To anyone who is struggling with their dreams of becoming a doctor

[Madmedicine 9]

I want you guys to know that you’re going to make it. I am a current second-year medical student and I’ve been reading a lot of the posts on here about struggling with school  and grades. I notice a lot of you guys are obviously and understandably concerned and scared about your future. And I completely understand that many of you guys are feeling, at times, helpless, as though there is not going to be a light at the end of this tunnel.  I’m here to tell you guys that there is. Getting into medical school is an accomplishment. It takes hard work, it takes a lot of grit, and most importantly it takes a lot of desire because this field is going to take a lot from you. That’s why it’s so difficult to get into medical school. Just because you guys might be struggling right now doesn’t mean you won’t succeed in the long run.

 I promise you, everyone  Who has become a physician  has felt what you were feeling at some point or another. Even I felt that when I was in undergrad. I always wondered if I would get in, if I was good enough, and if I even had a chance because I was constantly comparing myself to my competition. The thing is, it’s really easy to get discouraged especially want to comes to being a premed.  if you only compare yourself to others, you’ll never win. You need to compare yourself to you.  You need to improve yourself. One thing that helps is telling yourself you will get in!  I constantly questioned myself but I always told myself I would make it. Even when I was at my lowest point, I tried my best to remind myself to push through it because I would succeed! It was hard but it was necessary. 

 

If ever you need a word of encouragement, hit me up here or on my YouTube channel (msg me for the name). The problem with premeds and the premed society is that we don’t support each other. We need to help each other succeed, whether it be with kind words of support or advice or by helping a fellow studying who’s struggling. Trust me, it makes being a premed bearable for everyone! 

 

~Farhan

[takasugi 14]

Nice sentiment but everybody is not gonna make it.

[Aconitase 39]

21 hours ago, Madmedicine said:

I want you guys to know that you’re going to make it. I am a current second-year medical student and I’ve been reading a lot of the posts on here about struggling with school  and grades. I notice a lot of you guys are obviously and understandably concerned and scared about your future. And I completely understand that many of you guys are feeling, at times, helpless, as though there is not going to be a light at the end of this tunnel.  I’m here to tell you guys that there is. Getting into medical school is an accomplishment. It takes hard work, it takes a lot of grit, and most importantly it takes a lot of desire because this field is going to take a lot from you. That’s why it’s so difficult to get into medical school. Just because you guys might be struggling right now doesn’t mean you won’t succeed in the long run.

 I promise you, everyone  Who has become a physician  has felt what you were feeling at some point or another. Even I felt that when I was in undergrad. I always wondered if I would get in, if I was good enough, and if I even had a chance because I was constantly comparing myself to my competition. The thing is, it’s really easy to get discouraged especially want to comes to being a premed.  if you only compare yourself to others, you’ll never win. You need to compare yourself to you.  You need to improve yourself. One thing that helps is telling yourself you will get in!  I constantly questioned myself but I always told myself I would make it. Even when I was at my lowest point, I tried my best to remind myself to push through it because I would succeed! It was hard but it was necessary. 

 

If ever you need a word of encouragement, hit me up here or on my YouTube channel (msg me for the name). The problem with premeds and the premed society is that we don’t support each other. We need to help each other succeed, whether it be with kind words of support or advice or by helping a fellow studying who’s struggling. Trust me, it makes being a premed bearable for everyone! 

 

~Farhan

While it’s nice to be positive not everyone gets in. There is life beyond medicine and honestly for most it’s probably better 

[Butterfly_ 362]

To add onto what others have said, it’s also important not to equate a rejection to your self worth.

A rejection does not mean failure or that you’re not good enough. A lot of things in life just comes down to timing and chance.

As the previous poster said, life is more than medicine. Don’t forget about your family, your friends, your hobbies, your health. 

Medicine is a big commitment and make sure you do thorough research on this career option before you dedicate yourself to it. Particularly, talk to frustrated doctors and learn about as many negatives about medicine as you can. Then ask yourself: Can you live with this? Also, take the time to explore careers outside of medicine and gain some life experience. Doing so will help you gauge whether or not medicine is right for you. 

Ultimately, if medicine is what you truly want to do, then like Farhan, I encourage you to stay positive, not to give up, and keep trying. Dreams are worth fighting for.

