How are you balancing lab work right now?

[Picklesali]

My PI is NOT happy! Which makes me not happy
But I don't know what to do...

So I had an interview last week and the week before, and they (of course) fell on my long lab days, and this week when there was no interview I couldn't come in because I had an exam which I REALLY needed to study for because I am SO behind... GAH!

Am I the only one who feels like they are failing in every aspect of life right now. I've been telling all my professors this semester "I'm sorry! I swear, I'm usually a good student!"




Sigh...then I get really sad because I think - well, if you're having difficulty balancing this stuff now, Pickles, how will you survive life in Med school/the real world of being a Physician Scientist

(Sorry for dumping on you guys - I'm just kind of Ho-hum right now...)

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[Dodo23]

My PI is NOT happy! Which makes me not happy
But I don't know what to do...

So I had an interview last week and the week before, and they (of course) fell on my long lab days, and this week when there was no interview I couldn't come in because I had an exam which I REALLY needed to study for because I am SO behind... GAH!

Am I the only one who feels like they are failing in every aspect of life right now. I've been telling all my professors this semester "I'm sorry! I swear, I'm usually a good student!"




Sigh...then I get really sad because I think - well, if you're having difficulty balancing this stuff now, Pickles, how will you survive life in Med school/the real world of being a Physician Scientist

(Sorry for dumping on you guys - I'm just kind of Ho-hum right now...)

No Pickles! Don't be down on yourself. Except for the fact that my PI and post-doc are being really sweet about everything, and my profs and TFs are being quite understanding, I'm in exactly the same boat as you - EXACTLY! I don't think anyone not going through this process (or who hasn't gone through it in the past) can possibly understand. All I can say is, though it's easier said than done, don't fret. These are extraordinary times, really; it's your future at stake, so naturally your present responsibilities are suffering. It doesn't mean you can't balance things normally, and it doesn't mean you won't be able to balance them in future, when you know where you're headed and the pressure is off. Besides, other former MD-PhD applicants I know, who've been very successful in the process have said that something's bound to suffer at this time, either med school app-related things or school/lab, and right now it had better be the latter. It sucks because we're conscientious people, but that's how it is.

At least these are the things I'm trying to tell myself whenever I'm having a tough time. Nowadays I keep swinging from one extreme - "Aaaaaaaaaargh! I'm not gonna get in anywhere!" - to another - "Aaaaaaaaargh! I'm gonna fail out of school!" Deep down, we both know we won't do either of those two things - we're tougher than that or we wouldn't have made it this far. Think back to another time when you were juggling so many things and ask yourself if you're doing worse now than then. Remember that you lived to tell the tale. And remember, you're not alone.

 

[Inuranic]

It's 9:15 PM on a Friday night; I'm creating an Excel spreadsheet out of data I collected a while ago.

I was also typing an abstract in the airport over the weekend, to take a break from studying for my Neuro exam on airplanes.

I feel like I'm drowning as well - you're not alone. The good news is my PI is understanding, my Professors have been wonderful, and Mt. Dew is still made in the diet variety.

I think I'll work on a Psych paper later...

 

[BoSoxMack]

The fact that I am in the library reading this thread while taking a break from my own lab data should be a sign that you are not alone.

I really just want to know where my senior year is disappearing to... but there is always second semester to fool around, right? ....right?

 

[Dodo23]

The fact that I am in the library reading this thread while taking a break from my own lab data should be a sign that you are not alone.

I really just want to know where my senior year is disappearing to... but there is always second semester to fool around, right? ....right?

Man, I really hope so, else all this "senior year is so great" business I'm getting from other folks will turn out to have been overrated in my case. And that would be sad.

 

[j-weezy]

I sat down with my PI and was like "basically I'm not here, and you know that, but I promise I'll be around so often next semester, you'll get sick of me"

M: Class from 10 - 5
T: Class 11 - 2, job 3:30-6:30
W/Th: Fly to Interview
Th/F: Interview
F/Sa: Fly home from Interview
Su: Laundry, cram for next week's tests, pack

 

[solitude]

