Is entering medical school at 24 or 25 late for females?

[afterdark]

New to this forum!

I'm thinking about applying for class of 2020 and it looks like I will not start medical school until I'm 24 or 25.

Do you think this is a little bit late for females considering how most men prefer younger girls for relationships and the biological clock ticking? I have never been in a relationship before.

Thank you!

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[exmoderpina]

No. Many professional women these days freeze their eggs and then do IVF/surrogacy later in their late 30s/early 40s. As a child of a woman who went through law school during my childhood, your children will thank you for getting your career established BEFORE you have them and also taking the time to find a partner who is also established in life.

/$0.02

 

[Holmwood]

Nope.
You'd be surprised what the average stats of people entering medical school is.... 24~25 is average : P
Have a look see: https://www.aamc.org/download/321468/data/2012factstable6.pdf

Medical school is a long term commitment. Your fear of having relationships and marrying at an older age isn't going to get any better either.
If you wanted to practice medicine but needed the flexibility of family/relationship AND want to do it quickly, go with PA.

Not that I'm saying you won't have a happy fulfilling relationship even if you did get into a relationship "late" as an MD/DO.

 

[manofmen]

as a man i cannot claim to understand the dilemma many women applicants face, and you've rightly pointed out concerns about biological age, but i don't think your decision should be contingent on the fact that men won't like older women. this is all anecdotal, but i've had many many female friends in their early thirties settle into happy, fulfilling relationships. i believe the word used to define men that prefer women solely based on their age and looks isn't one that's appropriate for such forums i also think the above poster has awesome advice, but if you really want the md, you'll make the sacrifice. good luck!

 

[EMDO2018]

oh give me a break

 

[hoihaie]

if you find THE guy, the age wouldn't matter to him

or you

 

[Goro]

Some of my all time best students, many of them female, have been in their 30s and 40s. I just graduated one at 50.

New to this forum!

I'm thinking about applying for class of 2020 and it looks like I will not start medical school until I'm 24 or 25.

Do you think this is a little bit late for females considering how most men prefer younger girls for relationships and the biological clock ticking? I have never been in a relationship before.

Thank you!

 

[Angie_MD]

By the time I'm done with undergrad I'll be entering at 26! And I'm still optimistic

 

[Angie_MD]

as a man i cannot claim to understand the dilemma many women applicants face, and you've rightly pointed out concerns about biological age, but i don't think your decision should be contingent on the fact that men won't like older women. this is all anecdotal, but i've had many many female friends in their early thirties settle into happy, fulfilling relationships. i believe the word used to define men that prefer women solely based on their age and looks isn't one that's appropriate for such forums i also think the above poster has awesome advice, but if you really want the md, you'll make the sacrifice. good luck!

Beautifully said

 

[DokterMom]

Five years from now you'll be a certain age, which will be the same with or without a man in your life, and with or without a great career.

Plan for the life YOU want to live -- the career and family YOU want to have. If you know you want kids, plan for a career that will enable you to support them. This could be MD, could be PA, could be many other things. But for heaven's sake, do NOT plan your life around some Prince Charming who may or may not ever appear, or (IMO worse still) who may appear just long enough to get you pregnant before disappearing...

The right guy will find you wonderful and compelling at whatever age you happen to be.

And @manofmen, if there's a specific term for the type of man "that prefer women solely based on their age and looks" I'd love to know what it is.

 

[FFH]

I had to wait to apply to medical school for circumstantial reasons beyond my control. One of which was to have a second college degree--for which I had to study with kids 10 years my junior. Only now that I am able to apply and to have a reasonable shot and I am 29. To a lot of my friends, and undeniably to myself sometimes as well, that it is rather late to start a career. Many of my female peers are experiencing success in personal and professional aspects of their lives. Me? A 29 year old, taking gen chem? Measuring the weight of the test tube? I can't even have a dog because I don't know where I'll be every few years?
However, I am very okay with my decision most of time because if you think about it, once you are a 75 year old retired doctor, when you sit on your front porch of your ocean view home in Florida, when you had about 40 years of life doing what you are proud of and what is meaningful, would a few years of delay in staring your career really matters?

