PeterPatting Posted May 7, 2014 Report Share Posted May 7, 2014 I was looking through the classes of 2014, 2015 and 2016's statistics and noticed that students that were 19 years and younger being admitted to the program! From my knowledge if you were 19 years of age you would just have finished your first year of undergrad. Therefore my question is: how is this even possible? Excuse my ignorance by the way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarvish Posted May 7, 2014 Report Share Posted May 7, 2014 It's your age at time of application. I'm 20 now but I was 19 when I applied this cycle as a 3rd year because my birthday is in November. So it's 3rd years with late birthdays and any 4th years who have skipped a grade and have a late birthday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPatting Posted May 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2014 It's your age at time of application. I'm 20 now but I was 19 when I applied this cycle as a 3rd year because my birthday is in November. So it's 3rd years with late birthdays and any 4th years who have skipped a grade and have a late birthday. Thanks! That makes sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
00Jay Posted May 7, 2014 Report Share Posted May 7, 2014 I was wondering the same thing lolol! This makes sense now I fit into this category myself so I hope that number grows this year Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riskybusiness Posted May 7, 2014 Report Share Posted May 7, 2014 There also people who have skipped a grade (or multiple), as well as people who did accelerated high school programs or undergraduate courses (i.e. overloading and/or taking summer courses). Breeding ground for the next Doogie Houser Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PLASTICSX Posted May 7, 2014 Report Share Posted May 7, 2014 19 going into Mac means they'll be 22 when they're in residency... Seems kinda young to me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thestar10 Posted May 7, 2014 Report Share Posted May 7, 2014 It's 19 or younger at the start of the application cycle. So you could have a birthday October second and be grouped in that category. Some people who have immigrated to Canada are just ahead because they're home country starts earlier/ they were placed in a class based on their education level and not their age. There are a fair number of people turning 22 this year in my class and 1 or 2 people turning 21. I would say apart from a few outliers, most people will be 24 or turn 24 in their first 6 months of residency. Youngest person I know of is a c2015 who is turning 21 this year. They are straight up brilliant though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riskybusiness Posted May 7, 2014 Report Share Posted May 7, 2014 I was reading an american article that approximated the average entering age of medical students to be 24. After touring around different Ontario schools, I've heard similar things (despite there being large pockets of 21 and 22 year olds). I can definitely see how age can be positive and negative factor in medicine. I have some friends who constantly worry about how patients perceive them, as they look VERY young for a medical student. Anyone have any experience with this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfdes Posted May 7, 2014 Report Share Posted May 7, 2014 It's 19 or younger at the start of the application cycle. So you could have a birthday October second and be grouped in that category. Some people who have immigrated to Canada are just ahead because they're home country starts earlier/ they were placed in a class based on their education level and not their age. There are a fair number of people turning 22 this year in my class and 1 or 2 people turning 21. I would say apart from a few outliers, most people will be 24 or turn 24 in their first 6 months of residency. Youngest person I know of is a c2015 who is turning 21 this year. They are straight up brilliant though. Oh wow. I'm 22 now (turning 23 next month) and feel so old Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thestar10 Posted May 7, 2014 Report Share Posted May 7, 2014 Average as in mean but not as in median. Those who enter with graduate degrees or as non-trads who have worked for a couple years. I would say that the median age is most likely 22. I'm on the younger end so I just grew a beard to look older. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarvish Posted May 7, 2014 Report Share Posted May 7, 2014 Average as in mean but not as in median. Those who enter with graduate degrees or as non-trads who have worked for a couple years. I would say that the median age is most likely 22. I'm on the younger end so I just grew a beard to look older. Every time I try and grow a beard, my mom threatens to disown me. If looking too young in med school is a valid reason, I might finally have a chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thestar10 Posted May 7, 2014 Report Share Posted May 7, 2014 Every time I try and grow a beard, my mom threatens to disown me. If looking too young in med school is a valid reason, I might finally have a chance. Haha I think at least half the guys at WRC have beards so its definitely vaild. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paintedveil Posted May 7, 2014 Report Share Posted May 7, 2014 Oh wow. I'm 22 now (turning 23 next month) and feel so old Don't worry most of our class have finished at least 4 years of undergrad, some even older. 22/23 is definitely still the younger half of the class Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
