ToHellInAHandbasket Posted April 16, 2009 Report Share Posted April 16, 2009 OK, so I'm not *that* old. Although some days I sure feel like it. But I am 27, which puts me in the non-trad category. I likely won't be applying until 2011. Does anyone know off the top of their head which schools tend to have more apps/students in the late 20s+ age range? McMaster? I assume it varies, but I just am wondering if there are general trends. I'm planning on applying to U of C, U of S, and U of M, and likely any and all schools that will take me. But I'd still like to know out of curiosity. ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostLamb Posted April 17, 2009 Report Share Posted April 17, 2009 I heard rumours that Calgary has preference for 'older' applicants...but I have nothing substantial to back this up. Just a rumour. No idea about other schools...NOSM maybe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamer Posted April 17, 2009 Report Share Posted April 17, 2009 I'd guess Calgary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jochi1543 Posted April 17, 2009 Report Share Posted April 17, 2009 Yeah, U of C has that reputation. I think in 2007, their average admitted class age was 27...but then in 2008, it dropped to like 24 or 25 (which is the national average). Check on their website, they used to have age data up there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whale.of.a.time Posted April 19, 2009 Report Share Posted April 19, 2009 This is a really interesting question, I'm curious too. At the interviews, it was really obvious that some schools were a bit more on the young "woo-hoo" party side, and others were a bit more mature and down to earth. The med students at Ottawa, for example, were really cool and friendly and mostly mature...and talked about socializing, etc. but also mentioned people with families and things like that. The Dal people, on the other hand, were all about the partying and came across as quite a bit younger. They were also really nice and friendly, just more reminiscent of frat boys and girls...if you know what I mean. This is not to say one is better than the other, but as an older applicant with a SO and dogs and a house, etc, etc. and other interests than partying and drinking a lot, it made an impression on me. Obviously, maybe at Dal the young party students are the ones who are interested in hosting the interview session, so it's a biased sample Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garance Posted April 20, 2009 Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 This is a really interesting question, I'm curious too. At the interviews, it was really obvious that some schools were a bit more on the young "woo-hoo" party side, and others were a bit more mature and down to earth. The med students at Ottawa, for example, were really cool and friendly and mostly mature...and talked about socializing, etc. but also mentioned people with families and things like that. The Dal people, on the other hand, were all about the partying and came across as quite a bit younger. They were also really nice and friendly, just more reminiscent of frat boys and girls...if you know what I mean. This is not to say one is better than the other, but as an older applicant with a SO and dogs and a house, etc, etc. and other interests than partying and drinking a lot, it made an impression on me. Obviously, maybe at Dal the young party students are the ones who are interested in hosting the interview session, so it's a biased sample I second your impression about the Dal students. Friendly, but I thought the Potluck and the student presentation after the interview session were both focused on discussing how much they party. I am also a mature, med-is-my-second career person, and frankly, I'll leave the pub-crawls and road trips from undergrad confined to my memories. I am also concerned that our impression is biased, or rather I hope it was. My top two school preferences include Dal, but after this weekend, I really don't think I'd fit there, despite all the other positive things the school has going for it. As for UCalgary... I believe the average age entering has trended down in the last few years, since the new Dean arrived. The school now places more weighting on academics in their pre-interview assessment, less on life experiences. (That being said, those with more life exp. tend to do better at their interview... so their are still some 'oldies'). Just my two cents. Good luck to all on the 15th. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Cave Posted April 20, 2009 Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 Yeah, U of C has that reputation. I think in 2007, their average admitted class age was 27...but then in 2008, it dropped to like 24 or 25 (which is the national average). Check on their website, they used to have age data up there. I was the oldest male admitted in the class of 2010 at 36, there was one woman a year older than me. The average age of our class upon entrance in 2007 was 24.5 so I was an anomoly. That's Ok, I'm used to being an anomoly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Cave Posted April 20, 2009 Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 As for UCalgary... I believe the average age entering has trended down in the last few years, since the new Dean arrived. The school now places more weighting on academics in their pre-interview assessment, less on life experiences. (That being said, those with more life exp. tend to do better at their interview... so their are still some 'oldies'). Just my two cents. Good luck to all on the 15th. Whats with the assumption that us oldies are weaker candidates academically? Whippersnapper! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garance Posted April 20, 2009 Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 Whats with the assumption that us oldies are weaker candidates academically? Whippersnapper! Hummm, yes, I deserved that. I genuinely did not mean to imply that we are weaker academically... rather most (myself included) but clearly not all of the mature candidates I meet have a 'road rash' story about a poor year, degree challenges, or family challenges etc. which have impacted their ability to perform to their potential. Some have had to do additional years or degrees to prove themselves academically. With the change to put more emphasis on the candidates "entire academic record", I think this puts the candidates who have excellent academics initially at an advantage. (not that they would make bad docs, it just gives us more of a challenge to compete) I apologise if I had originally offended you, but hope I've better explained myself here. Although, I will take the whippersnapper comment as a compliment since it's has been a very long time since felt so young! Now, if only you could make my new wrinkles disappear! