Have you always wanted to be a doctor?

[VFrank]

Cuz, after talking with a bunch of my pre-med friends, it seems I am the only one who decided sophomore year of college that being a doctor would be cool. Am I the only one who didn't come out of the womb as a future-physician?

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[Medikit]

I often mention my friend who starts at Loma Linda this year. Mainly because she's the closest person to me that is going to Medschool and I followed her through the whole process. She didn't consider Medschool until her senior year in college (Fall of 2002).

 

[WalterSobchakk]

I don't have many friends on the pre-med track, but I decided it was what I wanted the summer before college.

 

[UseUrHeadFred]

I didn't decide until I was 23. I hadn't even considered going to college until I was 21. I had a successful business career, making over $40k when I was 20 as a Supervisor at a finance company. A volunteer experience taught me that there's more to life than making money. Decided to go to school, check out maybe being a nurse or paramedic. I did well, badda-bing, badda-boom, here I am filling out secondaries.

 

[THEMOSIAH]

i always turned up my nose at the idea of going to medical school while i was in undergrad. I didn't decide to become a doctor until a year and a half after i graduated undergrad. i'd say deciding as a sophomore puts you way ahead of the game.

 

[wends]

well, i guess so far im the only out-of-the-womb doctor.... 😀

 

[Scandal]

I didn't decide until senior year in college (2000-01). I was a bio/Spanish major - bio for fun, Spanish for a possible job in Central America. Who knew? 😛

 

[Dr Dean]

Yes. What kind of stupid question is that? ROAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

 

[lorelei]

I didn't think about it until partway through senior year of college, despite having a few friends (and even a boyfriend) who were pre-med. I'm glad; I think I enjoyed my college experience more that way.

 

[calstudent]

well, i guess so far im the only out-of-the-womb doctor.... 😀

me too
but, my college experiences changed the doctor that i wanted to be (private practice...i don't see how i could do this anymore!) into a totally different area of practice

 

[ZOT! ZOT!]

I have always known that a doctor is what I wanted to be. I have an essay that i wrote in 6th grade about my life as a heart surgeon and how "I woke up in a cold sweat thinking about a patient I had lost on the table" Dreaming is not the same has having and I still can't believe that my dream is in my hands.

P.S. I don't want to do heart surgery any more 😛

 

[LauraMac]

decided the beginning of my junior year, luckily my major already had me take almost all the premed requirements

 

[jpro]

Decided 3 yrs ago.

 

[stifler]

ive thought about it since i was prob in 10th grade but now after i just graduated from high school i made up my mind. lol i know im young, but ive made up my mind that im going to give it my all and if it doesnt work then ill figure something else out

 

[TTSD]

I've always wanted to be a pilot, but I have crappy eyes from reading too much. I fly for fun, but what I'd give to get into the seat of a fighter.

 

[drlexygoat]

I went from Business (Hospitality Mgmt) to Economics to Molecular & Microbiology before I chose medicine. Not everyone is born with a stethoscope in hand....!!

 

[Tiger26]

sophomore year in college

 

[rewindthemovie]

i wrote a "what i want to be when i grow up" essay in sixth grade, and it was all about how i want to be a neurosurgeon 😀


since then, i've definitely had other interests, but i always come back to being a doctor 😎

 

[ifailedmcat]

Junior year in high school. I think most people around me always knew. My parents and relatives (I'm asian) always pushed me towards it and I hated it. I wanted to do engineering originally. Who would have known?

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

No, I decided to become a doctor after a medical experience in high school. FWIW, its seems like those that have always wanted to be doctors are the ones that are doing it because their parents wanted them to/told them they need to, not for a strong personal reason. Not all, just most.

 

[leechy]

tentatively started considering it towards the end of college; didn't really decide on it till after graduating.

i am one of the most indecisive people i know, so i needed extra time to make a decision. 🙂

 

[calstudent]

No, I decided to become a doctor after a medical experience in high school. FWIW, its seems like those that have always wanted to be doctors are the ones that are doing it because their parents wanted them to/told them they need to, not for a strong personal reason. Not all, just most.

I kind of disagree. My parents never told me I wanted to or needed to, but seeing doctors in my family interact with patients, I realized it is what I wanted to do.
And, although all the doctors I saw were in private practice there is no way in heck I am gonna do priv. practice...

