Finished first year, not sure if I should still pursue Med school or not.

[Downfall]

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[robclem21]

Hi there,

I'm gonna start off by just saying that you need to take a deep breathe. There is a lot going on here and the best first step to making smart, rationale decisions is to pause and think.

The next thing I'm going to say is that after 1 year of UG, there is no real way to evaluate your med school chance. It is still much too early, and from the sounds of it, you are doing most things right. The things you aren't doing right are probably not the things you think. Your GPA is fine. After 1 year of UG, my GPA was 3.5, after 2, it was 3.55. Especially since you were so close to hitting the marks you wanted, I would say your study habits are likely fine and you have nothing to worry about. Regarding your social life, you should have one. Gunning for med school is not an excuse to not go out, or make friends. In fact, because this process can be such a long haul, frustrating process, those moments with your friends and even more important. Take some time to go out and make friends and meet people. Not only is this an important part of UG, but it will probably help you do better in your classes because you will have more balance in your life. 

I think the EC/Employment situation is also a bit globally misunderstood. The value of these activities is what you take from them, not the title of the activity itself. As someone who reviewed many applications, I can say that it made no difference to me whether the personality traits someone expressed and gained were from employment or ECs. If you need to work because you need to help support your family, then that has incredible value in itself. Make the most of your experiences and make good connections that can lead to meaningful relationships and good reference letters.

Finally, it is really important that you make an attitude adjustment from "black and white" and "all or nothing" to become more accepting of uncertainty. In this career that will never ever go away. Not only will you re-think whether you are good enough or if its the right choice during UG, but you will question your life and everything through medical school as well (and probably into residency and into your career not only with yourself, but with your choices for your patients). This is not a black and white profession. You need to be okay with not knowing sometimes and just going with it. If this is what you really want, then don't let anything stand in your way. Slow down, breathe, refocus and come up with a good plan.

Good luck.