too old?

Nontraditional Premed Discussion
1

I know there are some similar threads but I really have been inspired to at least investigate the option.


I was exceptional in high school until an accident that put my life into a tailspin. I have since leveled off and gotten things straight however, I only have a AAS in computer networking. Something is pulling my attention towards becoming a doctor.


Lets just assume that I have the intelligence to handle the schooling and the time to devote to it. The problem is I am 38 year old and like I previously stated, I have relatively no college credits. Is it too late for me to do this? and how many years of schooling are we talking? From what I have read I am assuming about 10 years. Any other things I should consider?


Thanks


Matt

2

10 years of schooling (3 years BA, 4 years MD/DO, 3 years Medical Residency). We have many members who start medical school in their 40s and some even in their 50s. So too old is not the question. You can achieve this.


The question would be where do you want to be in life in 10 years?

3

Now I am even more intrigued with the idea. I will be contacting some local colleges in the coming days.


I was wondering, I live in MN should I be looking at the U of M as it has med school or can I start at a community college?


Thanks


Oh yes, The answer to that question is doing some thing meaningful and making a differance.

4
  • matt_rad Said:
Now I am even more intrigued with the idea. I will be contacting some local colleges in the coming days.

I was wondering, I live in MN should I be looking at the U of M as it has med school or can I start at a community college?

Thanks

Oh yes, The answer to that question is doing some thing meaningful and making a differance.



Matt,

38 is definitely not too old. As for where to begin, it really depends on if your units from you AAS degree is still in the system or is transferable to your local community college. This will determine if you can knock off a year or two. Then you can either start with community college or apply to your local university. As for the 4 year undergraduate degree, you can pick any major. However, I would highly recommend doing a science major as it tends to work better for med school. I did political science and is now starting a post-bacc soon for premed by taking all of those sciences courses that science majors would of already taken.

Quick Guide:

-Decide, apply to Local Community College or University depending on which one you can get in (or can afford at the moment)

-Get really good grades from here on out.

-Graduate with your 4 year degree (any major, would recommend science though)

-Study for Mcat, take mcat

-Apply for Med School, decide if allopathic or osteopathic is right for you.

-4 years of Medical School

-3 to 4 years of residency in the specialty you match well with.

-Become a Doctor at whatever age you'll be. Perfect timing for the Doctor shortage once 1/3 of them all retire in 2020. Let's face it, by the time all of us reach retirement, that age would be like 75. Someone like me doesn't plan on retiring until I can't walk anymore so I'll retire when I'm 80. That being said should give you at least 30+ years to practice. 30+ years in any profession is definitely considered a life long career.
5

Ok, well today was a bit of a speed bump. I tried going straight to the U of M and indirectly got shot down. So I am now planning a visit to the community college close by to see if I can’t get a few of my needed credits taken care of there.


The only hurdle for this is getting to the old school for a transcript. That and take their placement test.

6

You are definitely not too old. I went to a premed/prehealth seminar this past weekend (put on by an AMSA chapter) and were told that plenty of people in their 40s and 50s who are in medical school. From the advice given at the conference, age is no longer much of an the issue; rather, grades, MCAT, and your reasons for wanting to to medicine and do it now (and not earlier) are the real issues with which you need to grapple and justify to yourself and AdComms.

7

Matt,


I am a student at the U of MN. Give me a PM and I’ll try to help you through the circus that is being a student there. I LOVE my alma mater but there are tricks and trips to follow to getting things done there.


I’m also 47… and finishing up my last year of pre-reqs before applying next summer (I pray!).


Do NOT do CC here in the Cities. Our CC are good for getting students in the door of the private colleges around town but the CC’s do NOT carry the reputational pedigree of the U on a med school transcript… I even cringed at taking one class at one of the private colleges!


One thing I never forgot, after being advised by Judy, et al here is this:


We are not competing against ourselves but a tremendous amount of other students who have better grades, better pedigrees, better scores, and are younger. Why put yourself at risk by doing something that is seen as “less”?


NOW before I get flamed, many states have CC that are excellent in that they teach well, are seen as equivalents (California CC comes to mind) but here in Minni, they are not. My son attends one of the “better” ones and I’m astounded at how little he is prepared for the U.


Ad2b

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  • Adoc2be Said:


NOW before I get flamed, many states have CC that are excellent in that they teach well, are seen as equivalents (California CC comes to mind) but here in Minni, they are not. My son attends one of the "better" ones and I'm astounded at how little he is prepared for the U.

Ad2b



FLAME! FLAME! (Sorry, I could resist).

I agree with you whole heartedly. Unfortunately it has nothing to do with the quality of CC but the "perception" that adcoms generally take with them. Good, Bad or Indifferent, it is the appearance of academic performance and pedigree that matters. My general advice is go to the best school that you can do well in. I find that a 3.8 at a decent 4 year state school is a lot better than a 3.5 at an ivy. When picking a school (or a post-bacc for that matter) competition within the student body should be considered. A place full of young, cutthroat premeds can kill a nontrad.
9

Thanks guys,


I just took a placement test for math and english at the CC and the results were OK. I didn’t remember a lot of the math. It was upsetting. I remembered having the classes for some of the higher level math but I didn’t remember how to solve it.


I have no doubt that if I take a class I will be successful and be in the top 10%. I just need to get the process started and started right.


Thanks again.


Matt

10

I think CC science courses can work out if you have outstanding qualities elsewhere. For example, I personally know 2 physicians who did all their premed at a CC (in northern California) and both got into good medical schools. One went to Albany Med and is now an emergency physician in New York City. The other did both her medical school and residency at UCSF and is now a professor there as well.

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  • gonnif Said:
  • Adoc2be Said:


NOW before I get flamed



FLAME! FLAME! (Sorry, I could resist).



Good thing I was wearing my Polytetrafluoroethylene which is not its standardized IUPAC name: Poly(difluoromethylene) suit!

hahaha

(is it bad that I could draw that if asked?!?!?!?)
12
  • datsa Said:
I personally know 2 physicians who did all their premed at a CC (in northern California)



As I said, that was one of the states where the CC's are seen as being competitive whereas in Minnesota, ours are not.

One thing, having been at this now for 4 years (dear God, really?!?!?), is that CC is generally, most often, usually seen as < anything that is 4-year.

PLUS, generally speaking the 4 year colleges provide a better foundation for MCAT than does a CC as the focus of the CC is not on educating future physicians but getting a work staff out into the working public ASAP.
13

Agreed.


I just recently addressed this topic in another thread currently running in this forum: http://www.oldpremeds.org/fusionbb/showpost.php?po…