Pre-med worried about med school - honest advice, tips, or just encouragement welcome!

[trillianMcMillan]

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[M&L]

first of all, - majority of my classmates in medical school are not type A AT ALL!!!!! there are a lot of great specialties that do not require type A to be successful in and make money.
secondly, average doctor makes more than an average programmer. I say go for medical school if this is what you love doing, keep coding as a side thing, and then, possibly, something wonderful will happen out of it. Maybe you will find that you end up merging these two fields into something amazing.

I used to be in a pretty bad mental state, but now that i am in medical school, i feel amazing. Once i got into career i love, everything became easier. Everyday life struggles became easier. Also, if you do a specialty you genuinely love, it is also easier. If you go to a medical school with mentality that you are there for YOU and your patients, and now to compete with anyone, a lot of the causes of medical school anxieties will naturally fall off.

also, fun fact, - a lot of causes of anxiety were from the reason that schools had ranking, grades, etc. Now majority of places moved to pass/fail,, and even step 1 will be pass fail. So a lot of the causes for anxiety is going away from this perspective.

 

[trillianMcMillan]

first of all, - majority of my classmates in medical school are not type A AT ALL!!!!! there are a lot of great specialties that do not require type A to be successful in and make money.
secondly, average doctor makes more than an average programmer. I say go for medical school if this is what you love doing, keep coding as a side thing, and then, possibly, something wonderful will happen out of it. Maybe you will find that you end up merging these two fields into something amazing.

I used to be in a pretty bad mental state, but now that i am in medical school, i feel amazing. Once i got into career i love, everything became easier. Everyday life struggles became easier. Also, if you do a specialty you genuinely love, it is also easier. If you go to a medical school with mentality that you are there for YOU and your patients, and now to compete with anyone, a lot of the causes of medical school anxieties will naturally fall off.

also, fun fact, - a lot of causes of anxiety were from the reason that schools had ranking, grades, etc. Now majority of places moved to pass/fail,, and even step 1 will be pass fail. So a lot of the causes for anxiety is going away from this perspective.

Thank you! This is such a positive perspective to hear, really encouraging

 

[M&L]

Thank you! This is such a positive perspective to hear, really encouraging

its not "positive". This is simply the reality. I am not overinflating any positivity here. This is simply how the things are, you know?

 

[Dr.K124]

Thank you! This is such a positive perspective to hear, really encouraging

I'll add my own perspective too. I'm a relatively new attending, and looking back on my decade and a half journey from fresh out of high school to where I am now... I regret nothing. In fact, I literally joined this forum just to guide premedical students down this incredible path.

It's a lot of sacrifice. Anyone who says otherwise is lying. There are days where you'll be utterly exhausted. There are days where you might regret your life choices. It can be hard to delay the gratification. To stay in school another 4 years. To work 60-80 hours a week for 3-7 years for essentially minimum wage. But my god it's worth it.

I look forward to Mondays just as much as I look forward to Saturdays. I make a meaningful difference in people's quality of life. I work with the coolest technology (it feels like Sci-Fi!). I have lasting relationships with my patients. I have great, down to earth partners. I have a lot of time off, with the ability to cut back whenever I need (I work 45 hrs/week right now). I have an incredible wife (hopefully with kids on the way soon!). I make a fantastic living.

Just because medicine is a career of service does not mean you are unable to serve yourself too.

There is a place in medicine for all sorts of personalities and lifestyles. Each specialty is unique and different. Neurosurgery is nothing like Ophthalmology, and Ophthalmology is nothing like Radiology. I promise you, so long as you are willing to work for it, medicine will give you everything computer science could and more.

Edit: You should avoid Reddit. It's... not a great place.

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

I'll add my own perspective too. I'm a relatively new attending, and looking back on my decade and a half journey from fresh out of high school to where I am now... I regret nothing. In fact, I literally joined this forum just to guide premedical students down this incredible path.

It's a lot of sacrifice. Anyone who says otherwise is lying. There are days where you'll be utterly exhausted. There are days where you might regret your life choices. It can be hard to delay the gratification. To stay in school another 4 years. To work 60-80 hours a week for 3-7 years for essentially minimum wage. But my god it's worth it.

I look forward to Mondays just as much as I look forward to Saturdays. I make a meaningful difference in people's quality of life. I work with the coolest technology (it feels like Sci-Fi!). I have lasting relationships with my patients. I have great, down to earth partners. I have a lot of time off, with the ability to cut back whenever I need (I work 45 hrs/week right now). I have an incredible wife (hopefully with kids on the way soon!). I make a fantastic living.

