Anyone else out there nervous about starting med school?

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DrHope30

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Okay, okay! I know I am going to get a bunch of the ?I AM GREAT? answers, i.e. I scored a 45 on the MCAT and have a 4.0 gpa so I know I will do great in school, but I for one am getting a little nervous. I mean I know this is what I want to do, and I will work hard but seeing the volumes of notes some of the students had during interview tours of the campus sure gets me apprehensive. I will just have to learn to manage my time well!
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A little nervousness never hurt anyone. Think on the positive side... A constant supply of adrenaline means less need for caffiene.

Just so you know, Im getting a little nervous too.
 
i'm definitely nervous. mostly because it's REAL life here. this has been the goal for so long that the reality of starting a track that i'll be locked into for 15 years is a little daunting. i'm sure it will be worthwhile, but like most adult pursuits, it brings it's fair share of demands. i'm feeling a little sad about the loss of all of the free time i have right now, scared about making all new friends, about not having time to devote to my current friends and family, about learning all that medical information, about distinguishing myself within a pool of highly intelligent and capable people, about being a good doctor... lots and lots of nervousness. but i am sure that all of this is good - it means that it's not a trivial experience. i cannot wait to see what effect medical school has on the person that i am and that i want to become.
 
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I'm really nervous, too. It's especially nerve-racking because all of us are successful and you wonder where you're going to be on the bell curve when the talent is so stacked. Especially when you're considering dermatology, like I am.
 
I dont want to sound like Im not grateful but the way things have turned out, Im not looking fwd at all to medical school. Im constantly asking myself why the good schools might have thought me a poor perspective doctor. And, if the second look was a good indication of the kind of people who Im going to be with, I wish I had the strength to reapply.
 
G.I. Joseph,
Wow, I am sorry the situation didn't turn out better for you. What is it that bugged you about your future classmates?
By the way, for the main topic, I am definitely getting nervous, especially since Duke crams all the sciences into one year. Plus, I am still getting used to my future debt and rationalizing that I made the right choice.
Dana
 
I was scared $#I+less too before I started, but except for anatomy (which wasn't thrown at us until second semester) I found med school to be surprisingly laid-back and not too mentally taxing. Physiology and Neuroscience (which a # of schools do not have until second year) can be a little rough depending on where you go too. I think the thing to do is take it all in stride and keep things in perspective. Also remember that when a school has a P/F or H/P/F grading system for the first two years that all you need to do is pass cause P=M.D. there are a few schools that have secret rankings during the first two years, but many have no rankings whatsoever so your grades will not matter that much. what does matter is learning as much as you can and learn what is most relevant to patient care and what is not, do well on the USMLE exams, and kick ass during the clinical years. I know all of this sounds easier said than done, but if I had known this before the first year I would have been much less nervous. Oh, yeah, and unless you are really gifted in anatomy, get a tutor or professor to go over as many different structures as possible on as many cadavers as possible. you will be VERY glad you did, trust me!:)BTW, I did not have anywhere near a 4.0 GPA and 45 MCAT. good luck! :)
 
well Imma kind of nervous too,

but u got to remember, it is high school de javu!!

for example

1. You gonna going to have smart kids, just in nature!!, that are ten times smarter than you, and no matter how much ur going ot study, they will, I repeat, they WILL kick your ass :D

2. You going to have some pompoous and snooty brats, where their "daddy" got them a BMW, and a chauffer, so they wont have to worry about getting their little fingernails broken by touching the steering wheel :rolleyes:

3. You going to have the nerd and the geeky crowd, who are either going to study 24/7, and not have a life, and not necessarily score the highest...

