need advice on whether to remain in med school

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Hello SDN,
I'm here looking for some advice on whether to continue in medical school. If anyone would be kind enough to take a moment to read my post and give me any advice you have, I would be really grateful. I'll try to keep it as short as possible.

I started med school (M.D.) at a mid tier university in 2008 and completed the first two years with all "pass" grades, except for three subjects that I got "low pass" in. Then in May of 2010, I took and failed Step 1 with a score of 186. I started third year, but a few weeks in my failing score came back and I was pulled out of my rotation. I was very depressed, especially when I read posts on here saying that a failure on Step 1 was a death sentence. I ended up not going back to school, or re-taking the Step 1, for another year and a half. I was really scared of failing it again so I kept postponing it, but not really preparing either. I ended up working other jobs, working for non profits, etc. Finally the school told me that I'd have to retake the exam and rejoin the class in July or I would be dismissed.

That's where I am now. I don't know if it's worth continuing at this point, or I should leave and try to find something else to do with my life. I'm actually a very good student, it's just that I have been very ambivalent towards med school and I feel like it really isn't for me. I don't hate medicine but I don't exactly love it either. My parents are both doctors and pushed medicine from the day I was born, so I just grew up feeling obligated to follow the path set up for me. The idea of hospitals and diseases made me uncomfortable but I was assured that I would get over it with time.

I don't really like working with patients (but again I'm told this might change with time and experience), so I was hoping I could do something like radiology or pathology, but I feel like there is really nothing I can do at this point to be able to get into either of those fields. I don't even know if I can get into anything with my record. I don't know if I should stay or leave. All of my classmates are telling me that leaving would be the worst possible thing I could do. I agree with them in the sense that if I did leave, I have no idea where I'd go. I've always been a computer geek, and I think I'd consider something in the computer field, but having to go back to college and start over, when I'm just 2 years away from getting an M.D. really sucks and I don't even know if any decent college will take me with this background. However, having put a lot of time and hard work into this, I feel like I should at least get the degree, even if I can't get into a residency. I am really depressed by the idea of just throwing out 8 years of my life and having built up debt for absolutely nothing. Then again, if I can't use the degree in the end, I'll have just spent more time and money for nothing.

I really don't know what to do so I'm hoping that someone could give me their advice. Thank you so much for taking time to read all of this!

Finish up, it's all downhill after step 1. You can do a lot of stuff with an MD not necessarily in medicine, and command a higher salary because of your doctorate. Things like hospital admin, lobbying, nonprofit stuff, working with WHO, consulting. 186 is not that far from passing and failing isn't exactly a death sentence though it does preclude you from most competitive specialties.

Originally Posted by rog411

Hello SDN,
I'm here looking for some advice on whether to continue in medical school. If anyone would be kind enough to take a moment to read my post and give me any advice you have, I would be really grateful. I'll try to keep it as short as possible.

I started med school (M.D.) at a mid tier university in 2008 and completed the first two years with all "pass" grades, except for three subjects that I got "low pass" in. Then in May of 2010, I took and failed Step 1 with a score of 186. I started third year, but a few weeks in my failing score came back and I was pulled out of my rotation. I was very depressed, especially when I read posts on here saying that a failure on Step 1 was a death sentence. I ended up not going back to school, or re-taking the Step 1, for another year and a half. I was really scared of failing it again so I kept postponing it, but not really preparing either. I ended up working other jobs, working for non profits, etc. Finally the school told me that I'd have to retake the exam and rejoin the class in July or I would be dismissed.

That's where I am now. I don't know if it's worth continuing at this point, or I should leave and try to find something else to do with my life. I'm actually a very good student, it's just that I have been very ambivalent towards med school and I feel like it really isn't for me. I don't hate medicine but I don't exactly love it either. My parents are both doctors and pushed medicine from the day I was born, so I just grew up feeling obligated to follow the path set up for me. The idea of hospitals and diseases made me uncomfortable but I was assured that I would get over it with time.

I don't really like working with patients (but again I'm told this might change with time and experience), so I was hoping I could do something like radiology or pathology, but I feel like there is really nothing I can do at this point to be able to get into either of those fields. I don't even know if I can get into anything with my record. I don't know if I should stay or leave. All of my classmates are telling me that leaving would be the worst possible thing I could do. I agree with them in the sense that if I did leave, I have no idea where I'd go. I've always been a computer geek, and I think I'd consider something in the computer field, but having to go back to college and start over, when I'm just 2 years away from getting an M.D. really sucks and I don't even know if any decent college will take me with this background. However, having put a lot of time and hard work into this, I feel like I should at least get the degree, even if I can't get into a residency. I am really depressed by the idea of just throwing out 8 years of my life and having built up debt for absolutely nothing. Then again, if I can't use the degree in the end, I'll have just spent more time and money for nothing.

