How do you stay motivated?

[SusGob711]

I currently have about 2.5 years left before I start medical school and I seem to be having a lot more days where I find myself asking if all the work is worth it. I get pretty good grades but I work my ***** off to get them.

To pay for my tuition I work 30 hrs./week in home health care and find that ANY extra time is spent studying or doing homework. I don't really ever have down time and I'm always running on very little sleep.

I don't mean to whine on here but how do you guys keep yourselves motivated? Most days all the work doesn't bother me but then there are days when I just want to do nothing but I know I could be studying, haha!

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[airplanes]

There's no way for you to get more scholarships and or school loans? I can't really imagine working 30 hours a week on top of undergrad.

 

[the duck]

I currently have about 2.5 years left before I start medical school and I seem to be having a lot more days where I find myself asking if all the work is worth it. I get pretty good grades but I work my ***** off to get them.

To pay for my tuition I work 30 hrs./week in home health care and find that ANY extra time is spent studying or doing homework. I don't really ever have down time and I'm always running on very little sleep.

I don't mean to whine on here but how do you guys keep yourselves motivated? Most days all the work doesn't bother me but then there are days when I just want to do nothing but I know I could be studying, haha!

I just picture myself in a white coat, driving a BMW. In more general terms, think about why you are doing this, and where you will end up soon.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Well hoenstly life is hard.. Its full of work, but the work is what makes it worth it all! Life is not about sitting on your ass and sleeping and doing nothing! Motivation comes from the fact that you will one day succeed in life, and that all this work will pay off. I wish you luck and godspeed!

But yah 30 hours a week has got to be a lot of work

 

[mangomadness]

dang, 30 hrs/wk? why not take out a student loan or something? anyway, one day you'll get to save people's lives. which is amazing. just keep reminding yourself why you wanted to do this in the first place. goodluck!

 

[Jli]

"No pain, No gain." lol, I just think about the reasons why I want to become a doctor.

 

[Default]

The one thing that kept me motivated, even while working on an oil field in the middle of wyoming to stay afloat is balance. I could have taken extra call to make a few bucks and maybe i shouldnt have taken out a student loan my junior year, but life isn't about an end goal. Not to say that life has to be all fairys, gumdrops and rainbows, but you have to enjoy your life now. I'm not in med school but busted my butt to double major in bio and chem in 3.5 yrs and looking back, finishing so quick wasn't worth 3.5 years of killing myself. As long as you aren't enjoying life now, motivation might no be easy to com eby when the light at the end of the tunnel is much farther than 2.5 years.

Take it for what its worth, make the sacrifices to breathe, to just kick back every one in a while, to enjoy life, not just endure it.

 

[DocMcCoy]

I currently have about 2.5 years left before I start medical school and I seem to be having a lot more days where I find myself asking if all the work is worth it. I get pretty good grades but I work my ***** off to get them.

To pay for my tuition I work 30 hrs./week in home health care and find that ANY extra time is spent studying or doing homework. I don't really ever have down time and I'm always running on very little sleep.

I don't mean to whine on here but how do you guys keep yourselves motivated? Most days all the work doesn't bother me but then there are days when I just want to do nothing but I know I could be studying, haha!

At least you won't have any loans to pay back from undergrad. I worked through undergrad and pretty much just had to grit my teeth and drive on. The good news is you won't have to worry about having a job in medical school (I pray you aren't going to have another job then). The bad news is medical school is your job. At least you already know what it means to work hard and function with limited sleep for extended periods of time. Keep thinking about the end goal. If that fails to be enough motivation for me then I will switch careers.

 

[RevMD]

Whenever you find yourself in doubt, ask yourself "How bad do I want this?" This is not just for med school, but for any time you feel like giving up. This mantra always seems to get me focused on the task at hand and take things one step at a time rather than looking too far ahead.

 

[metallica81788]

Whenever you find yourself in doubt, ask yourself "How bad do I want this?" This is not just for med school, but for any time you feel like giving up. This mantra always seems to get me focused on the task at hand and take things one step at a time rather than looking too far ahead.

