What are some of the worst "why do you want to be a doctor/why med school" answers?

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RNtoMD87 said:
Why do so many researchers hate research? I have an RN orientee who is a Neuroscience PhD. (a leading researcher at a local research facility and her husband is the head of the research department) I told her "Man I need to come help you with some research. Would be good for my med school application plus let me know if I would like to do research"

She is SO negative about it. "No, trust me you don't want to do research. There is a reason I'm in nursing". But she never really extrapolates on it.
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The grants rat race and the "publish or perish" environment does burn people out.
 
I mean, I couldn't imagine doing research as my only job. Being at the mercy of people giving grants seems sh--y, but just for the pure enjoyment of it. I like that kind of thing.

Its a big reason I like handloading for my rifle. Even though there are many .308 rifles with a 1/10 right hand twist, due to barrel harmonics, each gun can have ammo fine tuned to it. Its fun to load up ammo, chrono it, measure deviation, and figure out the exact right powder load and brand, bullet weight and composition, case trim length, etc.

I would love to find something I can tinker with like that medical wise. Nursing research is such a joke.
 
I think as long as you can connect a personal story to a more cliche type of response, then you'd be in the clear. If your typical 'cliche' response is "I want to help people", you should attach a personal story that moves you on an emotional level. You want to help people because you saw how terrible health care is in poverty while you were volunteering, or that a close friend or family member went through a long battle of some disease, and you want to contribute to make a world where good people don't suffer. And same advice as those above, have the evidence to back up that you actually did those things.

Personally, my little 14 year old brother had 2 open heart surgeries for a congenital heart defect in 2017 and I stayed with him at the Children's Hospital of LA. Seeing him and all of the other sick kids inspired me to continue on the next generations of surgeons to help kids like him survive, otherwise he would have died. Little kids don't deserve that type of pain and I want to do whatever I can to help them. I volunteer at the local library for kids, and I'm doing a cancer research project at UCI in the surgery department. Have that evidence that backs up your story and make sure its a TRUE story with a real and genuine emotional connection. They wanna make sure it's not robots controlling patients, but humans that have a drive to help others.
 
RNtoMD87 said:
Why do so many researchers hate research? I have an RN orientee who is a Neuroscience PhD. (a leading researcher at a local research facility and her husband is the head of the research department) I told her "Man I need to come help you with some research. Would be good for my med school application plus let me know if I would like to do research"

She is SO negative about it. "No, trust me you don't want to do research. There is a reason I'm in nursing". But she never really extrapolates on it.
Click to expand...

I'm doing research right now and it's kind of a joke. They get no recognition for any minuscule thing they happen to find, and it's endless days working in a lab over something. I tried biomedical research but its unfulfilling and no patient interaction (obviously), and the pay is not. good. Also, the rats bite HARD.
 
RNtoMD87 said:
Why do so many researchers hate research? I have an RN orientee who is a Neuroscience PhD. (a leading researcher at a local research facility and her husband is the head of the research department) I told her "Man I need to come help you with some research. Would be good for my med school application plus let me know if I would like to do research"

She is SO negative about it. "No, trust me you don't want to do research. There is a reason I'm in nursing". But she never really extrapolates on it.
Click to expand...

Whether or not people like research is dependent on so many seemingly arbitrary things. It’s definitely not for everyone and the obvious reasons have already been listed:
1. Pay is worse compared to clinical medicine
2. Job insecurity is either nonexistent (tenure) or very high (PhD training is basically a pyramid scheme), insanely high if you want to stay in academics. This also depends a lot on the field and the institution where you earn the PhD.
3. The institution you are at and the reputation of your lab/research group/dept matter A LOT so you gotta be on that grind and keeping up with politics.
4. NIH Paylines suck atm so biomedical researchers have a huge uphill battle for grant funding.
5. Live and die by publishing papers and getting grants, which may or may not be correlated to doing good science or the science you are actually interested in.
6. Time to independence is very long (avg age of first time R01 recipient is 40 for PhD, MD or MD/PhD holding applicants).
7. Whether or not you have a good work life balance, enjoy science, or learn and improve depends 75% on who your PI/mentor is.

