biggest sacrifices made for the path of the premed?

[SanDiegoSOD]

---

Members do not see this ad.

The only thing that I feel that I have had to sacrifice is a marginal amount of social activity that I would have liked to participate in. I'm pretty socially active most of the time, but I forgo the events, parties, etc. when midterms are in full force or the week leading up to finals. Other then that, pre-med life really isnt too bad, especially as a Political Science major/biology minor.

 

[veenut]

That goat

Hahaha...no virgins?

 

[WalterSobchakk]

Hahaha...no virgins?

That goes without saying. Volcanos sooo hot...

 

[lorelei]

When I started being premed partway through senior year, I had to give up a few things. I still finished both my degrees, but I didn't go much beyond the minimum requirements, and had to skip a few interesting classes I'd wanted to take. Of course, I could never have taken all the classes I wanted, so I was always giving up one or two. That last semester (4 labs, 21 credit hours) I had to turn down invitations to go out to bars with my friends, which kind of sucked, but on the other hand, how much do you really need to drink. I had to struggle a little in o-chem to not become a neurotic premed, but I think I've done pretty well.

The only thing I really missed out on was a great travel opportunity for work - it was over the weekend with the MCAT, and I had already paid and studied for it, so I couldn't go on the trip.

I try to remember that, no matter what my future plans are, my life is happening RIGHT NOW. Sure, I shouldn't live completely in the moment, max out my credit cards, and spend all my time at the bar, but if I forget to live NOW because I'm thinking about what's going to happen in a year or ten years or whatever, I'm seriously missing out. So I sacrifice a little extra sleep and TV time in favor of spending my time having fun and getting my work done. And I'm probably happier than I've ever been.

 

[WalterSobchakk]

I guess the biggest sacrifice I made was missing out on going to the keys with my friends over last spring break because I had to study for the MCAT. It paid off though.

 

[Blake]

Sacrifices ? I don't think I've made some particular sacrifices, but that's just me... 😎

 

[wends]

man, i dont think i made any sacrifices....i still study and go out and party....and i dont have the money to go abroad anyways so i didnt even think about it. i partied a lot more than i should have, and my gpa def took a hit esp in the first two years, but my mcat makes up for it. i agree that it is about time management, you have to learn to study for 6 midterms and still squeeze in a little clubbin in there. as for courses, my program had a strict requirement of courses and so i didnt have much flexibility, but i managed to take french, biomedical ethics, a course on the search for extraterrestrial life, and next term im taking greek mythology 😀

 

[slackerjock]

that is a very good use of the darth vader......

but anyways...ive made sacrifices myself but what was important is that i never had to give up anything completely....

friends? i dont need a lot....just the few close ones i have that make me smile...

relationships? i dont need to be hookin up with every girl i meet but i try to make the ones im in last....

social life? i dont know about you...but tho i am busy with a lot of other things to survive....i try and find time for this. its for my health....

travel? i never had any money to begin with to do that.

hobbies? i may not go as often hiking or boarding or things i like to do but i try to make it point to do something that i enjoy occasionally so i dont lose all touch with it....

but i aqree with what the person above said....we are not really sacrificing but just temporarily holding it off to set us up for the other things we are passionate about...like medicine.

Yawn whadda life.

 

[Sansfrontier]

Sacrifice???
-Sciences classes friday afternoon when everybody else has gone home for weekend
-Labs runs through lunch hour; no time to hang out in the plaza
-Your advisor: No, you can't pledge.
-ANNOYING, cocky, arrogant premeds will be your buddies for 4yrs.
-No time to take the 'fun' classes 'coz you got to finish the prereqs.
-Study for the MCAT WHILE taking physics 2, orgo 2, cal 2
-Friend asks: wanna go to NCAA finals? No. you gotta study for orgo and MCAT.
-Weekend? more studying, volunteer
-Oh, when is the olympics opening ceremony? The night before the MCAT
Gosh, I love to be premed!

 

[CheerChickMD69]

-Being in the library 24/7 unless I'm sleeping.
-Never getting to go anywhere fun during the semester.
-No time for anything else.

