are med students happy?

[gotdoc]

med school will be quite the ride as we all anticipate. from my interviews ive seen that many med students seem happy, well adjusted, and balanced. I'm a little worried that medical school will erase my personal life and turn me into a raging, stressed bitch.

What do current medical students do to have a great time in medical school?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[bigdan]

I am having a great time. Like anything in life, there are things that you wanna do and don't wanna do.

I really believe it comes down to your expectations - if you think medical school will allow you a lifestyle like undergrad, you're in for a rude awakening. If you realize that you have to do stuff for school, and take your free time when you can get it, you'll be in better shape. If you have at least a passing interest in what you're learning you'll be in great shape.

Enjoy it. You're likely spending you're twenties under someone else's orders.

dc

 

[sscooterguy]

The above advice is good, I concur. However, you are talking to happy medical students. There are indeed a number of unhappy medical students, and you may or may not meet them on interviews. They are typically those who went to medical school for the wrong reasons, ie family expectations, not knowing what else to do after doing well in science, etc. These unhappy, as mentioned above, may be the ones that have the wrong expectations, like living as an undergrad. However, in almost every field you enter, whether its law school, med school, or professional job, there are few that you can continue to live an undergrad's life. Try to make sure your motivation and expectationsa are reasonable.

I suggest you pick preferrably one or maybe two hobbies/passions that you have, and stick with it in medical school to keep yourself sane. Most people can't handle much more than that. If its Traithalons for you, stick with training, and put off your softball, etc. If its book club you like, stick with it, but put off your competative chess. You'll continue to be as social/antisocial as you are, as much as you like or try. Your undergrad friends will see a change, but you'll see a change in them too, and your relationships will evolve as you make new friends from med school. If you don't want to talk about medicine all the time, then try to branch out and make non med school friends, study where few med students study, etc. Thats how my roommates and I keep sane/happy.

sscooterguy

 

[BaylorGuy]

I'm not there yet, but i would say that they are happy and have a good time.

I was at party yesterday and they all seemed happy....or they happened to play it off really really well.

 

[OSUdoc08]

med school will be quite the ride as we all anticipate. from my interviews ive seen that many med students seem happy, well adjusted, and balanced. I'm a little worried that medical school will erase my personal life and turn me into a raging, stressed bitch.

What do current medical students do to have a great time in medical school?

I'm happy.....in fact---I'm watching NFL playoffs right now, and drinking a beer. I'd be doing the same thing if I had an exam tomorrow.

 

[Kevbot]

What do current medical students do to have a great time in medical school?

If only you knew

 

[Law2Doc]

However, in almost every field you enter, whether its law school, med school, or professional job, there are few that you can continue to live an undergrad's life.

While I agree with this post generally, bear in mind that there are MANY 45-55 hour per week jobs and careers out there, which offer a significant amount of free time. There are also jobs out there where you have weekends off and no "homework". Some of these are professions. Medicine and law are usually not these. There are many happy people who don't go into medicine or law. Folks on SDN sometimes get too bogged down in the major professions and don't check out that there are other career paths out there as well. You have to decide what things are important to you, and if major blocks of free time in the near future is of major importance, then maybe premed isn't the right path.
In med school you will be doing some amount of studying every day, and will lose countless weekends to the library. Third year, you will start to have late night or overnight rotations. Residency you will be working 80 hours weeks (limited to that by law, but will be expected to read up on things on your own in your "spare time" on top of that).
The people who are really into medicine love it -- thrive on it. The folks who are into lots of free time, or those who didn't have a clear sense of what they were getting into, or those who are trying to "serve their sentence" in hopes of cashing in in a lucrative sub-specialty down the road in the distant future tend to be miserable. Know thyself.

 

[Gavanshir]

My friend who is in his 2nd year of medschool now parties every weekend and has time to workout 5 days a week, a lot more partying and working out than he was doing in undergrad.

 

[anon-y-mouse]

I'm happy.....in fact---I'm watching NFL playoffs right now, and drinking a beer. I'd be doing the same thing if I had an exam tomorrow.

Would the same be applicable if you went to an allopathic school? No dis or anything, I'm just curious. Pre-SDN, I'd never heard of a DO.

 

[OSUdoc08]

Would the same be applicable if you went to an allopathic school? No dis or anything, I'm just curious. Pre-SDN, I'd never heard of a DO.

Since the allopathic school near ours is considered easier, then probably. For example, our labs are fill-in-the-blank, but they get multiple choice on all lab practicals.

I worked with DO's for years before ever hearing of SDN.

 

[DoctorPardi]

I am hoping my free time will be comparable to the free time I have now. I work 2 jobs (about 40 hours a week, and I get call) plus I shadow a doctor once a week, and go to class full time. So I am hoping once I get into medical school and quit my jobs, I should be able to have 50-60 hours free to study and still have whatever time I used to have to goof off with.

This may not be true, but either way I am too much of a busy nervous type personality to want to sit around the house all day anyway, I'd rather be doing something.

 

[Law2Doc]

I am hoping my free time will be comparable to the free time I have now. I work 2 jobs (about 40 hours a week, and I get call) plus I shadow a doctor once a week, and go to class full time. So I am hoping once I get into medical school and quit my jobs, I should be able to have 50-60 hours free to study and still have whatever time I used to have to goof off with.

This may not be true, but either way I am too much of a busy nervous type personality to want to sit around the house all day anyway, I'd rather be doing something.