honeywell12 Posted May 11, 2014 Report Share Posted May 11, 2014 You'd be surprised how quickly you stop noticing others' ages in med school. The only time it really came up was in O Week when people were introducing themselves... you can sort of infer their ages from their past educational backgrounds. Other than that, people in the 20s and early 30s don't look (or act) strikingly different... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Countmosula Posted May 13, 2014 Report Share Posted May 13, 2014 It's 19 or younger at the start of the application cycle. So you could have a birthday October second and be grouped in that category. Some people who have immigrated to Canada are just ahead because they're home country starts earlier/ they were placed in a class based on their education level and not their age. There are a fair number of people turning 22 this year in my class and 1 or 2 people turning 21. I would say apart from a few outliers, most people will be 24 or turn 24 in their first 6 months of residency. Youngest person I know of is a c2015 who is turning 21 this year. They are straight up brilliant though. Definitely too young imo. I know people with PhDs getting rejected and its tough to see 19y/os with 3 year degrees get in ahead of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simvastatin Posted May 13, 2014 Report Share Posted May 13, 2014 Definitely too young imo. I know people with PhDs getting rejected and its tough to see 19y/os with 3 year degrees get in ahead of them. Don't see how. 3rd year applicants are in a separate pool and do not compete against 4th years or grad students. Besides just bec someone has a PhD doesn't always mean they're more qualified to be a doc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Countmosula Posted May 13, 2014 Report Share Posted May 13, 2014 Don't see how. 3rd year applicants are in a separate pool and do not compete against 4th years or grad students. Besides just bec someone has a PhD doesn't always mean they're more qualified to be a doc. Depends on the school. It doesn't uniformly mean that they are more qualified, but given the life experience and the grind of academia they are more likely to be...It's still frustrating to see masters and phds with multiple publications and many years of school get rejected in favour of a 3 year health science degree. IMO masters/phds should be weighed much more heavily. oh well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amichel Posted May 13, 2014 Report Share Posted May 13, 2014 Depends on the school. It doesn't uniformly mean that they are more qualified, but given the life experience and the grind of academia they are more likely to be...It's still frustrating to see masters and phds with multiple publications and many years of school get rejected in favour of a 3 year health science degree. IMO masters/phds should be weighed much more heavily. oh well. Wow... As a 3rd year student who just got accepted (although I'm 21), I find this a little offensive. "Life experience" doesn't necessarily make you more competent or compassionate, or intelligent, or anything really. And since Mac focuses heavily on the "soft" side of admissions, (interview+Casper), I think they do a fairly good job of picking people with relevant experiences and competences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Countmosula Posted May 13, 2014 Report Share Posted May 13, 2014 ""Life experience" doesn't necessarily make you more competent or compassionate, or intelligent, or anything really." Maybe not intelligent but likely more competent and compassionate as a general rule. As I said before I'm sure there are 3rd years who deserve to get in. Life experience matters and those who are familiar with the grind of academia understand the personal cost and sacrifice it takes to get through it. More life experience means more hardship, generally, and older applicants, like those in academia know this. Those who have gone through more hardship and struggles will make better, more compassionate doctors. People in the health science med school farm (or the even worse direct high school admission at queens) just don't have the same life experience (not saying all, but as a general rule), which is why more weight should be given to phd, masters, and even more attention to references and ABS. I'm saying this as someone who benefited greatly from the mac system as my sketch wouldn't have got me in anywhere else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amichel Posted May 13, 2014 Report Share Posted May 13, 2014 ""Life experience" doesn't necessarily make you more competent or compassionate, or intelligent, or anything really." Maybe not intelligent but likely more competent and compassionate as a general rule. As I said before I'm sure there are 3rd years who deserve to get in. Life experience matters and those who are familiar with the grind of