my dreams are crashing and burning

[lalex]

Hello guys, long time lurker, first time poster.

I'm absolutely devastated by how my life has gone from perfect to **** in 3 years. I am a rising senior at a top 20 school. Long story short, I was diagnosed with GAD my sophomore year after years of not knowing what was wrong with me. I honestly didn't even know what anxiety really was until college. It didn't affect my life too much until college. I maintained friends and great grades.

In college, as classes got harder, my grades got worse. The worst part is knowing you're not giving life 100%.

I haven't made any friends in college. I gained 30 lbs and wasn't skinny to begin with...

I wanted to do research so badly in college but didn't. My ECs are weak compared to any other premed at my school.

I ****ed up by being stubborn and not switching to an easier major before I figured **** out.

I finally started getting help this spring on my own dime since my college's mental health is infamous for turning people away. That being said, after many SSRIs there is no improvement and I know it won't be an instant fix... but I am starting to feel hopeless. I'm just wondering if I should give up and turn to a different career?

sGPA: 3.10 (w/o CC classes: 2.90)
cGPA: 3.20 (w/ CC classes: higher)

I know I will have to do grade replacement and go DO, but that's not my concern right now. I can't retake classes if I'm just going to do badly.

 

[ciestar]

Get your mental health in order before even thinking about applying to med school. It's only going to get harder and you've admitted that it gets worse as classes get harder.

 

[samac]

Have to agree with the poster above me. If medicine is truly your passion you have to take some time off and get your mental health in order before applying.
Medical school will be much more stressful than Undergrad was, and you don't want to go into it without being able to control your anxiety. That's a recipe for disaster.

 

[md-2020]

I haven't made any friends in college. I gained 30 lbs and wasn't skinny to begin with...

This concerns me most.

Grades are repairable, personality and self control issues are not.

 

[Affiche]

Grades are repairable, personality and self control issues are not.

I strongly disagree with this post and even find it a bit offensive.

There is nothing wrong with your personality. You were able to make and maintain friendships in high school and you'll be able to do the same again. Everyone has a challenge they need to work through, and yours is your anxiety.

LOL @ gaining 30lbs and having that mean you have some inherent personality flaw of lacking self-control. Dorm food makes everyone gain weight. That buffet-style meal plan added 15lbs to my petite frame and it took me 3-4 years to get it off. My weight fluctuated a lot in college, as did most of my friends'. You're fine! You just need to start taking care of yourself. Get into the habit of exercising each day and eating well. This will do wonders for your anxiety and maybe even help you shed some of the unwanted weight.

Medicine is a stressful career but if it's what you want to do, you can do it. Maybe consider a gap year to add some EC's and get your mental health in check. I struggled a lot with anxiety and depression my first two years of college, but I don't think anyone would doubt my stability now or my ability to handle a med school curriculum. You just have to take care of yourself first!

 

[Cotterpin]

This concerns me most.

Grades are repairable, personality and self control issues are not.

Hey, whoa there! That's pretty messed up to just jump to the conclusion that OP has a bad personality and no self control! OP has been diagnosed with GAD and is clearly suffering here!

@lalex, You probably don't want want to be hanging around SDN if you suffer from anxiety issues because the people here are only going to exacerbate them. Please talk to your family and your therapist about your worries. Good luck!

 

[Okazaki Frag Grenade]

Hello guys, long time lurker, first time poster.

I'm absolutely devastated by how my life has gone from perfect to **** in 3 years. I am a rising senior at a top 20 school. Long story short, I was diagnosed with GAD my sophomore year after years of not knowing what was wrong with me. I honestly didn't even know what anxiety really was until college. It didn't affect my life too much until college. I maintained friends and great grades.

In college, as classes got harder, my grades got worse. The worst part is knowing you're not giving life 100%.

I haven't made any friends in college. I gained 30 lbs and wasn't skinny to begin with...

I wanted to do research so badly in college but didn't. My ECs are weak compared to any other premed at my school.

I ****ed up by being stubborn and not switching to an easier major before I figured **** out.

I finally started getting help this spring on my own dime since my college's mental health is infamous for turning people away. That being said, after many SSRIs there is no improvement and I know it won't be an instant fix... but I am starting to feel hopeless. I'm just wondering if I should give up and turn to a different career?

sGPA: 3.10 (w/o CC classes: 2.90)
cGPA: 3.20 (w/ CC classes: higher)

I know I will have to do grade replacement and go DO, but that's not my concern right now. I can't retake classes if I'm just going to do badly.

