Is 27 too old to go back to school?

[novus_medicus]

I'm 26 right now...and plan on starting my pre req courses in 2007, hopefully the fall, if not the fall, then definately in the spring. I'm apprehensive about starting school all over again...even though I already finished college once without really even trying and got a 3.25.

My goal is to begin my residency as a pediatrician and then go on to specialize in oncology. It would help to hear some other current physicians or those currently in medical school who followed a similar route...



By the way...I just had my first night class of EMT school on wednesday. I'm starting as an EMT because I think the experience would be invaluable and look good on the med school application...I think it would also truly show me a career in medicine is what I want to do and could cut the mustard so to speak in traumatic situations.

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[Beau Geste]

No. I'm 30 and finishing my pre-reqs this coming Spring semester. If you look around the non-trad forum you'll find a few posts about the ages of people that post here, and you'll find plenty of 30+ students doing pre-reqs or in med school. You're a baby compared to most non-trads!

 

[Playmakur42]

Your not even close to being too old. If it's what you want, go for it.

 

[IceMan0824]

You're kinda young. Some people wish they were still 26 and 27 when they matriculate.

 

[novus_medicus]

Your not even close to being too old. If it's what you want, go for it.

Thanks for the encouragement...let me tell you, it was a feeling of great pride sitting down for my EMT class. It isn't a pre req or med school...but its the first step in my plan to become a pediatric oncologist.

 

[Haemulon]

Good luck to you! Your definitely not to old to follow your dream. Welcome to the non-trad club here on SDN I am 30 and am applying this cycle. Being a little older helps us to be more well rounded and focused applicants in many cases, so stick to your plan and don't give up!

 

[NonTradMed]

I'm going to turn 28 soon and I'm a MS1, so no 26 aint too old. Statistically, you will be a few years older than most med students, but that should not be a deterent to entering medical school if this is something you want to do.

 

[ShyRem]

You're definitely not too old. Welcome aboard!

 

[71263]

I have several friends who were 27 or older when we started. Its really not much of an issue.

 

[Zorlio]

If lucky, I'll be starting med school when I'm around 28 (I'm 23 now) and sometimes I think like "hm, i'll be done with residency when I'm around 35" and that sounds old, BUT, if I don't get hit by a bus or die of some disease, I'll be 35 anyway; so I might as well be 35 and a doctor loving what I'm doing (hopefully) or I could be 35 and regretting NOT going to med school. The first choice is much more appealing. Think of it that way if you start to doubt yourself.

 

[usrael]

you can do it!

 

[ithinkican]

Hi novus_medicus. Your post prompted me to finally register here on SDN, after lurking for weeks now.

Just wanted to say that I'm in almost exactly the same position as you. I'm 26, and starting my pre-req courses in 2007. My undergrad GPA was also in the low 3s, but the first time around I had a "get in, get out" kind of attitude, so hopefully I'll do better this time around.

I am VERY apprehensive about starting school all over again... there's a lot of ground to cover, and at 26, I feel like time is not something I have much of. This is easily the biggest gamble of my life, but I think that whether I succeed or not, at least I can say that I tried my best.


It's also ironic that you mentioned the EMT course you're taking. I was reading another thread awhile ago about volunteering as an EMT, and I thought it was a great idea. I was planning to take an EMT course and volunteering after I read that thread.


I wish you the best of luck novus_medicus. Know that you're not the only one going through these rough times.

 

[novus_medicus]

Thanks to everyone...I feel very welcome here and itic...I, along with my wonderful lady friend, decided to become EMTs for a number of reasons...

#1 We both want to be in the medical field...she wants to be a pediatric PA and I want to be a pediatric oncologist

#2 Short educational path...I start working on ambulances before I turn 27 in August.

#3 It's a good test...I have rarely been in an ER situation. The only thing remotely close to it is cornerworking motorcycle races and I have seen some bad crashes...but besides that...not a whole lot...let me tell you...i've done some crazy stuff cornerworking...i remember my brain almost folding on me...I saw one bike go down and then another in the same spot...meaning oil was on the track...i immediately said an expletive and started shouting at the bikes that were racing on the race track..."Oil on the Track! Oil on the Track!" The bikes were only about 40 yards away and operating at over 100 dBa. So I could be 5 feet away and they wouldn't have heard me...it only took me a few seconds as corner captain to tell my buddy to start waving the oil flag and red flag, but it feels like an eternity...and within a few more seconds I was at the corner of the track giving hand oil signals to the riders...I think 5 bikes total went down, primarily because there are so many bikes on the track...anyways...it's applicable to medicine because being an EMT will teach you to think on your feet...

