I'm curious about how those over 30 generally compare to the younger MCAT takers?
Does the experience and focus of maturity overcome the length of time we've been away from the general science classes?
Do you think an admissions committee would look at a good score by an older applicant with greater favor vs. a traditional student? If both received a 34 or so?
just trying to figure out the process…
thanks
| QUOTE |
| I'm curious about how those over 30 generally compare to the younger MCAT takers? Does the experience and focus of maturity overcome the length of time we've been away from the general science classes? |
You do not want to know. It's discouraging...
Don’t worry about stats. You are not a statistic. (Well at least I know I’m not a statistic…)
Make sure you are one of the “outliers” on their stats. That way you won’t be included. 
What’s that old saying, “Age and cunning over youth and beauty,” or something like that…
It doesn’t apply to med school. Although MCAT and undergraduate performance are not great prognostic tools, they’re pretty much all AdComs have to predict how someone is going to do in med school. The simple fact that you are older and (presumably) more mature is not going to make up for ordinary or sub-par grades or MCAT scores. The primary consideration for an AdCom is “Can s/he do the work?” And the best basis they have for predicting the answer to that question is how you’ve done up to that point. They MAY also use your past experience to help them answer that question, but when considering that “fuzzy” information, they don’t have data and research and statistics to back them up (as they do for MCAT scores as predictors, for example).
A person who hasn’t taken any courses for several years would be well-advised to shoot for a high MCAT score, for example. A person who’s just now completing her degree at age 40 had better be getting terrific grades. When it comes down to it, even though these statistics are only numbers that don’t tell you everything about a person, they are measurable - and information like past life experience is a lot harder to quantify.
For the most part, I believe that your age is a neutral factor at most schools nowadays. OPMs are not nearly as rare as they were several years ago. Your age is not going to send up a red flag or cause AdComs to look at you very differently from other applicants.
But the most important thing I think OPMs should remember is that you will NOT get bonus points for being older / more mature / having more life experience / whatever positive attributes you think go along with being older. If you are very fortunate and persuasive, an AdCom may consider these as “bonuses,” but your basic profile has to be of a good student who has worked hard, just like all the other applicants. How you fill in that profile can vary hugely, of course - you’ll want to guide AdComs in how they regard you by making your case in your personal statement.
Referring to that chart of how people did on the April 2002 MCAT, and how the age group >31 did worse… I can’t explain it. I don’t know if maybe people don’t prepare as well as they need to, or what. I refuse to believe that I am stupider than I was when I was 30, but hey! maybe I would’ve gotten a 39 on the MCAT instead of the 32 I scored at age 43, I dunno. 
I do not doubt that 30 year olds or more can do just as well on the MCAt as anyone else. I think that part of the problem could be that their science pre-reqs are old as hell and the mcat tests are also getting more difficult each sitting. Possibly some older pre-meds (not the ones on these boards, because we are informed here) assume that their age will justify subpar mcats due to whatever reason. This is just an opinion and by no means am I implying that us older pre-meds cannot or will not get good scores.
I think the statistics might also be a little skewed by people taking the MCAT as their first step towards medicine - little or no preparation, forever since they took prereqs, etc. If you haven't really done your homework about it and you're out of the college scene where some of this information is generally known – I could see someone just signing up to see how they do - and scoring low.
Another poss reason is that in some fields, like genetics and microbiology, much has been discovered in the last ten years. Ten years ago what you learned in school was probably already at least 5 years out of date in these fields
cont’d From what I heard the April bio part was heavy in cell bio with very little in anatomy so maybe a microbio course would be a good prep for mcat(?) 
actually, cell bio would be better than anything. After Biochem, one day our professor offered a sample exam for what we had gone thru, it was almost entirely the cell bio stuff we covered in 2 lectures (essentially one semester of undergrad cell bio). It was 2 sections of a Flowers & Silvers MCAT.
Nobody missed more than 2 questions out of 10. Take Cell bio. It will be well advised and worth it.
I couldn't disagree more with Renard…Yes she is in med-school and God bless her. I wish nothing but the best for her. I, however, am NOT in…but I have a friend Shannon. she's 39 years old and has a GPA <3.0. Her mcats we're <22 and the only saving grace she had was that she was a physical therapist…she is now enjoying her tenure at University of Texas at san Antonio…so NO, NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE!
but then again I probably misread the question anyway.
Just call me rebel without a clue…
| QUOTE (Mary Renard @ Sep 14 2002, 12:26 PM) |
What's that old saying, "Age and cunning over youth and beauty," or something like that....It doesn't apply to med school.
But the most important thing I think OPMs should remember is that you will NOT get bonus points for being older / more mature / having more life experience / whatever positive attributes you think go along with being older. If you are very fortunate and persuasive, an AdCom may consider these as "bonuses," but your basic profile has to be of a good student who has worked hard, just like all the other applicants.