Dodo gave great advice, but just wanted to reiterate that you are not alone! I think we are all overwhelmed by the responsibilities right now and it is NOT an indicator that you can't handle the stress of being a physician-scientist. I remember reading a post on here a year or two ago by a poster who had already started the MD/PhD, and he/she basically said that one's senior year is perhaps the busiest time of one's life: full courseload (for some, including capstone or grad-level courses), intensive lab research (the culmination of years in the lab, often including the onerous process of writing and revising a manuscript), thesis (ugh--haven't even started mine), INTERVIEWS (which suck time like whoa), just for starters. On top of that, we're supposed to be enjoying what is described by others as the best year of our lives, so for me that entails time with friends that I may never see again, senior class parties, basketball games, etc., and then there are the usual vagaries of life (e.g., learning how to use a dry-cleaner; seriously). So while I enjoy wearing many hats, another part of me can't wait until I start MD/PhD so that I can finally settle down and focus on a more manageable number of things: learning to be a physician and learning to be a scientist. I'm sure if we can make it through this then we will do just fine at the next stage of our training, so take a deep breath, count to 10, and then grin and bear it for the next few months. It will all work out in the end .

My PI is NOT happy! Which makes me not happy
But I don't know what to do...

So I had an interview last week and the week before, and they (of course) fell on my long lab days, and this week when there was no interview I couldn't come in because I had an exam which I REALLY needed to study for because I am SO behind... GAH!

Am I the only one who feels like they are failing in every aspect of life right now. I've been telling all my professors this semester "I'm sorry! I swear, I'm usually a good student!"




Sigh...then I get really sad because I think - well, if you're having difficulty balancing this stuff now, Pickles, how will you survive life in Med school/the real world of being a Physician Scientist

(Sorry for dumping on you guys - I'm just kind of Ho-hum right now...)

 

[Vader]

My PI is NOT happy! Which makes me not happy
But I don't know what to do...

So I had an interview last week and the week before, and they (of course) fell on my long lab days, and this week when there was no interview I couldn't come in because I had an exam which I REALLY needed to study for because I am SO behind... GAH!

Am I the only one who feels like they are failing in every aspect of life right now. I've been telling all my professors this semester "I'm sorry! I swear, I'm usually a good student!"




Sigh...then I get really sad because I think - well, if you're having difficulty balancing this stuff now, Pickles, how will you survive life in Med school/the real world of being a Physician Scientist

(Sorry for dumping on you guys - I'm just kind of Ho-hum right now...)

It is totally normal to feel this way. And believe me, this won't be the last time unfortunately. This is just the beginning. You may not realize it, but things will ONLY get busier for you as you move forward in your training. Learning to juggle multiple things will be a skill you will need to further develop and refine continuously. This will become VERY apparent when you do your 3rd year medical school clerkships (esp the surgery rotation). I find it valuable to take a step back now and then and reflect on the BIG picture: where I am at this stage, where this all fits into the big picture of my life, etc. PERSPECTIVE IS KEY.

If you feel completely burned out by the summer, I'd recommend taking off the summer rather than starting right in with a lab rotation. That way, you'll be able to start med school fresh and do your best.

Good luck!

 

[Picklesali]

And remember, you're not alone.

you're not alone.

you are not alone.

just wanted to reiterate that you are not alone!

This thread reminds me of that Michael Jackson song*


Thanks guys, this forum is so supportive. It's good to know that I'm not the only one at the lab late Friday night (well, and all day Saturday)...


***But you are not alone
for I am here with you
Though we're far apart
you're always in my heart...***

Oh, Jacko - you were so wise

 

[ohhowiwish]

Picklesali, I hope things will get better for you and that it'll all turn out to be worthwhile and you will just look back at this moment and laugh or it'll become one of those cocktail stories you tell after its all said and done a long time from now.

I've been a lurker to these forums for a month but finally decided to make an account last week. I'm currently a fourth year undergrad and have yet to take the MCATs- I'm so confused about what I want to do (considering just graduate school as well). I haven't had clinical experience since my second year- since then I've done nothing but research, and my lab is consuming my life.

I only recently considered the MSTP route. I'm pondering whether I want to get my feet wet with some clinical experience again (how I will work out the time with my research lab and my classes will be something I won't be looking forward to)- because I want to make sure that it's still something I really want to do.

I kind of regret not applying to anything this year though because all my friends are going straight to school after they graduate and they all pop in and out of classes because of all the interviews they are getting so I feel sort of left out, especially when our conversations somehow always end up moving to "where did you last interview at" and what were your experiences.

But no you're definitely not the only one working in a lab late on Fridays and the weekends points at self: ). The positive is that you're getting interviews, which I'm sure you're kicking butt in since you must have an impressive resume to get them to begin with. I guess I'll stop here before I start digressing (oh wait...)

