I could really use some advice...

[DoctorClueless]

Hi all...

So here's my situation. I'm currently a college sophomore majoring in neuroscience, and I've been premed from day 1 of college (and had the idea in my mind since early in high school). Up until now, I have been on a decent track to getting there. My current GPAs are 3.82 cum and 3.72 bcpm, I've become involved in various ways on campus (I'm an RA, tour guide, TA, on the e-boards of a few clubs, volunteer at a local homeless shelter, etc.), and I've conducted research and presented a poster at an international conference.

The past couple of months for me, however, have been rather discouraging. First, organic chemistry II has been disastrous for me (to the point where I recently withdrew from the course...mathematically I no longer have a chance of getting beyond a D). It's the first time I got kicked hard by a course, and I am not at all hesitant to admit it was my own undoing. I became frustrated with it early on, and that just discouraged me from studying it which just made things worse. Ordinarily, I would not be asking for advice on this matter. The solution would simply be to take it again with a fresh start and give it my all.

Unfortunately, the matter is not that simple for me. In January I shadowed a physician for a week, and over the past few months I have lost certainty in my desire to pursue medicine. This makes me quite uneasy, since I have never really had any doubts before...these doubts began before my organic chemistry disaster fyi. With doubts in mind, I know that it is absolutely NOT worth the effort to continue a premed curriculum (especially if it means retaking orgo II).

Also, almost a year ago I planned (and paid a deposit) on a study abroad I am doing in London next summer designed for students interested in healthcare (mostly premeds). The study abroad involves placement in a month long internship based on an interview with the person running the program, and my interests. This interview is approaching, and I am not sure of what to ask for now since I am unsure of continuing to be premed.

What I am trying to ask is, what do you think I should do? First off, even if I did retake orgo and continue being premed, will that W destroy all reasonable chance of getting into a med school? Would it be worth it even if I knew for sure I wanted to do it? Second, if I do decide to not be premed, do you have any suggestions for me? Even now, having quasi-lost my premed identity, I am frightened by my new lack of direction and plan...the idea of not knowing what I want to do and not having a distinct path to follow scares the living hell out of me, which is a force that is making me want to stick with premed. Additionally, many of my fellow premed peers have criticized me, lost respect for me, and looked down on me for my situation (and potential end to my premed career), which I know I really shouldn't care about but I do anyway.

Sorry if my thoughts are a bit disorganized...I could just really use some advice from people other than my close friends and parents...I figure strangers' advice would be a bit more objective.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read all of this. It is much appreciated.

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[DoctorClueless]

Also, if I were to decide on something else, where on earth do I even begin? Having only been premed, I know nothing else outside that path...

 

[dsoz]

people change their minds all the time. If the fire left, then you have at least two choices, find a new fire or "fake it until you make it" to get the fire back. Maybe the physician that you shadowed was just the wrong personality for you. Maybe it was the wrong field. Try someone new, or try something new.

Maybe take a class "just because it sounds fun" and it may turn you back on.

Maybe the summer in London is what you need to bring your excitement back to medicine.

And lastly, I will restate that many people change their mind away from medicine all the time. There is no shame in it. You would be better off living happy as a poor person than being rich and miserable in a job you hate. The worst situation would be poor and in a job you hate.

A W in organic is not a death sentence. You can recover, and it may even show that you are dedicated enough for this journey. It may scratch top tier schools like Harvard/Stanford/Yale/Johns Hopkins/Wash U St.L off your list, but it does not doom you to the Caribbean by a long shot. There are a lot of schools that would still accept you with a W as long as you have the other stats and ECs to back it up.

It is a tough decision, but it is your decision. Good luck. I truly hope you find your inspiration, be it in medicine or something else. Be happy.

dsoz

 

[Sports Junky]

Hi all...

So here's my situation. I'm currently a college sophomore majoring in neuroscience, and I've been premed from day 1 of college (and had the idea in my mind since early in high school). Up until now, I have been on a decent track to getting there. My current GPAs are 3.82 cum and 3.72 bcpm, I've become involved in various ways on campus (I'm an RA, tour guide, TA, on the e-boards of a few clubs, volunteer at a local homeless shelter, etc.), and I've conducted research and presented a poster at an international conference.

The past couple of months for me, however, have been rather discouraging. First, organic chemistry II has been disastrous for me (to the point where I recently withdrew from the course...mathematically I no longer have a chance of getting beyond a D). It's the first time I got kicked hard by a course, and I am not at all hesitant to admit it was my own undoing. I became frustrated with it early on, and that just discouraged me from studying it which just made things worse. Ordinarily, I would not be asking for advice on this matter. The solution would simply be to take it again with a fresh start and give it my all.

