Should i try to go to med school?

[Weezy32]

I posted this in MD section but i figure i should post it on here because i dont care if i go to DO or MD school .

These are the positives i have come up with so far.


-I really WANT TO BE A DOCTOR because i feel like i will get satisfaction from the career and i will ENJOY going to work every day.

- Money is definitely one of the factors but not the major one. I want to be financially stable and have the money to buy cars, travel, take vacations etc... Being a pharmacist, accountant, finance advisor might yield me just as much money but i would literally shoot my self if my job was to sort pills every day in the back of the pharmacy or look over some companies numbers for the rest of my life.

- I enjoy going to school... meeting new people and learning something new everyday is actually fun for me. I ABSOLUTELY have no problem going to school for another 4 years..I plan on getting a MBA anyway if i decide not to do med school.

- I dont plan on getting married/having children until i am 35-40 so that is not going to be a problem.

- I learn the material easy... I have never had to study much. I am they type of the person that will go to class, listen to the professor , take notes and pretty much be able to get atleast a b on the test without even looking at the notes again because i will remember most of the stuff that the professor has said a week ago. I am not trying to brag, i am not saying i am a genius or anything like that. I just feel like i can remember stuff pretty easy. Now i am sure ill have to study for my science classes and med school classes. Main thing i want you to get out of this is that if i get into med school there is a good chance that i would be succesfull.

-Finally , i am very focused. Once i make up my mind that i will achieve something THAT IS IT... i will do everything in my power to achieve that. I will not slack off and i will literally become obsessed with achieving that goal. That is why it is important that i actually decide I AM GOING TO BE A DOCTOR because i know if i do that i will actually do it.

THINGS HOLDING ME BACK FROM PULLING THE TRIGGER

- MAIN THING .... LONG HOURS that doctors have to work. Everything i read says most doctors spend 60+ hrs working a week. Eventually i want to have a family, spend time with the wife, go to my sons baseball/football/soccer games, take vacations, travel the world, have hobbies, etc etc. If i am working 70-80 hours a week my time to do that would be very limited. I want to have a life outside of work.

- Honestly i am not sure how i will handle studying everyday for like 8 hrs. I see your guys schedule on here and its a bit scary. Again , i have never studied that much and i am just not sure how i will take it. I am used to having atleast a little bit of fun... watch a few movies, play some games, misc, play basketball, lift. It seems like most med school students only study, go to class, sleep, eat... I even read that some of you dont have time to exercise or lift weights (my hobby).

-How will i afford med school.. my parents are immigrants, dont have good credit history and dont own a house. Will i be able to get a loan..? my credit is also not good as i have a 40k medical bill i have not payed.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Prncssbuttercup]

Getting Bs doesn't get you into med school. If it did, I would have been in a LOOOOOONG time ago. I am glad you feel you're smart enough to go, do your grades reflect this? If you aren't holding a decent GPA, you need to start working on solid As.

My friends who are doctors, (FP/GP) do not work 70 hours a week. They work 40-50 just like everyone else in the world (on average). Actually, my GP-hospitalist friend's schedule is 7-12s, 7-off, so her average working hours are 42/week. That's what she wanted, so she's happy with it. Lots of docs don't even work 40hrs per week, it really depends on the specialty you choose. Mind you, residency is different, the first year is hard... Lots of hours...

Loans: Most of the loans needed to cover medical school are backed by the government and do not require credit history, or credit worthiness. You cannot ever default on a student loan EVER, you have to die for your loans to be not paid back. Therefore, the government will loan you the $$ because they know they'll get it back. They can take your tax returns, garnish pay checks, etc to get their money, they know it, they don't care... So, credit score isn't as much of an issue.

 

[DbDan]

Getting Bs doesn't get you into med school. If it did, I would have been in a LOOOOOONG time ago. I am glad you feel you're smart enough to go, do your grades reflect this? If you aren't holding a decent GPA, you need to start working on solid As.

My friends who are doctors, (FP/GP) do not work 70 hours a week. They work 40-50 just like everyone else in the world (on average). Actually, my GP-hospitalist friend's schedule is 7-12s, 7-off, so her average working hours are 42/week. That's what she wanted, so she's happy with it. Lots of docs don't even work 40hrs per week, it really depends on the specialty you choose. Mind you, residency is different, the first year is hard... Lots of hours...

Loans: Most of the loans needed to cover medical school are backed by the government and do not require credit history, or credit worthiness. You cannot ever default on a student loan EVER, you have to die for your loans to be not paid back. Therefore, the government will loan you the $$ because they know they'll get it back. They can take your tax returns, garnish pay checks, etc to get their money, they know it, they don't care... So, credit score isn't as much of an issue.

