Burning Out in my Undergrad & Going through Rough Patch

[MDaddict]

---

Members do not see this ad.

/

 

[MCAT guy]

Its like this pre-medicine thing never ends... just keeps going on and oonnn and Im running myself into all this trying to come out in one piece..

Im overloaded with courses, but Yes I am doing good in them and thats not the issue, but all the thoughts I keep having are over-whelming:

-What if I don't get accepted into Medical School?
-Pulling up my average after an immature freshman year and now its end of the second?
-When am I going to start the volunteering and doing all I need to do?
-When am I going to have fun in life, I am focused to get to this goal, to what I love but im frankly nervous
-When am I going to start for the MCAT next year like this time?

...Its like Im losing myself over the way, Im losing who I am. I study, but don't want to, I LOVE MEDICINE, I want to study medicine..but Im afraid of not getting into medical school, I cant see myself other than a doctor. 😳 I'm taking summer courses to graduate on time, and I am afraid of having to lose one year between undergrad and medical school...

I just listen to songs, and I start tearing, and emotional phases go up and down through the day..i feel alone.... but i Just keep tearing and bulldozing (yes thats the word that fits my situation) through my courses and it kills me that Im not having fun right now, but its all for my goal.

I just need help from you guys, What did you do when u went through a rough patch?🙁

Don't overwork.

If you push so hard that you stress out, it isn't worth it. Work at a good pace but be careful to be going at a crazy pace. Give yourself time for other things (relax, hobbies, balance).

If you get perfect grades, MCAT and go to Harvard but hate life, well that sucks. Better to be a doctor and enjoy your life than to be balls to the wall crazy guy pushing the envelope and then find out you hate your life.

 

[cubssox2000]

-What if I don't get accepted into Medical School?
-Pulling up my average after an immature freshman year and now its end of the second?
-When am I going to start the volunteering and doing all I need to do?
-When am I going to have fun in life, I am focused to get to this goal, to what I love but im frankly nervous
-When am I going to start for the MCAT next year like this time?

I'm pretty sure that you came on SDN simply for a little pity party. In the event that you are serious, it's probably not really what you want to hear, but I will answer your questions.

-If you don't get accepted to medical school, you apply again. If you can't get in after 3 tries, each time updating your application and applying smarter, there are lots of options that you could do that involve the medical field but not be a doctor. The list of options is nearly endless.
-I don't think your freshman year was "immature" because you did say that medicine is the only thing you can see yourself doing. If that's the way you feel, most likely you had decided on medicine more than one year ago. If your GPA is under 3.5, make sure you work hard and bring it up. If your GPA is over 3.5, your fine. If you have anything lower than a C, retake the class. If you are extremely paranoid, you could always take an extra year, do a post-bacc and get better grades then.
-Most likely you should have started volunteering already. Most people will have more than 100 hours of volunteering by the time they apply. Look for something in the summer that you can do right away. Don't forget about clinical experiences.
-You should be having fun right now. Your in college, the best years of your life. Make the most of it, and have a good time. Do not let school get in the way of your life. All work and no play...
-If you are taking Kaplans, they generally offer classes that go from October-March once a week, and also multiple session that are one month long and meet three times a week. Do whatever works best for you.

Don't worry so much. You only live once, make sure to make the most of it. Do the best you can and keep your goals in order. Lastly, don't be afraid of taking a year off before med school. A lot of applicants take 1-2 years off. As a word of advice, if you are getting this worked up over undergraduate grades, TAKE A YEAR OFF. Avoid the burnout that you will suffer from if you keep worrying like this.

 

[45408]

I don't think it's a good idea to take a year off unless you have something well-structured to fill the time.

However, I think it's a good idea to take a 12-14 credit semester to get a bit of a break. After attacking the first two years of college, taking the MCAT, summer classes, etc., I was fairly burnt out by fall of my junior year. I had a lighter spring semester, and it helped quite a bit.

 

[morning]

I just listen to songs, and I start tearing, and emotional phases go up and down through the day

Have you considered that maybe this isn't because of pre-med stresses, but something you are suffering independent of your life activities? I'm no psychiatrist or anything, but I'd still recommend you seek some counseling and think about possible treatment options if it turns out you have a genuine problem.

If you're fine minus the pre-med pursuit, what you really need to do is find something you love and dedicate at least one or two solid hours to it a day without worries or stress. If you run yourself ragged before medical school, you're going to implode completely when you're actually in med school!

 

[FrickenhugeMD]

I don't think it's a good idea to take a year off unless you have something well-structured to fill the time.

However, I think it's a good idea to take a 12-14 credit semester to get a bit of a break. After attacking the first two years of college, taking the MCAT, summer classes, etc., I was fairly burnt out by fall of my junior year. I had a lighter spring semester, and it helped quite a bit.

I took a year off and coached little kiddies how to ski. One of the most fun years of my life, and was a great break from the rat race. Nothing medically related and it worked out for me . Your results may vary though

 

[loveoforganic]

It's not a race. If you feel your classes are going to suffer tacking in volunteering and shadowing and whatnot, don't do that stuff. Just do college, enjoy life. Take the MCAT one summer. When you graduate, take a job somewhere and start some EC's. One or two years tacked on to your professional pursuit are spit compared to enjoying your undergrad years.

