Is it really that bad?

[JazzFan]

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I have been admitted to med school, class of 2012. Since being admitted I have moved from the premed forums to the medical school forums. I've been a bit surprised at the number of posts that tend toward a negative opinion about medical school. I can't imagine how overwhelming it's going to be when I start, but is it that bad? There are plenty of threads on SDN about how to combat the depression and lack of motivation, I'm not wondering about that necessarily. I guess what I'm asking is, aside from the huge workload, stress, etc., do you find fulfilment from all of your hard work? What do you enjoy about medical school?

 

[Reimat]

I have been admitted to med school, class of 2012. Since being admitted I have moved from the premed forums to the medical school forums. I've been a bit surprised at the number of posts that tend toward a negative opinion about medical school. I can't imagine how overwhelming it's going to be when I start, but is it that bad? There are plenty of threads on SDN about how to combat the depression and lack of motivation, I'm not wondering about that necessarily. I guess what I'm asking is, aside from the huge workload, stress, etc., do you find fulfilment from all of your hard work? What do you enjoy about medical school?

I think it totally depends on your personality. I'm pretty upbeat about things, so while I sometimes feel burned about, I never hate it.

Also, I think if you come into med school thinking you want to do Derm at UCLA (or any combo of competitive specialty @ nice location) you are going to be frustrated when you find yourself struggling to be in the top half of your class. If you are open to liking a wide range of specialties and have other activities/interests outside of school, it's never that bad or scary.

Simple advice - don't get too worked up about things, do what makes you happy outside of school, and you'll be golden.

 

[geogil]

Mesdchool isn't that bad. Yes, it is a lot of work. It can be very stressful near exam time, but that was also true in undergrad. I think the hardest adjustment was getting used to the pace. My advice: get in the habit of studying every day, and at least 3-4 hours a day (that's pretty liberal, I usually study twice that). If you can keep up and pre-read lectures, you aren't going to have the same panic and stress of feeling overwhelmed and behind. So far, there hasn't been any topic that was conceptually harder than undergrad, just the quantity. If you got in, you're smart enough to make it through.

The other thing that is hard to get used to is the re-ordering of the pecking order. I imagine that you were close to the top of your UG class, or at least upper 3rd. In medschool, everyone is pretty bright, so you're probably going to feel average, and that can be pretty humbling.

 

[lilnoelle]

I have actually really enjoyed med school this year. I'm really glad to be where I'm at and look forward to getting into rotations next year. I like the material I'm learning, I like the clinical experience that I've recieved - and yes, I even like the patients. I'm also happy to say that I've come full circle from where I was when I started med school. I started med school very optimistic and wanting to do the most good in a smaller rural community, got a little jaded in my first year - started thinking more about lifestyle specialties and now I'm back thinking about rural family medicine, pediatrics, or OB/GYN. There are other specialties that interest me, specifically doing heme/onc or psychiatry - but I'm happy to say that I don't feel nearly as jaded about medicine as I did a year ago. I may feel different a year from now or while in residency, but I think our own attitudes and how we choose to view our lifestyles DRAMATICALLY affect how we enjoy life. I plan on enjoying it - even if I have to struggle to do so.

Have a good attitude, try to stay positive, be somewhat laid back about your grades and don't let yourself get overly stressed - and I think you'll have a positive experience at med school rather than a negative one.

 

[sprinkibrio]

I agree with geogil.

Things do get rough before tests, more-so if you feel you haven't kept up as much as you should have. Everybody has certain subjects that will be pretty hard for them and others that are easier so you'll have good months and bad months.

The lack of free time can be hard to adjust to. More of a reason to cram in as much fun/lazy laying around as you can before it starts! This stuff takes an overwhelming amount of mental energy and time.

Your social life and personal life can be fulfilling. It's also fulfilling to be working your way up in your career. Sometimes the material is exciting to learn, sometimes not. Being a part of medicine can be exciting (volunteering, talking to mentors, research, lunch seminars) and I usually get a little high after tests when I realized how much I've learned. However, for me at least, all these types of fulfilling things are a little muted. I think it has more to do with the fact that nothing will compare to college, than the medical school experience in particular.

