second thoughts/deferring acceptance

[auguy13]

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Hey guys,

I have been lucky to be admitted to my state school on my first attempt (granted I have busted ass in UG, studying for the MCAT, etc. just like the rest of us). Now with graduation approaching, I worry I have made the wrong career decision and am questioning my perspectives. Med school is an expensive leap. Human medicine interests me, I like people, I have enjoyed studying biology, and the shadowing I have done was intriguing... but again, I have started to worry more and more about the sacrifices/dating/family/debt/obamacare/my motivation for the years of training/ etc (the doubts are the primary concern). I come from a family of veterinarians, so that is what I've always thought I'd end up doing (not that vet school wouldn't be tough). For various (personal) reasons I switched about a year ago and applied for an MD. (I really do think studying human pathology is the more interesting of the two but come down to clinical practice I'm still undecided). I probably would of applied for a DVM concurrently but bit off more than I could chew perfecting my AMCAS. Anyway, I have been doing some serious thinking this semester and considering deferring my acceptance to medical school for a year. (If they will let me based off "second thoughts".) As much as I hate putting my life on hold (I'm an overachiever like most pre-meds), I may need the year to work outside of school and make sure a physician is really who I want to be and what I want to do everyday (I will probably apply to vet school in the process and give that more thought too). I thought I have made this decision but apparently not. I'm 22 years old and have nothing to show for myself except grades. Maybe I'm just burnt out. Any thoughts? Am I just psyching myself out and having unnecessary remorse for walking out on the family businesses (granted there will be plenty of heirs to take them over)? Also, what would I say to ask for deferral and any suggestions on how to spend my year if I went that route?

 

[evilbooyaa]

I'm not sure how to go about deferring as I have no experience with that, but I would do what I could to make sure you want to become a physician before you go ~50k in the hole.

 

[Smurfette]

Moving to PreAllo as OP is not yet a med student.

 

[GopherMD]

I'm not sure schools will let you differ a year just so you can make sure being a doctor is what you actually want to do. I may be wrong, but I believe most schools will only let someone differ for extreme cases (accident, death in family, financial problems, health problems, etc.) I doubt "second guessing medical school" would count.

I don't think it would hurt in asking (there is a risk that the school could rescind the acceptance offer), but the odds are slim IMO.

 

[Ismet]

If you ask to defer and say you're having second thoughts about medicine, they're probably more likely to rescind your acceptance and give your seat to someone else than let you have a year to think about it. The people I know who deferred had major life events going on, like a death in the family or getting pregnant. On the other hand, I'm not an adcom and I'm not completely familiar with the deferral process, so some schools may be more forgiving than others.

It's completely normal to have cold feet. It's a huge step in your life, actually one of the biggest steps. Heck, I've been working towards this goal since I was in 10th grade and I am IN medical school and I still have my moments of doubt from time to time. For me, it takes our weekly visits to the hospitals to perform physical exams on patients to remind me why I'm here. It sounds like you jumped over to MD and applied very suddenly without ample experience, but then it also sounds like you truly enjoyed what experience you've had and that you're genuinely interested in human medicine. Yes, you are probably burned out from undergrad + applications + interviews...I remember my fall semester of senior year was horrendous. Yes, you are probably psyching yourself out, but it's good that you're considering all these aspects of medicine now and before you're in $200k of debt. Yes, there will be sacrifices, but you don't have to give up hope of having a family. Yes, you will be in debt, but so have hundreds of thousands of doctors before you, and if you're smart about your finances, it will be okay. Yes, classes and rotations and boards will be hard and at times you will feel like you don't have the motivation to do it, but you find support in your family and your classmates and you get through it. It's all possible.

My advice is to take a step back, breathe, get your mind off of this for a day or two (unless there's some kind of deferral deadline coming up, this doesn't need to be decided right now), and then go find a few physicians to shadow. Try out different specialties, see if you can shadow the same physician for several days. If you can see yourself doing what they do and enjoying it, then you should have your answer.

Good luck!

