I'm thinking of dropping out of med school to pursue something entirely different...advice?

[futuremdforme]

Yes. As a non-trad who had another career before medical school, YES. There were certainly people that I didn't love at my job, but they were the minority. Medical school is like all the people that you never wanted to sit next to in college classes all shoved into one very, very small class size.

That, and the personalities get sorted into different specialties down the road, but for now you're dealing with a higher percentage of people whose personalities directly clash with yours.

Hm for me I don't "click" with a lot of them mostly because I'm older/different background but I get along with most of my classmates, as much as I did in my previous career. I was a manager before so maybe I had to deal with more of the personality clashes more than most people?

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[MrChance2]

First off, I wish you the best of luck with your endeavors. I can only speak from what I've witnessed first hand.

About 12yrs ago an older brother of mine was accepted to dental school, he wasn't flunking out, but during his 1st year he felt that he had made a mistake. He decided to stick it out till the 2nd year, hoping for clarity. After the second year and 80k later he left. He grew to hate the idea of becoming what he thought at that time was a dentist. One day he just showed up at our home, bags packed. He didn't say anything about dropping out due to pressure from my parents.

He's been making 2 to 3 times the loan payment every month, and he just finished paying off the 80k plus knocked off some interest. Living frugally I might add and sending in ALL of his tax return AND quarterly bonuses for the past decade. Back then he didn't know what else to do with his experience and BS in bio so he became a dental hygienist. He now answers to a dentist. Although he won't admit it, he desperately wishes he would've stuck it out. At least after the DMD and license to practice he could've done something else and the 80k in debt wouldn't have been for absolutely nothing.

Different circumstances from yours OP, but somewhat along the lines. I'm applying next cycle so I can't add much input to your dilemma, other then the story I just provided. God speed my friend.

He seems like a reasonable guy until he realized he hates dentistry so he became a dental hygienist.

 

[nebuchadnezzarII]

After reading your story, I just want to say that I'm in the exact same situation. Except I have a degree in engineering, I'm not in the US. But I got into a medical school program aswell, I've been in for around a month now and I'm considering flunking out. I feel that engineering is maybe a better carreer to pursue in my case since I suck at studying things by hard and I'm feeling miserable. I made the decision to come ot this school in a hurry, I feel like I made a mistake but I do not want to let my parents down

Duuuude, that parental guilt is strong, right? It's pretty much the only thing keeping me going at this point. The posts here were very useful, but I think some people assumed that I had a burning passion to be a doc in the first place. Which sadly for me, is not the case. I don't want to discourage you at this point while everyone else encouraged me, but if you have an engineering degree - that's already pretty useful/impressive. So, idk man. There's still time to run.

 

[mrjbb]

Thank you for the insight and thank you so much for sharing your story. This is my worst fear. I think, despite how terrible it is right now, and how terrible it is going to get, I'm going to stick with it. For people like your brother and myself, with useless bio degrees and tens of thousands in debt, the way to go is forward. It's miserable, yes. But it's not the end of the world. I'd say 90% of people hate their jobs. It didn't have to be this way, but it is what it is and hopefully with frugal living, (mooching off my parents for eternity), and a physician's salary, one day I'll be able to pursue my other dreams.

Good luck on your application! And lol, you seem to know what you're getting into, so - go kick ass.

Thank you I appreciate it!! I hope it all works out for you!

@MrChance2 he disliked becoming a dentist at the time. But could've just been the pressure, I'm not sure. He became a hygienist because it was the quickest path to finding something that paid decent for someone in his position. He tried all available avenues. Even worked in a lab for chump change after dental school, but couldn't make ends meet. Wasn't a choice made out of love for the field, but rather desperation.

 

[Zyra]

It might not be that high, but you are correct that most people don't like their jobs anyway... No one can tell to stick it out. However, with a medical license, you probably will be 'qualified' for >50% of jobs in America because people associate a US medical degree (or license) with a lot of good attributes, whether it's fair or not.

I'm sorry but this is wrong. An MD pretty much just qualifies you for healthcare related jobs. It doesn't help in law, finance, engineering, accounting etc.

Also I think OP should stick it out this first semester since he already paid. There is a massive, massive difference in paying off 40k debt versus 300k debt though, so I wouldn't stick it out to the end of residency if the 40k debt is the main reason holding you back from quitting.

What these kids in med school fail to see is that there are lots of other careers out there. You might have to get a second bachelor's in engineering, etc for cheap, but it's possible to retool. Sticking it out on such a long, expensive field if you don't truly want to just because you have 40k debt is shortsighted. You would just be digging yourself deeper and deeper into a financial hole.

My vote is to finish the semester and seek therapy and reevaluate. If your heart isn't in it after counseling and more experience, pulling the trigger with 40k debt is better than hating your life with 300k debt. You may not realize it now, but life is short and your time is the most precious thing you have.

 

[deleted547631]

Double check your school's policies. If you take a leave of absence for health reasons (i.e. Health LOA) you may be able to get a full tuition refund if completed by a certain date, usually before the end of the semester. If you have diagnosable depression that would probably qualify.