4. The depressed, shy, introverted group, that stay in a corner, and really don't wanna talk

5. The absolutely gorgeous, and most handsome group (male + female)....you either are so attracted to them, or dying green of envy, cuz they have the looks, the brains and the body :( (causes major depression if you around them)...these people are the socially "kewl" crowd, and with a small smile, they attract millions to them like magnets....even professors reserve "special office hours".... :wink:

6. You going to have down to earth, good honest folk, who may have some or none of the above attributes...these are friends for life, who going to be loyal to you no matter what, and will love you for who you are, not what you are :)

7. You also unfortunately going to have the "Advance myself" crowd, who work ever so hard to further their own pursuits/agendas at any cost and at anyone's expense....I experienced this first hand in college, last quarter and to be honest it ruined me so badly....and people in this group are extremely scary, and freaky, stay away from this group

8. and of course ur always going to have the class clown..

and then in high school...and remember pass = MD :)
 
Well thank you all for your replies. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one! Good Luck to you all!
 
I'm really nervous, too. But then again, almost every med student I talk to says the same type of thing that Katie expressed in her post above. So that's encouraging.

Remember, we used to hear about how it's such a huge transition going from high school to college. But most of us seemed to have managed okay during the undergrad.
 
Nervous, no, not at all...nope, nope, if I keep telling myself that, maybe it will go away...
:( I mean, what is so bad about spending the next decade of your youth studying, taking exams, facing the fact you are not the smartest, taking up the responsibility of another person's life, handling lawsuits and HMO....etc. But then again, we would not have chosen anything else. This is stimulating, this is challenging, this is the life we want. It will all be worth it! :D
 
Nervous, no, not at all...nope, nope, if I keep telling myself that, maybe it will go away...
:( I mean, what is so bad about spending the next decade of your youth studying, taking exams, facing the fact you are not the smartest, taking up the responsibility of another person's life, handling lawsuits and HMO....etc. But then again, we would not have chosen anything else. This is stimulating, this is challenging, this is the life we want. It will all be worth it! :D By the way, what r u guys doing b4 med. sch.? Any interesting fun ideas?
 
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•••quote:•••Originally posted by Girla:
•Nervous, no, not at all...nope, nope, if I keep telling myself that, maybe it will go away...
:( I mean, what is so bad about spending the next decade of your youth studying, taking exams, facing the fact you are not the smartest, taking up the responsibility of another person's life, handling lawsuits and HMO....etc. But then again, we would not have chosen anything else. This is stimulating, this is challenging, this is the life we want. It will all be worth it! :D •••••NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! You just brought it all back to me. I can't live with the pressure. And so the chant begins: I can do it! I can do it! I can do it!...At least, I sure hope so. :rolleyes: :p :wink:
 
I'm incredibly nervous as well. The whole combination: having to make all new friends, thinking everyone is going to be smarter than I am, not knowing what the f$#% is going on in the beginning, etc. The worst is not having anyone to talk to about it. My boyfriend is starting at the same school as I am and when I talk about nervousness he scoffs and says I'm stupid (not those exact words, but thats what it feels like). It makes me not even want to bring up anything :(. I'm so happy you guys feel the same way.
 
if you were rejected by some good schools, it does NOT mean they didn't think you could become a great doctor. i'm honestly surprised you haven't learned that by now... it's the nature of a competitive application process!

i'm getting a little nervous about med school but like some others have said, more nervous about my future debt... sadly enough.

•••quote:•••Originally posted by G. I. Joseph:
•I dont want to sound like Im not grateful but the way things have turned out, Im not looking fwd at all to medical school. Im constantly asking myself why the good schools might have thought me a poor perspective doctor. And, if the second look was a good indication of the kind of people who Im going to be with, I wish I had the strength to reapply.•••••
 
Its normal to be nervous about taking the next step towards your career. Still, I just think of it as another stop on the long journey ahead. You've come this far, so there's no doubt you will continue to succeed. Be confident! :)

Rezul
 
I am definetly nervous. I jsut went to see apartments and it made me all panicky about being so far from home and not knowing anyone. Having to be intense about school...still hoping to get into my state school...leaving my boyfriend...I think anatomy will be a little scary too...
I am also worreid about debt. They told us that we will be paying back at least $2500/month for 10 yeasr if we borrow all the full amounts!!!
That amount of money is just insane to me now!
 
