Did anyone who was miserable during school stick with it and are now glad?

[KyGrlDr2B]

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I am wondering for personal reasons, obviously. During 1st year, I adjusted quickly, made good grades, and enjoyed myself a lot. Ever since 2nd year started, I've been miserable. I dread waking up in the morning and going to school and have started missing a ton. (I used to skip a lot, but I'd use that time to be productive, now I just sleep in or watch tv.) I really can't seem to get out of the rut. Once I get to school, I'm ok, but when I'm at home and think about things, I just feel so depressed about going back. Over thanksgiving break, I really didn't want to come back because I knew I had 3 weeks of studying my ass off for 2 tests before xmas break. I've talked with a few other people and they aren't enjoying the year either, but then I look at others who are doing just fine and love it more than 1st. I guess I'm just in a funk with it all, but what took the cake was today, I yelled at my little puppy for really no reason--he was squirming and biting my fingers when i tried to put his leash on him. I felt horrible after that and ended up crying for like a half an hr after that because I felt like such a horrible dog mommy.🙁

I just hope that when 3rd yr comes around, things change for the better. 🙁

 

[Darth Vader]

Don't worry, third yr is a lot different then 2nd yr. I actually preferred the first two years to third yr, but for most people, it's the opposite. The key is to take frequent breaks, and don't feel guilty about not studying during your breaks. Remember that taking breaks is part of your study strategy. If you are taking a break and just moping about not studying the whole time, that's not really taking a break and you aren't helping yourself study in the future. Also, remember that Christmas break is just around the corner. Try not doing anything but lounging around (don't study, don't go on vacation, etc) during Christmas break so that you will be so bored that getting back to school will seem like a relief for you.

 

[Darth Vader]

Oh yeah, and you are a horrible doggy mommy!!😛

 

[Megalofyia]

Originally posted by Darth Vader
Oh yeah, and you are a horrible doggy mommy!!😛

but it's OK.. we all make mistakes at times and your dog will and has already forgiven you.

btw have you considered joining the dark side?

 

[Rod Farva]

I hate 2nd year, and I hate where I go to school... to make things worse, winter has arrived, and I'm even more miserable than I was before. Every day is worse than the one before it... that means that every day you see me, it's on the worst day of my life.

Seriously, though, I feel you. I think it's just a function of being continuously forced to study endless hours in the library, and then take lots of tests every few weeks. Hopefully things get better 3rd/4th years, because this routine is making me a bit crazy. I'm not sure if transferring would make me happier, or if I would just be miserable everywhere I go. Probably the latter. At least there is always beer!

 

[mongoose]

hey, KyGrl, i know how you feel. although i haven't really been there to notice that you were missing class because, well, i was doing the same. i guess i have been kinda going through one of my low periods lately and i tend to miss tons of school when i do. honestly, i like 2nd year better than 1st though if that makes sense. i definitely don't miss biochem or anatomy or histo. but you are right in some ways about 2nd year as well. it does have its ****ty parts. one thing that has really kept me hanging in there is the physicals we do in the hospital each week. most of the patients are just ordinary, but every now and then you get a patient that truly enjoys your presence and seems to appreciate the (very small amount of and horribly inadequate) care you can give. for me at least it makes it worthwhile. and keep some friends outside of school too. i just recently ran into one of my old buddies from back in eastern ky and i have been trying to hang out with him some. kindof a relief to have people in your life that don't give a rat's ass if you go to med school and don't wanna talk about it either.

 

[Stinger86]

My experience has been quite the opposite. I absolutely hated my first year in med school, what with all the "research science" and heavily detailed blahblahblah we had to endure. I attended class for about a month, then all of a sudden (about one week into Microanatomy/Histology) I decided to just not go. I spent the rest of the year sleeping in and goofing around. I would study the night before the exams, and forget most of the irrelevant stuff two days later.

