Too old for medical school?

[austintr]

I'm matriculating at 29 with a wife, a very young kid and a house. I haven't started yet obviously, so I don't know exactly how things will go, but I can guarantee that my family situation will have more impact than my age. Regardless of age, if you matriculate without a spouse and children, you're in good shape. No question about that. You (everyone) will find a group with which you fit in.

I'm also very happy I didn't follow the "normal" trajectory into med school. It would have been a bloodbath. I got all of my real partying out in undergrad and spent a few years making up for it. I have real life experience and am happy about that, but I'm totally ready to go back to being the absolute bottom of the totem pole. Also, I'm cool with being the lame ass that only does school stuff and spends time at home. Because I used to be the guy that made fun of those people in UG while I was out partying and skipping classes. I guess what I'm getting at is that as long as you're content with your personal identity going into school, you'll be at an advantage.

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[pedidoc13]

IT DOESN'T MATTER. You are NOT too old, whatever age you are. I applied to med school when I was 54, and I was accepted the first go-round because I was a damned good candidate, age notwithstanding. I told myself that anybody who would actually interview me would see that my age didn't matter. I started med school when I was 54, received my MD degree when I was 58, and completed pediatric residency at 61. You can do anything you want if you have the drive and determination. If you go into this thinking you can do it, you can. And you can convince just about everybody who interviews you, too (not all - but every applicant runs into jerk interviewers, face it). I am divorced and have no children; I wanted to be considered an equal, not a curiosity, not the "class mother," and I succeeded. One warning: residency was rough; night call (30-hour shifts) was brutal. But I did it, just like the 25-year-olds. You can, too. Just be smart with your finances, get scholarships, be frugal. I have student loan debt, but it's about 2/3 paid now and life is good. Very, very good. The worst day in med school, residency, or my current practice is still better than any day at my former job as a software engineer. I will never be fabulously wealthy, but that wasn't why I went into medicine in the first place. If you're even thirty or forty, your financial outlook is excellent. DO WHAT YOU WANT. I don't regret any of this. The only thing I regret is not doing it sooner, not doing what I wanted the first time. But it was the 60s and my guidance counselor told me I didn't want to be a doctor, I wanted to be a nurse or teacher. Well, I didn't. I wanted to be a doctor, and NOW I AM, working 45-50 hours a week, and having the time of my life. I tell my patients to find what they want to do and do it. If you fail, don't let it be because you didn't try. You may be lots of things, but "too old" isn't one of them. Good luck, and Godspeed!

 

[pedidoc13]

Some of my all-time best students have been in their 30s and 40s. I graduated a stellar one at 50 three years ago. She's a resident in Southern CA right now.

I'm 26 now and I can't apply until I'm at least 31. I'll still be hot, so it will be okay.

I'm kidding. A little.

If I'd applied to med school at 21, 22 like these kids... god, I would have been wrecked.

I'm a nontraditional student about to start medical school this year. Sometimes I get down because I didn't start medical school right away; other times, I'm content because I think I've matured over the years. I worked at a hospital for over three years in clinical research, and I got published. However, I noticed a lot of my future classmates are in their early 20s - I think I stand out like a sore thumb. Thoughts?

Please note that I've read previous threads on here, but there haven't been many recent ones and I just want to get more opinions and thoughts. Thanks.

See my post dated 12/23/17. pedidoc13

 

[DO2015CA]

I'm a nontraditional student about to start medical school this year. Sometimes I get down because I didn't start medical school right away; other times, I'm content because I think I've matured over the years. I worked at a hospital for over three years in clinical research, and I got published. However, I noticed a lot of my future classmates are in their early 20s - I think I stand out like a sore thumb. Thoughts?

Please note that I've read previous threads on here, but there haven't been many recent ones and I just want to get more opinions and thoughts. Thanks.

Have a classmate born the same year as my mother. You’ll be aight

 

[Laterthansooner]

IT DOESN'T MATTER. You are NOT too old, whatever age you are. I applied to med school when I was 54, and I was accepted the first go-round because I was a damned good candidate, age notwithstanding. I told myself that anybody who would actually interview me would see that my age didn't matter. I started med school when I was 54, received my MD degree when I was 58, and completed pediatric residency at 61. You can do anything you want if you have the drive and determination. If you go into this thinking you can do it, you can. And you can convince just about everybody who interviews you, too (not all - but every applicant runs into jerk interviewers, face it). I am divorced and have no children; I wanted to be considered an equal, not a curiosity, not the "class mother," and I succeeded. One warning: residency was rough; night call (30-hour shifts) was brutal. But I did it, just like the 25-year-olds. You can, too. Just be smart with your finances, get scholarships, be frugal. I have student loan debt, but it's about 2/3 paid now and life is good. Very, very good. The worst day in med school, residency, or my current practice is still better than any day at my former job as a software engineer. I will never be fabulously wealthy, but that wasn't why I went into medicine in the first place. If you're even thirty or forty, your financial outlook is excellent. DO WHAT YOU WANT. I don't regret any of this. The only thing I regret is not doing it sooner, not doing what I wanted the first time. But it was the 60s and my guidance counselor told me I didn't want to be a doctor, I wanted to be a nurse or teacher. Well, I didn't. I wanted to be a doctor, and NOW I AM, working 45-50 hours a week, and having the time of my life. I tell my patients to find what they want to do and do it. If you fail, don't let it be because you didn't try. You may be lots of things, but "too old" isn't one of them. Good luck, and Godspeed!