 

[DrBeenThere]

Definitely get out while you can! Great choice! Go and do what you want in your life. Med school and the practice of medicine is only for those who can't see themselves doing anything else. I applaud your self-knowledge and willingness to fight for the life you want.

 

[CaptK7]

what did you decide OP? I am now about 8 weeks into my first year and considering dropping. unfortunately, I am not doing well in my classes, primarily in anatomy, and that has been extremely discouraging for me as it is our first course and one that everyone else seems to be doing well in, I have always enjoyed other science courses(bio and chem) and I cant wait to finish anatomy to start those courses, but it looks like I will have to remediate anatomy in the summer so I don't know what to do, I feel as if since I'm failing the first course of med school then I am most likely not cut out for what is to come. depression has started to sink in, but I am also trying to manage some lingering medical issues and changing my meds so I think that has played a role in it. but due to my PMH I now have some physical disabilities which has also made things very challenging. overall, not in a great place at the moment. I don't want to hijack your thread. I am curious what you decided upon and if you are happy? thanks

 

[dboyeng]

what did you decide OP? I am now about 8 weeks into my first year and considering dropping. unfortunately, I am not doing well in my classes, primarily in anatomy, and that has been extremely discouraging for me as it is our first course and one that everyone else seems to be doing well in, I have always enjoyed other science courses(bio and chem) and I cant wait to finish anatomy to start those courses, but it looks like I will have to remediate anatomy in the summer so I don't know what to do, I feel as if since I'm failing the first course of med school then I am most likely not cut out for what is to come. depression has started to sink in, but I am also trying to manage some lingering medical issues and changing my meds so I think that has played a role in it. but due to my PMH I now have some physical disabilities which has also made things very challenging. overall, not in a great place at the moment. I don't want to hijack your thread. I am curious what you decided upon and if you are happy? thanks

I'm not OP but posted earlier here about dropping out, I pursued it and dropped out last week. I do however not have any regrets, I will just continue working hard for my master degree now, which I'll probably enjoy more. For you though, it's just one course that ur not feeling right with. Every beginning is hard, but if ur sure about dropping out, it's much better to do it now than in 1 or 2 years (financially & mentally). Med school does get better in the last years.

I would've had several courses over 2 years that I would have to resit for sure, see my mentality wasn't great entering med school at all, and figured it would be a downwards spiral for me and just get me into more debt while I was debt free. I am getting my tuition fee back though, atleast 75% of it of the first semester luckily. My parents were fine with it, they know I'm happier where I'm now.

edit: It's my experience though, do not make a decision on this by just reading online. It's about your future.

 

[zeppelinpage4]

what did you decide OP? I am now about 8 weeks into my first year and considering dropping. unfortunately, I am not doing well in my classes, primarily in anatomy, and that has been extremely discouraging for me as it is our first course and one that everyone else seems to be doing well in, I have always enjoyed other science courses(bio and chem) and I cant wait to finish anatomy to start those courses, but it looks like I will have to remediate anatomy in the summer so I don't know what to do, I feel as if since I'm failing the first course of med school then I am most likely not cut out for what is to come. depression has started to sink in, but I am also trying to manage some lingering medical issues and changing my meds so I think that has played a role in it. but due to my PMH I now have some physical disabilities which has also made things very challenging. overall, not in a great place at the moment. I don't want to hijack your thread. I am curious what you decided upon and if you are happy? thanks

Have you had anyone to talk to about this?
At the end of the day, do what's best for you. I def think talking to some good friends, family, or even a counselor can help clarify if you really want to leave, or if it's the other life factors weighing you down right now.

Feel free to PM if you need. I hated anatomy and just passed by one point, I've also struggled a lot with exams and had to get treated for depression at one point. I wanted to quit a lot, but now that I moved passed those hurdles I'm glad I didn't leave.

 

[Mad Jack]

Staying in medical school because of your family is how suicides happen down the line- one cannot trudge through misery every day merely to appease someone else, it's extremely emotionally unhealthy.

 

[thxleave]

Learn programming at freecodecamp.

Become an actuary, learn at actuarialoutpost.

Study for CFA at investopedia.

Get your CompTIAA certifications.

Sky is the limit, and there are many jobs out there with the drive. 40k is just the yearly interest on my student loans at this point. I say quit OP, and be free.

 

[tennischamp822]

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[thxleave]

^ No job security in most of those fields except in the actuary field, which has a ton of hard exams that even math majors struggle to pass.

Family medicine now makes 200k, which is in the top 1.7% of the country in individual income. Most of the other specialties will get you in the top 1% of individual income in the US (~250,000). It takes more income to be in the top 1% of household income, which is due to the fact that multiple individual incomes can be added to create a single household income.

But - being a doctor has unparalleled job security due to the crazy amounts of money we spend on health care in the US.

Look at the job market for path. And mid-level encroachment for other fields. MD isn't guaranteed anything.

As for FM doc making 200k, I don't doubt that's true now. But in 8 years, you can't guarantee that.

