Doubts about Medical School

[msd123]

Hi everyone,

This is my first post here and I don't have much experience with SDN, so forgive me for any mistakes. Also, I apologize for the length...I have a lot I need to get off my chest :/ I am really looking for advice and/or am just ranting (in which case, sorry again)

Basically, I am having a lot of doubts about pursuing medical school, but have invested so much in it that I do not know if it will be possible/feasible to switch fields.

I am 21 years old, finishing my junior year of college at an Ivy League university and am in the process of applying to medical school. I did well enough on my MCAT+GPA and my resume is decent, so I think I have a pretty good shot of getting into a medical school of some sort (my advisers also tell me this), and I will definitely go through the process. I majored in Biochemistry, and have been taking mainly science classes in college. My electives are very random and are honestly really useless in terms of applicability.

I have found that medicine as a field appeals to me but the actual process of becoming a doctor does not - I find science cool and everything, but I am not particularly interested in it - I think I have simply been doing it because I have been good at it. Also, I like helping people, so the social good of medicine appeals to me. This semester though, my classes have been challenging and have really forced me to evaluate my actual interest in science. Furthermore, I have been regretting not investing time in relationships (friends+family) earlier in life, and I fear that medical school will cause me to waste my youth and prevent me from correcting this mistake as I spend all my time studying (people make medical school out to be really hard).

So yeah, any advice/feedback would be greatly appreciated. In terms of alternative careers, I have very little experience with other fields (having been so dedicated to science/medicine) but was thinking about finance - I am pretty good with applied math and a lot of my friends are doing pursuing finance.

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[Jumoke]

I get the feeling that by the time you are 31, you will be regretting why you didn't go to med school.
My advice --> Go to med school. Get an MBA or a finance degree if you need to do finance after your residency. Bye bye.

 

[Ellie Arroway]

People will say to get out if you're not passionate right now...but this article is also food for thought.

http://calnewport.com/blog/category/features-rethinking-passion/

 

[getdown]

I get the feeling that by the time you are 31, you will be regretting why you didn't go to med school.
My advice --> Go to med school. Get an MBA or a finance degree if you need to do finance after your residency. Bye bye.

Sorry man but I disagree with you. As someone who is just weeks away from graduating med school, I've had a lot of time to reflect on the journey. It was a long and arduous journey filled with long days studying in preclinical, especially M2 year, painfully long days in the clinical years and much sacrifice both socially and financially. Was it worth it? To me... hell yeah it was but I actually have a passion for medicine and the sciences in general. Even with that you'll find yourself questioning your sanity for choosing this path when you see your friends moving on in life: buying a house, getting married, having kids, traveling the world while all you've ever done is travel the inside of the library. Sure there are plenty of rewarding and memorable experiences when you're actually involved in patient care: the moment a patient genuinely thanks you for helping them, delivering a baby, and seeing a beating heart/brain a foot away. Those are awesome times but few and far between.

So, OP if you can't picture yourself studying science because you genuinely LOVE it then you're not going to survive the 4 years. It's grueling and unless you really really love it, you're going to hate the process. You'll be miserable every day of your life. I've seen people who come in for the wrong reasons and they are MISERABLE. I haven't even begun to talk about the amount of debt you'll incur in the process. I'm just starting to look at it now and it's a little overwhelming.

Sorry for the doom and gloom but this is the reality. I'm just trying to paint an actual picture of all the challenges you'll face. Make the right decision now and really think about this. Peace.

 

[UrbanRiver]

Hi everyone,

This is my first post here and I don't have much experience with SDN, so forgive me for any mistakes. Also, I apologize for the length...I have a lot I need to get off my chest :/ I am really looking for advice and/or am just ranting (in which case, sorry again)

Basically, I am having a lot of doubts about pursuing medical school, but have invested so much in it that I do not know if it will be possible/feasible to switch fields.

I am 21 years old, finishing my junior year of college at an Ivy League university and am in the process of applying to medical school. I did well enough on my MCAT+GPA and my resume is decent, so I think I have a pretty good shot of getting into a medical school of some sort (my advisers also tell me this), and I will definitely go through the process. I majored in Biochemistry, and have been taking mainly science classes in college. My electives are very random and are honestly really useless in terms of applicability.

