Opportunity costs of med school and Gap year woes

[ret245]

Hi all,

This question is two-fold. I am having a very hard time with my gap year. I graduated this past May from an Ivy League school and am currently in the process of applying to medical schools. I have several interviews coming up, so I not too concerned about not getting in. My concern lies in whether or not I will be happy doing medicine. Like I said, I am taking a gap year, but I am not working right now. I am looking for jobs, but most regular jobs don't want to hire someone for less than a year and then see them quit after training them. So it has left me awkwardly sitting at home alone depressed and beyond bored. The rest of my friends are starting exciting new careers and moving to new, big cities and just being "real adults" in general. I'm finding it difficult to sit at home waiting an entire year doing nothing but checking my phone for emails from schools (which come like once every two weeks). So the first part of my question is what can I do in these next few months to make my gap year more livable? To be honest, I'm not too enthusiastic about volunteering in a hospital or working at a nursing home, as a scribe, etc. which brings me to the next part of my question. I love doing research, but no one wants to hire some kid who will only stick around for a few months.

Sometimes I think it is short-sightedness on my part because after the next ten years I will have a more comfortable salary and lifestyle, but it sucks when the situation has you living at home while everyone is moving on with their lives. To be honest, the temptation is strong to just quit the med school process and get a regular career and start living life as an adult with an income. I've heard dreadful things about med school and residency in regards to workload, cost, and lack of life, and I am not too sure I want to pursue that route. How do I know if I love medicine? I feel like there is a catch-22 here; how will I know if I like med school until I am in the system, but you have to first love medicine to pursue it?


Sorry for the long, if somewhat ranting and unorganized, post. To illustrate my point, I am writing this wearing pajamas and a robe sitting on my parents' bed. It is 12:42pm on Friday.

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[precisiongraphic]

Hi all,

This question is two-fold. I am having a very hard time with my gap year. I graduated this past May from an Ivy League school and am currently in the process of applying to medical schools. I have several interviews coming up, so I not too concerned about not getting in. My concern lies in whether or not I will be happy doing medicine. Like I said, I am taking a gap year, but I am not working right now. I am looking for jobs, but most regular jobs don't want to hire someone for less than a year and then see them quit after training them. So it has left me awkwardly sitting at home alone depressed and beyond bored. The rest of my friends are starting exciting new careers and moving to new, big cities and just being "real adults" in general. I'm finding it difficult to sit at home waiting an entire year doing nothing but checking my phone for emails from schools (which come like once every two weeks). So the first part of my question is what can I do in these next few months to make my gap year more livable? To be honest, I'm not too enthusiastic about volunteering in a hospital or working at a nursing home, as a scribe, etc. which brings me to the next part of my question. I love doing research, but no one wants to hire some kid who will only stick around for a few months.

Sometimes I think it is short-sightedness on my part because after the next ten years I will have a more comfortable salary and lifestyle, but it sucks when the situation has you living at home while everyone is moving on with their lives. To be honest, the temptation is strong to just quit the med school process and get a regular career and start living life as an adult with an income. I've heard dreadful things about med school and residency in regards to workload, cost, and lack of life, and I am not too sure I want to pursue that route. How do I know if I love medicine? I feel like there is a catch-22 here; how will I know if I like med school until I am in the system, but you have to first love medicine to pursue it?


Sorry for the long, if somewhat ranting and unorganized, post. To illustrate my point, I am writing this wearing pajamas and a robe sitting on my parents' bed. It is 12:42pm on Friday.

Regarding whether or not you'll be happy doing medicine, sacrificing for the next 8-10 years and if it's worth it: Presumably you did some shadowing and clinical volunteering you'll (I hope) have seen what a doctor's life is like. Since you've applied you will have gone through a cost/benefit analysis of the sacrifices in the next decade. If you're still unsure, that would be bad. But that brings me to my second point and that is that the enforced solitude, lack of school/work stress and structure has led to - if not depression - moroseness and lethargy. Since scribe and research jobs are out of the question for now, I suggest a project to get you out of your pajamas and out of your parents' bedroom.

What about training for a 5k, marathon or century bike ride? On your own or raise money for a charity event in the spring.

Get your CNA certification and work at a nursing home. Many CNA classes are cheap and are 2-3 weeks including clinicals. Nursing homes may overlook the <1 year commitment because they have high turnover.

Check with the local community college and volunteer to tutor beginners in physics, math, bio, chem. Or go to the ESL lab and tutor in English. If you volunteer 20 hours a week you'll still have time to yourself.

Take a corsera course in something you've always wanted to learn about - like Aristotle, astronomy, WWI or string theory. Work on a Project Management Professional certificate. Learn something useful - take an online course in Latin for medical students. Or Spanish for healthcare professionals.

