That's not really relevant, because being a good doctor requires experience, which takes time to amass. I'm not talking about being a good doctor, I'm talking about the relative difficulty of school, which the OP brought up. Performance in medical school doesn't depend on experience or on being a good doctor, it depends on memorizing large volumes of information and taking tests, which is more difficult the older you get. One of SDN's favorite nontrad sages whom I don't like at all and seldom agree with, njbmd or Law2Doc, I can't remember which, says frequently that nontrads usually don't do as well as their younger classmates in medical school. I believe whoever it was even mentions that data has been collected showing this to be true. Why don't you take it up with them?
There are so many things wrong with these statements. First, your statement presupposes that experience is the only thing needed to be a good doctor and that memory or intelligent performance is not important. Thats simply not true. I think you honestly believe you are doing a service to prospective students by bring up your side of the story. Im certainly not saying you arent beneficial. However, in your haste to secure your points position as the truth you are making some false claims and trying to extrapolate things that are incorrect. You dont seem to be able to agree that the decision to go into medicine is personal and individual at best. You believe your story is relevant to all applicants, but thats as wrong as saying my story is relevant to all applicants.
While performance in med school may not rest entirely on experience and being a good doctor it doesnt hold that being a good doctor doesnt rely on memorization and taking tests. Thats just a false premise that doesnt hold true across the board. If in fact it is harder the older you get and performance falls as precipitously as you infer, it would in fact affect being a practicing physician. If its true in med school it has to be true in practice. Universal relatability if you will. Appealing to some other authority doesnt do much for your point either. Im simply responding to your own statements and you seem to be avoiding the onus here. I guess these adcoms that are admitting these older students are simply unaware of your findings.
I bring this up because nontrads on SDN are always glossing over the reality of medical school. They get so excited about the prospect of being actual, practicing doctors that they forget what comes in between. Don't forget that when that med school acceptance letter arrives in the mail, you don't just fall asleep and wake up 8 years later, Rip Van Winkle style, as a private practice physician. Nontrads have said before that they really struggled in medical school, for various reasons, ranging from the fact that their memory isn't what it once was to the fact that the last thing someone who has already held a real job, run a business, or whatever they did wants is to become the low man on the totem pole again getting dumped on by pompous, arrogant "attendings" (some of whom, depending on your age, may be older than you.)
I understand that you feel the need to unveil the realities of med school to the naive pre-meds, but you refuse to even examine the possibility that your view is simply not what everyone experiences. Im not saying your view is not valid, just not universal in its revelation if you will. You have an admitted dislike of med school and an admitted wrong motivation for med school, why would you then assume your experiences and thoughts would match those of all other applicants? Your point about being dumped on is par for you position about med school. You seem to really subscribe to the prestige and respect fallacy (as I call it) about med school and being a physician. Have you not considered the fact that being dumped on by attendings may not be as such a negative experience to others as it was (or will be) for you? Not everyone who has owned a business, worked in the real world, or held a real job will be as adverse to being low man on the totem pole as you put it. IF (and I say if, because of your posts) someone is passionate about medicine, the prestige and dumpings may not be as detrimental to them as it is for you. No one is trying to gloss over the reality, but simply say that the reality is worth the effort, time, money, and work. To you, its simply not worth it, but you cant expect every applicant to follow your individual experiences.
Not necessarily; because of the large degree of individual variation, one person starting at 26 may very well do better than another person who started at 24. But I'll bet that in the aggregate, the data would show that on average, people who start earlier do better than people who start later.
Again, your statements lack the validity of sources or proof. The onus is on you to provide such, and as of yet, I havent seen anything compelling. Your making a case for med school itself to be hard, Im not sure anyone in here is saying it wont be hard. Your saying it will be harder because of age, that is of yet, unsupported.
Again, I point out that the only people who say this have "Pre-Medical" under their names. Anyone on this side of the pre-med/med divide, from medical students up through older practicing physicians, will say that if you've made it to 3rd year you pretty much have to finish. That's not the same thing as saying that you have to practice medicine. There are non-clinical careers. But at this point it makes sense to at least finish the degree.
Again, I must point out your attraction to the prestige mentality. Im not saying you shouldnt finish, I personally agree that after that long, it would be ridiculous to quit, regardless of your intent to practice, but your divide is telling. There is nothing about being a (dreaded) pre-med or being a (respected) med student that gives or even implies any sort of wisdom or even knowledge over the other especially when it comes to issues outside the realm of medical school classes. Having the title med student simply means you are in the process of taking courses that are taught in med school. Im so tired of the implication that the SDN title under your name gives you or anyone else (med student or pre-med) any validity or proof.
That's great, but I'd wager there are emotional factors in your situation. There certainly were for me. I did a lot better in my post-bac than I ever had in any previous school experience, but it was only because I was actually trying for once. Who knows, maybe you like what you're doing now more, and so that improves your concentration or something. I stand by my statement that, with all else equal, school is harder in your thirties than it is in your twenties.
So we are talking about school in general or med school. Because if you are correct it should apply to both undergrad and grad. But then by your own admission non-trads are doing much better this time around. How do you explain the disconnect? I also dont agree that you can separate emotional factors in the discussion either. Passion, emotions, dedication, endurance, these are all parts of doing well in school be it undergrad or med school. What you are saying is that med school is harder for those older if they arent really totally committed on med school. That I would agree with and is probably whats happened in your case.
Bottom line is that med school is hard. It is not for the faint or for the undecided. There are valid and not so valid reasons for attending medical school. There are students both old and young that both excel and struggle in medical school. Make your decision seriously and try as best as possible to consider all the options. Follow your dreams and your passions, if that is medicine, little else matters. Work hard and it certainly can come true.
