Is there such a thing as too old?

[Jxr182]

One of the things that is preventing me from being 100% sure to the cause (cause = med school) is my age. I'm sure this is rediculous, but it's stuck in my head. After seven years working on my bachelor degree, I'm now graduating in May at the ripe age of 26. Which I am fine with. However, when looking at med school the picture begins to fade. I would have another year of undergrad science courses, so if I'm lucky I'd be entering med school Fall 09. So I would be starting med school at the age of 27. Does that seem old to anyone? Am I just looking for reasons to be scared? I'm pretty sure I'm being silly, I just need someone to back me up on that.

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[TexasTriathlete]

I'm 30

 

[almo88]

I think you're too old when you wont have enough "time" left to pay your loans off when you graduate. That is the only time that I think you're too old.

You're 26, get a grip! There are plenty of 40+ on this forum applying this round. The average age of DO matriculants is 26!

 

[Kthanksbye]

One of the things that is preventing me from being 100% sure to the cause (cause = med school) is my age. I'm sure this is rediculous, but it's stuck in my head. After seven years working on my bachelor degree, I'm now graduating in May at the ripe age of 26. Which I am fine with. However, when looking at med school the picture begins to fade. I would have another year of undergrad science courses, so if I'm lucky I'd be entering med school Fall 09. So I would be starting med school at the age of 27. Does that seem old to anyone? Am I just looking for reasons to be scared? I'm pretty sure I'm being silly, I just need someone to back me up on that.

Yes, you're being silly. I will be starting med-school at 35 if I am accepted this cycle. My dad had a resident come through his cardiology practice who what 62! A few years ago, my school graduated a woman who was in her 50s from their MD program. You are not much older than the average matriculant. Look it up... I think for most schools it's about 24 or so. 27 is NOTHING.

 

[EEL08]

I'm 29 and my husband is 39. If we both get in this year we will be matriculating at ages 30 and 40. You are definitely not too old.

 

[Arabella]

I'm turning 29 on Friday. I just started to go back to school for the pre-reqs and have begun volunteering at my local hospital. I will be 31 going on 32 when I matriculate (aiming for the Fall of 2010).

My cousin just graduated from PCSOM in May at the age of 36. He had just completed his PhD before going back to school to get his pre-reqs. He was 33 when he started med school.

You are not too old.

 

[DrMidlife]

One of the things that is preventing me from being 100% sure to the cause (cause = med school) is my age. I'm sure this is rediculous, but it's stuck in my head. After seven years working on my bachelor degree, I'm now graduating in May at the ripe age of 26. Which I am fine with. However, when looking at med school the picture begins to fade. I would have another year of undergrad science courses, so if I'm lucky I'd be entering med school Fall 09. So I would be starting med school at the age of 27. Does that seem old to anyone? Am I just looking for reasons to be scared? I'm pretty sure I'm being silly, I just need someone to back me up on that.

I think at 26 I was still pretty sure that 30 was the end of life worth living, and that after that it was all about arthritis and retirement plans and being crushed by childrearing and divorce. There simply were no cool people over 30.

Turns out that life after 30 is SO MUCH BETTER than life before 30, in ways I couldn't possibly understand when I was still immortally young and fabulous.

Just thought I'd share.

So, yeah, you're still plenty young. Go ahead and do a Peace Corps gig (27 months plus 9 months lead time) before you go to med school, if you want to.

Best of luck to you.

 

[JaggerPlate]

Nope, nope, nope ....


If it's your dream ... you should go for it, and trust me; 26 is not 'too old' by a mile!!

 

[HCN]

I think you're too old when you wont have enough "time" left to pay your loans off when you graduate. That is the only time that I think you're too old.

You're 26, get a grip! There are plenty of 40+ on this forum applying this round. The average age of DO matriculants is 26!

I thought that dying of old age before my loans are paid off would be a winning situation!

 

[DocRawk]

I thought that dying of old age before my loans are paid off would be a winning situation!

+1 I'd call that a score But, to answer the question. Most colleges have an average incoming age in the 24-26 range. I'll be 26 when I start, if I get in this cycle. If I don't, 27 it is! Who cares??? You and I both will be done with residency right around 35 yrs old...I probably wouldn't even trust someone under 35 to be my doc anyway...unless she was a really cute DOette

 

[Yourmother]

Is the question really if you are too old or not? For me I had to dig a little deeper to make this determination. I don't think it is age so much as it was other factors.... although age is a big deal. Nothing can stop aging and the body only continues to slow down. I know some people become vascular surgeons at 50 but how long can you maintain the dexterity required to keep that up? Just how long can you take the stress of being a trauma surgeon? Taking call at age 60 is not something I look forward to, yet it is a reality for me if I choose this route at my age.

The opportunity cost of choosing medicine means that your days will be confined to a hospital day in and day out. I don't have the tolerance for BS like I did when I was 20.