But I still love science so /shrug. I will say that unless you are someone for whom getting a PhD is merely a formality (these people definitely exist), I wouldn’t recommend getting a straight PhD with the end of becoming an academic. Even at my previous dept which was top 5 in the discipline in the world, the advice that floated down from faculty was if you’re not in the top 5% of PhD (you have your own funding by the end of the PhD, 5+ papers in the PhD, 3+ first author, something first author in Nature/Cell/Science) students in the dept, don’t bother with trying to stay in academics. I’m of the same mindset. But I’m much happier going full-time clinical or just being the clinical collaborator for others in the basic science depts if I fall off the “academic trajectory” so to speak than going into industry or bailing for banking and consulting.
 
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OK, so as to not find myself mentioned in one of these threads a few months/years down the line... 😉 My "why" for ultimately wanting to become an oncologist is twofold: 1) the science behind it fascinates me and 2) lost my dad to cancer when I was 7. How do I convey this without coming across generic, corny, and smug? Everyone knows someone who died from cancer. I'm certainly not unique in that sense.
 
gonnif said:
I advise most applicants to not limit, edit, or think about who will be reading this when you first start. In other words, start writing this as you will be the only reading it. Let yourself go so ideas, feelings, etc get on the paper. Then, you will likely get some material to actually mold an essay from. And this will lead, hopefully to having a sincere essay with passion

Under the general idea of "show me" instead of "tell me", I would start about the impact of your Dad's disease, how does a 6-7 year old deal with concepts larger than you can understand at that age. I am speculating trying to understand, to come to terms, with your Dad's death is what started down this path of science. BTW, this just "someone" you knew who died from cancer. This was your Dad, your 7 year old hero and role model perhaps. I cannot imagine the enormity of the impact this had and the impact is has now towards medicine. This will not be corny or trite if you can both get the emotional impact out on paper and the path to understanding science / cancer because of it

Again, I speculate here, but I could see something starting like "It was over a decade ago, but I am still trying to understand it, the 'monster' that had taken my Father."
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See, this is why I love SDN! You're right, it really was an experience that was larger than life for me. It was way back in 1992 when most kids my age hadn't even heard of cancer - and it was liver cancer, which we honestly haven't done much in the way of progress since then, it's still a death sentence. I always wanted to be a doctor when I was growing up - then at some point in high school I watched ER (showing my age haha) and thought emergency med was all doctors did and thought, oh I can't do that! Decades and multiple careers later, I still feel the same passion for fighting that disease that took my dad away. Thanks for reminding me that I'm in this for the right reasons 😀
 
LizzyM said:
Because it would so satisfying to be a dermatologist and give someone a cream and then call them later to ask how they are doing and to hear that they are cured.

Applicant: Because medicine is better than dentistry.
Interviewer: How so?
Applicant: Have you ever smelled an infected tooth??
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LizzyM said:
Based on my recommendation after the interview, it is not likely that the applicant will ever have that experience. 😉
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I'm not sure what that specific applicants intentions were but is even joking in that way frowned upon? Like, if one were to make that infected tooth joke to lighten the mood a bit and then follow that up with "but really I want to be a doctor because [insert sincere reason]", would that really be viewed negatively?
 
Jaigantic said:
I'm not sure what that specific applicants intentions were but is even joking in that way frowned upon? Like, if one were to make that infected tooth joke to lighten the mood a bit and then follow that up with "but really I want to be a doctor because [insert sincere reason]", would that really be viewed negatively?
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The applicant was dead serious and this was not said in a way that was in any way lighthearted.
 
LizzyM said:
The applicant was dead serious and this was not said in a way that was in any way lighthearted.
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What goes on in the minds of these peoples? Are they just spoiled brats or socially inept or both?
 
LizzyM said:
The applicant was dead serious and this was not said in a way that was in any way lighthearted.
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But I feel like it would be easier for me BS an “I want to help people” reason than cold face to say because this profession is better than my other options...
 
samualjhatfield said:
But I feel like it would be easier for me BS an “I want to help people” reason than cold face to say because this profession is better than my other options...
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Anyone with a decent amount of volunteering hours probably could.
 
On a very personal level, I want to become a doctor because I don't trust anyone else to look after my parents healthcare or the healthcare of anyone of my siblings. I need to be sure my family is properly taken care of, and the only way to do that is by becoming a doctor.
But on a more encompassing level, I want to become a doctor because I really care about helping people to get better when they are sick or injured. And that means getting the right support. Without that people continue to live with inadequately treated conditions, and continue to suffer. I've seen this with my sister who suffered from an inadequately treated sports injury and for nearly six years. I helped her with the limited knowledge I had then by teaching her conditioning exercises for her weak body part, and by doing the exercises with her. She hated it so much for a while, but I didn't give up her. I stayed with her, and kept motivating her, and working with her through the exercises. And now, she walks around easily--she even jogs with me regularly. I am so proud of her progress, her stability and her feeling of hope now for the future, and she inspires me to help support others suffering from injury, sickness or disease.
 
