I wasn’t questioned about my age in any of my interviews this time or the last time I applied 2 years ago.
Last time I was asked about how is my family going to deal with me in med school and what preparations I was going to make to deal with my kids while in school.
This time the only thing that came up at VCOM was when the interviewer said … " You definetly met the definition of a non-trad students, unlike the previous applicant that had put herself down as a non-trad, when in fact she had just graduated from school 1 year previously and was 23 years old."
Other than that nothing was ever said or suggested about my age. Well I take that back… All 6 of the applicants were visiting in the conference room. We were talking and getting to know each other. One of the other girls was talking and cursing a number of times as she talked. Suddenly she looked over at me and said…“Oh, I am sorry for my langage.” I looked at her and said…“It’s ok, I have heard cuss words before.” 
I mean, gee whiz she was acting like she had just offended her old grandmother or something.
Your scenario made me laugh out loud…good 'ole youth! (I mean the noun not adjective 
)
OMG Amy that is too funny! I can cuss a blue streak when so inspired and from time to time I get a funny look from classmates for it… even while they are using the exact same words. Come on, don’t ANY of these kids have moms who cuss? 
I thought my interviewers were amazingly considerate of my non-trad background. Despite the fact that my degree was in Asian Studies/Linguistics, despite the fact that I’m 35, and despite the fact that I was 8.5 months pregnant and having contractions – they focused on my academics, skills and motivation. I voluntarily mentioned my child care plans and my husband’s support to show that I was comfortable with who I was and willing to answer questions, but I left my interview impressed and amazed that it was pretty much a non-issue.
Quote:
Going by the numbers, 75% of all international medical graduates (IMG’s) fail to get licensed to practice medicine in the U.S. This includes IMG’s who were born in the U.S.
That is true to an extent. But the truth lies beyond the numbers as to why they don’t get one when many residencies end up being unfilled. Many don’t want move out of an area. A few don’t have the abilities that make a residency director want to even take them. Some, like some I know, matched OUTSIDE and therefore fail to make the stats. The real numbers are somewhere between that and 75% that you see on many sites. All of the grads from my school either matched or had pre-match offers in hand. One even got Optho. So there goes that myth.
If you are good. Present yourself well and make good scores on the Boards, you will match or get an offer provided you perform well in clinicals. While some specialties are rare, it does happen. It all depends on what you are willing to do to get what you want.
Feel free to add on… 
Hey everyone! I am sooo happy to have found this forum. People just like me who have a dream, a goal, and are finally listening to (ourselves) rather than others who may think our dream is a crazy one. But now I am among friends!
I wanted to know at what age should one give up on the dream-that is, how old is too old to actually get into med school. I am single, no kids, 44yo female. I will be starting my pre-reqs next year. I want to major in French. Of course I would be including all the premed prereqs. I have been an RN for 17 years. I will be applying when I am 47 years old. Will the adcoms laugh me off all the campuses? Also I am in Canada and will be applying to 8 of our about 14 schools in Canada. Am I crazy? 
Regardless,
I’m so glad to be here.
PS I started to make this a new post but then saw that it should really go in with this one.
Gina.
Gina, on the basis of VERY few comments, I have gotten the impression that Canadian schools may be somewhat less open to older students than U.S. schools - but I really don’t know. Unfortunately for you, the vast majority of the folks on OPM are familiar with U.S. schools and I don’t know if any of us are going to have the specifics that you need. (There was someone a few years ago, somewhere in eastern Canada - Dalhousie maybe? - who got in, but she was around 30.)
By far the best bet for you will be to contact schools directly and talk to them - ask them, how can I make my application one that you will find compelling? What can I do to make myself a top-notch candidate? Figure out a way to get in to see someone in admissions offices. You are going to need very specific information to help you chart your course.
Good luck!
Mary
What Med Schools are most accepting to non-traditional students(over or around 40)? Which Med Schools were you all accepted to? First time applying, or did you apply more than once?
Rebecca
Rebecca, if you do a search for the phrase “non-trad friendly,” you’ll find many previous discussions on this topic. (Note that the default timeframe for searches is kinda short, like the past week or so? You have the option to reset it for one year, which I’d recommend.) I think some of these discussions may include some lists of schools… but the truth is that “non-trad friendly” isn’t much of a distinction any more; most med schools are receptive to some degree to “older” students.
There is a thread that is basically devoted to listing schools on studentdoctor.net, in the nontraditional forum.
Since I can probably think of at least thirty U.S. med schools where I personally know of a non-trad student who’s gotten in, it’s my firm belief that we don’t need to keep track of “favorable” schools any more. We need to just make our best case for acceptance, and get in.
Mary
Gina -
I have Canadian & US citizenship but have lived in the US for nearly 20 years.
I was accepted into several US med schools (at age 41), but could not get into med school in Canada; a lot of places had very strict GPA requirements, like they would only count courses that were taken during a semester in which you carried a full course load (which rules out a lot of non-trad students). My GPA of 3.6+ was simply not high enough to get into Ottawa, for example, as an out-of-province student. My overall impression was that the admissions process is heavily weighted towards highly motivated undergrads who have spent their lives studying hard and getting good grades, competing in sports at an Olympic level, and curing disease in remote Northern communities. Mac is supposed to be non-trad friendly, but I did not get an interview there (and I got interviews at 12/14 US schools), although I qualified there as an in-province applicant.
I really recommend looking at the prereqs for various schools, talking to their admissions staff, and finding out what you need to do to establish yourself as a fantastic applicant.
Also, check out the Canadian premed and med students’ forum at
http://p084.ezboard.com/bpremed101
This is a great and supportive community with lots of helpful advice.
good luck!