is this a good reason to become a doctor

[Saied]

hello. i need a bit of advice from you guys who have been here for a while.
a bit about me, I'm a 21 year old male who screwed up in school and college because i didnt apply myself enough. no one to blame but me. I went to one semester of college and took some courses and almost got Ds for every class.
I am great with computers and i work for a computer company making much more than most people my age( im not bragging, please just listen). although i do like the pay and the easiness and opportunities of working with computers, it is only a hobby for me and I do not see myself going into this.
So i want to become a doctor and you will probably laugh at disbelieve when you hear my reason. I want to become a doctor not because of the salary but rather to prove my father wrong. You see my father is a well established doctor and i really believe that when he looks at me he sees me as a failure.( although never in his life he has ever said anything bad about me and he has been a great father). All his life he wanted me to follow his steps and be as great as he is but I was a fool and a stupid rebel and i never listened to him( like most teens).
I will not pretend like i Do not have daddy issues because i do. but the other night i promised myself that i will really apply myself to become a doctor. im asking your advice and knowledge on if you think i can with the grades i had or to screw it and continue working for this computer company and look for a better pay. I know some of you will get mad because you are supposed to become a doctor to help people not to resolve your dady issues but please any advice will do.
thanks
saied

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Elpenor]

Go for it brah.

 

[Cypher321]

I've been told that nothing compares to vindication...


But seriously, if you can find a field in medicine that you can truly enjoy then I'd say go for it. However, you have to realize this will be your life for the coming decades so finding something you enjoy (and can do everyday) is much more important than looking for approval.

 

[Saied]

any chance i can get into schools if i do really good( even tho i got D's for most of my classes that i went in that one semester)?

 

[JoshuaGuit]

If you go to med school and your dad becomes proud of you will you have any reason to continue?

 

[jm192]

If you go to med school and your dad becomes proud of you will you have any reason to continue?

To pay the bills.

As far as a chance at getting in, I think there's always a chance. You can tkae the pre-req classes and see where your GPA is, and what your GPA is since you got serious about medical school.

If you go back and get a 4.0 for 2 years, that goes a long way. They'll see you're serious and committed, and have matured.

 

[ILikeDrugs]

You should become successful at something that you'll enjoy. What's the point of proving someone wrong if you might just end up being miserable in a job that you don't like? If you are successful and happy in something that you enjoy, and if it happens to be in something that someone looks down upon, well, eff em. At least you'll be happy and successful.

 

[recycledpaper]

not sure, but if you don't have anything else to try then it can't hurt.

 

[GAgrl]

Wow I think that is one of the worst reasons I have ever heard for going to medical school. I would not want my doctor to have chosen the profession simply to prove someone wrong about them. Also you can certainly not be honest to admissions about why you want to go. Plus even if you got in, it is sad that you would take the place of someone who actually cared about healing and helping others. Get some self esteem and find something that you really enjoy doing and when you do it well others will be impressed. Good luck.

 

[jm192]

Wow I think that is one of the worst reasons I have ever heard for going to medical school. I would not want my doctor to have chosen the profession simply to prove someone wrong about them. Also you can certainly not be honest to admissions about why you want to go. Plus even if you got in, it is sad that you would take the place of someone who actually cared about healing and helping others. Get some self esteem and find something that you really enjoy doing and when you do it well others will be impressed. Good luck.

Because all patients ask their doctor "Why did you go to medical school?"

 

[305602]

Vindication can be a great motivator but I think the best way to prove your dad wrong would be to make more money than he does doing something other that what he "expected" you to do.

 

[jdh71]

 

[Krak]

^^^^ What does that even mean?

Anyway, I find OPs reason to get into medical school is a terrible one. Not only will there be no motivation it's wasted space. What's going to drive you to continue after getting in? Paying the bills isn't enough for all the stress you put yourself through with classes and whatnot. Not to mention your interviewer will probably be able to sniff any made up BS anyway.

 

[txspeed]

Some say "honesty is the best policy", but this isn't always the case.

Your reason comes off as sounding "selfish". (don't get offended, I'm not judging you, just trying to play "devil's advocate")

Some might say you need to find another "reason", but I disagree.

I do feel that you need to develop how you describe the reason in a way that makes it look more so like a motivation to excel than one in which it appears that you are simply trying to "get back at dad".

Have you ever heard the pun about the salesman who was so good that "he could sell a ketchup popsicle to a woman wearing white gloves in the middle of summer"?

That is pretty much the case here. You need to work on developing that reason in such a way that it becomes justifiable.

cliff notes: don't change your reason if it is the truth, simply work on rewording it

 

[jm192]

Haters gonna hate

Everyone has their own reason. If yours isn't altruism you're a bad person. That really bugs me. Who is anyone to judge what a good reason is? Just become an adcom likes your answer doesn't mean someone with a different answer is a bad person or doesn't deserve to go.

 

[Saied]

lets say i get an interview for medical school and the interviewer asks me " why do u want to become a doctor" and i tell him what i said before, he wont like that? He would rather hear me say " when i was a child i wished to help people get better and thats why i chose to be a doctor" ?