16120sp said:
On a very personal level, I want to become a doctor because I don't trust anyone else to look after my parents healthcare or the healthcare of anyone of my siblings. I need to be sure my family is properly taken care of, and the only way to do that is by becoming a doctor.
But on a more encompassing level, I want to become a doctor because I really care about helping people to get better when they are sick or injured. And that means getting the right support. Without that people continue to live with inadequately treated conditions, and continue to suffer. I've seen this with my sister who suffered from an inadequately treated sports injury and for nearly six years. I helped her with the limited knowledge I had then by teaching her conditioning exercises for her weak body part, and by doing the exercises with her. She hated it so much for a while, but I didn't give up her. I stayed with her, and kept motivating her, and working with her through the exercises. And now, she walks around easily--she even jogs with me regularly. I am so proud of her progress, her stability and her feeling of hope now for the future, and she inspires me to help support others suffering from injury, sickness or disease.
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What would you say if I told you that it is frowned on for physicians to provide clinical care to members of their own family?
 
LizzyM said:
What would you say if I told you that it is frowned on for physicians to provide clinical care to members of their own family?
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I have a story about a veterinarian that did stitches on his daughter because he had a beef with the doctor that was on call that night...That is probably frowned upon (This has nothing to do with my why medicine, just a tangentially related topic)
 
Lucca said:
Whether or not people like research is dependent on so many seemingly arbitrary things. It’s definitely not for everyone and the obvious reasons have already been listed:
1. Pay is worse compared to clinical medicine
2. Job insecurity is either nonexistent (tenure) or very high (PhD training is basically a pyramid scheme), insanely high if you want to stay in academics. This also depends a lot on the field and the institution where you earn the PhD.
3. The institution you are at and the reputation of your lab/research group/dept matter A LOT so you gotta be on that grind and keeping up with politics.
4. NIH Paylines suck atm so biomedical researchers have a huge uphill battle for grant funding.
5. Live and die by publishing papers and getting grants, which may or may not be correlated to doing good science or the science you are actually interested in.
6. Time to independence is very long (avg age of first time R01 recipient is 40 for PhD, MD or MD/PhD holding applicants).
7. Whether or not you have a good work life balance, enjoy science, or learn and improve depends 75% on who your PI/mentor is.

But I still love science so /shrug. I will say that unless you are someone for whom getting a PhD is merely a formality (these people definitely exist), I wouldn’t recommend getting a straight PhD with the end of becoming an academic. Even at my previous dept which was top 5 in the discipline in the world, the advice that floated down from faculty was if you’re not in the top 5% of PhD (you have your own funding by the end of the PhD, 5+ papers in the PhD, 3+ first author, something first author in Nature/Cell/Science) students in the dept, don’t bother with trying to stay in academics. I’m of the same mindset. But I’m much happier going full-time clinical or just being the clinical collaborator for others in the basic science depts if I fall off the “academic trajectory” so to speak than going into industry or bailing for banking and consulting.
Click to expand...

What are NIH Paylines?
 
16120sp said:
I don't trust anyone else to look after my parents healthcare or the healthcare of anyone of my siblings. I need to be sure my family is properly taken care of, and the only way to do that is by becoming a doctor.
Click to expand...

Disrespecting every single physician on the planet is a surefire way to get accepted.
 
LizzyM said:
Next time, try Google first.
www.niaid.nih.gov

Understand Paylines and Percentiles

On this page, we tell you how your overall impact score for your R01 application is converted into a percentile and why NIAID uses these metrics.
www.niaid.nih.gov www.niaid.nih.gov
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Thanks. Are the poor prospects for NIH funding cited by @Lucca a recent development due to the current political environment or more of a longer term trend?
 
@LizzyM That makes a lot of sense because it is important to be objective in order to provide the best service, but personal investment can be a strong motivator as well for providing the best service.

@beattheprocess Oh, I respect physicians, but I need to know what's going on--not just passively accepting everything.
 
