If you won the lottery would you still go to med school?

[Tortaspie]

I realize there have been polls like this, but it's time for a new one.

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[northernlights15]

Yes.

 

[deleted407021]

I realize there have been polls like this, but it's time for a new one.

Y?

 

[Tortaspie]

Y?

Because the other ones are from 10 years ago.

 

[resiroth]

If anything it would make me more keen to go. No longer worrying about debt or how much a given specialty pays would be a huge weight off my shoulders!

I would probably open up a private practice and see like 10 patients a day so I can actually spend time with them.

Okay enough fantasizing

 

[Simpson]

IT depends. How much did I win?

 

[Recon_13999]

IT depends. How much did I win?

5k winner; just enough to pay for all your app fees!

 

[Simpson]

lol then I change my vote, if it was $100,000,000 I would start in the business side of healthcare.

 

[NeuResurgens]

 

[GoPens]

If anything it would make me more keen to go. No longer worrying about debt or how much a given specialty pays would be a huge weight off my shoulders!

I would probably open up a private practice and see like 10 patients a day so I can actually spend time with them.

Okay enough fantasizing

Ditto.

 

[el_duderino]

Absolutely. No question. It would remove one of the most stressful parts of the whole process (being super poor while accruing massive debt).

 

[ComputerGuy365]

Hell yes.

 

[philosonista]

|Instead of pursuing an MD/PhD, I would pursue one at a time, and jump ship if I came to think I didn't like one. First try PhD, then go to MD if I don't find myself in love with it.

MD/PhD affords the opportunity to try both and I wholeheartedly want to do both. But with extra money lying around, I'd go the easier route of applying to one at a time. Md/PhD programs are no cake walk to get into. Neither is each one separately, but its certainly easier.

 

[Tortaspie]

I feel like this is a good way to weed out those that would love the profession so much that they would do it for free and those who wouldn't. Honestly, if I won 5000 a week for life or something I would probably just work as an MLS while saving my 5000 a week. Not to say that I wouldn't love being a physician but I'm not going to lie, I probably wouldn't go to med school.

 

[Simpson]

I feel like this is a good way to weed out those that would love the profession so much that they would do it for free and those who wouldn't. Honestly, if I won 5000 a week for life or something I would probably just work as an MLS while saving my 5000 a week. Not to say that I wouldn't love being a physician but I'm not going to lie, I probably wouldn't go to med school.

Well, it depends. $5,000 a week for how long? 2 weeks, or for life?
Most physicians in other countries do their work for free anyways.

 

[Tortaspie]

Well, it depends. $5,000 a week for how long? 2 weeks, or for life?
Most physicians in other countries do their work for free anyways.

For life. Like the publishers clearing house prize. Life would be good...

 

[Simpson]

Well, what on earth would I do for the rest of my life?

 

[Hospitalized]

Yea I'd still go. I stopped thinking about money once I knew I would go into major debt from medical school. I don't think it would change if I was on the other end of the spectrum. It's a passion for me. I would just have nicer things along the way.

 

[Simpson]

Yea I'd still go. I stopped thinking about money once I knew I would go into major debt from medical school. I don't think it would change if I was on the other end of the spectrum. It's a passion for me. I would just have nicer things along the way.

Where did you do your undergrad at?

 

[Jplewis002]

I'd think there's only so many vacations and things to buy. I feel it wouldn't be very fulfilling and get old really quickly. Boring. So yeah I think I'd still go.

 

[NonTradJp]

I would. Money would give more freedom to do so.

 

[jqueb29]

Yep. I would definitely be a lot less stressed about studying my face into the ground though.

 

[Hospitalized]

Where did you do your undergrad at?

I would tell you, but then I would have to kill you.

 

[mimelim]

I met my wife and I still went to medical school, so yes.

 

[mcatjelly]

I met my wife and I still went to medical school, so yes.

Adorable. :3

To answer OP's question: yes, absolutely.

 

[deleted393595]

I met my wife and I still went to medical school, so yes.

Well played, sir.