I work in mental health while pursuing this pre-med thing. In my experience, the best clinicians are the ones who have seen the darker side of life and been in these ruts themselves. So as a word of encouragement, you can use these struggles later on in your career in medicine as a source of empathy with your patients. You've felt just as bad as they will be feeling (even if the problem is different), so you will be able to connect with them because you've been there. You've got a long road ahead, but just take it one day at a time. Set small goals each day (or week) and just focus on those. This will not all go away overnight, so be patient with it, but keep pushing ahead!

 

[OysterKid]

I feel you on the anxiety thing, OP. One thing I'd try to do is pinpoint what's caused your anxiety to go up, especially in college. It's totally understandable that it happened because college is stressful, but trying to figure out what caused it can help.

Also, I would recommend taking a break first. Medical School isn't easy and it won't help your anxiety issues. I'd take a gap year and work on ECs and stuff and then apply (or if needed, retake some prereqs).

If you would like, you can PM me on here if you'd like to talk more about it.

 

[gothicfoxes]

If you were able to make friends in high school that's an excellent start. Focus on making friends again and boosting your self esteem. Don't be too hard on yourself; college is difficult for many people. Freshman year is particularly stressful because of the change in workload and daily routine. People lose friends and gain weight (read: the freshman 15). Take solace in the fact that you're not out of the norm. x

 

[The_Bird]

@latex , no one here is a qualified mental health professional. The best thing to do is to continue with your treatment and perhaps seek therapy. Maybe find an online support group as well. GAD is one of the more common mental disorders, so there should be a lot of help out there.

Keep doing your best, my friend.

 

[strictlyanon]

The most important thing to work on right now is getting yourself to the best state possible, mentally and physically. That should be your number one priority. After that, you can focus on strengthening your application and applying to medical school. If your med school dreams help you concentrate on getting your health back, so be it. But do realize that having a level of mental and emotional stability is fundamental to everything, and that should come first.

 

[Okazaki Frag Grenade]

@latex , no one here is a qualified mental health professional. The best thing to do is to continue with your treatment and perhaps seek therapy. Maybe find an online support group as well. GAD is one of the more common mental disorders, so there should be a lot of help out there.

Keep doing your best, my friend.

Well I actually am qualified
but not for "forum therapy" so your tips are absolutely right

 

[piii]

This concerns me most.

Grades are repairable, personality and self control issues are not.

just another premed on SDN acting like a doctor..

 

[md-2020]

just another premed on SDN acting like a doctor..

How exactly am I acting like a doctor? Those are social issues, not medical.

@rachiie01 many many students do not gain significant weight in college, but that wasn't my main point. It's quite difficult to not make any friends in undergrad; in fact, most people (yes, even those with GAD) have to intentionally seclude themselves to achieve this.

I am in way being derogatory to the OP but seriously, can we please admit that having trouble building any relationships in a very social environment (any UG campus) and significant weight gain are concerning--much more so than a 3.0+ GPA? The way some of you are phrasing it, the OP seems to have no issues at all, which even he/she knows not to be the case.

 

[Affiche]

How exactly am I acting like a doctor? Those are social issues, not medical.

@rachiie01 many many students do not gain significant weight in college, but that wasn't my main point. It's quite difficult to not make any friends in undergrad; in fact, most people (yes, even those with GAD) have to intentionally seclude themselves to achieve this.

I am in way being derogatory to the OP but seriously, can we please admit that having trouble building any relationships in a very social environment (any UG campus) and significant weight gain are concerning--much more so than a 3.0+ GPA? The way some of you are phrasing it, the OP seems to have no issues at all, which even he/she knows not to be the case.

The problem with your post is that you stated the issue is a permanent and damning one and attributed it to an inherent personality flaw. OP already identified that the weight gain and lack of friends is an issue. FYI: people who are overweight and lack friends know that they are overweight and lack friends, they don't need you to rub their noses in it. The lack of compassion in your first post is alarming.

Lots of people have trouble making friends in college. College is stressful. For many people, it's the first time they're away from the support system they've had their entire lives. People cope differently and are perfectly capable of overcoming this hurdle and leading completely successful lives.

No one here is saying that the OP isn't working through some issues, we just disagree with you that they're as damning as your first post projects.

 

[Okazaki Frag Grenade]

How exactly am I acting like a doctor? Those are social issues, not medical.