Write and produce a documentary or write a short story.

Plan a trip to Europe or Australia or South America for April-May after you get accepted. Research the sites, the culture, the languages.

Just a few ideas of what I would do if I was unemployed. You do you. Find something that engages you.

 

[ifnotnowwren]

Curious as to why scribe work/clinical work doesn't interest you. ER scribing didn't interest me because I felt like some of the companies in my area were somewhat abusive/took advantage of people (based on what I heard from friends who did it), but I wanted to do clinical work instead of something irrelevant so I found a job as a scribe in a small outpatient clinic and loved it. You aren't going to have a cool job to write home about for the next year, it's going to be entry level whether or not it involves clinical work, so you can either get said entry level job or do something else with your time as suggested by @precisiongraphic .

What kind of clinical experience have you had prior to this? What motivated you to pursue medicine in the first place? It's kind of sounding like you were in this for the challenge and are now pulling out because of perceived success (having interviews and having no doubt you will get in) combined with cold feet regarding the sacrifice. It absolutely is a sacrifice, and you definitely should be asking yourself these questions, but it is sort of unfortunate timing that you are asking them after you applied. Weigh your motivations for pursuing medicine against the sacrifices and see what you come up with.

 

[ret245]

I have a father who is a physician and a mother who works in the same hospital. I've shadowed him and attended lectures with him. I spent a week shadowing some ophthalmologists one summer. Other than that, I don't really have much as far as volunteering is concerned. What it was was that I was so adamant about pursuing medicine during undergrad, that I never really looked up from my textbook and wondered if there were any other careers out there with which I would be more satisfied.

I know the timing for this thought isn't ideal given that I have already taken the MCAT, graduated, applied, and interviewed. I really do love science and helping others. I think medicine is a great field, and I have a ton of respect for the work physicians do. Like I said before, I think a lot of this is being short-sighted to the big career picture.

 

[libertyyne]

You are lucky enough to have graduated from college without debt. Carpe ****ing diem! Start a business, learn to code, go travel for six months, live in another country. The opportunities are endless. You will not end up with an excellent job overnight most of your friends probably have been earning experience (internships) and building relationships with employers to land the opportunities and careers they have started for the past four years while you did med school stuff.

 

[theonlytycrane]

wait, why are you sitting on your parents bed?

 

[precisiongraphic]

I have a father who is a physician and a mother who works in the same hospital. I've shadowed him and attended lectures with him. I spent a week shadowing some ophthalmologists one summer. Other than that, I don't really have much as far as volunteering is concerned. What it was was that I was so adamant about pursuing medicine during undergrad, that I never really looked up from my textbook and wondered if there were any other careers out there with which I would be more satisfied.

I know the timing for this thought isn't ideal given that I have already taken the MCAT, graduated, applied, and interviewed. I really do love science and helping others. I think medicine is a great field, and I have a ton of respect for the work physicians do. Like I said before, I think a lot of this is being short-sighted to the big career picture.

Given this, I'd suggest volunteering at your parent's hospital. If you start now, you'll have something to talk about at the rest of your interviews and it's almost nine months until August.

Some people also scribe on a volunteer basis (as opposed by being hired by the huge scribe companies which have 1+year commitments) - perhaps one of your parent's colleagues would like a scribe/assistant.

 

[kraskadva]

First world/millenial problems, huh?
You are lucky enough to have lots of free time and clearly not be strapped for cash. So get out of the house and go do something - anything. Go volunteer in some non-clinical area (Habitat, soup kitchen, SPCA, anything), take up an exercise routine or a new hobby, read a book, or teach yourself a new skill/knowledge area. I would strongly recommend volunteering - presumably there was at least some token "I want to help people" element in your decision to pursue medicine &/or application. So go help some people. If you can sacrifice some of your mid-day pajama comfort to make the world a slightly better place, then sacrificing some money/free-time/life balance to help people during your medical training and beyond may not seem like such a scary thing.

 

[MCAT1007]

I think you can solve both your issues by volunteering in a hospital, or doing more shadowing. That way, you have something to do, and you also can decide whether you want to be pursuing medicine.
I know you don't want to volunteer in a hospital, but it might be the only way to really figure your second issue out.

 

[PatchA]

Honestly, if you can imagine quitting now, it might be wise to take an extra year off and re-evaluate. You may come back with renewed passion (I did) or you might decide to do something else and save yourself years of studying and doing something that isn't your true calling.

 

[Lost In Transcription]

If you aren't sure, that's definitely reason to at least take more time to consider.

Get more clinical work, especially volunteering. Your app must be surely weak from a lack of clinical volunteering. Shadow more fields than just your dad- go out see different specialists. It sucks to email people randomly, perhaps your father can help uou with contacts.