 

[Mad Jack]

^ No job security in most of those fields except in the actuary field, which has a ton of hard exams that even math majors struggle to pass.

Family medicine now makes 200k, which is in the top 1.7% of the country in individual income. Most of the other specialties will get you in the top 1% of individual income in the US (~250,000). It takes more income to be in the top 1% of household income, which is due to the fact that multiple individual incomes can be added to create a single household income.

But - being a doctor has unparalleled job security due to the crazy amounts of money we spend on health care in the US.

CFAs have an unemployment rate of 4%, while programmers have an unemployment rate of 1.3%. It's pretty damn hard to go unemployed in either field.

As to the money, who cares how much you're making if you are miserable? If someone told you you could make $500,000 per year and be in the 1% by drowning puppies for 40 hours a week, would it make the job any more appealing? Plus there's the uncertainty of future health care changes- what if health care gets nationalized in 15 years, and wages get cut in half? What if health care spending gets cut drastically? Then you'll find yourself knee deep in a career you hate for far less reward than you thought would be there- thats a tough pill to swallow for the rest of your life.

 

[jeffk805dent]

^ No job security in most of those fields except in the actuary field, which has a ton of hard exams that even math majors struggle to pass.

Family medicine now makes 200k, which is in the top 1.7% of the country in individual income. Most of the other specialties will get you in the top 1% of individual income in the US (~250,000). It takes more income to be in the top 1% of household income, which is due to the fact that multiple individual incomes can be added to create a single household income.

But - being a doctor has unparalleled job security due to the crazy amounts of money we spend on health care in the US.

actually the job market for CPAs and trade professions is quite well. There is a pretty good electrician apprenticeship program in San Diego. It takes about 4 years to become fully licensed. Electricians start off at about $20/hour and at end of 4 years, they are making around 90k-100k

 

[jeffk805dent]

CFAs have an unemployment rate of 4%, while programmers have an unemployment rate of 1.3%. It's pretty damn hard to go unemployed in either field.

As to the money, who cares how much you're making if you are miserable? If someone told you you could make $500,000 per year and be in the 1% by drowning puppies for 40 hours a week, would it make the job any more appealing? Plus there's the uncertainty of future health care changes- what if health care gets nationalized in 15 years, and wages get cut in half? What if health care spending gets cut drastically? Then you'll find yourself knee deep in a career you hate for far less reward than you thought would be there- thats a tough pill to swallow for the rest of your life.

Sup Mad Jack. You see the new Rogue One trailer?


btw agree with what you said (to keep things on topic)

 

[Mad Jack]

Sup Mad Jack. You see the new Rogue One trailer?


btw agree with you said (to keep things on topic)

Hey dude. Gonna go with DO WANT on the trailer, just gave it a watch.

 

[jeffk805dent]

Hey dude. Gonna go with DO WANT on the trailer, just gave it a watch.

An AT-ST sighting.

 

[thxleave]

actually the job market for CPAs and trade professions is quite well. There is a pretty good electrician apprenticeship program in San Diego. It takes about 4 years to become fully licensed. Electricians start off at about $20/hour and at end of 4 years, they are making around 90k-100k

For CPA pathway. Lots of people think they have to get a masters in accounting. That's false. You just need a bachelors degree and enough units in accounting courses/business courses along with passing the necessary tests. A very popular community college to do this in California:
http://www.foothill.edu/index.php

All online accounting classes to get your necessary classes, and dirt cheap. Not just limited to California, but there are tons of other community colleges too across United States with this type of setup.

The problem with Biology is that it's useless, and many feel like they have to stick to the traditional pathways to get a job. (IE PharmD, MD/DO, PA, and DDS). You actually don't even need CPA to get your first accounting job if you don't mind working for the local county/state government (they qualify for PSLF). Get your certificate or associates in accounting, and work for the local government. Since all departments has a CPA as lead boss, you can probably study for CPA at that point (they will reimburse you for exam/courses and give you PTO to study). Then the CPA can sign off on your work for your necessary time to fully get your CPA. That's how I know law school graduates do it anyways that can't find a job in law, and need PSLF. Accountants are always in demand in city/state governments.

 

[tennischamp822]

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[tennischamp822]

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[TurbulentWind]

Thanks for your empathy! I am nearly a hundred percent sure medical school is the cause of my depression. It just doesn't feel like the proper fit. I worked my ass off to get here (just as everyone else has), but I'm really feeling it's not a match. I might try to stick it out until November/December-ish, since the tuition is already paid. It's just a hard decision, since I will be letting down not only myself, but also my family.

Also, thanks for the advice about 2 years instead of 4 years. However, I do think 4 years might be necessary. The career I want to switch into doesn't have best paying job prospects in the world, but I probably wouldn't hate my life every day like I do now.

Working your ass off UNTIL Med school is one thing and working your ass off DURING Med school is another thing.