@rachiie01 many many students do not gain significant weight in college, but that wasn't my main point. It's quite difficult to not make any friends in undergrad; in fact, most people (yes, even those with GAD) have to intentionally seclude themselves to achieve this.

I am in way being derogatory to the OP but seriously, can we please admit that having trouble building any relationships in a very social environment (any UG campus) and significant weight gain are concerning--much more so than a 3.0+ GPA? The way some of you are phrasing it, the OP seems to have no issues at all, which even he/she knows not to be the case.

I see your point @md-2020 ... I do think that future doctors should make sure that their own physical and mental health is in line before treating others because they could do harm to their patients if its not under control. I think OP would agree that she has things to work on and is reaching out to us for advice on that. Obviously the line between social issues, physical health, and medical issues often gets blurred for sure. I would say these issues that OP mentioned are both social and medical. The fact that GAD is best treated with both interpersonal therapy and pharmacological intervention (not one or the other) shows the overlap between the two.

The thing about anxiety, though, especially with GAD, is that it can manifest as social anxiety. At this point, even if a person truly wants to get out and make friends, the fear of being criticized or rejected (usually irrational, which the person will often agree with) keeps them from doing so. Logically, I know the spider in my bedroom isn't going to kill me, but you better be damn sure that I'm gonna hunt him down and get rid of him before I go to sleep because otherwise the anxiety will be too much. Every person with OCD knows in their head that their family will be fine if they don't flip the light switch 40 times. But that knowledge doesn't make the guilt and anxiety go away, so they still flip even though they would label their own behavior as illogical. Social anxiety makes it near impossible to have the confidence to take the steps to go out and make friends, even if the person wants it more than anything.

 

[tea guzzling traveler]

Best of luck OP. I agree with the sentiment of the prior posts, get your problems under control before even thinking of applying to medical school, just because medical school is known to exacerbate things like that.

 

[steelersfan1243]

How exactly am I acting like a doctor? Those are social issues, not medical.

@rachiie01 many many students do not gain significant weight in college, but that wasn't my main point. It's quite difficult to not make any friends in undergrad; in fact, most people (yes, even those with GAD) have to intentionally seclude themselves to achieve this.

I am in way being derogatory to the OP but seriously, can we please admit that having trouble building any relationships in a very social environment (any UG campus) and significant weight gain are concerning--much more so than a 3.0+ GPA? The way some of you are phrasing it, the OP seems to have no issues at all, which even he/she knows not to be the case.

It's people who go on SDN to stroke their ego, rather than to help others that ruin this site

What a pathetic post

 

[Goro]

1000% this

Get your mental health in order before even thinking about applying to med school. It's only going to get harder and you've admitted that it gets worse as classes get harder.

 

[md-2020]

It's people who go on SDN to stroke their ego, rather than to help others that ruin this site

What a pathetic post

Please provide some sort of context when posting things like this.

Look at my post that you referenced; how am I at all stroking my own ego? What part of my post was not accurate?

 

[Affiche]

Please provide some sort of context when posting things like this.

Look at my post that you referenced; how am I at all stroking my own ego? What part of my post was not accurate?

Lol the part where you said self-control issues are not repairable and implied that the OP's personality will doom him/her.

Also, if gaining weight was a reason to not become a doctor, we'd be in for the most ridiculous physician shortage you can imagine! The best doctor I ever knew was about 40lbs overweight lol.

 

[md-2020]

Lol the part where you said self-control issues are not repairable and implied that the OP's personality will doom him/her.

Also, if gaining weight was a reason to not become a doctor, we'd be in for the most ridiculous physician shortage you can imagine! The best doctor I ever knew was about 40lbs overweight lol.

I made no such implication. Look at my past posts; when I think the poster has no shot at medicine, I will say it.

At no point did I say or insinuate the OP's social and weight problems to be reasons not to pursue medicine. With that being said though, they are definitely risk indicators that should be pointed out.

Obesity/being overweight has shown a positive correlation to physician burnout.
http://www.medscape.com/features/slideshow/lifestyle/2015/public/overview#12

None of my posts have anything to do with anyone but the OP. Yes, I didn't sugarcoat my post, but brushing off the severity of social isolation and unhealthy lifestyle trends would do the OP no favors.

And where the "ego boost" interpretation comes from is beyond me.

