How to decide - is pre-med right for me?

[biozeta]

Hi there
I've been doing some thinking lately, and I was curious as to if I should continue on this pre-med path.
I hate to say I have doubts, but it's such a big commitment to choose to be pre-med, and the classes are tough for me. Definitely a challenge.
I mean, at this point I'm *hoping* to get a B after working my butt off in Calc 1. This is only calc ONE...I just feel like I'm behind because other pre-meds are breezing through it or doing well because they took AP Calc in high school, whereas I didn't. I also don't know if I'm going to pull A's in my electives or in Gen Chem (it might end up being an A-minus or a B-plus), and I feel as though I should be acing these intro courses.
I've never been this stressed (and I'm not sure if I need to be...?) over something and I'm trying to weigh the pros and cons. My family doesn't want for me to be a doctor, it's a goal I'm trying to achieve for myself. My reasons for going into medicine aren't really for the "fame" (I want to work as a pathologist in a lab) or for the money..I just want a stable career to support myself and I have a love for science.
I'm trying to run on less sleep than I have ever before and perform at a level I've never performed at. My last semester's GPA was a 3.8, but that was without any science/math courses (I had to drop Chem 1 the first time around).
Has this happened to any other pre-med students who pulled through and made it? Or am I just struggling unnecessarily hard?

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[LuciusVorenus]

It's freshman year. Relax. It's way too early to quit because of grades alone. Everyone struggles freshman year, the transition from high school to college is pretty rough for most people, not just premeds alone. Forget how other people are doing, and figure out what method works best for you. You might not have a lot of time now, but once you figure out how to study, everything else will come naturally and you'll find yourself studying less and less hours while optimizing the time you do spend studying.

For example, I found it best to read the math book before lecture to understand the concepts, take notes in lecture to understand the math itself, go home and do all assigned problems (even if they aren't graded) and then just repeat until test time. WolframAlpha helps too.


P.S: Since this is me "1337" post, you have to take it as the word of God.

P.S.S: I ****ing love using commas.

 

[Snowsquall]

If it's any consolation, I did not understand calc 1 and was lucky to end up with a B, still don't understand some major topics of gen chem and ended up with a 2.9 GPA my first semester. And although I was a Bio major, I hated gen bio and collected B's.
Nonetheless, I was accepted in Med School. You can do it. 😀

 

[ShelLeonRajHowa]

It's right for you. Never give up.

 

[BadHorse]

...it's such a big commitment to choose to be pre-med...

Uy.

Pre-med is eight survey classes and a daydream. If your goal of working in medicine isn't worth the "struggle" of being pre-med you should absolutely rethink your career options. You will make far, far greater sacrifices if you remain on this path.

That said, we often doubt ourselves, especially in the beginning. Don't be discouraged by a rough freshman year. You don't know your limits yet, not even close, you're just scared because you're at the start of something huge. If this is your dream, go after it, take one step at a time.

A good way to figure out if it's worth the commitment is to shadow physicians. You should realize that the specialty you see yourself going into freshman year of college is probably not the specialty you will settle on. Explore your options, see what physicians actually do, and if you fall in love with it pursue it wholeheartedly and never look back.

 

[biozeta]

" You should realize that the specialty you see yourself going into freshman year of college is probably not the specialty you will settle on. "
I mean, I also understand this. But, point being, I'm not pre-med for any other goal other than to deal with a field in science (to address my love of science) and to be financially independent.
It is worth mentioning also that the specific field I'm looking into doesn't have too strenuous of hours, which is something I'm also interested in. It's in a more quiet environment which is conducive to my personality.
I do plan on shadowing physicians in the field I'm interested in for 2 weeks over the summer.

 

[getdown]

premed isn't a major so I don't know what you're talking about. If you want to do medicine, you'll have to do premed requirements, if not don't do it. If you're talking about being a bio major than that's different.

 

[biozeta]

Correct. I'm wondering whether to stay on the pre-med track . I am a biology major.

 

[halethsonofhama]

You sound very similar to me. Don't judge yourself on your calc grade; math is completely different than all the other courses you will be taking (Calc 1 and 2 are the only classes I got B's)

But i'm sure there are other ways that are less work that will land you a steady job that deals with science. I went into medicine with the same idea; even though I'll be going to medical school next this august, If I could do it over again, I wouldn't go through medicine; it just isn't worth it.

If you want to continue with the pre-med route, just work hard and you'll do fine- don't let calc bog you down, its a completely new language

 

[SitraAchra]

Correct. I'm wondering whether to stay on the pre-med track . I am a biology major.

As a bio major you're basically on the pre-med track like it or not. Plus or minus a few courses, you're already going to meet most requirements.

