Mart Posted November 4, 2006 Report Share Posted November 4, 2006 Hello guys... I know there are couples of post like this one, but plz i'd like to hear what you guys think. I am now 37 and i want to go back to college next year at 38. Ill be 40 after college and i really wanna apply to Med School in Canada (Qc) Do you think they can reject me "only" because i am 40 ? I know i can get a really good CRC cause i am pretty good in school. But after reading to all the Med school here they don't talk anywhere about maximum age. I just don't want to waste my time. Thank a lot for your replies ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
w...b Posted November 4, 2006 Report Share Posted November 4, 2006 imo i think you should apply. i read somewhere on these forums that the show Medstudents on the life network had someone who was 50 in the first year class. this show is based on Mac medstudents.. w...b Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p0tus Posted November 4, 2006 Report Share Posted November 4, 2006 Hey Mart, There's one student in our class who's in his early 40's, and a few in their late 30's so there's no reason for schools to reject you simply because you are too old. If you have decent stats and can convince the admissions committee that you can handle the challenges of medical school and beyond, you'll do just fine. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirsteen Posted November 4, 2006 Report Share Posted November 4, 2006 Hey Mart, There's one student in our class who's in his early 40's, and a few in their late 30's so there's no reason for schools to reject you simply because you are too old. If you have decent stats and can convince the admissions committee that you can handle the challenges of medical school and beyond, you'll do just fine. Good luck! Same with our class: we have quite a few people in their late 30s and at least one person over 40. Technically, schools cannot discriminate based on age so you cannot be rejected based on this. Cheers, Kirsteen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimmyMax Posted November 4, 2006 Report Share Posted November 4, 2006 Hey, Our oldest was 32 at the beginning of medical school and he turned out just fine- even sported the only child of our medical school class at graduation- brought him out to the convocation wine and cheese where he was a great hit! Then again, UWO is generally considered a "younger" class (our average entering age was 23 waaay back in 2002), but other schools definitely feature the odd smattering of matriculants in their mid-to-late 30s and beyond. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mart Posted November 5, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2006 Thanks a lot guys for all your positive reply. This is really what i need to hear. It will be a very big decision for me next year because i will have to quit my current job to go back to college, and with 2 kids, this decision was very tough. But i have been thinking about this for the last 5 years and Medecine is really what i want to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenola Posted November 5, 2006 Report Share Posted November 5, 2006 Yup...as some of the previous posts have said, they can't discriminate on age. In fact, many med schools are definatly starting to show a preference for more mature students...students with more life experience. In my med class @ the U of S, there are, I believe, 5 of us who are > 30, 3 are 34-35 (myself included). Personally, I didn't start university until I was 31. Now at 34 I'm where I wanted to be! It is hard, but if it is what you want to do....well lets put it this way...NONE of us are getting any younger. 4 years will pass regardless of what you do. Would you rather be looking back thinking "yea! I'm in med" or at least "I gave it a shot". Or in 4 years would you rather be thinking "I wonder if its too late NOW to try and get into med" Good luck! Kenola Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxime Posted November 5, 2006 Report Share Posted November 5, 2006 Hey Mart, There's a guy who started MD at 37 at Sherbrooke in 2004, so yes, it can be done. Maxime Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mart Posted November 5, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2006 Thats cool Maxime... Sherbrooke would be my #1 choice if that happens someday. I really like that area. I go there every summer for cycling. I was born about 40 min driving from there. Anyway, did you have the chance to talk to this guy ? How is he doing compare to the other ppl in his class ? Is he active on this forum ? I really would like to talk with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxime Posted November 5, 2006 Report Share Posted November 5, 2006 Hi Mart, Yeah, I know him pretty well, we went to Matane to do a 2 week stage together last April. I think he's definitely as good as anybody in the class, really knows his stuff and all (age certainly didn't disadvantage him). As far as I know, he doesn't come on this forum. Maxime Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon01 Posted November 14, 2006 Report Share Posted November 14, 2006 If you've got some time (and $) to fill out the application forms, why not?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mart Posted November 14, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2006 I have the time and the money, however, i started this thread because i don't want to waste my time and money. Also, i have to quit my current job and go back to school. So if someone already in medecine or anyone else told me " no way you can get in med at 40" then i will try something else. But honestly, all those positive replys gave me more motivation to go for it. This is what i was looking for, positive replys. I read an old post about a guy that said that at 40, we only have about 25 years left before retirement, so it kinda useless and they might pick someone else younger, but i hope this guy was wrong. ps Sorry if my english is not very good, i am french canadian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muchdutch Posted November 14, 2006 Report Share Posted November 14, 2006 Your english is fine. Besides, as far as I know, just like any employer, medical schools can not legally discriminate on the basis of age. