how BAD do you guys really want to be doctors?

[qualityhealth]

There are insane, crazy premeds at my school who will lick my orgo professor's left toe, eat a foot long poop sandwhich, or live without food for 90 days if it guaranteed them a seat at any medical school in the US.

anyway, the main problem I'd like to address is that lately i've been feeling as though I don't want to be a doctor as much as these freaks. or even close to how much they want it. honestly, i def want to be a doctor, but I can't even handle the basic sciences because I've gotten C's in 3/4 of the basic sciences (bio, physics). obviously this is a sign, no?

the reasons why I'm still holding on to this dream is because my parents won't accept me if I don't become a doctor, engineer, or lawyer. there's no way in hell i'm gonna be a lawyer and I'm not smart enough to be an engineer. heck, I'm probably not even smart enough to be a doc. I could go one and work my butt off and do a post bacc, but even that's not guaranteed.

for all those who are in med school is it worth all the trouble of undergrad/medschool and beyond to go through something you're not willing to go all the way for? i feel like if I'm having doubts now, I won't survive med school.

sorry for the long rant.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[TupacalipseT96]

Your parents are fools.

Don't go into something you aren't personally passionate about, you will only burn out and resent your parents later.

You're a man now, do what you want and tell your parents to get their own lives. There are thousands of other career options besides doctor/lawyer/engineer that can earn you both respect and money.

 

[closer23]

I agree and I'm sure everyone else does too

 

[russellfx]

Your parents are fools.

Don't go into something you aren't personally passionate about, you will only burn out and resent your parents later.

You're a man now, do what you want and tell your parents to get their own lives. There are thousands of other career options besides doctor/lawyer/engineer that can earn you both respect and money.

qft

 

[Nemethyst]

I'm from a desi family (South Asian immigrants).

Trust me, I know the push for a professional career, especially those three. But this is a career that necessitates a certain amount of passion in the subject. I went to UC Berkeley, probably one of the most rancorously competitive, back-stabbingiest pre-med universities out there, so i know the kind of pre-meds you are looking at. One of them even sabotaged my chances at teaching at Kaplan by bad-mouthing me to the director. I don't know if i want to eat a poop sandwich, but I would try to do what I had to get in, without screwing someone else over.

If you've done the volunteering and the shadowing, seen what doctors do and can accomplish, and in the end you're still not interested, find a better use for your degree. Chances are if you try hard enough you can find a better paying job that might make you happy. If your parents aren't happy if you choose another career, show them your paycheck.

If you want it enough, do post-bac. I am considering that possibility myself.

 

[MilkmanAl]

Here's more support for Tupac. I can't imagine going through med school if it wasn't something you were passionate about.

 

[SaveThisLabRat]

I'm pretty sure I could make a bomb doodoo sandwich. Ya'll are hatin' before you tastin'.

 

[qualityhealth]

you guys are right. but the problem is i want it too..but my grades have shown otherwise. I'm gonna have to kill the MCAT and post-bacc If i still want a shot. and I doubt that's going to happen considering my bad grades.

anyway, I feel like anything else won't be respectable to my parents..especially if I go into teaching or something (which I think is a completely respectable profession)

I think the reason why my dad is so adamant is because he tried to get into med school and couldn't get in..so he tried to force all of us siblings to go into it..first my older sis (who went into business actually) , now me, and my lil sis, and lil bro too. now he's pushing my lil bro, even though he's in 7th grade and has no clue what he wants.

 

[Law2Doc]

you guys are right. but the problem is i want it too..but my grades have shown otherwise. I'm gonna have to kill the MCAT and post-bacc If i still want a shot. and I doubt that's going to happen considering my bad grades.

anyway, I feel like anything else won't be respectable to my parents..especially if I go into teaching or something (which I think is a completely respectable profession)

I think the reason why my dad is so adamant is because he tried to get into med school and couldn't get in..so he tried to force all of us siblings to go into it..first my older sis (who went into business actually) , now me, and my lil sis, and lil bro too. now he's pushing my lil bro, even though he's in 7th grade and has no clue what he wants.

You can't spend the next 50 years of your life doing a hard career just to make your dad happy. You will be miserable. Your dad isn't the one who is going to be getting up at 4 am each morning to go disimpact some constipated veteran. Figure out what you WANT to do. And go do it. If you are only getting C's either you aren't smart enough for med school (probably not), or you just don't care enough to put in the necessary effort. Sort of a passive aggressive rebellion -- it's not a "sign", it's something you yourself are making come true. Either way, you are digging a hole that's going to add years into your journey to med school, if that's what you choose. You are better off spending some time figuring what you want to do with your life. I would hold off on taking any more sciences until you have your head on straight about your future.

 

[Caesar]

I am sure I echo the sentiments of others when I say A. some people are crazy and that doesn't make them want to be a doctor more, they just remind everyone as much as possible that they want to be one. B. If you got some C's it is okay, you can recoup if it is what you want to do. C. Medicine is a grueling profession especially through the schooling and residency, if it isn't going to make you happy at the end, it is a waste of your time. Do something that you enjoy and can live with doing. You want to have satisfaction in the work you do, if that is not in medicine then so be it. You are the one who has to live your life, no one else.

