Med School is hard...make sure its what you want to do

[docmemi]

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hello. just started med school. its very difficult. difficult not cause the content is difficult, but there is A LOT to know! and that means lots of studying. day in and day out. little vacation, if any.

so dont think getting in is the end of it. its just a new beginning...a long, hard one. so please make sure this is what you want to do.

 

[derf]

Doc- i'll be happy to take your spot. maybe we can work out the arrangements with the adcom... 🙂

 

[leechy]

I felt the same way about college - didn't like the academic aspect all that much. Had to put up with it, though, and now I'm glad I did. Wish you the same with med school.

 

[RaistlinMajere]

No kidding? Really??

 

[hy2026]

nothing worth while is ever easy.

I am sure it is difficult but not impossible. (The real dilemma is that we will never know how difficult it truly is unless you experience it yourself.)

p.s
One thing I noticed with people who constantly say that things are difficult is that they never tell you the good part. My friends, for example, have been telling me how difficult it is to be in a relationship. But they never tell you the good juicy stuff. Or how older people tell you how marriage is so tough to maintain, but they never tell you the good stuff.

People told me that MCAT is so difficult but when I actually do it, it is not that bad.

just my 2 cents

 

[dmoney41]

Wow, you've convinced me. I have changed my mind and am now prepping for the LSAT. 🙁

 

[docjolly]

docmemi,

are you liking med. school so far? (please elaborate 😀 )

 

[calstudent]

nothing worth while is ever easy.

I am sure it is difficult but not impossible. (The real dilemma is that we will never know how difficult it truly is unless you experience it yourself.)

p.s
One thing I noticed with people who constantly say that things are difficult is that they never tell you the good part. My friends, for example, have been telling me how difficult it is to be in a relationship. But they never tell you the good juicy stuff. Or how older people tell you how marriage is so tough to maintain, but they never tell you the good stuff.

People told me that MCAT is so difficult but when I actually do it, it is not that bad.

just my 2 cents

interesting, good point. 👍

 

[Blake]

Hy2026 just hit the nail. So far, everything that was supposed to be extremely hard seemed like '' nothing special '' to me. I'm sure med school is hard, but damn, there are so many doctors out there, and they're not all Einsteins, so I can definitely make it. In fact, I will 😉 😎

 

[uclakid]

nothing worth while is ever easy.

I am sure it is difficult but not impossible. (The real dilemma is that we will never know how difficult it truly is unless you experience it yourself.)

p.s
One thing I noticed with people who constantly say that things are difficult is that they never tell you the good part. My friends, for example, have been telling me how difficult it is to be in a relationship. But they never tell you the good juicy stuff. Or how older people tell you how marriage is so tough to maintain, but they never tell you the good stuff.

People told me that MCAT is so difficult but when I actually do it, it is not that bad.

just my 2 cents

thanks for the good point...it's comforting

 

[Mongo]

And you learned this in your 6 days of med school??? Wow. UCLA's orientation sure sounds a little harsh.

 

[LauraMac]

i think people slowly adjust from one thing to the next and most people could do something quite difficult like medical school if they got to slowly adjust to it. when i was in sixth grade i would have had a heart attack if someone told me i had to read journal articles, take derivatives, write computer programs, write 40 page papers, etc, but since i got to gradually move up to this stuff i can do it with no problem now. i feel like college is a lot harder than high school was, but i adjusted just fine. i believe med school will be the same way - harder than college, but i should also be able to handle it.

 

[monopolova]

What were you doing before med school? Going to bars? All of the sudden you have to study and it's hard? What the heck? Frankly, I think it's an insult to 90% of the people on SDN for you to assume that we don't know what it means to be completely stressed out with studies. WE'RE PREMED FOR CRYING OUT LOUD. We're the ones in the libraries all year long late into the night. When people like you say stuff like this, I'm sorry, but it just pisses me off.

 

[45408]

WE'RE PREMED FOR CRYING OUT LOUD. We're the ones in the libraries all year long late into the night.

I dunno about you dude, but I was out drinking and banging hookers the night before most (okay, all) of my exams.

Er, wait, those were my dreams the night before my exams. I was the biggest loser in the social world last fall. 😀 Having a long-distance relationship frees up your weekends for fun stuff, like studying.

 

[Long Dong]

I didn't Know Tay-sachs was so hard 😉 . It's not that bad if you memorize lectures you'll be fine, about 2 hours for every hour of lecture should do it. At ucla that means 4 hours of studying cause you only have 2 hours of lecuter a day. Remember P=MD and as dean parker says a 98% goes on your transcript like a 70%, you get a pass.