Actually, if I'm not mistaken, if you have defaulted on a loan previously or have unpaid loans which are delinquent in payments you are not eligible for GradPLUS loans. The maximum you'd be allowed to borrow would be the ~40k/yr for stafford loans which doesn't even cover tuition at some schools. The remainder would have to be filled with scholarships or private loans.

 

[kcin]

1. Don't cross post.
2. You're kind of annoying.
3. Saying you won't get married or have kids until you're 35-40 is laughable.
4. When you use the letter I in a sentence you usually capitalize it.
5. Start paying your debt.

 

[Prncssbuttercup]

DbDan, I've heard the GradPlus loans are still federally funded, but they can be more difficult to get. If the OP is in default on student loans, that's an issue, not sure how 'medical bills' fall into it...

 

[Tallion]

DbDan, I've heard the GradPlus loans are still federally funded, but they can be more difficult to get. If the OP is in default on student loans, that's an issue, not sure how 'medical bills' fall into it...

GradPlus are federally funded but your ability to qualify depends on your credit. Not making payments on anything (whether thats credit card bills, medical bills, traffic tickets, anything that goes to a collection agency) with have a negative effect on your credit score. Not having a co-signer and having bad credit will definitely affect your ability to qualify for GradPlus as well as private loans. If the OP set up some sort of payment plan for the medical bills and start making regular payments, even if they aren't very much, then the chances of qualifying for GradPlus loans would be much higher.

 

[Temporal]

I posted this in MD section but i figure i should post it on here because i dont care if i go to DO or MD school .

These are the positives i have come up with so far.


-I really WANT TO BE A DOCTOR because i feel like i will get satisfaction from the career and i will ENJOY going to work every day.

- Money is definitely one of the factors but not the major one. I want to be financially stable and have the money to buy cars, travel, take vacations etc... Being a pharmacist, accountant, finance advisor might yield me just as much money but i would literally shoot my self if my job was to sort pills every day in the back of the pharmacy or look over some companies numbers for the rest of my life.

- I enjoy going to school... meeting new people and learning something new everyday is actually fun for me. I ABSOLUTELY have no problem going to school for another 4 years..I plan on getting a MBA anyway if i decide not to do med school.

- I dont plan on getting married/having children until i am 35-40 so that is not going to be a problem.

- I learn the material easy... I have never had to study much. I am they type of the person that will go to class, listen to the professor , take notes and pretty much be able to get atleast a b on the test without even looking at the notes again because i will remember most of the stuff that the professor has said a week ago. I am not trying to brag, i am not saying i am a genius or anything like that. I just feel like i can remember stuff pretty easy. Now i am sure ill have to study for my science classes and med school classes. Main thing i want you to get out of this is that if i get into med school there is a good chance that i would be succesfull.

-Finally , i am very focused. Once i make up my mind that i will achieve something THAT IS IT... i will do everything in my power to achieve that. I will not slack off and i will literally become obsessed with achieving that goal. That is why it is important that i actually decide I AM GOING TO BE A DOCTOR because i know if i do that i will actually do it.

THINGS HOLDING ME BACK FROM PULLING THE TRIGGER

- MAIN THING .... LONG HOURS that doctors have to work. Everything i read says most doctors spend 60+ hrs working a week. Eventually i want to have a family, spend time with the wife, go to my sons baseball/football/soccer games, take vacations, travel the world, have hobbies, etc etc. If i am working 70-80 hours a week my time to do that would be very limited. I want to have a life outside of work.

- Honestly i am not sure how i will handle studying everyday for like 8 hrs. I see your guys schedule on here and its a bit scary. Again , i have never studied that much and i am just not sure how i will take it. I am used to having atleast a little bit of fun... watch a few movies, play some games, misc, play basketball, lift. It seems like most med school students only study, go to class, sleep, eat... I even read that some of you dont have time to exercise or lift weights (my hobby).

If you are truly a very focused person like you said you are, then studying for 8 hours a day wouldn't be a problem for you which does require focus and concentration. Like you said, just be obsessed with the material you are learning then.

Besides, studying for long hours does not necessarily mean you'll have no time for your hobby, self-control and time management are the key. So I think doing exercise is actually crucial for the well-being of a medical student, they should take good care of themselves, since they are in this for the long haul like a marathon. For other aspects, I agree with posters above.

 

[DocEspana]

No.

You should not. Loans won't be an issue, but your study ethic will be. You'll just end up more in debt. I can say that your style of learning "I'll just attend and study occasionally and pull a B, but I'm not sure if I can handle the long hours or the extended study periods" are the people who have burned out at my school. 100%. These types are either constantly at risk of failing out, have repeated a year, or have actually failed out. If this is something you can live without doing, I'd seek a different profession because something about the whole way you described yourself sounded like everyone who couldn't cut it at my school.

Just being blunt. I'm obviously not omniscient, but its my read on it. I'm pragmatic.

