.

[offmychestplease 268]

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[AB2 37]

who cares about your age... it literally does not matter... 4 years difference is a rounding error in the grand scheme of life

[offmychestplease 268]

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[rmorelan 2,651]

I am just going to say this outright- ha just stop doing that right now. Stop messing with the moment. it is well bluntly stupid. 

Just to start - I started relatively late as well, so I can say no there won't be any real problem. There are people a lot older than that starting ha. They also tend to do very well in medical school (objectively and yeah we have tracked that). 

This process contains an element of luck regardless of scores - one of the best docs I know took 5 attempts to get in. That just happens. Anyone that ignores that point is really not seeing the full picture here. 

In no time at all no one, absolutely no one except maybe yourself until you shut it down, will care at all about any of this.  Absolutely no one. 3 year difference? Ha, that's nothing. 

oh, and congrats. Now stop immediately second guessing yourself and go actually celebrate your long earned accomplishment. 

 

[dooogs 122]

19 minutes ago, offmychestplease said:

I just got into medical school in Canada after applying 4 times. I will be 25 this summer. This has been a life-long dream of mine so I was very happy when I heard the news. But, now I feel embarrassed that it took me 4 times, but more so I see friends who got in on their first try going into their 4th year of med now. They will start residency at 26, while I will start residency at 29. Is starting med at 25 too old? I'm just looking back and thinking had my interview been better/had my MCAT/etc I would have started med earlier on...

Congrats!!! Thank about this. What is the end point? Literally nothing (maybe retirement if that's something you look forward to). You will be a doctor all your life!!! like another person said - it's a rounding error.

[dh. 34]

28 minutes ago, offmychestplease said:

I just got into medical school in Canada after applying 4 times. I will be 25 this summer. This has been a life-long dream of mine so I was very happy when I heard the news. But, now I feel embarrassed that it took me 4 times, but more so I see friends who got in on their first try going into their 4th year of med now. They will start residency at 26, while I will start residency at 29. Is starting med at 25 too old? I'm just looking back and thinking had my interview been better/had my MCAT/etc I would have started med earlier on...

I’m 33, and I start this fall.

[,,aow 39]

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[,,aow 39]

3 minutes ago, dh. said:

I’m 33, and I start this fall.

Welcome to the club !!

[offmychestplease 268]

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[LostLamb 266]

Cripes I wish I had gotten in so young. 
 

no one cares about your age in med school, except your body when you’re sleep deprived and your body begs you to stop tormenting it. 
 

good luck and congrats,

LL

[offmychestplease 268]

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[OddSensation 8]

I swear, sometimes these posts are the worse. I mean congratulation you got in this year, but is this post suppose to be some self-validating post? This is my 4th cycle as well receiving several interviews but waitlisted and rejected from them. I know so many other friends who are 26 and still applying. If you feel bad, how are we suppose to feel?

[rmorelan 2,651]

3 hours ago, offmychestplease said:

I just further eased my worries by looking at the average age of students upon entering some medical schools in Canada because I honestly was not aware:

UBC: 24

UofC: 24

UofA: 25

USask: 24

Mac: 23

Western: 23

Dalhousie: 25

average rather than median - so a bit skewed by older apps (phds for instance) but still

again you wont even be odd

[AgentMichaelScarn 16]

5 hours ago, offmychestplease said:

thank you all for the kind words. On the other hand, I could be 25 and having to apply again and who knows if (and when) I would get in. 

That's me!

...so don't worry, because I'm doing all the worrying for you  

[Synth1 33]

I started med school at 35, and I'm not the oldest in my class.

Honestly, who cares. I feel like this whole societal expectation thing people get hung up on around people being a certain age doing certain things is BS. Do what will be fulfilling for you, no matter what age you are.

[itski 33]

10 hours ago, offmychestplease said:

I just got into medical school in Canada after applying 4 times. I will be 25 this summer. This has been a life-long dream of mine so I was very happy when I heard the news. But, now I feel embarrassed that it took me 4 times, but more so I see friends who got in on their first try going into their 4th year of med now. They will start residency at 26, while I will start residency at 29. Is starting med at 25 too old? I'm just looking back and thinking had my interview been better/had my MCAT/etc I would have started med earlier on...

I mean, there's no point thinking about the "what ifs". We all make mistakes in our lives and it's important to be able to learn from them, move on & look ahead. The important thing is that YOU MADE IT, & you deserve it!!!! No age is too old to start med school if it's really what you want. Congrats & be a bit less hard on yourself 

[lizaloo223 36]

I have a similar feeling as you but on the opposite end aha. By some miracle, I got my acceptance this year after 3rd year of undergrad. I am so thankful for this opportunity of course, but in the back of my mind I wonder if I will fit in with my older peers that may have more experience than me. I already look young for my age so I wouldn't want people judging my professionalism based on my age/looks. 
 

What I'm trying to say is that everybody goes into med school with different life experiences, maturity levels etc. and age is but a number. As long as you're willing to learn and are working towards your goals that's all that matters  

[theevilsloth 128]

22 hours ago, OddSensation said:

I swear, sometimes these posts are the worse. I mean congratulation you got in this year, but is this post suppose to be some self-validating post? This is my 4th cycle as well receiving several interviews but waitlisted and rejected from them. I know so many other friends who are 26 and still applying. If you feel bad, how are we suppose to feel?

this

[anhydrouswater 9]

On 6/2/2020 at 1:36 PM, OddSensation said:

I swear, sometimes these posts are the worse. I mean congratulation you got in this year, but is this post suppose to be some self-validating post? This is my 4th cycle as well receiving several interviews but waitlisted and rejected from them. I know so many other friends who are 26 and still applying. If you feel bad, how are we suppose to feel?

