Trying to perk up and cont.

[premeddo]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Well just wanted to see if there are other people in my situation and if so how do yall do it?

Im a non-trad. premed./bus. student. Im a junior in International Business/French. After thinking about it for a long time I decided I didn't want to going into business area and decided to go on with my wish of studying medicine. So about a year ago I decided to get my prereq. But what gets me down is knowing that I am already 26 and I still need a good 2 years before I can go into med. school! At times I think about it and say Im just going to finish up my business and stop there but then I do shadowing, talk to my friend (R1) about medicine and or read medical realted books and I get all motivated again! How do you keep yourselves from quiting!

My dream is to eventually get into med school but there are phases I go through and I just want to quite. Im also a computer programmer working full time so Im stuck trying to finish my school in the evenings.

I shadowed my friend about 2 weeks ago. For an entire week. I loved it and I was so motivated to finish up but then I started looking at classes I needed to finish up and right now Im just bummed knowing that I have to take summer classes and knowing that I have to go full time to finish within a reasonable time frame.

I think one good thing is that I do get motivated quite easily. I can just read a medical article and get motivated once again to finish my schooling.

So anyone who can offer advise on how to deal with this I would appreciate it. Or should I look at this in a different perspective?

 

[skypilot]

I guess the only advice I have is to try to enjoy the process. Even the medical school students who start medical school at the age of 24 and continue on to surgical residencies and fellowships will be training till the age of 34, so somehow it is necessary to enjoy the process and not be gritting your teeth waiting for the training to end!

Also if you are sure about medicine don't be afraid to borrow a little money to speed the process up. The difference between being $200k in debt and $220k in debt is not that much especially if you can cut a year out of your pre med curriculum.

 

[STAC]

Hang in there!!!
Don't let anyone or any situation steal your dreams. Ever.

What helped me was a change in my perception. I told myself from the beginning that I was becoming a physician while in the process of my prereqs. That is a true statement and if you see yourself becoming a physician even now, you can be proud of and enjoy the process more.

I am over 30 and starting school next month. So, remember and believe in God's perfect timing!!!

You will and are doing great!!! NEVER give up!

 

[YoungFaithful]

Your posts make me feel much better. Here's my situation:

First of all, I am 22yrs old. I am debating whether to take a year off or not. I am accepted to an out of state school for this fall (2004) and my state school for fall 2005. I would be able to work and gain experience and $$ and live at home during my year off, but will be one year behind. My state school MSU is 10K cheaper a year.

What are your thoughts on taking a year off???

 

[sistahnik]

if you feel the need to take a year off in between to gain some life experience then you should do it. I will be 32 when I apply next year, but I am greatful for all the things I was able to do in my 20's. If I would've never went to medical assisting school, I wouldn't even know that I was soooo interested in medicine. Now I do believe that God's timing played apart in this, because if I would've been knowledgeable of my medical interest 8 years ago, I know for a fact that I wouldn't have had the same level of appreciation for it, nor would I have been prepared mentally for the task. Becoming a medical assistant was the best thing that ever happened to me, so don't down play taking time to get to know who you are and what you want out of life!!! 😉 😉 enjoy life because tomorrow is not promised to you or anyone else for that matter.

 

[Ratch]

GAIN LIFE EXPERIENCE

there is nothing more valuable you can have in school. i took three years off and worked in research as well as pharmaceuticals trying to assure myself that medicine was the right choice. i quickly learned that it was, because i worked under a number of truely poor managers. granted, this will undoubtely happen in medicine too, but it taught me quickly that i need to be as close to my own boss as possible. plus, i think having worked in a real job teaches you that going back to get a professional degree requires the same diligence and day to day motivation you need to succeed in medicine. grad school and undergrad are very different beasts.

so in response to the above commentor, take that year off. i go to MSU myself and can attest to the fact that they definitely value life experience. for the original commentor, realize that there are few breaks you will get in medicine, not to mention that alot of the first year is taking basic science classes which are not always incredibly stimulating. but if you love what you do, you can succeed. medical school is not about being intelligent, its about managing your time and knowing how to study efficiently. extra years of prep and the right mindset entering school are key. good luck.

 

[skypilot]

Your posts make me feel much better. Here's my situation:

First of all, I am 22yrs old. I am debating whether to take a year off or not. I am accepted to an out of state school for this fall (2004) and my state school for fall 2005. I would be able to work and gain experience and $$ and live at home during my year off, but will be one year behind. My state school MSU is 10K cheaper a year.