Just because medicine is a career of service does not mean you are unable to serve yourself too.

There is a place in medicine for all sorts of personalities and lifestyles. Each specialty is unique and different. Neurosurgery is nothing like Ophthalmology, and Ophthalmology is nothing like Radiology. I promise you, so long as you are willing to work for it, medicine will give you everything computer science could and more.

Edit: You should avoid Reddit. It's... not a great place.

Appreciate your willingness to guide premeds!

 

[Angus Avagadro]

OP, if you are smart enough to get into med school, you will be smart enough to graduate. Very few fail out. Occasionally, some may struggle, remediate a class or even repeat a year. They all go on to graduate. Those who fail are probably around 1 to 2 %. I would say half of them really didn't want to be there and were doing what their parents wanted them to do.. Often mental illness or family crisis contribute. Adcoms are pretty darn good at accepting candidates who will be successful. If you are unsure about becoming a doctor, maybe take a gap year and see if your feelings change. If you have a desire and a solid work ethic, you will be fine. Good luck and best wishes!

 

[trillianMcMillan]

I'll add my own perspective too. I'm a relatively new attending, and looking back on my decade and a half journey from fresh out of high school to where I am now... I regret nothing. In fact, I literally joined this forum just to guide premedical students down this incredible path.

It's a lot of sacrifice. Anyone who says otherwise is lying. There are days where you'll be utterly exhausted. There are days where you might regret your life choices. It can be hard to delay the gratification. To stay in school another 4 years. To work 60-80 hours a week for 3-7 years for essentially minimum wage. But my god it's worth it.

I look forward to Mondays just as much as I look forward to Saturdays. I make a meaningful difference in people's quality of life. I work with the coolest technology (it feels like Sci-Fi!). I have lasting relationships with my patients. I have great, down to earth partners. I have a lot of time off, with the ability to cut back whenever I need (I work 45 hrs/week right now). I have an incredible wife (hopefully with kids on the way soon!). I make a fantastic living.

Just because medicine is a career of service does not mean you are unable to serve yourself too.

There is a place in medicine for all sorts of personalities and lifestyles. Each specialty is unique and different. Neurosurgery is nothing like Ophthalmology, and Ophthalmology is nothing like Radiology. I promise you, so long as you are willing to work for it, medicine will give you everything computer science could and more.

Edit: You should avoid Reddit. It's... not a great place.

Thank you for the guidance - this is definitely inspiring, and resonates. Probably a good time to delete my reddit and stay focused on what matters, i.e. putting in work towards a hopefully very meaningful career

 

[Dr.K124]

Thank you for the guidance - this is definitely inspiring, and resonates. Probably a good time to delete my reddit and stay focused on what matters, i.e. putting in work towards a hopefully very meaningful career

I'm happy to help. If you have any questions, I (along with many other people on here) will do my best to answer them.

 

[DoctorWhere]

I'll add my own perspective too. I'm a relatively new attending, and looking back on my decade and a half journey from fresh out of high school to where I am now... I regret nothing. In fact, I literally joined this forum just to guide premedical students down this incredible path.

It's a lot of sacrifice. Anyone who says otherwise is lying. There are days where you'll be utterly exhausted. There are days where you might regret your life choices. It can be hard to delay the gratification. To stay in school another 4 years. To work 60-80 hours a week for 3-7 years for essentially minimum wage. But my god it's worth it.

I look forward to Mondays just as much as I look forward to Saturdays. I make a meaningful difference in people's quality of life. I work with the coolest technology (it feels like Sci-Fi!). I have lasting relationships with my patients. I have great, down to earth partners. I have a lot of time off, with the ability to cut back whenever I need (I work 45 hrs/week right now). I have an incredible wife (hopefully with kids on the way soon!). I make a fantastic living.

Just because medicine is a career of service does not mean you are unable to serve yourself too.

There is a place in medicine for all sorts of personalities and lifestyles. Each specialty is unique and different. Neurosurgery is nothing like Ophthalmology, and Ophthalmology is nothing like Radiology. I promise you, so long as you are willing to work for it, medicine will give you everything computer science could and more.

Edit: You should avoid Reddit. It's... not a great place.

Pre-med Reddit says the same about SDN haha.

 

[LunaOri]

It sounds like you really love medicine and would enjoy it. Med school can be tough, but once you get through the preclinical classes, you are so busy that it is easy to stay focused.

