Giving up on Dr?

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hopefulhealth

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Currently on a waitlist and not ready to even think about reapplying, so I’ve given up on medical school? What else would I do? I have no idea how to figure this out, and I think I’ve tried everything except asking strangers on the internet so please help strangers!!

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Well is this your first year ?
I got in on my third year of applying . I know it is horrible and sucks your soul out , but if this is what you really want don’t give up
 
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And you are smart to take a break and not reapply this cycle. Put yourself into a better spot and look at your app and see where you can improve . Then figure out how to do it. There is no rush to reapplying. If you were meant to be a doctor you’ll figure out how to make it happen at some point.
 
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And you are smart to take a break and not reapply this cycle. Put yourself into a better spot and look at your app and see where you can improve . Then figure out how to do it. There is no rush to reapplying. If you were meant to be a doctor you’ll figure out how to make it happen at some point.
Thank you for saying so because that is how I see it. I feel like if I rush/push myself into this cycle it will be an absolute mess. It’s hard staying confident in your decisions when they are always so long term! It just seems like it would be so much easier to get a reliable job with no more education needed and start the rest of my life but I’d hate it because I’m supposed to do medicine and I’ve looked into all kinds of alternative careers. And in this next year if I’m meant to find something else I will! Internet strangers are the best 😊
 
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Currently on a waitlist and not ready to even think about reapplying, so I’ve given up on medical school? What else would I do? I have no idea how to figure this out, and I think I’ve tried everything except asking strangers on the internet so please help strangers!!
Sorry to be the bringer of bad news. If you still do not have an acceptance at this time, it is unlikely you will get off your waitlist(s). Why do you think you were unsuccessful this cycle? Poor GPA, low MCAT? Lack of ECs? Poor LORs? Poor writing? Poor school list? Other things like institutional actions, misdemeanors or felonies? And how much has your application improved during the application year, i.e. how many of these deficits have you addressed? The answers to these questions will help clarify your odds of success with reapplication.

Of course, before even getting into the nitty gritty details, do you still want to become a physician? Do you see yourself being happy with direct patient care? Are you okay with reapplying with the knowledge that you may end up with no acceptances again? Some people require multiple reapplications before they succeed (or eventually give up). Once admitted, medical training is also tough, and is at a minimum a 7 year commitment (and for some specialties/subspecialties, a 10+ year commitment). Are you okay with these sacrifices? Medical training is not for everyone, and "no" is a perfectly acceptable response! If you do decide against pursuing MD/DO, then at least you saved yourself from additional year(s) of wasted time, effort, and/or debt.

With regards to other opportunities, are you still interested in patient care? If so, other possible fields to explore include: RN, PA-C, CRNA, PT/OT, SLP, etc. There are also many careers outside of medicine that have high satisfaction and good pay without all the sacrifices that medicine demands. The amount of pay and satisfaction as a physician is not always commensurate with the length of our training. Consider reaching out to your school's career center for further guidance. Best of luck.

Thank you for saying so because that is how I see it. I feel like if I rush/push myself into this cycle it will be an absolute mess. It’s hard staying confident in your decisions when they are always so long term! It just seems like it would be so much easier to get a reliable job with no more education needed and start the rest of my life but I’d hate it because I’m supposed to do medicine and I’ve looked into all kinds of alternative careers. And in this next year if I’m meant to find something else I will! Internet strangers are the best 😊
To add: it's a smart decision to consider other career paths prior to committing to medicine. I see it as a red flag when interviewees cannot tell me what other careers they've seriously entertained. If there is something else that will afford you with similar degrees of happiness without all this extra training (and debt), it's worth exploring. Medicine should never be anyone's 'path of least resistance', and should you decide later on that medicine is right for you, medical school will always be here.
 
