How Badly Do you Want Medical School: Non-Trad and Older

[Darth Doc]

I enter this year as a non trad, and worked so very hard for my very average scores. I expect to garner mostly B's in medical school. I'm cool with that. Sometimes following your dreams doesn't look dreamy.

If everyone got A's, they would no longer be A's. We're all such overachievers that we believe anything below an A will result in death. In med school, B's will get you a great medical career.

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[Captain Sisko]

There is a particularly toxic strain of self-help philosophy in American culture that involves denying reality in favor of advocating that if you just want something bad enough, it will happen. That's not how life works. The world is capricious, unpredictable, and often unfair. Sometimes these characteristics can be controlled and some people are born in life circumstances that mean they have a leg up or a major handicap. Attributing failure solely to an individual not wanting is a doubly damaging point of view as it allows both structural determinants and individual characteristics outside a person's control to be dismissed. It requires denial of facts and is a recipe for self-hatred.

Which is my roundabout way of saying the original post left a bad taste in my mouth, too. Particularly the parts that assumes a supportive family and downplay the meaningfulness of getting loans.

I can't like this post enough, sn. Well said!

 

[futuredoc331]

Best post on SDN.

 

[BIOGUY2119]

WOW, inspirational post!

 

[Quik]

There is a particularly toxic strain of self-help philosophy in American culture that involves denying reality in favor of advocating that if you just want something bad enough, it will happen. That's not how life works. The world is capricious, unpredictable, and often unfair. Sometimes these characteristics can be controlled and some people are born in life circumstances that mean they have a leg up or a major handicap. Attributing failure solely to an individual not wanting is a doubly damaging point of view as it allows both structural determinants and individual characteristics outside a person's control to be dismissed. It requires denial of facts and is a recipe for self-hatred.

Which is my roundabout way of saying the original post left a bad taste in my mouth, too. Particularly the parts that assumes a supportive family and downplay the meaningfulness of getting loans.

Appropriately though, this strain of philosophy is why America continues to be an (ie. one of few) innovation and thought leader of the free world. We are not bound by the generation that precedes us. While someone may be born with certain advantages, that does not limit, aside from the natural competition, the success of those who weren't born with the same advantageous resources. Touching on the topic of the post, all of the OP's implications of "wanting it bad enough" imply that his use of "want" goes synonymously with 'necessary work.' He doesn't convey that simply desire alone will gain acceptance to med school, but that desire followed by doing whatever it takes will result in success. "Whatever it takes" is a necessarily broad expression. It leaves open the possibility that for some, more effort may be required than for others to an achieve the desired outcome. Considering one of average intelligence can succeed as a medical student and as a doctor, while it will require more effort than one of genius intelligence, it is certainly possible with the necessary work. The financial considerations are also well discussed. There are many resources available for those who live in poverty and/or do not have supportive families, and while a lack of financial resources certainly make it more difficult, it doesn't limit the success of a person to become a physician.

 

[Michaelg510]

I'm a paramedic, my grandpa was a doctor, my mother is a nurse, my father is a social worker.

All have a place in helping ppl which is the goal of the work we do. The OP seems to portray being an MD as the pinnacle of human existence.

I'm considering medical school- not for the title- but out of a love for medicine. All of these different roles play their part and all have pros and cons as a career.

 

[Alkylated]

Long story short, if you want that dream, you have to do everything to protect it.