I think that this is a stereotype, especially in California with lots of Asians. I have NOT met one person who has said, "I'm doing it because my parents said," and I have a ton of pre-med friends like we all do.
I have heard, $$$, prestige, hot chics, but honestly nobody whose parents pushed them to it, although I am sure they are out there I think this is an over-generalization that too many people make.
Just my thoughts, though there is no way I have time to get in a discussion about this

 

[ZOT! ZOT!]

No, I decided to become a doctor after a medical experience in high school. FWIW, its seems like those that have always wanted to be doctors are the ones that are doing it because their parents wanted them to/told them they need to, not for a strong personal reason. Not all, just most.

That could be true...


It could also be true that people who just recently decided don't demonstrate as much passion as those who decided earlier on... or that their decision is spur of the moment and they are more likely to change their minds in the future after their epiphany wears off.

Most assumptions are immature and wrong to make. Not all, just most.

 

[Blake]

That could be true...


It could also be true that people who just recently decided don't demonstrate as much passion as those who decided earlier on... or that their decision is spur of the moment and they are more likely to change their minds in the future after their epiphany wears off.

Most assumptions are immature and wrong to make. Not all, just most.

👍

 

[leechy]

Yes, I wonder how those who decided relatively late differ in their attitude towards medicine versus those who decided during childhood or even high school. Speaking personally, I feel like deciding late has helped make the process much calmer for me; I'm not swamped with other pre-meds who are following me through each class and step of the process. So I haven't had to deal with the pressures of constant comparison as much. Sure, there's SDN - but it's not the same as a peer group you interact with in person.

In regards to a late decision maker's commitment to the profession - like everything else in life, it depends on the individual. But I will say this: I feel that being pre-med plays a much smaller role in my identity than it would have, had I decided much earlier in life and followed a typical "pre-med" route in college. I'm curious to see how I feel about it once I'm in medical school.

 

[mspe22med]

It is good to here the stories of others who decided late in the game. I didn't choose medicine as a career until after my senior year of college. By that time, I was already commited to grad school. My progression came through the health sciences. The more I was exposed to science and medicine the more I fell in love with it. Enjoyed the stories, good luck to all of you.

 

[ZOT! ZOT!]

In regards to a late decision maker's commitment to the profession - like everything else in life, it depends on the individual.

Please don't get me wrong... I don't have the right to question anyone's motives or dedication to medicine and I don't think it's too much to expect the same from everyone else.

My comment was more to lillustrate how stupid SanDiegoSOD's comment was. Much like comments that say... "I feel bad for your future patients" or "Maybe you should choose another profession," his was just innappropriate, especially since s/he has never met anyone on this board.

 

[calstudent]

Right, and I am pretty sure (at least I hope so) that Adcom can weed out the people who don't want it bad enough.

 

[fun8stuff]

Cuz, after talking with a bunch of my pre-med friends, it seems I am the only one who decided sophomore year of college that being a doctor would be cool. Am I the only one who didn't come out of the womb as a future-physician?

When i was in junior high I wanted to be a physician, but lost sight of this aspiration and did not change my mind until my sophomore year of college- when I was a pre-pharm major.

 

[Kazema]

I wanted to be an airline pilot for a long time.

Then a fighter pilot.

Then an astronaut.

Then a pro baseball player.

Then a detective.

Then a CIA agent.

Then a brain surgeon (briefly).

Then a computer programmer.

Then a violinist.

Then a computer scientist/entrepreneur (ie Bill Gates).

It wasn't until my senior year as a borderline failing computer science student that I decided for good that I really wanted to be a doctor. It's the first career that I'm absolutely, 100% sure I want to do. Well, ever since middle school anyway. I really really wanted to be a CIA agent back then...

 

[adamj61]

besides wanting to be James Bond....I have always been in this boat

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

My comment was more to lillustrate how stupid SanDiegoSOD's comment was. Much like comments that say... "I feel bad for your future patients" or "Maybe you should choose another profession," his was just innappropriate, especially since s/he has never met anyone on this board.