 

[jlee9531]

What were you doing before med school? Going to bars? All of the sudden you have to study and it's hard? What the heck? Frankly, I think it's an insult to 90% of the people on SDN for you to assume that we don't know what it means to be completely stressed out with studies. WE'RE PREMED FOR CRYING OUT LOUD. We're the ones in the libraries all year long late into the night. When people like you say stuff like this, I'm sorry, but it just pisses me off.

haha i wasnt a hardcore studier.
but i do know that its gonna be hard. but regardless, the material seems so damn interesting (outside of biochem of course haha) that even though the amt to learn is massive...i welcome it.

 

[i77ac]

What were you doing before med school? Going to bars? All of the sudden you have to study and it's hard? What the heck? Frankly, I think it's an insult to 90% of the people on SDN for you to assume that we don't know what it means to be completely stressed out with studies. WE'RE PREMED FOR CRYING OUT LOUD. We're the ones in the libraries all year long late into the night. When people like you say stuff like this, I'm sorry, but it just pisses me off.

agreed. 👍

 

[hypersting]

I disagree... its not as hard as she makes it out to be.

 

[automaton]

What were you doing before med school? Going to bars? All of the sudden you have to study and it's hard? What the heck? Frankly, I think it's an insult to 90% of the people on SDN for you to assume that we don't know what it means to be completely stressed out with studies. WE'RE PREMED FOR CRYING OUT LOUD. We're the ones in the libraries all year long late into the night. When people like you say stuff like this, I'm sorry, but it just pisses me off.

are you dumb or what

 

[Amy B]

What were you doing before med school? Going to bars? All of the sudden you have to study and it's hard? What the heck? Frankly, I think it's an insult to 90% of the people on SDN for you to assume that we don't know what it means to be completely stressed out with studies. WE'RE PREMED FOR CRYING OUT LOUD. We're the ones in the libraries all year long late into the night. When people like you say stuff like this, I'm sorry, but it just pisses me off.

Oh, someone is grouchy today.

I don't think the OP meant any harm or insult. I have friends at a number of med schools throughout the country and each schools has had a number of people drop out because it was too hard for them and some decided they just didn't like it and didn't want to be physicians. So I think the OP is reminding everyone applying now to make darn sure this is the road you are willing and READY to travel on.

docmemi,
Great advice 👍

 

[yodaf]

Look, In highschool you didn't have to study at all to get A's. In college all you needed to do was study for a few hours before exams and you would get A's. Now medical school is different, study for a few hours before exams and you're sure to get C's if you're lucky, study a 2-3 hours a day and you can probably get B's, study for 4-6 hours a day and then you'll get those A's you're used to.

It's just a different beast, as ones education progresses the academic rigors increase accordingly. So, you shouldn't be too surprised that Medical School is hard. They didn't mean for it to be easy, they need to filter out those people who think they are going to cruise through as soon as possible.

Consider the first two years the toughest part of your sentence, just suck it up and get through it. Years 3 and 4 will make up for the agony of 1 and 2. 🙂

Don't get me wrong there will always be volume but years 3 and 4 will seem easier since you will be playing Junior doctor in the university hospital, instead of the lecture hall. 🙂

 

[efex101]

It *is* much much harder (not conceptually) than undergrad and although we all know how to study the volume is tremendous. Is it fun? you bet! I am loving my medical school and our environment is highly cooperative with the whole class and prior year classes posting notes, study guides, flash cards, etc. I think the OP just wanted to convey that you will never probably (although some undergrad schools may be similar) have experienced this amount of material so fast.

 

[Friday]

hello. just started med school. its very difficult. difficult not cause the content is difficult, but there is A LOT to know! and that means lots of studying. day in and day out. little vacation, if any.

so dont think getting in is the end of it. its just a new beginning...a long, hard one. so please make sure this is what you want to do.

Somebody just got hit with a dose of reality. Look up kid, the worst is yet to come....

 

[SarahGM]

In college all you needed to do was study for a few hours before exams and you would get A's.

Sure wish I went to YOUR college!