One think I'm not thrilled with is the lack of income. I've been out of the workforce for the past 18 months and an acceptance to med school would prolong it to a total of 6 years!

Not only would I be out of an income for that long, I'd be racking up debt. Serious debt, thanks to the osteopathic route. We all know that debt of $250,000+ is not really uncommon.

So that puts me at 39 and I realize that is still young but with $250,000 in the hole!

The biggie is the coming of national health care. I am 100% sure it will be a reality within the next 5-10 years. I don't see how this is going to do anything but lower my income.

Also, mid-levels like NPs and PAs....okay....I'll stop....I'm bumming myself out

 

[ShyRem]

Ok, first of all I have to admit i read the first post and immediately snarfed my water because I discovered that laughing, swallowing, and breathing simultaneously just does not work.

I'm an MSII and I turned 40 this year. you are SOOOOOO not too old.

Goodness, I can hardly type this i'm laughing so hard. 27 seems so long ago and i seem so young then in hindsight.

 

[SurgMD]

edit

 

[Rotinaj]

I'll be 28 by the time I finish my four year degree, so no.

 

[Isoprop]

One of the things that is preventing me from being 100% sure to the cause (cause = med school) is my age. I'm sure this is rediculous, but it's stuck in my head. After seven years working on my bachelor degree, I'm now graduating in May at the ripe age of 26. Which I am fine with. However, when looking at med school the picture begins to fade. I would have another year of undergrad science courses, so if I'm lucky I'd be entering med school Fall 09. So I would be starting med school at the age of 27. Does that seem old to anyone? Am I just looking for reasons to be scared? I'm pretty sure I'm being silly, I just need someone to back me up on that.

26 is the new 19.

 

[jp104]

I'm 34, and started this year. Avg age for matriculants as per AACOMAS is 25 I think. you're not too old

 

[bryce]

I'll be 28 when I start I start in two yrs

 

[doinmybest5840]

That does not seem old at all! When I saw the title of this thread, I thought you were going to say you were 40 or 50. Remember, age is just a number. If you're still in your twenties, I don't think you have anything to worry about, unless you have some sort of rare, debilitating disease that sets in around that time. The only reason I can see this being somewhat of a problem is if you're set on having a family in the future. Starting medical school at this point pushes everything back by several years, if not more, depending on when you feel you'll be financially and otherwise able to support children. I'll be 23 when I begin medical school, so it won't be too bad for me, unless I decide to specialize and not have kids until I'm done. I always kind of had this vision of getting married around 25-26 and starting having kids by 30 at the latest. But enough of my daydreams. My point is, you should be fine, especially if this is something you really want. But if you're not sure, then I would really mull things over and consider all the factors, as this is a hard road to take, and harder if you find out your heart's not in it. Good luck!

 

[digitlnoize]

I will be 30 when I matriculate next year. When I left my job to return to school, I was 26 and feeling very old. I wasn't sure if I could do it. Then, I came across an excellent article (no idea where it is now) written by a woman who was 45-ish with 3 kids who had decided to go to med school. It was very inspiring and let me know that I could do it too.

Go for it...I've talked to admissions people who have admitted 50-somethings.

 

[Beau Geste]

Turned 31 yesterday and will matriculate to CCOM or possible another school at that age.

My mom was 32 when she started med school and made it with better than flying colors.

 

[Rotinaj]

Aren't a lot of students these days taking a year off between their senior year and grad school? I know two people with law school aspirations that are taking a year off to work.

 

[IUgrad]

Turned 31 yesterday and will matriculate to CCOM or possible another school at that age.

My mom was 32 when she started med school and made it with better than flying colors.

Happy birthday, Megboo!

To the OP: I am 28 and will be 29 when I start medical school next fall. I had the same reservations (about being mid- to late-20s and starting med school) when I started back to school to take the prereqs in 2004. Looking back, I'm so glad that I went ahead with it. I think I was most concerned about planning children at some point because I will be 36 after peds residency, 39 if I specialize in peds gastro. That eats up my "prime" child bearing years, so it is a concern. I ultimately decided that this is too important to me to put off, and we will make the kids thing happen somehow when we are ready. I have a very supportive SO and that helps a lot.

I would definitely look at the reasons for your reluctance (if you think the age reason is just an excuse for deeper reservations) and make sure that it is really what you want. But, please, don't let your age alone discourage you. Good luck!

 

[Vee]

I'm 26 and a first year

 

[Kappy1]

I don't think any school has an age requirement in that direction but starting at 90 would be pushing it.

 

[TechnoViking]

I'll be almost 26 or 27 by the time I start (depending on my wait list situation). I had always hoped to start younger but what can ya do? My only concern is a social one (of course this has nothing to do w/ my education/career) with the age gap and all. I don't know why this concerns me, especially since my life seems to get better w/ age and is better now than ever, but it does.

