Red flag and anxiety issue

[RamenHair]

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[Goro]

Med school is a furnace....how are you going to survive it???

 

[RamenHair]

Med school is a furnace....how are you going to survive it???

I'm hoping to gain my motivation and drive back so I'll survive med school. I don't really hear of people failing out of med school anyway.

 

[GBCrzzyy]

I'm hoping to gain my motivation and drive back so I'll survive med school. I don't really hear of people failing out of med school anyway.

It seems to be that if the adcoms suspect that an applicant would not be able to handle the pressures of med school or would be at risk for failing/dropping out, they would be unlikely to accept such a student. That's why you don't typically hear of many people that drop out or fail out - they don't normally get accepted to begin with.

It may hinder your chances if this points to you being unable to handle undergraduate course load along with EC's/volunteering/work, etc. since med school is going to be at least twice as hard and demanding. It will depend heavily on how you score on the MCAT and all other aspects of your application. but you sound like you would be a student that would benefit a great deal from taking a gap year after completing your undergrad degree. That's what I'm doing right now. You should also consider a SMP because if you can succeed in graduate course work, it would at least show you could have the ability to make it in med school and that you just hit a rough patch during undergrad. As for being productive, that all comes down to how badly you want it. I've been there so I know where your coming from. When it comes to studying for the MCAT, schedule about 2 hours a day, 6 days a week, where you only study for the MCAT. Remove yourself from all distractions and just sit down with your books. You just have to have the will power to make that happen and form a habit of it. Once it becomes a normal part of your routine it won't be nearly as difficult to make yourself study.

Make absolutely certain that you are ready to dedicate the huge amount of time, money, and effort that will be required for you to succeed in medical school. And be ready to deal with the insane amount of stress that comes with it. I have been officially diagnosed with an anxiety issue but I've learned how to manage it in my own ways so that it doesn't interfere with my goals. I have days where I just need to chill out and do my own thing but for the most part I really don't have an issue working through it to get the job done well. You'll have to find your own ways to manage your anxiety. For instance, it may help to expand that 2 hours to be 2.5-3 hours so that you can take a lot of little breaks. It really depends on what works for you. If this is your dream, absolutely don't give up on it and show in your app that you are capable of handling it.

 

[RamenHair]

It seems to be that if the adcoms suspect that an applicant would not be able to handle the pressures of med school or would be at risk for failing/dropping out, they would be unlikely to accept such a student. That's why you don't typically hear of many people that drop out or fail out - they don't normally get accepted to begin with.

It may hinder your chances if this points to you being unable to handle undergraduate course load along with EC's/volunteering/work, etc. since med school is going to be at least twice as hard and demanding. It will depend heavily on how you score on the MCAT and all other aspects of your application. but you sound like you would be a student that would benefit a great deal from taking a gap year after completing your undergrad degree. That's what I'm doing right now. You should also consider a SMP because if you can succeed in graduate course work, it would at least show you could have the ability to make it in med school and that you just hit a rough patch during undergrad. As for being productive, that all comes down to how badly you want it. I've been there so I know where your coming from. When it comes to studying for the MCAT, schedule about 2 hours a day, 6 days a week, where you only study for the MCAT. Remove yourself from all distractions and just sit down with your books. You just have to have the will power to make that happen and form a habit of it. Once it becomes a normal part of your routine it won't be nearly as difficult to make yourself study.

Make absolutely certain that you are ready to dedicate the huge amount of time, money, and effort that will be required for you to succeed in medical school. And be ready to deal with the insane amount of stress that comes with it. I have been officially diagnosed with an anxiety issue but I've learned how to manage it in my own ways so that it doesn't interfere with my goals. I have days where I just need to chill out and do my own thing but for the most part I really don't have an issue working through it to get the job done well. You'll have to find your own ways to manage your anxiety. For instance, it may help to expand that 2 hours to be 2.5-3 hours so that you can take a lot of little breaks. It really depends on what works for you. If this is your dream, absolutely don't give up on it and show in your app that you are capable of handling it.

Thank you so much! This was very helpful. I've been contemplating with the idea of a gap year, but I think I'm going to take one. 2 hours/day sounds very manageable, as that is how much I set aside for this fall anyway, so I'm glad you said that. Thanks again.

 

[thatwouldbeanarchy]

Just my .02 but I think you should take a break. You're young. Stop taking prereqs, stop worrying about medical school, and just focus on doing things you enjoy and doing well in school. Study abroad, have fun, do what you need to do to get your anxiety under control (talk therapy can be really helpful with this).

If you're feeling unmotivated now, how will you find the motivation to prepare for the MCAT, do well on the exam, complete applications/interviews, and then deal with the pressure of medical school? I'm not saying that you can't do it! But it sounds like you might benefit from some time to sort things out. I took several years off between undergrad and med school because I just plain wasn't ready. No regrets whatsoever. But if you keep on slogging through prereqs and start getting less than stellar grades, all you'll do is burn yourself out further and create more work for yourself, if you do decide that medicine is right for you later on. You don't want to end up in a situation later on where you have to worry about grade repair or retaking the MCAT because you weren't prepared for it the first time around.

 

[RamenHair]

Just my .02 but I think you should take a break. You're young. Stop taking prereqs, stop worrying about medical school, and just focus on doing things you enjoy and doing well in school. Study abroad, have fun, do what you need to do to get your anxiety under control (talk therapy can be really helpful with this).

If you're feeling unmotivated now, how will you find the motivation to prepare for the MCAT, do well on the exam, complete applications/interviews, and then deal with the pressure of medical school? I'm not saying that you can't do it! But it sounds like you might benefit from some time to sort things out. I took several years off between undergrad and med school because I just plain wasn't ready. No regrets whatsoever. But if you keep on slogging through prereqs and start getting less than stellar grades, all you'll do is burn yourself out further and create more work for yourself, if you do decide that medicine is right for you later on. You don't want to end up in a situation later on where you have to worry about grade repair or retaking the MCAT because you weren't prepared for it the first time around.

Thanks so much. You're absolutely right. I think I'm going to use the feeling I'll have after taking the MCAT and not having to worry about it when I'm abroad as motivation to study for it. I just really want to get it over with (but I won't take it if I'm not ready). But I most likely will take a gap year. Thanks again.

 

[Goro]

Med schools have attrition rates of about 1-5%/ year. At my school, mental heath issues are the #1 cause. And not everyone gets dismissed, some withdraw, others take an LOA and have to repeat a year.

You don't hear about this because you're a pre-med, not a medical educator the other side of the wall. So do NOT engage in the sin of solipsism, and avoid wishful thinking as well.

I'm hoping to gain my motivation and drive back so I'll survive med school. I don't really hear of people failing out of med school anyway.

 

[RamenHair]

Alright alright, @Goro I think I've made it clear that this issue has been resolved for the time being.

 

[Sardinia]

@RamenHair Escapism is not commonly accepted as a valid resolution to current problems unless you're Great Britain. It's a coping mechanism. But not a solution, a resolution, or a proof of commitment.