Unfortunately, the matter is not that simple for me. In January I shadowed a physician for a week, and over the past few months I have lost certainty in my desire to pursue medicine. This makes me quite uneasy, since I have never really had any doubts before...these doubts began before my organic chemistry disaster fyi. With doubts in mind, I know that it is absolutely NOT worth the effort to continue a premed curriculum (especially if it means retaking orgo II).

Also, almost a year ago I planned (and paid a deposit) on a study abroad I am doing in London next summer designed for students interested in healthcare (mostly premeds). The study abroad involves placement in a month long internship based on an interview with the person running the program, and my interests. This interview is approaching, and I am not sure of what to ask for now since I am unsure of continuing to be premed.

What I am trying to ask is, what do you think I should do? First off, even if I did retake orgo and continue being premed, will that W destroy all reasonable chance of getting into a med school? Would it be worth it even if I knew for sure I wanted to do it? Second, if I do decide to not be premed, do you have any suggestions for me? Even now, having quasi-lost my premed identity, I am frightened by my new lack of direction and plan...the idea of not knowing what I want to do and not having a distinct path to follow scares the living hell out of me, which is a force that is making me want to stick with premed. Additionally, many of my fellow premed peers have criticized me, lost respect for me, and looked down on me for my situation (and potential end to my premed career), which I know I really shouldn't care about but I do anyway.

Sorry if my thoughts are a bit disorganized...I could just really use some advice from people other than my close friends and parents...I figure strangers' advice would be a bit more objective.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read all of this. It is much appreciated.

I would like to start off by saying that one W will certainly not destroy your medical aspirations. You are on the right track in terms of academics and EC's. In addition, having 'doubts' about medicine is not always a bad thing. I mean, its a pretty big commitment and you seriously have to consider your other options. My question to you is:
Why have you lost your desire to pursue medicine? Has some other major perked your interest? Or did you have a bad experience shadowing that physician?

I had a similar experience during my sophomore year of college. I was initially majoring in biology (no concentration), and I quickly realized the upper level courses I would have to take were of no interest to me. For a while, I struggled between pre-med and pursuing economics/business (I really enjoyed macro/micro). In the end, I realized that economics was an interest of mine, but medicine was my passion. I switched my major to human physiology, and ever since then I have never looked back. With every new semester, I realized that I made the right choice.

I urge you to consider your interests, and why you chose medicine in the first place? With a bit of introspection, I'm sure you will make the right decision.

Best of luck to you, and keep up the good work!

 

[dsoz]

Also, if I were to decide on something else, where on earth do I even begin? Having only been premed, I know nothing else outside that path...

Look through your college course description book and find something that "sounds fun" and take it. Don't be afraid if it is something that "sounds stupid." It is classes like that that make you "well rounded" and more than just a 1 dimensional pre-med.

Or find a CC course description catalog and look through it. Community ed classes are also a place to start.

Take an art class, learn to play an instrument, take a PE class for a sport, join a club that has nothing to do with "pre-med" or science. Paint a picture, try stained-glass, start an aquarium and watch the fish... Meet someone that could be a girl/boy-friend (whichever direction you wish to go) and spend time with them doing things that they like to do... It could be fun

There are a lot of things to do that you can enjoy.

dsoz

 

[DoctorClueless]

Thanks for the advice guys. Hopefully I can decide on whether I'll be sticking with med or not...and if I choose not to, hopefully I'll find an interest before I find myself finishing my senior year with no clue or job/school prospects!

Thanks again!

 

[Mt Kilimanjaro]

After reading this post, I am inclined to say, "I'm sorry for your loss." Second guessing a career option is not a crisis or a bad thing, especially when you're ~19. Definitely go overseas. Even if you spend all of your free time getting blitzed with other Americans, you will learn something about the world. Read Hemingway.

I would complete the prerequisites to better position yourself in the future, but realize that it's ok to meander off the pre-med highway. Med schools will still exist if you wait an extra year or two to apply.

Retake Ochem with a better plan. Get the Organic Chemistry as a Second Language and Pushing Electrons books if you didn't have them before.

 

[Guero]

Hi all...

So here's my situation. I'm currently a college sophomore majoring in neuroscience, and I've been premed from day 1 of college (and had the idea in my mind since early in high school). Up until now, I have been on a decent track to getting there. My current GPAs are 3.82 cum and 3.72 bcpm, I've become involved in various ways on campus (I'm an RA, tour guide, TA, on the e-boards of a few clubs, volunteer at a local homeless shelter, etc.), and I've conducted research and presented a poster at an international conference.

