Hello. I have been browsing this site for a couple of days and decided to join. What a nice group of people you seem to be! I am 48 - 49 in Sept. and have the crazy notion of going to med. school. I have been looking at “practical” things like nursing for a while, but something just kept nagging at me that this was not what I wanted to do. I have had an unusual life - rough childhood family, been a professional dancer in NY and became a professional wrestler in my mid thirties. Yes I did beat up those giants in the WWF. A bad case of mono at 34 that followed with Guillian Barre and encephalitis started my interest in medicine. My hobby became reading about viruses. I still never thought that I could become a doctor in reality. I looked into post bac programs but some of them even stated that you had no chance once you were past a certain age. So I gave up the thought and became a massage therapist. I am a great MT. I have worked on people who were told that they needed surgery and voila - no surgery necessary after a few months of deep work. I also ended up developing a practice that specialized in people with complicated medical conditions and or workplace/sports injuries. I still can’t shake the feeling that I want to be a doctor. I told this to my husband and he thinks it’s fine. I would finish residency right about when he wants to retire so he likes the thought of me doing it.
Is it so unlikely to be admitted to med school (in Massachusetts probably - stuck here due to hubbys career) at the old age of 52 or 53 - age I’ll be when pre reqs are done. I had a 3.4 average 28 yrs. ago at Boston College - took 9 science/math/psych courses at a community college with a 4.0 average. I am math phobic but have gotten 4.0 on all math taken to date.
Did I mention the 4.5 and 2.5 yr old daughters and the puppy and seven cats too? Maybe I am crazy, but I would like input from those of you who have been there/done that/are doing it now.
Kathleen
Hi Kathleen…Welcome! This is definitely a great forum.
If you can handle two young children, a puppy, 7 cats and a husband…you can handle medical school.
Like I said on another forum…just take age out of the equation…if this is what you want to do, do it. It is not unlikely as there are others who have done so successfully.
Best of luck,
Kris
The only problem I see is your limitation to a certain locale. That might be a problem. The best thing to do is speak to the specific schools you’re interested in. Bascially get them to know you, in a good way, and see.
Hello SilkAsMom and welcome to the forum.
In answer to your question concerning age, maybe I can be of some encouragement.
I live in Quebec, started my pre-reqs at age 50, and have just received an offer to med school from a local University. I have met NO descrimination based on age from any of the 3 schools I applied to.
Bear in mind that education is highly subsidized in Quebec. Basically, the state will be paying for the bulk of my medical education up here. When you think of it, it is even more surprising to have gotten in up here, since I myself am ending up paying for only a fraction of the costs. I could have encountered an argument such as: “The public health system is cash strapped; it is unwise for the public educational system to train a doctor who will be ready to practice only at age 5x”. The situation is rather different in the US since, as I understand it, the student really finances most (if not all) of his/her medical education.
To make a long story short, I made it in up here in Quebec, and I think you have every reason to believe in it, make YOUR best effort at the pre-reqs, and apply!
Ron
awesome job presse!!