 

[bcat85]

you guys are right. but the problem is i want it too..but my grades have shown otherwise. I'm gonna have to kill the MCAT and post-bacc If i still want a shot. and I doubt that's going to happen considering my bad grades.

anyway, I feel like anything else won't be respectable to my parents..especially if I go into teaching or something (which I think is a completely respectable profession)

I think the reason why my dad is so adamant is because he tried to get into med school and couldn't get in..so he tried to force all of us siblings to go into it..first my older sis (who went into business actually) , now me, and my lil sis, and lil bro too. now he's pushing my lil bro, even though he's in 7th grade and has no clue what he wants.

I'm sorry about your situation. You just have to be strong and explain to your parents that you are not going to go into medicine and, as they say, "That is that." I'm sure you have great respect for your parents, but as an above poster said -- Your dad is not going to be getting up at 4 a.m. to disimpact a veteran

 

[ChubbyChaser]

You know what I would say to your dad?? "if you want it so bad why the **** dont you go back to school and get it"

 

[mountainhare]

I remember back in the day, when I went to meet my college pre-med advisor for the first time, I asked him why he chose to become a doctor. I guess I was looking for an inspirational story or something. My pre-med advisor's reply was that he became a doctor because his family wanted him to, he wasn't particularly passionate about any other field, and doctoring seemed like a fine-enough job, so he just went along with his family's wishes. He's now a successful physician at a prestigious hospital, doing just fine. I know of other doctors who initially entered the field because of parental pressure and who managed to build successful careers in spite of such inauspicious beginnings. My sense is that if you're really really intelligent and enjoy studying, you can pull that sort of thing off. But not everyone has the ability to be one of those people, and not everyone even wants to be one of those people.

The most important thing is to ask yourself what you're passionate about. If there's some field that you're more passionate about than medicine, then you should at least try to convince your parents to let you do it. If you show your parents that you can really excel in this other field, they'll probably be more open to the idea of letting you pursue it as a career. I once knew a guy whose parents wanted him to be a mathematician, but his true love was music; once he proved to them that he could really excel at music, they relented and let him go to music school. So, find out what you're passionate about, and then go for it. It's easier to tell your parents, "I don't want to be a doctor, but I think I'd make an excellent artist/businessman/etc." than "I don't want to be a doctor, but I don't have any alternatives to suggest either."

Also, I don't know what kind of relationship you have with your parents, but it could be a good idea to sit down with them and tell them how you feel. Lay it all out there; tell them how you feel that your grades in science courses might be a sign that medicine isn't right for you. It could be that you're misreading them. Maybe there are other careers that they'd be open to as well. Communicate with them; brainstorm together. Best of luck.

 

[TehDoc]

Maybe its these kind of doctors that commit suicide. Do what you want, Seriously..

 

[SaveThisLabRat]

I see nobody is taking me up on that poo sandwich offer. You're missing out. My father is Dean of Admissions at Harvard.

 

[TupacalipseT96]

I would but I'm not a huge fan of mass produced goods.

 

[w8ting2exhale]

Your parents are fools.

Don't go into something you aren't personally passionate about, you will only burn out and resent your parents later.

You're a man now, do what you want and tell your parents to get their own lives. There are thousands of other career options besides doctor/lawyer/engineer that can earn you both respect and money.

that is so true.

 

[qualityhealth]

you know what's crazy? i just spoke to my parents and told my parents I don't want to be a doc anymore and they were absolutely fine with it. they said they never forced us..but passively they did. I hate myself so much right now, because ALL THIS TIME in undergrad i was trying to make them happy, that I forgot what I want..I mean I still want to be a doc, but business is another consideration I have. freak. i hate this. why did i give so much of a damn about making my parents happy? now I have to finish an extra year, to get my major done. this sucks..

 

[deleted74029]

you know what's crazy? i just spoke to my parents and told my parents I don't want to be a doc anymore and they were absolutely fine with it. they said they never forced us..but passively they did. I hate myself so much right now, because ALL THIS TIME in undergrad i was trying to make them happy, that I forgot what I want..I mean I still want to be a doc, but business is another consideration I have. freak. i hate this. why did i give so much of a damn about making my parents happy? now I have to finish an extra year, to get my major done. this sucks..

Thats great man.......look at this guy, maybe you'll be in a situation like him one day, which wouldn't be bad at all.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=529492

 

[Monkey House]

"how badly"

 

[Artimacia]

I haven't been attacked by any other premeds because frankly, i might be one of the only ones. My school is smaller so I have yet to run into any other premeds after a year.

 

[SurferDocAli]

I see nobody is taking me up on that poo sandwich offer. You're missing out. My father is Dean of Admissions at Harvard.

Cover it with mayo and fry it.

 

[soparu]

another big thing to consider is to go into something that you both enjoy AND get support for. if you're a musician and dead set on going to music school...you get there but you have absolutely no moral support or direction, you're most likely not going to do well. same goes with medicine and the like-- esp when people get a hold of your transcript and try to use manipulative transferance to tell you which career is best for you. (happened to me in another forum).

and having people say "teaching's a fine enough profession," they're just trying to steer the ship. do what YOU want to do. you don't need adVICE from some strange chump in some random forum.

ps, i don't know the point of this thread, if what you're pointing out is that you're not good enough to be a doctor and give several points in why you're not cut for it-- i think the answer is obvious.

 

[tncekm]

Your parents are fools.

Don't go into something you aren't personally passionate about, you will only burn out and resent your parents later.

You're a man now, do what you want and tell your parents to get their own lives. There are thousands of other career options besides doctor/lawyer/engineer that can earn you both respect and money.

Exactly.

I think its very sad how many people are premedical (and even become doctors) because that's what their parents expect them to do.