I was in the same boat as you are, I also had my doubts about being in Medical school, but I had made up my mind about doing it and this is one of the things that I had to seriously face : all that feeling of " I don't feel like doing it anymore, because I've worked hard to get here, but now it's not what I expected " might be just a lazy attitude in disguise. I mean, c'mon, did you really find that preparing for Med school was a party ?! I don't say that I didn't enjoy it, but the only thing that made me to get into Med school in the first place was to assume that yes, it is going to be hard work, and I know for sure that my forehead was frowning very often through the day.
My point is : getting into Med school wasn't a party and being in Med school isn't going to be a party either.
However, is this a problem ? It depends on your work ethic.
When I was preparing for Med school, I watched a lot of material made by various entrepreneurs, motivational speakers, athletes, etc. and it was very stimulating to learn about work ethic over and over again : basically the most essential idea is to value work for what it is and not try to transform it into something else - a way of saying that if you enjoy your work, that's great, but don't expect and don't be dependent of enjoyment all the time, because through work you're really testing qualities that are best tested through work, such as : persistence, patience, mental toughness, etc. - Just take mental toughness for example : you can never actually test how tough you are as long as you only experience pleasure; it simply won't happen ! Toughness is tested through challenges, period.

As one of my favorite mentors once put it : "If I walk around and I don't see that you're at least a little pissed, then I'm going to be pissed." , and his point was to not choose the "right path" based on when you feel "alright", because walking on the right path doesn't mean that you're feeling alright.
Actually, big challenges are always big discomforts - I know you said that you feel like falling apart and that you're afraid of not doing damage to yourself and to others, but think very well before you get intimidated by the difficulty of a situation, because it might just be that you're afraid of slaying a dragon that you would actually have the strength to slay.

 

[Mad Jack]

The unemployment rate for CFAs/programmers/etc doesn't take into account the fact that you can get fired from your job as a CFA/programmer and never find another job as a CFA/programmer again. Once you change fields, you are no longer a CFA/programmer, which keeps the unemployment rate much lower than it should be. As a physician, you will most likely have recruiters calling you to practice even if you get fired (as long as you haven't done anything grossly negligent/stupid)



I agree that money isn't the most important thing, but you can use medicine as a way to make 1-2 million dollars before you embark on a career path that you like more. If you are frugal, you can achieve this by the age of 40 in almost any specialty. If you truly can't stand medicine, then getting out is fine, but it makes sense to stay in for most people who are on the fence.

I agree that wages could easily go down in 15 years, but contrary to what some SDN posters say, medical salaries have been going up for a long time. The workload has increased, but salaries have definitely also increased (even after you take into account inflation). FM doctors made low 100s in the early 90s and now they make ~200k. Dermatologists made in the low 200s in the early 90s and now they make ~400k. EM has skyrocketed as well in the last 8 years.

Most FM doctors in America make more than most radiologists/dermatologists/sub-specialty surgeons in almost any other country.

Just doing it for the money isn't something that a lot of people can handle though- there's a reason medicine, as a profession, has such high depression, burnout, and suicide rates. Anyone can suck it up and program, do data analysis, or work with spreadsheets. Not everyone can handle the work of a doctor, day in and day out, for 15-20 years. Programming may not have 10/10 job security, but for the sort of people that are smart, motivated, and talented enough to get into medical school, it's got 9.9/10 job security, because it's typically the bottom of the barrel people or those that are unwilling to be geographically flexible that find themselves struggling and unemployed. The same goes for CFAs and actuaries- they're highly stable careers that have low turnover, low unemployment, good pay, and a high upward mobility ceiling, all with far less stress, shorter training, lower average hours, and often no ****ing call, weekends, or holidays.

If medicine isn't for a person, getting out to live a happier, less stressful, and more fulfilling life is perfectly reasonable.

 

[nebuchadnezzarII]

what did you decide OP? I am now about 8 weeks into my first year and considering dropping. unfortunately, I am not doing well in my classes, primarily in anatomy, and that has been extremely discouraging for me as it is our first course and one that everyone else seems to be doing well in, I have always enjoyed other science courses(bio and chem) and I cant wait to finish anatomy to start those courses, but it looks like I will have to remediate anatomy in the summer so I don't know what to do, I feel as if since I'm failing the first course of med school then I am most likely not cut out for what is to come. depression has started to sink in, but I am also trying to manage some lingering medical issues and changing my meds so I think that has played a role in it. but due to my PMH I now have some physical disabilities which has also made things very challenging. overall, not in a great place at the moment. I don't want to hijack your thread. I am curious what you decided upon and if you are happy? thanks

Hey there. No worries about "hijacking" my thread I've sorted out my issue already so I hope you can get as much from this as I did. The people here were really helpful. Did you get any clarity on your situation?

As for me now -- I'm miserable. Disgustingly miserable. But, I'm still here. And I'm gonna stick through it for the next 4 years. It's uncomfortable, it's horrible, and the worst part about it?--I'm not at all passionate about it. But, I've come too far to quit now. Making money following my true passions is near impossible at this point and it would cause my family much temporary distress. So, I'm gonna toughen up, stick it out, and push forward. I am gonna see this physician thing as a dirty job I have to do to put food on the table and pursue my interests with every free moment I get. I've been miserable for well over a decade now -- senselessly studying my ass off to get into medical school. So, I'm used to misery. I think my long summer vacation just made me forget that. And of course, everyone has done this HUGE amount of hard work, just as I have and just as you have. The difference between them and myself is that they are (most likely) following their interests, but I'm just feeding myself a lie.

