Are we really wasting away our prime years?

[IslandStyle808]

"Prime years" you're such a child I swear to God.

Ask the happiest persons you know over 40 y/o, and they will almost unanimously tell you that their teenage and young adult years were the ****tiest of their life. If you think that booze and parties are the summum of life enjoyment you might as well go buy a coffin right now let's be honest.

This should be the first response to 80% of these threads.

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[Mad Jack]

This is BS. The only thing stopping you from having balance is you.
I did all of those things and more. Worked out 6 days a week, partied with the ladies, kept up with friends, etc. and did well.
Study smarter not longer, and make time for yourself.
The only thing you really can't do is be an alcoholic, drinking to intoxication regularly.

And traveling. Don't forget traveling- it's a pretty hard thing to do for long stretches of time in med school and residency. I'll probably be unable to hit the road for months at a time again until I'm done with residency. Not that it matters- I did all of that when I was young enough to enjoy it. You also have to factor v in that you are choosing to be under a high amount of stress for a period that should be enjoyed. Most of the people I know went right to work out of college and are living good lives right now- they're married, have homes, barbecue on the weekends and laze about. When they're home, they're home, as they have been for the last 7 years. I don't get to do that- there's always another test, always another assignment, always something on the horizon to be dealt with. You can't put a price on what the stress and pressure take from your life when others are generally enjoying theirs. Very few people work as long and hard as we do.

 

[Mad Jack]

No, genius. My , is bc you don't "save" lives in other specialties either. You just prolong it, no matter how bad the quality of life may be. Your crack on derm was stupid.

Every now and then a life legitimately gets saved. It's just not a daily thing and I agree that painting it as such is ridiculous.

 

[Mad Jack]

don't you get a summer off after m1 and adequate breaks throughout medical school and residency? compared to a job in the same area, what's the difference? plus, after your training, you have more choices of where to live and practice than any other job. some people are dependent on where their company wants them. i think it's not all clouds and rain when you look at what the alternatives offer.

I wouldn't know. I worked in a field that gave me ample opportunity to travel and do locums if I wanted to because that flexibility was important to me. I also made sure to work at a place with paid vacations I could block at a stretch- two paid months off in a row was pretty awesome. You need to pick a career that fits what you want in life and find the right company to work for- do that, and your 20s can be pretty epic.

 

[Styrene]

Have you ever been to a party? No offence but party-haters normally tend to be younger people who haven't ever partied at all.

Yea, I've been to lots of parties, hence why I don't like them.

 

[DifferentialDiagnosis]

I have plenty of fun with my close friends. This usually doesn't include partying, but that's for my own personal reasons.
The fact that a medical career is so long makes me want to enjoy the ride and try to get the most out of it.
If pre meds/medical students/ residents/ attendings didn't, God knows no one would ever be a doctor. But then again if any career included not being able to live an otherwise satisfying life no one would do it either, regardless of payment.

$.02

 

[Mad Jack]

That's what gap years are for.

Once you're in med school, taking a gap year isn't really possible without hurting your app.

And I figure, if a gap year is so great, why wouldn't two of them be twice as good? Three thrice as good? Gap years are a great way to enjoy youth while you're young, to meet people and do things that you will be too time and geographically limited to do once medical school starts. Just my two cents. I honestly believe that the majority of medical students will be losing time that could have been spent as some of the best years of their life. By the time most are done with residency, they will be older and likely either married or in a long term relationship, possibly with children, and with a career that limits what they can do and where they can go. You won't have the sort of freedom you have post-college again until you are likely in your late 40s or early 50s because of the degree and scope of your adult responsibilities. So choose wisely, because there is no taking it back.

 

[Mad Jack]

Yea, I've been to lots of parties, hence why I don't like them.

You've probably been going to the wrong ones then. There's different types for different folks, from the all-out ragers to the laid back evening barbecuing with some friends and drinks.

 

[Mad Jack]

I agree with all fully of that except the marriage part. That's a scam nowadays with monogamy and faithfulness being dead + a really high divorce rate. A scam for doctors especially unless you marry someone of the same income.