Sorry Doc Holliday, but I think Mary's right on the money here. You seem to be on some sort of MCAT rant. Sorry, I know it can be frustrating. But somewhere along the line you have to prove that you're able to complete the med school curriculum successfully, and to most adcomms that means at least a solid GPA and MCAT. The simple fact that you're older does not make you a better person after all. Sure you MIGHT have valuable life experience and perspective, but not necessarily.
Also we can always find that one person that got in with an mcat of 12, gpa of 1.9, but maybe there were awesome EC's or whatever that made up for the rest of the application. Most of us do not have those EC's that will be enough to get in regardless of gpa, mcat. So it behooves us to do as well as we possibly can so numbers do not become an issue. I also have to agree with Mary (and she has sat on the adcom from my understanding) that regardless of life experiences, or age there is some initial number cutoff at some schools. Also look were Mary goes that school receives about 4,000 applications or more! they cannot possibly sit down and initially look at every individual application. They have to somehow eliminate some of these application. Were did your friend get into? was it a small state school that only receives 1,500 applications? was she URM or otherwise disadvantaged applicant? we have to look at all these possibilities before assuming that we are a shoe-in regardless of the numbers.
Doc, don't bet on getting in with a < 3.0 GPA and < 25 MCAT just because you're older and more experienced, etc. So you have a friend that got in with relatively poor credentials - but know this: she was the EXCEPTION and not the rule. Stack the odds in your favor and get a good MCAT score one way or another, and improve your GPA if possible.
I, too, agree with Mary. If you stick around a while you'll realize that she is a very knowledgeable resource and is usually right on the money. Plus, one of the few that stick around once they've entered med school.
Good luck, DH.
Geez you guys I should start a fan club or something 
it’s okay with me if Doc H. disagrees!
I would just like to point out, Doc, that you don’t know why your friend got in despite her poor stats. As efex points out, she may have had some other awesome experiences or credentials.
What I am willing to bet the ranch on is that she did NOT overcome those stats simply by virtue of being 39 years old. Now, she may have acquired some amazing experiences or insights due to the fact that she has been on this earth for 39 years. She may have come across particularly well in her interview - in my experience older candidates do interview well. [although an adcom member told me that they expect a better interview from an older candidate, so the bar is higher] She may have had such a slew of bad old grades that her most recent grades didn’t bring up her overall gpa much even if she got all As - but the adcom noticed that all her recent college coursework was exemplary.
The point is, we don’t know.
Here’s something to think about, y’all. How would WE feel if we found out that an AdCom cut someone a break for being YOUNG? Every year there are aspiring Doogie Howsers out there, completing college at the age of 15 or whatever, applying to med schools. What if a kid was evaluated generously on her interview - “she’s so young and inexperienced, I could really understand why she had a hard time” - or cut a break on the MCAT - "for a 15 y/o, he did very well."
I’m not being cut any breaks in school, and I want to be treated as just another member of my class. So being evaluated without much, if any, concern for my age seems right to me.
I am 32 and was surprised to receive my MCAT scores a few weeks ago–(38-S) I was very nervous that it had been so long since I had taken my undergrad science courses–but after a summer cramming with The Kaplan Review Book (~65$, nothing else–I highly recommend it), I was able, somehow to pull it off. Statistics on the official AMCAS website do show that applicants over 30 do have a real drop in average MCAT scores. I wonder it that is at least partially due to 30 and 40 somethings that have a midlife crisis and just decide to take the MCAT and “see if I could be like one of these guys on ER.” But I am living proof that you can be a bit older and still neutralize the MCAT beast.
| QUOTE (mjlinton @ Oct 26 2002, 06:20 AM) |
| I am 32 and was surprised to receive my MCAT scores a few weeks ago--(38-S) I was very nervous that it had been so long since I had taken my undergrad science courses--but after a summer cramming with The Kaplan Review Book (~65$, nothing else--I highly recommend it), I was able, somehow to pull it off. Statistics on the official AMCAS website do show that applicants over 30 do have a real drop in average MCAT scores. I wonder it that is at least partially due to 30 and 40 somethings that have a midlife crisis and just decide to take the MCAT and "see if I could be like one of these guys on ER." But I am living proof that you can be a bit older and still neutralize the MCAT beast. |
Hi there,
It's good to see that you have raised the stats for the "geriatric" set. Congratulations on your great MCAT score. Also, thanks for letting us know that the "Beast" can be conquered. Many folks out there will be facing that exam in April and will need to have some encouragement.
I suspect that your thinking going into that exam was similiar to mine: "Let's get this thing done and move onto the next step. Now bring on the questions!"
Again, Congratulations on that great score!!!!
Natalie