16120sp said:
Oh, I respect physicians, but I need to know what's going on--not just passively accepting everything.
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So you don’t trust the doctors enough to do their job and communicate with you what you need to know?
 
RNtoMD87 said:
Why do so many researchers hate research?
Click to expand...

Because it's a very unfulfilling job. You spend months working on a project, often times failing dozens of experiments, then you get to write the paper and submit it. Then you might get rejected from journals or they force you to go through extensive revisions until you get so sick and tired of the project that when you actually get accepted, it's more "good riddance" than actual satisfaction.

Repeat this cycle for the rest of your career.

As much as individuals say they really love research, especially basic science research, at the end of the day it's a grueling job with very few tangible upsides ("perchance my findings will be translatable in two decades"). The ones who are successful in research are the ones who love it. But at the same time, it might be because they are successful in research that they like research.
 
MemeLord said:
So you don’t trust the doctors enough to do their job and communicate with you what you need to know?
Click to expand...

Very simply, I need to know what's going on; and five years from now, I will be able to do so much more than I do now.
 
16120sp said:
Very simply, I need to know what's going on; and five years from now, I will be able to do so much more than I do now.
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The desire to care for your family in a knowledgeable way is obviously important, but using that as a reason to become a doctor doesn’t make sense. Becoming a physician doesn’t automatically make you understand every nuance of every specialty. There are reasons specialists exist. You could become a doctor and still not know about what’s going on if your family member needs care in a given field that you don’t have experience in
 
16120sp said:
On a very personal level, I want to become a doctor because I don't trust anyone else to look after my parents healthcare or the healthcare of anyone of my siblings. I need to be sure my family is properly taken care of, and the only way to do that is by becoming a doctor.
But on a more encompassing level, I want to become a doctor because I really care about helping people to get better when they are sick or injured. And that means getting the right support. Without that people continue to live with inadequately treated conditions, and continue to suffer. I've seen this with my sister who suffered from an inadequately treated sports injury and for nearly six years. I helped her with the limited knowledge I had then by teaching her conditioning exercises for her weak body part, and by doing the exercises with her. She hated it so much for a while, but I didn't give up her. I stayed with her, and kept motivating her, and working with her through the exercises. And now, she walks around easily--she even jogs with me regularly. I am so proud of her progress, her stability and her feeling of hope now for the future, and she inspires me to help support others suffering from injury, sickness or disease.
Click to expand...

Wait, is this a response to the title question?
 
sunshinefl said:
Wait, is this a response to the title question?
Click to expand...

I think this thread topic morphed from being about the worst answers to why you want to be a physician to just, “Why do you want to be a doctor?”

So, back to the original topic: money/power/playing a deity, lifestyle, status-prestige. In other words, the selfish reasons. Focused inward instead of being focused on the patients and their concerns, their anxieties and fears, their needs.
 
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Correct me if I'm wrong, but shouldn't wanting to help people essentially be a the top reason why you'd want to be a physician in the adcoms eyes? I get why word for word "because I want to help people" is a terrible answer, but if I explained how I wanted to discover a career in which I could work with people and impact on their lives while also being challenged to improve and learn every day be just as cliche and weak?

Does anyone else with what they feel as genuine and altruistic reasons to pursue medicine get annoyed by having to tightrope around saying they want to help people?
 
I watch Greys Anatomy and want to have that life everyday. I want to take down gun men, survive plane crashes, and avoid getting run over by buses all while practicing medicine. Also the House guy is a bad ass.
 
Kirby Smart said:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but shouldn't wanting to help people essentially be a the top reason why you'd want to be a physician in the adcoms eyes? I get why word for word "because I want to help people" is a terrible answer, but if I explained how I wanted to discover a career in which I could work with people and impact on their lives while also being challenged to improve and learn every day be just as cliche and weak?

Does anyone else with what they feel as genuine and altruistic reasons to pursue medicine get annoyed by having to tightrope around saying they want to help people?
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It's fine to want to help people. But the trap this answer poses, even if true, is that one can help people without being a doctor.

Thus, needs to have multiple good reasons to be a doctor.
 
Kirby Smart said:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but shouldn't wanting to help people essentially be a the top reason why you'd want to be a physician in the adcoms eyes? I get why word for word "because I want to help people" is a terrible answer, but if I explained how I wanted to discover a career in which I could work with people and impact on their lives while also being challenged to improve and learn every day be just as cliche and weak?