If you ever want to have children, marriage is kind of the way to go. If you don't want children, there's very little reason to ever get married.

 

[GaiusOctavius]

Spending all our time studying for a profession with a high suicide rate. Going into medicine for the "right reasons" which then get crushed by the brutally long hours of studying and then realizing being a doctor isn't the same as you once thought.
Don't get me wrong... this is my dream and passion. But curious on what you people think? Sure the money motivates a lot of us but driving a Ferrari when you're 50 won't bring you back to your 23 year old self that could party with chicks/dudes and enjoy life during a time of good physical and mental health.

I mean money is great sure, and so is good job satisfaction. But traveling around, going to a nice resort with your bf/gf, partying, etc etc all in your prime years are simply priceless. All the wealth/money in the world won't bring us back to our current selves (since >90% of you reading this are 18-26 years old).

Thoughts?

Are you wasting your prime years? That depends on what you value in life... It sounds like you want to party with attractive young people that will be inaccessible to you as you age (perhaps because your looks fade or you look old?). As for traveling, you'll be entirely capable of doing that in your 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, etc. As for your physical and mental health, that should exist for quite some time as well. Furthermore, you could "party with chicks/dudes" in your 30s and 40s. Because travel, social interactions, physical, and mental health aren't really issues, I can't help but assume you're simply focused on the first reason; you want to party with the young and beautiful before you're old and it's weird... Alternatively, you're just impatient and don't realize what it's like to be 30+

Don't let anyone tell you that what you value in life is inferior to their priorities. As long as you're treating others with respect and kindness, no one has the right to take issue with your preferences or life choices. There are no real rules in life, only cause and effect, action and reaction. As for your values, have you considered this:

1. Why can't you go party with attractive people now? Even though you don't have much free time, I would assume that you don't study/attend class 12 hours per day every day. Cutting down on the time you spend on SDN, the web, facebook, TV, etc should give you at least one/two weekends per month to go out.
2. Very few people spend age 18-26 traveling around the world, flying to resorts with their significant other, popping bottles with models, and drive a Ferrari at age 50. Everyone tends to have responsibilities as well. There are definitely careers you could have that would offer you more access to some of these things, but they come with trade-offs. You want to travel? Work for an airline. You'll make less money than a doctor but you'll fly for free, be financially stable, and you could probably get by working just 40 hours per week. You want to make the big bucks now? You should have majored in finance/econ and be working as a financial analyst. You'd still be working 40-60 hours per week, but you'd be making $70k+ right now, $100k in 3 years, and with hard work you'd have your ferrari by age 35-40. You want to party? Become an event coordinator, promoter, or start a night club. There's no guarantee for financial stability with that one.
3. Have you ever considered that maybe there's more to life than being really really good-looking? -zoolander. Seriously though, you may find that there is more to life than getting drunk, partying with some hot girl/guy, or being young. I think that what matters in life is that you find love, friendship, and some adventure. Can you find these things on the path towards becoming a physician? I would guess yes! How you feel has to do with how you choose to look at things...

 

[mimelim]

All I want to say is...

I am a surgery resident. I am on my way home from an endurance rock climbing competition. (12 hours of climbing, 12 hour break, 24 hours of rock climbing, www.twofourhell.com). Somehow I find the time to do this and train for it for months. Priorities and time management are everything.

 

[redpanda]

Also if you're a dude your looks will only get better as you age. Look at George Clooney for example.

Aahahahahahaha. Let me show you this one person who looks great at 53 and leave out all the other males (the majority) who definitely either stayed the same or look worse than their younger years.

 

[Aerus]

Yea, I've been to lots of parties, hence why I don't like them.

If you have any enjoyment of socializing with other people or even simply hanging out with your friends, there is definitely a type of party out there for you. Not all parties are loud hardcore booze-drowning ragers, although that definitely seems to be the prototype of parties.

 

[xsci9x]

Aahahahahahaha. Let me show you this one person who looks great at 53 and leave out all the other males (the majority) who definitely either stayed the same or look worse than their younger years.