I really don't know what to do so I'm hoping that someone could give me their advice. Thank you so much for taking time to read all of this!

Do you even want to do medicine? It doesn't sound like it....and at some point, there's no point throwing good money after bad. Better to be 100K in debt and find something else than 200K in debt and miserable...and a MD by itself with no residency, what are you going to do with that?

I am on the fence about doing medicine. I think if I did it all over again, I wouldn't, but being halfway through and 100k in debt makes it hard to leave...

Maybe you could just study hard, take the test and see how you do?

I'd say don't quit... Get your MD and then decide what you want to do. You don't need to practice medicine, but having the degree with open many many doors no matter what you choose to do. At this point it seems like a huge waste to not just finish it out.

Step 1 is the hardest part of med school. Get through this and the rest will be cake...

Originally Posted by econdr

I'd say don't quit... Get your MD and then decide what you want to do. You don't need to practice medicine, but having the degree with open many many doors no matter what you choose to do. At this point it seems like a huge waste to not just finish it out.

Step 1 is the hardest part of med school. Get through this and the rest will be cake...

Thanks for the advice. I was thinking the same thing, but both my academic advisor and the dean of my school are pushing me to quit.

As I've said before, I don't understand the uber-emphasis on step 1. Am I the only one who finds two years of going to class 4-6 hours a day much much easier than working 12 hour shifts 5 or 6 days a week? Step 2 may matter less but in my opinion you are much more responsible for the learning, since there is no little or no formal teaching 3rd and 4th year.

Let me add, I am glad step 1 matters so much, but I don't really understand why it does. It seems like step 2 should be much more important as its more relevant to what you'll be doing as a resident on a daily basis, no?

Originally Posted by rog411

Thanks for the advice. I was thinking the same thing, but both my academic advisor and the dean of my school are pushing me to quit.

An MD is NOT a good investment unless you practice medicine.

Honestly it's a waste of money--if you still want a degree you should go to grad school instead and save the money you'd be spending the next two years on med school.

It sounds like you're a pretty textbook case of a person following their parents' outline for them and realizing that you're not going to be happy--well, you discovered it early enough to do something about it.

At the end of the day, do what you want to do. If you want to do medicine, stay. If not, leave.

Dude, third year is a joke. All you have to do is show up and not fall asleep and you'll pass. Fourth year is even easier. Put everything you got into taking step 1 again and passing it. You can do it. Even if you don't want to do medicine you have to realize that the rest of med school is a breeze, just time consuming at certain parts. It would be stupid to get through the hardest part (first 2 years) and then bail. I went through the same thing as you. Look at it this way. If you suck up another two years, then you can graduate and pretty much be guaranteed 200 grand a year for the rest of your life if you want it. If you don't want it, work for a few years to pay back your debt and then go to something else a free man.

Unless you have a better opportunity presenting itself right now, then this is what you do:

Lock yourself up in a room for the next two months.
Read first aid 3 times all the way through, marking it up as you go.
Do every question in USMLEWORLD. Markup in first aid the ones you missed. Take a practice step1 exam.
Go through first aid 2 more times, looking only at the sections you have marked up and the sections that were deficient on your first practice exam

If you do all this for 12 hours a day (16 hours including lunch and breaks), it will take you 2 months.

Suck it up and focus. Get pass this and it's cruise control.
QUITTING NOW WOULD BE RETARDED.

Originally Posted by GladifImakeit

Am I the only one who finds two years of going to class 4-6 hours a day much much easier than working 12 hour shifts 5 or 6 days a week? ?

You must have a very liberal definition of the term "work."

If by work, you mean showing up and having nothing you do matter or actually be used, have no responsibility for anything you do, have no commitment to follow-up on anything you do, and are actually paying to be there versus getting paid (i.e., you're not even an unpaid intern or volunteer), then sure.

It cracks me up when I hear classmates talking of "having to go to work" when referring to 3rd year commitments. They've clearly never held a real job.

