Please help, I need some guidance.

[Justen.Davila]

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I know that I want to be a surgeon. I have the mind for it, and the desire but I cannot break out of this fear of failing. I am 21 years old and still a sophomore, and I feel like I am not moving towards my goal. I am taking biology classes but that is all. Please help. What are something's that I should be doing right now to make my Medical School candidacy a valid one? I must be a doctor. I know that I want it bad but I don't have a mentor, nor any kind of guidance to help me attain my goal. Please if you have suggestions or first had experience in this situation please do not hesitate to message me. 🙂

Thank you

J

 

[Lifschitz]

Continue taking pre-reqs and use that mind to do well in them.
Aim for true understanding of the pre-req material to help you do well on the MCAT.
Involve yourself in extracurriculars, volunteering, and shadowing. Ideally these should be long term, meaningful experiences.

Seek a mentor. Does your university have pre-health advising? Do you know any physicians? A physician willing to allow you to shadow may also become a mentor.

At what step are you scared of failing?

 

[edgerock24]

Do well in your courses. Get a good MCAT score. Volunteer. Shadow. Get a healthcare related job.

 

[Justen.Davila]

Seek a mentor. Does your university have pre-health advising? Do you know any physicians? A physician willing to allow you to shadow may also become a mentor.

At what step are you scared of failing?

My university does not, but I am transferring from NYC to The University of Washington. I do not personally know any physicians. Can I visit a doctors office and ask to shadow? If I don't shadow will it considerably harm my likability during Medical School interviews?

I am afraid of earning my Bachelors in Bio and not being able to make it to Ned School.

 

[justAstudent]

My university does not, but I am transferring from NYC to The University of Washington. I do not personally know any physicians. Can I visit a doctors office and ask to shadow? If I don't shadow will it considerably harm my likability during Medical School interviews?

I am afraid of earning my Bachelors in Bio and not being able to make it to Ned School.

I wouldn't worry about shadowing just yet. I think the most important thing for you to do at the moment is to plan out and take all your pre-med courses (do well in them too!). Once you have a good feel for pre-med courses, slowly add more to your schedule. You can maybe try adding in research or volunteer work at that point. But I think the task at hand right now is to get good grades first.

 

[Lifschitz]

I'd agree that earning a Bachelor's in Biology can be a scary prospect as an endpoint if application to medical school goes sour. If there is another major that you'd rather keep as a "plan B" where taking the pre-med pre-reqs wouldn't be too troublesome, you might consider that. Shadowing seems to have become more or less of an expectation unless you have other intimate clinical experience. I agree with mdhopeeful that doing well in your courses is the number one priority.

 

[SonyVaio5510]

J,

Fear of failing is, unfortunately, a very pervasive part of pre-med culture. It's not you, it's the way our pre-med education is set up. But that doesn't mean you can't overcome it. One way to think about it is that you should feel comfortable thinking that you won't fail, you'll get to what you are determined to do in the long run--but each step may not always go as you planned, which is totally okay and may even work in your favor, so don't get discouraged.

Yes, grades are important, but they don't have to be perfect. There are all kinds of strong applicants for medical school. Some have outstanding grades and all sorts of accolades. Some are "well-rounded." Others stand out because of what they are really passionate about, especially if it is something unique. As long as you show a genuine dedication to medicine, relative academic competitiveness (could be 4.0, could be 3.6 depending on other aspects of your application), then the rest is up to you to show your best self.

Mentorship is also very important, so good thing you're asking. You can find physicians (and non-physician mentors) by emailing them if you don't know them. Tell them a brief picture of your story and see if it clicks. Some or most will not respond, but the few who do probably already love mentoring and teaching. Ask your friends if they know anyone who applied to medical school who can give you some advice. Good luck! 🙂

SV