Your feelings are valid, but I don't think OP was trying to pat themselves on the back or brag. It can be hard when everyone around you seems to be moving faster than you, and imposter syndrome is real. I think it's important to be able to hold empathy for everyone.

[Jennifer_Dickens 12]

I started medical school at 32, years after traveling the world, gaining rich and varied work experience, and becoming fluent in multiple languages.

I feel sorry for your friends who got into medical school on the first try at the tender age of 20 or 21. Many of them are likely to graduate and become disheartened as residents because their young, idealistic minds expected much more than managing bed issues at 3:00 AM. They're also more likely to get burned out, get divorced and become severely suicidal; if you've applied four times, that means you've become familiar with the taste of rejection, and you've had to continue working hard despite that bitter experience. In brief, you've developed your resilience. Your colleagues, on the other hand, have not had the same, valuable opportunities to strengthen themselves. And how many of those colleagues who got in on the first try now feel stuck because they've incurred debt, don't know how to get out, and feel miserable pursuing a career that doesn't fulfill them in the least?

We need way more medical students who are older and have unconventional backgrounds; medicine - especially in Canada - is quite stagnant and in need of original approaches. 

[pixieMD 17]

3 hours ago, Jennifer_Dickens said:

I started medical school at 32, years after traveling the world, gaining rich and varied work experience, and becoming fluent in multiple languages.

I feel sorry for your friends who got into medical school on the first try at the tender age of 20 or 21. Many of them are likely to graduate and become disheartened as residents because their young, idealistic minds expected much more than managing bed issues at 3:00 AM. They're also more likely to get burned out, get divorced and become severely suicidal; if you've applied four times, that means you've become familiar with the taste of rejection, and you've had to continue working hard despite that bitter experience. In brief, you've developed your resilience. Your colleagues, on the other hand, have not had the same, valuable opportunities to strengthen themselves. And how many of those colleagues who got in on the first try now feel stuck because they've incurred debt, don't know how to get out, and feel miserable pursuing a career that doesn't fulfill them in the least?

We need way more medical students who are older and have unconventional backgrounds; medicine - especially in Canada - is quite stagnant and in need of original approaches. 

LMAOO Which younger colleague hurt you? There's a way to bring people up (including yourself) without putting others down haha. I don't know who you've been speaking to but most of my colleagues are not "young, idealistic minds". Most med students I've talked to (of ALL ages) love what they are learning. And many graduated to love residency. Yes residency is tiring and can burn people out. But that's not because of their age or "how they never experience rejection" (just because they didn't get rejected to medical school does not mean they never faced rejection else where). We all have different things to juggle in life at different ages and residency is time consuming for everyone. Relationships, finances, kids, houses, debt. All these things play a factor in that. Sorry for the rant, I just don't want new medical students to read this and freak out because it is 100% not true. If you don't believe me, you can ask around and ask the residents themselves and see if they believe their "young age" played a role in them feeling burnt out. 

As for OP, honestly 25 is not that old. I've had plenty of classmates older than that, or perhaps even older. Once you are in med school, no one really cares about the age or even pays attention to it. Everyone kind of just blends in together in class. This is nothing to be embarrassed about. 

[justdoingmybest 36]

1 hour ago, pixieMD said:

LMAOO Which younger colleague hurt you? There's a way to bring people up (including yourself) without putting others down haha. I don't know who you've been speaking to but most of my colleagues are not "young, idealistic minds". Most med students I've talked to (of ALL ages) love what they are learning. And many graduated to love residency. Yes residency is tiring and can burn people out. But that's not because of their age or "how they never experience rejection" (just because they didn't get rejected to medical school does not mean they never faced rejection else where). We all have different things to juggle in life at different ages and residency is time consuming for everyone. Relationships, finances, kids, houses, debt. All these things play a factor in that. Sorry for the rant, I just don't want new medical students to read this and freak out because it is 100% not true. If you don't believe me, you can ask around and ask the residents themselves and see if they believe their "young age" played a role in them feeling burnt out. 

As for OP, honestly 25 is not that old. I've had plenty of classmates older than that, or perhaps even older. Once you are in med school, no one really cares about the age or even pays attention to it. Everyone kind of just blends in together in class. This is nothing to be embarrassed about. 

Agreed. Age doesn’t guarantee diversity of life experience, maturity or added resilience. Painting a whole group of people as more likely to burn out or commit suicide just because they were younger when they got in to med school is a really hot take. 

[avocado_toast 46]

6 hours ago, Jennifer_Dickens said:

We need way more medical students who are older and have unconventional backgrounds; medicine - especially in Canada - is quite stagnant and in need of original approaches. 

I completely agree with this.

Diversity in age, educational background, life experiences, etc.  make classes richer. There are younger students who will surprise you with their maturity and ability to adapt to new and difficult situations. There are older students in my class who had whole lives before coming to medical school. Some were pharmacists, veterinarians, nurses, paramedics -- I love when they share their perspective in class or tutorial. 

While I think medical students of all ages have the potential be successful, having a few more years and life experiences can help enormously in medical school. For OP, I don't think you should ever worry about being a bit older. I feel that your classmates who have entered directly from undergrad will likely welcome your advice and experience.

[Intrepid86 228]

There's too much preoccupation with age on this forum. It's not a big deal or impressive unless you start after age 40, or you're Brian Levy, former CEO of Radio Shack.

https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/second-act-former-ceo-of-radioshack-now-an-er-doctor-on-frontlines-of-covid-19-fight

Had a shift with him once. Great guy.