 

[Slide]

Most people just come here to rant. In actuality it's not really that bad. Well, the semester where you have anatomy lab and a ton of other courses on top might be intimidating, but other than that, it just seems a lot more negative than it really is because complaining is so easy to do.

 

[OncoCaP]

I think it's pretty fun. However, you'll probably find it stressful and then you'll learn to cope with the stress.

 

[nogolfinsnow]

No one would read a post if it were titled "I enjoy medical school." To the OP, it's not really that bad.

 

[kevster2001]

People dont post on these forums to report that everything is sailing smoothly, that'd be pretty boring. They post because they want to complain, it's just another avenue to vent certain frustrations. If they really didn't want to be in medical school they'd jsut drop out.

 

[PeepshowJohnny]

No one would read a post if it were titled "I enjoy medical school." To the OP, it's not really that bad.

Agreed, and when people get pissed off and rant, it's usually because everything WAS going fine and then they ran into some unpleasentness. I.E. You're enjoying third year, then you start a rotation with miserable attendings, vindicitive residents, and sadistic nurses and you want to tear your hair out and screem on the internet how much you hate med school *coughOBGYNcough*.

Obviously, ths stuff only bothers people because they WERE having a not so bad time. You get pissed off when an attending/resident mistreats you because the majority treat you well.

 

[thegold91]

I agree with geogil.

Things do get rough before tests, more-so if you feel you haven't kept up as much as you should have. Everybody has certain subjects that will be pretty hard for them and others that are easier so you'll have good months and bad months.

The lack of free time can be hard to adjust to. More of a reason to cram in as much fun/lazy laying around as you can before it starts! This stuff takes an overwhelming amount of mental energy and time.

Your social life and personal life can be fulfilling. It's also fulfilling to be working your way up in your career. Sometimes the material is exciting to learn, sometimes not. Being a part of medicine can be exciting (volunteering, talking to mentors, research, lunch seminars) and I usually get a little high after tests when I realized how much I've learned. However, for me at least, all these types of fulfilling things are a little muted. I think it has more to do with the fact that nothing will compare to college, than the medical school experience in particular.

it is really nice to hear someone enjoying their medical school experience among the great majority of people who claim to hate it. Thanks!

 

[Doctor Bagel]

I think it is legitimately really bad most of the time for some people, but those people aren't the majority. From what I can see from being a second year, there are times that just really suck (unsurprisingly those times are exam weeks), but it's OK most of the time. I think the key is to make sure you're not completely miserable even if you aren't super enthusiastic about what you're studying -- this usually means having some good outlets outside of school.

 

[DragonWell]

I think your motivation to study medicine may affect this as well. There are a few people who just seemed to end up in med school for various reasons which don't have much to do with medicine per se. I would imagine this would make it even more of a grind. If you're interested in medicine as a subject, and not just a career, your curiosity will hopefully help carry you through some of the tough parts. I've found that subjects that I thought I had absolutely no interest in - ie. peds, ob/gyn - actually have some pretty interesting pathologies.

When I compare med school to some of the mindless jobs that I've had - bus shelter cleaner, liquor store salesperson, etc. - I realize how lucky I am to be in school and able to spend my days learning fascinating and (hopefully someday) useful stuff.

 

[Doctor J]

Med students are notoriously melodramatic. SDN posters are even more so.

It's not really that bad compared to the alternative, which for most would be a 9 to 5 doing something pretty intellectually boring for a small paycheck, paying down their undergraduate loans and pining for life in the dorms.

 

[vtucci]

I personally thought first year was abysmmal. It was not the hours or having to work hard. I did not have adequate preparation being a non-science major and I felt completely frustrated being surrounded by many students who had seen the material before and work less while getting much better grades. I also did not appreciate the completely esoteric lectures provided by some of the PhDs. I need a context in which to learn. Tell me why this is important and I will remember it for all time. Tell me I need to memorize 1000 structures in a 2 week period and I am more like WTF?😱

Second year was great. I loved the subjects and our professors (mostly MDs with some outstanding PhDs who seemed to grasp the concept of clinical relevance). Pathology, micro/immuno- fantastic. 😀 Even the crappy just memorize course.. cough... pharm... was not bad. I could appreciate the clinical relevance a lot more than random biochem reactions.