 

[The_Bird]

Well I actually am qualified
but not for "forum therapy" so your tips are absolutely right

Well, we should take forum posts with a sizable grain of salt

What's your degree in, if you don't mind. I'm just curious.

 

[Affiche]

@md-2020 you said the OP's personality was concerning and beyond repair lol. You also implied that gaining weight is a self-control issue beyond repair. The implications there are pretty strong and devoid of any compassion. I can't lay that out for you any clearer (nor should anyone have to).

Alas, the people that get it already do and those that don't never will. Not worth discussing further.

 

[The_Bird]

@md-2020 you said the OP's personality was concerning and beyond repair lol. You also implied that gaining weight is a self-control issue beyond repair. The implications there are pretty strong and devoid of any compassion. I can't lay that out for you any clearer (nor should anyone have to).

Alas, the people that get it already do and those that don't never will. Not worth discussing further.

Look at his MDApps...he's a member of Mensa, so you better watch it

lol at failing to properly deal with people with diagnosed mental disorders though

 

[Affiche]

Look at his MDApps...he's a member of Mensa, so you better watch it

lol at failing to properly deal with people with diagnosed mental disorders though

LOL I can't believe people actually list being a member of Mensa as an accomplishment.

 

[Okazaki Frag Grenade]

Well, we should take forum posts with a sizable grain of salt

What's your degree in, if you don't mind. I'm just curious.

You mean the internet isn't always accurate?! lol

But I have a masters degree in clinical psychology

 

[The_Bird]

You mean the internet isn't always accurate?! lol

But I have a masters degree in clinical psychology

Very cool!

 

[xc_stallion92]

OP, I agree with what just about everyone else here has said, minus the flame war that seems to have spawned. Just keep in mind that you're not completely screwed. Your GPA is in a very salvageable range for DO especially if you do some grade replacement. Take some time to figure out your other issues and then you should be good to go. You can still be a doctor. Best of luck!

 

[Meeehai]

It's people who go on SDN to stroke their ego, rather than to help others that ruin this site

What a pathetic post

What's even more pathetic is being an online social justice warrior and teaming up to mock someone for giving their honest opinion.

@rachiie01 Ok, you disagree with him, what's the purpose of insulting him? Are you that mad? Get over yourself...

@lalex I'm guessing you came on this board for genuine advice, not for false positive reinforcement. There is a golden question you have to ask yourself; how badly do you want to be a physician? If you are truly passionate about being in healthcare and believe you would be happy doing this as a profession, then by all means try and fix your mental problems first and go for it. If you're not, I suggest you turn towards another career path. It's not that being in medical school is stressful, but so can being a doctor, you're in charge of people's lives and well-being. There are solid careers out there that aren't as mentally taxing.

 

[steelersfan1243]

I made no such implication. Look at my past posts; when I think the poster has no shot at medicine, I will say it.

And where the "ego boost" interpretation comes from is beyond me.

Is this a joke? Please look at your post and tell how it was of any use to the OP? You told him he has "serious" issues, something he has already pointed himself out already (OP I think the "seriousness" of gaining weight and being anxious over social settings is exaggerated here)

You then went on to say something must seriously be wrong with him or her because he they were unable to make friends in college? Are you kidding me, were you that oblivious to your peers in college? As an RA the most common problem I faced were students who had difficulty making friends. Its not as they were awkward or had some personality disorder, but making friends in a large part is being at the right time at the right place. Everyone can be friendly with their classmates, but to make a relationship that lasts well outside of college is much more difficult than you think. Now think of someone who does not have friends, this can easily cause depression, which leads to unhealthy eating habits and gaining weight. So there, you have a college student who has no friends and overweight, which to you is an unfixable, unfathomable, problem

Your lack of compassion, understanding, or even ability to help the OP makes me think you post on this site as an ego stroke. Your posts in this thread have served no other purpose.

 

[steelersfan1243]

What's even more pathetic is being an online social justice warrior and teaming up to mock someone for giving their honest opinion.

@rachiie01 Ok, you disagree with him, what's the purpose of insulting him? Are you that mad? Get over yourself...

Yes because the best way to help someone seeking advice over the internet for their personality disorder is to remind them how ****ty of an individual they must be for their inability to make friends and gain weight. Having an honest opinion is fine, but telling someone their honest opinion when it is of no help and only serves to hurt the OP more is absolutely not needed.

 

[Affiche]

What's even more pathetic is being an online social justice warrior and teaming up to mock someone for giving their honest opinion.