I have found that medicine as a field appeals to me but the actual process of becoming a doctor does not - I find science cool and everything, but I am not particularly interested in it - I think I have simply been doing it because I have been good at it. Also, I like helping people, so the social good of medicine appeals to me. This semester though, my classes have been challenging and have really forced me to evaluate my actual interest in science. Furthermore, I have been regretting not investing time in relationships (friends+family) earlier in life, and I fear that medical school will cause me to waste my youth and prevent me from correcting this mistake as I spend all my time studying (people make medical school out to be really hard).

So yeah, any advice/feedback would be greatly appreciated. In terms of alternative careers, I have very little experience with other fields (having been so dedicated to science/medicine) but was thinking about finance - I am pretty good with applied math and a lot of my friends are doing pursuing finance.

waste your youth? how do you exactly want to "live it up" in your youth? Med school is tough, but you'll be getting through it with some amazing peers and professors... it's quite fun suffering with other people in a weird way.. and celebrating with them every milestone you reach. Do you want to spend your youth by pursuing another master's degree, looking for an entry level job, and going to the movies with friends with that extra time off? Trust me, it'll be a lot of work..and it doesn't sound so fun to me.

All facetiousness aside, if you really want time with your family and friends and pursue some hobbies/experiences seriously... i suggest you take a few years off before going into med. I took three years off, during which I moved in with my parents.. and spent a LOT of time with them. I traveled.. did some fun non-profit work.. Needless to say, I'm SO glad I did. I'm so much more closer to my parents and matured quite a bit. I'm matriculating this fall to a med school and couldn't be more excited.

You're going to have to like science somewhat to get through med school.. and it's great that you're actually good at it. But i know people who go into med school, not to be a scientist or even a practicing physician, but to do public health work / social work / entrepreneurial work / business.. some do residencies but some choose not to. Thing is, getting an MD allows you to be a leader in a field and do ground breaking work. I'd suggest to taking a year or two off to do something that you really envision yourself doing.. get involved with a non-profit or business project or something .. and then re-evaluate if you wanna go into med school.

cheers.
Urban

 

[leon sandcastle]

you can do md/mba or go into consulting work after med school. or do healthcare startups. not everyone with an md becomes a practicing physican

 

[Lollygag]

Well yes the OP can get an MD/MBA or go into another career path after medical school but I think the whole point is that they don't want to have to go through medical school lol because it's very grueling and demanding. Because there are lots of specialities that offer better lifestyles you just have to work hard to get them.

In addition, when you graduate medical school you are looking at lots of debt, so unless the OP does their MD/MBA at a top school where it is likely that upon graduation they can land a high paying job, then OP may wind up having to be a physician for quite some time just to pay off those loans.

I heard another poster once say that you don't have to love science to go through medical school. I think that has some truth to it, I'm sure as a biochem major you're taking a lot of classes that aren't applicable to your future goals and "science" is an extremely broad term. Maybe the question you should ask yourself is do you love studying the human body? As opposed to, do you love science?

This is also the reason why people take gap years

 

[ShySpliceosome]

I agree with Jumoke. And I think you're probably getting "cold feet" as you get closer and closer to attending med school...you can almost taste it, but you haven't tasted enough to know whether you'll like it or not. I'm in the same boat as you right now, since I'm also a Junior in the med school application process...I too have had my doubts, but I constantly remind myself that I've gotten this far in my pre-med career and I think it would be foolish to back away at this point. I think it's just natural to second-guess your original career decision when you start thinking about how strenuous med-school will be, but just remind yourself that if you've made it this far, chances are you'll survive med school and become a better, stronger person as a result. I doubt you'll ever regret it!

 

[msd123]

Thank you all for the advice, I really appreciate it. I am going to continue thinking hard about this. I guess for science, I borderline hate biology...which is concerning. I don't enjoy memorizing things, although I feel that might be a moot point? Memorization is only 2 years of medical school, correct? The actual career isn't just rote memorization (my mom is a physician and she told me she consults google sometimes...)

