Do people just love to complain or is med school really that much of a nightmare?

[doctorstrangerthingz]

I'll be starting medical school in the fall and upon reading on some specialties and medicine in general, I constantly come across people who feel jaded by medicine and regret going to medical school. During my interviews I asked this question to all the students, is medical school really that bad? EVERYONE said no its not as bad as people claim! I even went with a medical student whom I knew from my town to a bar where all his friends from med school were and everyone was enjoying their time! Why is it that there is nothing optimistic about medical school and medicine in general online?
I know med school is not a walk in the park, and I'm going to be challenged in every single way imaginable, morally, intellectually, and emotionally. The journey to becoming a physician takes a lot of resilience. Are the people who are so pessimistic about medicine and love complain the ones who are in it for the wrong reason to begin with?
I might not know what I'm talking about since I haven't started yet, but I'd like to think that I'm in it for the right reason and I can't imagine that med school is so hellish to the point where I'll wish I didn't make the decision to become a physician.

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[AnatomyGrey12]

It's not an exaggeration that med school is rough and complaining with some of my classmates is often my favorite hobby, but the reality is that I love it and wouldn't want to be doing anything else.

 

[deleted407021]

Just going by the title ... definitely both.

 

[ChymeofPassion]

Over 50% are children of physicians, probably 75% of what's left is from high SES.

Most have never held a job, probably 95% never held a full time job.

The hardest thing many have been through is organic chemistry.

A lot of the loudest complaints about stress come from people with over 1k post history.

Wait most have never had a job? Even like a part time job over summers?

 

[libertyyne]

Medical school is not easy, but it is not a hellish nightmare either. There is a lot of information you are expected to retain and the pace of information is relentless. However if you do your work every day, 4-6 hours worth, you will not have an issue during m1. There are no moral or emotional challenges or even intellectual challenges in year 1.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

Medical school is not easy, but it is not a hellish nightmare either. There is a lot of information you are expected to retain and the pace of information is relentless. However if you do your work every day, 4-6 hours worth, you will not have an issue during m1. There are no moral or emotional challenges or even intellectual challenges in year 1.

Yep, just sit your butt in that chair and do it pretty much.

 

[Oso]

Yes.

 

[Grainagainst]

I enjoy learning the material and have not second-guessed my decision to go to med school for a second. I feel I have much more free time than I ever did while working 50 hours/week, taking classes at night, volunteering, doing other EC’s, all at once. Now my only responsibility is to do my Anki cards every day.

I’m worried M3 is going to be a grind, but I just finished M1 and it still feels like summer camp.

 

[InternistDO]

I enjoy med school, I've made lots of friends, and I don't regret it for a second--but I also had a Real Job for years before school and don't have any illusions about the grass being greener outside of medicine. I can imagine coming straight from undergrad it could be a shock.

That being said, you can love school more than anything, but it's hard work and there are still gonna be times when its awful and stressful.

 

[Goro]

I'll be starting medical school in the fall and upon reading on some specialties and medicine in general, I constantly come across people who feel jaded by medicine and regret going to medical school. During my interviews I asked this question to all the students, is medical school really that bad? EVERYONE said no its not as bad as people claim! I even went with a medical student whom I knew from my town to a bar where all his friends from med school were and everyone was enjoying their time! Why is it that there is nothing optimistic about medical school and medicine in general online?
I know med school is not a walk in the park, and I'm going to be challenged in every single way imaginable, morally, intellectually, and emotionally. The journey to becoming a physician takes a lot of resilience. Are the people who are so pessimistic about medicine and love complain the ones who are in it for the wrong reason to begin with?
I might not know what I'm talking about since I haven't started yet, but I'd like to think that I'm in it for the right reason and I can't imagine that med school is so hellish to the point where I'll wish I didn't make the decision to become a physician.

It's a med student's job to complain.

Wait most have never had a job? Even like a part time job over summers?

For many med students, residency will be the first employment they have ever had.

This is not a good thing.

 

[ChymeofPassion]

It's a med students job to complain.



For many med students, residency will be the first employment they have ever had.

This is not a good thing.

Wow, that's actually really sad. A minimum wage service job should be a required educational experience.

 

[solitarius]

Medical school is very stressful.
Medical school brings out the worst in a lot of people.
Medical school attracts a lot of demanding people who whine about a lot of things.
Medical school attracts a lot of privileged people who complain a lot.