Third year can be hell if you let it and view it this way. If you have a level head and actual work experience and don't have delusions of graunduer, then it's not so bad.

Find someone who'll be objective whom you can talk to. Only you can make this decision, but talking to people always helps. Read: therapist.

I have to agree with people encouraging you to finish up, especially because it's not a question of academic difficulty, and you said you don't hate medicine. Many, many people are ambivalent about medicine, especially when med school is rough, academically and psychologically, and that makes you view your original motivations differently.

Know that many people who have been depressed in med school go on to be successful, happy doctors. Of course, some don't. But I don't think this is a question of sunk costs-- I say it's a question of open doors, and extending your options with minimal further investment. (I know two years of slogging your ass off doesn't feel like 'minimal' anything, but relatively speaking.)

Also, it may be helpful to talk to people who've quit med school, and see what they have to say.

Good luck in whatever you decide.

Keep in mind that you have not done rotations yet. It is possible that you will like a certain specialty! I would keep pushing hard for Step 1 and then you are very close to your MD. I would also get a screening for depression done, a good psychiatrist might be able to find out if you need some professional help. But again, considering you haven't done rotations yet I think you should not close the door being so close to finishing.

If you are a computer geek you could also do research later. Don't worry about not finding a place, there are too many residencies scrambling for US residents.

U bitch I worked in fast food and grocery stores when I was 15 until the same year I started med school. I was comparing 3rd and 4th year to first and second year. The first two years are like college, a relative breeze - you don't even have to show up most days. 3rd and 4th are much different. What I do as a 4th year does matter. I wouldn't do it otherwise. I do the exact same as a resident where I work and in both cases we come up with the assessment and plan and the attending signs off. It's a county hospital all hands on deck.

Originally Posted by rog411

I am on the fence about doing medicine. I think if I did it all over again, I wouldn't, but being halfway through and 100k in debt makes it hard to leave...

If you think there is another field you can go into that you can possibly be passionate about, then don't go back and rack up more debt and be miserable for another five years at minimum. Look it doesn't get easier, and although you will be a third year, you will also be required to know more and more and perform to a higher and higher degree by the end of it. I can tell you that my third year didn't consist of me "trying not to fall asleep," although the months I was doing that I knew as much about that field the first day of the rotation as I did the last day of the rotation.

If your thinking is more practical minded, then yes, give it a go. The money is there, you won't starve, and you won't have to worry about employment, but medicine is by no means the be all and end all of a higher income and if you are ambivalent about it or hate it then at the end you are miserable enough where the amount of money you supposedly get at the end isn't going to matter more than waking up every day looking forward to doing something you like.

It depends on your priorities.

Originally Posted by GladifImakeit

U bitch I worked in fast food and grocery stores when I was 15 until the same year I started med school. I was comparing 3rd and 4th year to first and second year. The first two years are like college, a relative breeze - you don't even have to show up most days. 3rd and 4th are much different. What I do as a 4th year does matter. I wouldn't do it otherwise. I do the exact same as a resident where I work and in both cases we come up with the assessment and plan and the attending signs off. It's a county hospital all hands on deck.

the internetz. Srs bizness.

I think people with real jobs hate me when I describe my 3rd year experience

Originally Posted by GladifImakeit

U bitch I worked in fast food and grocery stores when I was 15 until the same year I started med school.

It really depends on what you did at the grocery store or else these jobs are different then grown up jobs. I worked from the time I was 16 till I was 26 and entered med school. I worked at fast food restaurants, as a waiter, as a bartender, as a researcher and then as a manager of a team. The work I did in fast food, waiting and bar tending were not real jobs. It was a way to make money and to kill time. When my day was done, I didn't think twice about my work. My real jobs where there were deadlines, meetings, bosses, people getting fired for not producing were way more stressful. I had these things hanging over my head all the time. I did med school after these jobs and 3rd year was a joke. I am thankful everyday I go to my med school rotations that I am not doing those jobs I had before. I agree with thefritz that most of the people who complain about 3rd/4th year never had a grown up job before.

That's pretty elitist. All the poor saps in the world doing those menial jobs are not real workers. Wow. There is a documentary that comes to mind from PBS about health effects of stress and it showed people in higher positions had less stress than people in jobs with low control. You ever been yelled at for making a milkshake the wrong way? Hmm? Maybe you didn't care if your job didn't matter or you had lots of extra money, but some people would care.