Best of luck and all the best!

[Madmedicine 9]

19 hours ago, Aconitase said:

While it’s nice to be positive not everyone gets in. There is life beyond medicine and honestly for most it’s probably better 

youre right but its not about if you will get in, its about WHEN you will get in. I know people who spent 7 years after undergrad just to get into medical school. If you want it hard enough, if you truly want it, you will keep trying until you are satisfied. 

 

but tbh, life outside of medicine is probably better but what do I know hahahahahaha XD

[Madmedicine 9]

19 hours ago, takasugi said:

Nice sentiment but everybody is not gonna make it.

true but we shouldn't discourage people either. sure you may not get in right away but you will if you try. its really easy to say that not everyone will get in but that doesn't mean people should not try to achieve their goals!

[Aconitase 39]

3 hours ago, Madmedicine said:

true but we shouldn't discourage people either. sure you may not get in right away but you will if you try. its really easy to say that not everyone will get in but that doesn't mean people should not try to achieve their goals!

I am sorry I disagree. Life isn’t all about getting into medical school. You don’t suddenly win bc you do. You can spend years chasing this versus finding another career and being happy. 

 

Why do you think they ask you during interciews if you have a back up plan? Given the admission rates any sensible person needs to have alternatives. 

 

It can’t be “med school or bust” or else a lot of people would bust. 

 

I remember by MCAT group. Some got in, some kept at it and got in, others quit early and found happiness elsewhere and others just kept applying and finally went overseas and dropped out and now are stuck doing very little. 

 

Oh oh yeah one of the guys who dropped out early - he owns multiple medical buildings and has doctors calling him “sir”. 

[Lactic Folly 347]

4 hours ago, Madmedicine said:

true but we shouldn't discourage people either. sure you may not get in right away but you will if you try. its really easy to say that not everyone will get in but that doesn't mean people should not try to achieve their goals!

I agree with the first and third sentences, but as to the second sentence, premed hopefuls must be realistic about their stats and whether they are capable of pulling them up to the competitive range if currently below.

[canada747 31]

While I completely agree with this sentiment (sometimes I look at my first Premed post, and think about how I ended up getting into 7 Canadian schools) - sometimes I think that med school may just genuinely be too tough for some people. Undergrad was comparatively easy imo, and I went to a "hard" university. I'm about to write an exam tomorrow, and idk if I'll pass. I feel kind of on the fence, and could see it going either way. For this reason, I'm not always sure that *everyone* can make it, or if they should.

There's so much more to life than this. I keep telling my peers that as well. In the words of Tyler Durden - "you are not your job."

[deeman101 23]

On 1/23/2019 at 6:32 PM, Aconitase said:

While it’s nice to be positive not everyone gets in. There is life beyond medicine and honestly for most it’s probably better 

This is the most appropriate response in this thread. Stop tunnel visioning on medical school admissions. Keep it real, otherwise you're going to be even less likely to get in. Doctors are usually quite perceptive and can pick up on your maladaptive fixation. 

But let's assume this is your destiny and you're going to do it. I liken it to breaking the sound barrier. You keep pushing harder, yet the wall feels it's getting exponentially stronger. It really doesn't seem like this wall will ever give. Until suddenly you break through. And once you know exactly how much it takes to break through, it doesn't seem impossible. And as you're discipline and work ethic continues to improve (because it has to survive the rest of medical training) it may even start to seem straight forward. So don't lose perspective of what the wall seems like from the other side of the barrier. 

[freewheeler 544]

Yeah idk, pretty ambivalent about medicine tbh. Some of it sucks @ss, some of it is not terrible. Some chill people, some not so much. Many decent though boring people.

[Edict 603]

On 1/24/2019 at 7:03 PM, Aconitase said:

Oh oh yeah one of the guys who dropped out early - he owns multiple medical buildings and has doctors calling him “sir”. 

True, but does anyone call him "doctor"? 

[Madmedicine 9]

3 hours ago, Edict said:

True, but does anyone call him "doctor"? 

burned

[Crash Bandit 3]

On 1/23/2019 at 8:32 PM, Aconitase said:

While it’s nice to be positive not everyone gets in. There is life beyond medicine and honestly for most it’s probably better 

Here, here ...