 

[velo]

hello. just started med school. its very difficult. difficult not cause the content is difficult, but there is A LOT to know! and that means lots of studying. day in and day out. little vacation, if any.

so dont think getting in is the end of it. its just a new beginning...a long, hard one. so please make sure this is what you want to do.

oh, ok...thanks for giving everyone a heads up!
I'll pass this gem along to interviewing students

me: "hey, you know med school is a lot of work"
them: "really?"
me: "yeah"
them: *turns around, leaves to go pursue different career*

 

[WalterSobchakk]

What were you doing before med school? Going to bars? All of the sudden you have to study and it's hard? What the heck? Frankly, I think it's an insult to 90% of the people on SDN for you to assume that we don't know what it means to be completely stressed out with studies. WE'RE PREMED FOR CRYING OUT LOUD. We're the ones in the libraries all year long late into the night. When people like you say stuff like this, I'm sorry, but it just pisses me off.

Are you serious? Sorry you aren't enjoying your undergrad. Just because you're premed doesn't mean that you have to sacrifice every single day, night and weekend to study. I know it's a lot harder in med school, so try to find a balance and enjoy yourself while you still can.

 

[veenut]

There's definitely way too many whiny premeds out there. Sure, being premed is more difficult than most majors/concentrations, but it's not nearly as terrible as it's cracked out to be. Also, it SHOULD be hard, you want to hold the people who treat you to a very high standard.

You CAN spend all your time in a library studying your life away, but it's very possible to reach a balance between work and play...don't end up like Jack 🙂

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

Are you serious? Sorry you aren't enjoying your undergrad. Just because you're premed doesn't mean that you have to sacrifice every single day, night and weekend to study. I know it's a lot harder in med school, so try to find a balance and enjoy yourself while you still can.

No kidding. So you're a premed, huh? That means you have to take <gasp> Organic chemistry and physics at the same time? And maybe top it off with a remedial writing course and the history of pop music? Give me a break. I think the OP only stated the obvious, but does a service to those that might take only 3 or four classes while playing intramurals - not too difficult a course load. Medical school will be difficult, and from what I hear, does not compare to undergrad in a meaningful way. So I think its lame to deride him for giving a small wake-up call to the pre-allo world.

 

[medtechv79]

Docmemi-I think you kinda stated a redundant opinion. Everyone knows its going to be hard...don't be overwhelmed. ThaT's what u sound like to me....I'm sure u will get through it =).
Monoplova-Wow....don't get so tense! He's just stating an opinion. U remind me of the pre-meds I knew in college....study 24 hrs/day, no social life, very anal....calm down! I guess that's why alot of my classmates switched from pre-med to other majors....that's why I switched!
I had a tought time with pre-med....u can't say its easy or not that hard. It depends on the person....I knew ppl who studied their asses off and still could not ace the material...then I knew ppl who could get A's in everything! (Orgo, Inorganic chem, Physics, Calc)....so it really depends on the person....the amount u study, how u study etc....pre-med is not for the faint of heart!

 

[Nike]

Are you serious? Sorry you aren't enjoying your undergrad. Just because you're premed doesn't mean that you have to sacrifice every single day, night and weekend to study. I know it's a lot harder in med school, so try to find a balance and enjoy yourself while you still can.

Well said . . . seriously folks, if you're that miserable in undergrad, you should rethink what you're doing. . . I was obviously premed and studied hard, but undergrad has been the best and most fun four years of my life so far!! People need to relax a little. Oh, and nothing annoys me more than some (don't attack me, I'm not saying "all") people who think they're so much smarter than everyone simply because they are "premed" or that their life is so much harder and more stressful than the "average" college student. I'm directing this to no one in particular, I just observed a lot of it in undergrad. Anyways, on a lighter note, good luck to the OP and everyone else starting med school this year and to those applying 👍

 

[PublicHealth]

As a trucker once told me: "Smile. It gets worse."

 

[jlee9531]

Look, In highschool you didn't have to study at all to get A's. In college all you needed to do was study for a few hours before exams and you would get A's. Now medical school is different, study for a few hours before exams and you're sure to get C's if you're lucky, study a 2-3 hours a day and you can probably get B's, study for 4-6 hours a day and then you'll get those A's you're used to.

It's just a different beast, as ones education progresses the academic rigors increase accordingly. So, you shouldn't be too surprised that Medical School is hard. They didn't mean for it to be easy, they need to filter out those people who think they are going to cruise through as soon as possible.

Consider the first two years the toughest part of your sentence, just suck it up and get through it. Years 3 and 4 will make up for the agony of 1 and 2. 🙂

Don't get me wrong there will always be volume but years 3 and 4 will seem easier since you will be playing Junior doctor in the university hospital, instead of the lecture hall. 🙂

dude what school did you go to? you pull that crap at my school and you might get lucky with a D.

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

No, there are people at Cal who study for just a few hours before biochem exams and get As. But those are the geniuses... I think we just have to assume that Yodaf is a genius!

