stretch to say "too old" but 51 is getting to the point where you really really want to make sure. I also think you'll encounter very significant age discrimination, and frankly, there is a case to be made. Why should tax dollars be spent on someone who will likely practice for 10-15 yrs at most, when it could be spent on someone who will practice 40+ years.
Cliches about how you're never too old or how age doesn't matter are not helpful.
You will probably do better if you can make a credible case that you'll practice in an underserved area or otherwise fill an unmet need.
What are your alternatives, by the way?
Cliches about how you're never too old or how age doesn't matter are not helpful.
You will probably do better if you can make a credible case that you'll practice in an underserved area or otherwise fill an unmet need.
What are your alternatives, by the way?
They're going to be 60 in 9 years regardless, so why not be 60 and doing something you love and that is of benefit to others as well? As for how long they may practice: no one is guaranteed even the next second, let alone the next 40 years. There are many who went the traditional route who didn't practice even TWENTY years (careers cut short by choice as well as by death or incapacity) and some who didn't practice at all (the author Michael Crichton, comes to mind). The argument regarding tax dollars being spent on younger vs. older students doesn't hold water. Our tax dollars are spent on much older people for jobs that quite often last a much shorter time: politicians such as the President or Congressmen. The President can serve for a maximum of TEN years. Your argument would have kept the majority of our presidents from ever being elected.
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Yes. No though IF you would like to die young from all the stress. Do you have a large insurance policy with benefactors in need of $$?
While your point is an often repeated one that may come up, there is really no guaranty that tax dollars spent on making a 21 year old a doctor are going to be better spent, though. There are always a handful of folks who never practice or just decide down the road that medicine is not for them. Lots of people make career bad decisions when they are younger -- most career changers can tell you this. So probably better a well thought out 51 year old than a poorly thought out 21 year old. And one could argue that 10-15 years is a better yield if the OP decides to go into a more needed field or area.
Yes but there is a huge financial and time cost involved. You could do a lot of things with that time and money.
What is the point of mentioning anecdotes about young people who didn't practice a long time? Of course these are all probabilistic considerations. The point is that a 22 year old , or even a 30 year old, has a much higher expected time practicing, even considering the 22 year olds who never practice.
[/QUOTE]The argument regarding tax dollars being spent on younger vs. older students doesn't hold water. Our tax dollars are spent on much older people for jobs that quite often last a much shorter time: politicians such as the President or Congressmen. The President can serve for a maximum of TEN years. Your argument would have kept the majority of our presidents from ever being elected.[/QUOTE]
Are you crazy? I don't want to be rude, but this makes no sense. We are talking about tax money spent on training doctors, which has nothing to do with tax money spent on elected representatives, missiles, highways, and so on. We are going to spend that money on training some doctor. It can go to train the 51 year old or someone much younger. That is the point.
Yes, but as I said in the other post, this is a probabilistic consideration. The expected practice time for a much younger person is still higher. And don't forget there is some chance the 51 year old will never practice, for a variety of reasons. It's not riskless. I do agree if he practices in a much needed area that could make it worth it. I'm not necessarily against a 51 year old going to med school, I just think these responses are too rosy, out of a well meaning but misguided agenda to promote an all accepting view of non trads. Because if a 30 year old admits that a 51 year old is too old, then what's to do stop a 22 year old from saying the 30 year old is too old?
Just to be clear, I am most definitely not saying 30 is too old to start med school!
W
Wizard of Oz
Go for it if you want to do it and you've done the research.
Perhaps. I would say the OP should definitely read the posts of both directions with a jaded eye. Everything will be an uphill battle, and nothing will be completely rosy. But it can be done.
QofQuimica
Seriously, dude, I think you're overreacting....
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Lifetime Donor
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I agree with you that the OP has given us no sense of why she wants to go to med school, which makes it hard to for us to "know" whether she should (or at least whether we think she should!). I think the point that people are trying to make though is that her age in and of itself is NOT a factor that would prevent her from being a physician, if certain other criteria were met.