As is usual with SDN, things always seem to get taken out of context. I said 3rd and 4th year are hard compared to first and second year, not that they are impossible, unbearable, or worse than other jobs. I still think clinicals are a lot of work if you work hard and perform at the level of an intern. I guess u could get by doing a half-ass job.

Originally Posted by rog411

Hello SDN,
I'm here looking for some advice on whether to continue in medical school. If anyone would be kind enough to take a moment to read my post and give me any advice you have, I would be really grateful. I'll try to keep it as short as possible.

I started med school (M.D.) at a mid tier university in 2008 and completed the first two years with all "pass" grades, except for three subjects that I got "low pass" in. Then in May of 2010, I took and failed Step 1 with a score of 186. I started third year, but a few weeks in my failing score came back and I was pulled out of my rotation. I was very depressed, especially when I read posts on here saying that a failure on Step 1 was a death sentence. I ended up not going back to school, or re-taking the Step 1, for another year and a half. I was really scared of failing it again so I kept postponing it, but not really preparing either. I ended up working other jobs, working for non profits, etc. Finally the school told me that I'd have to retake the exam and rejoin the class in July or I would be dismissed.

That's where I am now. I don't know if it's worth continuing at this point, or I should leave and try to find something else to do with my life. I'm actually a very good student, it's just that I have been very ambivalent towards med school and I feel like it really isn't for me. I don't hate medicine but I don't exactly love it either. My parents are both doctors and pushed medicine from the day I was born, so I just grew up feeling obligated to follow the path set up for me. The idea of hospitals and diseases made me uncomfortable but I was assured that I would get over it with time.

I don't really like working with patients (but again I'm told this might change with time and experience), so I was hoping I could do something like radiology or pathology, but I feel like there is really nothing I can do at this point to be able to get into either of those fields. I don't even know if I can get into anything with my record. I don't know if I should stay or leave. All of my classmates are telling me that leaving would be the worst possible thing I could do. I agree with them in the sense that if I did leave, I have no idea where I'd go. I've always been a computer geek, and I think I'd consider something in the computer field, but having to go back to college and start over, when I'm just 2 years away from getting an M.D. really sucks and I don't even know if any decent college will take me with this background. However, having put a lot of time and hard work into this, I feel like I should at least get the degree, even if I can't get into a residency. I am really depressed by the idea of just throwing out 8 years of my life and having built up debt for absolutely nothing. Then again, if I can't use the degree in the end, I'll have just spent more time and money for nothing.

I really don't know what to do so I'm hoping that someone could give me their advice. Thank you so much for taking time to read all of this!

Actions speak louder than words. You spent one and a half years doing other things than studying for step 1. There's no way you are going to go through with medical school.

If you really wanted to be a doctor, you would have not failed step 1 in the first place. Drop it and do something that you really want to do.

Originally Posted by GladifImakeit

That's pretty elitist. All the poor saps in the world doing those menial jobs are not real workers. Wow. There is a documentary that comes to mind from PBS about health effects of stress and it showed people in higher positions had less stress than people in jobs with low control. You ever been yelled at for making a milkshake the wrong way? Hmm? Maybe you didn't care if your job didn't matter or you had lots of extra money, but some people would care.

I am not saying I am better then them, I am saying that I did those jobs as a way to make extra money as a student. I was never rich, I said I was doing the job to make extra cash. I am sure that you weren't making milk shakes to make a living and pay for your kids. When that is your job and it's 40 hours a week, you are probably very stressed out. However, that that stress is because of the financial situation you are in, not because of the stress of the job. I fully believe that people with high paying jobs are less stressed then people with low paying jobs, they are not worried about making there mortgage payments like the people with the lower paying jobs. What I was trying to say is that a lot people who complain about 3rd/4th year never had that job where they were paying there bills and making a living. That is a whole different experience and one that is a whole lot more stressful than third or fourth year.

Sure I have made things the wrong way and got yelled at, so I made sure I didn't make the same mistake again. I am a perfectionist, so that is the way I am going to do everything.

If you made a living off your fast food job I apologize, but I don't think that is the case.

Thank you all for your advice. I really appreciate it! I think I'm going to work as hard as I can to pass the Step I exam and give 3rd year a shot.

Originally Posted by rog411

Thank you all for your advice. I really appreciate it! I think I'm going to work as hard as I can to pass the Step I exam and give 3rd year a shot.

Congratulations on your decision (not that there's a clear right or wrong here). Good luck to you! You can do it.