Third year has been a revelation. I love clinicals. This is why most of us come to medical school. We want to treat patients and it is refreshing when you actually make a difference in a patient's life. Yes, you can catch things and solve problems and be a real member of the team.😍

I also agree that many people come on SDN to vent. People are generally less likely to say when they love something than when they hate it.

 

[oudoc08]

I have been admitted to med school, class of 2012. Since being admitted I have moved from the premed forums to the medical school forums. I've been a bit surprised at the number of posts that tend toward a negative opinion about medical school. I can't imagine how overwhelming it's going to be when I start, but is it that bad? There are plenty of threads on SDN about how to combat the depression and lack of motivation, I'm not wondering about that necessarily. I guess what I'm asking is, aside from the huge workload, stress, etc., do you find fulfilment from all of your hard work? What do you enjoy about medical school?

Medical school is fine, it's the attitude you bring. I've enjoyed the whole experience overall. While there is a certain amount of anxiety for many people, myself included, it seems to be worse in the first year early on as you adjust to the requirements, although while it can seem a bit overwhelming at times, it really isn't. The workload is obviously managable or 97% of people wouldn't make it through.

That said, MS1 was definitely worse than MS2, which was worse than MS3. MS4 on the other hand, is that completely awesome year long vacation that truly rocks.

The key is keeping your priorities straight. IMO, medical school should NEVER EVER be your #1 priority. If you're married and/or have kids, that should rank above it. If you're single, YOU should come above it. That means, taking time to do the things you enjoyed prior to school. If it means sitting down and playing some XBOX for study breaks, by all means, get it done.

Never sleep at school and never visualize yourself as someone who does. Always get at least 6 hrs sleep/night. If you've just got done studying a section, resist the urge to go back over it just because you have a few spare minutes. DO SOMETHING ELSE.

All in all, keep yourself healthy and happy, and think of med school as a job, not a life, and you will do well. (Much better than people who don't follow those tips. And it will drive them crazy. 😉)

Pessimism is easier, and honestly, the farther you get through school, the more you realize, it was actually pretty cool.

Another thing that particularly helped about my school was the ability to homeschool. If class attendance was required, I think the miserable factor would have increased exponentially.

 

[custard]

Thanks for all the responses.

 

[swpm]

It's not really that bad compared to the alternative, which for most would be a 9 to 5 doing something pretty intellectually boring for a small paycheck, paying down their undergraduate loans and pining for life in the dorms.

No, no, no, no, no.

Everybody knows that the alternative is a gig with an investment banking firm, earning six figures straight out of college, with millions in assets by age 30.

Everybody knows that.

 

[Re3iRtH]

I have been admitted to med school, class of 2012. Since being admitted I have moved from the premed forums to the medical school forums. I've been a bit surprised at the number of posts that tend toward a negative opinion about medical school. I can't imagine how overwhelming it's going to be when I start, but is it that bad? There are plenty of threads on SDN about how to combat the depression and lack of motivation, I'm not wondering about that necessarily. I guess what I'm asking is, aside from the huge workload, stress, etc., do you find fulfilment from all of your hard work? What do you enjoy about medical school?

I'm an MS-1 and this has easily been one of the most enjoyable
years of my life. Right now, I'm down to studying no more than 1.5
hours/day, and I stay in the top half of class. I take many days off
as well. And I hear the my school has tough exams compared to schools in
the area. Overall, I go to about half the lectures and study about
10-12 hours per week. I'm definately not one of the smart kids.

My advice is: spend at least as much time doing something you like
(ie. not studying), and when you study you'll do it like a champ. I really
wish all 4 years of med school will be this great. Don't let some people's
mentality fool you around you. Just walk around smiling all the time,
have a great time, and this will put other positive people around you.
Let the others just do their thing.

A bit of anxiety before exams is a good sign too.
I realized that what I was doing in undergrad wasn't studying,
it was extremely inefficient. Pick what you are going to do, if you pick
studying then take it seriously. If you pick goofing off, then do it in style.