 

[TXKnight]

I posted this in MD section but i figure i should post it on here because i dont care if i go to DO or MD school .

These are the positives i have come up with so far.


-I really WANT TO BE A DOCTOR because i feel like i will get satisfaction from the career and i will ENJOY going to work every day.

- Money is definitely one of the factors but not the major one. I want to be financially stable and have the money to buy cars, travel, take vacations etc... Being a pharmacist, accountant, finance advisor might yield me just as much money but i would literally shoot my self if my job was to sort pills every day in the back of the pharmacy or look over some companies numbers for the rest of my life.

- I enjoy going to school... meeting new people and learning something new everyday is actually fun for me. I ABSOLUTELY have no problem going to school for another 4 years..I plan on getting a MBA anyway if i decide not to do med school.

- I dont plan on getting married/having children until i am 35-40 so that is not going to be a problem.

- I learn the material easy... I have never had to study much. I am they type of the person that will go to class, listen to the professor , take notes and pretty much be able to get atleast a b on the test without even looking at the notes again because i will remember most of the stuff that the professor has said a week ago. I am not trying to brag, i am not saying i am a genius or anything like that. I just feel like i can remember stuff pretty easy. Now i am sure ill have to study for my science classes and med school classes. Main thing i want you to get out of this is that if i get into med school there is a good chance that i would be succesfull.

-Finally , i am very focused. Once i make up my mind that i will achieve something THAT IS IT... i will do everything in my power to achieve that. I will not slack off and i will literally become obsessed with achieving that goal. That is why it is important that i actually decide I AM GOING TO BE A DOCTOR because i know if i do that i will actually do it.

THINGS HOLDING ME BACK FROM PULLING THE TRIGGER

- MAIN THING .... LONG HOURS that doctors have to work. Everything i read says most doctors spend 60+ hrs working a week. Eventually i want to have a family, spend time with the wife, go to my sons baseball/football/soccer games, take vacations, travel the world, have hobbies, etc etc. If i am working 70-80 hours a week my time to do that would be very limited. I want to have a life outside of work.

- Honestly i am not sure how i will handle studying everyday for like 8 hrs. I see your guys schedule on here and its a bit scary. Again , i have never studied that much and i am just not sure how i will take it. I am used to having atleast a little bit of fun... watch a few movies, play some games, misc, play basketball, lift. It seems like most med school students only study, go to class, sleep, eat... I even read that some of you dont have time to exercise or lift weights (my hobby).

-How will i afford med school.. my parents are immigrants, dont have good credit history and dont own a house. Will i be able to get a loan..? my credit is also not good as i have a 40k medical bill i have not payed.

Sounds pretty immature (high-school like) for several reasons i.e don't need to/can't study for long hrs; not planning to get married until whatever age (you never know!!); I don't know if i can commit to medicine (WTF?); working 60 hrs is too much and not willing to do it?; not willing to sacrifice "a little bit of fun" for your dreams,etc,etc

you see the problem? I don't know whether you are ready academically or not (my guess is not) but mentally you are not.

Think about it and do your best.

 

[sonofva]

unless you win the lotto, you're going to be beating the ground somewhere. may as well be doing it at something you like.

 

[drctother]

Based on your post, Im going to say NO...not because I'm an ass, but because your reasons/worries are ridiculous

 

[FrkyBgStok]

1. Don't cross post.
2. You're kind of annoying.
3. Saying you won't get married or have kids until you're 35-40 is laughable.
4. When you use the letter I in a sentence you usually capitalize it.
5. Start paying your debt.

i didn't say it, but i definitely thought it.

 

[Darwinism]

Nursing school sounds like a fit for you!!

 

[Uspchef]

If its your passion then go for it. According to what you posted, it doesn't seem like you even like medicine that much...

 

[NontradICUdoc]

you are an adult. Make your own decision.

 

[Mahliah]

No you should not.

 

[HH Holmes]

No. I hate to judge people, but before I even read your post, your name is "Weezy" and you seem to lack basic grammar, spelling and capitalization rules. Moving on...

You don't want to study 8 hours a day? Try more than that if you want to even think about passing, or doing relatively well.

No one plans on getting married/having kids when they're young. Hell, when I was 7 I thought girls were icky and gross.

You shouldn't go into medicine, or ANY career for that matter solely for personal satisfaction. Will you make a difference? Help people? Strive toward a larger/local/national/international goal or mission? In medicine you need to have passion for people, science and health.

Your ignorance toward other healthcare careers (like your mention of the pharmacy field) was a little demeaning. As a doctor you'll work alongside these people everyday. Show some respect, you're all working toward a common goal.

I didn't mean to be harsh, just looking out in case you make a wrong decision or a choice you really can't reverse without some side effects.

 

[ShyRem]

Interested posters can reply here. Closing this duplicate thread.