Older Student

[Icegloves]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Dear Forum
I?m considering taking premed classes and going to medical school. I have Bachelors of Science degree in Professional Aeronautics from Embry Riddle University and am currently working on a Masters Degree from Chapman University at one of their extended campuses. Due to the events of 9/11/01, I was laid off from my $70,000 per year job as a Quality Control Inspector at Boeing Commercial Aircraft. My twenty years of aviation experience and my college degree have not landed me any decent jobs since then. I recently bought a book listing all of the US Medical Schools and I?m just amazed a how many qualified applicants are applying to so few medical school openings. At some schools it appears that there are 500 applicants for every opening. Is it really that bad? Since I?m 42 years old I was wondering if there were any schools that accepted older students or if I should even try and just continue with my Masters Degree program. My GPA is 3.4. I was a Medical Evacuation Pilot in the US Army many years ago and I always thought that the Doctors that worked on the injured patients I flew in and the Doctors that sometimes flew with me were real heroes. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[mpp]

You might want to check out the OldPreMeds link on the front page of SDN. It will take you to a place where there are many like you.

Although it seems crazy that at some schools there are 500 applicants per matriculant but the truth be told, just about half of all applicants get in each year as most apply to many schools (average applicant applies to ~14 medical schools).. Your GPA is good, you will need the standard undergraduate prequisites:

1 year each of Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Organic Chemistry (plus some schools have additional requirements) and then take the MCAT which is offered in April and August each year. Good luck!

 

[Paws]

Hi Icegloves,

Well, c'mon in the water's just fine !

I say go for it man - there's definitely room for more diversity and I know people in their forties who have gotten in. It's a just a process like any other, and you will be definitely changed along the way. If it's the right thing for you, you'll know pretty quickly. And if it's not, well - the same holds true.

The nice thing about being an oldie is that you have other experiences and observations to draw on. Try some volunteering in a hospital and see how you feel - if you just love it then you know you're on the right track.

Good luck !

 

[pre-money]

hey man..
i just read an article on ..i think CHicago Sun times..about a 54 yrs old dude just finishing med school and starting his residency..
he loves it..

there are people still practicing at the age of 74...or even 80s..
if it's ur seriuos about it..
go for it..

it's not impossible to get into med school..u just have to want it really bad..

 

[Icegloves]

Thank you for your posts. It's going to take a lot of work for me since my Bachelors Degree did not require chemistry. I figure it will take about two years of night classes to get all of the premedical classes finished. If I become a doctor I would eventually like do volunteer work in poor countries through the French organization "Doctors Without Borders". In the Army I spent six months flying US Army Doctors to remote areas in the country of Honduras. Many of these people lived in shacks and had never been seen by a doctor before. The Doctors administered the standard vaccinations and did what ever else they could. These people were extremly grateful that a Doctor would actually come to see them. I often wondered how many lives were changed and saved by these Doctors. This to me this is the true theme of the medical profession.

 

[skypilot]

Why not enroll in a formal postbacc program which takes one year? Some of the programs even have linkages with med schools so you go right into med school after you finish. Check out the programs at Goucher college and Brown University. Most programs start in June.

Good luck.

 

[cabruen]

I am 33, and there are 4 people older than me in my MS1 class. The oldest being 42.

If you want to pursue it and are willing to put in the work, you can accomplish anything you want. It WILL require sacrifices though. But age is not a factor.