Need Advice Please! Am I insane for thinking this way?

[GBCrzzyy]

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So this past semester I have spent my time preparing for and taking the MCAT along with finalizing my application details. I have excellent ECs that include well over 1000+ hours of being on shift and training as a volunteer firefighter/EMT but no research experience. My GPA is average. I think I would be a competitive applicant for DO schools and low-tier MD schools and I would want to go into surgery. However, I am starting to question if it is the right thing for me. My pre-med advisor is being less-than-helpful, he likes to give very obscure opinions and repeat how important the MCAT is at least a dozen times but is otherwise useless. I'm a first generation college student and have just recently graduated with my BSc in Biology, giving me the highest degree in my family. I love my family to death but they aren't helpful when it comes to major life decisions or career advice because they've never experienced anything like this before. Medical school and any other schooling I do has to come out of my own pocket or loans so I'm extremely concerned about cost. I've considered the military as an option to help pay for medical school because I think I would genuinely enjoy a career in the military but I do not believe that my body is healthy enough right now. I'm already starting to feel burnt out from five years of undergrad too. I see so many of my friends moving on after college to careers or much shorter graduate programs where they can still function as 'normal' adults and I can't help but be insanely jealous of them. A huge component of my happiness will be forming a relationship and having a family but I don't see that as being a very feasible option while I'm in medical school. I'm stressed just thinking about paying for all the applications I want to submit. Together with my list of MD and DO programs, I'm looking at about $1800 in primary application fees alone, forget about secondary applications and costs accumulated to attend interviews. I would also love to actually be able to take time off and travel and see the world while I still can and I'm still young enough to enjoy many of the activities I want to do. I'm just not sure the going to medical school would be the right path for me.

tl;dr - I'm a first generation college student that is extremely broke and I do not want to be alone for the next 10+ years of my life. I would like to have a family and travel and start my life.

Alternatively, I'm considering a MS program in Biomedical engineering to learn how to develop and design prosthetics using robotics.

If anyone else has had these thoughts or can offer up any advice or positive commentary that would be greatly appreciated! But please be honest, even if it sounds harsh, I just don't want any rude comments. Thank you all so much!

 

[ridethecliche]

You need to format that wall of text.

If you have a decent gpa, good EC's, and a reasonable MCAT. You should be a decent candidate for DO programs.

DO programs do not hinder your ability to become a surgeon if that is what you should wish to do once you're in a place to decide.

Is it worth it? Only you can decide that. If the money for apps is too much right now, taking a year or two off to work and build up your app even more is a good idea. Especially if you're taking classes and boosting your GPA. It'll make you more competitive for MD programs as well if you do well on the MCAT.

 

[aalamruad]

So this past semester I have spent my time preparing for and taking the MCAT along with finalizing my application details. I have excellent ECs that include well over 1000+ hours of being on shift and training as a volunteer firefighter/EMT but no research experience. My GPA is average. I think I would be a competitive applicant for DO schools and low-tier MD schools and I would want to go into surgery. However, I am starting to question if it is the right thing for me. My pre-med advisor is being less-than-helpful, he likes to give very obscure opinions and repeat how important the MCAT is at least a dozen times but is otherwise useless. I'm a first generation college student and have just recently graduated with my BSc in Biology, giving me the highest degree in my family. I love my family to death but they aren't helpful when it comes to major life decisions or career advice because they've never experienced anything like this before. Medical school and any other schooling I do has to come out of my own pocket or loans so I'm extremely concerned about cost. I've considered the military as an option to help pay for medical school because I think I would genuinely enjoy a career in the military but I do not believe that my body is healthy enough right now. I'm already starting to feel burnt out from five years of undergrad too. I see so many of my friends moving on after college to careers or much shorter graduate programs where they can still function as 'normal' adults and I can't help but be insanely jealous of them. A huge component of my happiness will be forming a relationship and having a family but I don't see that as being a very feasible option while I'm in medical school. I'm stressed just thinking about paying for all the applications I want to submit. Together with my list of MD and DO programs, I'm looking at about $1800 in primary application fees alone, forget about secondary applications and costs accumulated to attend interviews. I would also love to actually be able to take time off and travel and see the world while I still can and I'm still young enough to enjoy many of the activities I want to do. I'm just not sure the going to medical school would be the right path for me.

tl;dr - I'm a first generation college student that is extremely broke and I do not want to be alone for the next 10+ years of my life. I would like to have a family and travel and start my life.

Alternatively, I'm considering a MS program in Biomedical engineering to learn how to develop and design prosthetics using robotics.