 

[TheWeeIceMan]

if you find THE guy, the age wouldn't matter to him

or you

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[AspiringERMD]

If I get in this cycle, I'll be starting at 28. I have worries about fertility and having kids after residency, but I can't imagine my life any other way now than becoming a doctor.

 

[styphon]

If I get in this cycle, I'll be starting at 28. I have worries about fertility and having kids after residency, but I can't imagine my life any other way now than becoming a doctor.

Then do it. You can have a baby during medical school or residency. Out of 140 students at my former school, I bet there was 5-10 females who delivered during med school. During residency the percentage increased (especially for nonsurgical residencies).

 

[AspiringERMD]

Then do it. You can have a baby during medical school or residency. Out of 140 students at my former school, I bet there was 5-10 females who delivered during med school. During residency the percentage increased (especially for nonsurgical residencies).

Thanks I've got to have a really supportive spouse, though... my current boyfriend is lukewarm at best about kids. I love him, but the kids thing might be a dealbreaker... :-/

 

[M. Yeby]

Wow. Anyway, I'm 31, female and currently studying for a second degree and my pre-reqs. Since I never bothered to take any challenging mathematics/science while initially studying, I have no idea when I will enter medical school. Personally, I never wanted a husband and children. It's really your choice, OP, what do you want more? To be a doctor or a mother/wife. You can't do both(I'm not trying to troll or be mean), it wouldn't be fair to your future husband or children.

 

[FFH]

Thanks I've got to have a really supportive spouse, though... my current boyfriend is lukewarm at best about kids. I love him, but the kids thing might be a dealbreaker... :-/

Right now, it bothers me more that I can't own a dog more than that I can't have a child in the next few years.

 

[Osteoth]

Wow. Anyway, I'm 31, female and currently studying for a second degree and my pre-reqs. Since I never bothered to take any challenging mathematics/science while initially studying, I have no idea when I will enter medical school. Personally, I never wanted a husband and children. It's really your choice, OP, what do you want more? To be a doctor or a mother/wife. You can't do both(I'm not trying to troll or be mean), it wouldn't be fair to your future husband or children.

You can def do both, as has been stated multiple times in this thread and as countless female docs have demonstrated.

Yes you will have to give up time with the kids to be a fully dedicated clinician, but in many careers that is the case. In today's world where a man and woman are increasingly equal, I find no reason why a couple can't work together to come to a compromise on how child-rearing and home-building can be done within the constrains of two-employed individuals.

 

[DokterMom]

Wow. Anyway, I'm 31, female and currently studying for a second degree and my pre-reqs. Since I never bothered to take any challenging mathematics/science while initially studying, I have no idea when I will enter medical school. Personally, I never wanted a husband and children. It's really your choice, OP, what do you want more? To be a doctor or a mother/wife. You can't do both(I'm not trying to troll or be mean), it wouldn't be fair to your future husband or children.

Seems you have a rather antiquated view of what's "fair to your future husband or children." Where have you been the past 30 years that you missed the advent of high-quality day care? And even in the 50's, they had nannies and au pairs.

Also, in the 21st century where both partners work, child-rearing and keeping a home are considered the responsibility of both parents.

 

[DreamingDoc]

Wow. Anyway, I'm 31, female and currently studying for a second degree and my pre-reqs. Since I never bothered to take any challenging mathematics/science while initially studying, I have no idea when I will enter medical school. Personally, I never wanted a husband and children. It's really your choice, OP, what do you want more? To be a doctor or a mother/wife. You can't do both(I'm not trying to troll or be mean), it wouldn't be fair to your future husband or children.