Anyway, make sure you want this before you carry on! I mean, if you want to be a physician, then just push through. The school accepted you knowing you can make it. And if you put your foot down and make school your number one priority, then there is no doubt that you CAN make it. Just remember, without really loving medicine, even an endless propensity to hate yourself and having balls of steel, won't save you from misery...Each day is difficult to get through.

Working your ass off UNTIL Med school is one thing and working your ass off DURING Med school is another thing.

I was in the same boat as you are, I also had my doubts about being in Medical school, but I had made up my mind about doing it and this is one of the things that I had to seriously face : all that feeling of " I don't feel like doing it anymore, because I've worked hard to get here, but now it's not what I expected " might be just a lazy attitude in disguise. I mean, c'mon, did you really find that preparing for Med school was a party ?! I don't say that I didn't enjoy it, but the only thing that made me to get into Med school in the first place was to assume that yes, it is going to be hard work, and I know for sure that my forehead was frowning very often through the day.
My point is : getting into Med school wasn't a party and being in Med school isn't going to be a party either.
However, is this a problem ? It depends on your work ethic.
When I was preparing for Med school, I watched a lot of material made by various entrepreneurs, motivational speakers, athletes, etc. and it was very stimulating to learn about work ethic over and over again : basically the most essential idea is to value work for what it is and not try to transform it into something else - a way of saying that if you enjoy your work, that's great, but don't expect and don't be dependent of enjoyment all the time, because through work you're really testing qualities that are best tested through work, such as : persistence, patience, mental toughness, etc. - Just take mental toughness for example : you can never actually test how tough you are as long as you only experience pleasure; it simply won't happen ! Toughness is tested through challenges, period.

As one of my favorite mentors once put it : "If I walk around and I don't see that you're at least a little pissed, then I'm going to be pissed." , and his point was to not choose the "right path" based on when you feel "alright", because walking on the right path doesn't mean that you're feeling alright.
Actually, big challenges are always big discomforts - I know you said that you feel like falling apart and that you're afraid of not doing damage to yourself and to others, but think very well before you get intimidated by the difficulty of a situation, because it might just be that you're afraid of slaying a dragon that you would actually have the strength to slay.

You are right! I think it's just more fabulous when your interests coincide with your job! Thanks for the tips!

 

[michaelrack]

Study for CFA at investopedia.
.

I actually signed up for the CFA program about 8 years ago and took some online business classes also. Never ended up taking the first level of the CFA test (the prep materials are difficult and time consuming)- you do have to have experience and I think be sponsored by a financial firm to get the CFA certification. However, if you pass the first level, you probably can pretty easily get a job in the financial field and a sponsor.

 

[vm26]

Hang in there...I was a non-trad at age 30, wanted to quit after a few weeks, was quite miserable due to intense workload and location, also dealt with depression/anxiety...needless to say, I stuck with it. Overall glad I did but honestly do not be surprised if things get tougher, internship was freakin horrendous! Medicine is a broad broad field-from psych to ortho, good chance you can find your niche!

 

[Med12345.]

I'm a little over a month into my first year, but I think I'm seeing early on that this absolutely isn't for me. I already feel terrible, thinking about how I took another person's seat - and that guilt will never leave me. But I also think I need to do what is right for myself.

Though I am not failing, I am struggling a little bit with the material. It's not because the material is hard or anything, but it's because I just feel uninterested in it that I don't want to study it. Any initial passion I had is gone and the only thing that's keeping me in now is familial pressure and refusal to failure.

If I drop out by the end of this semester, I will be 40k in debt. My plan is to go back to school (probably for 4 years) and get a degree in something unrelated, but something which I have been interested in as early as I can remember. I know my family will freak out, but I think for my own health and sanity, I should call it quits while it's still safe, and while it still won't destroy my (or anyone else's) life completely.

Does anyone have any advice for me? What should I do? Each day is getting increasingly harder to grit my teeth and get through.

I'm a little over a month into my first year, but I think I'm seeing early on that this absolutely isn't for me. I already feel terrible, thinking about how I took another person's seat - and that guilt will never leave me. But I also think I need to do what is right for myself.

Though I am not failing, I am struggling a little bit with the material. It's not because the material is hard or anything, but it's because I just feel uninterested in it that I don't want to study it. Any initial passion I had is gone and the only thing that's keeping me in now is familial pressure and refusal to failure.

If I drop out by the end of this semester, I will be 40k in debt. My plan is to go back to school (probably for 4 years) and get a degree in something unrelated, but something which I have been interested in as early as I can remember. I know my family will freak out, but I think for my own health and sanity, I should call it quits while it's still safe, and while it still won't destroy my (or anyone else's) life completely.

Does anyone have any advice for me? What should I do? Each day is getting increasingly harder to grit my teeth and get through.