If anyone else has had these thoughts or can offer up any advice or positive commentary that would be greatly appreciated! But please be honest, even if it sounds harsh, I just don't want any rude comments. Thank you all so much!

You should change your picture, if that's an actual picture of you.

On SDN, anonymity > everything

 

[Tea Leaf]

So this past semester I have spent my time preparing for and taking the MCAT along with finalizing my application details. I have excellent ECs that include well over 1000+ hours of being on shift and training as a volunteer firefighter/EMT but no research experience. My GPA is average. I think I would be a competitive applicant for DO schools and low-tier MD schools and I would want to go into surgery. However, I am starting to question if it is the right thing for me. My pre-med advisor is being less-than-helpful, he likes to give very obscure opinions and repeat how important the MCAT is at least a dozen times but is otherwise useless. I'm a first generation college student and have just recently graduated with my BSc in Biology, giving me the highest degree in my family. I love my family to death but they aren't helpful when it comes to major life decisions or career advice because they've never experienced anything like this before. Medical school and any other schooling I do has to come out of my own pocket or loans so I'm extremely concerned about cost. I've considered the military as an option to help pay for medical school because I think I would genuinely enjoy a career in the military but I do not believe that my body is healthy enough right now. I'm already starting to feel burnt out from five years of undergrad too. I see so many of my friends moving on after college to careers or much shorter graduate programs where they can still function as 'normal' adults and I can't help but be insanely jealous of them. A huge component of my happiness will be forming a relationship and having a family but I don't see that as being a very feasible option while I'm in medical school. I'm stressed just thinking about paying for all the applications I want to submit. Together with my list of MD and DO programs, I'm looking at about $1800 in primary application fees alone, forget about secondary applications and costs accumulated to attend interviews. I would also love to actually be able to take time off and travel and see the world while I still can and I'm still young enough to enjoy many of the activities I want to do. I'm just not sure the going to medical school would be the right path for me.

tl;dr - I'm a first generation college student that is extremely broke and I do not want to be alone for the next 10+ years of my life. I would like to have a family and travel and start my life.

Alternatively, I'm considering a MS program in Biomedical engineering to learn how to develop and design prosthetics using robotics.

If anyone else has had these thoughts or can offer up any advice or positive commentary that would be greatly appreciated! But please be honest, even if it sounds harsh, I just don't want any rude comments. Thank you all so much!

Hi! It seems that you have worked very hard to this point, great job! You're right, 10+ years is a long time, for anyone. Most people that I know who want to go into medicine feel that they really cannot picture themselves doing anything else. Here's my advice for you:

If you do something that you are not completely happy or satisfied with, because it takes less time, you may feel temporarily happy with it at first. But time will pass whether you're in medical school or have a career. That time will go by, and then you will think to yourself, "Right now, I could've been a doctor".

If you're happy with what you do though, you won't feel that way, so think long and hard about what will make you happy.

Good luck!

 

[Cookiess]

There's a couple of factors to consider here and I definitely understand where you are coming from. Do you think you'll be happy as a physician? Is medicine a career you think you would enjoy and are you ok with the long-term commitment and sacrifices you'd be making to pursue medicine? With these questions in mind, take some time to work with physicians in different settings and see if it's something you might enjoy for the long term.

The process itself is quite costly. The Fee Assistance Program helps if you qualify, but otherwise it's quite expensive with primary application fees, secondary fees, and costs to attend interviews. Taking a year or two off to work and save up for applications, while also squeezing in some time to travel could be an option. Taking time off might help your decision become more clear as you weigh your options and potential careers options.

As far as the cost of medical school goes, it's an expensive investment at the onset with mostly a lot of loans for most students. However, there are scholarships and loan forgiveness programs if you commit to working in underserved areas for a few years. Even without these programs, you'll have a stable income after residency and should be able to live comfortably even while you pay back loans.

Medical school itself will be 4 years and residency will be 3-7 years depending on the specialty you pick so there's a significant time and cost investment in choosing medicine. You'll also be sacrificing time with your family, but you will have breaks and time off to be able to see them throughout med school. Even better if you are given the opportunity to attend medical school near your family.

At the end of the day, think about whether or not you like what you see from the physicians you've interacted with. Medicine is a rewarding career choice, but it does come with significant time, cost, and other investments. Think about which career you'd be happiest with in 10 years and what you would most enjoy doing on a daily basis. It's good that you're thinking about these things now. Take some more time to think about it, you don't have to rush the decision.