You can certainly be big and jacked at 40..50.. and look okayish... but succeeding with younger girls (<25) is pretty much out of the question at that age unless you're trying to be a sugar daddy.

 

[xsci9x]

Are you wasting your prime years? That depends on what you value in life... It sounds like you want to party with attractive young people that will be inaccessible to you as you age (perhaps because your looks fade or you look old?). As for traveling, you'll be entirely capable of doing that in your 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, etc. As for your physical and mental health, that should exist for quite some time as well. Furthermore, you could "party with chicks/dudes" in your 30s and 40s. Because travel, social interactions, physical, and mental health aren't really issues, I can't help but assume you're simply focused on the first reason; you want to party with the young and beautiful before you're old and it's weird... Alternatively, you're just impatient and don't realize what it's like to be 30+

Don't let anyone tell you that what you value in life is inferior to their priorities. As long as you're treating others with respect and kindness, no one has the right to take issue with your preferences or life choices. There are no real rules in life, only cause and effect, action and reaction. As for your values, have you considered this:

1. Why can't you go party with attractive people now? Even though you don't have much free time, I would assume that you don't study/attend class 12 hours per day every day. Cutting down on the time you spend on SDN, the web, facebook, TV, etc should give you at least one/two weekends per month to go out.
2. Very few people spend age 18-26 traveling around the world, flying to resorts with their significant other, popping bottles with models, and drive a Ferrari at age 50. Everyone tends to have responsibilities as well. There are definitely careers you could have that would offer you more access to some of these things, but they come with trade-offs. You want to travel? Work for an airline. You'll make less money than a doctor but you'll fly for free, be financially stable, and you could probably get by working just 40 hours per week. You want to make the big bucks now? You should have majored in finance/econ and be working as a financial analyst. You'd still be working 40-60 hours per week, but you'd be making $70k+ right now, $100k in 3 years, and with hard work you'd have your ferrari by age 35-40. You want to party? Become an event coordinator, promoter, or start a night club. There's no guarantee for financial stability with that one.
3. Have you ever considered that maybe there's more to life than being really really good-looking? -zoolander. Seriously though, you may find that there is more to life than getting drunk, partying with some hot girl/guy, or being young. I think that what matters in life is that you find love, friendship, and some adventure. Can you find these things on the path towards becoming a physician? I would guess yes! How you feel has to do with how you choose to look at things...

Good post. Though finding love seems to be kinda bull nowadays with faithfulness/monogamy being dead. She'll "love" you for a few years before taking half of your stuff and kids.

 

[AMEHigh]

If you're going so hard you're "wasting" your years, you're doing it wrong. Sure, you're sacrificing a lot of time other people don't have to. But there is time to work in things that are important to you during undergrad and even in medical school. If it is truly what you want to do, it is worth the investment.

Stop being so melodramatic, you're no martyr.

I agree 100%.

There are times throughout med school like studying for boards that things can be pretty unbalanced in that you might truly study for 12 hours per day and have little time for much else, but for the most part on a day to day basis it's not like this.

Your time in med school and in life in general is what you make it. I don't feel like I wasted any time. I worked full time for 3 years before going to med school and working full time has it's stresses too. There are positives about med school in that you can often make your own schedule and it's a little more flexible than the rat race of an 8-5 job.

It's not like if I weren't in med school I would be jobless and free to travel the world doing whatever I wanted with an unlimited budget.

 

[GaiusOctavius]

Good post. Though finding love seems to be kinda bull nowadays with faithfulness/monogamy being dead. She'll "love" you for a few years before taking half of your stuff and kids.

It sounds like you've had some bad experiences or a lack of good ones. There are plenty of good people out there. One can find them by focusing on what kind of a person they are rather than simply choosing based off looks. Being humble enough to recognize one's own short-comings could only help. That's just me though.

 

[The Buff OP]

As a nontraditional student, I don't know that feel. I can tell you from personal experience you're giving up some good times.

Nontrads for the win!

Get chicks -> Study hard -> Party hard -> Travel -> Meet the one -> Have babies -> MCAT -> Med school.