#4 It will prove to you if you can cut the mustard...If you can't handle the poo, the vomit, the blood, the needles...there's no point in going to medical school and wasting years and thousands of dollars...so in a six month time frame...i can see if i have what it takes to respond properly to these things and in an emergency situation...some people have told me you get over the blood and gore...other people have told me students have washed out of med school because of it...I heard some statistic...and i don't remember where, but it said that like 70% of med school students faint at some point in med school...i don't know if that's true or not...but if it is...its a very ominious trait of med school.

#5 Extra money to get me back to med school...i plan on working as an EMT in addition to my full time job...which I won't mind doing because i think it will be a very fulfilling position.

You weigh the benefits...and there's no way i could really say no since i can't start my prereqs immediately...

 

[Wackie]

26 and I started all over on a bachelors. So I'm going to say it's not too late.

By the way...I just had my first night class of EMT school on wednesday. I'm starting as an EMT because I think the experience would be invaluable and look good on the med school application...I think it would also truly show me a career in medicine is what I want to do and could cut the mustard so to speak in traumatic situations.

As an EMT, yes you get some good experience that all of the hours in the world of shadowing wouldn't provide. It can tell you whether or not you can handle the stress of when the cacca hits the fan. It's different taking care of a patient vs watching someone take care of a patient. Prehospital care though, is not what medicine is like. You still need to get some experience with doctors. Medicine is half medicine and half business/politics. You better learn and be okay with the last half because it can cast a large shadow over the medicine.
And it would be wise to treat your EMT credintials as if med schools don't care. It's for YOU, not for a med school.

 

[Mayday]

I'm 30 and just started my freshman year. So you are much better off than me!

 

[medicnick]

By the way...I just had my first night class of EMT school on wednesday. I'm starting as an EMT because I think the experience would be invaluable and look good on the med school application...I think it would also truly show me a career in medicine is what I want to do and could cut the mustard so to speak in traumatic situations.

Novus
While I don't disagree that you will learn some things as an EMT that would be beneficial to you later, there are a few things you should know but might not have heard before:

-EMT's do not typically make very much money (min. wage to $10/hr most commonly IF paid) but that depends on the service and location,
-EMT's work crazy hours (no such thing as 9-5 for most) and spend all of their time with another person who they may or may not like and get along with,
-EMT's work all holidays and some employers pay extra for it
-EMT's frequently do the non-emergent work. This means taking people home from the hospital which means carrying 200+ pounders up stairs and into bed with only one partner to help. This also means picking up people for doctors appointments and driving them there... and back.
-EMT's in some places are partnered with a paramedic and do 911 emergency calls but the EMT in these situations usually serves as the driver (of the ambulance not the driver of patient care). Typically this role is as an assistant to the paramedic.
-EMT's take care of very very few pediatric patients. When treating a critical pediatric patient often the most effective treatment is a bolus of diesel.
-EMT's are taught and practice a very minimal and standardized scope of practice. It is not a position of 'critical thinking' it is a matter of following protocols in most scenarios.

I am not trying to discourage you from becoming an EMT but I have taught/counseled many budding EMTs and paramedics. Very few have been given the "other" side of the story so think the business is just like what they see on TV.

If you really want a clinical experience that will transfer to being a physician I would recommend working in an ED as a tech over working as an EMT. My widest exposure and most critical patients were found in the ED.

BTW, I am 33 and am a transferring sophomore but a freshman for pre-med requirements. I'll be first eligble for MS when I am 37.

 

[southpawcannon]

im almost 27 and gonna take the next few years to take my courses while working a full-time job im not willing to give up just yet. although i have nothing against the kids who get into college, get out after 4 yrs and go straight to med school, i do think sometimes schools should require some real world experience before applying to med school. just my opinion.

 

[novus_medicus]

26 and I started all over on a bachelors. So I'm going to say it's not too late.