@Art2doc ... perspective from someone who did it.

 

[Maskchamp]

I know this thread is a little old, but I'll finish when I'm 37, currently enrolled. Is it harder to get a job after med school being older? Like "age discrimination" I guess in a way? How about in Europe where I would love to go?

 

[hallowmann]

I know this thread is a little old, but I'll finish when I'm 37, currently enrolled. Is it harder to get a job after med school being older? Like "age discrimination" I guess in a way? How about in Europe where I would love to go?

At 37, I doubt you'll get a ton of age discrimination, but there might be some, and it probably depends on how old you look. Residency programs really vary.

As for Europe, are you a dual-EU citizen? Not being from the EU will make the process difficult to say the least, but heavily depends on the medical board of those countries. There are also some countries that don't recognize the US DO degree as a medical degree, so you won't be able to practice medicine in those countries.

At the very least, you'll have to complete whatever exams or training is required in those specific countries. Its a long process, but certainly doable. It might be worth looking into the process at a later date (maybe in residency) if there's a specific country you have in mind.

 

[rg2o3]

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[Reveler]

Everyone has different ideas of what 'too old' means and how that relates to their current (and perceived future) work ethic, their ability to take on/pay back loans, deal with residency, etc. I always find it odd when people lament "going into medicine so late" while also mentioning they're in their "late 20's". I'm a 4th year that'll be starting residency at 35. My first attending paycheck will be at 40, and I'll be just as mentally and physically fit as I am now.

In terms of 'age discrimination', I had one interviewer ask me if I was 'up to it' in terms of age for residency. I was exploding internally but made some comment about how I'm in better shape at 34 than I was at 24 and I can work just as hard (if not harder) than many of my colleagues, etc. The point is: unless your 65, you're not too old. Of course, I've heard some people do the whole 'well we have a Dr. shortage, so why would we want to train folks for a 15 year career when we could train for 30 year careers.' But those people are stupid and we should all just roll our eyeballs, grab our walkers and meander away..

 

[Maskchamp]

At 37, I doubt you'll get a ton of age discrimination, but there might be some, and it probably depends on how old you look. Residency programs really vary.

As for Europe, are you a dual-EU citizen? Not being from the EU will make the process difficult to say the least, but heavily depends on the medical board of those countries. There are also some countries that don't recognize the US DO degree as a medical degree, so you won't be able to practice medicine in those countries.

At the very least, you'll have to complete whatever exams or training is required in those specific countries. Its a long process, but certainly doable. It might be worth looking into the process at a later date (maybe in residency) if there's a specific country you have in mind.

Hallowmann, thanks man.
That's good to hear. Well I'm Canadian but studying MD in Europe. I look about 5 years younger, everyone things I'm about 27 and I'm 33. The dean was pretty shocked when she learned my age. I'm in good shape, I bike to school 23.5km there and back every day.

I'll take my Canadian exams for sure, although yes I know it will be hard to get a position there, but I'll definitely take the exams, and the specific European country I'm thinking of. I love France and I speak French growing up in Montreal so I feel that will be my best option.

 

[Maskchamp]

Everyone has different ideas of what 'too old' means and how that relates to their current (and perceived future) work ethic, their ability to take on/pay back loans, deal with residency, etc. I always find it odd when people lament "going into medicine so late" while also mentioning they're in their "late 20's". I'm a 4th year that'll be starting residency at 35. My first attending paycheck will be at 40, and I'll be just as mentally and physically fit as I am now.

In terms of 'age discrimination', I had one interviewer ask me if I was 'up to it' in terms of age for residency. I was exploding internally but made some comment about how I'm in better shape at 34 than I was at 24 and I can work just as hard (if not harder) than many of my colleagues, etc. The point is: unless your 65, you're not too old. Of course, I've heard some people do the whole 'well we have a Dr. shortage, so why would we want to train folks for a 15 year career when we could train for 30 year careers.' But those people are stupid and we should all just roll our eyeballs, grab our walkers and meander away..