 

[cubssox2000]

I don't think it's a good idea to take a year off unless you have something well-structured to fill the time.

However, I think it's a good idea to take a 12-14 credit semester to get a bit of a break. After attacking the first two years of college, taking the MCAT, summer classes, etc., I was fairly burnt out by fall of my junior year. I had a lighter spring semester, and it helped quite a bit.

True, taking few credits does basically the same thing. The problem is that the OP said he's taking summer classes and is worried about finishing on time. Taking less credits might make him need an extra semester/year.

I think that as long as you know that your taking the year to improve your application, do some volunteering, clinical work, real job, it should be okay. in this case, the year off isn't really to improve the application, its to relax a little and get out of the overworked mindset.

 

[deleted202457]

go to the gym or hit a bike or something. find something that will help relieve some stress if you're not willing to drop some courseload or something

 

[confusedchild]

I was recently accepted to a top 20 school and I took five years. I studied engineering and took premed courses along with them and chugged them out slowly. I could've finished in 4 but spread it out to five so I could have more time to explore the medical field via volunteering shadowing and researching while maintaining a well balance social life. You need to be a well balanced, well rounded individual to be a strong applicant, and not just for medical school but for your own sake as well. You'll be much happier as a well rounded person who lives a balanced life than a person who excels only on exams and on purely academics.

You're in school for decades on this path you're taking. The path of medicine is a marathon not a sprint. Pace yourself so you can jog through this marathon w/o collapsing. Sprinting like crazy in the beginning will only cause you to burn out before you ever get to the finish line. Good luck and relax a bit.

 

[Quaero]

The fun should start NOW!
Maybe out paths are different, granted that we went to different schools with different backgrounds. I go to state school, so that might be the only thing that makes my life much easier than yours. For the courses, can you not find the material to be enjoyable?

You can have a balanced life like most people. You'll just have to manage your time very well. I cut out all the tv/nonsense time to make time for reading, understanding, being with friends, etc.

If premeds around you can do it, so can you!
One step at a time man, one step. Don't think too much ahead. That may kill you. Focus 😀

 

[krispiffy3]

Same thing happened to me in my junior year as a pre-med. I knew that medicine was what I wanted to do, but I hated slogging through all of the crap of undergrad. Keep focused on one semester at a time. If that doesn't work..take a year off!! I did and it was the best thing that I could have done. When I applied, I knew without a doubt that I was ready and that I had all of my ducks in a row. This is a much better way of entering the chaos of med school than being stressed and under-prepared. I saw a few of those people crumble in my MSI class this year.

 

[AlexB]

Sink or swim.

 

[45408]

Sink or swim.

Or grab an inner tube and just float for a while.

True, taking few credits does basically the same thing. The problem is that the OP said he's taking summer classes and is worried about finishing on time. Taking less credits might make him need an extra semester/year.

Good way to slow the burnout.

 

[cubssox2000]

Good way to slow the burnout.

Well, that was kind of my point. It was YOUR suggestion so take 12-14 credits/semester. So...

All in good fun Prowler, all in good fun.

 

[willen101383]

When I was stressed out undergrad I would: take a dutchy, spill its guts into the trash can......you know what followed 😀

 

[QuizzicalApe]

Chill, dude.

Just do your best. Aim for a perfect score, but realize that it isn't always feasible. If you get a good grade, be content. If you're maintaining a good GPA, and especially if you're trending upward, you don't have to freak out.

Find time to shadow a few docs, volunteer at a clinic or something, and you're golden.

Spend the rest of your time hanging out with friends and going to a party on a weekend now and then.

If you're burning out now, the stress level you could experience in med school might incinerate you.

If you learn to seek success with the right attitude now, you'll be better prepared to weather the challenges of medical education with a smile.

 

[BlitzSleep]

I feel you op. I went through a similar time towards the end of my sophomore year. When I felt like that I would just cruise around in my turbo'd spyder. For some reason listening to the spooling of the turbo and a vented blow off valve always made everything alright

 

[oaklandguy]

I just need help from you guys, What did you do when u went through a rough patch?🙁

You just gotta plug away bud, It'll all be worth it one day.

For some reason I've been seeing a lot of people breaking down recently. You gotta look at this way though, 17,000 people get accepted each year, I can be one of those 17k people.

 

[oaklandguy]

I feel you op. I went through a similar time towards the end of my sophomore year. When I felt like that I would just cruise around in my turbo'd spyder. For some reason listening to the spooling of the turbo and a vented blow off valve always made everything alright

Gotta love the BOV when changing gears. Something about driving a turbo definitely cheers me up as well.

Pulling out a nice lager from the freezer always helps too.

Watching this should help as well:

[youtube]v4pWswDOJTk[/youtube]

 

[NotAsking4Much]

@OP: Everyone is life falls down at points. The ones who succeed in society are the ones who know how to pick themselves back up.

You do not have to sacrifice your life to be pre-med. Take a quarter off with some fun classes and leave some pre-reqs till after you graduate where you can take evening classes or what not (much easier). This is a marathon, not a sprint.

You are going to be in for one long journey, as with anyone else who studies medicine. An extra year here or there is not going to make a difference. What will make a difference is that you enjoy the journey as much as you can.