Does anyone else with what they feel as genuine and altruistic reasons to pursue medicine get annoyed by having to tightrope around saying they want to help people?
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I think what you said is fine to say, but you should get a little more specific than just wanting to help people because there are so many other professions where you have the opportunity to do just that. Helping people isn't exclusive to medicine. Start thinking about what led you to medicine in the first place and think about similar careers that involve helping people and what they don't offer that medicine does.
 
Got it, thanks Goro and Predntl!

Yeah I think my explanation of why I want to help people via medicine is because I'm a curious person and love to learn and I want to pursue a career in which I can always be working to improve my understanding of the field as well as my capabilities. I also want to work with people who are in facing serious illnesses and thus are among the most in-need of expert help.
 
Kirby Smart said:
Got it, thanks Goro and Predntl!

Yeah I think my explanation of why I want to help people via medicine is because I'm a curious person and love to learn and I want to pursue a career in which I can always be working to improve my understanding of the field as well as my capabilities. I also want to work with people who are in facing serious illnesses and thus are among the most in-need of expert help.
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I like to cite one interview by former dean of admissions at my hometown medical schools (foreign city, interview is not published in English):
We always ask – "what are the motives for entering a medical university?"
- "The desire to do good with your own hands."
Fine! But there are a lot of other places where you can help people. And what is behind this answer? Romance, a kind of adaptability - the willingness to write what is expected of you?
-"The desire to alleviate the suffering of people"
So, this is closer. But where did we get the idea of medicine only as a sphere of work with people suffering? It turns out that healthy people do not need a doctor?
Then he lists few "right" answers that I will not disclose :pirate:
 
spb1703 said:
-"The desire to alleviate the suffering of people"
So, this is closer. But where did we get the idea of medicine only as a sphere of work with people suffering? It turns out that healthy people do not need a doctor?
Then he lists few "right" answers that I will not disclose :pirate:
Click to expand...

Not sure if you were just sharing for my info or if it was related to my response (regardless, thank you!) but my personal interest isn't in primary care really, as I think I'd like to sub specialize in peds particularly, so that's why my answer to the question about why I want to be a doctor would likely include wanting to work to help treat patients experiencing the most difficult conditions as well as hopefully be involved in research to inform improvements in their treatment.
 
Kirby Smart said:
Not sure if you were just sharing for my info or if it was related to my response (regardless, thank you!) but my personal interest isn't in primary care really, as I think I'd like to sub specialize in peds particularly, so that's why my answer to the question about why I want to be a doctor would likely include wanting to work to help treat patients experiencing the most difficult conditions as well as hopefully be involved in research to inform improvements in their treatment.
Click to expand...
Even as a specialist you can prevent some diseases and negative situations, and to help healthy people remain healthy...
 
In no particular order, these are cringeworthy:

1. "Mom or dad is a doctor"
2. "so-and-so had x disease"*
3. "The year was 2000 and it was my first time trick-or-treating...as I grabbed my pumpkin candy carrier and dawned my white coat, I realized then, as a 3 year old, it was my destiny to be a doctor!"

*The "family had disease" is overblown and has to be carefully crafted, or else it is perceived as the applicant cashing in on illness.
 
OrthoTraumaMD said:
Both my parents are physicians. That’s why I initially applied. I grew to love it but before that, that was my only reason. What is “cringe worthy” to you might be a cultural reality for many people.
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The reality is if your answer stops with “my parents are physicians,” then people will assume your dedication to the vocation is superficial at best. That may not be the case, but the consensus seems to be that doing things because other people did them is not a great answer for why you want to do something. But I don’t see why your parents being physicians can’t be part of a larger answer.

Personally, I also don’t see why we need to force applicants to come up with some deep answer for why medicine. Some of the best physicians went into medicine on a whim. That doesn’t mean they don’t grow to love it. But not everyone needs to have some profound experience. Imo, as long as you know what you’re getting yourself into (as much as is possible as a premed), saying you applied to med school because your parents are doctors or you think medicine seems cool or whatever should be good enough.
 
Matthew9Thirtyfive said:
The reality is if your answer stops with “my parents are physicians,” then people will assume your dedication to the vocation is superficial at best. That may not be the case, but the consensus seems to be that doing things because other people did them is not a great answer for why you want to do something. But I don’t see why your parents being physicians can’t be part of a larger answer.