Go explore the world firsttoo. Hopefully your parents aren't pushing you too hard.

You say you have loved your textbooksand you like research....considered getting a PhD instead?

 

[Dream_big]

If you see yourself working in a lab performing research, apply...but you cannot tell them of your future plans. I understand that no one wants to hire someone that's leaving in a few months, but hey, what if it turns out that you can picture yourself working in a lab over attending medical school? It's worth the lie that you have to tell to your employer. I'm hoping no one bashes this, but it's really your only chance to get to work.

 

[Mclovin0351]

Join a Crossfit gym and train all day with the rest of the aimless 20-30 year olds who just want to get fit as ****, its pretty fun

 

[787593]

Try Indian food, it's SO GOOD!!!!

 

[NewHorizons]

-

 

[Lost In Transcription]

First world problems

Grow up



You have all the advantages in the world and you're asking how to live....... Darwin award?

That was helpful.

When people need help, being snarky doesn't do much. Rich youngsters need help with their lives, poor youngsters do, lots of people do- obviously some more than others.

 

[787593]

Join a Crossfit gym and train all day with the rest of the aimless 20-30 year olds who just want to get fit as ****, its pretty fun

"Fit"

 

[Tenk]

Why are you telling jobs you will only be around a short while before medical school? You don't have to lie but you sure as hell shouldn't be telling an employer they are just a stepping stone. Sounds like you are the cause of most of your problems...

 

[Jillofalltrades]

Hi all,

This question is two-fold. I am having a very hard time with my gap year. I graduated this past May from an Ivy League school and am currently in the process of applying to medical schools. I have several interviews coming up, so I not too concerned about not getting in. My concern lies in whether or not I will be happy doing medicine. Like I said, I am taking a gap year, but I am not working right now. I am looking for jobs, but most regular jobs don't want to hire someone for less than a year and then see them quit after training them. So it has left me awkwardly sitting at home alone depressed and beyond bored. The rest of my friends are starting exciting new careers and moving to new, big cities and just being "real adults" in general. I'm finding it difficult to sit at home waiting an entire year doing nothing but checking my phone for emails from schools (which come like once every two weeks). So the first part of my question is what can I do in these next few months to make my gap year more livable? To be honest, I'm not too enthusiastic about volunteering in a hospital or working at a nursing home, as a scribe, etc. which brings me to the next part of my question. I love doing research, but no one wants to hire some kid who will only stick around for a few months.

Sometimes I think it is short-sightedness on my part because after the next ten years I will have a more comfortable salary and lifestyle, but it sucks when the situation has you living at home while everyone is moving on with their lives. To be honest, the temptation is strong to just quit the med school process and get a regular career and start living life as an adult with an income. I've heard dreadful things about med school and residency in regards to workload, cost, and lack of life, and I am not too sure I want to pursue that route. How do I know if I love medicine? I feel like there is a catch-22 here; how will I know if I like med school until I am in the system, but you have to first love medicine to pursue it?


Sorry for the long, if somewhat ranting and unorganized, post. To illustrate my point, I am writing this wearing pajamas and a robe sitting on my parents' bed. It is 12:42pm on Friday.

Gap-year
I am/was in exactly the same situation you're in right now. I'm applying to med school except I'm not as confident that I will get into a med school. I'll share this story about my experience trying to get a job as a research assistant where no PI wants to hire a kid for less than 1 year. During my senior year of undergrad, we were taught about the ethical ways of getting a gap year job - which is to say, don't lie about your ability to commit. So I go on these interviews with PIs and all is going well until we get to the question "how long can you stay with us?" at which point both parties sigh and we exchange pleasantries. I get rejection letters and I send out more CVs anyway. Then one day, out of the blue, one of the PIs who had already turned me down called me and said, "Things didn't work out with the guy I offered the job to. I liked that you were honest with me about applying to med school. The job is yours if you still want it." I start my new job in 10 days.

TL;DR: Go after the things you want even when all odds are against you. You never know how things might turn out.

BUT if things didn't turn out that way, I was prepared to offer myself to a PI as free labor because I love research. If med school didn't work out this cycle, maybe he/she might consider hiring me the following gap year. Who knows? I also had a backup plan crocheting stuffed animals for sale. Meanwhile, I'd work on not losing the foreign language I learned in college. It's your gap year! Do what you want! I, for one, would love to learn how to ride a unicycle this year.

On knowing if med school is the right path
I said this before when I was applying to college - How do I even know that college is right for me? Is it just because I worked hard and got good grades? Is it because I actually liked school or do I like school because I'm good at it? How am I supposed to know these things at 17 anyways?

