It was mostly 2 people and occasionally a third, but it was typically one doctor who would make these comments over and over again. The others would occasionally comment in passing. It got to me because we're very similar in temperament and personality, and she's someone who I really truly admire, both as a doctor and as the lovely person she is. I have a lot of respect for her, and she taught me a great deal. She really cared. In a situation like that, it's hard not to take their opinion seriously. In other circumstances and situations, I've been fine at picking out what's useful in people's advice and overlooking whatever didn't apply, but to have a mentor like that harp on the same thing over and over can really mess with your head.
My only point in bringing this up was that while it's very important for everyone to know exactly what they're getting into (because there are plenty of legitimately scary things about school and vet med in general), it's possible to go too far in underscoring the challenges and negatives, and that can be harmful just like sugar-coating can be. I've never really had many problems with anxiety, and it's not something I'm generally prone to, but hearing that kind of negativity repeatedly from someone whose opinion I really value really fed into it, and I don't think that was helpful. All it did was prevent me from relaxing and enjoying the little free time I had left. Setting people up for misery can make them actively look for it, and mentors can have a great deal of influence on the people they take under their wing. I think sometimes we don't even realize how much weight our words and advice can carry. I had also been reading a lot recently about psychological resilience in the health professions and how important it is for guarding against burnout and compassion fatigue, and this sort of scare-your-pants-off technique sort of flies in the face of the things you need to do to build resilience. Again, there are very real negatives in this profession that are legitimately scary, but once you've provided all the information you can and someone has decided to forge ahead anyway, I think it can be counterproductive to continue to freak them out.