 

[natalux]

I have ADD (never been medicated though, doing fine without meds) as well but also a natural inclination toward academics, which I think is similar to your personality type based on what you've said. I won't comment re med school itself because I haven't started yet, but I got a 524 on the MCAT and I just want to say it is 100% possible to have ADD and do well on the mcat. A lot of study guides out there advocate a strict schedule of long hours - like 6-8 hrs/day, 5 days a week, for 2-3 months. I tried that for like 3 days and realized it was a) suboptimal in terms of learning content and b) unbearably boring for me to just sit and read Kaplan for multiple hours a day. I switched to only studying for 2-4 hours a day (usually not consecutively) doing mostly active recall (Uworld questions, flashcards) and really focusing that time on isolating and fixing my knowledge gaps. I found that much more sustainable and effective. So n=1 but it's definitely possible to succeed on the MCAT without seemingly diligent study habits!

 

[trillianMcMillan]

I have ADD (never been medicated though, doing fine without meds) as well but also a natural inclination toward academics, which I think is similar to your personality type based on what you've said. I won't comment re med school itself because I haven't started yet, but I got a 524 on the MCAT and I just want to say it is 100% possible to have ADD and do well on the mcat. A lot of study guides out there advocate a strict schedule of long hours - like 6-8 hrs/day, 5 days a week, for 2-3 months. I tried that for like 3 days and realized it was a) suboptimal in terms of learning content and b) unbearably boring for me to just sit and read Kaplan for multiple hours a day. I switched to only studying for 2-4 hours a day (usually not consecutively) doing mostly active recall (Uworld questions, flashcards) and really focusing that time on isolating and fixing my knowledge gaps. I found that much more sustainable and effective. So n=1 but it's definitely possible to succeed on the MCAT without seemingly diligent study habits!

Nice, congrats on the amazing MCAT score!! That makes a lot of sense to me - how long did you end up studying for?

 

[natalux]

Nice, congrats on the amazing MCAT score!! That makes a lot of sense to me - how long did you end up studying for?

Thank you! Roughly 2.5-3 months.

 

[Dr.K124]

Pre-med Reddit says the same about SDN haha.

SDN is realistic. You get the bad, but you also get the good.

Pre-med Reddit is a contradiction. You have Medical Students, Residents, and Attendings with depression going back and saying it's not worth it, but then you also have premedical students that are completely overly-optimistic and feeding each other false information.

Perhaps it's not pre-med reddit specifically, but reddit in its whole. It seems like a bunch of edgy teenagers in an echo-chamber no matter where you go. Medical school admissions is competitive because they want the best physicians possible? How dare they!!!!

I mean, don't get me wrong, the process could be improved. But sorry futuredoctor82819389, your 494 MCAT and 3.2 GPA don't cut it.

 

[DoctorWhere]

Full disclosure: my friend's sister-in-law's second cousin's ex-fiancee's step-aunt got into a T20 with the same stats. Holistic review is powerful.

 

[Dr.K124]

Full disclosure: my friend's sister-in-law's second cousin's ex-fiancee's step-aunt got into a T20 with the same stats. Holistic review is powerful.

I got into Harvard Medical School with 3 pennies and a ball of lint. Turned them down as I felt their quality of education was not up to my standards.

 

[jhmmd]

Hey all - long-time lurker, first-time poster! I'm a pre-med 2 years past undergrad (have worked a few different clinical jobs since graduating), currently studying for the MCATs full-time, planning to apply this coming cycle. It's possible I've just been reading too much r/Residency and r/MedicalSchool, but I feel simultaneously in love with the field of medicine, and genuinely terrified I won't make it through med school (if I'm accepted). Complicating factor: on a whim I started learning coding, and got accepted to a well-regarded software-development bootcamp (& have a good amount of time to decide yes/no on that). The coding thing came out of both a desire to have a 'backup' option, and a genuine excitement about software as an alternative career path. I'll list some of my perceived pros/cons guiding my decision-making -- if anyone relates to anything I'm saying here or has any advice, I'd love to hear it (and I don't mind harsh feedback; I know I absolutely fit the stereotype of 20-somethings hyperfocusing on finding some imaginary ideal wOrk LiFe baLanCe).