Truthfully I don't believe that anyone is too old. Just don't be that asshat from Grey's a couple weeks ago.

 

[Buckeye4life]

I am 29 and feel like I entered at the right age. I'm not trying to snuff out your dreams, but I wasn't concerned about your age so much as why it took 7 years to complete undergrad? Med school is going to be like 2 full time jobs for you and if you like to take your time or if there are other reasons you will not be able to devote 100% of yourself, you should consider postponing going until you can. Nothing wrong even with starting in your 30's or later.

 

[Archer]

I will be 49 in December , right after I interview for DMU and KCOM. Next year I will be MS-1 somewhere and my two youngest children will be in college (one is already done with her undergrad).

I also know that I am not the oldest pre-med student interviewing this round.
Good Luck - there is a lot of life to come!

 

[spicedmanna]

Yes. My main criteria is that you are too old when you believe you are.

 

[ShyRem]

I always said I would be too old when I was dead and moldy. THAT is too old.

 

[DC DOC]

I will be 92 when I matriculate, so I don't see any problems in your path.

 

[madscientist50]

I am 25, and am an OMS-I, I know of a 42 year old, 38 y/o, several 28y/o students. So trust me if you think you are too old, you are the only one. There are enough challenges in getting into and through medical school dont go creating extra ones, it'll just make it harder on yourself.

 

[Tanner82]

I would say starting MS at 50 is pushing it... 57 by the time you finish residency... I guess if you really want it, it could be done, but still there are a handful of 40 somethings in MS

 

[Yourmother]

I just turned 81 last week and feel'in great. Most of the ladies in class say I'm a deadringer for Mark Twain. There are 3 students at SGU in Carib. who are in their early 90s.

 

[cabinbuilder]

One of the things that is preventing me from being 100% sure to the cause (cause = med school) is my age. I'm sure this is rediculous, but it's stuck in my head. After seven years working on my bachelor degree, I'm now graduating in May at the ripe age of 26. Which I am fine with. However, when looking at med school the picture begins to fade. I would have another year of undergrad science courses, so if I'm lucky I'd be entering med school Fall 09. So I would be starting med school at the age of 27. Does that seem old to anyone? Am I just looking for reasons to be scared? I'm pretty sure I'm being silly, I just need someone to back me up on that.

Nope, I went to med school at 31

My "little sister" in med school assigned to me was 51

 

[DocRawk]

I'll be almost 26 or 27 by the time I start (depending on my wait list situation). I had always hoped to start younger but what can ya do? My only concern is a social one (of course this has nothing to do w/ my education/career) with the age gap and all. I don't know why this concerns me, especially since my life seems to get better w/ age and is better now than ever, but it does.

Truthfully I don't believe that anyone is too old. Just don't be that asshat from Grey's a couple weeks ago.

I like Norman!

 

[gasapple]

I've always said that med school is a possibility - even if it does entail that I wear a toe tag, magna cum rigor mortis.

 

[dermpathdoc]

One of the things that is preventing me from being 100% sure to the cause (cause = med school) is my age. I'm sure this is rediculous, but it's stuck in my head. After seven years working on my bachelor degree, I'm now graduating in May at the ripe age of 26. Which I am fine with. However, when looking at med school the picture begins to fade. I would have another year of undergrad science courses, so if I'm lucky I'd be entering med school Fall 09. So I would be starting med school at the age of 27. Does that seem old to anyone? Am I just looking for reasons to be scared? I'm pretty sure I'm being silly, I just need someone to back me up on that.

you are being silly, there are a fair numbe rof 2nd career people in most classes, These are people who worked for a time before going back to med school. I was one..I worked a a medical technologist for 10 years after graduaitng from college and med tech internship.I was not the oldest in the class at DMU in 83-87 by a long shot( I was 33 when starting med school and 37 when starting internship and crossed 40 in mid Path residency), some of my class were over 50. Just go into your program with the idea...you will do the best you can.....actualy the older people have more life experience an dstamina than some of the oyunger students.

 

[Meatwad]

you are being silly, there are a fair numbe rof 2nd career people in most classes, These are people who worked for a time before going back to med school. I was one..I worked a a medical technologist for 10 years after graduaitng from college and med tech internship.I was not the oldest in the class at DMU in 83-87 by a long shot( I was 33 when starting med school and 37 when starting internship and crossed 40 in mid Path residency), some of my class were over 50. Just go into your program with the idea...you will do the best you can.....actualy the older people have more life experience an dstamina than some of the oyunger students.

Off-topic here, but you got a dermpath fellowship coming from a path residency (not derm) and being a DO? Very impressive. Just further cements that thee "DO discrimination," stuff is not as founded as it may have been long ago.

And just to make this post more appropriate to the topic at hand, that's not old at all. Anything under 30 seems the norm, in the 30s seems perfectly fine, and in the 40s is when I would no longer consider it financially and emotionally worth it (although that is entirely dependent on the person).