 

[Orthodoc40]

Eh. I think it really is that bad for a lot of people. Why? Because I think the amount of stuff thrown at you really fast just takes every person by surprise. Even classmates that are doing really well and seem to be floating through tell me they are miserable, and that they really didn't realize this is what it was going to be like. I believe people that just aren't into more classroom stuff have the hardest time with the 1st 2 years. Cause that's all you do. Sit it a room from 8 to 12 and wait for the next professor to come in and start talking at you... Yup. Worse than high school (we got to move to a new room every hour anyway...)

 

[roja]

Do not delude yourself. Medical school can be stressful and difficult. This is why many interviewers will ask you to describe a difficult/stressful experience and how you dealt with it.

They want to see if you have the maturity and coping skills to deal with the stresses of medical school, etc.

that said. Its great. I loved it most of the time. I hated it some during exams but nothing truly worthwhile is a cakewalk.

 

[Slide]

No, no, no, no, no.

Everybody knows that the alternative is a gig with an investment banking firm, earning six figures straight out of college, with millions in assets by age 30.

Everybody knows that.

To be honest, I now think these guys have it as bad as we do, if not worse. They get paid well but it's because they work so freaken much. They also suffer burnout just as much as we do. Most of them jump ship after two years.

 

[lord_jeebus]

It's a lot of work and stress, but not nearly as bad as I anticipated. I'm happier now than I was in college.

 

[Blade28]

It's not really that bad compared to the alternative, which for most would be a 9 to 5 doing something pretty intellectually boring for a small paycheck, paying down their undergraduate loans and pining for life in the dorms.

👍 👍

 

[swpm]

To be honest, I now think these guys have it as bad as we do, if not worse. They get paid well but it's because they work so freaken much. They also suffer burnout just as much as we do. Most of them jump ship after two years.

Oh, I agree. Theirs is not a cushy life either.

I was just mocking all the people who think that if only they didn't go to medical school, they'd have landed a stupendously high paying job right out of college, one that included weekends off, barbecues with fireworks, and an endless supply of 22-year-old hotties enamored with their glorious non-medical-student lifestyle.

When the truth is that a garden variety biology/pre-med degree qualifies a new college graduate for ordinary day jobs earning ordinary salaries with (if they're lucky) ordinary benefits.

 

[Abilene85]

My experience so far as an MS1 has been a pretty positive one. Just as in undergrad, the stress seems to come in waves. Most of the time things are pretty good and you can easily make time for a real life, but weeks like this last one (our anatomy final was yesterday) are pretty much studying 24/7. So this past week I questioned why I am here, working my tail off to learn information only to realize how much I don't know. But you just gotta push through the hard parts to get to the next level....kind of like a boss in a video game if that makes any sense.

I have struggled a bit with my change from a big fish to a small one. In undergrad I barely studied to be one of the top graduating students. But med school is a totally different beast. The workload is heavy and constant and everyone is smart. Some people have their masters or PhD in things like ANATOMY, which I am sure helps them out during that course as the rest of us struggle. I have gotten to the point that I am usually pretty comfortable with the idea of being in the middle of the pack, but every now and then my undergrad mind comes back to say "you aren't smart enough, your classmates are doing better than you, aren't you embarassed?" On top of that, I got a scholarship, so I feel like my school and my classmates expect me to be one of the top students. You just have to set personal goals, don't compare yourself to other people, push feelings of inadequacy aside, realize your school has confidence in you because you are smart enough to have been accepted, and be happy with your performance. Make time for yourself so you don't go crazy. Seek out the kids in your class with a similar way of thinking (aka, don't hang out with the gunners a lot if they make you feel bad about yourself). As long as you can live a balanced life, you should be able to have a good time in medical school.

 

[-Goose-]

I have been admitted to med school, class of 2012. Since being admitted I have moved from the premed forums to the medical school forums. I've been a bit surprised at the number of posts that tend toward a negative opinion about medical school. I can't imagine how overwhelming it's going to be when I start, but is it that bad? There are plenty of threads on SDN about how to combat the depression and lack of motivation, I'm not wondering about that necessarily. I guess what I'm asking is, aside from the huge workload, stress, etc., do you find fulfilment from all of your hard work? What do you enjoy about medical school?