NERVOUS? YES....But not a whole lot. This transition looks a little easier than the one I had to make from a High School in a town of about 4,000 people in Africa to a University in The USA.
WOW...... That one was the scariest, most nervous moment in my life. Not only did I had to adjust to life, but also, I had to adjust to the technologically advanced educational system in the States.
 
I was damn nervous and totally felt unqualified and that the school may have made a clerical error in letting me in.

Well, turns out, if you find balance in your life in terms of studying, exercising, eating well, and going out, it could be a very fun year. I had a pretty good time this last year.

However, in terms of nervousness, it comes and goes. I am really nervous about second year, because now it gets really hard and I'm not sure if I'm ready to work that hard. And I'm still wary of spending so many years in pursuit of this end. But, it is better than any alternative I have right now, so that's comforting.

And the person who divided up the class into those subgroups is DEAD on! It is exactly like that. The one group that the person missed was the combo: beautiful, brilliant, socially aware, and super friendly. God, they are lucky!

It won't be so bad, I promise. Just try to stay positive when it does hit a low.
 
well, I found med school to be unfortunately too much like high school, except to put it nicely we don't have too many beautiful people in our class. however, there are complete overachieving freaks who will do their best to make you feel like $#-+ about yourself instead of helping you out. as watcha said, beware of these people and stay away from them unless you have to be in PBL or some other small group with them.
 
is anyone on this thread who is nervous about medschool, nervous about finding/living with a roomate? or is that just the least of everyone's worries? am i a freak?

or perhaps, these worries are an indication i should live alone. But is 915/month worth it to live alone? I don't want to give the impression I'm a hermit. I have shared a room for 5 years throughout college, and of those 5 years have spent 3 sharing an apartment with 4-5 people. It's been ok, but I've always known who I was going to live with. Anybody have any thoughts?

Aside from the workload and being nervous about actual school itself, the living situation is one of the other things I'm nervous about, because I have to make a decision, and know that my decision may affect my academic performance as well. Do you guys have similar feelings?
 
yeah, like what if you end up living with one of those "types" that is supercompetitive or whatever, that you might probably want to stay away from?
 
I'm 1, 2, and 7 combined. Anyone wanna ride in the 500? --Trek
 
Live by yourself!! I did 2nd semester senior year as my housemate got booted out- i still saw all my friends the same, came home to peace and quiet and everything was neat and tidy (as i'm a neat FREAK). It ruled! I'm living alone next year- cost doesn't matter! --Trek
 
Eee <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" /> ! I'm with you guys! Ugh...I was washing dishes a minute ago and I thought about the same thing--what exactly USF, UF, AND UM found in me that made them think I would be a stinky doctor! I guess we all have these doubts--but jeeze <img border="0" alt="[Laughy]" title="" src="graemlins/laughy.gif" /> ! The nervousness just creeps up on ya!

Okay--I personally am ALWAYS the one studying that SOMEHOOOOOW doesn't get all the stuff until like, massive ass studying! As in I'm always studying in and the last one to "get it"...okay...now what number up there does that fall into <img border="0" alt="[Laughy]" title="" src="graemlins/laughy.gif" /> <img border="0" alt="[Laughy]" title="" src="graemlins/laughy.gif" /> :confused: <img border="0" alt="[Laughy]" title="" src="graemlins/laughy.gif" /> !
 
Oh, and by the way Katie, tre awesome comments! Thanks for the advice :wink: --it really made me, and I'm sure everyone else, feel better <img border="0" alt="[Lovey]" title="" src="graemlins/lovey.gif" /> <img border="0" alt="[Laughy]" title="" src="graemlins/laughy.gif" /> !!!
 
•••quote:•••Originally posted by Trek:
•I'm living alone next year- cost doesn't matter! --Trek•••••Not when daddy's rich, right Trek? :wink:
 
I'm nervous mainly because I won't know anyone, except for my crazy landlady. Otherwise, I really haven't been thinking about it. It feels surreal; I'm having to convince myself that I'll really be back in school in a month or so. I think AMCAS and this application process beat the enthusiasm out of me.
 