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roxy Posted November 14, 2006 Report Share Posted November 14, 2006 Hi Mart, I started medschool at 38. I am turning 41 soon and am in 3rd year now. I don't think age itself should be a deterrent, but as you mentioned, you have to take the whole picture of your life into account when you make this decision. For me, the sacrifices have been worth it so far.... for my kids... not sure if they would agree . First two years were manageable, but now in clerkship, I am finding it hard to find enough time in the day to study after working 12 hour days plus call schedule. Weekends, when my classmates are "catching up" on reading, I spend trying to get to know my kids again . This site had been a valuable support to me when I was applying, so I try to visit it somewhat regularly - not getting here much these days. Overall, the experience has been great though - and I would do it all over again. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JewelLeigh Posted November 15, 2006 Report Share Posted November 15, 2006 Our oldest was 32 at the beginning of medical school and he turned out just fine- even sported the only child of our medical school class at graduation- brought him out to the convocation wine and cheese where he was a great hit! Only 1 kid? That's nothing! My class at Dal has just added it's 13th child to the list. Lol. We also have someone who I believe was 38 or 39 when med school started...so starting a little later in life definitely can be done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madz25 Posted November 15, 2006 Report Share Posted November 15, 2006 yup..oldest in class of 2010 at Dal is 39. Lots of students with kids...one student has 4! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDHopefully2005 Posted November 18, 2006 Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 We have someone in our class at Mac who's over 40....it sorta means you might want to chose a specialty that takes less years to complete so that you can get out and make money faster (ie. family instead of neuro surg)....but you wouldn't be an "odd" case applying at 40 at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkles Posted November 18, 2006 Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 I'm 28 starting my undergrad. Somebody told me that being so old and starting without having kids will be a knock against me. Any truth to this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDHopefully2005 Posted November 18, 2006 Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 I don't see how that could be a knock against you....you're really not that old ( we have lots of people in the class over 28) and they would have no idea if you had kids or not unless you mentioned it.....even if you did it shouldn't matter. I've heard things on both sides about kids while in medical school, it can be hard but also a blessing...I don't see why they would favor one way or another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trustwomen Posted November 29, 2006 Report Share Posted November 29, 2006 I'm in first year at McGill, I'm 30, the oldest guy in our class is 38. I know someone in their forties who got in, but is of the opinion that the requirements were higher/tougher for them than for someone younger. There are only 7 of us over 25 in my year, out of 170 students. I think this is partly due to the influence from France, where you can't be a med student over 25 years old. I think the rest of Canada is more accepting of older med students than Quebec schools. That said, if you are able to follow a "traditional" path (i.e. cegep or university, do well, don't have any old bad grades to overcome), you definitely have a shot. Me, I did two simultaneous humanities degrees when I was young, terrible grades (I wasn't serious) and decided some years later to go for med. Went back to university, did a whole other degree (this time in science) with a ~3.7 average, did quite well on MCAT, and was turned down (twice) by all three French schools. They lumped all my old and new grades together and were not willing to use just my last degree (100 university credits!) for GPA, so I had no shot of ever, ever, making the cutoffs for an interview. Not McGill though, they used my last degree only (bless them) and I got in. So maybe I'm a little biased against the French schools, I think they don't like nontraditional students. Then again you can be older and follow a traditional academic path (go to cegep or university only once, and rock it). They sure don't let you make up for bad grades though. Good luck, and remember - if you make the cutoffs, you have excellent chances - the acceptance/applicant ratio in Quebec is the highest in Canada. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bioboy2007 Posted November 29, 2006 Report Share Posted November 29, 2006 I'm 28 starting my undergrad. Somebody told me that being so old and starting without having kids will be a knock against me. Any truth to this? I think it would help you. Being a parent shows a lot of commitment and responsibility, especially if you are able to balance this role alongside full-time studies. There a number of non-traditional med students at the University of Calgary (and likely at many of the other medical schools across Canada). If you have some free time, pick up a book by Perri Klass. She describes how the journey of parenting has influenced her as a doctor and how medicine can help better define relationships with your children. It's pretty neat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muchdutch Posted November 30, 2006 Report Share Posted November 30, 2006 I think sparkles means that s/he doesn't have kids even though s/he's older, and so wonders if this might work against him/her. I don't see that it would matter either way, although having kids can explain any lack of ec's, grades, etc. whereas without kids you have nothing as an 'excuse' for poor performance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bioboy2007 Posted November 30, 2006 Report Share Posted November 30, 2006 Oops, sorry. I thought it said with kids, not w/o. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NurseNathalie Posted December 3, 2006 Report Share Posted December 3, 2006 I started my undergrad when I was 32, and started medical school when I was a few months shy of my 36th birthday (and I was not the oldest might I add). I also have 4 kids. My children are a little older now (11,13,17 & 18) so it's a little easier for me, but there are quite a few parents in our class that have little ones- and they seem to manage quite well. Don't let age stop you from applying- you know... in order to make a fine wine, you have to let it age Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mart Posted December 11, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2006 Is the "undergrad" equivalent to what we call "Cégep" here in Québec ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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