Pros (things motivating me to go into medicine)
- I've spent a few years working clinical-support roles in both inpatient and outpatient settings, and found that I love the hospital environment and interacting with patients. I love how medicine puts you in contact with a variety of people, and it just feels super fulfilling to help people directly
- I'm really passionate about hospice/palliative care and psych especially, and can absolutely imagine enjoying residency & practice in either specialty. More broadly I loved anatomy/phys, and can see myself enjoying other specialties if the hours/culture don't burn me out
- Based on my stats/ speaking with a couple advisors over the years, I have reason to believe I could get into med school (maybe not on my first try, but eventually) if I do well on the MCATs
- I'd love to interact with bright minds in medicine and constantly learn through my work
- I've spoken with many doctors who love what they do, especially in psych and palliative care

Cons (/barriers)
- I'm mainly concerned I don't have the inherent diligence or type-A personality to make it through med school. I did well in college and feel motivated to learn, but I always felt very different from my achievement-driven, always-doing-the-absolute-most premed peers in undergrad. Never had any interest in leadership roles, I'd always rather just be a team-member.
- Similarly, I have ADD. Staying organized and focused enough to effectively study for the MCATs has been an uphill battle (maybe related to the fact that I haven't been in school full-time for years), and I realize that's nothing compared to what med school will look like. Related question:

• Any ADDers have strategies that helped you get through the MCATs or med school? Or just general advice?

- There's that paradox of medicine being consistently rated a 'highly satisfying' career but also one with a very high suicide rate. I can see how it could be demoralizing: with the increasing role of 'defensive medicine', time-wasting prior-auths & documentation requirements, systemic barriers to health in the US, it seems like a lot of negative stuff which physicians have little-to-no control over. That said, I'll admit this impression is more based on internet opinions than anything; in real life I've spoken to more happy physicians than unhappy physicians.

Why software seems like an appealing alternative-
- First the obvious/shallow reasons: could make a comfortable living working 40-50hrs/wk, be financially independent and start investing seriously by my mid-20's, work remotely or even move abroad, work in different industries throughout my career.
- Maybe this is idealistic, but I like to think I could still use a career in software to help people. Nonprofits, public health organizations, and other groups doing good still need software engineers.
I worry I'd miss helping people directly as a software engineer, but hope volunteering outside of work could fill that gap.
If anyone has experience in both software and medicine (or maybe you're in one field and have a family member/SO in the other) I'd be curious to hear how you'd compare the two fields/ what you found more fulfilling, why you left one and went to the other, etc.

Re: the bolded
Defensive medicine is just CYA and comes with the job. If you don't want a malpractice lawsuit the #1 rule is document document document. From what I've seen physicians have a great deal of autonomy. But then again you are asking this in the pre-med forum. You might want to shadow a physician or two and see what they say.

 

[trillianMcMillan]

Re: the bolded
Defensive medicine is just CYA and comes with the job. If you don't want a malpractice lawsuit the #1 rule is document document document. From what I've seen physicians have a great deal of autonomy. But then again you are asking this in the pre-med forum. You might want to shadow a physician or two and see what they say.

Yep, makes sense -- I mentioned it mainly because it's one of the negatives I've heard about from providers I worked with (especially in the ER). But I realize this probably isn't a huge issue affecting most docs' stress levels or quality of life.

 

[Bloobury]

You'll get sued, and it will be just fine.


(Assuming you took good notes and weren't grossly negligent)

 

[Select All That Apply]

@trillianMcMillan For clarification, per the cons section you wrote that your own personality, ADHD, and anon internet opinions are current and valid detractors that are stopping you from considering the pursuit of medicine.

A lot of the things that you mentioned are superficial. When there is a code or a procedure, you will do it. Because you are expected to do it and will be trained to do it. Whether you are Type A, have type II, slow to type, or think you have type C cluster d/o you are going to do what you were trained to do. As for ADHD, the MCAT should be a litmus test for you to self-gauge whether or not its a medical condition that is being adequately managed. I mean, I think that learning html/CSS, java, perl/python in the series of a 15 week program (coding bootcamp) is also cognitively taxing. However, I don't see the situation as being a mandatory net zero type of scenario where it has to be parsed as... "if i want to be doctor, then MCAT. if not doctor, then coding bootcamp."

As for the statement about entering into a well-regarded software-development bootcamp, it's like stating to your wife that last night you consorted with a well-regarded high-class prostitute. You're already in a four year program. Why go through the effort of doing a bootcamp program when you can take a class in CS 101 (java) or CS 102 (data structures). I mean pre-COVID you probably could have slipped into any computer class without the professor really caring. I'm a strong advocate for not adding more red on the balance sheet, there is a plethora of free if not remarkably cheap alternatives on the market. No seriously, a TA or a professor will refer to these resources over actually going into minutia about it or have expected you to already have reviewed this material. Perhaps it's because I've always had to do things myself to get it, but I feel like in the age of the internet that gurus selling enlightenment is taking a step backwards in the wrong direction of how information has been advancing as a free and open resource in the past decade.