This is good advice. My problem was always looking too far ahead before I had even tackled the problem (i.e. looking at schools to apply when I was feeling annoyed studying for the MCAT).

Just take it step-by-step and before you know it, you'll be approaching the finish line.

 

[MilkmanAl]

dang, 30 hrs/wk? why not take out a student loan or something?

That's usually my sentiment when someone claims to work through school. Some people have lucrative jobs (from previous degrees) and/or a family to support, so it makes sense that they'd need a job. If you don't have any dependents, though, just take out the loan. Debt allergy is a really bad thing to have if you're going into medicine. All the work is clearly affecting your motivation and energy levels, so cut it out. Work a little bit if you want to, but get those loans rolling. Since we're not talking about astronomical figures, quality of life is more important than debt any way you slice it.

 

[muhali3]

You have to reduce your stress and have some time for yourself to chill or else you will burn-out. I know from experience. You have no motivation because you are too emotionally drained from your lifestyle.

 

[jl lin]

The one thing that kept me motivated, even while working on an oil field in the middle of wyoming to stay afloat is balance. I could have taken extra call to make a few bucks and maybe i shouldnt have taken out a student loan my junior year, but life isn't about an end goal. Not to say that life has to be all fairys, gumdrops and rainbows, but you have to enjoy your life now. I'm not in med school but busted my butt to double major in bio and chem in 3.5 yrs and looking back, finishing so quick wasn't worth 3.5 years of killing myself. As long as you aren't enjoying life now, motivation might no be easy to com eby when the light at the end of the tunnel is much farther than 2.5 years.

Take it for what its worth, make the sacrifices to breathe, to just kick back every one in a while, to enjoy life, not just endure it.

Lots of wisdom in that.

 

[SusGob711]

Thanks for all of the great advice guys and I apogize for my moment of whining...thankfully I have this weekend to relax as my exams were all last week
Regarding financial aid I DO have private loans out already, and plenty of 'em. The problem is I do not have a co-signer for any more (I come from a big family and my siblings went to college on loans ahead of me so my co-signer is maxed out). I would LOVE to focus 100% on school but believe it or not there are a lot of students who HAVE to work.

I take out the max of Stafford loans, I have a small merit based scholarship and I can hopefully expect a Pell grant for '10-'11 but I still ended up short this semester and likely will this summer too (taking classes to make up for time lost due to major change). However I do think cutting back on my hours is in my best interest--obviously the grades are the whole point so they must come first. Thanks again though guys

 

[CaliGirl14]

Well, to be honest, this is what makes true pre-meds stand out from the rest of the fake-o's. It's who wants it more and is willing to put up with all of this. There are 927349278342 people out their claiming to be pre-meds, and only so many spots in med school. It's who want it that get in. Want it badly. Do you? Then work hard.

Of course, you don't have to work hard. The exit door is always right there waiting for you.

 

[want2succeed]

Well, to be honest, this is what makes true pre-meds stand out from the rest of the fake-o's. It's who wants it more and is willing to put up with all of this. There are 927349278342 people out their claiming to be pre-meds, and only so many spots in med school. It's who want it that get in. Want it badly. Do you? Then work hard.

Of course, you don't have to work hard. The exit door is always right there waiting for you.

I agree.. if you know this is what you want at the end.. all that you do now will be part of the process you are willing to do to become a physician. You have to want it badly.. if you dont..maybe you really dont want to be a doctor.. and there will be the 927349278341 people left fighting for your spot.

-If you really want it.. I hope you stick with it and dont get discouraged.. good work ethics is critical for a doctor so just think you will have a good training for that.. but remember it also takes great passion to become a great doctor so dont lose sight of why you want to be a doctor.. and it will be enough to keep you motivated.

Best of luck!

 

[Morsetlis]

To pay for my tuition I work 30 hrs./week in home health care and find that ANY extra time is spent studying or doing homework. I don't really ever have down time and I'm always running on very little sleep.

Some schools award extra points for part-time work during non-summer school.

May I suggest that you learn de-stressing techniques? You don't have to do so much. One year can be research, another can be volunteering/shadowing. You do have 2.5 years left, after all.