 

[trobinsonmd]

I'll be starting medical school in the fall and upon reading on some specialties and medicine in general, I constantly come across people who feel jaded by medicine and regret going to medical school. During my interviews I asked this question to all the students, is medical school really that bad? EVERYONE said no its not as bad as people claim! I even went with a medical student whom I knew from my town to a bar where all his friends from med school were and everyone was enjoying their time! Why is it that there is nothing optimistic about medical school and medicine in general online?
I know med school is not a walk in the park, and I'm going to be challenged in every single way imaginable, morally, intellectually, and emotionally. The journey to becoming a physician takes a lot of resilience. Are the people who are so pessimistic about medicine and love complain the ones who are in it for the wrong reason to begin with?
I might not know what I'm talking about since I haven't started yet, but I'd like to think that I'm in it for the right reason and I can't imagine that med school is so hellish to the point where I'll wish I didn't make the decision to become a physician.

Parts of it are a nightmare, other parts are actually pretty cool... I think it's similar to ochem... you NEVER hear anything good about ochem and you always hear how hard it is... prior to taking it, you are freaking out... and then you take it, and see that while challenging, it is super doable... people like to complain about hard ordeals that they are going through and tend to focus more on the difficulties than the successes.. same thing goes for med school... I think it's pretty challenging, but residency is harder... especially for students who have not had any prior employment experience, the transition is tough and there is a sharp learning curve

 

[TheIllusionist]

If you are okay with being an obedient robot, it is okay.

If you aren't, it sucks.

And I'm not saying that everyone who is okay with being an obedient robot in med school is going stay one their entire lives. I'm just saying that one needs to be okay with being one temporarily to be able to get through med school.

 

[doctorstrangerthingz]

Finally some optimism her

If you are okay with being an obedient robot, it is okay.

If you aren't, it sucks.

And I'm not saying that everyone who is okay with being an obedient robot in med school is going stay one their entire lives. I'm just saying that one needs to be okay with being one temporarily to be able to get through med school.

What about medical school that requires you to be an obedient robot?

 

[Cryc_to_the_point]

I worked 30-60 hours per week while in undergrad.

I found passing M1 very doable, but to get "good grades," would be very difficult for me. I've held a "big boy job," with high stress, a high PTSD rate, and exhausting hours and I found M1 challenging. So clearly your mileage may vary.

 

[sharkbyte]

People love to complain. It’s just convenient. Medical students are the biggest offenders because when you’re studying all the time and you’re stressed it becomes sort of cathartic to complain about every professor’s slides and how pointless all the mandatory stuff is and how unresponsive and terrible administration is. It’s kind of nice when I go back home for breaks and hang out with some of my non med school friends because I realize how chill they are in comparison lol

Medical school is definitely tough but it’s not impossible. It’s definitely a big step up over college or anything you’ve done previously and I think every student has that one lecture or exam or class that overwhelms you so much that it hits you that “damn, I’m actually in medical school and there’s so much to learn.” For me it was the first block of anatomy when we had to learn all the muscles of the hand and forearm and all their innervations and actions. I had never done anything like that before. But as with everything in life, you’ll get used to it and it’ll become second nature. The human body and mind are so good at adapting, or at least much better than we think. That’s not to say that things won’t ever feel too much; in that case, it’s important to take a step back and take as much time as you need to clear your mind before moving on to the next thing.

It differs person to person obviously but I had a harder time with the personal transition as opposed to the academic transition... moving far from home (2000+ miles) for the first time, living in an entirely new city and part of the country, leaving family and friends, having to meet a whole new group of people...I’m pretty shy and have a small group of really close friends so I found it really tough in the beginning but it has worked out for the most part.

Also, to echo what some others have said, there are quite a few people in med school who have doctor parents or otherwise rich parents and have had pretty cush lives up to this point, so med school might represent the first time in their lives that things have become really tough. I don’t think those people should necessarily be bashed or ridiculed, I mean we all have our own experiences and backgrounds and struggles and all. Not to say that it isn’t annoying when you overhear some classmate be really open about how their parents are paying all their tuition or things like that. My take is, we’re all in the same boat, everyone in my class ended up in the same school and we’ll all go our separate ways after graduation and carve out our individual careers and start families and get on with our lives. It gets harder and harder as you move through the ranks but you’ll also become better and smarter and more adaptable. Never lose sight of your goals and never forget the people who love you and support you through everything.