 

[xsci9x]

It sounds like you've had some bad experiences or a lack of good ones. There are plenty of good people out there. One can find them by focusing on what kind of a person they are rather than simply choosing based off looks. Being humble enough to recognize one's own short-comings could only help. That's just me though.

My experiences have been mixed but I associate with too many people on a personal level to have realized two things:

1) The monogamy/faithfulness either isn't there and it's obvious

or

2) It isn't there and it isn't obvious

The issue is that a lot of people have the second problem. They think their wife/husband/gf/bf is honest and faithful when that person is far from it. They simply can't see through the positive traits of that person into the negative ones.

 

[Promethean]

Wasting your best years studying to become a doctor? Unlike all those other people who have no responsibilities at all, can go fishing and camping every weekend, play video games every day and go to outrageous parties every night, with no bills or problems at all, right?

You are fortunate enough to have the incredible opportunity to study early in your life, when it can pay off the greatest returns for more years than someone like me who is coming late to this game. I had to spend my best years struggling to feed myself and my family, trying to get into a position where I could think about getting started on medical school. I did have some adventures, but if I had been given the choice back then, I would have happily traded away the parties I went to for the opportunities that you are taking for granted.

As others have said, if you can't figure out how to enjoy your life while you are on this path, you are doing it wrong... and one of your biggest errors is not appreciating what you do have nearly enough while you imagine how great it must be for other people.

I'm completely serious, you will miss out on a lot. You're right to ask. The truth is, you won't know whether med school was worth it or not until you're done with residency. I'm pretty sure that's exactly why a lot of physicians do kill themselves- they reach the end and realize it wasn't worth it and there is no taking it back.

I think this is mostly a risk for traditional students, because they lack a certain perspective and because the training for this profession encourages us to be very focused on the next goal in front of us rather than the big picture. Delayed gratification junkies. You enter this maze and all you can see ahead is the MCAT. You crush it, but at the next turn, there is the application process and interview season. You overcome each obstacle only to see the next one laid out neatly before you, always with the promise that this next accomplishment is the one that will unlock the door to happiness, success, fulfillment of your dreams.

If you run along like that the whole time, never lifting your head up to see where you are going, you can end up someplace very disappointing indeed. And you can tell yourself that you might have gone some place much better, that all the goodies you thought were waiting for you must be waiting somewhere else. If only you hadn't wasted your time running down this route, you might have found them.

If you've actually tried a few different mazes before, you will learn that someone always moves the damn cheese, and that it isn't actually that good anyway. The reason to put yourself through all of this is not for the prize at the end, but because doing it is reward enough in itself. Because this, what you do every day, is life, not just a long lead up to it. If you don't love it and wouldn't do it except for what you think is in it for you at the end, you are setting yourself up for the disappointment to come.

 

[chipwhitley]

As others have said, if you can't figure out how to enjoy your life while you are on this path, you are doing it wrong... and one of your biggest errors is not appreciating what you do have nearly enough while you imagine how great it must be for other people.

I don't agree with this. There are many people for which medical school is a bad choice. I'm one of those people. Medical school has really taken a negative toll on my health, both mentally and physically. Not everyone who doesn't choose medical school is struggling. In fact most are doing just fine. The idea is that if you don't enjoy medicine you're doing it wrong is not only false, it's harmful advice to people who should have realized it was not their cup of tea and get out sooner than later.

 

[Promethean]

I don't agree with this. There are many people for which medical school is a bad choice. I'm one of those people. Medical school has really taken a negative toll on my health, both mentally and physically. Not everyone who doesn't choose medical school is struggling. In fact most are doing just fine. The idea is that if you don't enjoy medicine you're doing it wrong is not only false, it's harmful advice to people who should have realized it was not their cup of tea and get out sooner than later.

"You're doing it wrong" is a meme. It may be true that for you, doing it wrong may mean doing it at all. I'm not saying that everyone should (as in has an imperative to) be able to enjoy medical school and that if they don't they are to blame. By all means, if you hate it, go do something else.

