Is med school right for me?

chocolatecricket
Fri, 25 Jun 2010 03:51:28 +0000

Currently I am a rising senior in highschool considering a career in medicine. Just a question for those in medicine currently, how would you know if medicine is the right career for you? What was it in you that made medicine call to you?

So for me, I have always had a strong interest in biology, especially brain anatomy and genetics. I’m the type of person who knows a bunch of random diseases; one friend told me she had TMJ and was incredibly surprised i knew what it was, apparently i was the first person who ever heard of it that she knew, let alone knew details about it. I genuinely love learning, jsut not usually in a school environment. I write papers and essays and read up articles about diseases and stuff for fun.

However, I have been pushed towards medicine from an early age. My mom has consistently held the belief that being a doctor means that you dont have to be smart, can work very short hours, and its just automatic money, all three of which i knew are not true. Unfortunately my aunt is the reason behind this belief; from my mothers perspective it seems like she somehow managed to get into family practice (she failed the medical test a lot of times before finally passing), and even when we visit her my mom constantly comments and compares herself to this doctor. My mom basically completely regrets becoming an engineer rather than a doctor, and wants to push this will onto me.

Therefore with this strong push on me, its hard to tell whether my interest in medicine is put upon me from her or is genuinely my calling. My ultimate goal in life right now is to help out people, and medicine seems a great path to doing that. By lending so little time, my skill (provided that I make a good doctor) could make such a huge impact on the lives of so many. This of course, is referring to aiding those in third world countries. I personally dont know what to think of the american medical system, but my impression right now is that the chances of me actually helping people are very slim (at least if i need the money to support myself, my parents, and fund trips to aid others around the world). I know that medicine for many is just a scam game.

Also note that my favorite subjects in school have been biology, geometry, and im guessing will be physics which i am taking next year. I also enjoy leading other people, though I am not particularly skilled at it. (truthfully though, I like almost everything). I absolutely DESPISE chem. In addition I HATE school, which at least in my area is just a competition to who can suck up the best (I learned this the hard way, got four B+'s first semester, 4 A-'s second just by sucking up). Im not sure if school is the same way in college as well. I ace sat 2’s and tests like that usually (for some strange reason i dont fare well on sat 1’s), but dont do so well on written tests. I have a long term memory, meaning I do much better at applying rather than just regurgitating information. This is what im most worried about.

So a little help please? Is medicine the right career path for me?