Once second year started, things changed a lot. My whole problem with school was that I came to learn about medicine, disease, and treatment .... not about just proteins, eponymously named microscopic cells, and intelligibly tiny nerve branches. I've managed to attend most of my path, micro and physical diagnosis classes, but I still skipped all those stupid genetics lectures.

I have no idea how I'm going to react to the different way of life that is third year, but that's in the future.

Just stick with it until next year, and see how things are then. Hope everything goes well.

 

[Teufelhunden]

Originally posted by Darth Vader
Don't worry, third yr is a lot different then 2nd yr. I actually preferred the first two years to third yr, but for most people, it's the opposite.

Why did you like your first two years better? Just curious. Never heard anyone say that before.

 

[nuclearrabbit77]

Originally posted by Rod Farva
Every day is worse than the one before it... that means that every day you see me, it's on the worst day of my life.

office space?

 

[Mirror Form]

the first two years of med school AREN'T SUPPOSED TO BE FUN!!! If you actually liked second year, then something might be wrong with you. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, and you will find the right niche for yourself in medicine!

 

[TulaneKid24]

Originally posted by Darth Vader
Don't worry, third yr is a lot different then 2nd yr. I actually preferred the first two years to third yr, but for most people, it's the opposite. The key is to take frequent breaks, and don't feel guilty about not studying during your breaks. Remember that taking breaks is part of your study strategy. If you are taking a break and just moping about not studying the whole time, that's not really taking a break and you aren't helping yourself study in the future. Also, remember that Christmas break is just around the corner. Try not doing anything but lounging around (don't study, don't go on vacation, etc) during Christmas break so that you will be so bored that getting back to school will seem like a relief for you.

Third year is also sucks. It is a different kind of hell. You will be in the hospitals and clinics, but you will still have to study just as much. Clerkship shelf exams are very difficult and usually count for 25 - 30 percent of your grade. Therefore, you will always be more tired trying to juggle studying and being in the hospital many, many hours a day. And you will also be evaluated by attending who don't know you very well.
😡 😕 🙁

 

[freshity]

i've definitely felt this way before, and since i'm not feeling that way now, all i can ssume is that it gets better. more importantly, it can ONLY get better when it feels so bad (like someone recently told me re. resucitating a coding patient "you can only make the patient better. he's already doing real bad, so just get to work"). keep that in mind.

med school, even at its best, is miserable at times. it is. it hurts emotionally and is emotionally thankless, at times. you give up most of the rest of who you are to meet some of the most banal of requirements (like studying for 10-12 hrs/day), and in the end, the outcome serves mostly to illuminate what you still need to know. it's quite a challenge to balance your own reactions to all of this with what you need to continue to be doing--all the while doing it alone. it is one of the loneliest experiences i've ever had--both during the good times and the bad times.

be good to yourself. sometimes set your expectations lower. be happy for the little things (like 1 hour of uninterrupted study, the moon after a long day inside, etc). some people will say it gets better, some will say third yr sucks (i'm more the former)--regardless, it CHANGES. you should stick around to appreciate it and to apply some of what you've learned. you deserve it.

 

[Darth Vader]

I didn't want to bad mouth third year too much since the OP was complaining about second year and I didn't want to make everything seem too bleak, but I do agree with the previous poster who stated that third year sucks. Besides having to study all the time for those shelf exams, you are expected to show up early in the morning and stand around for hours in an OR during some rotations, seeing and doing things you'd rather not be doing for the rest of your career. I liked first and second year because we had a ton of free time. After classes (which usually ended around noon to two o clock), we had all the free time in the world. I'd use that time to either take a nap, surf the web, while taking my 2 hr lunch break (something else that I missed in third year). Btw, I agree with the other previous poster who stated that joining an organization such as the dark side can be a great help for getting through tough times.

P.S. Fourth year is probably the best year of medical school though, IMO. There you get to schedule what you want, and most electives don't expect too much out of you, and you don't have the pressure of your grades counting for much anymore either.

 

[DW]

Originally posted by nuclearrabbit77
office space?

what about today......is today the worst day of your life?

