I'm starting to have doubts as to whether I really want to study medicine. My current concerns:
1. I'm the biggest procrastinator. I'm going to have to fight that big time if I'm going to study med. It's a course in which I definitely cannot leave my studying until the final few weeks before the exam.
2. It's a tough course. It sounds like my life is going to consist of only studying and sleeping for months on end. Do I really want to sacrifice all my time in this way?
3. Am I smart enough? I'm going to be surrounded by all these highly intelligent people. Can I even keep up, without having to spend 18 hours a day studying? Or would I have to be studying 18 hours a day anyway, even if I was the smartest person in the course??
4. My age. I'm older now, my ability to absorb new information takes a little longer than it used to.... I may have to study the 18 hours a day anyway just to keep up with the 20-year olds that will be studying with me.... Then there's the other aspect of not being able to practise medicine for as long as some of these kids. Granted, I'll still get 25+ years even if I graduated from uni at 40 years of age. But that still won't stop me from dwelling on my age... :)
5. I'll be a poor uni student again. For four years. And let's face it, it'll be a few years after graduation before I even start making the same amount of money that I do now. This is the financial sacrifice.
6. Lifestyle. Stemming partly from 5., I've grown accustomed to a number of things in my life - the time and money for dance lessons, the time to watch as much tv as I currently do, having discretionary money to buy almost anything that I want... Am I willing to sacrifice all this as well?
7. Is it really the course for me? Would I truly enjoy it as a career? Is my personality suited to medicine?
Or maybe these doubts are only coming out now because I know that the GAMSAT results are going to be released very very shortly, and my goal of obtaining a place as a med student may be that one step closer in just a few weeks, which will turn my life as I currently know it upside down....
2 comments:
Yep. You're right to be concerned about all these things, as most of them are realistic. The other one you've not included is "When will I be able to have children? And what kind of lifestyle will I chose to have (ie. what specialty will I pick) for them?"
The only wisdom I have to give is that everyone worries about these sacrifices. Most of the time, they are worth it. It's only occasionally that they really suck.
I have no idea whether that's useful or not! All the best for the GAMSAT results.
In a way, it's sort of reassuring that I'm not the only one with these concerns! I hope it'll all be worth it, because right now, it's pretty damn scary! :)
Post a Comment