Should I even bother? Am I wasting my time?

[DooperLou1]

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I feel like I'm at a point in my studies where I am just constantly stressed, doubting myself, and just wanting a break! Here's the story:

All my life I've wanted to be a doctor. I'm I Chemistry major (premed) but I feel like I'm never going to graduate! Requirement after requirement, more and more money, just everything is so much for me! The thing is I'm 26 right now. I went straight to college after HS but it's taken me a LONG time (between finances and paying for school, to taking a semester off due to extreme stress). If all goes well, I'll likely graduate in about 1.5 years, so I'll be 28!!! That seems like SO much! I mean I get that age for people who started other careers and did other things, but for someone who's been an undergrad for so many years....I'm so disappointed in myself, honestly. My GPA isn't even good. I literally only have a 3.0 GPA. I struggle with my classes; I get through them but I feel like I'm not capable enough. I do love medicine, and anything that has to do with medicine I understand great, can explain topics very well, and am just overall extremely interested and motivated to constantly learn about the human body, diseases, treatments for different things, why things happen, etc. But when it comes to premed requirements and all of this stuff, I'm just so unmotivated and simply don't care. Sounds horrible but I have no other way of putting it. I feel like at this point I'm wasting my time and money. Because of my struggle with my major, I have 0 volunteer hours, 0 research hours, 0 shadowing...nothing. I just don't know what to do. I don't want to say I'm ready to "give up" because I just don't want to admit that, but I feel so unmotivated now. There are so many other careers I've been looking into (Medical Dosimetry really peaked my interest) and it's so much less time/money, but I'd be giving up my "dream". I just don't know what to do. Is it worth it at this point? Any advice? I really don't want next semester to start (I will be taking Physics...I'm horrible at math and am terrified for Physics). Something in me tells me to take a semester off but I wouldn't even know how to explain that to my family and I couldn't stand putting myself behind even more. Plus my school adds extra requirements for my major that 90% of other schools don't ask for, which makes me hate the fact I'm spending more money than I should at this school. I feel like everything is going wrong and I don't know if any of this is worth it anymore.

Any advice? I really need anything you could give me!

 

[Potentia Virtus]

Well, even DO is probably going to require a post-bac for grade repair. And I have to wonder what you've been doing for the past decade, if not doing your EC's. Adding all that into the mix you're going to have to make a decision to either work harder than you've even worked in your life and pull yourself out of this situation, or just give up.
Wanting it isn't enough- lots of people want to be doctors. Being smart isn't enough- lots of smart people don't make it. If you want to make it you're going to have to WORK HARD. You're going to have to find that motivation, or fake it. No more excuses. No more being lazy or feeling sorry for yourself. Find a way to deal with the stress and be successful now, or youll never make it to med school, let alone through it.

 

[Goro]

I feel like I'm at a point in my studies where I am just constantly stressed, doubting myself, and just wanting a break! Here's the story:

All my life I've wanted to be a doctor. I'm I Chemistry major (premed) but I feel like I'm never going to graduate! Requirement after requirement, more and more money, just everything is so much for me! The thing is I'm 26 right now. I went straight to college after HS but it's taken me a LONG time (between finances and paying for school, to taking a semester off due to extreme stress). If all goes well, I'll likely graduate in about 1.5 years, so I'll be 28!!! That seems like SO much! I mean I get that age for people who started other careers and did other things, but for someone who's been an undergrad for so many years....I'm so disappointed in myself, honestly. My GPA isn't even good. I literally only have a 3.0 GPA. I struggle with my classes; I get through them but I feel like I'm not capable enough. I do love medicine, and anything that has to do with medicine I understand great, can explain topics very well, and am just overall extremely interested and motivated to constantly learn about the human body, diseases, treatments for different things, why things happen, etc. But when it comes to premed requirements and all of this stuff, I'm just so unmotivated and simply don't care. Sounds horrible but I have no other way of putting it. I feel like at this point I'm wasting my time and money. Because of my struggle with my major, I have 0 volunteer hours, 0 research hours, 0 shadowing...nothing. I just don't know what to do. I don't want to say I'm ready to "give up" because I just don't want to admit that, but I feel so unmotivated now. There are so many other careers I've been looking into (Medical Dosimetry really peaked my interest) and it's so much less time/money, but I'd be giving up my "dream". I just don't know what to do. Is it worth it at this point? Any advice? I really don't want next semester to start (I will be taking Physics...I'm horrible at math and am terrified for Physics). Something in me tells me to take a semester off but I wouldn't even know how to explain that to my family and I couldn't stand putting myself behind even more. Plus my school adds extra requirements for my major that 90% of other schools don't ask for, which makes me hate the fact I'm spending more money than I should at this school. I feel like everything is going wrong and I don't know if any of this is worth it anymore.

Any advice? I really need anything you could give me!

Only you can determine if it's worth it.

Med school will be even more stressful that anything you're dealing with now. Medical school is a furnace, and I've seen it break even healthy students. The #1 reason my school loses students to withdrawal, dismissal or LOA is to unresolved mental health issues. Thus, you have to have your mental health fully under control before you even think about starting this process.

Read this:

• Goro's Advice for DO Applicants in Absence of Grade Replacement

And start volunteering and shadowing. And remember than this is a marathon, not a sprint.