The past couple of months for me, however, have been rather discouraging. First, organic chemistry II has been disastrous for me (to the point where I recently withdrew from the course...mathematically I no longer have a chance of getting beyond a D). It's the first time I got kicked hard by a course, and I am not at all hesitant to admit it was my own undoing. I became frustrated with it early on, and that just discouraged me from studying it which just made things worse. Ordinarily, I would not be asking for advice on this matter. The solution would simply be to take it again with a fresh start and give it my all.

Unfortunately, the matter is not that simple for me. In January I shadowed a physician for a week, and over the past few months I have lost certainty in my desire to pursue medicine. This makes me quite uneasy, since I have never really had any doubts before...these doubts began before my organic chemistry disaster fyi. With doubts in mind, I know that it is absolutely NOT worth the effort to continue a premed curriculum (especially if it means retaking orgo II).

Also, almost a year ago I planned (and paid a deposit) on a study abroad I am doing in London next summer designed for students interested in healthcare (mostly premeds). The study abroad involves placement in a month long internship based on an interview with the person running the program, and my interests. This interview is approaching, and I am not sure of what to ask for now since I am unsure of continuing to be premed.

What I am trying to ask is, what do you think I should do? First off, even if I did retake orgo and continue being premed, will that W destroy all reasonable chance of getting into a med school? Would it be worth it even if I knew for sure I wanted to do it? Second, if I do decide to not be premed, do you have any suggestions for me? Even now, having quasi-lost my premed identity, I am frightened by my new lack of direction and plan...the idea of not knowing what I want to do and not having a distinct path to follow scares the living hell out of me, which is a force that is making me want to stick with premed. Additionally, many of my fellow premed peers have criticized me, lost respect for me, and looked down on me for my situation (and potential end to my premed career), which I know I really shouldn't care about but I do anyway.

Sorry if my thoughts are a bit disorganized...I could just really use some advice from people other than my close friends and parents...I figure strangers' advice would be a bit more objective.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read all of this. It is much appreciated.

Also, if I were to decide on something else, where on earth do I even begin? Having only been premed, I know nothing else outside that path...

First off, although I know it's far easier said than done, worry not what your "peers" think of you. It's balderdash to criticize others for questioning oneself during the most questionable and transformative period in one's life. They're just being shallow. You're utterly and completely normal. You'll find "true" friends as you progress through college.

Now, off to some "IMHO" advice: Just as one W on your AMCAS/AACOMAS application is utterly inconsequential, one shadowing experience shouldn't be the deciding factor in whether or not to pursue medicine. That said, it might be the first of several experiences that reify your decision to pursue a different field. Thus I highly recommend that you shadow as many specialties as possible, from primary care physicians (internal medicine, family medicine, peds) to specialists (anesthesia, emergency medicine, general surgery, dermatology, ENT) all the way to subspecialists requiring fellowships (interventional cardiology, functional neurosurgery). Just because one discipline is entirely unappealing doesn't mean there's nothing else out there for you.

I say this because I lost interest myself as a teen after working in a nursing home during high school. I generalized my own experience on a skilled ward to the world of medicine, a huge mistake. I realized my error later in life and found several specialties that interest me, none of which is geriatrics. Before you give up, be sure while you're ahead and in college. It takes a lot of time, effort, and money to come back later in life.

On to the academics. Many applicants have several Ws and land multiple acceptances. Your stats are wonderful. You're smart. You can take OChem II. You wouldn't be the first or last student that merely needs to approach it with different study habits and perhaps a tutor. Give it another try, conquer it, all while reevaluating whether or not medicine is you. A huge factor in "weed out courses" is mere tenacity. Many who choose to give up based on a weed out class don't give it another try.

I would still pursue the international experience, as most importantly it's a once in a lifetime opportunity, whether or not you eventually pursue medicine, something else in health care, or something entirely different: It will open your eyes to so much more in life from culture to education and accessibility to information (you'd be amazed what makes the news abroad that never makes it to US outlets). I would ask your interviewer to involve you with something related to the overall healthcare system since ours is in such a state of flux at the moment, which would lend you an entirely fresh perspective of what other countries are doing to battle healthcare costs and problems.

That brings me to another point, what other fields you can pursue. Your current work can help you land jobs in anything from the life sciences and public health to clinical research; but you can always sell yourself to any field. You're obviously interested in the healthcare field in general. There are tons and tons of opportunities to work alongside physicians and allied health professionals in a multitude of settings. You have statisticians, researchers, lab technicians, allied health professionals (respiratory therapists, occupational therapists, nurses, radiology techs, pharmacists, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, etc), bioinformaticists, psychologists, and executives that alter the machine everyday to increase efficiency, safety, and compliance with new laws. You have plenty of time to look through all of these options. That internship is one of the many ways you can expose yourself to the field.