Yeah being a premed sure is fun alright 🙁

 

[pballa24]

Sooo, what did you guys do senior year?? I figured I worked my ass off for most of 3 years (frehsman yr:1 fluke semester due to excessive partying; sophomore yr: I abandoned my friends to make up for that semester; junior yr:4.0 and went out alot (finally learned how to be efficient)) so why not take it easy and have fun senior year. Thats my plan anyways, I hope to find out where I'm goin by September, then chill the whole rest of the time. I got a job so I can actually afford to go out and I'm gonna spend all of it. I was able to travel Europe (mostly stayed in Paris) this summer for a month on my own accord and I think the only thing I feel like I've missed out on (hittin up all the bars and diff. restaurants) I can easily accomplish snior year. I dunno, maybe my goals outside of studying are already so low that I am easily pleased. If so, whatever, I'm happy so wooow.

You guys saying you gave up a lot, including going abroad...why not try and travel after MS1 or some other time in the near future. You guys can still do extra, non-medically related stuff..just gotta watch the time. Time can be a tricky bast@rd.

 

[Mleung39]

Seriously, If you want to be a doctor, nothing will stand in your way. Imagine giving up your dream of becoming a doctor (or whatever that dream may be) just to have one summer abroad. It may sound appealing now but years down the line when you're doing something and you're unhappy, you'll realize that the immediate gratification you once had will have been long gone and even the memories will have faded. I personally gave up a 70K job before i even finished college in hopes that one day i will get into medical school. I don't regret it. Don't trip, think long run.

 

[rockstar2525]

Clarification: Studying abroad for one semster/summer does not= giving up your dream to become a doctor. There are plenty of people who make it work.

 

[Code Brown]

A 6-figure income.
Not being able to spend as much time with my wife.
Having to put off having kids for a few more years.

Nah...not too much I guess 😉

 

[benelswick]

premed is easier and provides more spare time than working full time. Suck it up and realize how lucky you are just to be in college

This is the truth. If you're a full-time student in the US of A with little or no obligation to financially sustain yourself or others then you probably lead one the more leisurely lifestyles attainable on planet Earth. Now if one of you had said you swam across the Rio Grande, got a job pickiing crops and managed to send your kid to school....OR....completed your degree while working full-time and taking care of a child...Those are sacrafices. Choosing between which hobbies to let go aint squat.

 

[rossrug]

Some people dramatize every step of the process, pre-med, med-school, residency, and a medical career. Everyone is different. There are ways of balancing anything. My sister went to Tulane Med School and partied more in med school than undergrad, and is now a neurologist. There is an internationally renowned jazz pianist who is also a practicing psychiatrist and on the faculty at UCSF. He managed to still practice piano throughout the "horrors" of med school and residency. No, it's not for everyone, and it's not easy, but anything is possible. People who make blanket statements like "pre-med is nothing compared to med school", "there's no way to do anything else during residency" need to think about those statements before they write.
Sorry, had to vent.

 

[roja]

Well said. Pre med is nothing compared to med school but its much more stressful given the general competition.. however, you shouldn't be sacrificing tons in premed. You should be able to study adn have a life. I partied a ton in med school. I have a life in residency... its not as cush as some lifestyles but it is fine.

 

[Singing Devil]

I sold my science textbooks so that I could afford extra coursework to boost my undergrad GPA. However, I tanked the MCAT when I no longer had my textbooks to study from.

Okay, not really.

But, hey, it makes for great irony, doesn't it?

 

[Long Dong]

I stopped getting drunk on fridays, cause the hang over on sat made it very hard to study. So I just got plastered on Sat night only saved money too.

 

[NubianPrincess]

Since my school had such a small science department, the class schedules had no flexibility. I couldn't have any off campus jobs and my schedules were pretty crazy. Glad that's over.

 

[busupshot83]

A 6-figure income.
Not being able to spend as much time with my wife.
Having to put off having kids for a few more years.

Nah...not too much I guess 😉

hey brown, there's always dentistry 😉