I also want to point out that your tax dollar argument doesn't hold much water when you consider that many non-trads have spent several years contributing tax dollars into the system, while large numbers of their trad classmates have yet to pay in a single cent (and in fact have spent their entire lives as net resource consumers in many if not most cases). I'm not meaning to be judgmental when I say this; I'm just pointing out that most young people consume more resources from society than they contribute in large part because they are young. On the other hand, if the OP is a professional who has worked full time for the past thirty years, she may well have already paid enough in taxes to cover her entire medical school training many times over. Just take a look at the thread entitled "what salaries are you giving up for medical school?" and you will see what I mean. So I don't think you can legitimately tell her that she would be wasting "our" tax dollars if she has spent thirty years as a taxpayer and net contributor to society, at least not by arguing that it is "better" to spend the tax money that SHE paid in on someone else who has yet to contribute any tax dollars at all. 😉
jesus, all you people saying 51 isn't too old... 😕 😕
Then when is too old? 70? 75? 80? 90? WTF!!
Then when is too old? 70? 75? 80? 90? WTF!!
Given that there have been people over 51 who have gotten into med school, it would be foolish to think the line must be drawn there.
Then again, you are a dental student who spends way too much time making rude lightbulb jokes on the pre-allo board, so your input is somewhat suspect.🙄
Huh? First, the trads will eventually contribute the same, probably more depending on what the OP was doing. They just haven't reached that point yet. Second, and more to the point, the efficiency or waste of particular tax spending has nothing to do with the amount contributed by the person who is the target. The tax dollars will be allocated for a med student. It could be the OP, it could be someone else, who, almost certainly would be younger. The efficiency has nothing to do with who has contributed what in the past.
By the way, you might want to think through the implications of what you're saying. Do you really want to say that it's less wasteful to spend tax dollars on people who have contributed a lot (i.e. rich people) than people who haven't (i.e. poor).
This is the kind of comment I find here that bothers me just a little because there seems to be some intellectual dishonesty involved. Do you really believe this argument you're making? I wonder if that other poster really believed the argument about the president. Law2Doc's argument was at least reasonable if the premise was right about expected years practicing (which it wasn't). But this one and the president one cause some serious head scratching!
Why can't you just say that yes, it would be in some sense a waste of tax dollars (assuming displacement of another student), but that shouldn't stop the OP?
I think the answer for the OP is to think about what he could do with equal opportunity cost, such as, if feasible with work, taking a couple years off and traveling around the world. If the OP really prefers med school to the other opportunities with such huge cost, then go for it. It's up to med schools to decide if it's a waste of tax dollars.
QofQuimica
Seriously, dude, I think you're overreacting....
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Lifetime Donor
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Will they? How are you going to guarantee that? You might argue that they MOST LIKELY will contribute it all back, and I'd agree with you in most cases, but my point is that there's no guarantee that your hypothetical trad won't get hit by a bus on his way home from the graduation ceremony, in which case he'll have contributed absolutely nothing to society in return for his expensive education. At least our non-trad has already contributed a known amount of cash even if he were to die tomorrow. Not that I'm suggesting that non-trad lives are any more expendable, mind you. 😉
Why not? When we pay people's social security or pensions, how much they contribute into the system DEFINITELY affects how much they get out. You've heard of the golden rule, right? (He who has the gold makes the rules.) If someone contributes money into the system, why should they not get some say in how it gets spent?beetlerum said:
Come on, now, there is no need for you to be condescending toward me just because I don't agree with you, is there? No, that's not what I'm saying at all. I happen to believe that it's not any more wasteful to spend the money on an older student, versus a younger one, and that's the point I'm trying to make. I am definitely NOT trying to argue that we as a society should not invest in those who are young and have yet to contribute. It would be very hypocritical of me to make such a statement, and I recognize that. I do think though that younger people should understand that the education we receive while we are young is paid for by those same older people, and we shouldn't begrudge them getting some benefit from their work too.beetlerum said:
Well, I can't honestly say that I like YOUR argument much better. So maybe we'll both just have to both live with the fact that some other people think about things differently than we do. 🙂beetlerum said:
Why can't YOU just say that you believe it is my right to randomly shoot people dead in the street at my own personal whim? Naturally, you won't say that you agree with that statement because you don't believe it (I hope!). Likewise, I can't say what you want me to say because I don't agree with you that it is wasting tax dollars to spend them on educating older students. Sorry.beetlerum said:
No arguments here. In the whole scheme of things, what you and I believe doesn't really matter, because you and I aren't the ones in the position to make the decision. 🙂beetlerum said:
if one of the main factors in being considered 'worthy' of a medical education is years you will spend in practice then we need to consider lots of different variables.