I'ma touch nervous getting back into taking classes and studying after a three-year hiatus. The high school stuff makes me a tad apprehensive too. It should definitely be an interesting experience.
 
I wasn't nervous until I started reading this thread... :p

I'm living with my sister, so at least I have someone who'll take my abuse and still have to like me. :D
 
I'm gonna *bump* this one on up. No offense to all you guys going through the harrowing applying/interviewing process. :p

Its getting close now. Orientation starts the 5th and classes start the 19th....the countdown has begun!

How much longer do you guys have to go?:eek:
 
It's getting pretty close to crunch time. I was talking to a cool second year from my school (hi MGG1848 :clap: ) , who I met through SDN, and he was telling me how we were going to have so much fun next week. I was like next week? OMG!! Orientation is NEXT WEEK!!! :eek: I was so used to saying August 7 that I completely forgot that July was finishing and orientation was around the corner. So, yeah, it's getting pretty close. I have orientation between August 7-9 and then classes start on August 12.:cool:
 
My orientation starts Aug 5 :eek: and classes begin the 12th. Why can't there be any students on SDN that are already there?? Oh well, at least we have a nice handful of us that are starting there next week. :)
 
Orientation for me starts the 5th and classes start the 19th.

What, may I ask, are they going to do to us with two weeks?! :eek:
 
Espion,
It does seem to be a very loooong orientation. Maybe they have a mini course prepared for you that serves as an intro to medicine (i.e. Profession of Medicine course?). Good luck.:)
 
I wasn't too nervous till I moved in this weekend. My apartment is right across the lawn from the school. During the move, I looked through the bedroom window and the only thing I saw was the school building, that's when reality sunk in. Now I'm freaking Nervous, but I guess I will be Okay.
 
I actually have no idea if a class is planned or not. There's a scheduled trip to the hospital we are doing our 3rd and 4th year rotations but I don't think I'm gonna go. I'll get there sooner or later, and the trip is a long 'un.


Dr. Maxy: yup, I live really close to the hospital, and I gape every time I drive by. :p


I really wish I could get more excited about it though. I've wasted my excitement over 7 months worth of waiting for it to start...
 
I wasn't too too nervous until I started to move my stuff in today.....(I have a couple of weeks before orientation)...after dealing with a large uhaul in a very narrow street in NYC, I had the opportunity to meet my neighbor, who when I introduced myself in the hall she said"that's nice" and didn't even tell me her name. I think my heart fell about 20 floors. Well I will be probably be living there for four years :( I hope she likes my dog that is moving in on friday though!:clap:
 
trout,
Get used to your neighbor's attitude. Most big city natives (like myself and others in Miami) fall "victim" to being indifferent to what's going on around them. There are so many people around us at any given moment when you are navigating through the city that you don't even bother to know your neighbors' names. Sometimes us "big city" people have the mentality that we shouldn't waste time and effort getting to know someone who lives next door because they will soon move out anyway. I know that it isn't an excuse to be "rude" (even though we don't view this as being rude), but that's just how it is most of the time. Give her some time. She may come around soon.
 
I am nervous, orientation starts Monday for me too. And I am so overwhelmed about simply MOVING to St louis, that starting actualy classes still seems so far away!
This is the fathest I have ever been from home and I am scared of all the work and what if I am not smart enough????
do you guys feel the same?
good luck for all of us!
 
I can't imagine what it's going to be like waking up early for school again on Monday. I'm so stressed about it all. Also, my husband is having a hard time finding a job so i have some guilt because of that. But I'm opptomistic.
 
I have been chowing down on Rolaids and Zantac like there is no tomorrow.

My stomach goes into acid hyperproduction when I am stressed.... and I don't even have orientation until Aug. 29th! :eek:

Summer assignments aren't helping either. Is anyone else looking at the Hopkins problem sets and thinking HUH!?!?!? :confused: Please tell me that I am not alone here. I was thinking about breaking down and looking at the solutions.... but I can't get myself to cheat. Oh well. Hopefully I will get my act together sometime in the next month!

Its comforting to know that a lot of us are in the same boat. :)
 
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