It doesn't actually take that long to become a Curate (not a Saint, that's level 26; and yes, "Saints in our Book" is misleading in that regard).

I signed up on April 27 2014 and became a Curate on September 4 2014; that's barely more than 4 months. (I've since largely abandoned PM, but that's a different story.)

So being a recent user doesn't really hurt much. And 'sides, what does becoming a Curate really give you, other than an extra daily vote or two? PM has its flaws, but those are social in nature and unrelated to levels, XP, votes, Curates, and Saints.