Medical Regretting my decision, is this normal?

[Mr.Smile12]

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Thank you for your help on this forum, it has absolutely made my life easier during this process! I made a tough decision between 2 great med schools last week and I thought that once I decided, the worries would fade and I’d feel more confident in my decision. Unfortunately, as this week has gone on, I only feel more and more uncertain in my decision. I know that I can’t call up school B to get my spot back, so I’m forced to just go to school A at this point. But I’m wondering if this is normal or if it’s a sign that I made the wrong decision. Any recommendations?

Buyer's remorse happens, but you can't go to two medical schools at the same time. Why are you feeling more uncertain? A lot of people are proud of you that you had the chance to choose between two great schools, so move on and focus on your transition.

Of course, you can always plan on a residency near the other medical school. Maybe some clerkships.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I think my concerns stem from the fact that I had to turn down my home institution (which obviously has some emotional attachment, and was my dream med school while I was in undergrad). My home institution is also close to home (30-40 minute drive), my family, and many of my friends. I also ended up getting a full tuition scholarship there, which made it really a dream come true and felt so bad to turn it down.

The school I ended up choosing is ranked higher (not by much, but I think there’s maybe a slight advantage) and was cheaper overall (I got full tuition + some living expenses, and the location has a more affordable cost of living). The total cost difference over four years would’ve been $50k-60k. This school is about a 4.5 hour drive from home though, and the location is a lot less desirable as a place to live in my 20s imo.

I think that I made the best decision for me, but of course it’s hard to tell if the higher ranking and cheaper price tag are the factors that pushed me in this direction. It feels like a bad breakup as I wonder if 60k extra was worth the “dream school.” But at the same time, I’ll admit the school I chose was also a dream to be accepted to and get such significant scholarship. My entire COA for four years there will be less than $60k. It felt impossible to turn down the opportunity.

Overall, I think I’m struggling with closing the door on what was once my dream school and feeling excited about stepping out of my comfort zone and moving to a new place and away from family. I just feel that I chose the riskier path, but I know there is no way to guarantee that I’d be happy at either school.

This is understandable, and I'm sure you're not the only one from your school who has ever decided to go to the other option, given that they are not that far apart when you think about it. Many of your undergraduate classmates have had to develop their own independent persona away from family and their original environment. It's not a bad thing to let yourself loose from familiarity, and you will grow and appreciate things faster away from your comfort zone. Indeed many of the people you may admire as physicians or leaders in health care have hopped around from one to another institution to get their degrees or their job experience.

I will say, your time in medical school is short, and you will likely not be staying in one location all four years. Student debt is a real issue and should not be overlooked. The location where you may go may not be as desirable compared to home, but the friends you meet (faculty and staff included) should make your brief preclinical time there go by very quickly. Again, you have a lengthy drive to return home, but many of your peers may have longer journeys back. Plus you can always network back to do residency nearer to your home institution or ultimately try to be employed or hired near home in the first place.

You probably will have other alumni from your undergraduate attending this school. You can band together and cheer for your undergrad sports teams or do road trip tailgates for football games. This does happen. What you have control of is how you take advantage of your opportunities and resources at your medical school that will position you well for boards and clinicals. As a famous line in Casablanca goes, "[You'll] always have Paris."