 

[monopolova]

Hey, I take a lot of credits and I get excellent grades because I want to get in as easily as possible. I love what I am studying, and I work damn hard with my studying. This is how it used to be in the old days. I am not living under a rock, but my peeps and I support each other while we all go through the same academic obstacle course. Maybe everyone else is brilliant enough to throw the books down at 10 and head for the bars soon after. With the level of courses I'm taking, I'm not, and if you visit my library on a Friday or Saturday night, you will see the same faces every night sitting there with highlighters in hand.

I am not whining (I take pride in my hard work and academic record), but I am stressing that the OP's comments are obvious. I've felt the scourge of education and I am more than willing to feel it again (and even harder) in med school. To me, someone who says what the OP said indicates that they were blindsighted by the fact that, "Oh, I guess I need to study for a change". That is not me. Bring med school on; I am definately strong enough. 👍 😀

I'm done with this thread.

 

[UseUrHeadFred]

What's with the hostility?

Does anyone NOT in med school know how hard you have to study for it?

No matter how hard you study now, you can always study harder.
No matter how hard you are expected to study now, they can always expect you to study harder.
No matter how hard you are required to study now, they can always require you to study harder.

I'm sure you understand that the professors don't necessarily care that there are only 24 hours in a day. And neither will our future attendings in residency, nor our patients beyond that.

Don't expect a rational workload.

 

[wends]

i actually appreciate the OP for giving a fresh dose of reality, of course we all know that med school is hard, but he's just trying to help us with this warining, there's no need to get offended by it. geez. if everybody stayed at teh library breathing in their textbooks, im sure there would be a lot more 3.8-4.0's around, but some people like see sunshine and breathe fresh air, and hell if thats gonna dent my gpa a bit so be it, its just numbers. 🙂

 

[automaton]

kid A: dude, like, i never studied except maybe a little man.
kid B: what? my school is sooooo hard, you would never get away with anything like that at my very-rigorous-school. i got a real good education at my very-rigorous-school and i should be congratulated for even surviving.
kid C: i love medical school because getting notes from the year above me magically makes the material sooooo interesting.
kid D: hey look at my i'm an asshat with nothing really to contribute but i thought i'd just call out everyone.

 

[calstudent]

Hey, I take a lot of credits and I get excellent grades because I want to get in as easily as possible. I love what I am studying, and I work damn hard with my studying. This is how it used to be in the old days. I am not living under a rock, but my peeps and I support each other while we all go through the same academic obstacle course. Maybe everyone else is brilliant enough to throw the books down at 10 and head for the bars soon after. With the level of courses I'm taking, I'm not, and if you visit my library on a Friday or Saturday night, you will see the same faces every night sitting there with highlighters in hand.

I am not whining (I take pride in my hard work and academic record), but I am stressing that the OP's comments are obvious. I've felt the scourge of education and I am more than willing to feel it again (and even harder) in med school. To me, someone who says what the OP said indicates that they were blindsighted by the fact that, "Oh, I guess I need to study for a change". That is not me. Bring med school on; I am definately strong enough. 👍 😀

I'm done with this thread.

I agree.
I am just surprised the OP is putting something like this down when he has just started medical school, probably in the past week or so.

 

[jlee9531]

No, there are people at Cal who study for just a few hours before biochem exams and get As. But those are the geniuses... I think we just have to assume that Yodaf is a genius!

ahh...i forgot to see that angle. my bad. 😉

its what you get when you aren't gifted.

 

[(Dirty Version)]

hello. just started med school. its very difficult. difficult not cause the content is difficult, but there is A LOT to know! and that means lots of studying. day in and day out. little vacation, if any.

so dont think getting in is the end of it. its just a new beginning...a long, hard one. so please make sure this is what you want to do.

please don't cry. you chose this career, so now deal with it. there are thousands of people who will take your spot gladly, so if you can't hang, please drop out ASAP.

 

[slackerjock]

haha i wasnt a hardcore studier.
but i do know that its gonna be hard. but regardless, the material seems so damn interesting (outside of biochem of course haha) that even though the amt to learn is massive...i welcome it.

MS1, eh? he says he welcomes pharma (100s of drugs) /micro (100s of bugs) /nutrition (food) /histo (100s of tissue slides) /detailed anatomy (100s of veins)!! But biochem of course sux!

face it the only cool classes are physio and pathophys

 

[CalBeE]

I like med school so far. However, there is a lot of material and it's nice to have your own time to go over the stuff. That's why I'm soooo glad that I didn't end up at UC San Diego or something 😉

 

[leechy]

Look, In highschool you didn't have to study at all to get A's. In college all you needed to do was study for a few hours before exams and you would get A's. Now medical school is different, study for a few hours before exams and you're sure to get C's if you're lucky, study a 2-3 hours a day and you can probably get B's, study for 4-6 hours a day and then you'll get those A's you're used to.

