last minute decisions...

[banana k]

to all of you that have heard me rant about this before... sorry in advance.

so i've been holding my place at Sydney from last september after deferring to finish an honours. now i'm done, and i emailed sydney to let them know i'd be taking up my deferred place in 2006. only... i'm wondering if it's such a good idea after all.

1) not sure med is really what i'd be good at, even though i sure thought so since i was but a wee one; really it's starting to dawn on me that i MIGHT be more about the science than the people. lab/non-clinical research is making nice convincing crooning noises.
2) paying a huge debt and then having a 10 year moratorium slapped on me, ergh... i want to stay in oz but... and i also want to go for specialty training but how can i swing that financially with such a debt...
3) i can't help worrying about various trolls and their stigmatising...

sydney wants a tuition down payment by the end of august ($20k) and i've been putting it off and putting it off and putting it off like a champ cos i don't know what to do. i'm sort of leaning toward deferring AGAIN, taking up a phd spot, and running with that, only i wont know if i get a phd scholarship until DECEMBER... at which point obviously i'll be in debt to sydney and/or loan sharks. eurgh! (oh, and i refuse to continue with a phd unless i can get a scholarship--phd's certainly don't earn the same dollars medical doctors do, so if i took a loan for that i could just give up on ever paying that debt off. so i won't know whether to take up said phd spot till december anyway. fffffff....ar out.)

yeah so disorganised rant and bla and stress... first of all, what do you reckon? second of all, does anyone have ANY experience with said moratorium and how easy it is to cope with it and continue specialty training and not declare yourself bankrupt in the process? and what about making a deposit and then withdrawing? IS there a refund policy? how much would i be gambling, so to speak?

yack! i'd love to stay, i can be a contributing member of oz society, and i've already paid substantial tuition--why do DIMIA policies and tuition nonsense have to be so EVIL?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[deleted59964]

to all of you that have heard me rant about this before... sorry in advance.

so i've been holding my place at Sydney from last september after deferring to finish an honours. now i'm done, and i emailed sydney to let them know i'd be taking up my deferred place in 2006. only... i'm wondering if it's such a good idea after all.

1) not sure med is really what i'd be good at, even though i sure thought so since i was but a wee one; really it's starting to dawn on me that i MIGHT be more about the science than the people. lab/non-clinical research is making nice convincing crooning noises.
2) paying a huge debt and then having a 10 year moratorium slapped on me, ergh... i want to stay in oz but... and i also want to go for specialty training but how can i swing that financially with such a debt...
3) i can't help worrying about various trolls and their stigmatising...

sydney wants a tuition down payment by the end of august ($20k) and i've been putting it off and putting it off and putting it off like a champ cos i don't know what to do. i'm sort of leaning toward deferring AGAIN, taking up a phd spot, and running with that, only i wont know if i get a phd scholarship until DECEMBER... at which point obviously i'll be in debt to sydney and/or loan sharks. eurgh! (oh, and i refuse to continue with a phd unless i can get a scholarship--phd's certainly don't earn the same dollars medical doctors do, so if i took a loan for that i could just give up on ever paying that debt off. so i won't know whether to take up said phd spot till december anyway. fffffff....ar out.)

yeah so disorganised rant and bla and stress... first of all, what do you reckon? second of all, does anyone have ANY experience with said moratorium and how easy it is to cope with it and continue specialty training and not declare yourself bankrupt in the process? and what about making a deposit and then withdrawing? IS there a refund policy? how much would i be gambling, so to speak?

yack! i'd love to stay, i can be a contributing member of oz society, and i've already paid substantial tuition--why do DIMIA policies and tuition nonsense have to be so EVIL?

I think a certain amount of "purchasers remorse" is common when you are about to start studying medicine. It's such a long road to get in, that it becomes about the thrill of the chase. I imagine it's even more pronounced if you have to pay ALL of the costs yourself.

What were your reasons for wanting to get into medicine (be honest - at least to yourself).

Are those reasons still valid, given who you are now? If they are, then you are probably just experiencing the "purchaser's remorse". Otherwise, maybe you should think again - studying medicine is not like other study, it is so much more intense, and a big sacrifice. And it really only starts you on a path of being a doctor, which has it's ups and downs !

Good luck with whatever you decide.
One last thing - please, please DO NOT base your decision based on the arguments of anonymous, illinformed, disgruntled trolls.

 

[pitman]

Ignore the pissants!

And fantasize about your ideal life 10 years from now...what'cha doing? Lots of money now, but hell, it's a lifestyle while you're on the way

-pittelli

 

[Winged Scapula]

If its a life of research you're after, remember that MDs/MBBS (whatever) can also make significant contributions to medical research. A medical degree does not obligate one to a clinical career. Outside of research, there's also teaching if you enjoy that. I'm not sure about Oz, but in the US research grants are plentiful for MDs and many pharmaceutical research companies prefer an MD as PI over a PhD.

OTOH, you might consider a PhD/MD (MBBS, whatever) - either as a joint degree done concurrently or separately. If you complete your PhD and find that you would love to be more clinically oriented, Sydney will always be there as will medical school. Sure you'll be older, but you will be anyway, so why not pursue whatever your dreams are at that point?

 

[craig_rt]

If it is research that you are interested in then a science degree (or medical science if they offer it at your uni) to PhD level is a better option. Cheaper, easier to get into, no need to learn stuff that you wont use etc.

But, be sure, either way. Med degree can lead to research, but you can't be a doc with just a PhD.

Craig