Now I'm having second thoughts! :(

[squintgeek]

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I'll be applying to med school this year, I just turned 30. I have a background in IT. Last month I sent out my application to my first choice school. Earlier today, a staff sent me an email, asking me if I'm aware that med school is hard and that it will require a lot of commitment. I haven't replied to that email.

A few months ago, I was 100% sure that it's what I wanted. But lately, I've been having second thoughts. I'm sure some of you can empathize? Many of us who are in our 30s already have a relatively established life out of school. Going back to school in a way, does mean having to give up this stable life in the hope that we will succeed and become physicians. What if we give up our lives for this dream and want to quit halfway?

I'm also trying to figure out if this person's email to me is just standard or if she's trying to tell me to just give up already. What does it sound like to you?

I applied early to this med school because they will be starting early this year. But their response has been quite late (I thought if I applied really early, I'd get an early response but...no!).

 

[Chip N Sawbones]

Go to SDN's school specific thread to ask other people who applied there about the email. If other people got it, it's probably a form letter.

Remember that 95-98% of students who start medical school will eventually finish and end up in a residency. If you want to complete med school and are willing to put in the necessary work, it will happen. You aren't giving up your dreams for just the hope of success; if you reach the point of getting a med school acceptance it's almost certain that you will succeed and become a doctor if you try hard enough. As for having second thoughts, I think we all experience that at multiple points along the way. Just make sure that your commitment to the end goal is strong enough that it can survive the doubts that will arise when things get difficult.

 

[squintgeek]

Thank you for your reply Chip N Sawbones. I've given it some thought and I've decided to just treat this email as I would with any other. Perhaps even use it to my advantage. I do believe that a great attitude to others will go a long way, and if I'm not what they're looking for then that's alright too!

I am hesitant in my application, that's why I have only applied to one school at the moment. But I've already started so I do want an acceptance letter. I can decide later if I should really go forth with it.

 

[Shjanzey]

What if we give up our lives for this dream and want to quit halfway?

That is the question isn't it? I basically told myself I wouldn't do medicine if I had ANY second thoughts. Once I decided I would do it no matter what, it hasn't been an issue. I have been plugging away for 5 years gathering prerequisites and studying for MCAT. I still haven't had a second thought, or the desire to give up halfway.

If you are having second thoughts, don't worry. Just take a step back, reanalyze what you really want out of life, and go from there. The nice thing about being non-trad is you get to make your own decision.

 

[QofQuimica]

You'll have second thoughts all along. Also third thoughts, fourth thoughts, and fifth thoughts. And you will want to quit at various times early, halfway, and late in your training. This is only natural; things get harder as you go along, not easier. When the going gets extra tough, it's certainly not surprising that you'd be having second thoughts, or second guessing yourself, or wishing you had never gotten involved with medicine in the first place.

As to deciding whether medicine is what you really want or not, I don't think you can know for sure until you get there. Personally, I would have gone pharmacy instead of medicine if I could do it all again. But the good news is that medicine is a very broad field, and there are a lot of things you can do with your MD/DO besides community practice or academic medicine. So be reassured that even though there will be a lot of bumps along the road, there will be some kind of niche for you. Granted that some people have to search harder to find their niche than others.

I would just ignore that email. I can't begin to fathom why they would be sending something like that to their school's applicants. That being said, a December application is extremely late, not early. You're probably too late to apply for any more med schools this year even if you wanted to, but since you have this app in already, you might as well stay the course. However, if you have to apply again next year, you need to apply in June/July, *not* in December.

 

[BuddyTheElf]

I'll be applying to med school this year, I just turned 30. I have a background in IT. Last month I sent out my application to my first choice school. Earlier today, a staff sent me an email, asking me if I'm aware that med school is hard and that it will require a lot of commitment. I haven't replied to that email.

A few months ago, I was 100% sure that it's what I wanted. But lately, I've been having second thoughts. I'm sure some of you can empathize? Many of us who are in our 30s already have a relatively established life out of school. Going back to school in a way, does mean having to give up this stable life in the hope that we will succeed and become physicians. What if we give up our lives for this dream and want to quit halfway?

