average age of students starting medica school this fall

[osmosis]

hi,

 

i was just wondering how old some of the people were starting med school this fall? i will be 28 when i start, and i have been thinking alot lately about how old i will be when i finish. i would like to move on with the rest of my life and not be in school forever.

 

i have been thinking alot about family medicine, only because i will be done by 32 + 2 years or residency, whereas if i do a specialty, it will be 5 years and i'll be in my late thirties when done.

 

i was just wondering if others on this forum have thought about this, or are in similar situations?

[JB.]

Don't settle. Five extra years doing something you love is nothing compared to getting right into a field you hate.

[LostLamb]

haha, i've got a few years on you and while FM is in my mind right now because of a shorter residency, I will concur with JB that I am not willing to settle now that I've come this far. Time is only that: time. It is up to you to choose how you want to spend it. Sure, financially it may not be the saaviest thing, but what is more important: that you are happy and satisfied with your lot in life or that you have a couple more incoming-earning years? That choice is yours and yours only.

[osmosis]

Don't settle. Five extra years doing something you love is nothing compared to getting right into a field you hate.

 

thanks.

 

it's not that i hate fam med, i actually shadowed a GP for a year before realizing that this was a job i would like to do. however, i am concerned that i am basing my decision on a factor such as time vs interest, as you have pointed out.

[osmosis]

haha, i've got a few years on you and while FM is in my mind right now because of a shorter residency, I will concur with JB that I am not willing to settle now that I've come this far. Time is only that: time. It is up to you to choose how you want to spend it. Sure, financially it may not be the saaviest thing, but what is more important: that you are happy and satisfied with your lot in life or that you have a couple more incoming-earning years? That choice is yours and yours only.

 

you're right. it has taken alot of work to get here. happiness is more important. it's only a difference of three years, i don't think it's that significant in the larger scheme of things.

[Mithril]

Go into family medicine because you think you would enjoy family medicine. Don't base your specialisation on the time it takes to finish a residency. You should go into a specialisation that you think you will enjoy for the rest of your career regardless of residency length. It's not like the pay is absolutely terrible during residency either, plus with tuition tax credits you get to keep nearly all of what you make in residency.

[Lactic Folly]

What do you mean by moving on with your life? A full attending salary?

Residency is kind of like work (officially, you have dual employee and student status). You get paid a salary, you have (increasingly) independent patient care duties, and at the same time you have the comfort of someone always being there to back you up and assume the title of Most Responsible Physician.

[rmorelan]

you're right. it has taken alot of work to get here. happiness is more important. it's only a difference of three years, i don't think it's that significant in the larger scheme of things.

 

just to reinformce residency is an actual job, and not on the grand scheme of things actually a poorly paying one (hours can be extreme of course but that is something different).

 

I am an older applicant and likely going for a 5 year speciality -got to love what you do

[astrogirl]

I'll also be 28 (almost 29) when I start, and I'm thinking about things with longer residencies than family medicine. I'll still be younger when I'm done residency than I would have been by the time I got tenure if I had stayed in astronomy (assuming I ever even got a tenure track position). I'm not worried about it.

[psychoswim]

I'm 30 and starting my prep year this fall. Average age in my class is 19. I want to be an ortho surgeon so I'll be 40 by the time I finish my residency.

 

Yesterday I was talking with my sister, and upon learning FM was only 2 years compared to 5 for surgery she tried to convince me I should pick FM. For a 3 year difference, I'll pick the specialty I want!

[Nixon]

In our class there are two 40 year old students and we're moving on to 2nd year this fall. Really, if medicine is what you always wished for, then age and time won't matter (unless finances / family-kids can't allow you to study for 9 or 10 years)

[osmosis]

the posts on this thread are amazing. all of you have provided some serious clarity.

 

thanks.

[Applemanv3]

the posts on this thread are amazing. all of you have provided some serious clarity.

 

thanks.

I agree, these posts have been quite the outpouring of perspectives.

 

Sorry to barge in on a clearly med-student filled thread, but if I were to get in for Sept. 2012 (which I hope), then I will be 25 when I start.

[hking03]

I agree, these posts have been quite the outpouring of perspectives.

 

Sorry to barge in on a clearly med-student filled thread, but if I were to get in for Sept. 2012 (which I hope), then I will be 25 when I start.

 

No worries about barging in. If you get in sept 2012 then you'll be right around the average (about a year above the average).

 

I'm starting at 26. I'll start residency at 29 yes and 366 days old . Not sure what I'll do, but fm is a top choice right now... Like others, I won't choose my specialty based on years in residency, but that is a very appealing part of fm.

 

Good luck to those still working their butts off to get in by a certain age, just remember... Age is just a number. Medicine is FOREVER!!!!!!!!

[larva]

I deferred a year, so I'll be almost 30 when I start, and am still weighing the pros and cons of many specialties (including FM). Life's too short to settle

 

I felt rushed all through my 20's to hit certain milestones and figure everything out - lots of people do. The result is that I'm now "settled", but in a job I hate! Thankfully I'm in a position where I'm able to make the switch to a new career, but the lesson has been learned. Trust your intuition, and if family medicine isn't for you, don't let 3 less years of residency be the deciding factor.

[MD2015]

i'm starting at 23. Age is just a number and not relevant.

[some gurl]

My good friend's dad is the oldest person to ever graduate from med school in Canada. I don't know what his exact age was but lets put it this way; his daughter finished med school about 3 years before he did!

