Wow, that's awesome that you decided to do medicine. May I ask why you switched over? Was it not enough social interaction, the work is boring, not enough jobs in the field, not enough job security, flexible hours, autonomy, etc.? Or did you always have in medicine in mind and you finally got around to it? Because it must take a lot to get someone in a nice-paying field like engineering to put everything down and go for medicine.
No problem for posting about my interviews. If you have any questions, let me know. Overall, I've been to 6 med school interviews because I had one last cycle so I might be able to tell you some things. Like for example, the food that they offer is not enough and you might get hungry throughout the day lol. Also, don't be mad if you get rejected post-interview. You are trying to find the school that brings out the best in you and I think you should be able to figure that out during the interview. I feel as though I did with at least one interview and I will find out the decision soon enough. I hope everything works out for you. Thanks for the post.
You're welcome. As for the switch, it has nothing to do with engineering and everything to do with medicine. I like engineering but to me, medicine is like engineering but with a purpose. Most engineers are working to make other people money. If I put in the extra time to make one of my designs more efficient, I'm only putting more money into the owners pocket. In medicine, extra time and effort can mean catching a rare diagnosis or being more thorough with patient visits. I get great job satisfaction from engineering but I also want to go home and I know I bettered someones life. Not a knock against engineering as I don't find anything wrong with going to work just for a paycheck.
As for your questions:
1) I do get social interaction but it's usually with other engineers and/or people who are interacting with me as part of their job. I do like how doctors get more time with people are in need of help as opposed to people who are just interacting with me as part of their job. This was a big part of the reason I am trying to switch. I really like working with regular people who just need help or advice.
2) The work is actually not boring at all. I work for a lightning protection contractor and I like getting to design lightning protection systems and diagnose electrical problems. Diagnosing electrical problems is the favorite part of my job. This helped me decide to make my switch because I am very interested in the diagnosing and problem solving aspects that doctors are involved in.
3) There are plenty of jobs in the field. It is not as stable a career as most people try to make it out to be but almost all of my classmates had jobs within a month of graduation making 60-80k. Doctors obviously have many more options and can pick up a job quicker than an engineer but this was not really a factor in my decision to switch.
4) Job security at my current job is great. I'm the only engineer at my company with a licence to do lightning protection design. As for other engineers, they get laid off just like every other job but that's not part of the reason for my switch.
5) Hours are basic 9-5. I do like how doctors (especially EM) are typically not working routine 9-5 jobs but this is not really a reason for my switch as I don't mind regular office hours.
6) Engineers at smaller companies can often have the same type of autonomy as physicians. At my current job (small company) I get full control over design work and consulting work as long as my designs are within the contract amount.
7) If I was a better student in my early years I might have started out as a premed, but I never would have thought that I would be able to handle medical school as I had a very poor work ethic. I turned around my work ethic during my second year and I have really enjoyed school since then.
8) Salary had nothing to do with my career change (I should say attempted career change because I'm a long shot for an acceptance). Engineer's salaries don't even crack 6 figures until 10-15 years in the field so its not like I'm sacrificing a luxurious life to go to medical school. The way I look at it, my wife and I are going to be living very frugally for 4 years of medical school, live like we currently do during residency and then have fun after residence/loans are paid. To me it sort of balances out.