is there a history of heart disease in your family? are you fat? do you smoke? how much do you drink? any other risk factors? how old are you?
maybe now we can make an educated decision on who to let study medicine. and..who's to say tax dollars will be spent in this process anyhow?
is there a history of heart disease in your family? are you fat? do you smoke? how much do you drink? any other risk factors? how old are you?
maybe now we can make an educated decision on who to let study medicine. and..who's to say tax dollars will be spent in this process anyhow?
I think you are much too old to enter medicine. And, here's why:
In terms of the number of years of contribution you are likely to make in the field, it is likely to be 20-30 years less than that of someone who may be competing for the same spot.
you're 51 now. if you start next year, you'll be 52. add 4 years of medical school= 56.
now, medical school is not just about studying and working hard... its about being up for 24-36 hours at a time on surgical rotations... sleeping little much too often. further, i think that the stress this places on your body at an older age can be very challenging.
now, let's assume you make it through medical school and then follow it up with a minimum of a 3 year residency during which your hours are as hellish ~ 80 hours a week. now you're 59 and a starting physician.
i think that if you want to be in the field of medicine - consider going the route of physician's assistant. in my opinion, you'll be able to have more years of actual practice and the training is 2-3 years rather than a minimum of 7. plus, if you ever get sick of a field, you can jump ship and hop into another without having to repeat a residency.
i think the biggest issue is the number of years you're able to provide for the people who need you the most (patients, and family). your time in medical school will be very draining... tiring. i know a number of students who during their 3rd year look back and say, 'no way i'd do this again.' truth is, you never appreciate how hard or grueling the work can be until you're there. anyway, do what makes you happy.
p
In terms of the number of years of contribution you are likely to make in the field, it is likely to be 20-30 years less than that of someone who may be competing for the same spot.
you're 51 now. if you start next year, you'll be 52. add 4 years of medical school= 56.
now, medical school is not just about studying and working hard... its about being up for 24-36 hours at a time on surgical rotations... sleeping little much too often. further, i think that the stress this places on your body at an older age can be very challenging.
now, let's assume you make it through medical school and then follow it up with a minimum of a 3 year residency during which your hours are as hellish ~ 80 hours a week. now you're 59 and a starting physician.
i think that if you want to be in the field of medicine - consider going the route of physician's assistant. in my opinion, you'll be able to have more years of actual practice and the training is 2-3 years rather than a minimum of 7. plus, if you ever get sick of a field, you can jump ship and hop into another without having to repeat a residency.
i think the biggest issue is the number of years you're able to provide for the people who need you the most (patients, and family). your time in medical school will be very draining... tiring. i know a number of students who during their 3rd year look back and say, 'no way i'd do this again.' truth is, you never appreciate how hard or grueling the work can be until you're there. anyway, do what makes you happy.
p
If being fat excludes a person from med school, I'd say about 1/3 of TRADITIONAL students wouldn't qualify either. 🙄
While some of what you say is true, a lot of older nontrads have actually worked very long hours before -- it's the trads who often are more shocked by how hard an 80 hour work week is than the folks who have worked that long in other fields.
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there was a 52 yo woman who flunked out of my class the went to a Caribbean med school and flunked out of it also then went on to law school but couldnt pass the bar.
I suspect there are folks in their twenties who have had similarly bad career trajectories. Doesn't have much to do with age.
But now she is only a few years from retirement, while those 20 somethings have to work another 30 to 40 years.
According to a recent AMSA publication, the fail out rate of US med schools is under 1.5%. So failing out isn't really a huge risk no matter what age you start.