 

[Redpancreas]

I'll be starting medical school in the fall and upon reading on some specialties and medicine in general, I constantly come across people who feel jaded by medicine and regret going to medical school. During my interviews I asked this question to all the students, is medical school really that bad? EVERYONE said no its not as bad as people claim! I even went with a medical student whom I knew from my town to a bar where all his friends from med school were and everyone was enjoying their time! Why is it that there is nothing optimistic about medical school and medicine in general online?
I know med school is not a walk in the park, and I'm going to be challenged in every single way imaginable, morally, intellectually, and emotionally. The journey to becoming a physician takes a lot of resilience. Are the people who are so pessimistic about medicine and love complain the ones who are in it for the wrong reason to begin with?
I might not know what I'm talking about since I haven't started yet, but I'd like to think that I'm in it for the right reason and I can't imagine that med school is so hellish to the point where I'll wish I didn't make the decision to become a physician.

Your professors and counselors tell you that medical school can be managed by good study/wellness activities like avoiding cramming and getting regular exercise, but make no mistake that it’s an abnormal state for the body. The amount of time you sit and study each day without breaks wears down on everybody and for some, the competitive environment brings out a lot of stress. You do get a temporary break before residency during 4th year, but then you’re back at it again for another 3-8 years working 70-100 hrs. a week on an entry level retail worker’s salary. For some, looking at friends who’re already earning’s part of the burn out. Overall medical training saps from your prime years of life, but it’s obviously a field of great privilege where you eventually are assured good compensation/job security.

 

[DocWinter]

Medical school is hard, but I used to be a blue-collar worker and busted my butt 50 or 60 hours a week for 40 grand a year. So I wouldn’t classify it as hard in the sense that I really didn’t mind sitting down and studying in a nice air controlled classroom and being pushed to do my best.

What got me was coming from a place where I had a little bit of money, and having to let go of all of that, plus all thesacrifices that had to be made to move away from family and friends, and to be treated like a child in many regards because that’s just how medical school operates.

Yeah it’s hard, but what’s really hard is digging ditches in your 40s and 50s, or getting into retirement age without a retirement.

 

[Ho0v-man]

I worked three high stress jobs averaging about 70 hrs/week though the last half of undergrad while attending school full time. M1 kicked my @$$. YMMV

 

[Psai]

Complaining is my number one hobby

 

[The_Sunny_Doc]

I think it’s the sitting and isolation that got to me more than anything else. I’d take working at my old minimum wage job where I pushed stretchers around and got to interact with people all day over studying for boards, which was pretty agonizing for an extrovert. I think if you’re an extreme “people person” you can more easily relate to how much of a low point M1 and boards studying can be. When you’re the type who gets energized and happy from human contact, you’re getting your energy sapped all day every day by sitting in front of a computer, particularly if you’re surrounded by people who study best alone in a cubicle. It’s mentally and emotionally taxing.

M3 is sweet bliss, and almost makes up for the first two years of misery.

Obviously med school isn’t coal-mining in China, but we shouldn’t dismiss people’s pain by making that comparison.

 

[mistafab]

Purely person dependent.

 

[Goro]

Goro, what have you seen in medical students when it comes to Emotional Intelligence?

I am using Daniel Goleman’s definition of EI though I know there are others

Amazon product

I've found my students to be quite high in EI.

 

[Snoopy2006]

A little of both. But I suspect the complainers spend more time on online forums and so if you're judging based on the internet, I think your sample is skewed.

I think the thing I see most is the traditional med students (which I was at one point) seem to often have this delusion that if they weren't in medical school, they'd have cush 40 hr/wk desk jobs with high income potential and little stress. We always tend to compare ourselves to that one friend who went into finance at 22 and now posts exotic trip photos to instagram and convince ourselves that would have been us, instead of looking at the many friends working manual labor, limited potential or high hour/high stress jobs, or even those that struggled to find work after college. When I graduated unemployment was relatively high and a lot of my friends struggled. Med students struggle from constant fear of missing out on their 20s based on some idealized version of what their lives would have looked like without med school.

The truth is (with some perspective now) that there are many dead end jobs that require endless hours of work for terrible bosses with high stress and a much more limited income potential than we have. But I think med students often lack that perspective which leads to complaining everytime they struggle.