Maybe you can't do both, but there are a lot of women out there who would say otherwise (including myself). Anyway, to the OP, I'm 27, just started my first year and I have a 7-year-old child. I also have a really supportive SO, and both are happy with my decision and doing fine. There are plenty students in my class who are way older than me with spouses and multiple children (plus those who plan on having children), so it's really not an issue.

 

[clairephillips]

I'm 31, child-free, with a fiance, a mastiff and a Betta fish. I believe wholeheartedly that it's not too late for me, so it's not too late for you, for sure!

 

[kittykattat]

OP - M1 here and our class's entering stats were something like avg. age 24.8 yrs and 53% female. Starting med school at 24 or 25 is becoming the norm. Additionally, being a med student does not keep you from meeting men. Sure, you cant go out to the bars every night, but it seems like most people have a hard time finding winners there anyway. A teaching hospital is a great place to meet smart successful men

 

[lazyindy]

just keep yourself fit. I'd pick the well maintained 30 year old over the overweight 25 year old any day of the week.

 

[mvenus929]

It's really your choice, OP, what do you want more? To be a doctor or a mother/wife. You can't do both(I'm not trying to troll or be mean), it wouldn't be fair to your future husband or children.

Seriously?

There are plenty of female physicians who make awesome moms and wives. You can absolutely have both.

 

[Holmwood]

We need medical school day care centers. : O

Just an aside.

 

[dbeast]

Average age upon entering medical school at my institution is ~24. Some outliers in their 30's throw off the curve a little bit but you're not old by any stretch of the imagination.

And, you might be surprised with how much free time you have to date. Unless you do gen surg.

 

[looncat]

Wow. Anyway, I'm 31, female and currently studying for a second degree and my pre-reqs. Since I never bothered to take any challenging mathematics/science while initially studying, I have no idea when I will enter medical school. Personally, I never wanted a husband and children. It's really your choice, OP, what do you want more? To be a doctor or a mother/wife. You can't do both(I'm not trying to troll or be mean), it wouldn't be fair to your future husband or children.

That's insulting to all physician mothers; I have several family friends who are mothers and doctors and at no point in their life did it seem unfair to their husbands or their children. Question: do you think it's unfair for men to be doctors and fathers?

 

[Holmwood]

That's insulting to all physician mothers; I have several family friends who are mothers and doctors and at no point in their life did it seem unfair to their husbands or their children. Question: do you think it's unfair for men to be doctors and fathers?

I think M. Yeby is trying to say... that you should always put family first over your job.
You can be both a doctor and a mother/wife. However, we all know that the physician profession can negatively impact family life.
You have to exercise appropriate level of caution and realistic expectations. Achieve a good balance between the both. Pew pew~

 

[Microglia]

This is the average age. That being said, I've had conversations with female classmates where they voiced their concerns on how hard it is to meet anyone during med school.

I'm 5 years into a relationship and don't have a problem maintaining it, if that helps..

 

[NandroloneDecanoate]

Looncat: when both parents are working, what happens is the baby is raised by random strangers' faces called "nannies" (a euphemism for feminism run amuck for career-minded women). It is smarter to take off for the mother during the baby's formative years lest you end up like this million dollar CEO guy:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/accused-killer-nanny-maintains-denial-article-1.1510555

Everyday in NYC on Park Avenue, I see random women pushing around children who have no similar values and are not family. They are strangers hired by wealthy people to raise their kids. Every minute of your time during those years is valuable. In the worst case, you get a killer nanny. In a not so terrible case, the nanny won't speak broken english with double negatives or strange beliefs. Your kids are not only forming relationships but also their academic growth rapidly at this age. No amount of money or status is worth that sacrifice.

Best bet is to likely freeze your eggs, get your career set, then have kids while husband works and funds the household during those years. However don't wait too long as you don't want to unfreeze eggs as a 40 year old woman and by the time the kid is a teenager, you are a grandma in age. Energy drops and the body changes as you age. You want to play with your kids and spend quality time instead of popping back pain relief pills and stinking up their nursery like 2-nonenal (yeah, google that). I am not politically correct nor incorrect. Just telling you what I see. We cannot have it all in life as modern society would like you to believe. We make choices and determine our own priorities.

