Life outside of Med School

kdoc19

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Hi there! I’m a high school junior and I’m trying to figure out if I think being a doctor is right for me. I want to know more about med school and so I have a couple questions:

I want to be able to have some sort of a social life in my twenties, is that even possible in med school? I understand it’s all about the amount of work I want to put in, but are there ever any days where you are able to get out and have fun?

Are you always either in class or studying from the time you wake up until you go to bed?

Do you ever get time off or do you have to be doing something med school related year round (including shadowing, researching, etc)?

I’m afraid that I wouldn’t be mentally strong enough to push myself through med school, how do you guys stay motivated and mentally sane during med school?

Thank you so much!!!!!!!

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I basically don't study until about 8-10 days before a test. Quite a lot of time I waste. Then I go HAM until the test.

Also, you're still in high school. I think you're putting the cart before the horse here.
 
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Plenty, PLENTY of social time.

It depends on the school. Some have an accelerated pre-clinical curriculum so you don't get much of a break. I got more than two months off for summer and I chose to travel to save myself from the horrible burn out I was facing.
 
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I would plan for 80-100 hour work weeks for the span of at least 7 years over med school and your required post-med school on the job training

doing as well as you need to in college to be admitted to medical school isn't exactly a cake-walk either

I recommend doing as well as possible in your classes right now, challenge yourself with science and math, (and humanities matter a lot too!), as you are able to do that and sustain those grades, adding on extracurricular activities you care about

there are ways for you to explore if the actual work of being around gross sick poor uneducated unhappy people appeals to you - volunteer at a nursing home, soup kitchen, homeless shelter, shadow a physician, etc

basically, walking the path of being an academic success, will in and of itself teach you if it's the path for you

keep in mind, there comes a time in life where most of us (especially those that aren't teachers) don't get a summer off

most of us, no matter what we do in life, end up working full time, so at minimum I would expect in life to work M-F 9-5, and then you still need to do driving, grocery shopping, meal preparation, laundry, etc

When I was in high school, I had a full course load. I was in the National Honor Society getting straight A's and had a 3.7 GPA when I finished, taking AP classes. On our breaks and during lunch, I usually worked in the canteen (for food, we were extremely poor), worked as a barista in our little espresso station, was the editor of the high school newspaper, President of the Recycling Club emptying bins, attending School Government meetings as Treasurer, taking piano lessons, working on homework. When school ended at 3, I was usually doing newspaper or sports. I usually never got home before 5 pm, sometimes later. Then I would do my homework, often until 8 or 9 pm. I would have a couple of hours to talk on the phone to my best friend or watch TV. Weekends I had a part time job for pocket money, and sports practice wasn't every day so I worked then too.

Summers were much more lax, but I still working a part time job for money and volunteer/school stuff.

There were a lot of moments in there to socialize with the people who were also doing those things with me.

All of that trained me up for when the training wheels came off in college, because academically speaking the expectations go up and you have to be goal directed, have initiative and follow through to get things done. No one will follow up behind you.

I always took a full course load, and had a part time job 10-20 hours a week, plus a number of extracurricular activities. Yes, I frequently had days that were work from the time I woke up until I went home. Usually 12-18 hour work days. Weekends I usually had some amount of work to do.

I pushed myself, while maintaining grades, to having 80 hour or more work weeks. To prove to myself that I could handle that pace for 4+ years (and that's what medical school admission committees want to see you be able to do. The training after medical school to actually get to be a practicing doctor is often 6 days a week, 80+ hours a week, for at least 3 years. Some specialties are "easier" but there is actually a lot of competition after medical school to get these training spots).

I hope some of this was helpful. You will have to say goodbye to summer eventually. You will have to figure out how to maintain full time work and a social life. Social life is very important in high school, but if you are able to work hard, add more to your plate than just public education, and succeed, go to college and learn to balance the work you need to do with social life, you will figure all this out.

The truth is, success does start early. It will come from inside you if you want to work that hard and find fulfillment from it. Doing well in school and exposing yourself to many different subjects and career considerations will poise you to figure out what you will do in life.

Long story short though, doctors work long exhausting hours for the most part, especially during training. They still have a social life and family, but it is hard, and most would say they wished they had more time for that. It's a trade off because there are a lot of benefits to being a doctor.
 
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There is time to do things outside of school, not nearly as much time as other types of students have but you still get to go out to eat and meet people and date etc......
 
Hi there! I’m a high school junior and I’m trying to figure out if I think being a doctor is right for me. I want to know more about med school and so I have a couple questions:

I want to be able to have some sort of a social life in my twenties, is that even possible in med school? I understand it’s all about the amount of work I want to put in, but are there ever any days where you are able to get out and have fun?

You will be able to have a social life. Not as much as someone working a 9-5 job right out of college, but you won't be studying 24/7. Plenty of free time.

Are you always either in class or studying from the time you wake up until you go to bed?
Nope. Not at all.

Do you ever get time off or do you have to be doing something med school related year round (including shadowing, researching, etc)?

We got thanksgiving off, a winter break, a spring break, a summer break (where most people were doing something like research), then thanksgiving again, winter break again, 2 vacation weeks during clinical year, and then thanksgiving/winter break again. I would say the longest you get off without having to do something is ~2 weeks. A long break like summer you should be doing something.

I’m afraid that I wouldn’t be mentally strong enough to push myself through med school, how do you guys stay motivated and mentally sane during med school?

Thank you so much!!!!!!!

Hobbies, friends, family, life. Not something to worry about now though! Everyone finds a way through it.
 
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