I’m on the same boat now. Except I went ahead and withdrew. I just couldn’t take it anymore. I lost interest after the first exam and, after that, I just got to a point where I couldn’t study anymore. To me it was a combination of that and not liking the cohort that my school put me in. Our class hours are almost twice longer than the main cohort and I Had to sacrifice a lot of sleep just to catch up. I pretty much burned out after the first exam and the fact that I couldn’t leave the cohort just added on to my stress. Everyone kept advising me to stay but I just couldn’t take it anymore. Plus since the school charges are prorated prior to a certain percentage of the semester, I thought that it would be wise to drop early before I accumulate anymore loans. Im not sure if I don’t want to go back to med at this point because of my frustration for the school, Lack of interest in med, or both. Im also faced with a decision of going for something else or to continue pursuing med. I hope things worked out for you and I hope it will work out for me as well.

 

[Goro]

I’m on the same boat now. Except I went ahead and withdrew. I just couldn’t take it anymore. I lost interest after the first exam and, after that, I just got to a point where I couldn’t study anymore. To me it was a combination of that and not liking the cohort that my school put me in. Our class hours are almost twice longer than the main cohort and I Had to sacrifice a lot of sleep just to catch up. I pretty much burned out after the first exam and the fact that I couldn’t leave the cohort just added on to my stress. Everyone kept advising me to stay but I just couldn’t take it anymore. Plus since the school charges are prorated prior to a certain percentage of the semester, I thought that it would be wise to drop early before I accumulate anymore loans. Im not sure if I don’t want to go back to med at this point because of my frustration for the school, Lack of interest in med, or both. Im also faced with a decision of going for something else or to continue pursuing med. I hope things worked out for you and I hope it will work out for me as well.

Can you enlighten us why you went to med school in the first place?

 

[nebuchadnezzarII]

I’m on the same boat now. Except I went ahead and withdrew. I just couldn’t take it anymore. I lost interest after the first exam and, after that, I just got to a point where I couldn’t study anymore. To me it was a combination of that and not liking the cohort that my school put me in. Our class hours are almost twice longer than the main cohort and I Had to sacrifice a lot of sleep just to catch up. I pretty much burned out after the first exam and the fact that I couldn’t leave the cohort just added on to my stress. Everyone kept advising me to stay but I just couldn’t take it anymore. Plus since the school charges are prorated prior to a certain percentage of the semester, I thought that it would be wise to drop early before I accumulate anymore loans. Im not sure if I don’t want to go back to med at this point because of my frustration for the school, Lack of interest in med, or both. Im also faced with a decision of going for something else or to continue pursuing med. I hope things worked out for you and I hope it will work out for me as well.

Hey dude, sorry to hear about the difficulty you've gone through. That seems like a horrible and frankly impossible situation. I think you did the right thing. There is no point in extending the suffering. The truth is, it doesn't really get better after first year/2nd year/3rd year/residency(?). Not for everyone at least. It's a very individual thing that varies from person to person. Those who stick with it just learn to accept that things are horrible and move on. I'm glad you didn't do that though. There's a lot more to life than just studying something you don't like, all day (UNLESS, you're very much into this, which a lot of people seem to be - which is fantastic, for them).

 

[studentdocftw]

Hey dude, sorry to hear about the difficulty you've gone through. That seems like a horrible and frankly impossible situation. I think you did the right thing. There is no point in extending the suffering. The truth is, it doesn't really get better after first year/2nd year/3rd year/residency(?). Not for everyone at least. It's a very individual thing that varies from person to person. Those who stick with it just learn to accept that things are horrible and move on. I'm glad you didn't do that though. There's a lot more to life than just studying something you don't like, all day (UNLESS, you're very much into this, which a lot of people seem to be - which is fantastic, for them).

Hope you find some aspect of medicine fulfilling...otherwise, you are destined for a life-long of misery which I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. How can you simply accept that things are horrible? Whatever happened to internal locus of control? If you are unhappy, do something about it...don't justify your misery as if it is normal and/or acceptable.

 

[nebuchadnezzarII]

Hope you find some aspect of medicine fulfilling...otherwise, you are destined for a life-long of misery which I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. How can you simply accept that things are horrible? Whatever happened to internal locus of control? If you are unhappy, do something about it...don't justify your misery as if it is normal and/or acceptable.

Dunno how to explain it Must be some combination of secretly hating myself and not wanting to let my parents down? I don't even know anymore. There have been highs and lows so far. But the lows are tough to take...and they highs were actually reinterpretations of other bad moments. I'm sure you know where I'm coming from lol.

Anyway, what are your plans for now? What was your family's reaction after you withdrew? By the way, thanks for chatting with me. It's really hard to find someone to relate to.

 

[FellowPaisan]

I'm a little over a month into my first year, but I think I'm seeing early on that this absolutely isn't for me. I already feel terrible, thinking about how I took another person's seat - and that guilt will never leave me. But I also think I need to do what is right for myself.

