- Joined
- Aug 15, 2016
- Messages
- 41
- Reaction score
- 79
Hey there! I've had the same conversation with multiple friends/ mentees this week about getting an application in this cycle (or ASAP if not this cycle). Idk who else needs to hear this, but guys it's 100% ok to spend the summer recovering from this absolutely insane last year(+) instead of applying to school. I started med school in the 30-35 age bracket. I've absolutely felt the angst doing the math of if I start this year, I'll be x age when I'm done. In the grand scheme of things, a year is not a long time, and medical schools aren't going anywhere. My 2-year plan ended up taking 6 years (from first post-bacc class to starting med school), but I still got here. And what about all that I'm too old for this what about having a family etc. stress? Well, I was far from the oldest person starting in my class. One of my classmates had given birth shortly before starting school, another classmate's wife had a baby during our first year, and multiple classmates already had kids when they started school. They all did fine. If it's important you make time for it, because at the end of the day being a doctor is just a job. It might be a special job, you might not be able to see yourself doing anything else, but it's still just a job. And you DO NOT have to sacrifice the rest of your life to a job (or to training for a job). So, if you've got your **** together well enough to go for it this year that's awesome! Go get 'em!! Some random internet stranger is rooting for you! But also if you're just hella burned out after this last year, (which is all of us), resting this summer is ok too. (And I'm rooting for you too.) Be well.
