I'm getting worried guys.. please offer some advice.

[alleyez]

I'm a sophomore at a public university

My freshman year was sad. GPA not nearly as close as what I hoped for.

My overall gpa is currently 2.5 after three semesters.



I really want to go in psychiatry, however, I don't know if I'm willing to work my ass off to get there. My heart is there but my discipline is not.

I'm not disciplined. I push off studying til couple days or even the day before the test, I live by instant gratification. When I actually sit down to study, I don't even get a lot of work done.
In addition, I have some sort of social anxiety disorder or something. I'm a shy type of person... I'm even afraid to walk to classes on campus in fear that someone might judge me. I don't know what it is. Even when I go to class, I sit near the back. I can't concentrate on school or anything because of this. All this extra pressue doesn't help me. I don't know if you guys feel where I'm coming from. It's more serious than it sounds which I won't go too much in details about. This psychiatric disorder is fairly common but I'm really really sick of it. I want to move on and be comfortable around social settings, and be myself. Why am I so worried about these trivial things but I can't seem to get over it.

And yet, I'm only a bio major.....

I switched my major about three times already.

I honestly felt that biology was the major for me but I'm having doubts about that.

I'm worried about if I'll ever make it into a med school and get to pursue a career that satisfies me and me only. I don't want to settle for less. I want a job that makes an impact on people's lives and community, which I find that medicine suits me well.

I'm losing motivation.

people say "just get 4.0 gpa's from here on out and you'll be golden! And score a 30+ on the mcats!" but i find that difficult to do.


Will i ever grow up and learn that I have to bust my ass to get what I want? What frustrates me is that I'm not trying my HARDEST to excel but at the same time, I tell myself all these things but I can't carry them out!.

My only plan is to try to raise my GPA as much as I can before I graduate from this undergraduate institution, then either take a break from school working and volunteering, or go to a grad school program (if they accept me)... and I guess my life goes on from there. Hopefully get a seat in a med school and pursue the career that I wanted to from the beginning.

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[sleepwhenimdead]

Originally posted by alleyez
I'm a sophomore at a public university

My freshman year was sad. GPA not nearly as close as what I hoped for.

My overall gpa is currently 2.5 after three semesters.



I really want to go in psychiatry, however, I don't know if I'm willing to work my ass off to get there. My heart is there but my discipline is not.

I'm not disciplined. I push off studying til couple days or even the day before the test, I live by instant gratification. When I actually sit down to study, I don't even get a lot of work done.
In addition, I have some sort of social anxiety disorder or something. I'm a shy type of person... I'm even afraid to walk to classes on campus in fear that someone might judge me. I don't know what it is. Even when I go to class, I sit near the back. I can't concentrate on school or anything because of this. All this extra pressue doesn't help me. I don't know if you guys feel where I'm coming from. It's more serious than it sounds which I won't go too much in details about. This psychiatric disorder is fairly common but I'm really really sick of it. I want to move on and be comfortable around social settings, and be myself. Why am I so worried about these trivial things but I can't seem to get over it.

And yet, I'm only a bio major.....

I switched my major about three times already.

I honestly felt that biology was the major for me but I'm having doubts about that.

I'm worried about if I'll ever make it into a med school and get to pursue a career that satisfies me and me only. I don't want to settle for less. I want a job that makes an impact on people's lives and community, which I find that medicine suits me well.

I'm losing motivation.

people say "just get 4.0 gpa's from here on out and you'll be golden! And score a 30+ on the mcats!" but i find that difficult to do.


Will i ever grow up and learn that I have to bust my ass to get what I want? What frustrates me is that I'm not trying my HARDEST to excel but at the same time, I tell myself all these things but I can't carry them out!.

My only plan is to try to raise my GPA as much as I can before I graduate from this undergraduate institution, then either take a break from school working and volunteering, or go to a grad school program (if they accept me)... and I guess my life goes on from there. Hopefully get a seat in a med school and pursue the career that I wanted to from the beginning.

Hey there,

If SAD or another disorder is affecting you this strongly, you should probably see someone and explore treatment options. As far as not wanting to or not being disciplined enough to work your butt off for a goal and being burned out after three semesters is not a good sign of being able to complete 4 years of med school and 3 of residency...Explore teatment, and explore yourself to see if your goals are really what you want to be doing. Good luck. PM if you want or need specifics.

 

[JayMiranti]

Hey you can always go DO and then go into an allopathic psychiatry residency...

Youll be a happy psychiatrist, probably from a great school, and youll be a DO...
FOr more info on DOs, read one of the numerous threads, but they are really basically the same as MDS, dont let it throw u its a great option for people in similar situations.

But getting into DO school isnt so anal as med school, you can prolly rock a 25 MCAT and 3.0 GPA and youll get in somewhere.

Dont worry u sound stressed, there are plenty of careers that will make u happy.

 

[Chirurgien]

What about becoming a psychologist? They don't go to medical school but still work in the area of psychiatry. It's another option you could consider if you're unable to go to a medical school.

