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Conflicted Pre-Med


MikeJ

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I am having second thoughts about medicine. I am a second-year university student, and I thought that being a doctor was the career path I wanted to pursue, but now I am unsure, after experience more of life I realized there are other things I enjoy as well. I am supposed to write the MCAT this summer, as next year I want to do CO-OP for my degree (for a backup career). I feel like I will have a hard time doing internships next year while studying for the MCAT, and I feel pressured to write it now. I am lost and do not know what to do because I don't want to waste my time. I am volunteering at a hospital in a month, I hope that will provide some clarity for me, but then it will be very difficult to find an internship position on such late notice. I don't know what to do, and I am wondering if anyone has gone through anything like this and can offer some advice. Thanks. 

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There were times in my life when I felt exactly the way you did.

Forget the future, what do you like to do now? What are your feelings telling you?

Perhaps you need to explore the things that are making you unsure about a career in medicine.

Medicine will always be there and you can always apply at a later time.

Whatever you do, your time will never be wasted. There’s always a lesson to be gained from anything that you choose to do. Perhaps along the way you’ll open other doors too.

Good luck!

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There are pros and cons to every career. And pursing medicine is a marathon, getting into medical school is but the first step on a very long journey when you consider a potential 5 years of residency and fellowship. While there are many avenues you may enjoy, this may or may not translate into different career paths. Consider work-life balance, interests, professional fulfillment, intellectual stimulation, potential remuneration amongst other important factors. Questioning yourself along the way is part of the process. In my case, upon entering undergrad, I knew I wanted medicine, I was highly motivated, treated my academics professionally so as to attain the highest grades of which I was capable and made many personal sacrifices. It was all worth it. You need to figure it out as this is but your first crossraods along the way.

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5 hours ago, MikeJ said:

Did you take extra time to think about it, or did you go right after your 3rd year? If you don't mind sharing. And thanks for your response!

Yea, I sure did take extra time. I didn't decide to apply to medicine until after my Commerce degree and 6 years of full-time work experience where I dabbled in various careers in finance and travel. 

I started med school at 28 years old and will be graduating this year :)

Much of my youth was spent traveling and exploring the world. I have no regrets with the path that I've taken and will do it all over again in a heartbeat.  

No matter what you do, make sure you still maintain strong grades to keep doors open for future academic/professional degrees. 

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I also started medicine late, at 30, after having a fairly long career in another field. If you think you might want to do it eventually it’s important to keep your grades up, so the option remains open. But there’s no real rush, except for the pressures of society telling you to grow up and get a job and buy a house and have kids, and “start your life”. You can have a life and become a doctor whenever you want, if that’s what you want to do - it might not be as easy or straightforward in theory, but then you also get the benefit of exploring other things in your life before committing to 6-9 more years of school and residency training. 

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21 hours ago, Butterfly_ said:

Yea, I sure did take extra time. I didn't decide to apply to medicine until after my Commerce degree and 6 years of full-time work experience where I dabbled in various careers in finance and travel. 

I started med school at 28 years old and will be graduating this year :)

Much of my youth was spent traveling and exploring the world. I have no regrets with the path that I've taken and will do it all over again in a heartbeat.  

No matter what you do, make sure you still maintain strong grades to keep doors open for future academic/professional degrees. 

Thanks for the response. It's amazing that you eventually found what you wanted to do. Did you find it difficult to study for the MCAT as an untraditional applicant? 

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1 hour ago, MikeJ said:

Thanks for the response. It's amazing that you eventually found what you wanted to do. Did you find it difficult to study for the MCAT as an untraditional applicant? 

Yea, studying for the MCAT sucked. I have no science background so I saved a bunch of money, quit my job, then studied full time for 7 months. Used 2 set of prep books, khan academy, online YouTube videos. 

It was worth the effort though :) 

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