 

[tr0gd0r]

You sound very similar to me. Don't judge yourself on your calc grade; math is completely different than all the other courses you will be taking (Calc 1 and 2 are the only classes I got B's)

But i'm sure there are other ways that are less work that will land you a steady job that deals with science. I went into medicine with the same idea; even though I'll be going to medical school next this august, If I could do it over again, I wouldn't go through medicine; it just isn't worth it.

If you want to continue with the pre-med route, just work hard and you'll do fine- don't let calc bog you down, its a completely new language

😕😕😕
If you could do it over again? You haven't even done anything. Why are you going to medical school??

 

[cheesier]

Relax, maybe take fewer science classes. If a class sounds really cool to you, take it and maybe push one of your biology classes back. Just go with the flow, keep your options open by taking the pre-reqs at a leisurely pace, and maybe consider switching your major if something sounds more appealing. One year of borderline grades isn't going to hurt you too much, but in the future, you should make a schedule for yourself that you know will be less stressful.

 

[Propylene]

For what it's worth, I struggled with my classes freshman year. Once I figured out how to study, and also got a better idea of why I wanted to be a doctor, it was much easier to bring up my performance in classes! It also doesn't help that gen chem and calc were some of my least favorite series in college. Wait until you get into upper division classes; when you're fascinated by the material it's much easier to keep with the class. Lots of people (including myself) had trouble with freshman year, but if you got a 3.8 you're doing fine. Don't worry so much!

 

[Helen Wheels]

😕😕😕
If you could do it over again? You haven't even done anything. Why are you going to medical school??

My thoughts exactly. Halethsonofhama, if you don't want to do this I would advise you not to go to medical school. If you don't really want to do this the sacrifices, hard work, and debt required will make you miserable.

 

[sylvanthus]

You sound very similar to me. Don't judge yourself on your calc grade; math is completely different than all the other courses you will be taking (Calc 1 and 2 are the only classes I got B's)

But i'm sure there are other ways that are less work that will land you a steady job that deals with science. I went into medicine with the same idea; even though I'll be going to medical school next this august, If I could do it over again, I wouldn't go through medicine; it just isn't worth it.

If you want to continue with the pre-med route, just work hard and you'll do fine- don't let calc bog you down, its a completely new language

You haven't even started yet and you already think it isn't worth it? Pre-med was too much of a life-sucker for you? Seriously, drop out now. It gets WAY worse than undergrad and if you think its bad already, you will be miserable.

 

[BadHorse]

" You should realize that the specialty you see yourself going into freshman year of college is probably not the specialty you will settle on. "
I mean, I also understand this. But, point being, I'm not pre-med for any other goal other than to deal with a field in science (to address my love of science) and to be financially independent.
It is worth mentioning also that the specific field I'm looking into doesn't have too strenuous of hours, which is something I'm also interested in. It's in a more quiet environment which is conducive to my personality.
I do plan on shadowing physicians in the field I'm interested in for 2 weeks over the summer.

If you want to work in a lab and be financially independent just get a PhD. Medical school and residency are not worth it, you have no inkling of the amount of work ahead of you.

MD: Pay a quarter million dollars, study like it's a full time job, study even more if you want to ensure a spot in a pathology residency. Most of the subject matter will only be tangentially related to your desired field, your first clinical year will be barely even tangentially related to your desired field.
Residency: 4-5 years. Get paid 14 dollars an hour to work harder than you've ever worked before. Fudge the hours so it looks like you "only" worked 80 hours this week. That's 2 full time jobs. Think about that.

PhD: Get paid to get educated. Start doing research in your desired field right away. Go straight to industry (don't bother with academia) and make bank.

In your case getting an MD is just a poor choice.

 

[tr0gd0r]

😕😕😕
If you could do it over again? You haven't even done anything. Why are you going to medical school??

Seriously, though, I'd really like to know this...

 

[BadHorse]

Seriously, though, I'd really like to know this...

Did you just quote yourself and repeat your own question, a question that was, itself, initiating a thread-jack?

I agree with you, dude, but damn, learn some forum etiquette...

 

[tr0gd0r]

Did you just quote yourself and repeat your own question, a question that was, itself, initiating a thread-jack?

I agree with you, dude, but damn, learn some forum etiquette...

I guess so? I know little of forum ettiquette, sorry.

 

[CerebroDad]

If you want to work in a lab and be financially independent just get a PhD. Medical school and residency are not worth it, you have no inkling of the amount of work ahead of you.

MD: Pay a quarter million dollars, study like it's a full time job, study even more if you want to ensure a spot in a pathology residency. Most of the subject matter will only be tangentially related to your desired field, your first clinical year will be barely even tangentially related to your desired field.
Residency: 4-5 years. Get paid 14 dollars an hour to work harder than you've ever worked before. Fudge the hours so it looks like you "only" worked 80 hours this week. That's 2 full time jobs. Think about that.