As an EMT, yes you get some good experience that all of the hours in the world of shadowing wouldn't provide. It can tell you whether or not you can handle the stress of when the cacca hits the fan. It's different taking care of a patient vs watching someone take care of a patient. Prehospital care though, is not what medicine is like. You still need to get some experience with doctors. Medicine is half medicine and half business/politics. You better learn and be okay with the last half because it can cast a large shadow over the medicine.
And it would be wise to treat your EMT credintials as if med schools don't care. It's for YOU, not for a med school.

That's exactly how I look at it...and my first degree is a bachelor's in business...even though I only finished with a 3.25 gph

 

[abyssinianson]

I'm 26 right now...and plan on starting my pre req courses in 2007, hopefully the fall, if not the fall, then definately in the spring. I'm apprehensive about starting school all over again...even though I already finished college once without really even trying and got a 3.25.

My goal is to begin my residency as a pediatrician and then go on to specialize in oncology. It would help to hear some other current physicians or those currently in medical school who followed a similar route...



By the way...I just had my first night class of EMT school on wednesday. I'm starting as an EMT because I think the experience would be invaluable and look good on the med school application...I think it would also truly show me a career in medicine is what I want to do and could cut the mustard so to speak in traumatic situations.

27? Nope. There are tons of people over 30 who started medical school non-traditionally. I came up a bit short at 28 and I don't think I would have had things any other way. My experiences thus far have been very enriching and I think the time I have spent doing a variety of things before starting medical school has only made my resolve to become a doctor stronger.

 

[amlgarrido]

You're never too old to begin school again. Your age gives you that much more life experience. Good luck!

 

[juleswinfield]

Yeah, you're fine. Check my story out in the signature block - yeah, right down there....

I was lucky in that I already had my prereqs taken care of in undergrad. I did take two upper level undergrad bio courses at my local university this fall just incase I didn't get in this year. I have dropped both of those since getting into Tulane.

Not sure what your situation is but I was really worried about my gpa holding me back and the best advice that I could filter from everyone is that you're better off taking more undergrad science classes than grad level ones because the undergrad courses could have a more direct effect on your BCMP gpa for AMCAS.

 

[Wizard of Oz]

27 is not far from the average entrant. What matters is whether or not you're prepared.

 

[medblue]

i'm 34 and still going like the energizer bunny! you can do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

 

[elbee]

I wish I was 27 and starting this process.

 

[tdkneo]

Your not even close to being too old. If it's what you want, go for it.

i second that

 

[Deepa100]

Heck no! 27 is not old!

 

[queenbee]

i started postbac classes a year ago when i was 26. similarly, undergrad was insignificant to me at first when i was a freshman, but then i had an upswing by the time i reached my senior year. that was 6 years ago - i've been working in finance ever since.

i only have 3 classes left, but the awful timing of the application cycle for med school means: finish prereqs in 2007, take mcat & apply in 2008, and if all goes well, i will be in school in 2009... which will make me 30 when i finally start med school.

i look forward to it and i keep reminding myself that if i am done with school/residency by the time i'm 40 - that still will allow me 20+ years to practice medicine!!

good luck.

 

[Sailing Girl]

A woman recently died in Memphis at the age of 116. I'm sure she would have said that 50 isn't too old to go back to school. A 50 year old could still have a 30 year career after training, retire at age 90 and have 26 years left to play.

27 is definately not too old to go back to school. In fact, you are so young, that you could probably start up another career later in life if you so desired.

 

[8744]

Hey, I'm 43 and I confess it is wearing me out, call anyways. The call on this rotation (OB) isn't even that bad. We usually get out post-call at around 8 AM (something that was unheard of at the ****hole where I did my intern year) but I still need to sleep when I get home and if my wife doesn't wake me up I might sleep until 6 PM.

I'm going to revise and extend my remarks on SDN for the last six (!) years: 27 isn't too old but maybe 37 is. Anything over 45 definitely is. Can you imagine being 50 and pulling Q4 call? Good lord.

 

[MSTPbound]

I will be 27 in September.

Last week, I started a full-time job as a Research Trainee in a Molecular Physiololgy Lab. I have one pre-req left (Physics II) and will take the April MCAT (taking Kaplan right now).

I will be 28 when I start an MD/PhD program in fall of '08 - and when I'm 35 I'll just be STARTING residency.

SO just to echo what's been said... you're no where NEAR too old.