 

[joe7456]

Medical students spent a lot of their pre-med years earning the 4.0 GPA and scoring 80%+ percentile on the MCAT to get into MD school, however, they are usually not well-rounded and exaggerate their extra curricular hours to unrealistic levels. Real world experience in healthcare makes a huge difference on the work ethic and attitude of an individual. I have sincerely appreciated my experiences. Maybe the lack of work experiences contributes to the dim outlook on medicine upon entrance to Medical school and such. Although the moment of pain through dense material will seem overwhelming, it is the overall perspective that makes the difference in attitude, thus translating to feelings and actions.

 

[Scrubs101]

Everyone complains, its something we can all resonate with. Its sucks but its definitely not the worst.

It’s just like the weather, ever stand next to someone in silence and just want to start conversation? “Nice weather recently ey?” Just like that but “that exam/lecture/class was f***n garbage, right” “yeah that ****n sucked” seems to be a recurring conversation.

To be fair i have somehow set my bar pretty low for complaining about exams, 2 poorly worded questions on a 100question exam? That exam is now garbage in my mind.

I know we like to harp on this never having a tough job thing on sdn, but ive worked several grueling jobs (60hrs/week bussing busiest restaurant in my hometown, landscaping, etc) and while they all sucked and I’d rather be doing med school than that for sure med school is still a different kind of suck. The stress never ends, even your “time off” can be spent stressing about something since theres no real “time off” due to the competitive nature. At least at my previous jobs when i was off i could have a guilt free night out with my friends or spend a day off doing absolutely nothing without feeling like a lazy sack for it. EDIT: that being said this may be an issue unique to me, first two years are pretty nice that you can tailor your study sched to your liking for the most part and plenty of people dont struggle with guilt free time off lol

Anyways TLDR, both but med school and what all this hard work allows us to do in the future >>>>>>anything else

 

[Oso]

M3 is sweet bliss

This is what my 3rd year looked like:

Everyone's experience is different. All you can really do is try your best and attempt to stay as balanced as possible.

 

[GypsyHummus]

I've known a lot of medical students, and the ones that complained the most were the ones where mommy or daddy was a physician and/or havent worked a real job in their lives. They are ignorant of the real world, and taxes. These are some of the people that bring down the average of public information when it comes to "medical student loan debt", when the average after taking out all the outliers, is much higher. There are several 0's bringing down that number.

They were also big time party people.

The med students that were pleasant to be around were usually the ones who worked in the private sector.

I think it should be mandatory for people to work for at least six months full time in food service. That teaches more humility than any amount of summer research or 80% percentile MCAT ever could.

 

[FindMeOnTheLinks]

Over 50% are children of physicians, probably 75% of what's left is from high SES.

Most have never held a job, probably 95% never held a full time job.

The hardest thing many have been through is organic chemistry.

A lot of the loudest complaints about stress come from people with over 1k post history.

would be interested in seeing the source of this data you're quoting

 

[NotYou20]

Second year was kind of interesting but I had to work my ass off. Took very few days off the entire year so much that working 10-12 hours a day 6 days a week on my first rotation leaves me with more free time than I had second year. I completely agree with @FutureSunnyDoc that the lack of socialization is what really sucks. That part is temporary though

 

[Ho0v-man]

would be interested in seeing the source of this data you're quoting

53% of statistics are made up.

 

[Oso]

just sit your butt in that chair and do it pretty much

This needs to be on a T-shirt for incoming medical students

 

[sunshinefl]

I don't think people who have worked 40+ find it as stressful as those who have not.

I worked 30-60 hours per week while in undergrad.

I found passing M1 very doable, but to get "good grades," would be very difficult for me. I've held a "big boy job," with high stress, a high PTSD rate, and exhausting hours and I found M1 challenging. So clearly your mileage may vary.

I worked three high stress jobs averaging about 70 hrs/week though the last half of undergrad while attending school full time. M1 kicked my @$$. YMMV

I think it’s the sitting and isolation that got to me more than anything else. I’d take working at my old minimum wage job where I pushed stretchers around and got to interact with people all day over studying for boards, which was pretty agonizing for an extrovert. I think if you’re an extreme “people person” you can more easily relate to how much of a low point M1 and boards studying can be. When you’re the type who gets energized and happy from human contact, you’re getting your energy sapped all day every day by sitting in front of a computer, particularly if you’re surrounded by people who study best alone in a cubicle. It’s mentally and emotionally taxing.