That is a different problem than not hating it, but feeling that someone somewhere might be getting a better deal than you. In that case, the problem is misguided envy and unrealistic expectations, always a bad combination.

EDIT: You are right that not everyone who isn't in medical school is struggling. That is the corollary to the assertion that not everyone who isn't in medical school is doing blow with models on cruise ships throughout their 20s. The problem is that when people imagine what their life would be like if they were in a different position, they rarely fantasize about the boring truths. No one (besides maybe exhausted neurosurgery residents) will daydream about how great it would be to have a soul-sucking 9-5 at a struggling paper company in Scranton, PA. Or if they do, they will imagine themselves as Jim or Pam, not as Stanley or Phyllis.

 

[radkat101]

I think the school's curriculum is another major factor that affects someone's experience in med school, and it's something a lot of pre-meds don't really consider enough when they choose a school (if they have a choice). We're in school until 5 almost every day of the week with exams on MONDAYS every other week. I think this has been a major player in my overall perception of med school, so I recognize that others from 8-12 or true P/F schools might be having different experiences.

 

[Bin Rushd]

I would have to disagree with the Title of this thread. I believe 30-40 years old are your prime years. 20 to 30 years old is prime time to establish yourself professionally for your true prime years.

Nonetheless, in the end, all these years are what you make of them.

 

[bacardi]

Primer years in what point of view, partying and "having" fun or having the greatest opportunity time-frame to build your future?

 

[chipwhitley]

"You're doing it wrong" is a meme. It may be true that for you, doing it wrong may mean doing it at all. I'm not saying that everyone should (as in has an imperative to) be able to enjoy medical school and that if they don't they are to blame. By all means, if you hate it, go do something else.

That is a different problem than not hating it, but feeling that someone somewhere might be getting a better deal than you. In that case, the problem is misguided envy and unrealistic expectations, always a bad combination.

EDIT: You are right that not everyone who isn't in medical school is struggling. That is the corollary to the assertion that not everyone who isn't in medical school is doing blow with models on cruise ships throughout their 20s. The problem is that when people imagine what their life would be like if they were in a different position, they rarely fantasize about the boring truths. No one (besides maybe exhausted neurosurgery residents) will daydream about how great it would be to have a soul-sucking 9-5 at a struggling paper company in Scranton, PA. Or if they do, they will imagine themselves as Jim or Pam, not as Stanley or Phyllis.

I don't think the OP has unrealistic expectations. He didn't talk about yachts and models. He was just talking about being able to enjoy his life when he's young and healthy, which for him means not looking forward to nights and weekends as time to catch up on cramming for the next board or Step. It also probably means not being an exhausted, sleep deprived resident. If that's what he values in life, then other people certainly are getting a better deal than him. It's unfortunate that you had to struggle in your 20s, but that really has nothing to do with him. He might find himself being a much happier, more well-adjusted person if he doesn't pursue medicine and instead finds another job that pays the bills and affords him plenty of free time in his 20s to enjoy in whatever way he wants. Plenty do.

I've found myself daydreaming about having a normal 9-5 job all the time. Not everyone loves the insanely hectic life of medicine. Not everyone loves the stress that comes with it either. Free time to do the things I'm actually interested in is much more important to me than being a doctor. Money can't buy time. (Not to mention that there are plenty of people out there making a lot more money than any doctor.)

By the way, the opposite of the scenario you said is also true. Most pre-meds don't imagine themselves as low-paid family docs working in underserved areas that no one else wants to be in. Therefore the vast majority of people entering med school also have "unrealistic expectations".

 

[mestielest]

At first your question "wasting our prime years" (or from an urologist's point of view "wasting our best erections" ) is not uncommon for a MS or MD. I think most of us asking this to ourselves in some point of our lifes. And I may help your decision by sharing my own life-experiences about this issue.

Firstly you may keep in mind that you are entering a profession that has its own roots from ancient times and the contemporary practicing field is challenged by several figures such as dumb politicians, wrong systems, highly specified subdivisions, long education years and workhours etc. Therefore this cannot be a piece of cake. You will work if you will be a doctor. You will work with both your brain and body and your a$$(I mean you have to sit for a long time while working for exams ).

