Uncertainty, Nerves, ...

[CaipirinhaQuinho]

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Has anyone been getting nervous about the commitment they are about to make? I've known for some time that this is the path I want to take, but I've been getting a little shaky recently. I see all my friends who I graduated with making a lot of money and moving along with their lives. I am sure that medical research is what I want to do but why does it have to take soo long (4+ years)?

Are these thoughts normal or is this a bad sign?

I think I'm just getting stressed about the decisions I'll have to make soon.

 

[MrMunkily]

Hell, we'd be nuts not to get a little nervous.

For me, the issue is spending the time in the sub-optimal cities that I can choose between. Better school, worse city... But even the best city really isn't a good fit with me.

People say that "you won't have time anyway" but that's B.S. No one, no matter how busy they are, has to put their whole life on hold, and I certainly don't intend to. This isn't some kind of journey into exile where we go off to train in a monestary on a mountain and emerge after a decade to resume our lives. I want to remain a normal person, and I definitely will have time to notice if I'm in a place that I can't stand.

That being said, I'll probably just choose and live with it. I'm certainly not going through this app year again. After all, I'm bankrupt 🙂

PS CaipirinhaQuinho, I think I met you at NYU & later again in the NIH cafeteria - sup?

 

[Thundrstorm]

I think we should have an NIH pre-MD/PhD get-together. There are a bunch of us. I keep meting people at interview and findignotu they work across the street from me.

 

[Scottish Chap]

I am sure that medical research is what I want to do but why does it have to take soo long (4+ years)?

This is the minumim investment needed to learn this trade well. What you are feeling are natural pre-commitment nerves. Try to take one day at a time, and you'll be fine. Congtrats on getting in.

 

[cadilakgrl]

You're not alone Civic. I think the anxiety surrounding the whole application process and making the decision of where you will be for the next 7+ years is really trying. I've questioned my decision many times recently while waiting to hear back from schools. It's kinda like getting married. You get cold feet and wonder if you want to be with a certain person for the rest of your life. The decision to attend a certain school this fall will also cement a decision and a journey to become a physician/scientist. Both are big decisions and you can't turn back once you've decided, but you always have the ability to choose your own way throughout the journey.

I also think that when I've thought about other possible careers that might be easier and more lucrative, I come to the conclusion that although it may be tempting, I don't think I would be happy in the long run. With most of us, I think being happy in your career and doing something interesting and exciting is something we value. Even though the road will be long and tough, I think that the happiest people are the ones who have pursued their passion whatever it might be despite the difficulties and struggles.

Don't worry. Those thoughts are just human nature in my opinion. Stick with what your heart says (so corny!) 😛

 

[lundysd]

Believe it or not, the closer I get to making a decision, the more I'm convinced that I made the right choice by doing md/phd. I am, however, absolutely dreading the final decision that I have to make soon. I have no idea what to do or where to go, and it's becoming incredibly stresseful, so I feel your pain 🙂

I wish everyone the best of luck with all of this; with a commitment as long as we're going to make, it's key to have a support group with people in the same situation. I certainly am thankful for the advice I've gained from here, and I'm hoping that everyone else will have the luck and success with this process that I've had (I just hope it's less stressful for some)

 

[gaganheim]

I think we should have an NIH pre-MD/PhD get-together. There are a bunch of us. I keep meting people at interview and findignotu they work across the street from me.

Anyone at NIH should come out for the IRTA frisbee games. It's one of the highlights of my week.

 

[eram]

I don't know about y'all, but I'm a bit older (25) now and having a hard time coming to bear with being around 40 after all residency/fellowship is said and done...

Anyone else? or am I just a freak...

 

[gutonc]

I don't know about y'all, but I'm a bit older (25) now and having a hard time coming to bear with being around 40 after all residency/fellowship is said and done...

Anyone else? or am I just a freak...

Hang in there and don't worry about the age thing. I'm 33 and an MS4 finally finishing my MD/PhD this spring. I ended up spending 5 years in the lab (with about 6 mos. off near the beginning after a fire completely destroyed the lab) and don't regret a bit of it. I was 24 when I started so I understand your age concern. I'm about to launch into a 6-year Research Residency in Medicine/Oncology so, best of all possible worlds, I'll get my first real job at 39. That said, I loved it overall and would go back and do it again if I had the choice.

No help on your program choice though. Good Luck!

BE

 

[huknows00]

I would have to admit this process has gotten to my nerves this semester. It's different than last semester when you have to go on all these interviews and get all pumped up to do your best and get in SOMEWHERE. Now I have several great choices, with the reality of 12+ years of training ahead of me, I don't know whether to be elated or sad. Put myself in this position last year, I think I would have jumped up and down with joy, but when you're actually in this spot it's not as fun as I had thought.

As most of the decisions are coming back, I am tormented by the fact that I should be ecstatic but instead am kind of sad at the end of undergrad and the realization that the past four years have only been "elementary school" in the grand scheme of our education.

I envy my friends who can afford to wonder around and experience their youth, find their passion, and still can jump start a real career before I even finish med school. I don't envy, however, those friends who went into investment banking or hedge funds who will be working their ass off, accumulate almost no savings, and be out of a job in two years. I'm increasingly confident that I chose medicine/research over that life now. I guess every career seems more glamorous than it actually is, and it's always a bitch when you actually have to do it, so our choice is not a bad one if we choose to enjoy it.

 

[Thundrstorm]

It's a little scary committing to such a long training program, but my overall feeling is one of excitement. I'm one giant step closer to living the life I've imagined for myself since I was a kid. That's pretty freakin cool. 😀

 

[JayQuah]

I think what helps me is that it is an easing into it. I'm definitely from the PHYSICIAN-scientist persuasion, and so by having the MD/PhD programs give the first two years of med school with only lab rotations to worry about during these two years, it eases you into the committment. By the time year 3 rolls around, we will have talked about it enough, bonded with our MD/PhD class, and become ready to tackle what we really want to do.
It may not be y'all specifically that I see wherever I go to school, but whoever it is, I am extremely excited to be a part of an MD/PhD class and profession.