Maybe this should be moved to the med school student board, but a concern that I have been having lately is about how I will relate to my fresh-out-of-college classmates. I’ll (hopefully) be 26 turning 27 when I start school, single, no kids, and have had a lot of intense work/life experiences (working on Wall Street, living in NYC on my own, etc). Basically I’ll have more life experience than a just-out-of-college grad, but not a part of the ‘family-oriented’ group of non-trads. Besides being interested in medicine, I’m really interested in having a memorable grad-school experience. Many of my friends who are completing school now talk about how med school is “soooo hard” and how they are happy that they’ve “made it through with the best friends of their life.” I just wonder sometimes if my life experiences may complicate relating to my professionally inexperienced peers, particularly if I don’t wind up at a traditionally non-trad friendly school. Has anyone had any of these doubts? Would love to think that I’m not completely on my own on this one…
The average age of MS1 these days is 25-27 so you’re right in the ballpark. Lots of people not taking the straight’n’narrow path out of college. You’ll be still young but with a lot to share with your classmates. Don’t worry; you’ll have plenty of friends. Just imagine what it’s going to be/has been like for those of us with a 20-25 year age gap. I mean, most of my soon-to-be MS1 classmates were born around the time I started graduate school . But I’ve never found age to be much of an issue; we all get concentrating on the task at hand and the age/race/gender differences all just melt away.
Best of luck,
27?
Child, please.
Seriously, there will be plenty of people your age and older (anyone with a graduate degree) at almost any med school, not to mention plenty of people who will put your life experience in perspective and humble you greatly.
Enjoy it!
j
Hey, don’t count us over 35 y/o out! Not all of us are married with children…and come to think of it, when you are actually in the throes of medical school, age may cease to be an issue because married or not, nontrad or trad, you are all undergoing the same education. You’ll probably make friends across the age spectrum…at least this was what I am finding as I am working on my undergrad.
Kris
Perhaps some tough love but you can handle it…
Just change your attitude about your peers and they’ll become some of your greatest friends. Professional experience means squat. Medical school is just like going from high school to college…you’re starting from scratch. While it might impress you what you did before school no one truly cares. The adcoms did and that got you in but that’s that. The biggest mistake you can do is come into any situation with the “I used to…”. You worked on WallStreet? Great for you. These “kids”, which will be around your age anyway, have some incredible experiences. The ones I know have:
-worked on the human genome project
-done HIV/AIDS research in Africa
-spent 4 years in PeaceCorps overseas
-have a patented research invention
-1st author on 4 publications…as a tech!
-medic for a Special Forces “A” team with beaucoup combat experience…
These are all different people not just one applicant. So while professional experience is nice it’s not the end all be all. Accept that your fellow classmates will have something to contribute. Accept that some will be 5th & 6th generation MD’s and have years of connections to contribute…(BTW most of these won’t tell you their past)
Just go to med school and focus on the bond which brought you all together in the first place…money, power, prestige, fast cars, loose men/women… 
You’re going to have a great time. Concretely-- the gap between 27 and 22 in maturity is not a big deal. I think you’re mistaking it for the 22-to-17 gap, which is yawning.
And an auditorium full of hard-bodied, younger guys-- confused, lonely and FAR FROM HOME???
Two words: Happy hunting!
Loose women at medical school?!?! Shhhhhhhhhh!
If my wife hears that, she’ll never let me out of the apartment again. let alone medical school! =P
Really?! Loose women…
I honestly thought it was just about the fast cars! 
Okay, okay, I get it!! I never doubted that school wouldn’t be full of incredibly interesting, accomplished, motivated people. Just getting cold feet (but still moving forward with the process) 
Thanks for all your responses!
- T_Forsythe Said:
If my wife hears that, she'll never let me out of the apartment again. let alone medical school! =P
Really?! Loose women.....
I honestly thought it was just about the fast cars! ;-)
Loose women come after the money, power, prestige, and loose men that you will get AFTER you complete medical school. Let's not forget that med school is the surest way to attain all these things and so much more. Patient care is better left to those who care.....like family members.
In case anyone is wondering I am kidding.......about the fast cars. Bwahahahaha....
One of the best things I’ve learned is that every individual I meet can teach me something and learn something from me.
Keeps me confident and modest at the same time 
Hey, minidee, in seriousness, though, a lot of folks do worry about whether med school is going to be a social nightmare, and it’s natural to worry. Because most schools have a solid little cluster of 26-29 year olds I am actually not too concerned for you, and I think you’ll also find that age will be an important but by no means the only way that you organize your social connections.
Our esteemed colleagues here at OPM have soberly opined on the issue of dating. I can not add any wisdom to their profound and doubtlessly extremely helpful contributions. Mr M. Fugazi’s comment is especially apt, if you like that sort of thing; I can not deny the truth of what he describes.
But, if it’s any comfort to you, I started med school at 33; I couples-matched with a woman who started at around the same age you are starting; we met at our med school which is not well-known for a large supply of older students. I would say that my social life in general has sometimes been difficult, but probably less because of age and more because my social world had been so different than that of med school (I doubt you will have such a sharp transition: I thought the idea of my med school’s “formal dance” had to be an ironic joke, since the only people in my world who wore gowns were genetically male). But I like many of my classmates and have been liked by many.
This is all to say that after dismissing your stated worries quickly, I can also reassure you about what might be some of your unstated worries.
j
- ttraub Said:
24. :-)
http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/2006/2006a ge.htm
Cheers,
Judy
I went to our formal stag with friends and we all danced to the oldies and they knew the words better than I did. It was a blast. Go to prom! No matter what they call it!
- joewright Said:
Hey Joe, where did you match? (Is there a match thread somewhere on OPM? I can't seem to find it.)
Cheers,
Judy
- jcolwell Said:
- ttraub Said:
24. :-)
http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/2006/2006a ge.htm
Cheers,
Judy
Ah, OK. I've heard it was 26 or 27 at a couple of osteopathic schools I visited, though.
- ttraub Said:
- jcolwell Said:
- ttraub Said:
24. :-)
http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/2006/2006a ge.htm
Cheers,
Judy
Ah, OK. I've heard it was 26 or 27 at a couple of osteopathic schools I visited, though.
I can imagine you're right about this.
Cheers,
Judy