Is anyone else getting anxious about med school?

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Dark Magician

Dark Magician

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After getting accepted, I was freaking happy. All my hard work paid off. Now a few months later, I'm sitting and thinking "what the hell have I gotten myself in to"? I am literally getting scared s***less because of med school. I want to go to school and I'm excited to start, but at the same time, everyone says school is hard, and the idea of succeeding and entering a good field that I like is just so far off. There is so much to deal with to set myself up for success. Between studying damn hard the first 2 years and then killing the boards, and then going through another horrific application process, I'm just getting really nervous. And then the fact that I will be borrowing huge amounts of money scares me. I guess I dont know what to expect and now Im just getting a bit antsy when I sit down and try to plan out the general scheme of each year, or just take a look at the numbers when it comes to the debt.

Does anyone else feel this way? Or am I alone here?
 
Dark Magician said:
After getting accepted, I was freaking happy. All my hard work paid off. Now a few months later, I'm sitting and thinking "what the hell have I gotten myself in to"? I am literally getting scared s***less because of med school. I want to go to school and I'm excited to start, but at the same time, everyone says school is hard, and the idea of succeeding and entering a good field that I like is just so far off. There is so much to deal with to set myself up for success. Between studying damn hard the first 2 years and then killing the boards, and then going through another horrific application process, I'm just getting really nervous. And then the fact that I will be borrowing huge amounts of money scares me. I guess I dont know what to expect and now Im just getting a bit antsy when I sit down and try to plan out the general scheme of each year, or just take a look at the numbers when it comes to the debt.

Does anyone else feel this way? Or am I alone here?
Click to expand...

Yes. I remember telling some guy this time last cycle that he was out of line for feeling this way too.

Feels bad man.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using SDN Mobile
 
Scared of being hella broke and of moving. I freakin hate moving. The material? We'll handle it. If the application process is good at anything, it's picking candidates that can pass.

With that said, I often wonder what the hell I got myself into as well..
 
You're definitely not alone... but anything worthwhile is scary.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
I'm nervous for the initial transition, and leaving friends/family behind. I feel like it'll be better after the first couple months.
 
Do you want to be a doctor? (I know you do! 🙂) Yes, medical school is hard and there will be many intense days that you question why you are doing this to yourself, but you have to keep your end goal in mind. You've gotten over a huge hurdle meant to separate the people who can make it through med school from the people who probably can't. Going into the hospital and seeing patients always brings a fresh perspective to all the studying you have to do in the pre-clinical years. Don't think shadowing ends with pre-med...you should still shadow in med school, and you'll even be allowed to do some stuff! There are a lot of enjoyable parts about med school, too, like the new friends you'll make, extracurriculars, social events, and post-exam craziness. :hardy:

tl;dr It's understandable to feel overwhelmed, but remember your end goal!
 
I am so scared as well. I am scared that I won't do well in my pre-clinical years, that I will bomb step 1, that I will be bullied and harassed in clinical rotations... I am scared that I will never have time to work out and then get fat, or meet someone, get married and raise a family. I am anxious about the social dynamics at my school. I have heard of the existence of gunners and cliques, and I don't want to pay 200k to relive high school again! Also, the thought about having zero income for the next four years scares the crap out of me...

Before I got my acceptance, I was so focused on just getting into medical school that I did not enjoy life as a premed. I was so busy doing pre-med stuff in college. When I got accepted to medical school, I remember feeling empty...kind of like "What the hell? This is why I worked my ass off for the last five years?" Then, I started freaking about getting into residency. Let's say I match into residency. Then, during residency I will freak out about getting into fellowship... Then I will be like 35 years old. I will not have lived life to the fullest. I don't want to live "trying to be a doctor" all my life.

So I need to break the cycle of thinking that my life is all about my next goal. I need to learn to enjoy life as it is. I want to enjoy medical school as it is, not think of it like another protocol to follow to match into residency. I want to build meaningful relationships with my colleagues and get inspired by medicine... I want to enjoy the process of becoming a physician, not just the end-goal... Good luck to all class of 2017.
 
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I feel like the moments of anxiety and worrying about my future and my life in medicine will be my favorite parts when reminiscing 20 years from now.



assuming I get into medical school that is
 
I feel like that every day.

However, I am tired of not doing anything associated with my future. I want to start school already.
 
Anxious? Not really.

Excited? Sure.

Looking at the "admissions data" averages for my most likely current [future] school, I can't help but :wow:

So I am well-prepared [mentally] for the possibility that, despite my best efforts, I end up in the bottom half of the class. AOA? ...Forgettaboutit, Blais!

