Starting medical school after age 25

[CalifornianMD]

Hi all, sorry if this is in the wrong area. I just turned 24 and finished my first year of post-bacc coursework. I've looked at it from every angle and it's going to take me another 2 years to finish my coursework, take my MCAT, and have my app as good as it can be. If everything goes according to plan I'll start medical school at age 27. This summer I have been participating in clinical research and have had the opportunity to shadow several different specialties and have loved surgery the most. I was wondering if any of you have started med school around age 27 and are considering surgery. Sometimes I get down on myself that it's taking so long and I'll be older than my peers.

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[seminoma]

When you're 65 and your peers are 60 you're not going to care.

 

[Roxas]

I started at 26, and have friends who are even older. I'm pretty sure we'll all be fine.

 

[bengirlxD]

There's a guy I know who is going to be applying at 25. He is beyond talented in every way. As they say, Age is Just a Number

 

[Mr. Vandemar]

I started at 27. Quite a few people in my class in their mid-30s aiming for a surgical specialty.

Every once in a while someone on SDN will talk about how irresponsible it is to waste resources training old physicians. Pretty sure even those wackos aren't referring to people starting med school in their 20s.

 

[Donald Juan]

I started at 27, I'm going into a surgical specialty. You won't feel too old being 27 in med school given how many other people are at this age range (and how mature a lot of the 22-24 year olds in med school are). Hopefully you'll be old enough by the time you start to realize that this isn't a race, it's not a rainbow with a pot of gold at the end. It's your life. Just live it one day at a time.

 

[Marine to MD]

Started at 27. Friend of mine started at 37.

 

[AMEHigh]

Starting med school several years after undergrad isn't uncommon these days. You will see people all the way up in to their 40s completing medical school. No biggie.

 

[Low Flow]

Isn't the average age of matriculants at most schools around 25-26?

 

[Winged Scapula]

It's fine. I started after age 27 and am now a surgeon. Perhaps my mind wasn't as plastic as that of my younger colleagues but I certainly had the physical stamina, and more so, than many of them.

As noted above, it's really only an issue when we're talking about starting in your late 30s or beyond.

 

[Flamen04]

I don't know about a career in surgery, but I have a classmate that started med school in his mid-40s. So stop worrying about age and get on living your dreams!

 

[CpnClwVie]

Im 22 and one of the youngest people in my class. Being a little older is actually an advantage here

 

[Psai]

at least people won't ask you if you're in high school

 

[seminoma]

I started at 27. Quite a few people in my class in their mid-30s aiming for a surgical specialty.

Every once in a while someone on SDN will talk about how irresponsible it is to waste resources training old physicians. Pretty sure even those wackos aren't referring to people starting med school in their 20s.

I'm one of those "wackos" and someone in their 20s to early 30s definitely does not qualify as a waste of resources.

 

[Kaustikos]

at least people won't ask you if you're in high school

lol they think you're an old fart instead
I'm in the demographic listed. No cares given.

 

[masaraksh]

Medical schools should also stop letting in women because they have children and are more likely to work part time.

 

[ortnakas]

I hate it when threads make me feel old... I started at 27 and it's fine so far. I'm not planning on surgery, but that's because it's not my interest, not because of my age. I have classmates who are my age and older who do plan to pursue surgery. You'll be fine.

 

[skeletor06]

I'm 33, just had my first day of MS-1 orientation today. Not planning on surgery, but likely a pediatric residency with a three-year fellowship, so basically the same thing time-wise. I'm probably one of the oldest guys in our class, but it seems like it's totally fine.

 

[sacredmeow]

I'm almost 33 and I am just starting to begin premed prereqs. Age is just a number...

 

[Goro]

Some of my all time best students have been in their 30s and 40s. I graduated one last year at 50.

Hi all, sorry if this is in the wrong area. I just turned 24 and finished my first year of post-bacc coursework. I've looked at it from every angle and it's going to take me another 2 years to finish my coursework, take my MCAT, and have my app as good as it can be. If everything goes according to plan I'll start medical school at age 27. This summer I have been participating in clinical research and have had the opportunity to shadow several different specialties and have loved surgery the most. I was wondering if any of you have started med school around age 27 and are considering surgery. Sometimes I get down on myself that it's taking so long and I'll be older than my peers.