It never ceases to amaze me how much medical students will whine. No one likes hearing it, it does no good for anyone. But the whining continues. I think SDN becomes a sounding board for frustrated med students to complain. Don't take what you hear on here as a sign that medical school is terrible. Just like your momma told ya, "don't believe everything you read/hear."

Here's my perspective (keep in mind I am only an M2). Just like any other big transition in your life, the beginning is the roughest part. Transitioning from undergrad --> medical school was rough. No one is really ready for it. However, you do get used to the grind and accept that you've got a ton a work to do. I have found that while there is more work involved with 2nd year, I've gotten better and more efficient, which makes it seem not as bad. But then again, 3rd year is just around the corner and I'm sure that transition will not be easy either.

Hope this helps somewhat. Talk to some 4th years you know. Maybe some more M4s or interns/residents will post on here to offer their insight.

Good luck.

 

[Doublecortin]

No, no, no, no, no.

Everybody knows that the alternative is a gig with an investment banking firm, earning six figures straight out of college, with millions in assets by age 30.

Everybody knows that.

😆😆

 

[smq123]

It's not really that bad compared to the alternative, which for most would be a 9 to 5 doing something pretty intellectually boring for a small paycheck, paying down their undergraduate loans and pining for life in the dorms.

Everyone says that, but, I don't know if I agree.

Sure, a job is boring, but at least you'd be doing something with your day. I hated MS1 because all you did was sit all day and try to absorb information. Sure, the hours were better - but I've found through third year that the busier I am, usually the happier I am. (That being said, MS2 was pretty great.)

The hours on ob/gyn and surgery were REALLY bad, but those were the best 4.5 months of med school so far. (Well, aside from the slight blip during ophtho, in which, again, I did nothing but sit in a dark room and watch OTHER people do stuff. 🙁)

And at least with an intellectually boring 9-5 job, you can leave your work at the office. I wish I could learn the trick of doing that. I've taken care of so many homeless guys on my medicine rotation, though, that whenever I see a homeless guy on the subway, I can't stop thinking "Is he my next patient?"

Well - take heart. If you hated the passivity of MS1, you're not alone. I absolutely loathed MS1 (considered quitting numerous times), but so far third year's been pretty neat. So there's hope. 🙂

 

[MonkeyRalph]

MS1: Everyone says that this will be the hardest year of med school. Your first semester is supposed to be the toughest transition ever. You take your first set of exams. Get drunk. Get used to the pressure and it's not that bad. At the end of it, you burn your smelly anatomy scrubs.

MS2: This is awesomeness! Sit around all day. Go to the gym. Study a little here and there. It's over before you know it. Then you study for step I and get super stressed and feel like the world is going to end. Then you take it and feel like you failed and wait for third year.

MS3: Your first rotation isn't so bad. No big deal. Then you get to something like Neuro or OB/GYN and your life is ruined. How could this happen to me? I hate this! I hate being treated like crap for 80 hours a week by smelly old patients and narcissistic turd burglar attendings and residents. I wish I could take back the past three years and go to business school! Oh, it's over already? You take step II, no biggie.

MS4: A couple sub-I's go by quickly. Try to find some letter writers. Start working on your ERAS and personal statement. It's due already? How many interviews do you have? I spent $5000 on plane tickets? Arrgh! 5 interviews to go...4..3.2.1..... SIX MONTHS OF VACATION! (with "where will I end up?" constantly running through your head)

To sum it up: It can really suck, but it's all about the light at the end of the tunnel.

 

[TheMightyAngus]

Med school is just a means to an end. A hoop. As a med student, you're an apprentice paying your dues. You're Johnny Tremain training to be a silversmith. Even lower. You actually have no status because the hospital functions more efficiently without you. But you have to start somewhere and everyone starts at the bottom.

A lot of med students feel a sense of entitlement, for whatever reason. It's ironic because the higher ups feel that being here is a privilege in itself.

On the whole, it's not nearly as bad as people exaggerate. Many people need to develop thicker skin. This my limited experience of two months on rotations.

 

[45408]

Most people don't make a thread when they ace a test or when they studied for 12 hours and felt like they really learned a lot. You probably also won't make a thread when you truly make a difference in a patient's life and feel very satisfied about your decision to go to med school.