academia understand the personal cost and sacrifice it takes to get through it. More life experience means more hardship, generally, and older applicants, like those in academia know this. Those who have gone through more hardship and struggles will make better, more compassionate doctors. People in the health science med school farm (or the even worse direct high school admission at queens) just don't have the same life experience (not saying all, but as a general rule), which is why more weight should be given to phd, masters, and even more attention to references and ABS. I'm saying this as someone who benefited greatly from the mac system as my sketch wouldn't have got me in anywhere else. Fair enough. My point was that it's not the phd or the masters that indicates life experience. It might be the extra time, but that's not unique to those in academia. I don't disagree with more weight on references and sketch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Countmosula Posted May 13, 2014 Report Share Posted May 13, 2014 Fair enough. My point was that it's not the phd or the masters that indicates life experience. It might be the extra time, but that's not unique to those in academia. I don't disagree with more weight on references and sketch. My point is that actually it does. Academia is actually horrible if you know anyone that went through it. It's a sharkfest and extremely difficult and competitive. I have a lot of respect for anyone that has put in the time, effort, and personal sacrifice to complete a phd. Their applications should be weighed more than they are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amichel Posted May 13, 2014 Report Share Posted May 13, 2014 My point is that actually it does. Academia is actually horrible if you know anyone that went through it. It's a sharkfest and extremely difficult and competitive. I have a lot of respect for anyone that has put in the time, effort, and personal sacrifice to complete a phd. Their applications should be weighed more than they are. But so are lots of fields? I think that if phd's were weighted heavily, two things would happen: a) the degree would be devalued even more the average age in medical schools would shoot up, a lot. Of course that's not necessarily a bad thing, but I also don't think it's wrong for people to want to be done with school before they are 30. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Countmosula Posted May 13, 2014 Report Share Posted May 13, 2014 But so are lots of fields? I think that if phd's were weighted heavily, two things would happen: a) the degree would be devalued even more the average age in medical schools would shoot up, a lot. Of course that's not necessarily a bad thing, but I also don't think it's wrong for people to want to be done with school before they are 30. a) how so. Obtaining a phd is not easy. It's not like people will get one just to get into med school, and if they do then more power to them because I know how difficult it is. Don't see this as an issue. Younger applicants will still get in, and many of those who have PhDs won't apply because they don't want to go through another 8-10 years of school. Only those who really want it will. You're right in that lots of other fields are difficult as well but Mac pays no attention to that. Just grades, verbal, and typing speed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edict Posted May 14, 2014 Report Share Posted May 14, 2014 I agree it is tough to see people with PhDs get rejected, but you also don't want to make people consider a PhD or Masters just because they want to get into medical school. There is plenty time to get a PhD after medical school and there are many paths to this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goingplaid Posted May 14, 2014 Report Share Posted May 14, 2014 a) how so. Obtaining a phd is not easy. It's not like people will get one just to get into med school, and if they do then more power to them because I know how difficult it is. Don't see this as an issue. Younger applicants will still get in, and many of those who have PhDs won't apply because they don't want to go through another 8-10 years of school. Only those who really want it will. You're right in that lots of other fields are difficult as well but Mac pays no attention to that. Just grades, verbal, and typing speed. At the end of the day it is the person who makes a good doctor and not the age. In a sick way, facing personal hardship (etc) might facilitate more empathy than if you had gone HS -UG (2-3 yrs) -MD - Doc Some might consider hardship to be life experience, getting a PhD, challenges outside of school time, etc. There are plenty of young docs who will be, and are, perfect for their career choice, but I do think that heavy graduate work and age should factor more into the decision making than it currently does. Mac interview format: 33% GPA + 33% VR + 33% Casper makes it easier to be more paint by numbers. Just because you can answer an ethical dilemma on a casper doesn't mean you can implement those same ethics in a real world situation.... this is where experience and wisdom comes into play. GP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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