Though I am not failing, I am struggling a little bit with the material. It's not because the material is hard or anything, but it's because I just feel uninterested in it that I don't want to study it. Any initial passion I had is gone and the only thing that's keeping me in now is familial pressure and refusal to failure.

If I drop out by the end of this semester, I will be 40k in debt. My plan is to go back to school (probably for 4 years) and get a degree in something unrelated, but something which I have been interested in as early as I can remember. I know my family will freak out, but I think for my own health and sanity, I should call it quits while it's still safe, and while it still won't destroy my (or anyone else's) life completely.

Does anyone have any advice for me? What should I do? Each day is getting increasingly harder to grit my teeth and get through.

I am assuming if you are starting now you are in the caribbean. It would be the best time to get out.

 

[slurpy15]

The few people I know who had the guts to leave medical school are some of the happiest that I know. I wish I had left, but my parents encouraged me to "keep trying" and so I did, and then there's never a really good time to quit after first year with mounting debt and the end in sight. First it's get through your preclinicals. Then it's keep going through you clinical years until you find your "passion." Then it's well, you can't do anything without a residency so you may as well finish it. Then you have 250k in debt and the easiest, the only way, to pay it off fast is to work as a doctor. Then you are 50 and it's hard to pursue anything else.

If you want to quit because you just don't like it and you trust yourself, quit.

And I'm not seeing all these opportunities after medical school that others speak of. What, exactly, are they?

 

[nebuchadnezzarII]

Updating this thread again with some progress which might be encouraging or discouraging to others, depending on their outlooks. I stuck it out and I'm ankle deep in third year now. Passed STEP 1 and everything despite hating every second of studying. What I've learned:

1. It doesn't really get better. You get better...or worse, actually. But at least you learn to cope better.
2. No matter how much you hate this, if you take it one day at a time, and find something good to look forward to each week/month, you can theoretically get through it. Theoretically.
3. Be good to the patient. Just because you are suffering doesn't mean that they have to.
4. The people who enjoy this and really throw themselves into it are the ones who will do well - God bless them.

I'll update this again when and if I'm a 4th year. Good luck, friends.

 

[Gurby]

Updating this thread again with some progress which might be encouraging or discouraging to others, depending on their outlooks. I stuck it out and I'm ankle deep in third year now. Passed STEP 1 and everything despite hating every second of studying. What I've learned:

1. It doesn't really get better. You get better...or worse, actually. But at least you learn to cope better.
2. No matter how much you hate this, if you take it one day at a time, and find something good to look forward to each week/month, you can theoretically get through it. Theoretically.
3. Be good to the patient. Just because you are suffering doesn't mean that they have to.
4. The people who enjoy this and really throw themselves into it are the ones who will do well - God bless them.

I'll update this again when and if I'm a 4th year. Good luck, friends.

 

[Kgizzle]

Hopefully things work out... remember that this is a job and it isn't worth your ultimate happiness... good luck!

 

[W19]

F# that... I am pulling a 26-hr shift and I am only crossing the 19-hr mark now. You are carrying 3 pagers and everyone is paging you for dumb stuffs.

MS1 and MS2 who are thinking of leaving should leave now before it's too late. This s...ht is not for the faint-hearted

 

[Psai]

F# that... I am pulling a 26-hr shift and I am only crossing the 19-hr mark now. You are carrying 3 pagers and everyone is paging you for dumb stuffs.

MS1 and MS2 who are thinking of leaving should leave now before it's too late. This s...ht is not for the faint-hearted

 

[IMreshopeful]

F# that... I am pulling a 26-hr shift and I am only crossing the 19-hr mark now. You are carrying 3 pagers and everyone is paging you for dumb stuffs.

MS1 and MS2 who are thinking of leaving should leave now before it's too late. This s...ht is not for the faint-hearted

Welcome to intern year bud

 

[hardpecs]

If you're an MS1, youre not really in med school yet. 1st year is memorizing a bunch of uninteresting, dry fluff. If you finish second year and still dont like your choice of study, then yeah something is wrong.

 

[DarknightX]

Updating this thread again with some progress which might be encouraging or discouraging to others, depending on their outlooks. I stuck it out and I'm ankle deep in third year now. Passed STEP 1 and everything despite hating every second of studying. What I've learned:

1. It doesn't really get better. You get better...or worse, actually. But at least you learn to cope better.
2. No matter how much you hate this, if you take it one day at a time, and find something good to look forward to each week/month, you can theoretically get through it. Theoretically.
3. Be good to the patient. Just because you are suffering doesn't mean that they have to.
4. The people who enjoy this and really throw themselves into it are the ones who will do well - God bless them.

I'll update this again when and if I'm a 4th year. Good luck, friends.

I also hated medical school and thought I made a huge mistake. First and second year were absolutely miserable for me. I hated studying for Step 1, and many times asked myself what I was doing with my life. Third year wasn’t much better. Didn’t like my rotations or find any of them very interesting. Some were more tolerable than others. I couldn’t stand the teaching style of following some condescending resident or the very subjective form of grading. I really didn’t like the holier than thou attitude of my attendings, or the overall culture.