So I guess I can't make an observation and then follow through with a logical inference? 😕 I didnt say that those who have always wanted to be doctors are tools of their parents or unable to make their own decisions, or any number of things that may have pissed some of you people off. I simply shared my observation that I have gained through personal experience - many people that I know who have wanted to be doctors since grade school have admitted to me that their parents have always told them to be doctors, what a great proffesion it is, etc. And I qualified my statement by showing that is was my own opinion, and doesnt apply to all people.

So what the **** is immature and stupid about that?

Honestly, I would love to know. 🙄

 

[aunaturel]

hey guys... uh.. how bout them bears? they're goin to be good this year... whooo... 😎

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

hey guys... uh.. how bout them bears? they're goin to be good this year... whooo... 😎

LOL... thanks for breaking the tension. 👍

 

[ZOT! ZOT!]

So I guess I can't make an observation and then follow through with a logical inference? 😕 I didnt say that those who have always wanted to be doctors are tools of their parents or unable to make their own decisions, or any number of things that may have pissed some of you people off. I simply shared my observation that I have gained through personal experience - many people that I know who have wanted to be doctors since grade school have admitted to me that their parents have always told them to be doctors, what a great proffesion it is, etc. And I qualified my statement by showing that is was my own opinion, and doesnt apply to all people.

So what the **** is immature and stupid about that?

Honestly, I would love to know. 🙄

How is this an observation followed with a logical inference...

FWIW, its seems like those that have always wanted to be doctors are the ones that are doing it because their parents wanted them to/told them they need to, not for a strong personal reason. Not all, just most.

Looks to me like you made an assumption, not an observation - one that a MATURE person would think through before blurting out.

Also, using profanity is immature. It shows you are unable to communicate your feelings or thoughts in an adult manner.

BUT, whatever. You're the guy who thinks getting into med school is so easy and that people who don't get in are somehow stupid. I shouldn't expect too much from a person like you.

Good Luck... I have officially unsubscribed from this thread.

 

[SaginawPremed]

I think that this is a stereotype, especially in California with lots of Asians. I have NOT met one person who has said, "I'm doing it because my parents said," and I have a ton of pre-med friends like we all do.
I have heard, $$$, prestige, hot chics, but honestly nobody whose parents pushed them to it, although I am sure they are out there I think this is an over-generalization that too many people make.
Just my thoughts, though there is no way I have time to get in a discussion about this

I can counter this. Speaking from mid-michigan, and regarding the prominent (rich) Indian community here-- parents definitely do indeed push their children to become doctors, in almost all cases they themselves belonging to the medical profession. A few of my indian friends are incredibly inclined for the field, and driven to succeed in it-- others only make the motions of taking the premed courses and AP Bio and Anatomy in high school because of expectations from their parents, no real drive to do so.

But as for whether or not these less driven kids actually become doctors, or break out of their parents' grip in a few years? We'll see...

 

[medtechv79]

I was premed freshmen yr. in college. Changed my mind, now I'm interested in vet med. I knew ppl who in fresh. yr of college always wanted to be a doctor and are now in med school....so no yer not the only out of the womb wannabe doctor. =)
I think its great to have aspirations so early. This way u can chart yer course and plan ahead.....I wish I had that early on....instead I have to finish prereqs for vet school....some ppl know what they want to do in life early...others don't I guess....

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

How is this an observation followed with a logical inference...



Looks to me like you made an assumption, not an observation - one that a MATURE person would think through before blurting out.

Also, using profanity is immature. It shows you are unable to communicate your feelings or thoughts in an adult manner.

BUT, whatever. You're the guy who thinks getting into med school is so easy and that people who don't get in are somehow stupid. I shouldn't expect too much from a person like you.

Good Luck... I have officially unsubscribed from this thread.

As youve "unsubscribed" from this thread, I wont bother debating you on any of your points - some good, some bad. But dont try and label me as someone who thinks rejected applicants are stupid. I've never said that, or anything close to that. I make statements that sound condescending because there are way too many people that want that want to make the application process into something that its not - some crazy, random process where you dont know what you need to get in, while wild-eyed URMs with 2.1 and 19K that are stealing your spots. Anyone with internet access or a pre-med advisor can find out exactly what it takes to get into medical school, and my posts are intended to show people just that.