I'm also trying to figure out if this person's email to me is just standard or if she's trying to tell me to just give up already. What does it sound like to you?

I applied early to this med school because they will be starting early this year. But their response has been quite late (I thought if I applied really early, I'd get an early response but...no!).

We all have second thoughts. I have them all the time! Medical school & residency is a long hard road and it is not going to be enjoyable most of the time. But you need to figure out if being a physician is something you really want. I just know that I would feel like I was settling if I did anything else with my life. This is what I have always wanted to do, so there's really no other choice for me. You need to figure that out for you.

Big tip of advice: stop listening to other people about your future! I don't even know how many people have said to me "You know, medical school is really hard, maybe you should consider something else." Duh! Of course it will be hard, I'm not an idiot, I understand that. Forget about them, it's YOUR future, not their's.

On a side note, you said you sent your applications out "really early" but you mentioned that you sent your app to your top school just last month. Just so you know, 'early' is usually considered sending your apps off in June/July/August.... December/Jan/Feb is pretty late for most schools.
Just want to let you know if you end up applying next year... apply in early summer!! Good luck to you!!!! 👍

 

[dsoz]

If you don't do it now, will you think about it when you are 40 and wish that you had done it when you were 30?

That is my story. I raised a family, had a 19 year career as a high school teacher, am making a comfortable living slightly above the national median income... But unhappy with where I am at at this point in my life.

Since my youngest is going to graduate from high school and go off to college, this is the opportune time to quit teaching and enter medical school. So that is what I am doing.

Good luck to you. You will have second thoughts, but if it is what you want to do, then you should make plans and stay the course.

dsoz

 

[gyngyn]

Thank you for your reply Chip N Sawbones. I've given it some thought and I've decided to just treat this email as I would with any other. Perhaps even use it to my advantage. I do believe that a great attitude to others will go a long way, and if I'm not what they're looking for then that's alright too!

I am hesitant in my application, that's why I have only applied to one school at the moment. But I've already started so I do want an acceptance letter. I can decide later if I should really go forth with it.

Applying to only one school is not a strategy consistent with success (no matter how strong your ap or how weak the school). Only extraordinary luck will salvage this cycle!

 

[MedPR]

We all have second thoughts. I have them all the time! Medical school & residency is a long hard road and it is not going to be enjoyable most of the time. But you need to figure out if being a physician is something you really want. I just know that I would feel like I was settling if I did anything else with my life. This is what I have always wanted to do, so there's really no other choice for me. You need to figure that out for you.

Big tip of advice: stop listening to other people about your future! I don't even know how many people have said to me "You know, medical school is really hard, maybe you should consider something else." Duh! Of course it will be hard, I'm not an idiot, I understand that. Forget about them, it's YOUR future, not their's.

On a side note, you said you sent your applications out "really early" but you mentioned that you sent your app to your top school just last month. Just so you know, 'early' is usually considered sending your apps off in June/July/August.... December/Jan/Feb is pretty late for most schools.
Just want to let you know if you end up applying next year... apply in early summer!! Good luck to you!!!! 👍

I was starting to think I was the only one who noticed that.

 

[wholeheartedly]

Heck a lot of schools close their applications in Nov.

 

[GUH]

The good news is that there's a high chance that the OP will have several months to think things over before the next application cycle starts.

 

[columbiaPBTG]

I think it's normal to have 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th thoughts. I mean med school is a HUGE commitment. It demands not only your mind but your body and spirit. The process and the actual schooling is very draining and the fact that you're thinking and re-thinking things shows that not only are you serious about it but that you're also serious about what med school means for you. I think a lot of people, especially traditional students, don't stop to think about the commitment; they have no doubts and no fears and for many of them, they have the intelligence and skills to get there but lack the maturity to really think about whether they should be there.

It's totally normal! Keep thinking it over. To me, the mark of a great career is one that constantly challenges you to think about how it fits into your life. Sort of like being in a relationship with a really, really demanding high-commitment partner.

Good luck!