[pi=3]

As the title suggests, I am wondering whether there is an advantage to being a young school leaver or being a more world-wise grad student/mature student when it comes to studying in Med School. Obviously, Mature students have got more experience, so they may have better 'study skills' and organisation. However, I did hear that studying gets harder as you grow older, and younger people generally are able to adapt to new ideas and assimilate raw information quicker.
I also heard that the human brain's capacity to take in information starts rapidly dropping off after the age of 20 (?) (where it reaches maximum (adult) size)
Since Medicine is a hard course, both in terms of learning lots of information as well as coming to terms with dealing with patients, who do you think is more suited to Med school life? Is there an ideal age where people are sufficiently mature yet not too old for the demands of Med School?

[Hippokrates]

I wouldn't say either is better but I would say that applicants that have taken a forced gap year seem to do better because they spend the year getting more experience so they gain better people skills and generally grow as a person. Although these skills would hopefully be picked up in medical school.

[maherro]

Tin opened,

Worms everywhere

[tpxvs]

I think it depends entirely on the individual. Personally, I have taken a gap year (forced) and everyone thinks il be better for it (teachers, colleagues, parents a bit too) However my honest opinion is I'd be exactly the same 1 year ago - I haven't gained any different AND valuable experience over my gap year. Yes I've done more of it.. but the only thing significantly different i'll be doing is travelling for a month.. (though i have previously travelled alone before but for a week max). So for myself, I dont think I'm better for it by having a gap year.. if anything my brain isn't as sharp as if i'd been using it by studying all this time (which i really have not!)

Generally though, i think most people would be better after a gap year, and perhaps also after a degree. But then again do they have the motivation to plough through for a further 5/6 years? It really does depend on the individual.

[1overcosc]

I chose to take a gap year because I decided my application wasn't strong enough to apply at the normal time. I'm so glad I took it because I think I have learnt valuable skills for being a doctor. I have worked as a care assistant so my communication skills and bedside manner have massively improved, as has my confidence to talk to residents and their family. I'm also about to go travelling which I'm excited for :P so overall I think I'm gonna be a better med student because of my gap year than if I hadn't taken it. However I also think that I know people who go into medicine as a school leaver and will make just as good a doctor as a mature student or a gap yearer!!

[digitalis]

Who makes better medical students? Probably GEPs.


Who makes better doctors? No difference.

[halfadoc]

Hmm I think some of my mature student friends do seem to have to study a bit harder perhaps some of them have been out of education for longer so it becomes less "naturally".

That said there probably is a quite obvious difference in maturity levels between them and school leavers/ gap years (for the most part there doesn't seem to be a noticeable difference between gap year students and straight from school - but then I'm straight from school so biased!) but I think by around third year it evens out a bit, because everyone has been through similar experiences within medical school to get them to about the same level of maturity when it comes to medical related experiences (maybe not general life!)

[Steerforth]

(Original post by Hippokrates)
I wouldn't say either is better but I would say that applicants that have taken a forced gap year seem to do better because they spend the year getting more experience so they gain better people skills and generally grow as a person. Although these skills would hopefully be picked up in medical school.

Considering you are a medical applicant, I'm not really sure you have the knowledge or experience to answer the original question.

[Democracy]

Since when was it a competition?

(Original post by Steerforth)
Considering you are a medical applicant, I'm not really sure you have the knowledge or experience to answer the original question.

I doubt anyone on here can provide a completely legitimate and representative opinion unless they've been both an A100 student and a GEP student or had many years experience working in medical education.

[Hippokrates]

(Original post by Steerforth)
Considering you are a medical applicant, I'm not really sure you have the knowledge or experience to answer the original question.

No need to be harsh. I'm allowed an opinion if you don't think it's valid then ignore it. All I was saying was that I've seen people before and after gap years and the difference in maturity and attitude are quite big.

[BeanofJelly]

I wouldn't say either grads or undergrads are "better" - they are at different stages in their life even though they may be in the same yeargroup for medicine.

Overall, all of the grads I've met seem mature, hardworking, responsible. Whereas not all undergrads meet this description straight away

But you would expect that - grads have been through it all already with their first degree, they also may be a lot more conscious of how much money the degree is costing them, the decision to study medicine in the first place is probably more difficult for them given that they could be working straight away instead of studying for another 5 years, and some of them also have family commitments etc.

I wouldn't say being a grad is "ideal" - even if they were the best students it comes at quite a sacrifice financially and in terms of time to have spent an extra 3/4 years at uni with no salary. Whilst they may have completely enjoyed/ got enrichment from their previous degrees (or in some cases, careers), I've never met anyone who always wanted to do medicine and actually planned to do a different degree first by choice.

EDIT: Have never noticed a difference between gap year and school leavers. I wouldn't know who had even taken a gap year ?