 

[deoxyribonucleicacid]

My best friend just had her white coat ceremony this past Sunday. She's 31. You can rock this!

 

[MrLogan13]

I'm 33 and starting my first year. I have a friend who went to med school at 45. 27 is young, man.

 

[genericpremedstudent]

when I hopefully matriculate, I'll be 32.

 

[The Buff OP]

Older people of SDN unite!




Gonna be like 29 or 30 when I start medical school, one day lol.

 

[timsk]

Encouraging to read this. Ill have just turned 29 when i matriculate next year (first step, i suppose, is landing some II).

You'll be fine OP. just take advantage of as many clinical/research/volunteer opportunities as you can between now and then

 

[Hospitalized]

I know a 40-year-old who just got accepted. Stellar applicant. A majority of my peers are 25+, although I go to a school with a significant population of non-traditional students.

 

[ChrisMack390]

I'll be starting at 27 and I don't anticipate a problem.

The average age is rising and rising. I think its 24 or 25 now, but think about the number of 22 year olds driving that average down.

 

[familyaerospace]

I started at 34.

 

[deleted480308]

Hi all, sorry if this is in the wrong area. I just turned 24 and finished my first year of post-bacc coursework. I've looked at it from every angle and it's going to take me another 2 years to finish my coursework, take my MCAT, and have my app as good as it can be. If everything goes according to plan I'll start medical school at age 27. This summer I have been participating in clinical research and have had the opportunity to shadow several different specialties and have loved surgery the most. I was wondering if any of you have started med school around age 27 and are considering surgery. Sometimes I get down on myself that it's taking so long and I'll be older than my peers.

I'm more concerned that you actually think this situation matters than that you are in this situation

Reread what you wrote out loud and think about it a minute

 

[Catalystik]

I was wondering if any of you have started med school around age 27 and are considering surgery. Sometimes I get down on myself that it's taking so long and I'll be older than my peers.

Whether you think that you can, or that you can't, you are usually right. -Henry Ford

 

[jjbodean]

i'm 44 and just started my MS3 year after passing step. being in school with my classmates actually makes me feel younger, not older.

 

[MrLogan13]

i'm 44 and just started my MS3 year after passing step. being in school with my classmates actually makes me feel younger, not older.

Same!

 

[Buck Winters]

An anesthesiologist I met was rejected at age 38. The only feedback he got from schools was that he was a bit too old. The next year he got accepted, then deferred, so he didn't start until 40~41..

 

[Azete]

One thing I think all pre-med students should be forced to do is spend at least 1 year outside of academia. Experience the real world, work a real job, pay your own bills. I think they would develop a much greater appreciation for medicine, or on the contrary find out they're totally content without it.

That said, I think the ideal age to start med school is in the 24-28 range. I'm outside this range on the older side, and generally feel that it's a better use of resources to train candidates under 35 unless they are truly exceptional.

 

[vellez]

I'll be 27 when I start. Maybe I'm biased, but I think starting at 30 is better than starting at say, 21. 25 is just too young for a doctor!

 

[Gandyy]

I'll be 26 If I matriculate next year. This is my first time applying. Sometimes life happens and you cant apply to medical school or it would be a bad idea to apply. This is what happened to me when I was 21-22.

 

[ramifications]

Just a question: While being older is great because you are wiser, how do you deal with your super competitive younger classmates? What techniques do you use in medical school to not feel depressed? or have you even gone past this thought? The reason I ask is because lately in my gap year I seem to find myself quite depressed. I am not getting employed with a degree I thought was highly employable, and every time I try to find a clinical internship I just can't find one. Moreso, I just finished taking physics and I feel drained after being showed out by my younger friends. Either in physics II I was weaker or just didn't apply my level best. It's just that I asked these amazing questions in class and when exam time came I didn't score amazingly as good. On the other hand, kids younger than me were doing less work than I was, were less inquisitive as I was, and still obtained higher grades. I didn't use to mind this before but somehow being older made me feel a bit intimidated by this.