All in all, hang in there. Feel free to PM me with further questions. Good luck, homie.

 

[premed071291]

I had a similar experience. I did okay my first year of college, but did not think it was enough to get into medical school. I felt like the course work was blah. Then I signed up to take anatomy (earlier than suggested) and was at the top of the class and loved it. My fire was back and I'm matriculating in the fall. I think the real question you should ask is would you still be interested and have that fire if you got an A in organic II. I think self doubt with pre meds can sometimes materialize as wondering if you even want to be a physician. I would say go on that London trip and believe in yourself.

 

[heliscomo]

First of all, I think this is a completely normal thing to be feeling.

I felt this way in the beginning of my sophomore year. I was taking Physics and Gen Chem together and just did not feel that I could do well in both classes and I convinced myself I was failing Physics and dropped it. I felt the same exact way: I did not want to bother ruining my GPA and confidence to pursue a field I wasn't positive about.

I dropped Physics and received a W because of how late into the semester it was. After doing this I regained some perspective and excelled in my other classes. I think feeling a little less pressure was enough for me to rediscover that medicine really was my passion. I had fantasized about some other careers but kept coming back to medicine and knew I had to buckle down and stop worrying so much about the stress.

Junior year I took Physics (again) and Orgo together and everyone said it would be impossible but it wasn't and I did really well in both. The year "off" from thinking so seriously "premed" was helpful. I did worry about how the W would look onmy transcript, so I did as well as I could in Physics the next year.

I applied this past cycle with a 3.4 sGPA, 3.7 cGPA, and 31 MCAT and got accepted to my top choice.

Don't worry, if it's meant to be it will be and youll come back. Inmy experience the one W didn't hurt me too much. Good luck!

 

[DoctorClueless]

If I do decide to retake orgo, when/where should I do it? Since I'm committed to London this summer, and I won't get back until July 13, it will be unfeasible to do it in the summer at a CC. As for at my school, orgo II is only offered in spring (as orgo I is only offered in fall). If I decide to retake it, it would have to be a full year from now, and as a result I wouldn't be ready for the mcat on time. Plus, I'm a bit concerned on the idea of taking orgo I, a year long "intermission," and then orgo II.

Any suggestions? And if I decide on retaking it, do any schools have any orgo II classes that would start July 13 or later?

 

[Guero]

If I do decide to retake orgo, when/where should I do it? Since I'm committed to London this summer, and I won't get back until July 13, it will be unfeasible to do it in the summer at a CC. As for at my school, orgo II is only offered in spring (as orgo I is only offered in fall). If I decide to retake it, it would have to be a full year from now, and as a result I wouldn't be ready for the mcat on time. Plus, I'm a bit concerned on the idea of taking orgo I, a year long "intermission," and then orgo II.

Any suggestions? And if I decide on retaking it, do any schools have any orgo II classes that would start July 13 or later?

How busy will you be during the summer in London? Do you know if your school has an agreement with a local university in London? Perhaps you could take it abroad (*only if it transfers).

Otherwise, as we don't know exactly where in the country you reside, we can't really offer specific suggestions of where to take Orgo II. But I would advise against CCs. Do you have any other Unis nearby at which you could take a transient class? I agree that taking it a year out isn't the best idea. But if worse comes to worst, it's still doable. Just refresh yourself on Orgo I throughout that year. Keep doing problems as if you were lazily studying for a final.

It's also not the end of the world to stave off the MCAT and take a gap year. You can get a lot of stuff done and a bunch of money saved up during that year.

 

[DoctorClueless]

I definitely would not be able to take it in London. I live in NJ and go to college in PA. Perhaps Rutgers has an orgo II class that starts in late July.

 

[DoctorClueless]

It's a bit of an awkward situation, since I've taken orgo I and a lab component that went with it. I would need only orgo II and a semester's worth of lab...I know many schools separate lecture from lab so I don't know how that would work for me, since I only need "half" of a lab and the 2nd half of orgo lecture.

 

[Guero]

It's a bit of an awkward situation, since I've taken orgo I and a lab component that went with it. I would need only orgo II and a semester's worth of lab...I know many schools separate lecture from lab so I don't know how that would work for me, since I only need "half" of a lab and the 2nd half of orgo lecture.

Don't worry, it's very common to find Orgo II lectures and labs. Yes, I'd check out Rutgers and every other University to which you have access, including state schools. I had to do something similar and even took my Orgos during the summer, too (took the 1st lecture & lab at Vandy and the second at a different school due to scheduling issues). In fact, Orgo I was scheduled for June and Orgo II for July. So I'm hopeful that you can find one. Good luck!

 

[DoctorClueless]

Okay, thanks for the info Guero!