@rachiie01 Ok, you disagree with him, what's the purpose of insulting him? Are you that mad? Get over yourself...

@lalex I'm guessing you came on this board for genuine advice, not for false positive reinforcement. There is a golden question you have to ask yourself; how badly do you want to be a physician? If you are truly passionate about being in healthcare and believe you would be happy doing this as a profession, then by all means try and fix your mental problems first and go for it. If you're not, I suggest you turn towards another career path. It's not that being in medical school is stressful, but so can being a doctor, you're in charge of people's lives and well-being. There are solid careers out there that aren't as mentally taxing.

Where did I insult him? Get over yourself. I absolutely will defend mental health issues and call out ignorance when I see it, just like he will give an unsugar-coated opinion about someone's chance at MD (but if that's all he had done, we would have never had an issue). I'm not mad at all, just astounded at how unsympathetic and ignorant someone who wants to go to med school can be.

Edit: defending someone who puts other people down makes you just as awful as the person doing the putting-down, so you can go ahead and skip on out of here, too

 

[nverqrui]

What's even more pathetic is being an online social justice warrior and teaming up to mock someone for giving their honest opinion.

@rachiie01 Ok, you disagree with him, what's the purpose of insulting him? Are you that mad? Get over yourself...

@lalex I'm guessing you came on this board for genuine advice, not for false positive reinforcement. There is a golden question you have to ask yourself; how badly do you want to be a physician? If you are truly passionate about being in healthcare and believe you would be happy doing this as a profession, then by all means try and fix your mental problems first and go for it. If you're not, I suggest you turn towards another career path. It's not that being in medical school is stressful, but so can being a doctor, you're in charge of people's lives and well-being. There are solid careers out there that aren't as mentally taxing.

Sometimes I wonder what SDN would look like if the members knew that adcoms would be able to see their posts. You know it's people like Meeehai that lie in interviews and say "I have a great deal of sympathy and compassion for the mentally ill, and I would never criticize them".

 

[Meeehai]

Where did I insult him? Get over yourself. I absolutely will defend mental health issues and call out ignorance when I see it, just like he will give an unsugar-coated opinion about someone's chance at MD (but if that's all he had done, we would have never had an issue). I'm not mad at all, just astounded at how unsympathetic and ignorant someone who wants to go to med school can be.

Edit: defending someone who puts other people down makes you just as awful as the person doing the putting-down, so you can go ahead and skip on out of here, too

Yeah, "LOL I can't believe people actually list being a member of Mensa as an accomplishment" shows the professionalism in full force. You attacked his character because you were butthurt by what he said, which is completely unnecessary. This is much more ignorant and hypocritical than whatever md-2020 has said. Also, nobody put down anyone, or at least not intentionally in any way - you're just under this illusion because you disagree with what was said.

 

[Affiche]

Yep, that's it.

 

[md-2020]

Is this a joke? Please look at your post and tell how it was of any use to the OP? You told him he has "serious" issues, something he has already pointed himself out already (OP I think the "seriousness" of gaining weight and being anxious over social settings is exaggerated here)

You then went on to say something must seriously be wrong with him or her because he they were unable to make friends in college? Are you kidding me, were you that oblivious to your peers in college? As an RA the most common problem I faced were students who had difficulty making friends. Its not as they were awkward or had some personality disorder, but making friends in a large part is being at the right time at the right place. Everyone can be friendly with their classmates, but to make a relationship that lasts well outside of college is much more difficult than you think. Now think of someone who does not have friends, this can easily cause depression, which leads to unhealthy eating habits and gaining weight. So there, you have a college student who has no friends and overweight, which to you is an unfixable, unfathomable, problem

Your lack of compassion, understanding, or even ability to help the OP makes me think you post on this site as an ego stroke. Your posts in this thread have served no other purpose.

This is ridiculous. Comparing social anxiety to having no friends whatsoever in college are not even close to being the same magnitude. Do people get nervous in a variety of social and societal situations, especially ones that involve interpersonal interaction? Yes. Do I myself get nervous and anxious in said circumstances? Yes!

But seriously, how many of the kids on your floor/building have zero new friends since arriving at college? Your train of thought in assuming the OP is depressed b/c of his being overweight is equally absurd; he explicitly mentions that he has maintained friends from high school, which indicates that the issues he is dealing with right now only pertain to his collegiate environment. I'm drawing attention to the severity of a condition that is likely caused by the college experience, and one that the OP must fix, quickly! Depression is most certainly not some "unfathomable problem" to me, but it is something that the OP has never referenced at all.

