What role does age play in acceptances

[Kingsmen2018]

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So yeah just wondering if it plays any role when it comes to relatively younger applicants. Is a 21 year old applicant looked at better, worse or the same as a 26 year old. I know there are a million other more important factors, but is this one?

 

[gyngyn]

It is not youth, but rather lack of maturity than adversely affects outcomes.

 

[The white coat trainer]

The avg age of accepted students in my class (2011) was 25. The youngest was 21, oldest was 36 ish. A third of the students were 22.

 

[Goro]

So yeah just wondering if it plays any role when it comes to relatively younger applicants. Is a 21 year old applicant looked at better, worse or the same as a 26 year old. I know there are a million other more important factors, but is this one?

No

 

[Gauss44]

Don't some medical schools expect older applicants to have accomplished more? Not just continuous accomplishments, but more substantial accomplishments, possibly with the exception of severely disadvantaged older applicants?

 

[Goro]

Don't some medical schools expect older applicants to have accomplished more? Not just continuous accomplishments, but more substantial accomplishments, possibly with the exception of severely disadvantaged older applicants?

No, we expect you to have demonstrated academic excellence and commitment to service to others, just as any 21 year old pre-med. We do expect a little more wisdom and better work ethic though.

 

[OchemOficionado]

No, we expect you to have demonstrated academic excellence and commitment to service to others, just as any 21 year old pre-med. We do expect a little more wisdom and better work ethic though.

You're BACK!! And off the Bad Boys List!!! There is a god!

 

[miniman]

View attachment 220674

https://aamc-orange.global.ssl.fast...-942e-73ae7071cbba/amcas_infographic_2016.pdf

what 16??

 

[gyngyn]

He/she enrolled at 16 so was 15 when he/she applied and had complete prereqs, MCAT, volunteering, shadowing, and the rest. Its people like that who make you realize how little you have accomplished

We accepted a 12 year old...once.

 

[gyngyn]

were they tall enough at the cadaver table?

We tried to slow her down with a PhD. It only slowed her 2 years...
Height was not the challenge.

 

[gyngyn]

Do you have a "where are they now" update (faculty, famed researcher, ran off to new wave commune, etc)

Yes. She eventually recovered and managed to be of service. Against all odds.

 

[SuaveCardigans]

We accepted a 12 year old...once.

How does this happen?

 

[gyngyn]

How does this happen?

Poor judgement. Not hers.

 

[PreMedMissteps]

We tried to slow her down with a PhD. It only slowed her 2 years...
Height was not the challenge.

She was a MD/PhD student? Wow

 

[gyngyn]

She was a MD/PhD student? Wow

No. She was accepted into the MD program against recommendations by the committee. This was before the LCME restricted the Dean's influence on admissions. She was advised to do a PhD first (to which she thankfully agreed).

 

[Kurk]

How would a 54 year old be expected to get through med-school without suffering a heart attack? That many all-nighters takes a toll even on young people.

Poor judgement. Not hers.

If the applicant demonstrated maturity, discipline, and the right mindset I can't really see the problem. Hell, there are 12 year olds who are more mature than people double their age.

 

[gyngyn]

If the applicant demonstrated maturity, discipline, and the right mindset I can't really see the problem. Hell, there are 12 year olds who are more mature than people double their age.

Medical school demands more than maturity commensurate with age.
Imagine the isolation of being a child surrounded by adults. No one to talk to. No one to play with. Imagine being expected to obtain a sexual history on a jail patient, a pap smear on a mother of 8, evaluate someone who has been raped.
As challenging as medical school can be, the opportunity to share it with your classmates makes it bearable. To have no one is unconscionably cruel...

 

[OchemOficionado]

How would a 54 year old be expected to get through med-school without suffering a heart attack? That many all-nighters takes a toll even on young people.

If the applicant demonstrated maturity, discipline, and the right mindset I can't really see the problem. Hell, there are 12 year olds who are more mature than people double their age.

You can see this for a 12 y/o but can't fathom it for a 54 y/o, lol. Why do you have a sickly image of 50 year olds in your head?

 

[Lawpy]

We accepted a 12 year old...once.

We tried to slow her down with a PhD. It only slowed her 2 years...
Height was not the challenge.

Yes. She eventually recovered and managed to be of service. Against all odds.

No. She was accepted into the MD program against recommendations by the committee. This was before the LCME restricted the Dean's influence on admissions. She was advised to do a PhD first (to which she thankfully agreed).

So the committee recommended against the 12 year old because she was too young for medical school? She's clearly smart and prepared for going that far.

 

[Kurk]

Medical school demands more than maturity commensurate with age.
Imagine the isolation of being a child surrounded by adults. No one to talk to. No one to play with. Imagine being expected to obtain a sexual history on a jail patient, a pap smear on a mother of 8, evaluate someone who has been raped.
As challenging as medical school can be, the opportunity to share it with your classmates makes it bearable. To have no one is unconscionably cruel...