YEAH!!

Man, thats messed up.........

 

[moops]

evil one, are u in residency? where did u go to school?

*poop*

Originally posted by Darth Vader
I didn't want to bad mouth third year too much since the OP was complaining about second year and I didn't want to make everything seem too bleak, but I do agree with the previous poster who stated that third year sucks. Besides having to study all the time for those shelf exams, you are expected to show up early in the morning and stand around for hours in an OR during some rotations, seeing and doing things you'd rather not be doing for the rest of your career. I liked first and second year because we had a ton of free time. After classes (which usually ended around noon to two o clock), we had all the free time in the world. I'd use that time to either take a nap, surf the web, while taking my 2 hr lunch break (something else that I missed in third year). Btw, I agree with the other previous poster who stated that joining an organization such as the dark side can be a great help for getting through tough times.

P.S. Fourth year is probably the best year of medical school though, IMO. There you get to schedule what you want, and most electives don't expect too much out of you, and you don't have the pressure of your grades counting for much anymore either.

 

[GoodMonkey]

Originally posted by mongoose
and keep some friends outside of school too. i just recently ran into one of my old buddies from back in eastern ky and i have been trying to hang out with him some. kindof a relief to have people in your life that don't give a rat's ass if you go to med school and don't wanna talk about it either.

and this is what helps me keep my sanity and helps me remain grounded as well. i'm very fortunate to have a handful of friends here outside of school, who knew me before i started med school, and after the gratuitous "how's school?" question, would rather talk about other things.

 

[Foxxy Cleopatra]

KyGrlDr2B-

I was in your shoes 3 years ago- it seemed like the biggest priority in my classmates was who got the 96 versus the 92. I remember thinking what in the world did I sign up for? I did not like it one bit and kept thinking that this cannot be what medicine is all about. I thought about quitting several times but for some reason did not. I'm starting to realize that medicine is all about delayed gratification.

I liked 3rd year dramatically more than the first 2. Some of the same BS still exists, but you at least get a taste of what medicine is really like and what things interest you. You may be one of those people who something clicks really well with 3rd year. If not, explore your options very well (i.e., how much do you really like patient care/ dealing with families/ how do you feel about dealing with litiginous issues/ uncontrollable hours) and do as thorough as possible investigation of the programs you plan to rank highly.

Also, remember there is nothing wrong with going into rads or path (I'm starting to really envy those guys)!

Good luck
🙂

 

[doc05]

KyGrl-

you sound depressed. anything in particular bothering you? what about 2nd year is different/worse than 1st year?

frankly, I hated 1st year, 2nd year was great, however. 3rd year can be great, or it can suck, depending on the rotation/your interests.

chin up! things DO get better.

 

[Philo Beddo]

Let me start by saying medical school was NOT a happy time for me. The stress changed me from a happy-go-lucky guy to a rather anal one.

However, since then my expereince has been as follows:

Internship - stressful, but fun. Paycheck baby $$ cha-ching. This helps.

Residency - the more you learn, the less stress there is in making medical decisions for your patients. And before long, holy crap, they become human beings again - and you find that you are one too.

It becomes easier and more important to form some kind of bond with a patient. You can see that they trust you. Thats heavy - but rewarding.

Philo

 

[ermonty]

Its good to know that I am not alone, though it feels that way at times. This year (MS1) has been terribly frustrating, though I would not say depressing. Frustrating b/c, try as I may, my best has been avg. in my class. I came into school with the greatest plans (i.e. Ortho) and all the enthusiasm in the world. Now, the glass is half empty, and FM is starting to look pretty good! The biggest frustration has been the testing cycle, with a test Q4/5. MS2s say that 2nd year is better, more clinically relevant, with fewer exams. We shall see.

And on the bright side, Dec. 17th is almost here!!!
(LOTR:ROTK)

Monty

 

[Teufelhunden]

Originally posted by Darth Vader
Besides having to study all the time for those shelf exams, you are expected to show up early in the morning and stand around for hours in an OR during some rotations, seeing and doing things you'd rather not be doing for the rest of your career.