 

[FutureOncologist]

I regret entering in at 22. I've posted about this before, and I won't re-type it out, but there are several people in my class that are above 30, have children, have had previous careers, etc. One guy raised horses for a few years and lived life until he was 35 years old and then went into medicine. No one saw him as "old," but rather lucky he lived life before entering medical school.

 

[Gandyy]

Just a question: While being older is great because you are wiser, how do you deal with your super competitive younger classmates? What techniques do you use in medical school to not feel depressed? or have you even gone past this thought? The reason I ask is because lately in my gap year I seem to find myself quite depressed. I am not getting employed with a degree I thought was highly employable, and every time I try to find a clinical internship I just can't find one. Moreso, I just finished taking physics and I feel drained after being showed out by my younger friends. Either in physics II I was weaker or just didn't apply my level best. It's just that I asked these amazing questions in class and when exam time came I didn't score amazingly as good. On the other hand, kids younger than me were doing less work than I was, were less inquisitive as I was, and still obtained higher grades. I didn't use to mind this before but somehow being older made me feel a bit intimidated by this.

You are implying that non trads arent as academically adept at traditional students are? If you look through the MCAT forums, you'll notice that non-trads have full time jobs and get 90+ percentile MCAT scores.

Having a stressful full time job is harder and studying for the MCAT than a pre-med's curriculum and studying for the MCAT.

As for the feeling depressed situation... I say just study more. Most people who think they "cant keep up" just arent studying enough. Simple.

 

[FutureOncologist]

As for the feeling depressed situation... I say just study more. Most people who think they "cant keep up" just arent studying enough. Simple.

That's a generalized statement right there. Good grades aren't always proportional to the hours you put into studying. Studying is all about how effective you use your time. The most successful premeds that get into top 20 programs are ones who have near-perfect GPAs with amazing ECs. The only way to do that is by studying effectively, not studying longer. A kid who studies physics 5 hours/day but makes B-'s and C+'s on tests doesn't mean he should be in there 8 hours a day. It means he isn't doing something right and has to change his habits and study techniques.

 

[CpnClwVie]

I'll be 27 when I start. Maybe I'm biased, but I think starting at 30 is better than starting at say, 21. 25 is just too young for a doctor!

Thank god ill be 26 when im a doctor then

 

[ramifications]

You are implying that non trads arent as academically adept at traditional students are? If you look through the MCAT forums, you'll notice that non-trads have full time jobs and get 90+ percentile MCAT scores.

Having a stressful full time job is harder and studying for the MCAT than a pre-med's curriculum and studying for the MCAT.

As for the feeling depressed situation... I say just study more. Most people who think they "cant keep up" just arent studying enough. Simple.

no I don't think nontrads aren't adept at learning. I am saying that by virtue of being older, I have this understanding that perhaps I have taken more courses or had more experiences than younger candidates to make me more superior in academia. Clearly the questions I ask are of high quality enough that even the professor is intrigued by them but the problem arises when this notion is shattered when the younger student (without having studied or being more application-savvy as me) does better in the class in terms of numerics. That's when I feel the ego behind me burn because the many years of wisdom on my part aren't adding up to prove me in terms of numbers. Understand that this doesn't mean I have done abysmmal in the assignment, just that I wasn't obtaining the highest grade in the class. At the end of the day, I see my statements childish but this is one thing I have noticed by being on the other side of the fence where I feel compelled to be the best because I am the older person.

 

[Gandyy]

no I don't think nontrads aren't adept at learning. I am saying that by virtue of being older, I have this understanding that perhaps I have taken more courses or had more experiences than younger candidates to make me more superior in academia. Clearly the questions I ask are of high quality enough that even the professor is intrigued by them but the problem arises when this notion is shattered when the younger student (without having studied or being more application-savvy as me) does better in the class in terms of numerics. That's when I feel the ego behind me burn because the many years of wisdom on my part aren't adding up to prove me in terms of numbers. Understand that this doesn't mean I have done abysmmal in the assignment, just that I wasn't obtaining the highest grade in the class. At the end of the day, I see my statements childish but this is one thing I have noticed by being on the other side of the fence where I feel compelled to be the best because I am the older person.

