Did I mess up?

[gymtanlaundry]

The long and short of it is that I worked for two years at a hospital after college while applying, and never told anyone at my job- even doctors I saw every day- that I planned to go to med school. When I was accepted I was excited, but there was a kind of hollow feeling telling my coworkers, because I'd never asked for any of these doctors' advice or help over the course of TWO years. People were happy for me but I get the feeling some were either insulted or found it very strange what I had done. It is kind of like announcing to your parents that you're engaged to your girlfriend of two years when they had no idea you even had a girlfriend. (sry, best analogy I can conjure) I wanted to avoid sharing defeat, but ultimately just avoided sharing the celebration.

Does this say something bad about me, personality-wise? Am I selfish, indifferent to the feelings of others? Paranoid? Or maybe it just goes to show the ridiculous nature of med school application these days. I guess this is a "nice problem to have" but I feel kind of bad.

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[Elpenor]

Don't feel bad. There is nothing wrong with being modest. I don't tell anyone that I plan to apply to medical school. My close friends know, but most people have no idea. If they (the doctors etc) directly asked you, I probably wouldn't lie... but otherwise I don't see why you should feel obligated to tell anyone.

 

[NickNaylor]

I'm surprised they didn't ask you really. Everyone at the hospital I volunteer at more or less immediately asks if I plan on going to med school.

This isn't even a huge deal. You have your own goals and objectives - whether these people know about them or not is entirely meaningless.

 

[bravofleet4]

No, it's not selfish or wrong. The comparison between your co-workers and your parents is not the same. Obviously when you're getting married, your family has a right to expect that you would've informed them about your relationship much earlier. After all, you're bringing a complete stranger into the family! Getting into medical school is always cause for celebration. However, it's always nicer for other people when they know you and they've followed along your progress. It's like telling the end of a story when you don't know what the original premise was.

 

[mouthwash4hobo]

Okay I'm doing this as well. I'm telling people/coworkers/friends what I'm studying now as undergrad. Of course they always want to know what I plan to do with that, and so I keep telling them, "I'll let you know when I'm there!" This probably makes me sound indecisive, but I want to make sure I'm getting in somewhere.

 

[bannie22]

Go to them and thank them for offering the opportunity to let you volunteer at that place!

 

[Zona Pellucida]

Don't feel bad. If anyone asks just say you didn't want to mention it and get anybody's hopes up just in case things did not work out. Congrats and by the way nice user name haaa

 

[AdamS]

First, congratulations on your acceptance. In answer to your question, I don't believe you messed up at all.

When I volunteered at the hospital, the physicians and nurses I worked with assumed I hoped to go to medical school. Although I am not sure what your position was at the hospital or how old you are, based on my experience, I would imagine that many weren't as surprised as you may think.

I usually refrain from sharing my academic / career goals unless specifically asked, although I'm not entirely sure if I do so for the right reasons. For one, although I hope/pray I'll be accepted this year, there is a fair chance I will not be, so until I know what I'm going to do, I'm keeping it to myself when possible. Additionally, I can't stand it when you tell people you want to go to med school and they respond "Oh, I heard that is a lot of schooling but you'll be rich one day." I have realized that many people unfortunately share that view, and it makes me sick.

 

[JJMrK]

I'm surprised they didn't ask you really. Everyone at the hospital I volunteer at more or less immediately asks if I plan on going to med school.

This isn't even a huge deal. You have your own goals and objectives - whether these people know about them or not is entirely meaningless.

I think the difference is that it doesn't sound the like OP was volunteering. To me it sounds like he was working as some type of tech or something, so the volunteering = med school thing may not apply.

OP, don't worry about it. I do sort of the same thing and tell as few people as possible. Everybody has their own stuff going on, and when it comes down to it getting into medical school is cool, but not THAT big of a deal. No need to run around telling people, just do what makes you comfortable.

 

[gymtanlaundry]

Yea...it was 40 hrs a week for two years. I've worked on close to 10,000 patients. I appreciate everyone's input, it's not a huge deal- a learning experience of sorts.

 

[gymtanlaundry]

wow!! What kind of job was it?? Or is this something that is in the original post that I didn't read because I'm being lazy by not going back to it?? haha.

Haha, no, I didn't mention it. I was an EKG tech, so I got paged to do stat EKGs throughout the hospital all day, went to all the codes, hung out in the ER a lot. It was a sweet job now that I think about it, though it paid terribly. I don't think it's a common stepping stone for med school, though, usually nursing, CC tech, or EMS.