And great job arriving at that conclusion; just because you find my post unhelpful clearly means I post on this site to boost my own ego! Go through my post history--yes, I occasionally post irrelevant comments b/c I am currently in doing slow-paced research during a gap year/app cycle (read: lots of free time at work) but when have I ever sought to boost my ego on some anonymous pre-professional internet forum? If I wanted to feel good about myself, there are many things I could do, applying to medical school and joining SDN not being among them.

 

[Affiche]

I believe I was the one that said there was no point in further discussing, but you insist on striking up an argument.

 

[Meeehai]

Sometimes I wonder what SDN would look like if the members knew that adcoms would be able to see their posts. You know it's people like Meeehai that lie in interviews and say "I have a great deal of sympathy and compassion for the mentally ill, and I would never criticize them".

I wonder what adcoms would say when they see your guys' posts - I'm sure they encourage teaming up and bullying someone who was just trying to help. We have sympathy and compassion for the mentally ill, which is why we try to offer the best course of action (in our OPINION).

Anyway, I'm making this post to say something else. OP mentions that she hasn't really done any ECs, so I'm afraid she hasn't exposed herself enough to the field to know if she would like it or not. There is absolutely no reason to go down this path of chaos and stress if it's not something the OP absolutely wants to do. So I recommend trying your best to get a little bit of exposure to what a physician does while trying to regain control of your life.

 

[Affiche]

@md-2020 just stop. People have already told you that you're coming off as offensive but you just keep going

 

[Glazedonutlove]

None of you have bad intentions but may be coming off that way through your wording. Anyways, This thread is about helping op.if you're not going to offer encouragement and support (common sense tells me op doesn't need to hear about how serious her problems are as she admitted them herself), then don't post

 

[piii]

@md-2020 you said the OP's personality was concerning and beyond repair lol. You also implied that gaining weight is a self-control issue beyond repair. The implications there are pretty strong and devoid of any compassion. I can't lay that out for you any clearer (nor should anyone have to).

Alas, the people that get it already do and those that don't never will. Not worth discussing further.

If you look at his post's, you can see that @md-2020 comments with a lot of certainty on WAMC and other boards, as if he is an adcom or inside the admissions process and not just another premed kid. I've yet to see his legitimacy as an authority figure on these matters and it's hubristic assertions like this that do a huge disservice to this community and the people reading his advice.

 

[catmario]

This concerns me most.

Grades are repairable, personality and self control issues are not.

I am so tired of people equating weight with general self control. How about- some people just like to eat.

 

[nverqrui]

If you look at his post's, you can see that @md-2020 comments with a lot of certainty on WAMC and other boards, as if he is an adcom or inside the admissions process and not just another premed kid. I've yet to see his legitimacy as an authority figure on these matters and it's hubristic assertions like this that do a huge disservice to this community and the people reading his advice.

Christ, looking at his comment history sickens me. He's not even accepted to med school lol. Let's get this straight: he gives advice on topics that he's not an authority figure on and he passes judgment on people's mental states? Textbook god complex at its finest.

 

[ranob]

Typical SDN user: Life is a marathon, keep retaking courses until you succeed, medicine is the noblest of all professions, blah blah blah

Reality: You're not cut out for medicine. Consider pursuing a PhD or masters in the "easier" field that you're more interested in instead. You'll be much happier with that decision and get much farther. You think your anxiety is a problem in college? I bet it'll absolutely destroy you in medical school (ie have fun graduating near the bottom of the class). So to answer your question, yes, you absolutely should give it up and turn to a different career before it's too late, as do the vast majority of premeds at my school.

Side note: You want run-of-the-mill "social" friends, join clubs. You want professional "friends" that can guide you, take high level classes. YMMV.

 

[Affiche]

I wonder what adcoms would say when they see your guys' posts - I'm sure they encourage teaming up and bullying someone who was just trying to help. We have sympathy and compassion for the mentally ill, which is why we try to offer the best course of action (in our OPINION).

Anyway, I'm making this post to say something else. OP mentions that she hasn't really done any ECs, so I'm afraid she hasn't exposed herself enough to the field to know if she would like it or not. There is absolutely no reason to go down this path of chaos and stress if it's not something the OP absolutely wants to do. So I recommend trying your best to get a little bit of exposure to what a physician does while trying to regain control of your life.