You probably will make a thread when you bomb an exam, get yelled at by an attending, study for hours and hours and not learn a thing, etc.


Just keep that in mind.

 

[WiscDoc]

Just to echo what's been said, it is what you make of it. It has its ups and downs, but at the end of the day, if medicine is what you want to do, it is SO worth it!

MS-1 year almost over, and I can't believe how fast it went by. You only get to go through medical school once, make the most of it. Don't dread and hate it. Enjoy it. Try your best, and hope for the best.

 

[pseudoknot]

Most people don't make a thread when they ace a test or when they studied for 12 hours and felt like they really learned a lot. You probably also won't make a thread when you truly make a difference in a patient's life and feel very satisfied about your decision to go to med school.

You probably will make a thread when you bomb an exam, get yelled at by an attending, study for hours and hours and not learn a thing, etc.


Just keep that in mind.

That's a good point. Actually, I've seen people make threads about the positive things you mentioned, and they get immediately flamed to oblivion. I think SDN culture tends to reinforce the negativity.

 

[Law2Doc]

MS1: Everyone says that this will be the hardest year of med school.

I'd actually say that most people would say this is the "worst" year of med school but not really the "hardest". (There are many threads on this). 2d year is more material and in that sense harder and you have Step 1 looming, but 2d year doesn't stress people out as much because you already somewhat know the ropes. Third year is more hours and you still have shelf exams to contend with, so even harder still, but most agree it is "better" because a lot of the time you are actually doing stuff, not just reading about it.

 

[AmoryBlaine]

I think alot of the frustration comes because of the disconnect between the cool-sounding ideal of "working hard" and the actual reality. I just came off a rotation where I was up in the 70+ hour club every week.

Not complaining, I liked it, just bringing it up to point out that alot of people who go to med school pride themselves on being "hard workers" while kvetching about how tired they are all the time.

One thing that helps is to just realize that your definition of a tough week is going to be alot more hardcore than most of your friends and then get over it.

Seriously though, I've had a great time in med school. As someone said earlier, I shiver when I think of working at a bank or something and having Friday Happy Hour be the golden moment of my week.

 

[Doctor J]

Everyone says that, but, I don't know if I agree.

Sure, a job is boring, but at least you'd be doing something with your day. I hated MS1 because all you did was sit all day and try to absorb information. Sure, the hours were better - but I've found through third year that the busier I am, usually the happier I am. (That being said, MS2 was pretty great.)
...
And at least with an intellectually boring 9-5 job, you can leave your work at the office. I wish I could learn the trick of doing that. I've taken care of so many homeless guys on my medicine rotation, though, that whenever I see a homeless guy on the subway, I can't stop thinking "Is he my next patient?"...

Good points, all of them, but as I've done the 'intellectually boring' gig before going back to school, I speak from experience.

Everyone will have different priorities. Some value the challenge and the learning and the helping... some value their leisure time greatly... Mileage will vary but my personal experience in a "real" career was far worse than being a student of any kind. Being a student is an incredibly insulated existence, cush beyond what most of us can really understand.

I still stand by what I wrote, it's not nearly as bad as the alternative.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

Everyone will have different priorities. Some value the challenge and the learning and the helping... some value their leisure time greatly... Mileage will vary but my personal experience in a "real" career was far worse than being a student of any kind. Being a student is an incredibly insulated existence, cush beyond what most of us can really understand.

I still stand by what I wrote, it's not nearly as bad as the alternative.

Not in 3rd year yet, but this matches my thoughts for 1st and 2nd year. I can sleep late. I get to focus on learning things (even though sometimes they're boring). I can ignore most of the politics at my school. And heck, going into a recession doesn't stress me out because I'm removed from the economy and don't have to worry about getting laid off. Things can be bad, but there are definite upsides to my life right now.

 

[smq123]

Everyone will have different priorities. Some value the challenge and the learning and the helping... some value their leisure time greatly... Mileage will vary but my personal experience in a "real" career was far worse than being a student of any kind. Being a student is an incredibly insulated existence, cush beyond what most of us can really understand.