 

[looncat]

Looncat: when both parents are working, what happens is the baby is raised by random strangers' faces called "nannies" (a euphemism for feminism run amuck for career-minded women). It is smarter to take off for the mother during the baby's formative years lest you end up like this million dollar CEO guy:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/accused-killer-nanny-maintains-denial-article-1.1510555

Everyday in NYC on Park Avenue, I see random women pushing around children who have no similar values and are not family. They are strangers hired by wealthy people to raise their kids. Every minute of your time during those years is valuable. In the worst case, you get a killer nanny. In a not so terrible case, the nanny won't speak broken english with double negatives or strange beliefs. Your kids are not only forming relationships but also their academic growth rapidly at this age. No amount of money or status is worth that sacrifice.

Best bet is to likely freeze your eggs, get your career set, then have kids while husband works and funds the household during those years. However don't wait too long as you don't want to unfreeze eggs as a 40 year old woman and by the time the kid is a teenager, you are a grandma in age. Energy drops and the body changes as you age. You want to play with your kids and spend quality time instead of popping back pain relief pills and stinking up their nursery like 2-nonenal (yeah, google that). I am not politically correct nor incorrect. Just telling you what I see. We cannot have it all in life as modern society would like you to believe. We make choices and determine our own priorities.

I'm well aware of female biology, and you can definitely do both and many have. You don't need to bring in nannies, you can take a couple years off until the child is in school and then work part-time, you can ask a grandparent to babysit, the dad can be stay-at-home, etc. And you are not being politically incorrect by pointing out aging when it comes to having kids, however you make it clear what your opinions are with the bolded statement.

 

[DokterMom]

Clearly, @NandroloneDecanoate, you have a low opinion of nannies, which is a terrible shame, because some of them are veritable Mary Poppins. (I employed such a magical nanny for my son for his first 18 months before she left to return to college.) In other cases, home-base day care or pre-schools provide wonderful opportunities for socialization and early learning. There is, undoubtedly, bad day care out there, and also some less-than-ideal nannies. (You often get what you pay for.) But your harsh, judgmental, and sexist attitude is offensive to both childcare workers (in my opinion, the most under-paid position in the US) and the parents who employ them.

 

[Mad Jack]

Only you can decide where your priorities lie. If your priority is having a family, when would you make that happen, logistically, if you were to attend medical school and go on to complete residency? Does the answer you provided fit with your priorities? Now look at it the other way. If you were to look to have a family first, given all the unknowns, how would you approach going back to school? Would it be more feasible than having children in medical school or residency? Etc... You need to carefully weight it out and decide for yourself, SDN can't tell you whether med school is worth it for your particular values and priorities.

Crazy that you've never dated at this point though, you're like, 23. You might find it to be the best or worst thing ever, who knows.

 

[the13fools]

All things said though, you might want to experiment with relationships before entering medical school - where your time and dating pool will likely be more limited.

 

[moisne]

I start at 25.

The median age at my school is 27.

 

[NandroloneDecanoate]

Clearly, @NandroloneDecanoate, you have a low opinion of nannies, which is a terrible shame, because some of them are veritable Mary Poppins. (I employed such a magical nanny for my son for his first 18 months before she left to return to college.) In other cases, home-base day care or pre-schools provide wonderful opportunities for socialization and early learning. There is, undoubtedly, bad day care out there, and also some less-than-ideal nannies. (You often get what you pay for.) But your harsh, judgmental, and sexist attitude is offensive to both childcare workers (in my opinion, the most under-paid position in the US) and the parents who employ them.

