Do you ever feel like you're the only one in your class who is really unhappy in medical school?

[mmmhmm20]

Sorry for the downer, whiny post, but I just feel like I needed to get this off my chest anonymously.

I often feel like I'm the only person in my med school class who is mostly unhappy here. Sure, there are days that are ok (like the day after an exam), but by and large I can honestly say that I'm really unhappy in medical school. I often feel like I don't belong here, like I'm not nearly as excited as everyone else to be learning the material and not as close to my classmates as most everyone else is. Trudging through lectures has a way of hollowing out whatever is left of my soul. Maybe I just don't have the personality for sitting on my butt memorizing really boring factoids all day long. It really gets me down sometimes.

There are a few people I like and sort of know, but the main feelings I associate with most of my class range from indifference to annoyance. I was thinking the other day...if I never saw anyone in my class again would I care that much? And it made me kind of sad when I thought about it for a bit and realized...nope...aside from a few people I don't think anyone I've met has really impacted me in a meaningful way. It's not that everyone is some evil @sshole...but there's just something weird about how obsessive a lot of people I meet are about becoming doctors and how they have to make it known how much they LOVE our class (via class social media posts) and how AMAZING it is that there are all these exciting opportunities to shadow, do research, go to medical conferences, etc. I mean I guess it's cool, but for some reason I don't think it's that cool. A lot of it just feels disingenuous and affected. This doesn't even take into account all the ridiculous high school antics...it's really strange to me that there are a lot of folks who come to med school with the intention of being popular. I guess some people just never grow out of that BS. Maybe I'm way too cynical.

I don't know...most days I guess it doesn't bother me that much, but every now and then I just feel this overwhelming feeling of loneliness and disconnect from med school. I think I want to be a doctor because I think clinical practice can be meaningful and interesting, but I pretty much dislike every other aspect of med school so far.

Ok, rant off. Not sure what I was trying to accomplish here. Maybe if you've ever felt a tinge of this lemme know. I don't really talk to anyone else about this because I get the feeling we're all supposed to love being here and if you don't there is something very wrong with you. Sigh.

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[theonlytycrane]

Pre-clinical is pretty lame, but it will probably get worse before it gets better (hopefully). Until then keep pushing on and embrace the challenge of memorizing First Aid verbatim. (I apologize if you're a 3rd / 4th year - I don't know what that pain is like yet)

 

[raiderette]

So much has changed once I got to clinicals. Not only are you working with different people all the time, but we are looking at things differently. We know our Step score, which has changed people's focus, and humbled others. While we are still really competitive, it is more common to help each other. I am happy helping others so that the service runs smoothly. I haven't had surgery yet, so this atmosphere could be different with so many gunning for honors.

 

[Oso]

I think a lot of people are less than enthused, unhappy, or even quite miserable in medical school, but put on a happy face when in public.

It is unfortunate you haven't found many people you can really connect with in your class. I would try to find one or two people you can talk to. I think you'll be surprised at how similarly not super pumped about school some of your peers are, and venting with each other can be a great source of stress relief.

Some people really do love medical school though, and I've stopped trying to understand it. Every class will have those obnoxious people who post about how much they love this and that aspect of school online. Best to ignore them.

Pre-clinical stuff sucks because you're just sitting in class or studying all day and it's hard to find the relevance in what you're learning. All I can say is just keep chugging along and try to break up the monotony by doing activities you enjoy, like exercise, netflix, music, etc.

Last thing I will say is that if you continue to feel unhappy and/or lonely and you feel like these things interfere with your ability to concentrate, do well, eat, sleep etc, then consider speaking to a mental health counselor as these could be symptoms of depression -- better to be safe than sorry.

Best of luck finishing up the year and feel free to PM me.

- Oso

 

[Moose A Moose]

OP: most medical students do suck. I can empathize. They’re obnoxious, but easily avoided. However, you should have some sort of enjoyment or interest in what you’re learning. Maybe you should reevaluate what you want? You sound like me when I worked in the service industry. I felt like it was horrible for my soul and couldn’t wait to get out and start med school.

Good luck.

 

[bonez318ti]

Med school is just another phase to get through in the long road to becoming an MD.

I definitely had second thoughts in 2nd year, feeling if whether I made the right choice. I wasn't exactly super excited waking up every morning the first 2 years of med school.. and merely tolerated it. What made things better was meeting a good core group of friends to unload/study/shoot the breeze with. For me third year was awesome.. and reminded me of why i went into medicine. It was still brutal with the studying/clnical hours etc, but it was more fun. fourth year was a breeze (more fun, and excitement of applying to residency).

If it is what you want to do with the rest of your life, grin and bear it.. its necessary only another year or two before you start clinical rotations. The competition never ends, but you dont need to get caught up in it if you dont want to be. do your job, be reliable, be honest, and do what is expected of you and you will be fine.

 

[jdrb0130]

I'm just reading these forums before i start med school. So I can't give any advice on how it is yet but I have life experiences. I'm a pre med but as @Moose A Moose stated I'd reevaluate. I had those same thoughts when I was a teacher. Everyone around me was happy and love it but I was miserable and out of place. I didnt understand until I realized that teaching wasn't my passion. My passion was in medicine. Id reevaluate why you chose this path. I know people can be over the top but when you love and enjoy something that's usually the reaction, sometimes. Good luck!!!

 

[anbuitachi]

So much has changed once I got to clinicals. Not only are you working with different people all the time, but we are looking at things differently. We know our Step score, which has changed people's focus, and humbled others. While we are still really competitive, it is more common to help each other. I am happy helping others so that the service runs smoothly. I haven't had surgery yet, so this atmosphere could be different with so many gunning for honors.

i hated ms3/4 year a lot more than ms1/2. sure step 1 was over with but there's still step 2 ck and cs. also ms1 and 2 were a lot more flexible with the hours. i had the choice of going/skipping lectures and setting my own schedule in terms of studying. i often studied til 2-3am and then woke up at 11 to eat lunch and go to required PBL or lab stuff in the afternoon. I'm more of a night person so that worked well for me. And in pre clinicals you knew exactly what you had to do to succeed. In MS3/4, the starting hours are set and is often really early (hated), and your grade was very subjective. Also you had to study for shelf after finishing with work and i found that to be very difficult.

 

[DO2015CA]

Med students are good at masking their depression. If you were to make friends and their guards were let down you will see they are exactly like you. Also, like noted above the first 2 years are a grind that sucks. I went through a major depression 1st year while I was trying to stay in the top of the class. Once I re-evaluated my life/goals, I realized as long as I was passing comfortably I would much happier. For me studying 24/7 burned me out and I knew it wasn’t a sustainable path. Sooo no you aren’t alone.

 

[mistafab]

I honestly feel like the opposite OP. Most people in my class hate school meanwhile I think stuff so far has been pretty good. Maybe this is school specific (likely).