Fair enough. 🙂 I still don't agree (when it comes to MS1 and MS2) but, again - just as you said, mileage will vary.

I hope that your experience of being a student on the wards next year continues to be "incredibly insulated" (i.e. your residents don't leave you out to fend for yourself). I have been liking third year quite a bit, for the most part - I hope the same is true for you too.

As someone said earlier, I shiver when I think of working at a bank or something and having Friday Happy Hour be the golden moment of my week.

Friday Happy Hour still kinda is the golden moment of my week....😳

😉

 

[smq123]

Not in 3rd year yet, but this matches my thoughts for 1st and 2nd year. I can sleep late. I get to focus on learning things (even though sometimes they're boring). I can ignore most of the politics at my school.

Enjoy these things while you can. 😳 None of these things will be options when you get to third year - not even the "focus on learning things" part. 🙁

 

[kdburton]

I have been admitted to med school, class of 2012. Since being admitted I have moved from the premed forums to the medical school forums. I've been a bit surprised at the number of posts that tend toward a negative opinion about medical school. I can't imagine how overwhelming it's going to be when I start, but is it that bad? There are plenty of threads on SDN about how to combat the depression and lack of motivation, I'm not wondering about that necessarily. I guess what I'm asking is, aside from the huge workload, stress, etc., do you find fulfilment from all of your hard work? What do you enjoy about medical school?

note: this ended up being a lot longer than I thought it was going to be lol

I noticed this too, but I wouldn't get too worked up until you see for yourself. I think MOST of the posts in the premed forums seem to be from those who are seeking help fellow premeds and current med students who have previously been in their shoes. Pretty much everyone is just working towards he single goal of getting into medical school and not much beyond that. The feedback in that case is generally positive "you can do it" and "I know you'll rock the MCAT" and all that, while simultaneously the people who didn't rock the MCAT and those who didn't get into med school don't really respond frequently. You need to keep in mind that theres a lot of people who could be complaining in the premed forums since half of the applicants don't get into med school in any given cycle. It may also have something to do with people having more time to read through posts and and respond with positive feedback or it could be that when you encourage others you kind of make yourself feel better about what you're doing.

In the medical student forums I think that most of the original posts are either inspired by negative attitudes towards some aspect of medical school or they are questions or uncertainties about medical school in general (and uncertainty for med students is usually a bad feeling). This may be because you have a lot less time in medical school and when you find time to come on SDN you're going to use it to gripe about the negatives and ask questions about things you don't know about. Not many people come on here and start a thread about "how interesting my day at the hospital was " or "I did so well on that test today"....

Med school takes a lot of work/time and sometimes you're not able to do as well or as much as you want to. Or maybe you think things should be done a certain way and your professors aren't doing it that way. At the same time though, here are some of the positives that I can come up with in a quick couple minutes:
- I met a lot of cool people at med school and I've met people who I know I'll be friends with, and possibly work with, the rest of my life
- I've learned a lot of things just this year year that I've been able to apply when seeing patients at my EM elective and when I'm at my preceptors ER every other week. It actually feels good to understand whats going on and be able to apply what you've learned...
- I'm actually in the best shape that I've ever been in and I sleep better than I did before I was in medical school because I force myself to do so since I know it will keep my mind sharp (keep in mind that this will not always be possible depending on what module/rotation you are on and I guess it also depends a lot on what kinds of sleep/workout habits you had before med school)
- I don't know if you have a job currently or not, but I've worked full time every summer since I was 16 years old and this is the longest I've gone without having a job haha!! Its great because I'm no longer doing some BS job that I know doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things 🙂
- Its a challenge and I like to challenge myself. If a professor in undergrad would have thrown upwards of 1,000 pages of notes on my desk and said that I have to know it for cumulative final exam I would have **** my pants!! But in med school somehow I've been able to keep up thus far and it actually feels good.
- There is tons of support in med school if you look for it. All of your classmates and friends are taking the same courses as you for the most part, so they know what its like and can share with you how they're dealing with things.