M3 is sweet bliss, and almost makes up for the first two years of misery.

Obviously med school isn’t coal-mining in China, but we shouldn’t dismiss people’s pain by making that comparison.

Everyone complains, its something we can all resonate with. Its sucks but its definitely not the worst.

It’s just like the weather, ever stand next to someone in silence and just want to start conversation? “Nice weather recently ey?” Just like that but “that exam/lecture/class was f***n garbage, right” “yeah that ****n sucked” seems to be a recurring conversation.

To be fair i have somehow set my bar pretty low for complaining about exams, 2 poorly worded questions on a 100question exam? That exam is now garbage in my mind.

I know we like to harp on this never having a tough job thing on sdn, but ive worked several grueling jobs (60hrs/week bussing busiest restaurant in my hometown, landscaping, etc) and while they all sucked and I’d rather be doing med school than that for sure med school is still a different kind of suck. The stress never ends, even your “time off” can be spent stressing about something since theres no real “time off” due to the competitive nature. At least at my previous jobs when i was off i could have a guilt free night out with my friends or spend a day off doing absolutely nothing without feeling like a lazy sack for it. EDIT: that being said this may be an issue unique to me, first two years are pretty nice that you can tailor your study sched to your liking for the most part and plenty of people dont struggle with guilt free time off lol

Anyways TLDR, both but med school and what all this hard work allows us to do in the future >>>>>>anything else

I just finished my first year. I’m 32 and have worked since I was 14 including many years of full time + work. I was an RN before medical school and a correctional officer and then sergeant in male state prison before that. I have plenty of hard, demanding, physically and mentally draining years of life experience.

Medical school is very hard and stressful to me. The stakes are high and the days are long. I think it is part workload, and part the isolation/lack of time. I spend hours a day studying by myself seated at my dining room table. It sucks! As someone mentioned before, I am a true extrovert and it is draining and soul sucking to be isolated so much. I also don’t have time for basic needs. I’m happy if I get to wash my hair once a week.

TLDR; I am 32 with years of demanding work experience and found M1 to be stressful and awful. It’s not just the workload itself, I expected that going in. It’s also what the workload takes from you- sleep, time with important people, time for hygiene.

 

[doyouhaveaflag]

Wow, that's actually really sad. A minimum wage service job should be a required educational experience.

I think a customer service job would be extremely valuable for med students.

I found my customer service experience from my high school job was as useful in med school as my experience as a lab supervisor following college.

 

[SdoctorDR]

This thread makes me thankful that I’m an introvert and don’t “get my energy from being around other people.” I tend to be the opposite. Long stretches in large groups tires me out.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[DarknightX]

Medical school is a joke compared to any surgical residency.

 

[Oso]

Medical school is a joke compared to any surgical residency.

Well that's helpful...

 

[echidna001]

I'll be starting medical school in the fall and upon reading on some specialties and medicine in general, I constantly come across people who feel jaded by medicine and regret going to medical school. During my interviews I asked this question to all the students, is medical school really that bad? EVERYONE said no its not as bad as people claim! I even went with a medical student whom I knew from my town to a bar where all his friends from med school were and everyone was enjoying their time! Why is it that there is nothing optimistic about medical school and medicine in general online?
I know med school is not a walk in the park, and I'm going to be challenged in every single way imaginable, morally, intellectually, and emotionally. The journey to becoming a physician takes a lot of resilience. Are the people who are so pessimistic about medicine and love complain the ones who are in it for the wrong reason to begin with?
I might not know what I'm talking about since I haven't started yet, but I'd like to think that I'm in it for the right reason and I can't imagine that med school is so hellish to the point where I'll wish I didn't make the decision to become a physician.

I'd worked 80 hour weeks for a while before medical school. I'd been through an engineering degree on top of working 30-40 hrs a week. I expected medical school to harder but comparable. I was wrong - it has been far harder than anything I have done in my life to this point. MS1 was hard (mostly just due to the adjustment) but I was able to maintain my sanity - I gave up some of my hobbies but still had some free time. Things didn't really derail until M2 year due to the sheer volume of information - I gave up all but one of my hobbies and generally had no free time unless I decided to take time away from sleeping or when I was on school breaks. Step one studying was also hard - everything in your life except that just stops for those 6+ weeks and you're left trying to put your life back together afterwards. You barely feel like you were able to catch a breath before M3 starts.