Personally, I also don’t see why we need to force applicants to come up with some deep answer for why medicine. Some of the best physicians went into medicine on a whim. That doesn’t mean they don’t grow to love it. But not everyone needs to have some profound experience. Imo, as long as you know what you’re getting yourself into (as much as is possible as a premed), saying you applied to med school because your parents are doctors or you think medicine seems cool or whatever should be good enough.
Click to expand...

I used to work in the tech sector. I was filling out secondaries the other day and I stopped, turned to my husband and was like "Could you imagine if this was the process to apply for a computer science degree, or if Adobe Systems required you to write 4000 words of tear-jerking self reflection as a prerequisite for an interview?"

I mean, I get it on some level. I understand why medicine is different than other highly skilled careers - physicians literally hold patients' lives in their hands so it's important to weed out the incompetent and the sociopathic.

But my God, sometimes I think to myself "At the end of the day, I'm doing all this for a job."
 
Matthew9Thirtyfive said:
The reality is if your answer stops with “my parents are physicians,” then people will assume your dedication to the vocation is superficial at best. That may not be the case, but the consensus seems to be that doing things because other people did them is not a great answer for why you want to do something. But I don’t see why your parents being physicians can’t be part of a larger answer.

Personally, I also don’t see why we need to force applicants to come up with some deep answer for why medicine. Some of the best physicians went into medicine on a whim. That doesn’t mean they don’t grow to love it. But not everyone needs to have some profound experience. Imo, as long as you know what you’re getting yourself into (as much as is possible as a premed), saying you applied to med school because your parents are doctors or you think medicine seems cool or whatever should be good enough.
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I completely agree. I understand a lot of people have some serious reason and it drives them to continue pursuing the path of medicine. but a lot of people aren't in it for some serious crazy "reason" or to overcome some fear or traumatizing life event. Some people just enjoy the practice of medicine, enjoy treating patients, like being leaders and want to incorporate their skills into everyday use and monetize it.

Note: I'm not trying to be disparaging to people that DO have some serious passionate reason. I think that's great. I'm just saying that not everyone has to have, nor do they have, some serious deep personal reason.

I completely agree with you though.
 
StayWandering said:
But my God, sometimes I think to myself "At the end of the day, I'm doing all this for a job."
Click to expand...

For some it is a calling. It is for me. But I don’t think it has to be. That shouldn’t be a requirement to enter the profession as long as the applicant is committed to learning what needs to be learned and doing right by her patients.
 
chemdoctor said:
I completely agree. I understand a lot of people have some serious reason and it drives them to continue pursuing the path of medicine. but a lot of people aren't in it for some serious crazy "reason" or to overcome some fear or traumatizing life event. Some people just enjoy the practice of medicine, enjoy treating patients, like being leaders and want to incorporate their skills into everyday use and monetize it.

Note: I'm not trying to be disparaging to people that DO have some serious passionate reason. I think that's great. I'm just saying that not everyone has to have, nor do they have, some serious deep personal reason.

I completely agree with you though.
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When editing personal statements, I can tell you that I genuinely offended some folks when I asked them to reflect on their desire to pursue medicine being based on childhood passions. "Think from the perspective of an ADCOM - do you want someone to pursue medicine based on some likely fallacious and/or idealized version of a profession that a 9 year old at her grandmother's bedside likely didn't fully understand?"
 
Matthew9Thirtyfive said:
For some it is a calling. It is for me. But I don’t think it has to be. That shouldn’t be a requirement to enter the profession as long as the applicant is committed to learning what needs to be learned and doing right by her patients.
Click to expand...

I fully agree.

It's probably a hybrid for me. I genuinely connect with the work of medicine, and it is by far and away the most interesting career one can have, in my own humble opinion. I also have a set of personal philosophies which compel me to serve others; I have always done so, and I will continue to do so for the rest of my life - medicine or not.

I don't know if time has made me grumpy (probably, tbh) but I see these 19 and 20 years olds at the institution where I did my post-bac, and they're saying things like "If I don't get into med school, I'll just die! It's all I've ever wanted to do! Since I was 3! I have to do this or else I will just work some minimum wage job for the rest of my life and be forever unhappy!" And I'm like "What on earth are you even talking about?"

I don't think medicine will ever be the be-all-end-all of my life like that. At the end of the day, it will be one important part of who I am, but just one part.
 
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Goro
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