Good luck, OP. Best of luck; keep focused and kill that step 1.


And lol @ 15 year old bagging groceries as a real job. Is that the same weirdo that posted about bunny testing?

Well I was good at math so I was a cashier, before the machines said how much change to give. I don't understand the difference between a real and a fake job so I guess I'm a weirdo.

You are a worthless piece of **** elitist snob. I'd rather save the bunnies than you.

Originally Posted by genswim24

I am not saying I am better then them, I am saying that I did those jobs as a way to make extra money as a student. I was never rich, I said I was doing the job to make extra cash. I am sure that you weren't making milk shakes to make a living and pay for your kids. When that is your job and it's 40 hours a week, you are probably very stressed out. However, that that stress is because of the financial situation you are in, not because of the stress of the job. I fully believe that people with high paying jobs are less stressed then people with low paying jobs, they are not worried about making there mortgage payments like the people with the lower paying jobs. What I was trying to say is that a lot people who complain about 3rd/4th year never had that job where they were paying there bills and making a living. That is a whole different experience and one that is a whole lot more stressful than third or fourth year.

Sure I have made things the wrong way and got yelled at, so I made sure I didn't make the same mistake again. I am a perfectionist, so that is the way I am going to do everything.

If you made a living off your fast food job I apologize, but I don't think that is the case.

I really agree here. It's pretty easy to find jobs making milkshakes or stocking yogurt in a walmart. It's hard to find jobs that will pay for the mortgage, health insurance, etc.

Originally Posted by GladifImakeit

Well I was good at math so I was a cashier, before the machines said how much change to give. I don't understand the difference between a real and a fake job so I guess I'm a weirdo.

You are a worthless piece of **** elitist snob. I'd rather save the bunnies than you.

Chill...

Dont quit...the lightis at the end of the tunnel...med school sucks...just use DIT do first aid, uworld, and beat the exam, youll pass.... Anyways, look when Ur a doc ull have control ocer your work situation and setting more than any other field to some extent...youll make money and be fulfilled...dont quit man, if you do go to dental school at least, its easier and you will have reviewed some of the coursework

Originally Posted by genswim24

I agree with thefritz that most of the people who complain about 3rd/4th year never had a grown up job before.

Originally Posted by tiedyeddog

I really agree here. It's pretty easy to find jobs making milkshakes or stocking yogurt in a walmart. It's hard to find jobs that will pay for the mortgage, health insurance, etc.

the truth is that year 3 is nothing compared to a real job... a real job as in a job where you're trying to make enough money to survive (i.e. not so you can have extra beer money at the end of the week)

Originally Posted by GladifImakeit

U bitch

Originally Posted by GladifImakeit

You are a worthless piece of **** elitist snob.

wow

I say take the test. 3rd and 4th year were way easier than the first two years because you are usually doing something interesting instead of studying some worthless biochem pathway. I found some rotatins pretty bad, but nothing was as miserable as the inane basic sciences we are forced to study.

If you akready got a 186 passing should be a matter of discipline. You can definitely do it.

Originally Posted by GladifImakeit

Well I was good at math so I was a cashier, before the machines said how much change to give. I don't understand the difference between a real and a fake job so I guess I'm a weirdo.

You are a worthless piece of **** elitist snob. I'd rather save the bunnies than you.

The difference I am making between a real job and a school/summer job is a real job is one that your life depends on. It is what you use to pay your mortgage/rent, electric and cable bills, pay for food, and transportation. It doesn't matter what that job is whether it be construction, fast food, driving a cab, being a CEO, waiting tables. Every one of those jobs is stressful if that is how you are making a living. I gave the examples of fast food, servers and bartenders above because those are the typical jobs of people in high school and college who are doing those jobs to have extra money, not for survival. Once any one of those jobs becomes your career, they all become important to that individual. It's hardly an elitist argument, but I am not surprised you are resorting to name calling because your post history shows that is a common act.

I am also not surprised you would rather save a bunnies life over mine. Not too long ago you had a 4+ page thread talking about your love of bunnies. I am more of a dog person, but hey that's just me.

Either way, OP study hard for the test and see what you can do. Getting past that test is a major milestone in medical school and the dynamics or 3rd/4th year are completely different than the first two years. Most people like the last 2 years a lot more, so hopefully you will fall into that category. Good luck studying.

