Is 26 too late to start dental school ?

Anak · Oct 20, 2009

I'm turning 26 next year, is it too late to start dental school by then ? what's the average age for incoming students ? I feel really old...

jay47 · Oct 21, 2009

Don't. Average age is usually ~24 at most schools.

customx · Oct 21, 2009

I'm in the same situation. I turned 28 a couple months ago and am thinking about taking the pre-reqs in order to apply to dental school. I already graduated from the University of Washington and have been working in Korea for nearly 5 years. I know most dental school students start right after graduating with a BA or BS, but is it possible for someone our age (mid-late 20s) to be accepted?

marcusnasland · Oct 21, 2009

There are three people 30+ in my class of 28

license2kill · Oct 21, 2009

I thought I was old at 27, but our oldest guy is 38! I feel young again.

crazy_sherm · Oct 21, 2009

I was 26 when I started dental school. It was a career change for me and it actually made school easier as I was more mature and more focused. I think it would have been much harder had I gone straight from undergrad. The oldest people in my class were 42 and 48 when we started. They're doing fine now and one actually went on to specialize. Of course, there were also the kids in my class who were 21 on graduation day.

utahdentist2be · Oct 21, 2009

My class of 70 has probably 6-8 people in their 30's, and we even have our claim to fame, a guy who is 55 or 56.

Cold Front · Oct 21, 2009

I was 27 when I started, and my class of 115 graduating in spring will have 2 guys in their 40's, and at least dozen or so in their 30's.

cjb04 · Oct 21, 2009

If you really want to be a dentist, then you are not too old*.

*(Of course, you have to be young enough to pay off the loans, but otherwise...)

Lily143 · Oct 21, 2009

My uncle just finished dental school and an ortho residency in his 50s. He has been practicing in Dallas now for like 2-3 years.

Chasidee · Oct 21, 2009

Wow...I'm 30 so I guess that should make me feel young too then. Hehe.

BombayBDS · Oct 21, 2009

26 is not late.
go make ur life!

Bifid Uvula · Oct 21, 2009

We had a guy pushing 40 in my class, and in the class behind mine there was a guy pushing 50. The beauty of their situation is that once they were in practice they looked like SEASONED/EXPERIENCED dentists! They instantly had 10-20 years of "experience"... bastards! :laugh:

OG1 · Oct 21, 2009

I hope it's not too late to start dental school, because that's how old I was when I started, and I just started an extra two year residency. Let me know if you find out that it's too old, I can save myself a couple of years if I back out now.

Seriously, to borrow the classic line - what are you going to be doing when you're 30 years old otherwise? If it's better than being a dentist, then do something else. If not, then who cares about your age? I think my age and having a family helped me be a little more serious student in dental school.

doc toothache · Oct 21, 2009

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=649117

caffeinehigh · Oct 21, 2009

Not here

HookEmBP · Oct 21, 2009

You're never too old to gain admission. It only becomes a questionable decision (financially) over 40 or so. But everyone's situation is different and that's just my opinion. If anything I think being older is a bit of an advantage - you'll have a better perspective on life after being in the real world for a few years, and will likely be more focused and mature than you were at 21.

fishpinto · Oct 21, 2009

I started school at 28 and am graduating this May at 32. I don't regret it at all. If I retire at 65 (which I don't plan on doing) I will practice for 33 years. A lot of time to make a good living.

americanpierg · Oct 22, 2009

good thing is that dentistry is like golf, you can play until you die if you want to. i shadowed a dentist who was like 70 and we were joking about me coming back and buying his practice before he hits the bucket :laugh:

THINKOFMYFUTURE · Oct 22, 2009

il bet urningg 87 in 3 month s. tat too l;ate ?

Thaxil · Oct 22, 2009

may be the best time to start. I started dental school at age 25 and was through with drinking partying. I was married with a young son and very focused on being successful. Many students lived at home in undergrad and D-school was their first chance at freedom.

setdoc7 · Oct 23, 2009

There were quite a few older students in my class (+30) who went back for a career change. 26 years later many are retired and living the good life. They were much more focused and business minded than most of the class, and most had families.

bjhath · Oct 24, 2009

Ahhh, my 20s, I remember them fondly....

I am 34 and a D1. Our class has at least 4-5 people older than me, with the oldest being 46ish. I would guess that ~15% of our class is late 20s/early 30s.

You are definitely not too old to start dental school.

shindrome · Oct 26, 2009

no! give me a break! i'm 29 and a D1. there will be lots of people in your age group or older once you start school.

don't let age determine what you can and can't do!

askadds · Oct 26, 2009

26 turning 27 in December. You will def. be part of the older group of people but nothing to worry about. I actually think its more beneficial to be on the older side.

katy86 · Oct 28, 2009

I definitely come arround with my colleague's opinion. With 26 years your are not the youngest one but there will be some older ones too, be sure

In my opinion, it can never be too late to reach your aims or to widen your horizon or to start a new chapter in your live. If it makes you happy ... don't wait. Wish you luck.

browncrack · Oct 29, 2009

I would say you are definitely too old. Either that or you are definitely too young. Get ready for some stressfull years in dental school.

jucarp86 · Oct 29, 2009

I am absolutely not of the opinion that you are too old. I think that 26 is more than okay for starting dental school. Besides this if you are sure that this is exactly what you want then go and start visiting dental school. I think you are never too old to start learning something new. I wish you good luck for it.