You have to make several sacrifices.You may not be able to supply very humanly behaviours. For example my father got an post-MI cardiac arrest at home at 7th september. Since than he is in ICU. But I can only go to see him if some other collague finish his cases and come to outpatient for me. If you get into a surgical field you will probably have to do many sacrifices in your life.

While you are still a student some of your friends will be businessmen or a local store owner etc. You will start your *life* later than most of people.

On the other hand:
-You will be a doctor. Maybe you will be a surgeon. Only one has privilage to make a medical/surgical intervention to another ones body. This is cool
-Things will get better. You will grow, make your own practice and also you will have more control on your lifestyle.
-Things you miss are not always fantastic. Even hot chicks/guys are boring after three-four or something. Same applies for parties, hangouts, one nights....
(But I have to admit that I'm really missing reading nonmedical - I can hardly do in residency)
-You will find an another path. You will miss hard-drinking folks but you will build some good friendships. You will miss that hot babe but you will meet with another smart ones. And some of them will be hot
-And the best thing for me: you will have something to learn everytime - and you have oppurnity to apply your knowledge to life. Every morning you will wake up one step further. This is invaluable.

My two cents I hope it helps

 

[chipwhitley]

The concept that medical school is some kind of god given gift and everything outside of medicine is inferior in some way is just not true, despite how much medical students want to believe it and how comforting it can be. It is a harmful idea for pre-meds who may be much more successful in another area and are better off figuring that out now before they are too deep in medicine to realize it.

 

[Morsetlis]

Could just go spend 2 years at a tropical island instead. Best of both worlds?

-_-

I'll agree with all the previous posters who said that the key is balance is you. There are interns I personally know who party every free weekend.

 

[HoboCommander]

To be honest though, if I had all the money in the world and could choose any career I wanted, I would be a professional student/musician/astronaut.

This. Who wouldn't want to be a student forever?

 

[Strudel19]

If you weren't studying, you would just be working full-time anyways, so you might as well just study.

 

[W19]

I wouldn't know. I worked in a field that gave me ample opportunity to travel and do locums if I wanted to because that flexibility was important to me. I also made sure to work at a place with paid vacations I could block at a stretch- two paid months off in a row was pretty awesome. You need to pick a career that fits what you want in life and find the right company to work for- do that, and your 20s can be pretty epic.

Don't you think people can do that in medicine as well?

 

[KnuxNole]

Spending all our time studying for a profession with a high suicide rate. Going into medicine for the "right reasons" which then get crushed by the brutally long hours of studying and then realizing being a doctor isn't the same as you once thought.
Don't get me wrong... this is my dream and passion. But curious on what you people think? Sure the money motivates a lot of us but driving a Ferrari when you're 50 won't bring you back to your 23 year old self that could party with chicks/dudes and enjoy life during a time of good physical and mental health.

I mean money is great sure, and so is good job satisfaction. But traveling around, going to a nice resort with your bf/gf, partying, etc etc all in your prime years are simply priceless. All the wealth/money in the world won't bring us back to our current selves (since >90% of you reading this are 18-26 years old).

Thoughts?

You can still enjoy your life and pursue medicine. It's not like people spend ALL their waking free time studying...you have to have a life to have a balance.....

 

[Strudel19]

I shadowed a child psychiatrist a couple weeks ago. He was the most passionate physician I've ever seen. He basically said all areas of medicine are great and anything is doable with balance. He worked long hours Monday through thursday, left early on Friday and would go up north all weekend. Married and had four kids and loved life.

 

[FutureOncologist]

Take a gap year or two. It's something I wish I did. There's a guy in my class that's 32 now (entered at the age of 30) who raised horses, volunteered ~6 hours/week, worked full time, and went out like every weekend. He pretty much lived life until he got everything he wanted over with then applied. This guy never has a shortage of stories to tell. We were all jealous of what he did before med school.

 

[RTC19]

If you're going so hard you're "wasting" your years, you're doing it wrong. Sure, you're sacrificing a lot of time other people don't have to. But there is time to work in things that are important to you during undergrad and even in medical school. If it is truly what you want to do, it is worth the investment.

