13 years old and I want to become a Surgeon

[smp777]

I'm 13 years old and turning 14 in a month. I have been googling some stuff online and I came across this website and I made an account less than an hour ago from the moment I am writing this. I hope I'm writing on the right forum. So I'm 13 and I want to go into medical school. Right now, my dreams are to become a surgeon. I know becoming a surgeon takes hard work and a lot of dedication and I know I probably have no idea what that means at this age, but my love for surgery makes me want to work hard and to focus on nothing but it. At heart, I'm not a very hard worker. I've spent my years alive playing video games and doing stupid things with my friends. Surgery makes me want to change that. I'm not a very hardworking person but I want to change into that person so I can become a doctor. Maybe not a surgeon, but a doctor. I don't know a lot about medicine but I am eager to learn. I've ordered 14 books about surgery, the anatomy, medicine, and the heart. I'm open to any suggestions, as I plan to read all that I can and absorb as much knowledge as I can. Am I too young to be dedicated to becoming a doctor? Everyone I've talked to about it and everything I see online just keeps on telling me how impossible it is and I think that if I start learning now, young, it can be easier for me. Most of the people around me make fun of me for even thinking about becoming a surgeon. I'm not the smartest person by any means, and I don't have the best grades and I never have, but I really do hope to change that. I've only averaged straight As for a third of a semester (about six weeks in my school).
Besides that, I'm usually a mostly Bs and some As student, and the occasional C. I believe my average this school year was a 3.578. I believe the reason I'm doing so poorly is because of my lack of interest in the subjects I'm doing, as I believe that I learn best when I have interest in learning. I stopped trying during school and I slacked all year, and I want to try next year. I'm just seeking advice here, even if that means not so nice criticism. Feel free to tell me I won't make it or that I have no chance, I've heard it all before and I'm sure going to hear it again. With my current grades and behaviours in my education, should I just live my life as a teen and just be a teen or should I focus and dedicate myself to becoming a doctor? I can't see myself doing anything else. How much do I really need to dedicate? Am I doing too little? Too much? If too little what should I do? I just really want to become a doctor and I'm willing to work at it. Any advice or friendly criticism would be greatly greatly appreciated.

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[doctorleospaceman]

At 13 I was watching Drake and Josh on nickelodeon and eating cheetos.

Just to put it in perspective.

 

[jesie]

Pace yourself, bud.

If you suddenly dive into this with some crazy intensity, you will burn yourself out on it really quickly.

It's okay to just be a 13 year old for now. I'm not saying that to dismiss what I believe is a very real passion you are feeling. I don't want to minimise the way that feels because when I asked this question at your age people talked to me like a 5 year old and I hated it. That said, the reason most of us will tell you that it's okay to take time to be a kid is because you only get to do it once and it is important for developing interpersonal skills, life experiences, and your personality. There is plenty of time to stress about this later, no need to start that part of it early.

If you really feel the need to do something, then build up good study habits, learn to code (joins robotics club or something!), and be involved in your high school when you get there! One thing you could look into is if any nearby institutions have high school research internships. That kind of thing will do wonders for your prospects at competitive colleges down the line.

 

[LizzyM]

I'm 13 years old and turning 14 in a month. I have been googling some stuff online and I came across this website and I made an account less than an hour ago from the moment I am writing this. I hope I'm writing on the right forum. So I'm 13 and I want to go into medical school. Right now, my dreams are to become a surgeon. I know becoming a surgeon takes hard work and a lot of dedication and I know I probably have no idea what that means at this age, but my love for surgery makes me want to work hard and to focus on nothing but it. At heart, I'm not a very hard worker. I've spent my years alive playing video games and doing stupid things with my friends. Surgery makes me want to change that. I'm not a very hardworking person but I want to change into that person so I can become a doctor. Maybe not a surgeon, but a doctor. I don't know a lot about medicine but I am eager to learn. I've ordered 14 books about surgery, the anatomy, medicine, and the heart. I'm open to any suggestions, as I plan to read all that I can and absorb as much knowledge as I can. Am I too young to be dedicated to becoming a doctor? Everyone I've talked to about it and everything I see online just keeps on telling me how impossible it is and I think that if I start learning now, young, it can be easier for me. Most of the people around me make fun of me for even thinking about becoming a surgeon. I'm not the smartest person by any means, and I don't have the best grades and I never have, but I really do hope to change that. I've only averaged straight As for a third of a semester (about six weeks in my school).
Besides that, I'm usually a mostly Bs and some As student, and the occasional C. I believe my average this school year was a 3.578. I believe the reason I'm doing so poorly is because of my lack of interest in the subjects I'm doing, as I believe that I learn best when I have interest in learning. I stopped trying during school and I slacked all year, and I want to try next year. I'm just seeking advice here, even if that means not so nice criticism. Feel free to tell me I won't make it or that I have no chance, I've heard it all before and I'm sure going to hear it again. With my current grades and behaviours in my education, should I just live my life as a teen and just be a teen or should I focus and dedicate myself to becoming a doctor? I can't see myself doing anything else. How much do I really need to dedicate? Am I doing too little? Too much? If too little what should I do? I just really want to become a doctor and I'm willing to work at it. Any advice or friendly criticism would be greatly greatly appreciated.