[MarathonRunner]

I'm 32, and, although I am open to changing my mind, family medicine currently holds little of interest to me. So I'm going to be fairly old by the time I actually start practicing, but that's okay. I'm entering medicine because I want to do something that I feel passionate about, so I'm not going to settle. If that were the case, I would stay with my current career.

[AccountantGirl]

I deferred a year, so I'll be almost 30 when I start, and am still weighing the pros and cons of many specialties (including FM). Life's too short to settle

 

I felt rushed all through my 20's to hit certain milestones and figure everything out - lots of people do. The result is that I'm now "settled", but in a job I hate! Thankfully I'm in a position where I'm able to make the switch to a new career, but the lesson has been learned. Trust your intuition, and if family medicine isn't for you, don't let 3 less years of residency be the deciding factor.

 

Well said.. I feel exactly the same. I rushed through life ignoring medicine at the back of my mind, thinking I would someday feel fulfilled with my chosen career so I could get married, buy a house, have children, buy the vacation property, etc... And now at 30 I finally stopped to look around and take a breath an realized that this careerr is not for me!! (and when I mentioned switching careers to my parents they tell me they were surprised I ended up where I am because they always saw me in more of a humanitarian role!!)

 

Now to give it all back (except the marriage and children of

Course!) to go back to school. Sure would have been easier to do it right after undergrad but I was in a rush to get out there, make money and get life going.

 

Never rush it. Take the time to get where you really want to be. Otherwise you may end up taking an even longer path to get there. Really in ye grand scheme of a 70 year life, what is an extra 2,3,4,5,6 years?? Not much!!

[osmosis]

I deferred a year, so I'll be almost 30 when I start, and am still weighing the pros and cons of many specialties (including FM). Life's too short to settle

 

I felt rushed all through my 20's to hit certain milestones and figure everything out - lots of people do. The result is that I'm now "settled", but in a job I hate! Thankfully I'm in a position where I'm able to make the switch to a new career, but the lesson has been learned. Trust your intuition, and if family medicine isn't for you, don't let 3 less years of residency be the deciding factor.

 

this is exactly how i am feeling right now. i feel like life is just a race. i would like to slow it down and take the time to decide properly. i do not want to rush into something i will not enjoy.

[osmosis]

Well said.. I feel exactly the same. I rushed through life ignoring medicine at the back of my mind, thinking I would someday feel fulfilled with my chosen career so I could get married, buy a house, have children, buy the vacation property, etc... And now at 30 I finally stopped to look around and take a breath an realized that this careerr is not for me!! (and when I mentioned switching careers to my parents they tell me they were surprised I ended up where I am because they always saw me in more of a humanitarian role!!)

 

Now to give it all back (except the marriage and children of

Course!) to go back to school. Sure would have been easier to do it right after undergrad but I was in a rush to get out there, make money and get life going.

 

Never rush it. Take the time to get where you really want to be. Otherwise you may end up taking an even longer path to get there. Really in ye grand scheme of a 70 year life, what is an extra 2,3,4,5,6 years?? Not much!!

 

lol! i just find it funny because i want the house, family, career, and vacation spot as well.

[The Ace of Spades]

There's a flip side to this too. I'll be 22 when I start next month, and sometimes I feel like I'm lacking life experience!

[proton]

Thanks for posting this. I've been thinking some of the same things as well. For me it's more that I'm worried about what kind of family life a long residency would allow me to have. I don't know what residency is like, but while I've always wanted to be a doctor, I always wanted to get married and have a family too. I'm about to start med in the fall and FM has been at the back of my mind for a while.

 

I also feel like I missed a lot of fun things on the way because I was so singularly focused on getting in. That may very well be what got me in, but sometimes I regret missing stuff like reading week trips, summer holidays, "me time," travel, etc. You know, like some of the more carefree aspects of being a young 20-something. So I'm tempted to think going into FM might give me more time for stuff like that. I dunno. This is all very premature.

[osmosis]

Thanks for posting this. I've been thinking some of the same things as well. For me it's more that I'm worried about what kind of family life a long residency would allow me to have. I don't know what residency is like, but while I've always wanted to be a doctor, I always wanted to get married and have a family too. I'm about to start med in the fall and FM has been at the back of my mind for a while.

 

I also feel like I missed a lot of fun things on the way because I was so singularly focused on getting in. That may very well be what got me in, but sometimes I regret missing stuff like reading week trips, summer holidays, "me time," travel, etc. You know, like some of the more carefree aspects of being a young 20-something. So I'm tempted to think going into FM might give me more time for stuff like that. I dunno. This is all very premature.

 

i have been thinking about this stuff also. i feel like i have had to sacrifice alot in order to get in, all the things you have mentioned above. i seem to flip flop back and forth between wondering if it was worth it, or if i made a huge mistake. what sometimes worries me is that if this was a mistake, than i just lost out on the best years of my life which i will never get back.

 

i probably won't know until school starts in the fall.

[Applemanv3]

What if you looked at it this way?

 

I once heard a piece of advice that some of you may recognize. This person told me that before going to bed, I should leave a very important note for myself. Then, when I wake up, the first thing I should do is read it.

 

This note should say: "I will die."

 

Now, if that isn't the most depressing thing to read when you wake up, I don't know what is. BUT, the person told me to leave another note which I should read literally right after the first one.

 

The second note should say: "Not yet!"

 

What is my point? Well, if you live life one day at a time and in the present, then its a lot less worrisome. It gives you the perspective that you should in fact pursue your dreams. So, it's what we do each day between life as we know it and death, which is inevitable, that adds meaning to our lives.

 

As per this story, to each his/her own.