Stop being so melodramatic, you're no martyr.

This.

 

[allantois]

So much judgement being cast in this thread as if there was a perfect way to living life. Saying that doing so and so at a particular age assumes that it is the right thing for everyone to do. But it's not, because different people have different life goals. I'm sure that most non-traditional students on this forum did not intentionally choose to take years off to "live life". Now two groups of people are trying to defend their way to pursuing medicine. What is important to understand is that there's no right or wrong way: what's good for you, may be hell for another person or the other way around.

I'm certain that those who are truly wasting their prime years, are nowhere to be found on SDN.

 

[histidine]

Most people don't get much choice on where they are going to go geographically for medical school (or for residency). There are some states with a broad range of med schools with instate bias, but most people have to move. It's hard to tell your significant other to pack up and move with you, with the knowledge that you're probably going to have to move again for residency, and then move again for fellowship, and then finally for your job. That''s a decade of uncertainty. You pretty much have to have a significant other willing to give up their career to be with you.

 

[knv2u]

Love. Marriage. Travel. Time with your family, some of whom might not survive until the end of your training. Time with friends that you might no longer have by the end of medical training. Enjoying all the vitality that a body in your young 20s affords you. You miss out on a good portion of your life, and delay many of the things that normal people take for granted. There is a lot more than this, but I'm busy right now so I can't write a deep post on the sacrifices and what you lose- this is just scratching the surface.

I disagree with much of what has been stated in this thread. In theory, a premed could have all of those things (especially love and even marriage). And for those "sacrifices," there are a number of younger people that attend college without any aim and that goof off. They are left with degrees of questionable utility and staggering debt without the bright future that one would expect from a competent successful premed. I don't think their lives are better either in the instant moment or in the future. The grass isn't always greener on the other side.

 

[Mad Jack]

I disagree with much of what has been stated in this thread. In theory, a premed could have all of those things (especially love and even marriage). And for those "sacrifices," there are a number of younger people that attend college without any aim and that goof off. They are left with degrees of questionable utility and staggering debt without the bright future that one would expect from a competent successful premed. I don't think their lives are better either in the instant moment or in the future. The grass isn't always greener on the other side.

I don't know a single traditional premed that I went to school with that has a successful marriage right now. I can't even count the number of my friends that are the exact same age that weren't premeds and are married with successful careers.

 

[knv2u]

I don't know a single traditional premed that I went to school with that has a successful marriage right now. I can't even count the number of my friends that are the exact same age that weren't premeds and are married with successful careers.

But is that because of the demands of the pre-medical curriculum or because of other factors that plague most couples (money, differences in personality, etc.)? The divorce rate is quite high across the board. Moreover, the average age for a first time marriage for both males and females has increased over the last couple of decades regardless of whether pre-med or not. I am not saying that being a pre-med might not cause some strain, but strain will likely exist regardless of the career path you choose (especially in this economy).

 

[Mad Jack]

But is that because of the demands of the pre-medical curriculum or because of other factors that plague most couples (money, differences in personality, etc.)? The divorce rate is quite high across the board. Moreover, the average age for a first time marriage for both males and females has increased over the last couple of decades regardless of whether pre-med or not. I am not saying that being a pre-med might not cause some strain, but strain will likely exist regardless of the career path you choose (especially in this economy).

It's definitely much much more of a strain than most careers. If you don't believe that you're kidding yourself.

 

[knv2u]

It's definitely much much more of a strain than most careers. If you don't believe that you're kidding yourself.

I'm not saying that you are wrong per se, only that I think you are attributing a larger size effect than you should to the premed curriculum/medical curriculum and life style. You are overlooking a huge confounding variable: personality. The average premedical student is whiny, selfish, annoying, cut-throat, etc. Any number of these traits could be the cause rather than the life style. And these traits, when present, are likely to continue well into maturity.

 

[Mad Jack]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/its-worth-it.1101136/

A perspective very relevant to this thread.