Originally Posted by valkener

Keep in mind that you have not done rotations yet. It is possible that you will like a certain specialty! I would keep pushing hard for Step 1 and then you are very close to your MD. I would also get a screening for depression done, a good psychiatrist might be able to find out if you need some professional help. But again, considering you haven't done rotations yet I think you should not close the door being so close to finishing.

If you are a computer geek you could also do research later. Don't worry about not finding a place, there are too many residencies scrambling for US residents.

Agreed. OP you don't even know what you might like until you have rotations under your belt. You might find some aspects of psych or FM or IM or peds or PM&R a blast, and those are not impossibly competitive. Definitely talk to folks in path, also since you might not want to be on the front line with patients. You have dug yourself a hole, but having a medical career is still salvageable. You probably won't be at an academic center doing a competitive residency, but most med students won't do that anyhow. Finish the race, see what your options are. At least there won't be a big gap on your resume, which is a bigger hurdle than you know. And then everyone at whatever career you ultimately select will call you "doc".

I was referring to the guy who called me a weirdo not you. He likes family guy. That is the worst show ever.

Originally Posted by phospho

wow

Agreed.

How you speak reveals your character. Stop with the attacks.

Originally Posted by GladifImakeit

Well I was good at math so I was a cashier, before the machines said how much change to give. I don't understand the difference between a real and a fake job so I guess I'm a weirdo.

You are a worthless piece of **** elitist snob. I'd rather save the bunnies than you.

Well that's EASY

A real job requires tons of hard work

A job where a little itty teen can do with little effort is HIGHLY different. That's why that one poster LOL'd at 15 year old bagging groceries or cashier work or making milkshakes for middle school girls. Cause it's not a real job for a high school kid.

What are your loans like?

Originally Posted by GladifImakeit

I was referring to the guy who called me a weirdo not you. He likes family guy. That is the worst show ever.

I apologize for my comment. Histrionic threads about rabbit testing and disproportionately angry responses to internet comments are totally normal.

I also apologize for my bad taste.

Unlike rabbits, which have great taste.

Originally Posted by Wordead

I apologize for my comment. Histrionic threads about rabbit testing and disproportionately angry responses to internet comments are totally normal.

I also apologize for my bad taste.

Unlike rabbits, which have great taste.

hahaha brilliant

Originally Posted by genswim24

The difference I am making between a real job and a school/summer job is a real job is one that your life depends on. It is what you use to pay your mortgage/rent, electric and cable bills, pay for food, and transportation. It doesn't matter what that job is whether it be construction, fast food, driving a cab, being a CEO, waiting tables. Every one of those jobs is stressful if that is how you are making a living. I gave the examples of fast food, servers and bartenders above because those are the typical jobs of people in high school and college who are doing those jobs to have extra money, not for survival. Once any one of those jobs becomes your career, they all become important to that individual. It's hardly an elitist argument, but I am not surprised you are resorting to name calling because your post history shows that is a common act.

I am also not surprised you would rather save a bunnies life over mine. Not too long ago you had a 4+ page thread talking about your love of bunnies. I am more of a dog person, but hey that's just me.

Either way, OP study hard for the test and see what you can do. Getting past that test is a major milestone in medical school and the dynamics or 3rd/4th year are completely different than the first two years. Most people like the last 2 years a lot more, so hopefully you will fall into that category. Good luck studying.

Good distinction. A real job can be any job, we have to be careful in elevating our importance just because our training is hard and our jobs may require more skills.

Originally Posted by JackShephard MD

Good distinction. A real job can be any job, we have to be careful in elevating our importance just because our training is hard and our jobs may require more skills.

Yeah, I should have explained myself better from the beginning but I was trying to do too many things at once.

Here is the simple truth: you need to take Step 1.

Even if you decide not to go into medicine, you will regret not at least trying to retake the test for the rest of your life.

So ignore the big life decisions for now.

Study (UWorld + Goljan + First Aid) 12 hours a day for at least a month (use the iPhone cram fighter app if you need external motivation).

Take the f***ing test.

You will hate yourself if you let yourself get pushed into a default path through fear alone.

Originally Posted by rog411

I am on the fence about doing medicine. I think if I did it all over again, I wouldn't, but being halfway through and 100k in debt makes it hard to leave...

Do not leave medical school until you have an exit strategy. ie, Do not leave until you have a clear path to paying off the significant debt accrued in med school. It's one thing to be unsatisfied at work yet financially well-off. It's another to be wondering or working at Starbucks with 100k looming over your head. That said, you could spend the other 100k wisely (or even find work without further schooling) and gracefully exit if you decide that's the right thing to do.