PS- My mother just started Med school this year in the Caribbean after a 20-year career as an ICU nurse and nurse practitioner - as you might imagine, she's older than I am, and plans to begin practicing just in time for her 52nd birthday.

 

[SgtWyatt]

Just stumbled across this site and I have a feeling I'll be visiting it quite often. I'm 23 (24 in a couple months) and have just now decided to start my pre-med classes. Since I was originally pursuing a liberal arts path (after taking some time off to work as an EMT and decide what I really wanted today) I neglected all of the advanced math classes and science requirements. I have (if I push it) two years left at community college before I can transfer to finish my B.S. in Physiological Science, which will make me 26...then another 1 1/2 - 2 years to complete my B.S. making me 28...then 4 years of med school and 3 years of residency at least....so I guess if I am not delayed at all from this point forward I'll be about 35/36 by the time I finish my residency.

I've been a little discouraged thinking about it but this forum has helped me realize that if it's something you want to do then you just need to go out and do it. After all....I'm going to be 35 years old no matter what and I can either be 35 and regretful or 35 and a doctor, right?

 

[wook]

No. I'm 30 and finishing my pre-reqs this coming Spring semester. If you look around the non-trad forum you'll find a few posts about the ages of people that post here, and you'll find plenty of 30+ students doing pre-reqs or in med school. You're a baby compared to most non-trads!

Agreed.


Wook

 

[wook]

Hey, I'm 43 and I confess it is wearing me out, call anyways. The call on this rotation (OB) isn't even that bad. We usually get out post-call at around 8 AM (something that was unheard of at the ****hole where I did my intern year) but I still need to sleep when I get home and if my wife doesn't wake me up I might sleep until 6 PM.

I'm going to revise and extend my remarks on SDN for the last six (!) years: 27 isn't too old but maybe 37 is. Anything over 45 definitely is. Can you imagine being 50 and pulling Q4 call? Good lord.

Nawwwww....have one person in my med school class that started at age 50+ and he's planning on doing GI. So far, residency hasn't whacked him too bad.



Wook

 

[Taty]

My mom started college (but for bachelors degree) when she was 43, we graduated same college same day as I am my GPA was 3.7 and her 3.85 (shame on me)...she was accounting/information systems double major. Now she works on her M.S. in IS I will turn 26 in october and hopefully i will be MS01 Good Luck

 

[inthe415]

I'm 30
I recently quit teaching to pursue med school.
I'm in a post bac now and loving it. I forget that I'm not 24, and though most of the students are right out of school it doesn't bother me at all. In fact I enjoy their energy and excitement

Age is all in your head...though playing racquetball the other day reminded me that I'm not as young as I used to be. (though maybe i'm just out of shape)

My favorite inspirational story is Abraham Lincoln. He was old and had failed many times at many careers. He suffered from suicidal thoughts and his wife's death. He was old an washed up. But hey he signed the emancipation proclamation.

I have more fun telling stories about my failures,than about the chances I didn't take.

 

[Bitsy3221]

Not too old at all. I start surgical residency at 30. I have seen surgical residents well into their 30's and even 40's and they did just fine.

There is a guy in my class who is 'mostly' traditional (took 1 or 2 years off to get married and have a baby before starting med school.) He started medical school the year after his father graduated from the same medical school--his father is now done with his FP residency and living his dream!

 

[Shpamme]

hey OP,
i'm 28. i was having the same anxiety pangs a couple years ago, as i realized a lot of my college classmates were already buying houses, settling down and talking about maxing out their 401k contributions. i felt like life was passing me by. but then my PI put everything in perspective when i told her my fears about being 30 and still in school. she said "look honey, 30 is going to come no matter what you do. wouldn't you rather be doing something you WANT to do and have a passion for when you're 30?" and when i keep in mind that i'll probably practice till i'm in my 60's... 35 years of fulfilling practice is a LONG time. that's just too much happiness to forgo. also, i have a bunch of friends my age who did the Boston Masters program with me.. and they are all absolutely loving med school, and it turns out once they got there, they found quite a few people their age who could relate to their fears and concerns about getting older. i give you props for seriously considering the issue, but i really think 27 is not at all too late to enter school. in fact it's NEVER too late to keep learning. don't get discouraged--you have all of us for support. best of luck to you!!