Welcome, smp777!

It is great to have a goal to work toward. I hope that this motivates you during the coming school year. Take things one step at a time. The first step is to build good study habits and learn the material being taught in school, not just the science classes but all your classes. At the same time, find ways to enjoy life, have fun and blow off steam. Having a life outside of academics/medicine is important to your own health and wellbeing. Once you have those two balls in the air, find opportunities in your community to be involved with helping people who can't help themselves. Some high schools require their students to engage in community service but if yours does not, you should seek out opportunities to be involved. Working to help people who are different from yourself will contribute to your personal growth, help people in your community, and be something outside of academics that you can write about on your college applications.

Check back at the mid-point of your junior year of high school (you can post on the hSDN forum which is specifically for high school students). At that point, you'll be looking ahead to choices about college looking forward to admission to medical school. You are >15 years away from being a surgeon but the journey begins with the first steps.
P.S. suggestion to get involved in a research internship for HS students is a great idea, too.

 

[deleted480308]

Deep breaths, no need to study surgery books now. Just get good grades, have fun and don't get arrested for anything. You can focus more late in high school on finding a good college

 

[Terry Toma]

Deep breaths, no need to study surgery books now.

Agreed. You really need to be focusing on MCAT prep at this point.

 

[Swan Ronson]

there is nothing wrong with having a passion early in life. nothing at all. it's awesome, actually. also, if i can climb on a tiny soapbox for a moment here, don't even think you're not smart based on grades in high school. for one, with good study habits, you are more than capable of getting the grades that you or your peers would use to quantify someone as "smart". number two, intelligence is a fluid and multifaceted concept. a concert violinist with a 2.9 is still a genius, and i don't need to lebron's IQ score to qualify him as one, either.

stepping down now.

think about becoming a surgeon like building a pyramid. the top of the pyramid is your goal. its far away, and its a very narrow point. don't spend all your time squinting up at it right now. to get there, you need a nice broad and sturdy base. you need to build the foundations that will let you get to the top. for being a physician, that base is going to be good work ethic, good people skills, compassion, and reliable ways to blow off steam and hobbies to pursue. so if you want to get to the top of that pyramid and be that surgeon, build that base, as everyone has said. develop good and efficient study habits. seek opportunities to get involved in your community and with those less fortunate. become comfortable in diverse settings and with lots of different people. poke around for any high school research opportunities or science fairs your area or school might offer. and, finally, and perhaps most importantly, enjoy yourself! enjoy your free time. if you like video games, play your video games. if you like sports, play them. they're important formative experiences when you're young, and will come in handy later on -- trust me.

keep that goal in mind. don't let anyone tell you that you can't.

 

[Dandine]

Welcome! It is never to be early to be interested in something, and it's great to see you're reading up and learning about stuff on your own!

I agree with what everyone said about enjoying your early teen years and developing healthy habits. The earlier you start making good habits, the better you will be at taking them with you high school and beyond.

When it comes to learning stuff you aren't as interested in, it may help to ask yourself why it's important in the world and what kinds of things are going on in the present-day related to the things you're studying. Even if you don't intend on becoming, say, a poet or a nuclear physicist or a historian (just using broad examples, if you think history or poetry or physics is cool, great!), there is a reason why these fields exist and the concepts you learn in certain subjects have some significance, if not directly to you, to other people that you may encounter or have to work with. You also live in a really cool time as a middle schooler in that you have so many resources at your fingertips to learn material, so you definitely have that to your advantage.

Hope that helps, and yeah, definitely look into hSDN. Best of luck!

 

[Catalystik]

Any advice . . . . would be greatly greatly appreciated.

1) Hone your study skills, including material you don't really care to learn.
2) If you take dual enrollment courses at a local college, be aware those grades count when you apply to med school, so keep those grades high.
3) If you take AP (Advanced Placement) coursework in math, science, English, and other premed requirements, be aware that some med schools don't accept it or want you to replace those classes with upper-level classes in the same discipline.
4) Avoid legal trouble.
5) Engage in activities that will help others.
6) Exercise your people skills.
7) Embrace healthy behaviors and hobbies.
8) Don't trumpet to the world that you want to be a doctor. Keep it to yourself and the doubters won't tear you down.