 

[Pattycake25]

It is natural to second-guess yourself - I think it would be more worrisome if you WEREN'T doing so, as it would suggest you hadn't yet fully considered exactly what is expected of an medical student, later doctor.

That being said, schools do expect you to have taken several years to consider and prepare for the nuances of the career pathway, and to have a strong enough commitment to follow through by the time you apply, let alone the time you are accepted and are preparing to matriculate. You would not be granted a deferment to "think things over". I seriously doubt they would yank your offer simply for making the request, but I absolutely think that they would rescind it long before actually letting you defer for this reason.

On the other hand, was there something concrete that happened since you began the application process that has tipped you over the edge to serious self-doubt? There are several valid reasons for deferral, and if one is at play here, it could very well be a viable request.

Hey guys,

I have been lucky to be admitted to my state school on my first attempt (granted I have busted ass in UG, studying for the MCAT, etc. just like the rest of us). Now with graduation approaching, I worry I have made the wrong career decision and am questioning my perspectives. Med school is an expensive leap. Human medicine interests me, I like people, I have enjoyed studying biology, and the shadowing I have done was intriguing... but again, I have started to worry more and more about the sacrifices/dating/family/debt/obamacare/my motivation for the years of training/ etc (the doubts are the primary concern). I come from a family of veterinarians, so that is what I've always thought I'd end up doing (not that vet school wouldn't be tough). For various (personal) reasons I switched about a year ago and applied for an MD. (I really do think studying human pathology is the more interesting of the two but come down to clinical practice I'm still undecided). I probably would of applied for a DVM concurrently but bit off more than I could chew perfecting my AMCAS. Anyway, I have been doing some serious thinking this semester and considering deferring my acceptance to medical school for a year. (If they will let me based off "second thoughts".) As much as I hate putting my life on hold (I'm an overachiever like most pre-meds), I may need the year to work outside of school and make sure a physician is really who I want to be and what I want to do everyday (I will probably apply to vet school in the process and give that more thought too). I thought I have made this decision but apparently not. I'm 22 years old and have nothing to show for myself except grades. Maybe I'm just burnt out. Any thoughts? Am I just psyching myself out and having unnecessary remorse for walking out on the family businesses (granted there will be plenty of heirs to take them over)? Also, what would I say to ask for deferral and any suggestions on how to spend my year if I went that route?

 

[disorder]

it should be mandatory for applicants to take at least a year off before entering medical school. i think it's absolutely silly to think that someone knows that they want to become a physician (and all that it entails... and not just medical school) right out of college. it hedges against that doubt everyone feels during medical school.

anyways.

you're having cold feet. there's no right answer here. it's personal. we're not going to make this decision for you.

 

[image187]

I went through having similar feelings and almost deferred a year before I started, and surprisingly so did more people from my class then I expected. This is way, way more common than you might think. I find (at least in my school) that student affairs/registrar/admissions office/whatever will do just about anything for the students, and they really make us feel like family. I don't think a school will simply kick you out in favor of the next applicant for just bringing this up, at least they wouldn't if they valued you as a student of their institution and someone they supposedly have a vested interest in. Getting cold feet is very normal.

This is just my opinion, but I suggest taking this summer to have an amazing time and plan to start school with the intent withdrawal with a deferral for the next year before the date in the fall semester when this is allowed (check your school's academic calendar). This was my approach, and at that deciding moment 2 or 3 weeks in I decided to stay. Currently almost starting 4th year and am having an awesome time

 

[IniestaDeMiVida]

Maybe instead of asking them if you can defer because you're unsure, you should ask them what reasons they grant deferment for. Then, you don't have to tell them you're unsure.

Also, I think it's normal to be unsure about medical school. It's a big leap and it's a huge commitment. I like to read biographies of doctors to get me pumped again.

 

[sinombre]

Vet med and human med are pretty different beasts (my SO and all of my room mates are vet students). What made you want to apply to medical school in the first place?