 

[GiveMeThatMD]

I absolutely would! Think of even on a lower level, say undergraduate. How would you like to take new classes and learn new material at a pace completely on your own? Not ever needing to worry about the outcome of a class or the debt that rides along with it. Learning for the absolute joy of it? Sign me up.

 

[seizurecrow]

I kind of won the lottery already. I was realistically expecting to pay for school, but was fortunate enough to receive a full ride. Still feels kind of surreal knowing that a lot of unnecessary stress was magically eliminated with a single phone call. Gonna use this final summer to brew beer and spend the remaining $16 I have in my bank account. Feels good, man.

 

[northernlights15]

I met my wife and I still went to medical school, so yes.

Most romantic thing I've ever read on here!

 

[familyaerospace]

I met my wife and I still went to medical school, so yes.

Dear mimelim's wife.

This one is a keeper.

Signed,
Every Romantic Soul on SDN

 

[miamiheatfan]

I met my wife and I still went to medical school, so yes.

#RelationshipGoals

 

[Pusheen]

Oh man, yes, go to med school in style and comfort

Then work like 3 days a week or something.

My fiance is going into a very financially rewarding career, so even now I could just be a stay at home mom or whatever if I wanted to and be set financially.
But nahh

 

[Flashfan]

I would have the capital to open a clinic or fund my political campaign later when I want to affect policy. Paying cash for med school would not be a bad thing.

 

[AspiringERMD]

Funny you should ask. When debating whether or not to leave software development consulting, I thought of this question and asked it to myself. The answer was a resounding "yes," even though I had Googled everything I could think of to scare myself out of becoming a med student/resident/doctor. I just couldn't deter myself no matter what I read.

Had you asked me whether I would have worked as a software development consultant had I won the lottery, I would have laughed hysterically and finally said "NO." Not even part time.

It's a good question to ask yourself to answer honestly.

 

[amad01]

you'd probably get a different response from 3rd/4th year students... if it was crazy money like 100 million+ I wouldn't go... if it was less like ~1-10 million I would go.

 

[efle]

Guys I think you're reading Mimelim's post wrong. His wife is filthy rich and he's a gold digger, but despite being smothered in cash he still went to MD school

 

[Doctor Strange]

The idealism in here is suffocating. There's no time for medical school in my dream life of collecting rare comic book memorabilia and napping all day.

 

[jl lin]

Thankfully, a good number of people don't do this primarily for the money.

 

[Frazier]

Assuming the winnings are like 50M, absolutely not.

It is more difficult to justify (regardless of impetus) if you actually sit and think about it.

Oh, you want to "help people"? How about you instead utilize your very unique position and fortune to actually change the lives of people/society in a way that only you and few others can? ...That can be a full-time job itself in real life. As your average physician, your role plays an impact, you yourself -- not so much -- there is someone just as smart and compassionate as you that can take your place in providing the same level of care (i.e. the role) to any given patient.

Oh, you "love science"? Good take advantage of that and go into straight innovative research where you are more likely to have an impact on the XYZ issue that is on your mind 24/7.

Oh, you "can't see yourself as anything other than a physician"? ...How long have you been a doctor to know that?...better get those eyes checked, friend, myopia can be serious business.

Oh, you can't live without that "physician-patient" relationship? Good luck maintaining that idealism with your assembly line of malpractice suits when the less-than-desirable patients catch wind that their doc is sitting on a 50 million jackpot.

Oh, you crave the constantly dynamic, new exciting world of patient care? Understand the utilization of algorithms in modern medicine, appreciate how seasoned physicians use illness scripts, ponder the fact that after your 1,000th time doing a procedure -- it's only natural for the novelty to wear off and become "routine".

Oh, it's a cultural thing and my parents demand I become a physician? ...I can't comment, don't know much about comparative social status of physician vis-a-vis jackpot winner to world cultures.

Oh, you "have an incessant drive to cut people open"? ...Okay, you got me with that one. Sublimation: good reason to go to med school and become a surgeon in this case.

I understand and appreciate the place on the timeline at which most of the respondents are... everything is romantic, everything is idealistic, everything is pre-med mode fresh out the interview cycle or ramping up to one.