Ostracized · Oct 29, 2009

I started dental school at 25. While I don't think that I was by any means 'too old' to start, I do occasionally think that much of my class will have graduated at the same age as I began.

It would be awfully nice to be making an income at this point in my life. Besides that, those 4-5 years of working correspond to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

But I am a pessimist.

toothy2112 · Nov 3, 2009

Well I feel slightly better. I'm going to be prob 29 when I start....late bloomer...hahaha

NAVY DDS 2010 · Nov 4, 2009

Don't feel old. I have a classmate who is 47 and multiple others in their 40's. I am about to turn 37. So, 29, you were probably in 2nd or 3rd grade when I graduated from high school. You are still young!

ilovegoldens · Nov 8, 2009

Oh come on, dont make me feel old!!!!
hahahahaha

Well... I had a VERY rare case. got out of Dental school when I was only 21.
However... My life had this crazy path and I ended up in America. Now I am gonna be back at school on 2010, in the year I turn 30

this means I will be finishing school and starting my career when I am 32....

So.. if that makes you feel better!!!!!!

I really don't care and don't feel it is too late

gd152 · Nov 9, 2009

Humans will most likely be living much longer in the short-term future. At least I'm not planning my life to end at 75. I don't understand why people still think that in 2050, we won't have the ability to radically extend lives. 26 is nothing... if you plan on living a few hundred years or more.

apollo1682 · Feb 16, 2010

this is great. I am going to take my pre-requisites at the university of houston this fall- i should be done in the spring of 2013. if everything goes well, I'll start dental school at age 31 (I'm almost 28 right now)... i've been working in the oil industry since i graduated with a degree in business in 2004, and by the time i go to dental school i'll have almost 9 years of real-life experience... i don't hate my job, but i don't love it... and i definitely don't feel passionate about the oil industry - not for me... definitely for engineers! thanks for all the comments and guidance!

Drabuisa · Feb 16, 2010

Age aint nothin but a number. When you're dead it's too late.

BaylorDDS2014 · Feb 16, 2010

i'll be starting this year at 31, i'll be the class cougar, lol

NonTradHopeful · Feb 17, 2010

I'll be startign my pre-reqs at age 26...which means that, if all goes as planned, I'll be 29 when I start.

No, you are not too old.

drsomeday1 · Feb 17, 2010

I'm starting dental school at 26 and thought I was behind in the game. It's never too late if it's something you really want to do and it makes you happy. No reason to worry.

DudeDDS · Feb 21, 2010

you're effing kidding, right?

vale2010 · May 3, 2010

I LIKE HOW YOU THINK.. IM ALMOST IN YOUR SAME SITUATION.....I STARTED TAKING PRE-REQ FOR NURSING, BUT WHAT I REALLY LIKE IS DENT, SO STARTING THIS SUMMER I WILL BE TAKING FULL TIME CLASSES TO FINISH MY B. IN BIO. I HAVE WORKED AS DENTL ASSIST. FOR MORE THAN 4 YEARS NOW.... BUT IM TURNING 27 IN OCT, SO I FEEL OLD SOMETIMES lol, .........GOOD LUCK........

dentalWorks · May 3, 2010

even if it is "too late" to start at 26.... what you gonna do about it? quit this whole process and not attend?

bergoshe · May 3, 2010

I hope not, cause I started at 26. Sometimes I feel older than my classmates beyond the 1-5 difference, but honestly it's not a big deal.

shloopy · May 3, 2010

Don't feel old. I will be 33 when I begin in the Fall, and I don't feel old. I don't look old, either.

You can find both the age range and average age of students at each dental school in the ADEA's official guide to dental schools.

Is 26 too old?

Short answer: no. Long answer: no, it is not.

kitejunky27 · May 3, 2010

i think as a range example somebody said they had a kid graduating from an American school at 21????

how is that possible?

The Hammer · May 3, 2010

No. You will graduate at 30 and if you go into private practice there is no mandatory retirement age. Go for it.

armorshell · May 4, 2010

Skip 2 years of elementary/middle/high school and do the UOP 2+3 program.

browncrack · May 4, 2010

phungy · May 9, 2010

Our oldest classmate is 41 and he's a D1. You think 26 is too late? lol..

AskJeeves · May 9, 2010

Are you out of your vulcan mind?

OralEngineer · May 9, 2010

I'm 33 and starting in August. Am so, so grateful for former life as an electrical engineer. Seeing what the health care system is like as a real patient before becoming a practictioner offers huge insight as to how you want to model yourself as dentist.

Is 26 too late to start dental school ?

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