Every profession will have depression. You will have bad days. You will go on reddit. You will express your opinions in media res. And after freeing yourself through exposition you will go back to grinding because you know there will be better days. Got sass from the new NP hired on surgery about the orders you placed on Epic? r/residency (midlevel enroachment). Reddit is more of a zeitgeist of people filtering their opinions based on their emotional outlook for the day than the logical understanding of tomorrow. And you should never take any piece of advice at face value, this one wholly unexceptional to that rule. But if you're going to to actually not consider this path, could you come up with better reasons in the next thread. Like a child, financial reasons, or health considerations like the varus.

 

[Goro]

@trillianMcMillan For clarification, per the cons section you wrote that your own personality, ADHD, and anon internet opinions are current and valid detractors that are stopping you from considering the pursuit of medicine.

A lot of the things that you mentioned are superficial. When there is a code or a procedure, you will do it. Because you are expected to do it and will be trained to do it. Whether you are Type A, have type II, slow to type, or think you have type C cluster d/o you are going to do what you were trained to do. As for ADHD, the MCAT should be a litmus test for you to self-gauge whether or not its a medical condition that is being adequately managed. I mean, I think that learning html/CSS, java, perl/python in the series of a 15 week program (coding bootcamp) is also cognitively taxing. However, I don't see the situation as being a mandatory net zero type of scenario where it has to be parsed as... "if i want to be doctor, then MCAT. if not doctor, then coding bootcamp."

As for the statement about entering into a well-regarded software-development bootcamp, it's like stating to your wife that last night you consorted with a well-regarded high-class prostitute. You're already in a four year program. Why go through the effort of doing a bootcamp program when you can take a class in CS 101 (java) or CS 102 (data structures). I mean pre-COVID you probably could have slipped into any computer class without the professor really caring. I'm a strong advocate for not adding more red on the balance sheet, there is a plethora of free if not remarkably cheap alternatives on the market. No seriously, a TA or a professor will refer to these resources over actually going into minutia about it or have expected you to already have reviewed this material. Perhaps it's because I've always had to do things myself to get it, but I feel like in the age of the internet that gurus selling enlightenment is taking a step backwards in the wrong direction of how information has been advancing as a free and open resource in the past decade.

Every profession will have depression. You will have bad days. You will go on reddit. You will express your opinions in media res. And after freeing yourself through exposition you will go back to grinding because you know there will be better days. Got sass from the new NP hired on surgery about the orders you placed on Epic? r/residency (midlevel enroachment). Reddit is more of a zeitgeist of people filtering their opinions based on their emotional outlook for the day than the logical understanding of tomorrow. And you should never take any piece of advice at face value, this one wholly unexceptional to that rule. But if you're going to to actually not consider this path, could you come up with better reasons in the next thread. Like a child, financial reasons, or health considerations like the varus.

Just to simplify this and some of the sage comments above, Reddit is the Cesspool of the internet.

 

[jhmmd]

@trillianMcMillan For clarification, per the cons section you wrote that your own personality, ADHD, and anon internet opinions are current and valid detractors that are stopping you from considering the pursuit of medicine.

A lot of the things that you mentioned are superficial. When there is a code or a procedure, you will do it. Because you are expected to do it and will be trained to do it. Whether you are Type A, have type II, slow to type, or think you have type C cluster d/o you are going to do what you were trained to do. As for ADHD, the MCAT should be a litmus test for you to self-gauge whether or not its a medical condition that is being adequately managed. I mean, I think that learning html/CSS, java, perl/python in the series of a 15 week program (coding bootcamp) is also cognitively taxing. However, I don't see the situation as being a mandatory net zero type of scenario where it has to be parsed as... "if i want to be doctor, then MCAT. if not doctor, then coding bootcamp."

As for the statement about entering into a well-regarded software-development bootcamp, it's like stating to your wife that last night you consorted with a well-regarded high-class prostitute. You're already in a four year program. Why go through the effort of doing a bootcamp program when you can take a class in CS 101 (java) or CS 102 (data structures). I mean pre-COVID you probably could have slipped into any computer class without the professor really caring. I'm a strong advocate for not adding more red on the balance sheet, there is a plethora of free if not remarkably cheap alternatives on the market. No seriously, a TA or a professor will refer to these resources over actually going into minutia about it or have expected you to already have reviewed this material. Perhaps it's because I've always had to do things myself to get it, but I feel like in the age of the internet that gurus selling enlightenment is taking a step backwards in the wrong direction of how information has been advancing as a free and open resource in the past decade.