 

[Jorje286]

Picklesali, I hope things will get better for you and that it'll all turn out to be worthwhile and you will just look back at this moment and laugh or it'll become one of those cocktail stories you tell after its all said and done a long time from now.

I've been a lurker to these forums for a month but finally decided to make an account last week. I'm currently a fourth year undergrad and have yet to take the MCATs- I'm so confused about what I want to do (considering just graduate school as well). I haven't had clinical experience since my second year- since then I've done nothing but research, and my lab is consuming my life.

I only recently considered the MSTP route. I'm pondering whether I want to get my feet wet with some clinical experience again (how I will work out the time with my research lab and my classes will be something I won't be looking forward to)- because I want to make sure that it's still something I really want to do.

I kind of regret not applying to anything this year though because all my friends are going straight to school after they graduate and they all pop in and out of classes because of all the interviews they are getting so I feel sort of left out, especially when our conversations somehow always end up moving to "where did you last interview at" and what were your experiences.

But no you're definitely not the only one working in a lab late on Fridays and the weekends points at self: ). The positive is that you're getting interviews, which I'm sure you're kicking butt in since you must have an impressive resume to get them to begin with. I guess I'll stop here before I start digressing (oh wait...)

Hey ohhowiwish. You're not alone either. I'm a senior undergrad this year, and I'm trying to fill up my credentials as much as I can. Which means:

working extra hard in my primary lab to get results for at least a conference poster (the lab is 1 hour and 30 minutes away from where i live) + working for a few hours in 2 other labs + graduate level courses and filling up 18 credits per semester + studying for the MCAT + volunteering in a hospital (again, 1h30 away from where I live in a different place than the first) + trying to find a physician to shadow. I think that's it, and I've been getting crazy with work and stress too.

 

[Dodo23]

On top of that, we're supposed to be enjoying what is described by others as the best year of our lives, so for me that entails time with friends that I may never see again, senior class parties, basketball games, etc.

Total, shameless threadnap here, but the best friends I've ever made in my life are all people I met in college, and the possibility of never seeing them again is scaring the daylights out of me. Heck, my roommates and I have made a pact to be each others' bridesmaids if/when we marry. How's that supposed to work if we're literally scattered all over the globe?

 

[solitude]

Total, shameless threadnap here, but the best friends I've ever made in my life are all people I met in college, and the possibility of never seeing them again is scaring the daylights out of me. Heck, my roommates and I have made a pact to be each others' bridesmaids if/when we marry. How's that supposed to work if we're literally scattered all over the globe?

Haha I love the word threadnap. With regards to the thought of marriage, back at you.

 

[Dodo23]

Haha I love the word threadnap. With regards to the thought of marriage, back at you.

Hehe, note that I said "IF/when" with regards to marriage. And I dunno why I would be thinking about it at all, except that I've met quite a few married MD-PhD students already on my interviews and another (single) MD-PhD student was telling me about spending the early part of third year (i.e., 1st year of grad school) traveling around the country attending all her college friends' weddings. Which got me thinking - aaaaaagh! This latter scenario could fit me in a couple of years. Triple

 

[Picklesali]

If I get married I want it to be like this!

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sbqv3MwwVd8[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Dodo23]

If I get married I want it to be like this!

That was a good video but Pickles, I'm assuming you aren't being serious...

 

[Picklesali]

That was a good video but Pickles, I'm assuming you aren't being serious...

hehehe

Actually, it was just that when I was reading your posts about marriage I couldn't help but pronounce it "mawwwage." But I wasn't sure if anyone (especially non Princess Bride fans) would understand without seeing the clip. It's one of my favorite movies.


(My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.)

 

[Dodo23]

hehehe

Actually, it was just that when I was reading your posts about marriage I couldn't help but pronounce it "mawwwage." But I wasn't sure if anyone (especially non Princess Bride fans) would understand without seeing the clip. It's one of my favorite movies.


(My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.)

Haha! Point taken.

 

[solitude]

hehehe

Actually, it was just that when I was reading your posts about marriage I couldn't help but pronounce it "mawwwage." But I wasn't sure if anyone (especially non Princess Bride fans) would understand without seeing the clip. It's one of my favorite movies.


(My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.)

Just had to pipe in to say that I'm also a fan.

 

[Picklesali]

Just had to pipe in to say that I'm also a fan.

Oh, Solitude... I knew you were a kindred spirit.

(btw - what time zone are you in?)

 

[solitude]

Oh, Solitude... I knew you were a kindred spirit.

(btw - what time zone are you in?)

Eastern, yay for staying up very late to do homework.