I am mentioning daycare risk, that's it. Asking a woman to be a full-time mother to her newborn child is not "sexist." If your career means that much to you, it's better you don't have a baby in the first place. It's not a side gig or an accessory to tote around like Angelina Jolie.

 

[looncat]

I am mentioning daycare risk, that's it. Asking a woman to be a full-time mother to her newborn child is not "sexist." If your career means that much to you, it's better you don't have a baby in the first place. It's not a side gig or an accessory to tote around like Angelina Jolie.

Actually, the way you called the word "nannies" a "euphemism for feminism run amuck for career-minded women" is very sexist, so is dictating how you think a woman should raise her child; frankly, you should be ashamed.

 

[redpanda]

I am mentioning daycare risk, that's it. Asking a woman to be a full-time mother to her newborn child is not "sexist." If your career means that much to you, it's better you don't have a baby in the first place. It's not a side gig or an accessory to tote around like Angelina Jolie.

Do I dare point out that the risk of one's child being hurt/killed by a family member (including mom, gasp) is likely higher than the risk posed by hired help? Just going to point out that the idealization of the mother-child relationship as the Best Thing is a very very poor assumption.

 

[Fmmco]

"most men prefer younger girls for relationships and the biological clock ticking"

"I have never been in a relationship before"

Who are you getting your information from?

 

[xffan624]

I am mentioning daycare risk, that's it. Asking a woman to be a full-time mother to her newborn child is not "sexist." If your career means that much to you, it's better you don't have a baby in the first place. It's not a side gig or an accessory to tote around like Angelina Jolie.

It's sexist because in your world view the mother has to automatically assume the full time parent role. What about the father? Feminism is asking both sexes to contribute equally to parenting, not expecting one sex to unilaterally sacrifice their career goals and aspirations for a couple years because they have an XX chromosome. If one parent needs to stay at home with the kids for financial reasons, that's a decision that should be made by both partners together.

 

[lazyindy]

I love larger women. More to work with.
I also like older women; they're more experienced.

 

[tantacles]

It's sexist because in your world view the mother has to automatically assume the full time parent role. What about the father? Feminism is asking both sexes to contribute equally to parenting, not expecting one sex to unilaterally sacrifice their career goals and aspirations for a couple years because they have an XX chromosome. If one parent needs to stay at home with the kids for financial reasons, that's a decision that should be made by both partners together.

Agreed. The father is equally capable of providing childcare, so there's no reason the mother should be forced to do that role if the father is willing and able, particularly if a woman in a relationship doesn't care to take on that role.

 

[looncat]

Agreed. The father is equally capable of providing childcare, so there's no reason the mother should be forced to do that role if the father is willing and able, particularly if a woman in a relationship doesn't care to take on that role.

In fact, that type of thinking is detrimental to both men and women; women for the above reasons and men because it assumes they are incapable of raising a child properly.

 

[Aerus]

I am mentioning daycare risk, that's it. Asking a woman to be a full-time mother to her newborn child is not "sexist." If your career means that much to you, it's better you don't have a baby in the first place. It's not a side gig or an accessory to tote around like Angelina Jolie.

Expecting a woman to be a full-time mother IS sexist. What about the dad? The idea that it is the mother's job to fully take care of the child while the dad works is an age old patriarchal ideology and trying to reinforce that is definitely sexism.

As a proud male feminist, most of the replies in this thread make me so happy.

 

[giantswing]

I was 27 when I started med school and am applying to a surgical subspecialty, and hope to do a fellowship after. As a woman, we will either adopt or have kids at a late age, but as far as gender roles, I am the bread winner. I will work full time as a wife and mother. Peroid. Any man who doesn't like that can shove it.

 

[Sirphillup]

Expecting a woman to be a full-time mother IS sexist. What about the dad? The idea that it is the mother's job to fully take care of the child while the dad works is an age old patriarchal ideology and trying to reinforce that is definitely sexism.

As a proud male feminist, most of the replies in this thread make me so happy.

You, my friend, are pretty awesome.