Hi folks, I'm a nontrad who will be starting medical school next year in my mid 30s. I'm looking forward, have been fortunate to secure several acceptances, and am waiting to hear back from a bunch of schools. I'm not trying to put the cart before the horse by talking about residency placement but, at the same time, am trying to keep my future path in mind as I consider my school options. Also, I should note that I have no idea which specialty I'd like to pursue.
I have heard from some people that older/nontrad medical students have harder times placing in certain residencies. Others say that there is no significant bias and that it's mostly a matter of hard work. My first question is whether there is any consensus or anecdotal wisdom regarding whether there are some specialties older premeds struggle to find placement in. Though I have no idea whether I'm interested in pursuing them, I also am curious to know whether notoriously competitive specialties (e.g. derm) are historically open to or resistant to nontrads. And if nontrads do have a greater difficulty matching into some specialties, does that make school ranking/prestige/match history even more important than for traditional applicants?
Thanks!
I have heard from some people that older/nontrad medical students have harder times placing in certain residencies. Others say that there is no significant bias and that it's mostly a matter of hard work. My first question is whether there is any consensus or anecdotal wisdom regarding whether there are some specialties older premeds struggle to find placement in. Though I have no idea whether I'm interested in pursuing them, I also am curious to know whether notoriously competitive specialties (e.g. derm) are historically open to or resistant to nontrads. And if nontrads do have a greater difficulty matching into some specialties, does that make school ranking/prestige/match history even more important than for traditional applicants?
Thanks!