 

[alleyez]

Originally posted by Chirurgien
What about becoming a psychologist? They don't go to medical school but still work in the area of psychiatry. It's another option you could consider if you're unable to go to a medical school.

hey, I feel that this is a terrible piece of advice
as you can see from my original post, I don't want to cop out

I'm looking forward to the challenges in life... and my plan is to overcome them. I don't want to cop out and pursue a different career. I want to work towards my goal of going to a medical school, overcoming all the challenges, and reaching my goal. That is what makes it that much more satisfying in the end.

Maybe my original post made me feel sound like I'm not a viable candidate for med school.

Trust me, if people here can do it, I can do it, period.

 

[Adapt]

Originally posted by JayMiranti
Hey you can always go DO and then go into an allopathic psychiatry residency...

Youll be a happy psychiatrist, probably from a great school, and youll be a DO...
FOr more info on DOs, read one of the numerous threads, but they are really basically the same as MDS, dont let it throw u its a great option for people in similar situations.

But getting into DO school isnt so anal as med school, you can prolly rock a 25 MCAT and 3.0 GPA and youll get in somewhere.

Dont worry u sound stressed, there are plenty of careers that will make u happy.

Unfortunately even with a 25 MCAT and 3.0 gpa, she still may not get into a DO school.

I would say try to raise your gpa to around a 3.2 and aim for a 27 or above on the MCAT. Then apply to all DO and caribbean schools. You should get in somewhere.

 

[Brickhouse]

If you are struggling with an anxiety disorder - of course you are not motivated to study and achieve what is possible for you!

You're probably exhausted from fighting with those feelings of self doubt and inadequacy and so studying and devoting time to succeeding in school is becoming secondary, and survival is becoming your main concern.

PM me if you want more personal info from me but I do know where you are coming from, and you can beat it and reach your goals. You do need help to do this, however. We are none of us alone in this pursuit, after all.... best of luck!

 

[alleyez]

Originally posted by Brickhouse
If you are struggling with an anxiety disorder - of course you are not motivated to study and achieve what is possible for you!

You're probably exhausted from fighting with those feelings of self doubt and inadequacy and so studying and devoting time to succeeding in school is becoming secondary, and survival is becoming your main concern.

PM me if you want more personal info from me but I do know where you are coming from, and you can beat it and reach your goals. You do need help to do this, however. We are none of us alone in this pursuit, after all.... best of luck!

YES, I feel exactly like that!


I'll send you a pm!!

 

[Brickhouse]

Originally posted by alleyez
YES!

thanks for understanding!

Haha I win - I'm gonna be a better doctor than all y'all....




*duck and run like hell!*

 

[Trashino]

I'm worried about if I'll ever make it into a med school and get to pursue a career that satisfies me and me only. I don't want to settle for less. I want a job that makes an impact on people's lives and community, which I find that medicine suits me well.

First of all, make sure you have a reason for pursuing medicine. Wanting to "make an impact on people's lives and community" can lead to several other satisfying and challenging careers that don't have the downsides of medicine. Have you worked in a healthcare setting and really enjoy it? Concrete reasons, and not a vague feeling of "destiny" will help you here. "I've always wanted to be a doctor" without any further reasoning should really give one pause before jumping into a difficult career.

It could be that some lack of motivation is because you have not found the career/field that truly excites you.

All that said, if you want to go ahead with medicine, I'll offer some advice after slogging through the admissions process.

I agree with the previous poster who said that you should get treatment right away. This is solid advice even if you don't want to go to medical school. From what you describe you have some problems that are preventing you from achieving your goals, and you can overcome them with help. So that should be the first step.

people say "just get 4.0 gpa's from here on out and you'll be golden! And score a 30+ on the mcats!" but i find that difficult to do.

Nevertheless, that is solid advice. If you want to go to medical school, it is not going to be the end number so much that matters (though if it is very low, you will be screened by some schools pre-interview), but rather showing that you can hack it in the curriculum and have the determination to succeed. A huge improvement in your upper division courses will show that determination.

Several posts abound about what one can do with a lowish gpa (read around 3.0-3.2) after graduating from college. Search for things like post-bacc postings. If your gpa is still a bit low when graduating, working through some post-bacc classes will help to show that you are serious.

Finally, the worst thing you can do is to rely upon excuses when you apply to medical school. So get help, get serious, and get working.

 

[sleepwhenimdead]

Brickhouse...

I said that an hour ago...

She definitely needs treatment and will then probably do well.

later

 

[Jasminegab]

I must have changed my major 300 times. Not everyone who goes into medicine knew from age 5 that they wanted to be a physician.

You say you lose attention during study. How are you studying? If your studying for hours at a time, this will not do. Studies have shown that attention span drops off after 60 min. Thus, many school have classes that are only 50 min at lenght. I try to structure my study habits the same. I study for 50 min then I take a break. I get up and walk around or watch tv or something to take my mind off my study. I'm also not a night studier. I know that after 5pm, my study attention span is all but gone. So, I try to study when I know I'm at my peak hours which is normally around 12-4pm.