Every profession will have depression. You will have bad days. You will go on reddit. You will express your opinions in media res. And after freeing yourself through exposition you will go back to grinding because you know there will be better days. Got sass from the new NP hired on surgery about the orders you placed on Epic? r/residency (midlevel enroachment). Reddit is more of a zeitgeist of people filtering their opinions based on their emotional outlook for the day than the logical understanding of tomorrow. And you should never take any piece of advice at face value, this one wholly unexceptional to that rule. But if you're going to to actually not consider this path, could you come up with better reasons in the next thread. Like a child, financial reasons, or health considerations like the varus.

U are a really good writer! Your point remains unclear, however.

 

[trillianMcMillan]

@trillianMcMillan For clarification, per the cons section you wrote that your own personality, ADHD, and anon internet opinions are current and valid detractors that are stopping you from considering the pursuit of medicine.

A lot of the things that you mentioned are superficial. When there is a code or a procedure, you will do it. Because you are expected to do it and will be trained to do it. Whether you are Type A, have type II, slow to type, or think you have type C cluster d/o you are going to do what you were trained to do. As for ADHD, the MCAT should be a litmus test for you to self-gauge whether or not its a medical condition that is being adequately managed. I mean, I think that learning html/CSS, java, perl/python in the series of a 15 week program (coding bootcamp) is also cognitively taxing. However, I don't see the situation as being a mandatory net zero type of scenario where it has to be parsed as... "if i want to be doctor, then MCAT. if not doctor, then coding bootcamp."

As for the statement about entering into a well-regarded software-development bootcamp, it's like stating to your wife that last night you consorted with a well-regarded high-class prostitute. You're already in a four year program. Why go through the effort of doing a bootcamp program when you can take a class in CS 101 (java) or CS 102 (data structures). I mean pre-COVID you probably could have slipped into any computer class without the professor really caring. I'm a strong advocate for not adding more red on the balance sheet, there is a plethora of free if not remarkably cheap alternatives on the market. No seriously, a TA or a professor will refer to these resources over actually going into minutia about it or have expected you to already have reviewed this material. Perhaps it's because I've always had to do things myself to get it, but I feel like in the age of the internet that gurus selling enlightenment is taking a step backwards in the wrong direction of how information has been advancing as a free and open resource in the past decade.

Every profession will have depression. You will have bad days. You will go on reddit. You will express your opinions in media res. And after freeing yourself through exposition you will go back to grinding because you know there will be better days. Got sass from the new NP hired on surgery about the orders you placed on Epic? r/residency (midlevel enroachment). Reddit is more of a zeitgeist of people filtering their opinions based on their emotional outlook for the day than the logical understanding of tomorrow. And you should never take any piece of advice at face value, this one wholly unexceptional to that rule. But if you're going to to actually not consider this path, could you come up with better reasons in the next thread. Like a child, financial reasons, or health considerations like the varus.

Thanks for the thoughts - and just to clarify, I already finished undergrad (on a gap year now), which is why the bootcamp was a consideration. No kids or major financial/ health factors affecting the decision - I really just had cold feet/ impostor syndrome about my ability to get through med school, and coding was just a vaguely interesting plan B.

Just to update: I realized medicine is really what I feel called to do; it just hit me one day how certain I feel about it. I've spent the last few weeks really digging into MCAT studying, and I'm tired but also honestly enjoying it! Thanks to everyone for your responses; I'm sure I'll be back on SDN once the MCAT's over to join the pool of stressed-but-determined applicants.

 

[jhmmd]

Thanks for the thoughts - and just to clarify, I already finished undergrad (on a gap year now), otherwise . No kids or major financial/ health factors affecting the decision - I really just had cold feet/ impostor syndrome about my ability to get through med school, and coding was just a vaguely interesting plan B.

Just to update: I realized medicine is really what I feel called to do; it just hit me one day how certain I feel about it. I've spent the last few weeks really digging into MCAT studying, and I'm tired but also weirdly enjoying it! Thanks to everyone for your responses; I'm sure I'll be back on SDN once the MCAT's over to join the pool of stressed-but-determined applicants.

Good luck on the MCAT!

 

[readmypostsMD]

Med school is def easier

not a lot easier, but def less conceptually challenging as physics, chem, o chem, etc