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sv3 Posted April 20, 2009 Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 I'm an oldie (by this board's bloody standards) at 29 and just felt I should step up and let the people know that not all of us are done with our partying days (it's cool if you are but i haven't read much on oldies that like partying still on this thread!). Heck, I still party like a rockstar and looking forward to some more of that in the near future (fingers crossed of course). Something about a lot of time spent at Western has sort of ingrained this in me and I'm looking forward to teaching these kiddies something about the bar scene haha sv3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minderbinder Posted April 20, 2009 Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 Obviously, maybe at Dal the young party students are the ones who are interested in hosting the interview session, so it's a biased sample That's my take on it too. If I get in, I don't think I'll have that much spare time to get involved with interview weekend, or Euphoria, or MedGames, or any of the interesting extra-curriculars at Dal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-Stark Posted April 21, 2009 Report Share Posted April 21, 2009 Well, I won't deny that we have a fairly social class, it's not all about drinking and/or partying. Much of the socialization that goes on occurs incidentally to multi-hour studying marathons and the fact that we're together almost all the time. You WILL have free time in med school regardless of where you go (at least until clerkship...), especially for one-time things like interview weekend and Euphoria, though the latter tends to involve some hard-core rehearsing in the immediate period prior. It's fun just to go see even if you don't feel up to getting involved yourself. MedGames isn't a Dal thing (schools from all over go there) and, well, it is pretty much what it sounds like. All that aside, there's several married people in my class, and a few with kids too. Some never come to lounge parties; others never miss them. There is a real mix of people of different backgrounds and, of course, the average age is 24 and everyone has finished a four-year degree at least. Many of my classmates have completed masters and there are some PhDs too, along with those who took one or more years off between their undergrad and med school. Everyone can have a good time in their own way. It probably is true, though, that we consider Dal to be a very "social" school (this is Halifax, after all), but in a given week there's always a number of humanities, global health, health policy, and basic science lectures and meetings, not to mention opportunities for clinical observerships, research, and clinical exchanges in the summer. And if a group doesn't exist for, say, the specialty that interests you most, you could form one (and we have all the usual career nights and resident days, where you can talk to residents or residency program directors to get an idea of what the next phase is like). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mei_Mei_girl Posted April 21, 2009 Report Share Posted April 21, 2009 Its pretty easy to get an impression of one's maturity level after a few minutes of talking to them. I've heard over and over again that med schools look for mature applicants (makes sense), so really I would say maturity would be a plus during the interview for instance. This is going off of what I've heard people tell me. I suppose age adds to maturity, but I do know some younger people who are also fairly mature due to their life expereinces, etc. NOSM for instance loves maturity in their applicants. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waterluv Posted April 21, 2009 Report Share Posted April 21, 2009 i haven't heard any school prefer 'oldies' but heard mature students tend to go for Calgary b/c they like the fact its program is one year shorter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Star1234 Posted April 21, 2009 Report Share Posted April 21, 2009 I agree in that I think NOSM gives you extra points if you are a mature student (that's what I heard anyway). I was actually kinda surprised at the number of mature students I saw at my interview (and by "mature", I mean clearly over 30). A-Stark, do you know a guy named Al in your class? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted April 21, 2009 Report Share Posted April 21, 2009 I agree in that I think NOSM gives you extra points if you are a mature student (that's what I heard anyway). I was actually kinda surprised at the number of mature students I saw at my interview (and by "mature", I mean clearly over 30). You don't get extra points as a mature student when applying to NOSM; however, they do allow you to apply with 3-year degree instead of the standard 4-year degree and answer one extra question on the written part of the OMSAS application. I already have a 4-year honours degree, so there was not much difference for me applying to NOSM as a mature student (except that I have more ECs than fit on the OMSAS 48-item list). Also, we had to give them proof of our age at the interview. Hope that clarifies things. Good luck to all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perfect_stranger Posted May 30, 2009 Report Share Posted May 30, 2009 Unfortunately, I think, with the MMI's, getting more and more fashionable with med schools, maturity provides less advantage than at panel interviews, as you are expected to give more standardized answers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted May 31, 2009 Report Share Posted May 31, 2009 Unfortunately, I think, with the MMI's, getting more and more fashionable with med schools, maturity provides less advantage than at panel interviews, as you are expected to give more standardized answers. I have to agree with this. With the MMI I tried to illustrate my ECs, but I do feel the MMI limits you to answer that specific question in a strict amount of time. Sadly, I don't think my experiences count for much in the med school application process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
engineer2doc Posted June 1, 2009 Report Share Posted June 1, 2009 I'm 46, just-living proof that Ottawa does not discriminate on the basis of age . I was stunned to be offered a place but feel honoured to be accepted. The Ottawa crowd seemed very friendly, and at interview it was a privilege to be in the same space as such a positive, intelligent and motivated group. As you would expect, I felt completely out of place! My current party capacity is unknown, but I should be fine provided no-one hides my walking stick while I'm waltzing:cool: . I can dimly remember turning 40 what seems about 10 minutes ago, when jive was all the rage and the fab four were still wearing suits. If successful, I will graduate the same year as my son . So to all the non-trads, there is medical life after 30. If in doubt, go undercover as a visiting prof. Carpe Diem! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnomey Posted June 1, 2009 Report Share Posted June 1, 2009 Congrats engineer to doc, at 41 I am waitlisted for ubc, you give me hope. When i was applying to various schools I was told McMaster and northern Ont were the places for older students to apply, unfortunately my mcat and marks from 20 years ago put me out of the running. Ubc has a 10 exception rule that allowed me to "erase" my prev attempt at school., something to think about .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-Stark Posted June 2, 2009 Report Share Posted June 2, 2009 I agree in that I think NOSM gives you extra points if you are a mature student (that's what I heard anyway). I was actually kinda surprised at the number of mature students I saw at my interview (and by "mature", I mean clearly over 30). A-Stark, do you know a guy named Al in your class? Well, I'm replying rather late, but, yes, yes, I do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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