It depends a lot on the kind of student you are, and the structure of classes at the school you attend, and where you are willing to end up in terms of class rank. Lots who do the work/class/volunteering tandem still get shocked by how much you are expected to absorb in med school. A slower absorber may have no free time. Someone gunning for honors might have similarly no free time. Someone with an amazing memory for detail, or is happy to finish last in his class, might have more.

 

[OSUdoc08]

I am hoping my free time will be comparable to the free time I have now. I work 2 jobs (about 40 hours a week, and I get call) plus I shadow a doctor once a week, and go to class full time. So I am hoping once I get into medical school and quit my jobs, I should be able to have 50-60 hours free to study and still have whatever time I used to have to goof off with.

This may not be true, but either way I am too much of a busy nervous type personality to want to sit around the house all day anyway, I'd rather be doing something.

You're going to study 50-60 hours a week?

 

[DoctorPardi]

It depends a lot on the kind of student you are, and the structure of classes at the school you attend, and where you are willing to end up in terms of class rank. Lots who do the work/class/volunteering tandem still get shocked by how much you are expected to absorb in med school. A slower absorber may have no free time. Someone gunning for honors might have similarly no free time. Someone with an amazing memory for detail, or is happy to finish last in his class, might have more.

Honestly I don't think I'll end up being a super gunner, but I think I will be happy to be a group study *****. I plan on reading and studying much more than I do now in undergrad. So I don't want to have disillusions that I will have all this free time, because if I do great, but if not I don't think I will be upset about it really.

 

[DoctorPardi]

You're going to study 50-60 hours a week?

Well I think by that, I can spend that time, maybe sleeping more lol, studying more, reading more etc. Not necessarily studying 60 hours a week.

 

[OSUdoc08]

Well I think by that, I can spend that time, maybe sleeping more lol, studying more, reading more etc. Not necessarily studying 60 hours a week.

You should get a hobby.

 

[DoctorPardi]

You should get a hobby.

I play tennis as often as possible actually, and would be very willing to play more! lol

 

[Adcadet]

I'm generally very happy. MS1-2 was pretty straight forward, since your schedule is largely your own. First year I'd get pretty stressed around exam time; second year was better because I studied much more regularly so there wasn't really a mad dash in the last week. Third year so far is varied time wise - on some rotations you're putting in 80 hours/week plus some study time on top of that; others I've had have been 30-35 hours/week with no additional time. I've been very lucky so far in third year, because the rotations that didn't interest me were not very intense, and the very intense rotations I really enjoyed.

For fun I do the same things I did in college and grad school. It's just that I have to be more careful with my time.

 

[werd]

i'm happy in med school. the first two years are more work but fundamentally similar to college... we go out, have parties, just hang out with friends. i go running and lifting most days and usually watch some tv before bedtime. most of the people in my class are pretty happy i think... it's no walk in the park but it's not a bad life either.

 

[nutmegs]

I wasn't happy in second year but things are a lot better now. First year I had more time than undergrad. For me, being happy in the first 2 years meant learning how to accept that I wouldn't learn anything, not going to class, and doing things on my own schedule (gym in the AM, study all afternoon/evening). Make time for yourself, and drink the beer and watch the games you wanna watch.

 

[Adcadet]

I wasn't happy in second year but things are a lot better now. First year I had more time than undergrad. For me, being happy in the first 2 years meant learning how to accept that I wouldn't learn anything, not going to class, and doing things on my own schedule (gym in the AM, study all afternoon/evening). Make time for yourself, and drink the beer and watch the games you wanna watch.

I've noticed that most people like each year more than the last, with first year being the worst.

 

[Telemachus]

Med school will turn you into a stark raving mad psychopath. It is inevitable.

 

[jbone]

Would the same be applicable if you went to an allopathic school? No dis or anything, I'm just curious. Pre-SDN, I'd never heard of a DO.

 

[gary5]

Med school "happiness" is highly dependent on how well you can remember large volumes of information. The quicker and easier you learn, the more fun it will be. The more you have to work, the less fun and more stressful it will be. You probably won't know which you are until you get there. Now, if you have a 4.0 GPA and a 40 MCAT, it'll be rather effortless for you.

 

[thegenius]

However, in almost every field you enter, whether its law school, med school, or professional job, there are few that you can continue to live an undergrad's life.

While I agree with this post generally, bear in mind that there are MANY 45-55 hour per week jobs and careers out there, which offer a significant amount of free time. There are also jobs out there where you have weekends off and no "homework". Some of these are professions. Medicine and law are usually not these. There are many happy people who don't go into medicine or law. Folks on SDN sometimes get too bogged down in the major professions and don't check out that there are other career paths out there as well. You have to decide what things are important to you, and if major blocks of free time in the near future is of major importance, then maybe premed isn't the right path.
In med school you will be doing some amount of studying every day, and will lose countless weekends to the library. Third year, you will start to have late night or overnight rotations. Residency you will be working 80 hours weeks (limited to that by law, but will be expected to read up on things on your own in your "spare time" on top of that).
The people who are really into medicine love it -- thrive on it. The folks who are into lots of free time, or those who didn't have a clear sense of what they were getting into, or those who are trying to "serve their sentence" in hopes of cashing in in a lucrative sub-specialty down the road in the distant future tend to be miserable. Know thyself.

I second LawDoc. My current job (software engineer/manager) is much easier that undergrad. When I get home at 6:30 PM, I get to leave all that work at work. In undergrad - not so.