 

[jm192]

lets say i get an interview for medical school and the interviewer asks me " why do u want to become a doctor" and i tell him what i said before, he wont like that? He would rather hear me say " when i was a child i wished to help people get better and thats why i chose to be a doctor" ?

Exactly.

 

[whoMD]

Because all patients ask their doctor "Why did you go to medical school?"

I do? maybe not all doctors but I especially ask doctors I'm shadowing. Anyways, medical school is not for everyone... apparently it's only for those that are passionate about the career.... and if you are not then stay away. you'll be studying for ages (even after you graduate you need to constantly stay up to date) become a doctor for the right reasons! (which is because you love it) one person i know was premed until he took a college bio class and realized he hated it... you can't hate bio (well maybe you can but that would make med school almost unbearable) ...

 

[jdh71]

^^^^ What does that even mean?

Anyway, I find OPs reason to get into medical school is a terrible one. Not only will there be no motivation it's wasted space. What's going to drive you to continue after getting in? Paying the bills isn't enough for all the stress you put yourself through with classes and whatnot. Not to mention your interviewer will probably be able to sniff any made up BS anyway.

 

[avatarftw]

Yeah, its a pretty bad reason. Why don't you just continue building onto your net worth--money leads to status nowadays. (well, its seems so)

Its going to be hard to go through the pre-med courses, MCAT, 4 years of med school, and 3-7 years of residency (fellowships too) with the only motivation being that you want to disprove your dad.

Wow I think that is one of the worst reasons I have ever heard for going to medical school. I would not want my doctor to have chosen the profession simply to prove someone wrong about them. Also you can certainly not be honest to admissions about why you want to go. Plus even if you got in, it is sad that you would take the place of someone who actually cared about healing and helping others. Get some self esteem and find something that you really enjoy doing and when you do it well others will be impressed. Good luck.

 

[txspeed]

lets say i get an interview for medical school and the interviewer asks me " why do u want to become a doctor" and i tell him what i said before, he wont like that? He would rather hear me say " when i was a child i wished to help people get better and thats why i chose to be a doctor" ?

From what I've researched, that will not work either.

As someone who has interviewed new hires for jobs for about 10 years now, I can tell you that interviewers develop a keen sense for sniffing out lies in an interview.

The reason, at it's root, is not what will result in bombing an interview, it is how you present it.

Remember, these interviewers are looking to get a perspective into who you are as a person. They already know your credentials, they'll have them sitting in front of them as they talk to you.

Interviewing (no matter the field) typically follows a generic set of rules:

Is this person confident?
Does this person make me FEEL that they are capable?
Is this person mentally mature enough to handle the position?
Does this person possess the needed level of social skills for this position?
Does this person seem honest?

I can't imagine that adcoms are any different.

 

[thumbsucker]

Because all patients ask their doctor "Why did you go to medical school?"

... if they're crappy. Try it next time, they always get super offended that you've asked .

Although, it's already been said. OP, I don't think your reason will sustain you through it all (7+ years and a lifetime of education). Is there anything in particular that you like about medicine? Ideally, we all desire doctors who care about humanity and our condition, but if they do their job well I won't ask why. I do hear stories about kids who were "gently persuaded" into medicine by their parents and enjoy it later on in life. However, for each of these stories, there are five equally depressing ones involving hating every minute of what you do.

As others have said, why not just make bank where you're at or do something you love. Success is the best form of revenge, no?

 

[jm192]

You do what you want bro. I don't think any reason is a bad reason.

In the end, it just comes down to wanting $$, respect, or sense of accomplishment. And you seem to want respect and sense of accomplishment. + you will get to help people which is great.

If anybody in here wants to claim wanting to help people as their priority, PM me because I got much better options for you that will allow you to be like mother Teresa.

Job is a job and all will get bored after some time.

Smartest post I've read on here.

 

[Shinobiz11]

Anyone smell a sequel to Hot Rod?

 

[gettheleadout]

I'm gonna ignore all the other arguing going on in this thread and just say that as long as its not the only reason you have for wanting to be a doc, then you have the potential to get into med school even with your first semester of bad grades. If you have no interest in medicine outside of your father, then I would bet proving him wrong won't motivate you for 7+ years.

 

[BaronVonZ]

Tollolololoooloolooooooooooo

 

[orthomyxo]

I can't stand it when people say they want to go into medicine only for altruistic reasons. It's a bunch of bull. OP do whatever you want, not what your dad wants for you.

 

[DaisyBuchanan]

Anyone smell a sequel to Hot Rod?

"You're wrong, Frank. I'm not a kid, I'm a man. I am gonna get you better, and then I'm gonna beat you to death!" - Andy Samberg's character aka the OP.

 

[Shinobiz11]

"You're wrong, Frank. I'm not a kid, I'm a man. I am gonna get you better, and then I'm gonna beat you to death!" - Andy Samberg's character aka the OP.

That movie was great, I wonder why it never took off.

 

[MisterVeil]

This is amazing. It took me a second, but when I got it... laughter ensued.

 

[Nabatov]

I can't stand it when people say they want to go into medicine only for altruistic reasons. It's a bunch of bull.

This.

 

[QuizzicalApe]

The two best reasons to do anything are spite and oneupsmanship.