Theres lots of other things that I can't think of right now because I'm about to fall asleep.. You have to keep in mind that once you get into medical school its pretty hard to fail out (I think attrition rates at US schools is less than 5% across the board). People are no longer worried about "Am I going to become a doctor???", they are thinking about "What am I going to do for the rest of my life?". The options open up again you're not focused on one goal like you are as a premed (getting into med school). There is a lot more to think about, so there is a lot more to think about and a lot more uncertainty - this probably leads to the negative attitudes that you see on these boards because not everyone is medical school is shooting for the same thing, but they are all taking the same classes. You also have to keep in mind that some of the people posting only negative stuff about medical school may not be here for all the right reasons. When I'm saying this I'm not talking about "OMG he/she's doing it for the money!!", I mean that there are people who wanted to go to medical school because their family forced them into or or because they were GOOD AT SCHOOL. The idea of getting into one of the hardest kinds of professional degree programs and doing well is the next step right? Of course those people are going to complain because they may not be cut out for [especially the clinical aspect of] medical school and they realize maybe they aren't so "good at school" anymore. I'm sure it feels bad to realize that you've invested a lot of time/effort/money into something that you really don't want to be doing. Hell, I would probably complain if I was one of them too. So as long as you're going to medical school because you want to become a doctor (whether you view it as a job or a lifelong dream), then don't let Debbie-Downers on SDN get you down too - ya that just happened, i just said Debbie-Downer... 😀

 

[Blade28]

I'd actually say that most people would say this is the "worst" year of med school but not really the "hardest". (There are many threads on this). 2d year is more material and in that sense harder and you have Step 1 looming, but 2d year doesn't stress people out as much because you already somewhat know the ropes. Third year is more hours and you still have shelf exams to contend with, so even harder still, but most agree it is "better" because a lot of the time you are actually doing stuff, not just reading about it.

Agreed. Good post.

I agree that in terms of difficulty, it's probably MS-III > MS-II > MS-IV > MS-I.

 

[oudoc08]

Agreed. Good post.

I agree that in terms of difficulty, it's probably MS-III > MS-II > MS-IV > MS-I.

I'd have to change it to MSIII > MSII > MSI > MSIV.

I can't imagine anything better than MSIV, and the stress alone of MSI is enough to top IV, not to mention anatomy, biochem, etc. etc.

 

[vtucci]

Enjoy these things while you can. 😳 None of these things will be options when you get to third year - not even the "focus on learning things" part. 🙁

So true.

Sleep- what is that? 😴

0530- what does the 0 stand for- Oh know, I am late.

I would go with difficulty MSI> MSIII> MSII> MSIV. MSI was awful. MSIII tough because of the hours. MSIV I am just going by what others have said.

 

[Blade28]

I'd have to change it to MSIII > MSII > MSI > MSIV.

I can't imagine anything better than MSIV, and the stress alone of MSI is enough to top IV, not to mention anatomy, biochem, etc. etc.

I put MS-IV up there because the first half is tough - sub-Is, interviews, etc. After that it's nice. 🙂

 

[oudoc08]

I put MS-IV up there because the first half is tough - sub-Is, interviews, etc. After that it's nice. 🙂

I also forgot about the Match day wait. That sucks too.

 

[indo]

It sucks when med school becomes your life rather than just part of your life.

 

[oudoc08]

It sucks when med school becomes your life rather than just part of your life.

Truer words may have ne'er been spoken.

 

[marco123jacob]

ok...nice...............

 

[taurus70]

Agreed. Good post.

I agree that in terms of difficulty, it's probably MS-III > MS-II > MS-IV > MS-I.

Dead on, by the time you get through Sep of 4th year, everything is hopefully falling into place and you probably either finished temporarily with Steps or close to finished.

I am about to start MS-IV in 3 months ,and I believe the hardest thing about 3rd is that noone coddles you anymore. You have to develop a thick skin and learn how to figure out things for yourself. Not everyone will pat you on the back every time you " Go get my CT-scans" at 3:00 in the morning.

That being said some of the interns and residents that I have been with were some of the best experiences of my life, and some didn't even acknowledge me long enough to tell me their name. i still learned what it was like to work as a team which is infinitely more important that being able to answer some obscure question concerning the effects of heparin on hypoalbuminemia. ( i just rattled that off the top of my head, so don't quote me.)

Good luck to everyone waiting on next Monday. i hope to join you next year!