Reveler, that's so nice to hear. Congrats!

Yea, that would kind of annoy me too. We wouldn't have gotten into this profession if we really did not think we could handle it. Especially after being mature for quite a while.

I worked for a very long time, so I will have very little/if any loans to pay back. I do feel about 26 so far, not sure how long that will last, I guess we never know eh?

Keep me updated, always nice to hear different stories of how people are doing. Thanks guys!

 

[AsianPersuasion]

I started when I was 27, I'm about to turn 29. My med school best friend is 38 YO and we were both nurses before med school. My boyfriend is a 39...you'll live.

 

[radian313]

Im 31, a first year, and Im top 10% of the class. Somehow the older folks tend to be more mature and focused.

 

[IslandStyle808]

Im 31, a first year, and Im top 10% of the class. Somehow the older folks tend to be more mature and focused.

Maturity is more person oriented than age. My friend is top 10% and he's around 24 and constantly busts his tail. I know a 30 year old who fool around on weekends, but still somehow passes.

 

[radian313]

Maturity is more person oriented than age. My friend is top 10% and he's around 24 and constantly busts his tail. I know a 30 year old who fool around on weekends, but still somehow passes.

I beg to differ, and I can only speak on what I have observed as have you, so I see what you are saying to an extent. Generally, when I say maturity = age = being married = kids = more responsibilities.

 

[IslandStyle808]

I beg to differ, and I can only speak on what I have observed as have you, so I see what you are saying to an extent. Generally, when I say maturity = age = being married = kids = more responsibilities.

I know 25-30 year olds who are married and have kids and are also very mature, they are doing pretty well in school. Changed my views about the whole age thing.

 

[radian313]

I know 25-30 year olds who are married and have kids and are also very mature, they are doing pretty well in school. Changed my views about the whole age thing.

And I can offer many rebuttals, but generally age has a great bearing on maturity. Anyhow Im done beating a dead horse. Take it easy.

 

[Maskchamp]

Any 30+ year olds find it harder to study? I don't mean motivation or managing time, but like retaining the information? Do you feel like maybe you have to repeat things say 8 times before really knowing it as opposed to say 4 or 5 times 10 years ago? I'm not sure, I used to forget stuff even when I was 22 and in university. Thoughts?

 

[BorntobeDO?]

Any 30+ year olds find it harder to study? I don't mean motivation or managing time, but like retaining the information? Do you feel like maybe you have to repeat things say 8 times before really knowing it as opposed to say 4 or 5 times 10 years ago? I'm not sure, I used to forget stuff even when I was 22 and in university. Thoughts?

Thats what Anki is for, us old farts who need to get it wrong a bunch of times before we get it. Those young whipper snappers, well they came into med school knowing everything, no surprise they haven't 'forgot' it yet.

 

[68PGunner]

Any 30+ year olds find it harder to study? I don't mean motivation or managing time, but like retaining the information? Do you feel like maybe you have to repeat things say 8 times before really knowing it as opposed to say 4 or 5 times 10 years ago? I'm not sure, I used to forget stuff even when I was 22 and in university. Thoughts?

It's hard to absorb new info not because of a decline in cognitive ability but due to your age or exp. In my case, it def takes a little bit longer to mold your brain to that of a medical student. However, if I was younger, I'm not sure that I have the grit and determination to get through med school.

 

[IslandStyle808]

Any 30+ year olds find it harder to study? I don't mean motivation or managing time, but like retaining the information? Do you feel like maybe you have to repeat things say 8 times before really knowing it as opposed to say 4 or 5 times 10 years ago? I'm not sure, I used to forget stuff even when I was 22 and in university. Thoughts?

Thats what Anki is for, us old farts who need to get it wrong a bunch of times before we get it. Those young whipper snappers, well they came into med school knowing everything, no surprise they haven't 'forgot' it yet.

As a 30th something myself, this 100% is happening with me. To make matters worse I am a visual learning and retain jack from auditory learning. The only way I am able to keep up is with Anki. At first it didn't work, since I would do it as a Q&A. Now I write questions, but put the slides in the answer section. So 1) the colors and pictures clue me into the words and 2) whatever is on the slide and I didn't write as a question I go over. This way I don't miss anything.

In the end, a lot of it has to do with the fact that as we age we have less reason to suck information as a sponge and we instead focus on filtering out erroneous stuff and focus on important stuff. Unfortunately, in a medical school environment you don't know what really important and whats not and your better off retaining as much as you can. The good news is that you can break that barrier and become more sponge like the more you study the bad news is that it takes a lot more effort to do than your 20 something year old counter parts.

Still, I found that my attention to detail and thusly my memory has far improved in medical school. I feel a lot quick witted than when I was than my late 20s and just before I started medical school.

