Hi I just joined this website, pretty good information here …
I read thru a post here, guy thought he is insane as he is thinking about going med school at age of 27 … What about me I am 40 - and I am thinking about going med school… stupid, insane…
I already have MS in computer science, software engineer in a good corp, good pay… not married yet…
I was thinking about my life and wanted to do PhD in computer science, but after research I found with PhD, I will become teacher or professor… not so much appreciated by corporations …
then I thought of my old passion to become a doctor, I researched and found that it will take 10-11 years for me to become physician if everything goes fine… I have to work really really hard and I might have to quit my job to study…
so, now you see I want to do something that I love doing and keep doing till I die … dont know what is good … PhD seems easier than med school … Any advise? Also looking for pre-reqs for med admission if anyone knows …
Appreciate your time in advance for reading and responding … thanks.
40 is in no way too old to consider going back to med school! I’ll be well into my 40s by the time I finish residency but I know that I’ll be doing something I’m passionate about. Getting your Ph.D is a viable option as well and considering your background, seems like it would be a quicker goal. I don’t know which of the two you’d rather do; that’s something you have to decide. But I wouldn’t let the timeline discourage you. Good luck!
Stupid? No. Insane? Definitely! Welcome to the crazy train!
Don’t worry about the age thing. I know of a 22 y/o who considered himself a nontrad. Everyone is a nontrad these days. Everyone wants to be considered a “non-traditional” student to the point that now everyone’s a nontrad. And as Dash reminded his mother in “The Incredibles,” if everyone’s special then no one is." 
Hi!
Everyone’s path is different, but maybe my experiences can shed a little light onto your decision making process.
I guess I’m a youngster in the ‘old pre-meds’ world (I’m 28) and currently a 6th year PhD candidate in Infectious Disease. I chose to go to graduate over medical school because it was easier. I wouldn’t have to spend a year filling in missed pre-reqs, take the MCAT or spend the enormous amount of time it takes to fill out applications. It felt like a smarter choice too; there would be no overwhelming debt from grad school and I thought it would be an overall easier path. At the time I thought that doing research in the medical sciences would be a lot like practicing medicine. I can assure you, it’s not.
Both programs will test the mental and physical limits of what you thought you were capable of. For me, being so unhappy in research adds another layer of difficulty because I’m working long hours and slaving away for a degree I don’t want. I still have not graduated but I’m almost there.
I applied and was accepted into a DO program on my second round, after I spent three years taking classes and studying for my MCAT in between experiments. I’ll start this fall. The best advice I can offer to you is this: Do some soul searching. Choose a program because it will lead you to what you want to be, not to what seems more feasible or less difficult. This experience has made me realize that I know, somewhere deep down, that I was meant to be a physician.
Also, read The Alchemist. Hope that helps,
C