Medical school over 40

Hi all,

I'd really like to hear from anyone who got into med school aged 40 and over, or even from anyone who is currently on a course that has an over 40 on it.
I was told by an ex admissions panel member at one of the London med schools that they used to (unofficially) automatically bin applications from over 40s and although this info is 7 years out of date it has made me a bit paranoid that some schools may still 'unofficially' discriminate. I can also see the logic that a mature graduate has less time left to practice etc. but anyway in terms of applying next year I would really like to maximise my chances.

I have an Arts background and scored 715 in Ukcat and 57 in Gamsat (70, 64, 47) last year. I resat Gamsat a couple of days ago and will probably sit it again in September. I have a non-science 2:1 and straight As at A and O level. No A level science but am sitting AS/A2 Chem this summer and hoping to get an A. I have been a ward volunteer for a year now (one morning a week), a Samaritan for over a year (one 3-5 hour shift a week) and have done some shadowing in A&E.

If I can significantly improve Ukcat and Gamsat this year I will reapply for King's and St George's but can anyone suggest where to apply for the other two? I don't want to reapply for either Warwick or Southampton because theoretically I qualified for both and yet was rejected (obviously I know competition is horrendous for grad med) and can't greatly see what I could improve on for either of these. I would be willing to consider 5 year courses.

I really hope this doesn't come across as self-pitying or in any way suggesting that I got rejected due to age. It's just that I can see that being over 40 could potentially work against me and so I'd just be really grateful for any help and advice from anyone out there!

Thanks in advance and good luck to anyone else currently gearing up to apply for 2014.

Hey there,

Did you apply last time around, or just do the entrance exams to practice for this year? You obviously shouldn't get rejected on the basis of age within reason (but most schools are looking for people to contribute after they graduate -- if you're approximately 40 you still have a good 15 years of contributions to make at a minimum).

715 on the UKCAT is good, you should have got you an interview at Warwick assuming a decent PS with good experiences. It obviously suggests that your personal statement maybe wasn't quite as good as it could have been. I recommend the Personal Statement Advice Service here on TSR, they really do an incredible job and it's usually a successful GEM applicant who reviews it They tore mine to shreds initially, and though I didn't make it last year, on my feedback I was told the PS was excellent. With 715 and a good personal statement, with more voluntary experiences this year, you should be in with a good shout if you reapply.

Southampton is a shot in the dark for everyone -- they have the most cryptic admissions system I have ever seen, so it really is pot luck assuming you meet the cut-off.

It's a pity about your GAMSAT; you're in the same position as me as I scored worse on the last section but hammered the first two! Luckily if you do get a better score and meet the cut-off you are almost guaranteed an interview at SGUL bar saying you're a convicted murderer on your personal statement.

I'd wait for your GAMSAT result and see what you get. If it's good, apply to SGUL, Nottingham, Swansea, and then I'd recommend Warwick again as a fourth option just for the sheer number of places. I doubt you were rejected based on age as they're pretty liberal at Warwick, so it was almost certainly down to your personal statement.

Good luck!

Thanks for such a comprehensive reply and that's really helpful about the PS service - will definitely try that. Who gave you the feedback by the way? Think everywhere I applied refused to give any personal feedback. Are you resitting Gamsat and reapplying this year?

I know Soton don't give feedback (again, cryptic?!) but I applied to Sheffield 5-year, SGUL, Swansea & Notts. I just emailed the admissions tutor who sent the rejection email in each instance.

Aye I'll be resitting in September, fun times! Unless I manage to completely hammer the UKCAT in which case I likely won't bother

Definitely been over 40s GEM in Nottingham

Yeah thing is the blasted Ukcat seems to go up each year so I reck the Kings cut off will be around 735 this time round. And am sure my QR score was a complete fluke last time as guessed the last 10! What was your Ukcat last time?

Yeah but I think so long as you have a score of ~700 you'll be with a shout at most places. Kings are by far the most strict with the UKCAT so even with sub-735 you'll be okay with others like Warwick!

Mine was 615 -- 630, 670, 570 and 590. Had a technical error (long story!) which Pearson View helpfully ignored on the AR section, but was obviously by that point thrown for the final one. No excuses on my VR though, should have been a lot better (and was expecting better!). Fingers crossed it goes a bit more smoothly this time around

Hi all,

I'd really like to hear from anyone who got into med school aged 40 and over, or even from anyone who is currently on a course that has an over 40 on it.
I was told by an ex admissions panel member at one of the London med schools that they used to (unofficially) automatically bin applications from over 40s and although this info is 7 years out of date it has made me a bit paranoid that some schools may still 'unofficially' discriminate. I can also see the logic that a mature graduate has less time left to practice etc. but anyway in terms of applying next year I would really like to maximise my chances.

I have an Arts background and scored 715 in Ukcat and 57 in Gamsat (70, 64, 47) last year. I resat Gamsat a couple of days ago and will probably sit it again in September. I have a non-science 2:1 and straight As at A and O level. No A level science but am sitting AS/A2 Chem this summer and hoping to get an A. I have been a ward volunteer for a year now (one morning a week), a Samaritan for over a year (one 3-5 hour shift a week) and have done some shadowing in A&E.

If I can significantly improve Ukcat and Gamsat this year I will reapply for King's and St George's but can anyone suggest where to apply for the other two? I don't want to reapply for either Warwick or Southampton because theoretically I qualified for both and yet was rejected (obviously I know competition is horrendous for grad med) and can't greatly see what I could improve on for either of these. I would be willing to consider 5 year courses.

I really hope this doesn't come across as self-pitying or in any way suggesting that I got rejected due to age. It's just that I can see that being over 40 could potentially work against me and so I'd just be really grateful for any help and advice from anyone out there!

Thanks in advance and good luck to anyone else currently gearing up to apply for 2014.

The eldest person in my year is 51 years old on the undergraduate course! We have plenty of people in 30s and 40s, at least 5-10

Plenty of over 40s at SGUL :-)


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Thanks - where are you?

Barts and The London

That's really good to know as Barts was somewhere am definitely considering. Many thanks.

I didn't think Barts accepted Arts degrees?

That's really good to know as Barts was somewhere am definitely considering. Many thanks.

Mind you, around 60-70% of our year is graduates (on the undergrad course) so your bound to meet people your age!

Not true - for the undergraduate A100 course you can apply as a graduate with a Arts degree.