Originally Posted by johnnydrama

Here is the simple truth: you need to take Step 1.

Even if you decide not to go into medicine, you will regret not at least trying to retake the test for the rest of your life.

So ignore the big life decisions for now.

Study (UWorld + Goljan + First Aid) 12 hours a day for at least a month (use the iPhone cram fighter app if you need external motivation).

Take the f***ing test.

You will hate yourself if you let yourself get pushed into a default path through fear alone.

Johnnydrama is right. You need to just take the test. Even if you don't like medicine, at this point you don't have another option. You can't just quit without any idea of how you're going to pay off all your debt. You don't want to look back at this 5-10 years from now if things don't go well and wish you would have at least given one simple test another try. If you study hard for a month there is no reason you shouldn't pass the test. Have you talked to your parents about this? What are their thoughts? Good luck.

My main point is that you can't let such a major life decision be dictated by fear of a single test. How will you live with yourself if you're always wondering, "what if"?

Take the test and then decide. Backing out before taking the test is just cowardice.

If you fail again, so be it, but at least you can move on knowing that you tried.

Originally Posted by GladifImakeit

Well I was good at math so I was a cashier, before the machines said how much change to give. I don't understand the difference between a real and a fake job so I guess I'm a weirdo.

You are a worthless piece of **** elitist snob. I'd rather save the bunnies than you.

This is the funniest **** i've read on the internet in a long time. Please guys keep throwing fuel on this fire by taking this bozo seriously.

Originally Posted by Roguelyn

Maybe you could just study hard, take the test and see how you do?

Disregard all the advice in this thread other than that sentence. Take however long you have left and start studying 10-12 hours a day for the Step 1. Stop doing anything except studying, eating, sleeping and relaxing. No outside commitments. Start doing Uworld questions like, yesterday.

Half of your posts are about feeling defeated because you think your step failure is a death sentence and the other half are about not knowing if medicine is really for you or not. There's no way to quickly determine the second part, but if you can buckle down, study, and blow the Step out of the water then my money is on you feeling a lot less defeatist about your residency prospects. And get off of SDN, the defeatist mecca. There are scores of people who have failed their first Step attempt and matched into some pretty competitive residencies. They aren't on this website. You can re-evaluate your desire for medicine after taking the test. It sounds like this is your last chance to take it, so don't squander the opportunity while trying to figure out a big existential questions like "is medicine right for me." Focus on what you can do now to keep your opportunities open. Let someone else change your SDN and facebook passwords and get to studying. Godspeed and good luck.

I left medical school after taking Step 1 (passed with 214). I left because of a medical condition that affected my ability to perform in clerkships.

I went back to school, finished up my undergrad degree B.S in chemical engineering, and landed a job in 2009 (i.e. the Great Recession) and now make about $90k a year. My student loans are about $1000 per month, which is a major pain in the ass but do-able.

Just consider the options. Engineering is always a solid field. Anything science related will yield $. Medicine might be your best bet.

Originally Posted by thefritz

This is the funniest **** i've read on the internet in a long time. Please guys keep throwing fuel on this fire by taking this bozo seriously.

Yea? Well **** you. Go burn in a fire. I hope I get banned because SDN is full of worthless trash like you that antagonizes people for no reason. I always tried to give helpful, thoughtful replies and ask useful questions, but whatever. Jerks can win this one.

Originally Posted by PoorMD

I left medical school after taking Step 1 (passed with 214). I left because of a medical condition that affected my ability to perform in clerkships.

I went back to school, finished up my undergrad degree B.S in chemical engineering, and landed a job in 2009 (i.e. the Great Recession) and now make about $90k a year. My student loans are about $1000 per month, which is a major pain in the ass but do-able.

Just consider the options. Engineering is always a solid field. Anything science related will yield $. Medicine might be your best bet.

This is a fine way to go, but notice that he took the exam.

You need to take the test or you will second guess yourself forever.

Choosing life paths out of fear of failure is a bad strategy.

Pass or fail, stay in medical school or leave, you need to take Step 1 for your own good.

Originally Posted by GladifImakeit

Yea? Well **** you. Go burn in a fire. I hope I get banned because SDN is full of worthless trash like you that antagonizes people for no reason. I always tried to give helpful, thoughtful replies and ask useful questions, but whatever. Jerks can win this one.