is med school worth it?

    • is med school worth it?

      I kinda want to become an ob/gyn (delivers babies) when im older. Im wondering if it's worth it. Because it takes a lot of good grades and studying.
      I need to have good high school grades to get into university and i have to get in, i have to pick a major first and i was thinking science... thats four years already and then i have to apply to a medicine to start the actual medicine. I have some older friends who also want to become doctors , one applied to a lot of medicine schools and got into none because there was no more space, the other got in everyone but he is basically a genius and have grades over the top. Like basically a genius. I might not even get in, then if i do thats a lot of studying, and then if i finish i have to do 3-7 years of residency and then i can finally have a doctor diploma or smth. Thats a lot of years and a lot of studying and memoizing. What if i dont even get in? Ill have to work really hard for the grades and the pay only gets good after a while so ill have to go 10 years with a bad pay. I do find this field interesting and i think that i would do great and i find it really cool, but is it worth all of this especially if i fail?

    • I think it's a very hard thing to say whether it is worth it. My parents both went to med school and they think it is worth it, since it allows them to dedicate their lives to medicine and helping people. It also brings status and wealth to themselves and their family.

      But it's not for everyone, I personally would not want to become a doctor. It is a lifelong process, with lots of overtime work and people's lives are in your hands. For me, that sounds stressful and I think I would crumble or murder the patients. But maybe I will change my mind.

      I think the best course of action for someone our age is to get the good grades and do the science and math subjects. It doesn't matter if you then decide not to go to med school, because you still have excellent grades and can shift into any other field that you want to. And if you fail to get in to med school, you still have good grades so you can pivot to another area.

      There are also lots of other options if you want to deliver babies and work with babies. You could become a nurse and help out that way, or a midwife who works with pregnant mothers from conception to birth. Or even some sort of spiritual kooky lady that is just there in the room and whispers positive affirmations to mum as she gives birth :D

      I hope this helps a little bit :)

    • wow both parents into medicine? that must put a lot of pressure. I wish my parents had jobs like that they barely understand my science and math homework. Honestly im pretty sure i would murder some patients by accident which is not good.

      I will try not to fail math and science thank you! ❤️❤️

    • Bear in mind that the higher paid jobs are those where there are relatively few people able to do them. That isn't necessarily because of years of study but that is definitely a factor for many of them. It is the fact that many people aren't prepared to do that much studying that limits the number of people capable of doing those jobs which means they then command premium pay.

      Then, don't anticipate failure lest it become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Believe in your self and complete your studies to the best of you ability. Choose the subjects that are most advantageous to a career in medicine, and work at them, but at this stage they will also be applicable to other professions so you're not putting all your eggs on one basket.

    • If you are invested in it, and willing to put in the time, effort, and money, then it may be worth it. Just know a lot of stress and expenses will come your way. But if you're willing then by all means go for it. Do what makes you happy :)

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    • Both of my parents are doctors and I am leaning in that direction as well. I don't think you necessarily have to be a genius but you do have to be reasonably intelligent and extremely studious. I would say you have to be passionate and committed. If it's something aren't 100% sure about, it will probably not work out. There are some med schools in the Caribbean that are not as selective, less expensive and some don't even require the MCAT exam to be accepted. If you do well at one you can still get a position at a good hospital. Most professions will require several years experience before you make really good money, that's not unique to medicine. The training in medicine will a take little more time for sure. Eventually you will make good money but the payoff really is being able to help people.

      FYI...if you are accepted to NYU med school, tuition is free.

    • NYCGal2006 wrote:

      Both of my parents are doctors and I am leaning in that direction as well. I don't think you necessarily have to be a genius but you do have to be reasonably intelligent and extremely studious. I would say you have to be passionate and committed. If it's something aren't 100% sure about, it will probably not work out. There are some med schools in the Caribbean that are not as selective, less expensive and some don't even require the MCAT exam to be accepted. If you do well at one you can still get a position at a good hospital. Most professions will require several years experience before you make really good money, that's not unique to medicine. The training in medicine will a take little more time for sure. Eventually you will make good money but the payoff really is being able to help people.

      FYI...if you are accepted to NYU med school, tuition is free.
      @collin13 You might wanna check this out, the post above says there’s this med school that’s free if you get accepted. I suppose it must be super hard to get accepted then… but still worth keeping this one in mind
      Smile

    • blue! wrote:

      NYCGal2006 wrote:

      Both of my parents are doctors and I am leaning in that direction as well. I don't think you necessarily have to be a genius but you do have to be reasonably intelligent and extremely studious. I would say you have to be passionate and committed. If it's something aren't 100% sure about, it will probably not work out. There are some med schools in the Caribbean that are not as selective, less expensive and some don't even require the MCAT exam to be accepted. If you do well at one you can still get a position at a good hospital. Most professions will require several years experience before you make really good money, that's not unique to medicine. The training in medicine will a take little more time for sure. Eventually you will make good money but the payoff really is being able to help people.

      FYI...if you are accepted to NYU med school, tuition is free.
      @collin13 You might wanna check this out, the post above says there’s this med school that’s free if you get accepted. I suppose it must be super hard to get accepted then… but still worth keeping this one in mind
      All the medical schools are difficult to get into for a number of reasons. According to my parents, a lot of them are starting to look at things other than just grades as the determining factor to get in. Things like volunteer work, athletic participation, among other things because they are seeking out more well rounded students than the typical social idiots that make your typical medical school student of today (my parents are both physicians and they said this, not me). As for salaries, physicians do really well out of the gate financially. Where they are broke is paying back student debt ... but both my parents were making well above 250K USD a year when they finished their residencies. The other challenge to consider is the competitiveness of matching to good residency programs once you are done medical school. That is a whole other beast itself. So right off the bat, you are looking at 3-4 years for an undergraduate degree. 3 years for medical school, and depending on your residency you are looking at a minimum of three years. Fellowships are even longer. Its during that time where you are basically slave labour for hospitals and have next to nothing for an income (they make more at Burger King).