Two sides of the same coin. Unless you are a 100 years old, booksmarts stay about the same for most people. It really takes a lot of years out of school (like 6+ maybe more than that) to actually start affecting your ability to understand literature. Of course, as you say being older doesnt necessarily make you smarter either. What DOES make a difference IMHO is when you are a child and what your public education is like.

 

[Gandyy]

That's a generalized statement right there. Good grades aren't always proportional to the hours you put into studying. Studying is all about how effective you use your time. The most successful premeds that get into top 20 programs are ones who have near-perfect GPAs with amazing ECs. The only way to do that is by studying effectively, not studying longer. A kid who studies physics 5 hours/day but makes B-'s and C+'s on tests doesn't mean he should be in there 8 hours a day. It means he isn't doing something right and has to change his habits and study techniques.

There is truth to that and my statement was a generalization but you have to understand I've met a lot of people who study like 5 hours for an organic exam TOTAL. And then they ask "why did I do so badly?"

errrrrrrr......

 

[sazerac]

Just a question: While being older is great because you are wiser, how do you deal with your super competitive younger classmates? What techniques do you use in medical school to not feel depressed? or have you even gone past this thought? The reason I ask is because lately in my gap year I seem to find myself quite depressed. I am not getting employed with a degree I thought was highly employable, and every time I try to find a clinical internship I just can't find one. Moreso, I just finished taking physics and I feel drained after being showed out by my younger friends. Either in physics II I was weaker or just didn't apply my level best. It's just that I asked these amazing questions in class and when exam time came I didn't score amazingly as good. On the other hand, kids younger than me were doing less work than I was, were less inquisitive as I was, and still obtained higher grades. I didn't use to mind this before but somehow being older made me feel a bit intimidated by this.

You are asking about both undergrad and medical school. These are two different beasts.

In undergrad you handle the competition by being better than them. Being a tutor for your classes also helps, because it forces you to do homework early, do each homework problem three times, and be able to explain each one two different ways.

In medical school it is a professional school. People are there for their own reasons and have their own goals that have nothing to do with you. There is little sense in competing against your fellow students because they aren't your enemy... memorizing the material is. You just go about your med school business and everybody is fine.

 

[AsianPersuasion]

Just a question: While being older is great because you are wiser, how do you deal with your super competitive younger classmates? What techniques do you use in medical school to not feel depressed? or have you even gone past this thought? The reason I ask is because lately in my gap year I seem to find myself quite depressed. I am not getting employed with a degree I thought was highly employable, and every time I try to find a clinical internship I just can't find one. Moreso, I just finished taking physics and I feel drained after being showed out by my younger friends. Either in physics II I was weaker or just didn't apply my level best. It's just that I asked these amazing questions in class and when exam time came I didn't score amazingly as good. On the other hand, kids younger than me were doing less work than I was, were less inquisitive as I was, and still obtained higher grades. I didn't use to mind this before but somehow being older made me feel a bit intimidated by this.

How about just not compare yourself to others? Easier said than done but I think once you realize that this is YOUR journey and it's not me, my best friend and I, I think you'll feel happier.

 

[FutureOncologist]

There is truth to that and my statement was a generalization but you have to understand I've met a lot of people who study like 5 hours for an organic exam TOTAL. And then they ask "why did I do so badly?"

errrrrrrr......

Yes, those people do exist. They are referred to as the people who get weeded out.

 

[WedgeDawg]

There is truth to that and my statement was a generalization but you have to understand I've met a lot of people who study like 5 hours for an organic exam TOTAL. And then they ask "why did I do so badly?"

errrrrrrr......

errrrrrrr.......

There are people who can do this and still pull As.....

 

[Gandyy]

errrrrrrr.......

There are people who can do this and still pull As.....

Do you actually think that I'm not aware that there are people who can do this? I'm talking about the overwhelming majority that cant.

 

[VitaminVater]

It's ok, you'll get into residency at around the same age as your traditional MD-PhD classmates will..

*cries*