That said, my research is already pretty solid and my future project already lined up for MS1 year (my old PI has a project that I can work on while 150+ miles away. very laid back. very blessed. :naughty: ). Second semester of MS1 I'll start looking into specialty-specific research to add to the mix.

Also, in light of the futility of me gunning for AOA (and likely even top quartile), I plan on taking advantage of the P/F grading and focus a bit more on material for the boards.

If I can pass, keep my research chugging along and pull a 230+ on Step 1... I should be in okay shape, heh. 😀

Bring it on, August!
 
I feel the same. Its exciting but extremely intimidating. I have to keep convincing myself that I will actually belong there lol
 
U Wot M8 said:
I feel like the moments of anxiety and worrying about my future and my life in medicine will be my favorite parts when reminiscing 20 years from now.



assuming I get into medical school that is
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but..but....your signature..?
 
WOW.

Calm down you freakin crazy premeds. You got in! Be happy and relax FOR ONCE in your life. It's the last chance you get until 4th year so enjoy it. The hard part is getting IN to med school. You all have extraordinary careers ahead of you and you are about to start what you have been worked so hard to start for a Long time. Yes you will work hard, but it is a lot more fun than your work in college and in a few years you can actually start making a difference in people's lives.

Keep in mind that many many of your peers would love to be in your shoes right now. Again congrats... but shut up. Enjoy life a bit.
 
OrthoPod57 said:
WOW.

Calm down you freakin crazy premeds. You got in! Be happy and relax FOR ONCE in your life. It's the last chance you get until 4th year so enjoy it. The hard part is getting IN to med school. You all have extraordinary careers ahead of you and you are about to start what you have been worked so hard to start for a Long time. Yes you will work hard, but it is a lot more fun than your work in college and in a few years you can actually start making a difference in people's lives.

Keep in mind that many many of your peers would love to be in your shoes right now. Again congrats... but shut up. Enjoy life a bit.
Click to expand...

You shut up.














Jk. Ilu. Gl in the match.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using SDN Mobile
 
Blais said:
Anxious? Not really.

Excited? Sure.

Looking at the "admissions data" averages for my most likely current [future] school, I can't help but :wow:

So I am well-prepared [mentally] for the possibility that, despite my best efforts, I end up in the bottom half of the class. AOA? ...Forgettaboutit, Blais!

That said, my research is already pretty solid and my future project already lined up for MS1 year (my old PI has a project that I can work on while 150+ miles away. very laid back. very blessed. :naughty: ). Second semester of MS1 I'll start looking into specialty-specific research to add to the mix.

Also, in light of the futility of me gunning for AOA (and likely even top quartile), I plan on taking advantage of the P/F grading and focus a bit more on material for the boards.

If I can pass, keep my research chugging along and pull a 230+ on Step 1... I should be in okay shape, heh. 😀

Bring it on, August!
Click to expand...

.... where the hell are you actually going?
 
amazing tekkers said:
And medical school like high school? erm...
Click to expand...

Haha yeah actually. Class 9-4 straight some days, depends on the school. You're with the same people all the time, most of them for 4 years, so there's very little "anonymity" like you could get away with in large college classes. Cliques form. Drama, rumors. Class officers. Compared to college, it's like going back to high school, except the material is way harder, we're (supposedly) more mature, and consuming alcohol is legal.
 
Blais said:
Strong work, detective. :meanie:
Click to expand...

University of Pittsburgh
Oakland University William Beaumont
West Virginia University
University of Rochester
Penn State University
Boston University
Brown University
Case Western University
Virginia Commonwealth University
Duke University
University of Virginia
University of Wisconsin
Mayo Medical School
The Ohio State University
Jefferson Medical College
Harvard University
University of Maryland
University of Michigan
University of Cincinnati
Saint Louis University
University of Iowa
Medical College of Wisconsin

Even though your list includes Harvard, Case, Duke, UMich, and Mayo, something tells me you're going to Pitt.
 
MedPR said:
University of Pittsburgh
Oakland University William Beaumont
West Virginia University
University of Rochester
Penn State University
Boston University
Brown University
Case Western University
Virginia Commonwealth University
Duke University
University of Virginia
University of Wisconsin
Mayo Medical School
The Ohio State University
Jefferson Medical College
Harvard University
University of Maryland
University of Michigan
University of Cincinnati
Saint Louis University
University of Iowa
Medical College of Wisconsin

Even though your list includes Harvard, Case, Duke, UMich, and Mayo, something tells me you're going to Pitt.
Click to expand...

Only time will tell if your hypothesis holds.
 
Blais said:
Anxious? Not really.

Excited? Sure.

Looking at the "admissions data" averages for my most likely current [future] school, I can't help but :wow:

So I am well-prepared [mentally] for the possibility that, despite my best efforts, I end up in the bottom half of the class. AOA? ...Forgettaboutit, Blais!