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Sorry to be the bringer of bad news. If you still do not have an acceptance at this time, it is unlikely you will get off your waitlist(s). Why do you think you were unsuccessful this cycle? Poor GPA, low MCAT? Lack of ECs? Poor LORs? Poor writing? Poor school list? Other things like institutional actions, misdemeanors or felonies? And how much has your application improved during the application year, i.e. how many of these deficits have you addressed? The answers to these questions will help clarify your odds of success with reapplication.

Of course, before even getting into the nitty gritty details, do you still want to become a physician? Do you see yourself being happy with direct patient care? Are you okay with reapplying with the knowledge that you may end up with no acceptances again? Some people require multiple reapplications before they succeed (or eventually give up). Once admitted, medical training is also tough, and is at a minimum a 7 year commitment (and for some specialties/subspecialties, a 10+ year commitment). Are you okay with these sacrifices? Medical training is not for everyone, and "no" is a perfectly acceptable response! If you do decide against pursuing MD/DO, then at least you saved yourself from additional year(s) of wasted time, effort, and/or debt.

With regards to other opportunities, are you still interested in patient care? If so, other possible fields to explore include: RN, PA-C, CRNA, PT/OT, SLP, etc. There are also many careers outside of medicine that have high satisfaction and good pay without all the sacrifices that medicine demands. The amount of pay and satisfaction as a physician is not always commensurate with the length of our training. Consider reaching out to your school's career center for further guidance. Best of luck.


To add: it's a smart decision to consider other career paths prior to committing to medicine. I see it as a red flag when interviewees cannot tell me what other careers they've seriously entertained. If there is something else that will afford you with similar degrees of happiness without all this extra training (and debt), it's worth exploring. Medicine should never be anyone's 'path of least resistance', and should you decide later on that medicine is right for you, medical school will always be here.
I was late in the cycle, MCAT was average, GPA was good but my transcripts are a mess due to nontraditional student/life circumstances. Lots of EC and more clinical experience than you can shake a stick at, stellar LORs, research publications, writing was meh because I got covid and was working full time in an understaffed public clinic during last cycle (yanno during the pandemic) our clinic had us treating patients without masks but of course the docs had full PPE. So my writing and school list was less than I hoped. I’m burned out on that healthcare experience honestly. I have researched many other health professions, NP, PA, CRNA, PT/OT etc.
 
I was late in the cycle, MCAT was average, GPA was good but my transcripts are a mess due to nontraditional student/life circumstances. Lots of EC and more clinical experience than you can shake a stick at, stellar LORs, research publications, writing was meh because I got covid and was working full time in an understaffed public clinic during last cycle (yanno during the pandemic) our clinic had us treating patients without masks but of course the docs had full PPE. So my writing and school list was less than I hoped. I’m burned out on that healthcare experience honestly. I have researched many other health professions, NP, PA, CRNA, PT/OT etc.
That seems like a pretty crummy experience. Despite that though, do you still want to be a physician? If "yes", then I think that you would be silly to "give up" because of this setback. Take some time to recuperate and when you are ready to reapply, apply early with your transcripts sorted out, and with essays rewritten as to better showcase your strengths. With a broad school list (including DO schools), I think that you will have a good shot at a successful reapplication. Best of luck.
 
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That seems like a pretty crummy experience. Despite that though, do you still want to be a physician? If "yes", then I think that you would be silly to "give up" because of this setback. Take some time to recuperate and when you are ready to reapply, apply early with your transcripts sorted out, and with essays rewritten as to better showcase your strengths. With a broad school list (including DO schools), I think that you will have a good shot at a successful reapplication. Best of luck.
Thanks, I appreciate the advice. I don’t think I’m giving up but I do think I’m going to need a little bit of time to get my thoughts, life, and my application in order. Like you said medical school itself is an undertaking so I don’t want to head into it feeling unsteady. Better days are ahead.
 
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Thanks, I appreciate the advice. I don’t think I’m giving up but I do think I’m going to need a little bit of time to get my thoughts, life, and my application in order. Like you said medical school itself is an undertaking so I don’t want to head into it feeling unsteady. Better days are ahead.
Read this OP,
 
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