 

[oelizas]

Seriously, don't worry about your grades right now. Med schools don't care what you did in high school, not to mention middle school. I can't speak from experience, but from what I have seen, doing well in college is completely different than doing well in high school. Its based much more on how hard you work and how much time you put into studying, so don't worry if your grades aren't perfect, especially right now.

From your age, I assume that you are going to be a freshman in high school in about a year. If you would really like to get the most out of your high school years, get into as many high level courses as possible. At my school, AP classes are not offered to Freshmen and Sophomores, only to Juniors and Seniors, but taking these classes will give you a leg up when you start college. Even honors classes will make you more prepared for higher level courses. Just try to maintain a good GPA, get a decent score on the SAT/ACT, stay out of trouble, do some clubs/extracurriculars, and you will be fine.

I'm 17, going into my senior year of high school, and I didn't realize that I wanted to be a doctor until a few months ago. I'm pretty sure that when I was 13 I wanted to work at NASA, but after making that decision I just went back to procrastinating my schoolwork and hanging out with my friends. Sure, becoming a doctor is difficult, but don't sacrifice your childhood when you really don't need to. Although, if you are genuinely interested in medicine, when you're a little older you could volunteer in a medical setting to really see what it's like (a lot of hospitals have summer volunteer programs for high school students) or maybe even do a research internship. These sorts of things will allow you to hold onto your interest and remember your goal, which is important since you have started this journey so early on. Honestly, the best thing I can tell you to so is don't worry about this stuff until later in high school. If you are interested in human anatomy, then study human anatomy, but don't do it because you think that medical schools expect you to.

Also, don't concern yourself with what others say; if this is what you feel passionate about then you certainly do have a chance. Just remember that people who tell you otherwise really don't know what they're talking about, as I seriously doubt that many other 13 year olds have researched to process of getting into medical school like you have. As I mentioned before, I'm in high school right now so if you have any more questions about high school stuff feel free to message me. I'm by no means an expert, but I have spent enough time lurking on here to at least know what's expected. Good luck!

 

[barsoum.michael]

As a current medical student I command you to enjoy your childhood

Sent from my LG-H918 using SDN mobile

 

[Gilakend]

1) Hone your study skills, including material you don't really care to learn.
2) If you take dual enrollment courses at a local college, be aware those grades count when you apply to med school, so keep those grades high.
3) If you take AP (Advanced Placement) coursework in math, science, English, and other premed requirements, be aware that some med schools don't accept it or want you to replace those classes with upper-level classes in the same discipline.
4) Avoid legal trouble.
5) Engage in activities that will help others.
6) Exercise your people skills.
7) Embrace healthy behaviors and hobbies.
8) Don't trumpet to the world that you want to be a doctor. Keep it to yourself and the doubters won't tear you down.

I don't know why this is so true. All the kids who were the most vocal about wanted to be a doctor/being pre-med are the ones who switched out or aren't doing too hot.

 

[Kurk]

It's always great to explore fields when you're 13. I ask many kids your age what they're interested in or want to pursue only to be answered with "I dunno". It's easy to say you want to be something but it's another to actually show genuine interest and work at it. I commend you on your curiosity of medicine and would encourage you to continue reading! Your grades aren't horrible; mine were the same as yours at that age. Thankfully I improved quite a bit after. Keep on doing what you're doing and the grades will follow.

 

[JustintheDoctor]

Is this a joke? lol

 

[JustintheDoctor]

Oh you've ordered 14 books already okay lmao. Nice troll account

And if by some stroke of weirdness and this is the one account on the site that's not making troll posts like this(theres been posts like this before) don't take my comments to heart (unless youre a troll account then GG)

 

[smp777]

Oh you've ordered 14 books already okay lmao. Nice troll account

And if by some stroke of weirdness and this is the one account on the site that's not making troll posts like this(theres been posts like this before) don't take my comments to heart (unless youre a troll account then GG)

I'm not a troll account. I have ordered 14 books because I'm passionate about learning. No one that I know has any experience with this sort of stuff so I wanted to ask people who do for advice on what I dream about. From the comments I've received, most aren't fond that I'm trying to learn so early. I don't know if this is unusual how passionate I am about medicine but I am 100% telling everything truthfully. It's unusual in my family, so that's why I came here to ask about it. I'm very grateful for all the responses I have received and at the end of the day I'm still only 13 years old. I'm not very vocal about being a doctor, I haven't told very many people and it's just family and friends. It's mostly the friends that are very judgements about how much I want to be a doctor. The other portion is just one or two people from family who just tell me I should be careful and I should have a back up plan and I totally understand that. Again, I'm very serious about this. I just wanted to come somewhere where I could get actual advice from people with real experience, I do have the internet and I try to be as resourceful as I can.