See, our shelf exams aren't that hard...eveyone pretty much passes, so there's not a lot of stress. Plus, our post-roational exams don't factor into our grade for the rotation, so they kinda really don't matter much. Like I said, we just have to pass them.

I'll agree on the standing around part. I'm on anesthesia now and pretty much just stand around all day waiting to intubate. Luckily, I can leave during surgeries, while the students on surgery have to stand around for the whole thing. I'll likely hate my surgery rotations...oh well...you can survive anything for 4 weeks.

 

[PunkRockDoc]

I'm right there with ya. I pretty much haven't really enoyed medical school since anatomy, which was first semester MS1. MS2 is pretty much wearing me down. I'm miserable, depressed, hate getting up in the morning, avoiding people at shool. And i used to be such a happy guy. Last year I was loving school, even when it was really hard. I was really looking forward to this year, thinking that the info would be so much more interesting, but there is so much of it and it comes at such a fast pace that i don't have time to really enjoy it. The only thing keeping me going is that all the MS3s and 4s that I've talked to tell me that 3rd and 4th year are awesome, so I'm just trying to make it through.
P=MD. I kinda don't like saying that, but it's all I'm striving for this year.

 

[smugrinch]

Originally posted by Darth Vader
Don't worry, third yr is a lot different then 2nd yr. I actually preferred the first two years to third yr, but for most people, it's the opposite. The key is to take frequent breaks, and don't feel guilty about not studying during your breaks. Remember that taking breaks is part of your study strategy. If you are taking a break and just moping about not studying the whole time, that's not really taking a break and you aren't helping yourself study in the future. Also, remember that Christmas break is just around the corner. Try not doing anything but lounging around (don't study, don't go on vacation, etc) during Christmas break so that you will be so bored that getting back to school will seem like a relief for you.

What year you in lord vader, your most evil eminence?

 

[KyGrlDr2B]

Thanks for the replies. It's nice to know that it's normal to feel like I hate being here and I should stick it out just to make sure. I had a lot of fun 1st year so I'd like to get that back. Maybe christmas break will help.

 

[Darth Vader]

Originally posted by smugrinch
What year you in lord vader, your most evil eminence?

I can't tell you or anybody.

 

[KyGrlDr2B]

Originally posted by Darth Vader
I can't tell you or anybody.

I know what year darth vader is....

 

[Smoke This]

Originally posted by fre****y
med school, even at its best, is miserable at times. it is. it hurts emotionally and is emotionally thankless, at times. you give up most of the rest of who you are to meet some of the most banal of requirements (like studying for 10-12 hrs/day), and in the end, the outcome serves mostly to illuminate what you still need to know. it's quite a challenge to balance your own reactions to all of this with what you need to continue to be doing--all the while doing it alone. it is one of the loneliest experiences i've ever had--both during the good times and the bad times.

Word. Second year for me is lonely as ****. I don't mind the work but I really despise some of my classmates. I don't know what it is but I just don't have the same sort of good friends here among my classmates like I did in college. I'll be awfully glad for 3rd year when I won't have to see my whole class every day.

 

[DOtobe]

I will echo some of the other replies so far.

My first and second years absolutely sucked. I can't count how many times I asked myself "why am I doing this?" and thought about how much easier it would have been if I would have just gotten a job right out of undergrad. But the third year has definitely been better. It is better because you get to see firsthand the things you have been learning about in textbooks for the first two years. Clinicals are an entirely different way of learning, and they are much more interesting because they are hands-on. But as everyone said, the third year has bad points too. You will feel like an idiot quite often in front of your attending. It's hard to shake the feeling that everything you say or do is being analyzed and may factor into your evaluation for the rotation. However, the good things about third year far outweigh the few bad points.

Don't worry, second year will be over before you know it! You'll be fine.