ShySpliceosome does have a point - I may just be intimidated by the prospect of more schooling, given that I am burning out right now (my worst academic semester).

 

[TheWeeIceMan]

Bro, you're 21. You have plenty of time to figure out exactly what you want to do in life. If that is medical school, great. If it isn't, then you have more than enough time to switch fields. Try to relax and do some soul searching.

Also, being at an Ivy probably gives you more options outside of applying to medical school than the average biochem major.

 

[EsotericAlchemy]

People will say to get out if you're not passionate right now...but this article is also food for thought.

http://calnewport.com/blog/category/features-rethinking-passion/

Thank you for this, resonates with me. I'm a believer in hard focus.

 

[nysegop]

Combined MD/MBA. It exists. Why not?

 

[Gauss44]

I have found that medicine as a field appeals to me but the actual process of becoming a doctor does not - I find science cool and everything, but I am not particularly interested in it - I think I have simply been doing it because I have been good at it. Also, I like helping people, so the social good of medicine appeals to me. This semester though, my classes have been challenging and have really forced me to evaluate my actual interest in science. Furthermore, I have been regretting not investing time in relationships (friends+family) earlier in life, and I fear that medical school will cause me to waste my youth and prevent me from correcting this mistake as I spend all my time studying (people make medical school out to be really hard).
.

1. Take a year to primarily spend time with friends and family. Do a little research, volunteering, and shadowing so it looks like you did something, but just do a little of each.

2. Then after a year or two of that, take MCAT and apply to medical school. If the 10ish years of intense work to become a doctor don't appeal to you, get them out of the way. Some doctors work part time. What a joyous life.

3. If you start med school at 23, 24, or 25, you have plenty of time for a career, family, and retirement. However, the earlier you get into your career, chances are the more money will set aside in retirement earlier. Think compound interest....

4. It sounds like you will like medicine, but if you don't and if you get into it early enough it's easier to change directions or add new things to your schedule like teaching, business, etc.

 

[Lady Netter]

Take a gap year. Give yourself some time to grow up a little and have a little fun.

Not everyone is going to be a 'omg i freaking LOVE THIS.' I'm an M1...most of my year has been pretty 'meh' when it comes to what we're learning. I mean, it's not exactly boring or uninteresting (sometimes it is), but I've had very few times where I was like 'ZOMG THIS IS THE MOST AMAZING STUFF EVVEERRRRR.' I've just been trying to learn because I have to.

You really just have to sit down with yourself and think about what you want. I considered a few options, but I didn't feel like any of them would satisfy me like medicine. But it's not like I am super passionate about it (could be just my personality to begin with). But at the same time, I can't see myself doing anything else, and I don't think I'd be happy doing anything else.

There are so many options with med school and so many things you could do with your degree. It really opens doors, so if you have the ability and you think you have the interest, don't turn it down too quickly. Take some time to think about it and think about your priorities.

Take a gap year or two. I did, and I woud suggest it to every premed.

 

[Lady Netter]

Thank you all for the advice, I really appreciate it. I am going to continue thinking hard about this. I guess for science, I borderline hate biology...which is concerning. I don't enjoy memorizing things, although I feel that might be a moot point? Memorization is only 2 years of medical school, correct? The actual career isn't just rote memorization (my mom is a physician and she told me she consults google sometimes...)

ShySpliceosome does have a point - I may just be intimidated by the prospect of more schooling, given that I am burning out right now (my worst academic semester).

Not liking biology is different from not liking HUMAN biology. I can understand not liking anything not related to humans, but if you don't even like studying about human biology, that's a bit concerning. You don't have to love it, but you have to at least like it. You don't have to find everything interesting, but you should find something interesting.

Nobody enjoys memorization. But you are correct - you have to memorize for at least 2 years. I'm sure there is some memorization happening later, but you'll be putting your knowledge to use after preclinical years.

If you're feeling burned out, I would DEFINITELY take a gap year. Just do it. I can't imagine having to go from college straight to med school...you need time to just not think about learning and taking tests. Take a year and get refreshed.