What are your thoughts on taking a year off???

Absolutely take as much time as you need before starting med school even if it is 5 years. More life experience will ease the burden of caring for sick patients. At the age of 22 you are not behind! This is not a race. Once you start the med school treadmill you will be on it for 7 years. So if you want some flexibility to explore, now is the time. On the other hand if finances are the only reason you are delaying the start of school I would just close my eyes and borrow the money. 🙂

 

[premeddo]

Hang in there!!!
Don't let anyone or any situation steal your dreams. Ever.

What helped me was a change in my perception. I told myself from the beginning that I was becoming a physician while in the process of my prereqs. That is a true statement and if you see yourself becoming a physician even now, you can be proud of and enjoy the process more.

I am over 30 and starting school next month. So, remember and believe in God's perfect timing!!!

You will and are doing great!!! NEVER give up!

Thanks you guys. I will try to enjoy the time I spend in school. At times I don't really care about how old I am and how old I will be when I eventually can practice but then other times I think about it too hard! I do want to be a physician and thats what primarly keeps be going, but as you all know, its hard! I also tend to compare myself (which I know I shouldn't) to my friends and to that one friend of mine who is only a year older to me and he's an R1.

I will eventually finish. And yes Im set on medicine. I enjoy it. I love it.

Thanks! Again...BTW STAC I noticed you are going to be attending TCOM! I loved that campus! Thats going to be my first choice! I also was at Noth Texas for a couple of semesters and I loved that school. Just UNT in general is great I think! Unfort. they don't have a good Int'l Bus. program so Iam at UTA (don't like) 🙂

I do realize that I have enjoyed life during my early 20's. I got to go study abroad for some time and did some traveling. I don't regret that a bit. Although right now, Im set to give it all I can and try to finish my undergrad to get into med school.

 

[STAC]

Your posts make me feel much better. Here's my situation:

First of all, I am 22yrs old. I am debating whether to take a year off or not. I am accepted to an out of state school for this fall (2004) and my state school for fall 2005. I would be able to work and gain experience and $$ and live at home during my year off, but will be one year behind. My state school MSU is 10K cheaper a year.

What are your thoughts on taking a year off???

I had the same experience/opportunity as you do.
DEFINATELY go to your state school!!! Not only is the tuition cheaper, but also travel cost ect., I am sure that it only takes about 5 hours to get to East Lansing from anywhere in Michigan. So if you are stressed out and need to go home to be babied for a weekend, you will be able to go. Being close to home also allows your family & or bf to come and wash your clothes and make you food when it comes to finals time and are freaking out!!! You may need the help and just knowing that they are close by and available is comforting.
I understand that y'all also have a lot of contact with the MD's studying at U. Michigan. Knowing people (staff, future docs) in your own state, where you more than likely will end up to practice, is invaluable. Those sorts of things are very important when it comes time to apply for residency and Missouri can not offer you the same opportunities as MSU, period. (I'm sure some KCOMers will disagree...but get real!) You will also be attending a well known and respected school which is ranked high in USNews as a top primary care school. Not listening to the critics, you know that DOES matter sometimes.

 

[STAC]

Thanks! Again...BTW STAC I noticed you are going to be attending TCOM! I loved that campus! Thats going to be my first choice! I also was at Noth Texas for a couple of semesters and I loved that school. Just UNT in general is great I think! Unfort. they don't have a good Int'l Bus. program so Iam at UTA (don't like) 🙂

QUOTE]
I love the campus too! I can't imagine a nicer place to go to school. I really love the cultural district and we are so glad we found a place within minutes of the campus. Such awesome neighborhoods!!! It has a great feel to it and I couldn't be happier or feel more privileged to attend such an awesome school!!! Best of luck!!! If you want to stay in touch while you are in school PM me and maybe we can meet and I will be happy to help/advise you best I can. We will be moving to FW this weekend!!! Finally! 🙂 👍 🙂

 

[osteo emt]

The time it takes to get ur prereqs done will let u know whether u really want it. Remember its only gonna get harder, it never really lets up, medicine is one long arduous journey. So working full time and trying to get in will prepare u for whats to come. I have a friend in a similar situation; he's 27 and working as an engineer full time while taking the rest of his prereqs. It's crazy but it lets u know how bad u want it and how hard ull work. Keep goals in mind, think about how great itll be to get accepted, and then walk across the stage the first week in ur white coat and then..................well u get the point. 😀 Good luck/

 

[flighterdoc]

Well just wanted to see if there are other people in my situation and if so how do yall do it?