That said, my research is already pretty solid and my future project already lined up for MS1 year (my old PI has a project that I can work on while 150+ miles away. very laid back. very blessed. :naughty: ). Second semester of MS1 I'll start looking into specialty-specific research to add to the mix.

Also, in light of the futility of me gunning for AOA (and likely even top quartile), I plan on taking advantage of the P/F grading and focus a bit more on material for the boards.

If I can pass, keep my research chugging along and pull a 230+ on Step 1... I should be in okay shape, heh. 😀

Bring it on, August!
Click to expand...

Umm, have you even BEGUN looking at fellowships in pediatric neurosurgery? So unprepared. 😉
 
EarthtoneJon said:
Umm, have you even BEGUN looking at fellowships in pediatric neurosurgery? So unprepared. 😉
Click to expand...

Haha. I am guilty of this. I already know which speciality and subspecialty I want to do, and WHERE. I try not to obsess about it because it will likely change during M3. I gotta say gathering info on what it takes to match into certain residency/fellowship is harder than gathering info about getting into particular medical schools. Not much info (in terms of step 1 scores, recommended ECs, ranking...) out there.
 
A bit nervous and excited at the same time. I'm moving across the country. First time I'm so far away from family.

Trying my best to enjoy the free time I have right now. No studying/worrying right now.



Sent from my Galaxy S2, I think. But I don't really know, I'm just a lowly premed.
 
For anyone concerned about being intellectually capable of making it through med school, remember that if you've been accepted, adcoms have picked YOU. Over thousands of seemingly qualified applicants. They basically put their butts out on a line because they are confident that you have what it takes. This step is the biggest weed out point. Once in med school, a very very small % of kids actually fail out. Odds are in your favor here.

Physicians and medical students have confidence in you and your abilities. Don't forget to be confident in yourself, too! You deserve it. But not too cocky 😛
 
It's ok guys, I think most of us go through this. I don't think I've ever been as nervous as I was the week before I started school. Unfortunately freaking out doesn't help at all.
Focus on the fact that you're about to start a crazy journey and that everything is going to change, which is exciting. Focus on how many new people you're going to meet and how fun it's going to be to have a whole bunch of new friends who think medicine is awesome as much as you do and who won't judge you for having to study over the weekend. It's not all bad- it's crazy, but it's not all bad.
Trust me, waiting for match/ thinking about starting intern year is even scarier...
 
I'm glad I'm not alone! It's nice to feel like we have survived the "weed out" classes and at this point the med school is behind us in this crazy endeavor. I am very nervous, though.
 
Lol the threads I've been seeing on here have not given me confidence in my decision to pursue medicine.

I'm worried about
1) Finding decent studying methods because the ones I have in college don't seem sufficient at all
2) Trying to find a good work/life balance without knowing if the effort I'm putting in will result in a solid STEP I score for whichever specialty I want to go into (which brings me to #3)
3) Trying to figure out exactly which specialty I want to go into
4) (possibly) Moving away from home
5) Actually interacting with/taking care of patients in a meaningful way

But then I stop and think that many people have done this before me and they seem to be alright.
 
I'm really not anxious at all, just excited. Stupid/naive? Probably.

2 relatively uneventful gap years would make one excited to start anything.
 
I think everyone feels or felt that way at some point whether they admit it or not. The great thing is that you got in and that means you can do it. You got there you just have to continue to apply yourself. Stay focused and know that the journey does not end with the acceptance, that's where it starts. Good luck!

______________
visit the monkey at EmergencyMonkey.com
 
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Everyone's going to feel this way sooner or later. It scares most people because of what others say to you and the huge amount of money that you will have to borrow in order to go to school. That being said the amount of work is definitely going to test your limits as a student and as a doctor later.
 
I started to have these exact feelings a couple days after I got accepted and they really haven't stopped yet. Sometimes it's hard not to interpret these feelings as "DON'T DO IT, RUN AWAY!!"
 
EmergencyMonkey said:
I think everyone feels or felt that way at some point whether they admit it or not. The great thing is that you got in and that means you can do it. You got there you just have to continue to apply yourself. Stay focused and know that the journey does not end with the acceptance, that's where it starts. Good luck!

______________
visit the monkey at EmergencyMonkey.com
Click to expand...

Thank you for the word of encouragement! 🙂
 
MedPR said:
Yes. I remember telling some guy this time last cycle that he was out of line for feeling this way too.

Feels bad man.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using SDN Mobile
Click to expand...

Lol that's pretty much what happens to premeds. Don't worry too much about it though, I think we all have done it.
 
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