Medicine is a great profession and I am happy I made the choice to go this path. It was the best option available to me. That said, having "50M in my back pocket and a world of possibilities to make an impact with it" was not an option.

For almost 90% of people on this pre-med forum (read: current survey results) to say "Medicine no doubt!" without seemingly a second thought is asinine.

 

[jl lin]

LOL surgery: sublimation.

 

[el_duderino]

Where did you get the hay for all those straw men?

 

[Frazier]

Where did you get the hay for all those straw men?

I didn't prescribe my hypotheticals as counterpoint to any particular poster in this thread. Rather noted rhetorically the usual claims that posters made (coupled with corresponding opportunity costs) within the previous (numerous) times this thread was created...usually without much sign of introspection. I did not warp and attack a bastardized version of your argument, because you did not pose one to begin with (unless we consider "I wont be a poor student" as deep contemplation).

If you have a reason for choosing medical school after a 50M lotto winning, I am happy to hear your nonstereotypical reasoning.

All this makes me wonder: Do you know what strawman fallacy is -- or do you just throw the phrase around haphazardly?

 

[el_duderino]

If you have a reason for choosing medical school after a 50M lotto winning, I am happy to hear your nonstereotypical reasoning.

Oh, I'm so excited to try to explain my reasoning to a person who has proposed the question as a challenge.

Get over yourself.

 

[Frazier]

Oh, I'm so excited to try to explain my reasoning to a person who has proposed the question as a challenge.

Get over yourself.

So you tried to directly call me out first then retreat at being engaged with that particular cop-out?

Ok, no problem.
Good luck going forward.
(No sarcasm.)

 

[TaroBubbleTea]

Oh hell no.

I would pay off all of my and my family's remaining debt, go to culinary school, move to a rural village in Japan and open a bakery.

 

[el_duderino]

So you tried to directly call me out first then retreat at being engaged with that particular cop-out?

Ok, no problem.
Good luck going forward.
(No sarcasm.)

Your entire list is a bunch of straw man arguments, end of story. It doesn't address anyone in particular, and makes a parody of every single viewpoint it sets up. It masquerades as an exhaustive list of possible reasons to go to medical school despite winning the lottery in order to knock down (almost) all of them, but in reality none of the arguments are fleshed out in a realistic way and all of your objections are sophomoric and trite.

This is not about you versus my personal reasons. It's about your entire post, which was overly aggressive, being a collection of failed arguments.

 

[Frazier]

Your entire list is a bunch of straw man arguments, end of story. It doesn't address anyone in particular, and makes a parody of every single viewpoint it sets up. It masquerades as an exhaustive list of possible reasons to go to medical school despite winning the lottery in order to knock down (almost) all of them, but in reality none of the arguments are fleshed out in a realistic way and all of your objections are sophomoric and trite.

This is not about you versus my personal reasons. It's about your entire post, which was overly aggressive, being a collection of failed arguments.

Not an exhaustive list or framed as one.

Not one was a parody (perhaps sans "I cant see myself as anything but a physician").

Not strawman fallacy, as I addressed earlier and will not retype.

Not aggressive. No shouting/finger-waving/name-calling here.

Interesting you choose to criticize as sophomoric/trite when you still have yet to offer substantial reasoning.

Expected.

Again, good luck going forward.

 

[steelersfan1243]

Can an adcom weigh in if this were an interview question?

If I won a lottery that was over 100m this young, no, I would not do medical school

Is there a right answer to this question? Just as others have said before, there are many ways I can actually make a difference, even a more significant one, with that amount of money outside of medical school

 

[el_duderino]

Expected.

 

[The_Sunny_Doc]

Oh hell no.

I would pay off all of my and my family's remaining debt, go to culinary school, move to a rural village in Japan and open a bakery.

Same here! Only I'd stay in the states, and eventually, become a globetrotting vagabond.

Alternatively, I'd go med school and end up opening up some sort of boutique practice with lots of flexibility and eventually start some sort of entrepreneurial venture to help the medically underserved. Social entrepreneurship ftw.