Im a non-trad. premed./bus. student. Im a junior in International Business/French. After thinking about it for a long time I decided I didn't want to going into business area and decided to go on with my wish of studying medicine. So about a year ago I decided to get my prereq. But what gets me down is knowing that I am already 26 and I still need a good 2 years before I can go into med. school! At times I think about it and say Im just going to finish up my business and stop there but then I do shadowing, talk to my friend (R1) about medicine and or read medical realted books and I get all motivated again! How do you keep yourselves from quiting!

My dream is to eventually get into med school but there are phases I go through and I just want to quite. Im also a computer programmer working full time so Im stuck trying to finish my school in the evenings.

I shadowed my friend about 2 weeks ago. For an entire week. I loved it and I was so motivated to finish up but then I started looking at classes I needed to finish up and right now Im just bummed knowing that I have to take summer classes and knowing that I have to go full time to finish within a reasonable time frame.

I think one good thing is that I do get motivated quite easily. I can just read a medical article and get motivated once again to finish my schooling.

So anyone who can offer advise on how to deal with this I would appreciate it. Or should I look at this in a different perspective?

Wow, 26? I have socks that old!

Just do it. When you have doubt (and we all do), then just ask yourself how old will you be in two years if you haven't done it?

Now, get to work, and good luck! YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!! 👍 👍

 

[PublicEnemy]

if its really what you want to do, you'll get there. the prereqs are a pain, but you'll get through them.

i'm in a very comparable situation, i work full time even more sometimes and i take a full course load 15-20 credits per semester. i don't know about this whole, gain life experience business as a means to an end. i think you just need to live your life and everyday you look at it as having gained something. since i've graduated from college, its almost like im in some kind of purgatory, some kind of postbac purgatory like my life is on standstill until the day i get an admission, like somehow magically my life will start again once i know for sure i'll be a doctor someday. aided by my crazy schedule, i've found it easy to put aside things like friends, family, hobbies, going out, all because in my mind i've almost rejected this time, i don't exist until i get in to school. its no way to live life, i mean granted you have to put in the work and get through it and get through prereqs or improvestats if need be, but only recently have I come to understand that this is my life, someone trying to get into med school is who i am right now and my life is not on stand still. i won't magically be someone else the day that letter or phone call comes. that will be a great day and surely i will rejoice and feel relieved, but it won't really change who i am. also time is not an issue in this, however long it takes or whatever it takes, thats how im commited. i mean its never too late, but at the same time you don't get that time back, so you have to live through it also. motivation is so critical though, and that must be the reason why everyone wants you to have some experience be it clinical or researc, shadowing docs, volunteering etc, so you really know what you're getting into, cause i think you have to want it, and if you really do, then you'll be fine.

sorry i don't think any of this would actually be helpful for anyone, but just felt like taking the opportunity to throw down some things i've been thinking about.

 

[kaikai128]

Your posts make me feel much better. Here's my situation:

First of all, I am 22yrs old. I am debating whether to take a year off or not. I am accepted to an out of state school for this fall (2004) and my state school for fall 2005. I would be able to work and gain experience and $$ and live at home during my year off, but will be one year behind. My state school MSU is 10K cheaper a year.

What are your thoughts on taking a year off???

I would look at the schools and decide which school is a better fit for you. Also, if you are questioning wether or not you should go this fall...maybe a year off would not be a bad thing. I purposely took a year off (same age as you) and am positive my goals will be reaffirmed and my motivation much higher in a year from now.

Good luck with the decision.

 

[premeddo]

Wow, 26? I have socks that old!

Just do it. When you have doubt (and we all do), then just ask yourself how old will you be in two years if you haven't done it?

Now, get to work, and good luck! YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!! 👍 👍

😀 Im giving the most of what I got! I have to go into medicine! thanks!

i'm in a very comparable situation, i work full time even more sometimes and i take a full course load 15-20 credits per semester. i don't know about this whole, gain life experience business as a means to an end. i think you just need to live your life and everyday you look at it as having gained something. since i've graduated from

Yes i know several people that do that. Well...starting this semester thats what Im going to be doing! I have to do it! I know its not fun but it gets to to where I want to be! And I have to do what I have to do!

Thanks y'all!!

🙂