Granted, I took on a bunch of extra medical school related activities (multiple research projects, volunteering, student groups, electives). I feel this was what truly pushed things from manageable to not so manageable since the hours you spend on these things add up very quickly when you have no hours to spare. My biggest piece of advice: don't overextend yourself until you realize your personal limitations, it's very easy to do. Once you start adding on all these extra things you're "supposed to be doing", you feel like you're hardly able to keep your head above water.

All that being said, do I regret going to medical school yet (currently about to start M3 rotations)? Not at all!

So is it as bad as people claim? Yes. But it's also not. It depends on how you react to it. It sounds like your medical student friend was handling things the right way. Take care of yourself. Get plenty of sleep. Refuse to give up your hobbies but prioritize accordingly. Let go of the notion that you have to know everything for an exam because you won't. Do your personal best in that moment. And don't loose your happiness. There comes a point where maintaining your sanity may beat honoring a class or getting a top step one score. Don't forget to ask for help if you need it. Live in the moment and take things day by day. Don't think about everything you have to do - it just makes things worse. You become more resilient and make the adjustments you need to once your drinking from the firehose.

 

[MerYangBey]

I think it’s hard if something goes wrong in your personal life. It’s not too bad if you can just be in your best mental state and focus... but if life acts up (illnesses, relationships, family stuff) it gets to be difficult to manage the life things and the Med school things without being horribly stressed.

 

[DarknightX]

Well that's helpful...

Good. I’m glad it was.

Want something more elaborate?

You have way more free time in medical school than you do in residency. If you think studying is hard in medical school, just wait until you have to do it while working “80 hour” weeks.

 

[Oso]

You have way more free time in medical school than you do in residency. If you think studying is hard in medical school, just wait until you have to do it while working “80 hour” weeks.

Oh I mean of course agree 100% w/ the above. Everyone should.

Just lol'ed a little at OP asking if med school is really so bad and then you come in and say it's a joke compared to surgery residencies. lol.

 

[mimelim]

People like to complain. Medical students are people. It really is not that difficult to understand.

 

[LutGholein]

Med school is a marathon, and I think it's natural to complain but concurrently you know that you love it. After wrapping up my year I came to really appreciate the road and all the potholes along the way.

 

[sab3156]

Medical school is terrible, and some schools offer a more terrible experience than others.

 

[DocWinter]

Is there any data suggesting most med students haven't had a job or is that just a stereotype? The average age of an incoming med student is 24-25, so I'm going to call a bs on that claim. Most med students have had jobs

Maybe most medical students at 25 years old have had a job, but working part time at the library or coffee shop is in no way the same thing of putting in years at entry level work working full-time. There’s a huge disparity between something on the side and depending your livelihood on your ability to go out and bring it home

 

[ciestar]

Put it this way...for (most) M1’s, it will be the hardest thing you’ve ever done.

I think the hardest part is coming to terms with your own mediocrity. You likely won’t be at the top of the class anymore and coming to terms with that was difficult for me. It is just mentally/intellectually draining. Burn out happens and people who have never been depressed a day in their lives now are.

If you don’t figure out how to take care of yourself it truly is harder.

 

[ciestar]

Again, that is all conjecture. Between graduating at 22 and starting med school at 25, it isn't likely that most of those students were only working part-time (I personally don't know a single student who was working part-time. The people I know were research assistants/research associates/clinical research coordinators/med techs/pharmaceutical employee/CNA/paramedics, etc).

*shrug* i spent three years in retail pharmacy which wouldn’t allow for full time hours.

 

[DocWinter]

Again, that is all conjecture. Between graduating at 22 and starting med school at 25, it isn't likely that most of those students were only working part-time (I personally don't know a single student who was working part-time. The people I know were research assistants/research associates/clinical research coordinators/med techs/pharmaceutical employee/CNA/paramedics, etc).

It's neither a stereotype nor conjecture - it's simple math and logic. Most people starting med school in their early 20's have been in college, not the workforce, and if they have been in the workforce, it most likely has not been in a full time position. They just don't have the time to do both. I went through medical school and from my recollection of talking to my younger (traditional) classmates, very few had a full time job and even fewer had a job at all.

 

[Oso]

Do you mind explaining the math because I don't see it?