 

[LucidSplash]

I'm not a troll account. I have ordered 14 books because I'm passionate about learning. No one that I know has any experience with this sort of stuff so I wanted to ask people who do for advice on what I dream about. From the comments I've received, most aren't fond that I'm trying to learn so early. I don't know if this is unusual how passionate I am about medicine but I am 100% telling everything truthfully. It's unusual in my family, so that's why I came here to ask about it. I'm very grateful for all the responses I have received and at the end of the day I'm still only 13 years old. I'm not very vocal about being a doctor, I haven't told very many people and it's just family and friends. It's mostly the friends that are very judgements about how much I want to be a doctor. The other portion is just one or two people from family who just tell me I should be careful and I should have a back up plan and I totally understand that. Again, I'm very serious about this. I just wanted to come somewhere where I could get actual advice from people with real experience, I do have the internet and I try to be as resourceful as I can.

I don't doubt you are being serious. But the advice to enjoy being a teen while honing study skills, developing hobbies, and engaging in some volunteering/community service are excellent pieces of advice. You will have plenty of time to study surgery texts. This is a marathon not a sprint. For example I am currently 35 years old and have been through college, medical school, general surgery residency, and am just starting my final leg, a 2-year vascular surgery fellowship. I will be 37 when I am done with training. Between you and I that is a gap of 22 years, 15 of which I have spent in college/med school/training at this point, 17 by the time I am done. Also for half my family what I have done is very unusual. On my mother's side, none of my other siblings nor my mother went to college, so I know where you are coming from.

This is not the time for you to be studying surgery books. This is the time for you to be developing life skills such as study habits, interpersonal skills, hobbies that will help you with your future education/training if you do end up pursuing surgery and even if you don't. There will be plenty of time for books but IMHO now is not that time. It's not about passion, it is about what is most useful, healthy, and advantageous to you right now. Studying surgery books is none of those things for you at this point in your life.

 

[AttemptingScholar]

I don't know why this is so true. All the kids who were the most vocal about wanted to be a doctor/being pre-med are the ones who switched out or aren't doing too hot.

So true.

 

[astrostellar]

I knew I wanted to be a doctor at 13, too. Lots of life mix-ups and screw-ups led me to a different job in the military, but now I'm back pursing medicine because it was what I really wanted to do. My only advice is that motivation and desire is great, but without discipline, it won't get you anywhere. I had loads of anxiety, never did my homework in high school, scored great on standardized tests but didn't know how to be dedicated to anything, became depressed and skipped class in college. I figured that once I got to college, I would have a 4.0, but it doesn't work like that. You have to figure out how YOU are academically successful and what it takes for you to learn. For me, it involves setting aside a time, getting away from others, sitting down by myself and studying in a place where nothing can distract me. If I don't do that, I won't do my homework, and now I know this. Don't just ride on the assumption that everything will be better/easier/you'll have it together in college, because unless you've been working that self-discipline muscle, there's a good chance you won't do a 180 and suddenly become a perfect student. Focus on doing well in high school. If you're making decent grades into your junior year, then you can start thinking about med school stuff. Just find out how to be a successful student now, and the rest should fall into place.

Find something to volunteer for that you're passionate about, too.

 

[Kingsmen2018]

ur still 13, focus on becoming a professional football or basketball player lol. Seriously tho, enjoy your childhood and hang with ur friends and start getting to know the opposite sex a little more You can do all this while still getting good grades in high school bud. one step at a time

 

[poly.deus]

*Writes a book

 

[deleted407021]

I'm not going to talk down to you -- I don't think teenagers like or derserve being talked to like they're little kids. But the fact of the matter is, you're a long way from really taking the steps that will lead you to med school, much less a surgery residency. I think it's great you've found a career you're interested in, so read about it, shadow just a little, watch House and Scrubs and get excited about being a premed once college rolls around and there will be lots of opportunities to get involved in healthcare. But I don't want you to obsess or neglect ALL the many opportunities you have now and in the many years ahead to have fun, learn about yourself and others and gain some life experience that's really more important than worrying about being a surgeon.