I've noticed that when I try to compete for GPA, I put myself under tremendous stress. Now, I focus on what I'm getting out of a course and what it is trying to teach me. The more I understand what the course is trying to teach me, the better my grades. Am I a straight A student. No. Not by a long shot. However, my GPA is a 3.5 GPA. Some courses I get a B in and other I get an A in. I'm happy with that and I don't bother myself with other pulling in straight A's. I've seen some of these straight A students who go mad when they watch their grades more than what they learn. I don't want to be in that situation.

As far as medical schools, yes it tough to get in. Your competeting against those who never gotten less than a B in there college career and some with 30+ MCAT scores. Yet, if you did a search on MDapplicants.com you will see that plenty get into med school with only 3.0 and 28 MCAT scores. Not every med student is a 4.0 student with 30+ MCAT scores. I believe it's all about what you have to offer that makes you stand out. Not saying that grades and MCAT aren't important, they are, but shouldn't drive you crazy.

Lastly, I chose a major that would give me alot of courses that I knew interested me. I did not choose my major on what I thought would get me into medical school. I also chose my major on study that I could apply as a physician. This made up for courses that I could not pull an A in. So, rather than me tell you what you should do, only you can do that, I'm giving you a part of my story. I hope that you will be able to read this and understand that GPA's, MCAT scores and Majors should not rule your life.

Best of studies.....

 

[MoCookiess]

Just thought I should post to respond to someone saying you could become a psychologist instead. A good Clinical Psychology program is actually harder to get into than medical school, despite how generally easy undergrad psych degrees are.

 

[Anka]

Hey,

I definitely second (or third or fourth, at this point) the "get treatment" advice. Another think you might want to consider is taking some time off from school. I found working really helped me get my act together as far as motivation, learning to work even when I wasn't motivated, etc. (I worked for a couple of years before college, and was by no means stellar or even pretty good in high school). I realize that's not something that's often thought of for a person who (like you) is actually doing okay, if not as well as your future career choice needs... but it's a thought. It'll also give you a chance to get a treatment regimen worked out without the stress of school.

You could even do something health care related, or research oriented, which would help you sort out future career choice, decisions about majors, and (big plus if it winds up being what you want to do) bolster your med school application. You could do it either as a volunteer (there are one year programs like Jesuit Volunteer Corps or AmeriCorps), or getting a 'real job' and finding out what that's like.

Whatever you decide, remember to take care of you first -- you are far more important than whatever you may or may not become!

Anka

 

[bigbaubdi]

Psychological Treatment/Counseling is obviously the first thing you need to worry about at this point.

Regarding your studying habits, there are several ways that you can improve yourself. As a freshman in my first semester, I spent a ridiculous amount of time "studying" but I found that I was wasting about 90% of my time. The books would be open and I would glance at them periodically but I was constantly distracted by the radio/computer/tv, etc...

I realized that I needed to organize my time more effectively. Using my course syllabi, I sat down and plotted out my weekly schedule of exams/assignments for the next few months. By doing this, I began to allocate my time much more effectively. While others were struggling with back to back exams/papers, I didn't have many difficulties because I was well prepared. This really helped during finals, and I was able to do real well on all of my finals.

Plotting out my weekly and monthly schedule has really helped me become a much more focused student.

 

[bewitched1081]

hey, you know psychologists get a lot more clinical experience in the psych ward than psychiatrists. the only thing they cant do is prescribe meds. i think a psyD can prescribe meds. if you really want to help people in this area then it wont matter if you have an md, phd, or psyd. as you probably already know, bio and psych have a mutual effect on one another. you can usually never solve a psychiatric problem without looking into the persons's psychology. if you become good at that, then you will be fulfilling your dream, unless your dream includes getting an md. trust me, no one will remember you for what degrees you obtained or what school you went to. your legacy will be carried on in the changed lives of people.

one last thing, getting a phd is not a fallback choice for an md. you still must work hard to get into grad school. not to add any pressure, but i just wanted you to be informed.

try interning, see what youre in for.

 

[meanderson]

Getting treatment may or may not work. The drugs that are in play for this(paxil, buspar, etc) have questions as to how effective they are vs. no drug therapy at all.

Finding a good counselor, however, may be one form of treatment that does help.

 

[bewitched1081]

SAD can be overcome. i could imagine myself in your shoes as well as in the shoes of other people with different d/o's. (yeah, im pretty messed up) but regarding SAD, you just have to remember that 99.9% of the people that you are worried about aren't even thinking about you. the other thing is that, even if you were perfect it would not prevent people from thinking negative thoughts about you. you would have to be a blob of nothing in order to avoid those things. in order to be someone, you have to accept that some people will not like the person that you are.

 

[prmd4555]

Really evaluate if you are committed enough to be a doctor.
Its not like its going to get easier after you have filled out the premed reqs. You need to have long term stamina and drive and it will be something you have to decide on for yourself.