Does anyone find it daunting being a Pre-Med?

[Passionandcare]

---

Members do not see this ad.

As a Bio Major I always have this worry in the back of my mind, that what happens if I do not get into Medical School. Do you guys ever worry about this? How do you deal with the absurd amount of anxiety that if you mess up one class and do not get an A, that you could have no career in the future?

 

[La Presse]

As a Bio Major I always have this worry in the back of my mind, that what happens if I do not get into Medical School. Do you guys ever worry about this? How do you deal with the absurd amount of anxiety that if you mess up one class and do not get an A, that you could have no career in the future?

I typically have an upbeat and positive attitude. And I majored in Micro to get away from these "premed" majors. So many of em...

 

[PreMedOrDead]

This is why you major in something that has use outside of medical school. Biology is a pretty terrible major in the grand scheme of things... you seem to relate being a premed to being a biology major. This is just not true in the slightest.

Either way, being a premed isn't daunting any more than any other preprofessional path. I don't understand why so many premeds think that it's the hardest thing in the world. Dental, top grad programs, PA schools, etc are all extremely competitive as well.

 

[Poetic Silence]

No. My major is more versatile.

 

[lobo.solo]

I just take one day at a time, one assignment at a time, one test at a time.... Etc. In each activity I engage in, I give it my fullest effort, so that I would not have any regrets in the future. In 10 years I want to able to look back and say I did my best. Just try to enjoy the journey 🙂

 

[Palam]

Do your research and know what is and isn't detrimental. I think a lot of premeds are neurotic about some pretty silly things, although I was older when I went to college. There are people who get into medical school with much, much worse grades than an A or B. You pick yourself up again and you fix your mistake. No one is perfect and you nor anyone else should beat you up for making mistakes.

Anyway, you should never be "med school or nothing". You should always have a back up plan in life. Set long term goals and short term goals that point you toward the finish line; don't ever be a one trick pony though. It's also absolutely ridiculous to pick biology just because you want to go to med school (this is not directed towards you). You should be a biology major because you thoroughly enjoy biology and would love to work in that field in general. Too many people pick the wrong major (including myself when I was younger) because they think it's the end all be all way towards a goal and a lot of the times it's not necessarily true.

If you don't make it into medical school, you'll have a tough time getting a decent job with a bs in biology. You'll most likely need higher education and you should be okay with that.

 

[BB8730]

Do you guys ever worry about this? How do you deal with the absurd amount of anxiety that if you mess up one class and do not get an A, that you could have no career in the future?

No matter what grades you get in college, you will have a career and a life in the future. Life doesn't end if you don't get into medical school.

Everyone encounters setbacks - it's how you manage them that defines you. If you mess up, learn from it and move on. Look at my MDApps - I've encountered quite a few setbacks in my undergrad, but I've learned from my mistakes and I keep pushing forward.

I guess what I'm trying to say is - try not to have such a frail outlook on pre-medicine. Expect to have problems, but learn to overcome them and move on. If you're truly dedicated to becoming a physician and you're willing to do anything to get there, there isn't much that can stop you.

 

[Passionandcare]

This is why you major in something that has use outside of medical school. Biology is a pretty terrible major in the grand scheme of things... you seem to relate being a premed to being a biology major. This is just not true in the slightest.

Either way, being a premed isn't daunting any more than any other preprofessional path. I don't understand why so many premeds think that it's the hardest thing in the world. Dental, top grad programs, PA schools, etc are all extremely competitive as well.

What would you consider a good major, that could get you to medical school, or if that fails get you into a career? Besides the traditional Chem/Bio Engineering as a safety net?

 

[Palam]

What would you consider a good major, that could get you to medical school, or if that fails get you into a career? Besides the traditional Chem/Bio Engineering as a safety net?

Any major is fine to enter medical school as long as you take the med prereqs. I hope you like math! Math, statistics, computer science, accounting are all fantastic degrees to have.

Besides engineering of course. It seems like all the other degree holders out there are having a hard time getting jobs- too many qualified people out there these days!

If you like medicine so much then there's no reason one can't swallow their pride and become a nurse or PA. Or a police officer, they make ridiculous money in my area and you retire in 20 years!

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Frankly no, because in the back of my head I know that a continental medical school will accept me as long as I scored decently enough on the mcat. Furthermore I knew that if I didn't get into medical school I could do a plethora of things that I could love or enjoy, e.g get a MS then PhD/Psy.D in Clinical Psych, etc.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

What would you consider a good major, that could get you to medical school, or if that fails get you into a career? Besides the traditional Chem/Bio Engineering as a safety net?

Any major is fine, however a good major is one in finance, accounting, or economics. If you're good with math, you could also consider statistics or actuarial mathematics.

 

[Palam]

Any major is fine, however a good major is one in finance, accounting, or economics. If you're good with math, you could also consider statistics or actuarial mathematics.

Dammit read my post already. Oh yeah and the consensus seems to be accounting > economics or finance.

You forgot computer science which most people get hired right out of college.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Dammit read my post already. Oh yeah and the consensus seems to be accounting > economics or finance.

You forgot computer science which most people get hired right out of college.

Computer Science is a good major, but I couldn't imagine doing it while premed. I mean at my school freshmen do 15-20 hours of mandatory out of class programing. Add bio lab and chem lab and you're doing 50 hours of work min.

 

[DavetheMD]

How do you deal with the absurd amount of anxiety that if you mess up one class and do not get an A, that you could have no career in the future?

First of all, this statement is false. With experience you will realize that you can only do your best, stress completely detracts from your purpose. If you can't manage effective coping skills now, how will you do it when life and death hang in the balance?

 

[Ashley1989]

First of all, this statement is false. With experience you will realize that you can only do your best, stress completely detracts from your purpose. If you can't manage effective coping skills now, how will you do it when life and death hang in the balance?

I agree with DavetheMD, it's important to learn how to manage that stress and realize that if you don't get an A in a class it's not the end of the world. It must feel like you're living some kind of virtual minefield: one tiny wrong step and in your eyes your entire world gets blown up. Put things into perspective on a daily basis and learn how to cope, take your future seriously but don't be afraid of messing up just a little every once in a while 🙂