You are so out of line here. The issue everyone has with his post is that it didn't offer a course of action, it just put the OP down. Seriously, maybe you should reread how this started, because other posters were being helping and offering a course of action when he barged in with a demeaning post.

I do apologize for making fun of listing Mensa as an accomplishment. I poke fun because as a fellow Mensa member, I think it's silly and arrogant. The only reason people take that test is for an ego boost or to win a bet (in my case). My issue was never with md-2020, just with his posts in this thread.

 

[Affiche]

Typical SDN user: Life is a marathon, keep retaking courses until you succeed, medicine is the noblest of all professions, blah blah blah

Reality: You're not cut out for medicine. Consider pursuing a PhD or masters in the "easier" field that you're more interested in instead. You'll be much happier with that decision and get much farther. You think your anxiety is a problem in college? I bet it'll absolutely destroy you in medical school (ie have fun graduating near the bottom of the class). So to answer your question, yes, you absolutely should give it up and turn to a different career before it's too late, as do the vast majority of premeds at my school.

Side note: You want "social" friends, join clubs. You want professional "friends" that can guide you, take high level classes. YMMV.

Yes, because those with anxiety and depression never get a handle on it. Give me a break.

The lack of education on very common mental health issues here is absolutely mind blowing.

 

[NewHorizons]

You are so out of line here. The issue everyone has with his post is that it didn't offer a course of action, it just put the OP down. Seriously, maybe you should reread how this started, because other posters were being helping and offering a course of action when he barged in with a demeaning post.

I do apologize for making fun of listing Mensa as an accomplishment. I poke fun because as a fellow Mensa member, I think it's silly and arrogant. The only reason people take that test is for an ego boost or to win a bet (in my case). My issue was never with md-2020, just with his posts in this thread.

The nature of having so many more applicants just means we get vocal minorities from all spectra... honestly as much as I try to offer constructive advice, I definitely admit this forum is more "entertaining" than our Canadian counterpart based on some of the responses.

The best thing we can do is to not let our own emotions control our posting.... I usually just take some time to think or leave my post before clicking "post reply" ... In most cases it works.... I think I only faltered two times and was appropriately called out over hundreds of posts from both forums. It honestly will help to calm things down and not let unnecessary issues spiral out of control. Worth a try if you want.

We just have to do the best we can with our own abilities. Practice being a good physician, acting with integrity, going above and beyond for the patient's benefit, learning more.... we can make more differences there than debating relative morality and ethics on an anonymous forum anyways.

Good luck man =D

 

[Doudline]

If you look at his post's, you can see that @md-2020 comments with a lot of certainty on WAMC and other boards, as if he is an adcom or inside the admissions process and not just another premed kid. I've yet to see his legitimacy as an authority figure on these matters and it's hubristic assertions like this that do a huge disservice to this community and the people reading his advice.

Christ, looking at his comment history sickens me. He's not even accepted to med school lol. Let's get this straight: he gives advice on topics that he's not an authority figure on and he passes judgment on people's mental states? Textbook god complex at its finest.

You're just embarrassing yourselves now. Stop the nonsensical witch hunt, because you have no clue what you are talking about.

 

[OysterKid]

Typical SDN user: Life is a marathon, keep retaking courses until you succeed, medicine is the noblest of all professions, blah blah blah

Reality: You're not cut out for medicine. Consider pursuing a PhD or masters in the "easier" field that you're more interested in instead. You'll be much happier with that decision and get much farther. You think your anxiety is a problem in college? I bet it'll absolutely destroy you in medical school (ie have fun graduating near the bottom of the class). So to answer your question, yes, you absolutely should give it up and turn to a different career before it's too late, as do the vast majority of premeds at my school.

Side note: You want run-of-the-mill "social" friends, join clubs. You want professional "friends" that can guide you, take high level classes. YMMV.

As if getting a PhD or Masters is "easy." It's hard and I commend students who pursue it, in a way, more than people who pursue medicine.

I think a lot of people don't realize how stressful college can be for some people. OP realized this and decided to get help. That's more than a lot of people (especially pre-meds) are willing to do.

In a way, being pre-med is more stressful for some people than medical school because they have to fight thousands of applicants for a seat and they have to come up with back up plans if they don't get in.

Don't be a jerk. Doctors can have issues too. They're not robots.