 

[Maskchamp]

As a 30th something myself, this 100% is happening with me. To make matters worse I am a visual learning and retain jack from auditory learning. The only way I am able to keep up is with Anki. At first it didn't work, since I would do it as a Q&A. Now I write questions, but put the slides in the answer section. So 1) the colors and pictures clue me into the words and 2) whatever is on the slide and I didn't write as a question I go over. This way I don't miss anything.

In the end, a lot of it has to do with the fact that as we age we have less reason to suck information as a sponge and we instead focus on filtering out erroneous stuff and focus on important stuff. Unfortunately, in a medical school environment you don't know what really important and whats not and your better off retaining as much as you can. The good news is that you can break that barrier and become more sponge like the more you study the bad news is that it takes a lot more effort to do than your 20 something year old counter parts.

Still, I found that my attention to detail and thusly my memory has far improved in medical school. I feel a lot quick witted than when I was than my late 20s and just before I started medical school.

Yea, I completely agree. I really try to focus on what's important instead of just trying to learn every single possible thing. I heard the average med student learns 13,000 facts a year, so I guess I try to pick out whats important. I've become a more visual person too. It definitely does take far more effort, but medicine is a lifelong learning process. All doctors regardless of specialty still need to re-learn and learn new things even when you are practicing 20 years. A surgeon at age 50 will still need to learn a lot more than when he/she was 30. So it's not like as you get older you can't learn anything. I have one more pre-clinical year left, I'm hoping once I get to clinicals it will be slightly easier.

 

[Reveler]

Lots of anecdotes about cognitive decline with age being thrown around here but data doesn’t support it. So if you’re in your 30s and having issues, age isn’t your problem..

 

[Maskchamp]

Lots of anecdotes about cognitive decline with age being thrown around here but data doesn’t support it. So if you’re in your 30s and having issues, age isn’t your problem..

I completely agree. It's very true, our neuroanatomy prof was talking about that just a few days ago actually how you have so much more neurons than actually needed and even in "decline" it doesn't affect your cognitive ability at all until you are much much older, and that's just a little.

 

[Postictal Raiden]

I’m 32 and I can tell you that my memory and cognitive ability are much stronger than they were when I was 22.

 

[DrStephenStrange]

One of my future classmates, on the Facebook page for the class of 2022, said she started her pre-med in 1985 and have been married for 23 years. Though I don't know her age, I'd say she's probably way older than you are, and she seems pretty stoked to have been given this opportunity to be in Medical School. With that being said, I don't think anyone will care about your age in Medical School. Everyone will be pretty busy making sure they stay on top of things anyway, so just be you and enjoy the ride, and you should be fine.

Sent from my [device_name] using SDN mobile

 

[Skiiiiiing]

I completely agree. It's very true, our neuroanatomy prof was talking about that just a few days ago actually how you have so much more neurons than actually needed and even in "decline" it doesn't affect your cognitive ability at all until you are much much older, and that's just a little.

There are empirically declines in working memory around age 25.

In terms of functional declines in cognitive ability, there are vast differences in terms of how individuals decline with age. I'm skeptical that these differences have substantive genetic basis.

 

[Dayan]

I am worried whether would it be a financial disaster, going to med school at 45?

 

[austintr]

I am worried whether would it be a financial disaster, going to med school at 45?

Going to med school at any age is basically a financial disaster. But younger students have more resiliency in this area...i.e, often fewer financial obligations going in and a longer period of time to pay back.

 

[mavric1298]

I am worried whether would it be a financial disaster, going to med school at 45?

This totally depends on your current situation - it's a balance between current funds (often older = > net worth), and greater expenses. If you can get away with less loans because you have some assets to use, then you'll be way ahead and won't be too much of a financial disaster. If you have larger liabilities, and have no resources to fall back on, you'll be behind the 8 ball. Couple that with the very real possibility that you'll not be as eligible for financial aid (again, further along in career assumption), you'll be impacted by 2 different negative factors - and have to start looking at earning potential and how long you'd be practicing.

With that said, I'm 32 and starting my second year, and the finances will be fine in the long term. Will there be some pain, of course, but if you are in this field for the money now, RUN LIKE THE WIND while you still can

 

[BorntobeDO?]

I am worried whether would it be a financial disaster, going to med school at 45?

45 is not disaster zone unless you already have a couple hundred thousand in debt before getting into med school. 45 is about where most people would have made more money just staying in their job than a physician who makes in the (going on memory now) 220k range as like FM.

There are other threads on this, but medicine doesn't actually become a 'you won't pay off your debt and die broke' affair until your in the mid 50's (starting school at mid 50's to be clear) with no scholarships at a 300k+ school etc. And even then there always seem to be at least one who shows up and says its worth it.