bleh about life

Run your own race dog. Who cares what other people are doing.

 

Do what will make you happy ten years from now. This whole process is a beast, but I find comfort knowing that, eventually, I'll be where I want to be with no regrets, not wondering "what if." Stay on course and keep pushing.

 

I would disagree and suggest you get a job, get your life together and come back to premed. You are struggling in mental strength and maturity and the struggle of premed/med school is eating you up.

 

If you are looking at others what they have achieved then get some motivation not demoralized, jealous or feel bad for you. Ask other friends for help, don't be shy. Sometimes its better to move out from there and restart if you can afford. Work hard, concentrate on your MCAT study you will do great. In the meantime do shadowing or do some volunteer work or even take some classes to stay buy.
All the best and good luck!!!

 

Have you considered alternative healthcare paths, such as podiatry? You've been on this forum since 2015, and you haven't had much luck. Maybe it's time to explore other options.

 

When are you testing? If you want a dog ask for a horse. Aim for a 515.

As for your blehness, it's not a competition. I'm sure you have done stuff that those other people are envious of. Do figure it out because if you are so up and down, god knows what Med school will be like for you.


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booooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

 

To be fair, my friend, I left a very lucrative IB job when I was 26, left London and returned to the states to TRY to get into medical school. At first, I could not do the formal postbacc I wanted to do because of financial aid. So, I had to wait another year and attended a state school for an informal postbacc. Then second semester of that year, all the courses I needed conflicted with each other, so I had to take only one course that spring semester, take one in the summer, and delay applying another year. Then, I could no longer defer my student loans anymore so I had to head back to work full-time and took another 2 years to save up enough to have enough money to put away to study for the MCAT for 4 months, set me back another two years. But, by the time I was 31, I was accepted into an allopathic school in the states. You've already stated the obvious: everyone has their own path. And you do too, if you really want this? But you have to really ask yourself that question at this point, my friend. 25 is incredibly you. But this entire process is not for the feign of heart. And to the above poster, I could not have said it better. Medical school is the epitome of an emotional rollercoaster. I wish you the best

 

I suggest seeing a therapist, and stopping comparing your life to others.

And Do NOT take the MCAT unless you're 100% ready. IF you have test taking anxiety, get it fixed before taking a career-deciding, high stakes exam. Med schools aren't going anywhere.

 

Average age of my incoming class is ~26. You're good, run your own ship and disregard others.


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it's your life mang, do your thing and forget the rest. motto for this and for life, you will never be happy if you are always busy comparing yourself to others.

 

Pardon me, but can you tell me what's wrong with my advice?

We're talking about someone who has been studying for the MCAT since 2015, who has taken the MCAT multiple times and bombed, who has a disastrous GPA, and who lacks English verbal abilities (quite possibly ESL, based on the quality of his writing on this forum).

I understand the "root for the underdog" mentality. I get it. But there's simply no honor in giving people false hope and encouraging a doctor-or-bust mindset. "Boo" all you want.

 

It's amazing how some people on here are so quick to make all kinds of speculations and judgements about others when they don't know anything about them. When you decide to dedicate your life to medicine, compassion is one of the most important qualities which these people are clearly lacking. Perhaps they need to reevaluate their own future career before readily giving out so-called advice to others...

 

You seem to have a strange understanding of the term "compassion."

To be compassionate is to feel and express concern for the misfortunes of others. The first step to being compassionate is to openly recognize the nature of the misfortunes in question.

As a physician, you sometimes have to tell patients precisely the opposite of what they want to hear; you sometimes have to deliver diagnoses that cause unimaginable anxiety and anguish. Do physicians pass along bad news because they lack compassion? Of course not. They pass along bad news, because they're deliverers of knowledge -- wielders of truth. Let's be clear: Honesty and compassion are not mutually exclusive.

Believe it or not, not everyone who wants to become a doctor can or should become a doctor. It's not "compassionate" to behave as though this isn't the case; rather, it's naive and cruel. My advice was perfectly sensible and appropriate, and I challenge you to explain in concrete terms why it was not.

 

Being a physician isn't anything special. It's just a job. It might not even make you happy.

 

You're very confused. There's a fine line between being honest and just being flat out a-hole. It's fine to give sound advice, but your job ends there. The moment you start adding negativity and making baseless assumptions like the OP being an "ESL" and what not, you're crossing the line. I mean the last few lines that you wrote reek with pessimism. You're clearly not understanding that OP is emotionally exhausted, and the last thing he/she needs is probably some random guy making smartass comments on a forum.

 

Just to be clear, I was responding to someone who was flippantly challenging my original advice with a "boo."

Anyway, carefully read the original post. You will notice that it contains a number of errors that native speakers of English would generally not make. That being said, there's absolutely no shame in speaking English as a second (or third, or fourth) language. It does, however, pose an additional challenge, since the MCAT is largely a verbal reasoning test. (Also, please note that I said "quite possibly ESL." I wasn't dealing in absolutes.)

Personally, I have nothing but respect for podiatrists, physical therapists, optometrists, etc., so I don't see my advice as being "negative" or "pessimistic." Perhaps you subscribe to the "doctor-or-bust" philosophy that's so widespread on SDN, so you think that alternative healthcare choices are inferior and undesirable. If that's true, then that's on you; it says nothing about the quality of my advice.

 

Oh, OP is emotionally exhausted? Well, in that case, we should tell him that he should continue the same pursuit that has been so fruitful and uplifting for him over the past two years. That's the "compassionate" thing for us to do, right?

It's the classic SDN attitude: "Back up the hill you go, Sisyphus!"

 

It's possible but it's going to require sincere effort from here on out.

Aim high and check out SN2ed's study guide over on the MCAT sub-forum. You would also need to supplement with additional books for the Psyc/Soc section. Do not take the MCAT until you are performing well on AAMC practice tests.

 

OP, there is no opponent in this game of getting into medical school. The only person you're competing with is yourself.
Don't allow the goal of becoming a doctor consume your life (don't let it define the true you). Being a doctor is just a job. Focus you bettering yourself every day (make small goals and accomplish them). Don't try your next attempt on the MCAT until you are scoring +505 (aim higher than this though). Take a MCAT prep course and supplement it with a tutor (this is an investment in your future).

 

Reminder to keep the posts civil and professional. Thanks.

 

n = 1 but I started my premed in my late 30's as a 'proud' father of one year old, wasn't doing so hot on my practice tests, and still struggling to finish my prereqs while trying to work a sh*tty job I had to hold onto dearly. I'm pretty sure I met at least five of DSM-5 for MDD then. Fast forward 8+ years, I'm now a PGY-2 at a great program with a job already lined up post residency. I still pray that I finish my residency in 22 months but I have to say this is probably the best job I've ever had even as a resident. My .02 is: if this is really what you want, it will be all worth while in the end. Don't give up, work as hard as you can, and you can also get there one day (if an old fart like me can make it this far). Best of luck.

 

I enjoyed this.