I've come to the conclusion that I agree with whomever said what you should be doing with your life is something right at the intersection of something you like and something you're good at. Most doctors out there have the skills to also be good lawyers - good communicators, main job is to advocate for someone using highly-specialized knowledge, sound sense of judgment, good analytic/research skills, etc. But most doctors are not also lawyers probably because they don't like that world. Likewise, I could have pursued my alternative universe career which is to go to Rome and learn painting conservation and restoration, but I have no artistic talents and probably won't succeed in that field. Lack of success might eventually make me miserable.

Honestly, I don't know if we'll still love medicine once we go through the process. A lot of people do 4 years of med school and then go on to do different things with their lives. I think this is a period when we're vulnerable (we put ourselves out there for all of these apps and just wait for judgment) and it becomes easy to doubt ourselves. This is where you look back at the past 4 years and say, I have loved all of these things that point to loving medicine. Whether you might fall out of love with it in the future is not today's problem. We try our best to be sure before we start, hence all the volunteering and shadowing and pre-med stuff, but life is unpredictable. Trust yourself, or if you can't, trust in the things you've done, the people you've met, the advisors that could have talked you out of this over the years but didn't, the meaningful experiences you've had that brought you to this point, and keep your eyes on the prize.

 

[armstrbp]

I respectfully disagree with the notion of beating yourself up and feeling guilty about this being a first-world problem.

I'm taking a couple gap years. I think it's normal to mull these ideas over. Most of us have been so focused and looking straight ahead for 7, 8, 10+ years that we haven't really stopped to look around. Personally, I feel that these conflicting ideas are the product of being almost forced to pull our heads out of the sand and take a look around after we graduate because people we're close to are doing other things. Some of us have great opportunities fall into our lap other than medicine with just a bachelors of science, which we've always been told isn't supposed to happen. But it happens, it's exciting, uncomfortable, can make us unsure and make us think twice.

Personally, I looked around at other opportunities around me, shrugged my shoulders and said "meh". For every person that seems to be "real-adulting" and going somewhere, another will be getting pigeon-holed and paying bills for things they probably can't afford. I've decided to re-tool, re-focus and have spent some more time on the things that make me feel grounded. I started training for road races and track races, putting more time into the trumpet and getting more involved in the organizations I'm a part of and I feel very satisfied with how I'm spending my time.

Just keep on moving!

 

[bonedoc5576]

Hi all,

This question is two-fold. I am having a very hard time with my gap year. I graduated this past May from an Ivy League school and am currently in the process of applying to medical schools. I have several interviews coming up, so I not too concerned about not getting in. My concern lies in whether or not I will be happy doing medicine. Like I said, I am taking a gap year, but I am not working right now. I am looking for jobs, but most regular jobs don't want to hire someone for less than a year and then see them quit after training them. So it has left me awkwardly sitting at home alone depressed and beyond bored. The rest of my friends are starting exciting new careers and moving to new, big cities and just being "real adults" in general. I'm finding it difficult to sit at home waiting an entire year doing nothing but checking my phone for emails from schools (which come like once every two weeks). So the first part of my question is what can I do in these next few months to make my gap year more livable? To be honest, I'm not too enthusiastic about volunteering in a hospital or working at a nursing home, as a scribe, etc. which brings me to the next part of my question. I love doing research, but no one wants to hire some kid who will only stick around for a few months.

Sometimes I think it is short-sightedness on my part because after the next ten years I will have a more comfortable salary and lifestyle, but it sucks when the situation has you living at home while everyone is moving on with their lives. To be honest, the temptation is strong to just quit the med school process and get a regular career and start living life as an adult with an income. I've heard dreadful things about med school and residency in regards to workload, cost, and lack of life, and I am not too sure I want to pursue that route. How do I know if I love medicine? I feel like there is a catch-22 here; how will I know if I like med school until I am in the system, but you have to first love medicine to pursue it?


Sorry for the long, if somewhat ranting and unorganized, post. To illustrate my point, I am writing this wearing pajamas and a robe sitting on my parents' bed. It is 12:42pm on Friday.

If you are feeling this way now, I wonder how you will be feeling when you are studying for your step 1 exam while your friends are out having fun. How will you feel when you are spending your evenings taking call with your team as an M3 or M4?
What will your attitude be when you are making low wages throughout your residency when your friends are making real money? Now weigh this against the future reflections of a man in the latter stages of his career. How will you feel about your purpose on this earth, the value of your accomplishments and the contributions to the well-being of others. Unfortunately, we are all moving forward in life as if rowing a boat only seeing directly where we have been, but with some vague insight into where we are heading.
I commend you for having the self-awareness to confront these concerns and wish you the best in making this very personal decision.