If the social and emotional intelligence is there...

You can see this for a 12 y/o but can't fathom it for a 54 y/o, lol. Why do you have a sickly image of 50 year olds in your head?

Touche...though about the 50 year old...

 

[gyngyn]

So the committee recommended against the 12 year old because she was too young for medical school? She's clearly smart and prepared for going that far.

She was (and is) brilliant. She lacked (at that time) every other characteristic for which we select. I have every reason to believe that had she been allowed to develop, she would have been an amazing medical student. As it was, she was quite marginal, at best...

 

[Toutie]

She was (and is) brilliant. She lacked (at that time) every other characteristic for which we select. I have every reason to believe that had she been allowed to develop, she would have been an amazing medical student. As it was, she was quite marginal, at best...

Did she actually make it through med school/residency? Is she a practicing physician now?

 

[gyngyn]

Did she actually make it through med school/residency? Is she a practicing physician now?

Eventually. No time was "saved" by the prematurely early admission, though.
There is a reason that we select for the "core competencies." Some things cannot be rushed.
There is a reason to wait for developmental milestones, without regard to intellectual capability.

 

[PreMedMissteps]

How would a 54 year old be expected to get through med-school without suffering a heart attack? That many all-nighters takes a toll even on young people.

I was thinking that by the time he got out of med school, completed residency/fellowship, finish paying off his student loans, he'd be 75 years old.

 

[PreMedMissteps]

Did she actually make it through med school/residency? Is she a practicing physician now?

Eventually. No time was "saved" by the prematurely early admission, though.
There is a reason that we select for the "core competencies." Some things cannot be rushed.

Interesting. Accepted at 12, delayed a couple years completing a PhD, but still didn't get thru any earlier than a typical 21-22 year old student enrolling right after undergrad?

 

[PreMedMissteps]

Medical school demands more than maturity commensurate with age.
Imagine the isolation of being a child surrounded by adults. No one to talk to. No one to play with. Imagine being expected to obtain a sexual history on a jail patient, a pap smear on a mother of 8, evaluate someone who has been raped.
As challenging as medical school can be, the opportunity to share it with your classmates makes it bearable. To have no one is unconscionably cruel...

After reading this, the images of a lonely child, someone who may just be in early puberty, being exposed to such adult situations is, as you put it, unconscionably cruel.

You noted that she was a "marginal" med student and understandably so under the circumstances.

🙁

 

[Goro]

You're BACK!! And off the Bad Boys List!!! There is a god!

👍

 

[Pagan FutureDoc]

about a decade ago, there was an average of 12 people a year 50 or older who began an MD program. with increase in school seats, more non trads in the pool, and including DO schools, probably 30+ a year matriculate into medical school who are 50 or older

I couldn't imagine starting in my 50s...starting in my late 30s is bad enough and really has made be carefully evaluate what kind of practice I'd need.

But if they can do it, more power to them.

 

[Goro]

I couldn't imagine starting in my 50s...starting in my late 30s is bad enough and really has made be carefully evaluate what kind of practice I'd need.

But if they can do it, more power to them.

When I first started teaching, I was in my late 30s. One day I was co-teaching some 4th years in my subject with a clinical colleague. I threw out some bon mot and she said "Goro, you're so smart! You should go to medical school!"

Without even blinking I replied "Screw that!!!!! I'm too old and fat for that nonsense!"

I don't know how my students do it. This is what med school would have done to me:

 

[Gilakend]

When I first started teaching, I was in my late 30s. One day I was co-teaching some 4th years in my subject with a clinical colleague. I threw out some bon mot and she said "Goro, you're so smart! You should go to medical school!"

Without even blinking I replied "Screw that!!!!! I'm too old and fat for that nonsense!"

I don't know how my students do it. This is what med school would have done to me:

Goro saying med school would steamroll him effectively demolished any confidence I had that I would be successful in med school. I'll be deleting my account.

 

[ToBeADoctor]

I am one of those older nontraditional students; I'm matriculating to an MD school this August and my 50th birthday is two weeks after classes start. To ensure I'm up to the challenge, I make my health my #1 priority (healthy diet, exercise, meditation, good sleep habits etc) because I know that without my health, I can't accomplish much of anything. Also, I believe that a lot of stress in school is caused by poor planning, necessitating "heroics" like all-nighters to study for exams (I never did that once during my post-bacc). I planned my time down to the hour every day while I did my post-bacc and I definitely had lower stress levels than my younger classmates. I plan to continue same while in medical school.

Youth and vigor make it easier to recover from mistakes; age and maturity make it easier to not make those mistakes in the first place.