 

[Mad Jack]

I'm not saying that you are wrong per se, only that I think you are attributing a larger size effect than you should to the premed curriculum/medical curriculum and life style than you should. You are overlooking a huge confounding variable: personality. The average premedical student is whiny, selfish, annoying, cut-throat, etc. Any number of these traits could be the cause rather than the life style. And these traits, when present, are likely to continue well into maturity.

Regardless of personality, I stand by the fact that your quality of life as a premed, medical student, and resident is substantially reduced compared to those who go from a relatively lax undergrad environment to the workforce. Your quality of life is reduced during your healthiest, most energetic, and responsibility free years, and increased when you are older, less healthy, and have substantial responsibilities. You're making the good years worse and the worse years slightly better. I don't think it's worth it, myself, as I have more fond memories from my 18-29th years than many people acquire in an entire lifetime. If you use those years well, they will be the best ones of your life.

 

[raiderette]

Of the doctors that I know, the ones that are happily married met after college and were well into school/residency. Two have spouses that stay at home with the kids, the other is married to a lawyer that works more hours than he does. They all went into the relationships with clear understanding of the time that they would spend away. the MS2 that is a close friend just broke off his engagement. Seems the former fiance couldn't handle the time apart, and he told her it was just going to get worse.

 

[Conflagration]

Regardless of personality, I stand by the fact that your quality of life as a premed, medical student, and resident is substantially reduced compared to those who go from a relatively lax undergrad environment to the workforce. Your quality of life is reduced during your healthiest, most energetic, and responsibility free years, and increased when you are older, less healthy, and have substantial responsibilities. You're making the good years worse and the worse years slightly better. I don't think it's worth it, myself, as I have more fond memories from my 18-29th years than many people acquire in an entire lifetime. If you use those years well, they will be the best ones of your life.

I'm curious; what drove you to medicine, Mad Jack? I mean, I know you're a nontrad, but would you recommend that more pre-health students consider returning to their fields as they get older, rather than trying for it right after they finish undergrad?

You can PM if you don't want to share with everyone; I guess I've simply been wondering. ^^

 

[litotes]

If you've actually tried a few different mazes before, you will learn that someone always moves the damn cheese, and that it isn't actually that good anyway.

Well, damn. This might be the thing I read on SDN that sticks with me the most.

Put in so much work in HS to get into my super prestigious dream college. Now I'm here and it's not all that amazing. And to think I'd never stopped to think about the implications that has w.r.t. med school.... hmm.

 

[Mad Jack]

I'm curious; what drove you to medicine, Mad Jack? I mean, I know you're a nontrad, but would you recommend that more pre-health students consider returning to their fields as they get older, rather than trying for it right after they finish undergrad?

You can PM if you don't want to share with everyone; I guess I've simply been wondering. ^^

I'm not saying not to go into medicine, just to think twice before you go right into it. A gap year or two can make a world of difference in maturity and life experience by tearing you away from the academic bubble and showing you what regular life is like. It also gives you perspective- traditional students that go straight from undergrad to med school to residency literally don't know what they're missing because they never lived it. Knowing what you are missing can really give you a better idea of whether you are willing to give that time up without regret. I certainly don't regret the path I took- I decided to go enjoy my life and do med school later, but it was a choice that really wouldn't work for everyone.

Why I decided to go into medicine is a really long, convoluted story that was over a decade in the making. I don't care to bore people here with it.

 

[Conflagration]

I'm not saying not to go into medicine, just to think twice before you go right into it. A gap year or two can make a world of difference in maturity and life experience by tearing you away from the academic bubble and showing you what regular life is like. It also gives you perspective- traditional students that go straight from undergrad to med school to residency literally don't know what they're missing because they never lived it. Knowing what you are missing can really give you a better idea of whether you are willing to give that time up without regret. I certainly don't regret the path I took- I decided to go enjoy my life and do med school later, but it was a choice that really wouldn't work for everyone.

Why I decided to go into medicine is a really long, convoluted story that was over a decade in the making. I don't care to bore people here with it.

I'm sure it's not boring, but thanks for the reply.

It's definitely something I'll think about.