 

[auguy13]

I decided to apply to medical school because I have enjoyed my microbiology classes and considered going into infectious disease (shadowed an ID doc for a week, he was great) but have also considered peds (shadowed two) or psych (my family is crazy). Human medicine intrigues me a bit more than vet med, but I am definitely more comfortable in an animal clinic setting (mainly bc that's where I have worked since I could push a broom). When I say I swapped for "personal reasons" I mean I was worried about working with/"under" my control freak older brother and we have several siblings and cousins who have/will be lining up to get their DVM. So I worried the family clinics may get a bit too crowded in the years to come, which lead to economic concerns. So I bailed on my childhood dream to seek out similar interests, but all I can think about now is seeing my friends and cousin starting vet school in the fall and wondering if I should be sitting with them. Another thing, I got injured this semester and have been having some chronic pains. I was your work off the steam in the gym everyday, in good shape, feeling great, ran track in high school guy and now haven't even gone for a run or anything in the past couple months. Been to rehab etc... So just waiting around hoping to heal has gotten me pretty depressed. Which ultimately has altered my perspectives/confidence/motivation/studying/clarity, etc so I've started second guessing. I should be pumped for med school, but can't say that I am at the moment, since I am not pumped about much these days, haha.

 

[futureczar]

I'm not sure schools will let you differ a year just so you can make sure being a doctor is what you actually want to do. I may be wrong, but I believe most schools will only let someone differ for extreme cases (accident, death in family, financial problems, health problems, etc.) I doubt "second guessing medical school" would count.

I don't think it would hurt in asking (there is a risk that the school could rescind the acceptance offer), but the odds are slim IMO.

Theres no chance that a school would take away your acceptance just because you asked to defer... The worst thing they can do is say no, at which point you have to decide if you want to matriculate or not.

 

[GopherMD]

Theres no chance that a school would take away your acceptance just because you asked to defer... The worst thing they can do is say no, at which point you have to decide if you want to matriculate or not.

Yeah I suppose you are right.

 

[music2doc]

Theres no chance that a school would take away your acceptance just because you asked to defer... The worst thing they can do is say no, at which point you have to decide if you want to matriculate or not.

Depends upon what you say with that request. 😉 If s/he asks to defer b/c s/he is unsure about being a physician/going into medicine, that might ring some alarms. I wouldn't expect a rescinded acceptance but I wouldn't say "there's no chance" to anything, especially not when you haven't started medical school yet, much less sat on an admissions committee or even probably worked closely with one (much less the one at the OP's state school).

 

[Ar2]

Look into how your school grants deferments. My brother went through the exact same situation as you (uncertainty of med school as the time got closer). The school he was accepted to simply let you defer with no questions asked, so long as you told them my a certain date. Then after this date, if you still want to defer, you have to give them a reason in writing. They let you defer, & you are guranteed your seat in nexts year class. Which personally I believe is how it should be. 1)You studied hard & jumped through all of the required hoops. If you want to take a year off before you start, who are they to tell you that you can't? 2) The school isn't hurt in this situation. They simply let in the next person on the alternates list to take your spot, so it's not like the school is losing out on any money, so they shouldn't mind. Also, you aren't keeping another person from attending. They simply slide someone else into your seat for that year.

So I would just do as an above poster said. Just ask if it is possible to defer your acceptance for a year. The worst they can say is no. And if they ask why, just tell them you have some personal/family issues you are working through at the current time, & that you don't want any distractions going into your first year. You could also try to contact someone who attends the school & see if they know anything about the deferment process. I hope this helps!

 

[scene]

I went through the same thing bro, it finally hit me when I started looking at the numbers and my "compassion" for medicine. Do I really want to help people that do not even want to help themselves at times, and at a lower salary than previous physicians? Thank god I worked as an MD scribe and realized how many stupid people there are in the world. Although I wasted money on the MCAT (decent score 33), I won't be wasting my life and money on medical school.

 

[GopherMD]

I went through the same thing bro, it finally hit me when I started looking at the numbers and my "compassion" for medicine. Do I really want to help people that do not even want to help themselves at times, and at a lower salary than previous physicians? Thank god I worked as an MD scribe and realized how many stupid people there are in the world. Although I wasted money on the MCAT (decent score 33), I won't be wasting my life and money on medical school.

Wow, really?