😕 😕 I wish I went to your schools! I busted my butt in both high school and college... I had some fun in college too, but it was no walk in the park.

 

[junebuguf]

Since all the med students on this thread are talking about the volume of material, I have to ask (since I'm not in med school yet, but curious about how much is 'a lot'): is it anything like taking 2 semesters of Orgo over 12 weeks? 'Cause thats what I'm doing now.....and um....my life pretty much sucks! All 35 idiots who decided to take it with me have pretty much had the same experience: hour and a half of lecture a day, 3.5 hours a lab a day, 3 hours of studying a day and an exam at the end of every week, every week. I kinda imagine med school to be like this, but for two straight years. If its any harder, I'm in trouble 'cause I'm already pulling all nighters just to get through each exam. And, as every pre-med who's gone through the rites of pulling all-nighters knows--it sucks...'a lot'.

 

[Blake]

Since all the med students on this thread are talking about the volume of material, I have to ask (since I'm not in med school yet, but curious about how much is 'a lot'): is it anything like taking 2 semesters of Orgo over 12 weeks? 'Cause thats what I'm doing now.....and um....my life pretty much sucks! All 35 idiots who decided to take it with me have pretty much had the same experience: hour and a half of lecture a day, 3.5 hours a lab a day, 3 hours of studying a day and an exam at the end of every week, every week. I kinda imagine med school to be like this, but for two straight years. If its any harder, I'm in trouble 'cause I'm already pulling all nighters just to get through each exam. And, as every pre-med who's gone through the rites of pulling all-nighters knows--it sucks...'a lot'.

Sorry to hear that 🙁 Damn, I guess I was lucky to never pull an all-nighter...

 

[wends]

just to add on docmemi's point of making sure that medicine is what you really want to do....

Dont ever forget that we are doing this for the people that we want to help....with residency, years of practice, some of us will undoubtedly become more cynical and less caring and be hardened.....i made a promise to myself that i ever got annoyed or dreaded my patients, i'd quit and do something else...

my family is having a really hard time with my dad's case of severe excema on his hand and foot, which starts to bleed and puss out whenever he puts pressure on it, and our family doctor doesnt give two ****s about it, prescribed the wrong medicine, and insists that nothing is wrong.....

so please please please, i hope nobody here loses the enthusiasm and love of medicine that we all feel now and become deadened in 20 years

 

[Domitian]

If it's what you want to do, it's a labor of love. I'm soon to start my 2nd year, and there were times when I was pretty pissed off. Still, there's nothing I'd rather do than medicine. Of course I don't LIKE med school; no one does. It's designed to be a pain in the ass. It's a hazing ritual. But if you keep on keepin' on, and don't let the petty s*** bother you, you'll be fine.

 

[twizzlers]

I'll have to second what CalBeE said, docmemi. I actually think UCLA has been pretty good to us so far. I agree that the past few lectures have covered enormous amounts of material in rapid succession that profs would normally take weeks to teach in undergrad, but... with only 2 lecture hours a day, and 24 class hours per week, UCLA does give a lot of free time (so far at least!) to study on your own.

And I think that's what's key - you need to take the time each week to learn all this material on your own (or within study groups) before it all piles up, and it becomes impossible to learn it all a week before the final. I don't know how well I'll end up doing myself; I have had a tendency to procrastinate in undergrad, but I'm trying to kick that habit. 🙂

 

[docmemi]

wow some of you are killing me here. dont get me wrong. med school is amazing. i love it. all im saying is be sure you love it too cause its not easy. you dont need to get mad at me...just trying to tell you the reality cause a every premed i know just wants to get in and i dont think they really know what they are getting into. and believe me, i want to be here. i love learning, especially medicine!

shout out to twiz and calbee! holler back at me if you read this.

 

[CalBeE]

wow some of you are killing me here. dont get me wrong. med school is amazing. i love it. all im saying is be sure you love it too cause its not easy. you dont need to get mad at me...just trying to tell you the reality cause a every premed i know just wants to get in and i dont think they really know what they are getting into. and believe me, i want to be here. i love learning, especially medicine!

shout out to twiz and calbee! holler back at me if you read this.

I finished my PBL write up tonight, but because of that, I missed the fish taco thingy tonight 🙁