Surgery was my last rotation of third year. I purposely put it last because I thought there was absolutely no way I would go into it. I hated waking up early (still do), and thought all surgeons were jerks. I didn’t want to do a 5 year residency. But when I rotated through it, I absolutely loved it. I knew that it was what I wanted to do.

I ended up matching into general surgery and went on to do a fellowship. It wasn’t all roses and happy ending after that. Residency was rough, and the hours and work were grueling. There were many times that I thought about quitting as well. But I love being a surgeon and what I do. We see and do things that very few see or can do. It is absolutely amazing. If I couldn’t be a surgeon, I would absolutely quit medicine.

My life and day to day has absolutely no reflection on medical school. There is nothing from first and second year that is similar to what I do. Reading about the Krebs cycle or looking at dumb slides written by a PhD isn’t reflective of what surgery is at all. If I had judged what my career would be like based on medical school, I absolutely would have quit. I’m glad I stuck it out and I’m very satisified with my career now.

I think the great thing about medicine is that the fields are so diverse. There is something that fits almost everyone. Even if you don’t like taking care of patients, specialties like Radiology or Path have minimal patient contact. I recommend sticking it through, and checking out the lesser known specialties. There are difficult moments. But what you do in and experience in medical school won’t be your day to day when you are practicing. Even in residency, your day to day isn’t reflective of what your life will be like as an attending.

 

[DarknightX]

If you're an MS1, youre not really in med school yet. 1st year is memorizing a bunch of uninteresting, dry fluff. If you finish second year and still dont like your choice of study, then yeah something is wrong.

Respectfully disagree. The material wasn’t much more interesting to me in second year either. And even in surgery residency, can’t say I was super stoked about reading through Cameron (surgical text) when I had to.

You have to grind through the things you don’t like to get where you want to be.

 

[DarknightX]

F# that... I am pulling a 26-hr shift and I am only crossing the 19-hr mark now. You are carrying 3 pagers and everyone is paging you for dumb stuffs.

MS1 and MS2 who are thinking of leaving should leave now before it's too late. This s...ht is not for the faint-hearted

Intern year isn’t reflective of practice. It isn’t even reflective of the senior years of residency. Interns are basically secretaries and social workers. Even more so in surgical specialities. I don’t carry any pager, and PA’s/NP take care of all that stuff.

 

[mehc012]

I do want to say, just because it surprisingly wasn't mentioned in this thread...I'm a huge proponent of shadowing during medical school. It doesn't take that much time, and it's far more valuable than shadowing was as a premed. It's easy to get - just email literally anyone who's lectured or who works in your med school's hospital, and go. You get to do more and see more than you did before. For those students who loved medicine when they were seeing it and who lose sight of that when they start preclinicals, it's essential, imo. And for those who, like me, aren't sure where they want to go, it's helpful. I also found it nice to get to know the hospitals and some of the docs around here before starting M3, but then, I did a lot of shadowing so maybe that part isn't common.

Anyway, this is too late to help OP, but for anyone else in their shoes, don't forget to take another look at the actual careers down the road. It might help you decide whether it actually will 'get better' for you.

 

[MD-2022]

It's better to make a drastic life change like this earlier than later. Lots of Drs give up on medicine (burnout).

 

[RNtoMD87]

Gross anatomy is really annoying...I am grateful to the donor, but let's just say all cadavers aren't created equal and spending several days a week mutilating bodies and removing fat contributes little to education.

Dissecting non preserved corpses is much more enjoyable. I'm not looking forward to med school gross anatomy. Hate rubberized, formaldehyde wreaking flesh.

 

[nebuchadnezzarII]

As promised, updating this now as a 4th year.

I grew a lot throughout medical school, matured a lot, and had life experiences that very few people have on a regular basis. I feel a lot tougher in many ways but I also feel extremely drained and empty too.

Passed CK and CS comfortably and am now applying for residency. For anyone thinking of quitting, if you want to quit, do it early. Beyond a certain point, you get sucked in permanently and it’s the end. Or maybe the beginning. All a matter of perspective.

 

[Schwifty]

As promised, updating this now as a 4th year.

I grew a lot throughout medical school, matured a lot, and had life experiences that very few people have on a regular basis. I feel a lot tougher in many ways but I also feel extremely drained and empty too.

Passed CK and CS comfortably and am now applying for residency. For anyone thinking of quitting, if you want to quit, do it early. Beyond a certain point, you get sucked in permanently and it’s the end. Or maybe the beginning. All a matter of perspective.

What specialty are you applying to?

 

[solitarius]

As promised, updating this now as a 4th year.

I grew a lot throughout medical school, matured a lot, and had life experiences that very few people have on a regular basis. I feel a lot tougher in many ways but I also feel extremely drained and empty too.

Passed CK and CS comfortably and am now applying for residency. For anyone thinking of quitting, if you want to quit, do it early. Beyond a certain point, you get sucked in permanently and it’s the end. Or maybe the beginning. All a matter of perspective.

Sounds about right. Problem is... you don't really know what it's like until you're in it. And by then, it's too late.

Same probably can be said about bad marriages.