 

[Abby Normal]

I was 27 when I started undergrad, and didn't know medicine was for me until two years later. The classes that I had taken were general courses but were well-rounded in math and science (chemistry.) To top it all off, I was a single-mother. In order to be a good Mom and student, I chose not to work and got by on miniscule amounts of money. (We're talking well below the poverty line and no child support.) The reason why I chose not to work was so that I would not stretch myself too thin. My grades and my children were my only priorities...

I'm graduating med school this year and it has been a looong road and I am in heaps of debt, to be sure, but so are most medical students. (And this is on top of getting an excellent scholarship on admission to med school at that!) It's all about priorities and time management.

Anyway, when it comes to admission, my understanding at the time was that schools cared about these things:
1. Can the student do the work? Nothing is more embarassing to the school than to let a student in who will fail. This may not be the case for off-shore schools, but it does not look good if someone gets through the admissions process who should not.
2. Does this person have good character? Same as before. Schools don't want to let people in who don't care about and cannot communicate well with other human beings.

That said, it seems that becoming an EMT is more to prove to yourself that you can handle emergency situations than for an admissions committee, because the way that this process works, you are gradually introduced to situations of increasing responsibility. For me, I eliminated pretty much everything that could get in the way of my focusing on my studies and being a Mom. Everything else...just fluff.

But if doing the EMT thing helps you keep your sanity while studying your core subjects (chem, ochem, physics, biology and so forth) so that you can get top grades and be well prepared for the MCAT then go for it.

I'd just caution you not to put the cart before the horse.

I knew a non-traditional student in another state who was an EMT prior to med school. His stats were okay. He had an emergency medicine residency position lined up after graduation because of the contacts that he had made as an EMT. He struggled like hell...had to repeat first year...failed step one twice and he was out...out with a huge new debtload that he did not have before med school.

This is NOT to say that it will happen to you, and I hope that it certainly doesn't! Just don't let becoming/being an EMT cause you to take your eyes off the prize.

 

[vtucci]

I was 29 when I started medical school. Welcome to the club.

 

[Faze2]

Funny thing the other day. I am a fellow non trad. I am 25 and in my first year of post bacc work. I know that 25 is young for this forum, but the other day I was talking to my prof before class and some girl in my class said, "So what's you deal, are you a student or a TA, cause you look too old to be a student?" I'M 25!!!!!! And I don't care in the slightest, but I do not look old, I look 25. She must be a baby, like 18 or 19. I just thought it was funny.

 

[Beau Geste]

25 and working puts you right in the post-bacc club. Welcome.

from the perspective of 18-19 year olds you're old. And I'm ancient at 30

 

[Jonesie]

If lucky, I'll be starting med school when I'm around 28 (I'm 23 now) and sometimes I think like "hm, i'll be done with residency when I'm around 35" and that sounds old, BUT, if I don't get hit by a bus or die of some disease, I'll be 35 anyway; so I might as well be 35 and a doctor loving what I'm doing (hopefully) or I could be 35 and regretting NOT going to med school. The first choice is much more appealing. Think of it that way if you start to doubt yourself.

So weird -- you sound EXACTLY like me at 23! I'm hoping to start this year at 28, and I have the same rationale for not worrying about the time. Either way, I'll be 35 eventually... I'd rather be 35 and be a doctor.

 

[Slickpkg]

I am 37 and will turn 38 two months after I start med school. I know that sounds old to most of you reading this but you will be amazed by how young you still feel at that point. OK, so I'm not as dewy as I was at 22 but frankly, that's why God invented Botox and chemical peels! (Just kidding!!! Please don't blast me for being superficial!) Anyway, as a few of you have pointed out, you are going to be whatever age anyway so why not do what you want to do while you're there? My husband keeps telling me that and he's right.

My only advice would be to have your boilerplate answer in place for all of the people who are going to look at you like you are insane and ask you why you are doing this AT YOUR AGE (like you're a dinosaur for goodness sake!). You will have many of those encounters. I usually say something like "Well, when I'm finished I can be my own geriatrician, dermatologist, etc...(insert laughter here)

Good luck to all of you. I never thought I would get to this point (admitted to the only school I applied to) but it sure feels great now that I am here! Check back with me this time next year to see if I am eating my words.

 

[e_phn]

Actually, you're not old at all. There was a person who's in his 70, and he still had the courage to pursue his BA. Okay, maybe that's a rare case, but it proves that you can do anything at any age (if you have the energy).