 

[Geebeejay]

Hi everyone,

This is my first post here and I don't have much experience with SDN, so forgive me for any mistakes. Also, I apologize for the length...I have a lot I need to get off my chest :/ I am really looking for advice and/or am just ranting (in which case, sorry again)

Basically, I am having a lot of doubts about pursuing medical school, but have invested so much in it that I do not know if it will be possible/feasible to switch fields.

I am 21 years old, finishing my junior year of college at an Ivy League university and am in the process of applying to medical school. I did well enough on my MCAT+GPA and my resume is decent, so I think I have a pretty good shot of getting into a medical school of some sort (my advisers also tell me this), and I will definitely go through the process. I majored in Biochemistry, and have been taking mainly science classes in college. My electives are very random and are honestly really useless in terms of applicability.

I have found that medicine as a field appeals to me but the actual process of becoming a doctor does not - I find science cool and everything, but I am not particularly interested in it - I think I have simply been doing it because I have been good at it. Also, I like helping people, so the social good of medicine appeals to me. This semester though, my classes have been challenging and have really forced me to evaluate my actual interest in science. Furthermore, I have been regretting not investing time in relationships (friends+family) earlier in life, and I fear that medical school will cause me to waste my youth and prevent me from correcting this mistake as I spend all my time studying (people make medical school out to be really hard).

So yeah, any advice/feedback would be greatly appreciated. In terms of alternative careers, I have very little experience with other fields (having been so dedicated to science/medicine) but was thinking about finance - I am pretty good with applied math and a lot of my friends are doing pursuing finance.

Few things.

1. Science doesn't really interest you, but neither did your electives. What does interest you? Anything besides helping people? If you think you can realistically make a solid career out of whatever DOES interest you, then go for it. Keep in mind that careers such as social work and teaching are disgustingly underpaid.

2. do some research in other careers. Finance is great but competitive. With a biochem degree you won't be the first person they hire, or likely the second either. Do some research on these careers to see what the requirements are, lifestyle, job market, job satisfaction etc. Realize that the median salaries here don't even approach that of a physician's.

3. Take a gap year. If it turns out for you anything like how it turned out for me, you'll realize you miss school and those science classes you think bore you.

4. Take time to invest in your relationships and friends. Being a pre-med shouldn't be so time consuming that you cannot do this. The limiting factor is yourself here.

5. I see over and over again this "wasting my youth" concept. This is pretty much nonsense. There is no sort of "currency" called youth that you are missing out on spending. Being a college graduate is BORING. Your friends move away to settle into careers, you go out less, you devote time to your job and to your significant other if she exists, and you pretty much sit at home on the couch with a TV dinner (okay, slight exaggeration) and a Bud Heavy watching the game alone or with your friends who live close enough to you to drag their asses out, and then you go to bed early before the next work day. It's not exciting. Not being in school gets old after like 6 months. There are no big parties, cool adventures, chests full of candy, or what have you. So you can either "waste your youth" going through the grind, working 9-5, likely in a suburb, trying to earn that promotion, or you can "waste your youth" in medical school instead.

I personally don't think there is such thing as "waste your youth". Life is what you make of it regardless of whether you work a 40 hr week or go to med school instead. But don't make the mistake of over-glorifying post-graduate young-professional lifestyle. It's a lot of overtime, ass-kissing and garbage time.

 

[gmcguitar4]

Listen, no matter what you do in life you have to work your ass off to be successful. You have to make sacrifices and give your life to it. Ask anyone starting a business. I have plenty of friends that went through medical school and had a ton of free time to hang out with people and continue hobbies and have matched into incredible residencies. They said it is all about time management and dedication.

I am 25 now and graduated when I was 22. Taking a few years off was definitely worth it because I was not feeling ready either. I toured with a couple bands, had some girlfriends, partied all over the east coast, and traveled a little bit. I am at that point that I have to move on though and feel ready to start medical school and excited. So maybe you should take a couple years and enjoy yourself before committing until you feel that way as well.