This is a journey for all of us -- I'm like 60% of the way there but you're about 0.5% and there's lots to do before you can really get going with your career goals. Have fun with high school and hopefully we'll see you back here in a few years when you're really ready to make some moves toward med school, k?

 

[Princeton Medical Student]

Hi, I am kinda new to the whole process since I just recently finished freshman year of college, and I figured I'd give you a bit of perspective. Trust me when I say that when you are thirteen, you will naturally move interests from one topic to another. I know that I certainly have, since I went from wanting to become an airline pilot, to a software dev, to a computer scientist, to joining the Navy (I still want to), well to now this. Do your best in school and come back in 5 years.

 

[AttemptingScholar]

A lot of us are giving good advice that probably seems discouraging, so here are some realistic things you can do now to set you up for success in the future:
1. Hard classes. Get used to being challenged in multiple classes at once. People who found high school easy may not find college easy and definitely won't find med school easy. Performing well in difficult classes is a skill to be practiced.
2. Healthy habits. It's easier to eat well, exercise every day, etc. when you have people buying food and stuff for you. Build those habits.
3. Start thinking a bit about letters of recommendation for college! Find teachers that you like and like you and ask what other classes they teach. Try and join those classes. Multiple classes with one teacher makes a stronger letter of rec. See if you can make your counselor like you, too.
4. Find non-medicine related hobbies. Preferably non-academic ones. Some days school just isn't gonna work right, and it's nice to have something else you can do to keep your confidence up. In high school, I did cheerleading because I was good at yelling.
5. Picture the kind of person you want to become and remain conscious of that as you make decisions. When you are a doctor, how do you want people to perceive you? How do you want to be able to respond to criticism? What interests does future-doctor-you have? Those aren't just going to happen, you have to cultivate that.

Good luck!

 

[Medic741]

I don't know why this is so true. All the kids who were the most vocal about wanted to be a doctor/being pre-med are the ones who switched out or aren't doing too hot.

If you want to be a doc... start working hard, you'll have to get used to it. Consider a gap year after high school // before college if you haven't found your mojo

Lol... and also...

Learn fast that nobody cares/wants to hear about what you'll be studying for 4 years. Even when they ask what you're working on their eyes will glaze over the *second* you start to answer their question about the IR/NMR sitting in front of you.

The road ahead of you is long & you'll make it, but the world doesn't need to know & will respect you more if you're not yelling from the mountaintops. Do *everything* with excellence and you'll leave a good mark

 

[Mad Jack]

At 13 I was watching Drake and Josh on nickelodeon and eating cheetos.

Just to put it in perspective.

Pleb-tier childhood.

 

[Turkishking]

 

[Turkishking]

I knew I wanted to be a doctor at 13, too. Lots of life mix-ups and screw-ups led me to a different job in the military, but now I'm back pursing medicine because it was what I really wanted to do. My only advice is that motivation and desire is great, but without discipline, it won't get you anywhere. I had loads of anxiety, never did my homework in high school, scored great on standardized tests but didn't know how to be dedicated to anything, became depressed and skipped class in college. I figured that once I got to college, I would have a 4.0, but it doesn't work like that. You have to figure out how YOU are academically successful and what it takes for you to learn. For me, it involves setting aside a time, getting away from others, sitting down by myself and studying in a place where nothing can distract me. If I don't do that, I won't do my homework, and now I know this. Don't just ride on the assumption that everything will be better/easier/you'll have it together in college, because unless you've been working that self-discipline muscle, there's a good chance you won't do a 180 and suddenly become a perfect student. Focus on doing well in high school. If you're making decent grades into your junior year, then you can start thinking about med school stuff. Just find out how to be a successful student now, and the rest should fall into place.

Find something to volunteer for that you're passionate about, too.

When the kid is 13? Lol.

 

[Dr Mango]

i m 13 too, this was posted in the past so u would be a lot older, i m 13 years old and i want to pursue a surgeon career as i am fascinated by the ways that surgeons treat their patients and all the techniques that are used. i want to start learning early but my grades are low i mostly get b's and c's and rarely a's so i don't have enough confidence that ill be able to follow my dreams, so... can someone help me start.. please?

 

[deleted480308]

i m 13 too, this was posted in the past so u would be a lot older, i m 13 years old and i want to pursue a surgeon career as i am fascinated by the ways that surgeons treat their patients and all the techniques that are used. i want to start learning early but my grades are low i mostly get b's and c's and rarely a's so i don't have enough confidence that ill be able to follow my dreams, so... can someone help me start.. please?

Forget surgical techniques and get As in your current classes, don’t get arrested, be a kid. Do that until college then come back and we’ll work on the next assignment.

(I’m not joking, it’s that simple right now)