PhD: Get paid to get educated. Start doing research in your desired field right away. Go straight to industry (don't bother with academia) and make bank.

In your case getting an MD is just a poor choice.

BadHorse, I think the picture you’re painting of a PhD is a bit too rosy:

There are students who’ve been in grad school for well over 5 years (sometimes close to 10) and still haven’t obtained that PhD they’ve been working towards.

As for financial independence: I have friends in the corporate world who tell me that a PhD is not the key to it, and can even be a disadvantage since some companies will consider you over-qualified. If you decide to pursue academic positions instead, they can be hard to obtain (especially the tenure-track positions that are the ultimate goal of so many PhD holders).

Here’s a thread that caught my attention about PhD vs MD (I especially found post #5 to be interesting):

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=751717

 

[CerebroDad]

" You should realize that the specialty you see yourself going into freshman year of college is probably not the specialty you will settle on. "
I mean, I also understand this. But, point being, I'm not pre-med for any other goal other than to deal with a field in science (to address my love of science) and to be financially independent.
It is worth mentioning also that the specific field I'm looking into doesn't have too strenuous of hours, which is something I'm also interested in. It's in a more quiet environment which is conducive to my personality.
I do plan on shadowing physicians in the field I'm interested in for 2 weeks over the summer.

OP, if you're goal is a stable career that involves science, then you're going to work hard and there might be periods when you'll struggle no matter what you go into. However it's worth it to keep in mind that some professions will require more of a struggle than others.

For example, I know people in pharmacy, optometry, and nursing who tell me they'd never want to go the MD route because they don't feel it's worth the tremendous difference in time and stress.

If your heart is 100% set on becoming a pathologist, go for it. If you're having serious doubts, you might want to consider pharmacy. They have great hours (very flexible schedules compared to medicine). I've never met a pharmacist who regrets his career choice, although I have heard of some pharmacists who go back to med school later in life to fulfill a strong desire to become physicians.

 

[BadHorse]

There are students who’ve been in grad school for well over 5 years (sometimes close to 10) and still haven’t obtained that PhD they’ve been working towards.

The good programs tell you how long it takes to graduate and make it happen give or take a year with excellent advising and milestones.

Even at bad programs this isn't nearly as common as it is made out to be. I don't know any PhD graduates who took more than 6 years.

I have friends in the corporate world who tell me that a PhD is not the key to it, and can even be a disadvantage since some companies will consider you over-qualified.

Do you have friends in industrial research who tell you that? Because having a PhD is the key to breaking into industrial research in any significant way. If you ever want a lab of your own you need a PhD... I don't know how else to say this, there is no other way unless you want to be a lab monkey.

If you decide to pursue academic positions instead, they can be hard to obtain (especially the tenure-track positions that are the ultimate goal of so many PhD holders).

I said as much, academia is not the way to go unless you're completely work-obsessed.

Here’s a thread that caught my attention about PhD vs MD (I especially found post #5 to be interesting):

Again, this is all about academia.

All of my points are most applicable to top PhD programs, but if you have the grades for med school and some strong research you will get into one of these. There are significantly fewer hoops to jump through. All of this information comes direct from a good friend of mine at the #2 biomedical engineering program in the country.

 

[deleted357625]

If your not worried about what med school you get into, then just chillax.

Most ppl who stress out because they make a few B's here and there because it ruins there chances for the schools they WANT to get into. Obviously more competitive ones.

pre-med is honestly not bad if your not so selective with medical schools and you just care about getting into one or any.

 

[CerebroDad]

Do you have friends in industrial research who tell you that? Because having a PhD is the key to breaking into industrial research in any significant way.

Nope, they're not in industrial research, and I have to admit I don't know much about that particular career path.

There are significantly fewer hoops to jump through. All of this information comes direct from a good friend of mine at the #2 biomedical engineering program in the country.

I'd have to concede that your source seems better than mine. Also, I wonder how those hoops compare to getting into pharmacy or optometry, since I think those fields may also give the OP financial security and reasonable work hours.

 

[biozeta]

"pre-med is honestly not bad if your not so selective with medical schools and you just care about getting into one or any. "
Oh yeah, no, I'll go to any medical school that takes me. I'm not really stressing about the really competitive ones or anything like that.
I'll just keep working to get my GPA up even though it looks like it'll come out sub-par this semester.

Also, optometry is very competitive from my understanding, but pharmacy definitely looks like a good option, though the pay differential is significant.

D.O. school is also an option. I'm better now. hah 🙂