I am feeling my girlfriend may want to go to medical school for the wrong reason

[seek_advice1]

What worries me is that she was very stressed during this period when she studied for the MCAT and now she attributes the low grade to that stress and anxiety. It just seems to me that she postpones everything until the last minute as if she is not very motivated to work towards it. I just wonder, knowing how hard MD school is, if she is taking the right career choice. I obviously do not want to interfere or put doubts in her but I am worried she may be making a mistake. What is your opinion?

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[MedicineN'Jazz]

Since she’s rolling in dough, let her make her own decisions. She can certainly afford to.

There will be people on here that will demand your girlfriend not apply LOL. I say let her do what she wants. If she flunks out, she won’t be waist deep in debt Plus, she can always decide to pursue medical management or business (MD/MBA) after medical school. She won’t even need to go through residency if she chooses that route

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Or is it that you want her to go to nursing school instead of medical school

Don’t get triggered. Seems like op just wants his girlfriend to do something she’ll actually enjoy instead of just trying to please her parents and make money.

 

[OneTwoThreeFour]

It sounds like she is weeding herself out of medicine anyway.

 

[seek_advice1]

In my long career around admissions and advising, I have found many students who somehow are pushed either by family or even by themselves into premed often unconsciously sabotage their chances. It is emotionally easier then saying facing your parents and telling them no or facing yourself and realizing you have been wrong all along.

How can you tell they are pushed and not passionate? What is the most common way in which they sabotage themselves?

 

[BicycleGuy]

I think many of us initially became pre-med because our parents pushed us toward this career or perhaps because we respected doctors and wanted to pursue a well-paying, well-respected occupation. But checking the boxes along the way (volunteering, research, shadowing, etc.) combined with other interests and exposures, will hopefully give her compelling reasons why medicine is what she wants to do. Another story is whether or not she's cut out for the rigor of medical training. She should have many honest conversations (before applying) about her ability to succeed in this kind of environment, no matter how much she may truly want to be a doctor.

 

[dr_kateb]

She’s a big girl let her decide.

 

[OrthoTraumaMD]

Sometimes she even wonders whether she would be able to help more people by being an astronaut or a doctor.

Lol...what?

Also, you should probably tell her she is not guaranteed ophtho if she gets into med school. See how she, if she truly is after the “prestige/money,” feels at the prospect of family med...


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[PreMedMissteps]

she studied for the MCAT and now she attributes the low grade to that stress and anxiety. It just seems to me that she postpones everything until the last minute as if she is not very motivated to work towards it. I just wonder, knowing how hard MD school is, if she is taking the right career choice.

Why worry? Doesn’t sound like she’ll get into med school.

 

[seek_advice1]

Why worry? Doesn’t sound like she’ll get into med school.

She is in her mid-20s and she is going to take another gap year to improve her MCAT. I just hope she will not waste another year of her life and get another low score because of bad time management and stress. If things were to not work out she would be 26 with just a Bachelor and Master's degrees that do not offer great job opportunities.