New challenge

[mountainjam]

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Hello,
I am a practicing physician assistant and recently was accepted into DO school. I have one week to decide and send in the deposit. The school is in my hometown so I do not need to move. I am going to matriculate a week after I turn 33. I really want to go back to school but am concerned about my age and if I can get some sort of loan forgiveness afterwards. Also any chance of being able to work part time? Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[sazerac]

What exactly is your "concern about your age"? Time to retirement? Ability to raise children? Physical exhaustion? Delayed gratification?

You are asking a lot of financial questions. The model for medical school is to take out loans, large loans, six figures worth of loans, study all the time in school, and pay the loans back once earning money in residency and especially once working as an attending.

Some people experiment with working during medical school, but seriously at the end of this project you can be grossing $20,000 A MONTH or more. Is any part time job you take in medical school (and distracts you from your studying and medical school performance) really going to make a big difference in the long run?

Loan forgiveness programs exist for all federal student loans. Military forgiveness. Public service forgiveness. Employer forgiveness. Rural forgiveness. Government got tired of lending you money for the last 20 years forgiveness. From reading other parts of this forum, there is some serious doubt about the current loan forgiveness programs being around over a decade from now when you'll need them. And everybody says that you should only engage in the military forgiveness programs if you wanted to join the military anyway (i.e. don't do it just for the forgiveness).

Which probably brings up the most important point of all: do you want to be a doctor? If so, then go to medical school. Tens of thousands of students do it every year (some of them are much older than you), and we all go on to get our jobs and then pay back our loans.

 

[Goro]

First off, some of my all time best students have been in their 30s and 40s.

Second, there is no way in holy Hell that you can work part time while being a medical student, and I strongly suggest that if finances are too much of an issue, that you stick with being a PS. I have had students try and do this and they all crash and burn.

Hello,
I am a practicing physician assistant and recently was accepted into DO school. I have one week to decide and send in the deposit. The school is in my hometown so I do not need to move. I am going to matriculate a week after I turn 33. I really want to go back to school but am concerned about my age and if I can get some sort of loan forgiveness afterwards. Also any chance of being able to work part time? Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[mountainjam]

Thank you for your input! I didn't know if age had any factor in being able to keep up with the younger students. I definitely have the motivation but I didn't know if there was anyone else out there in a similar situation. Thank you for the input about working during school. I figured that it would not be feasible but thought I'd ask. I was able to work part time while in PA school but I understand I'm entering into a more rigorous curriculum. I just want to be fully prepared. I know that if I don't take this opportunity I may regret it for the rest of my career. I've always wanted to be a physician, but wanted to make sure that it's ok to go to medical school in my 30's!

 

[kraskadva]

Thank you for your input! I didn't know if age had any factor in being able to keep up with the younger students. I definitely have the motivation but I didn't know if there was anyone else out there in a similar situation. Thank you for the input about working during school. I figured that it would not be feasible but thought I'd ask. I was able to work part time while in PA school but I understand I'm entering into a more rigorous curriculum. I just want to be fully prepared. I know that if I don't take this opportunity I may regret it for the rest of my career. I've always wanted to be a physician, but wanted to make sure that it's ok to go to medical school in my 30's!

I certainly hope so, since I'll be matriculating at 32 in the fall.
And FWIW, I'm currently in a masters program (after doing a 2nd bacc) and I can and do run rings around the 18-22 year olds - academically, energetically, and commitment-wise. Some combo of life experience, having my head on straight, and knowing/being willing to endure what is necessary to get stuff done, lets me do that. YMMV, but I'd say any differences between you and your younger classmates will come down to personality and experience levels, not numerical age.

Also, yeah, don't try to work on the side in med school. That sounds like crazy-pants time. Loans are there for a reason.

 

[mountainjam]

Thank you @kraskadva. I'm excited for the future but just wanted to make sure I'm doing the right thing. There are so many naysayers out there but I'm going to do what I feel is right!

 

[kraskadva]

Thank you @kraskadva. I'm excited for the future but just wanted to make sure I'm doing the right thing. There are so many naysayers out there but I'm going to do what I feel is right!

Then do it! You're already accepted and you have the path laid out for you. Go and seize the day.
Doubting yourself after a certain point is either silly or indicative of serious self esteem issues.