[tpxvs]

ok so iv always got good grades, plenty of vol work, e/cs, work exp blabla.. applied to med: got rejected 4 times over. reapplied the following year and now im waiting to start in sept. i have loads of friends on gap years too some of who intend to take more time out/not go to uni at all and all have such exciting plans! ..that are actually feasible and if they work at the jobs they have they will afford it for next summer etc.

I have other friends my age at uni having the time of their lives doing decent enough courses like primary teaching, maths, geography, sociology etc.. all of whom seem to be finding uni easier in terms of academics than school and a hell of a lot of fun. They too seem to have really exciting travel/fun plans for the near-not so near future.

Now, i really want to do medicine (hence why i applied twice!) but i cant help but a feel a little like.. am i making my life more difficult than i need to? I doubt ill be able to breeze through uni like my sibling and every friend from home. Plus it doesnt stop there, i really want to travel in the summers - nothing extravagant just backpacking different parts of the world for a couple months at a time but with med school you only get 2 proper summers? Then 3rd year onwards you get about 5 weeks off and work to be doing etc? And it doesnt change after uni! Doctors get very very little time off :/ and there is obviously sooooo much studying to be doing, exams that need passing etc before you are actually earning a good salary and have paid off the student debts while everyone else will be in a much better position.

I know I sound really pessimistic right now and i know money isnt a reason to apply to med and all that, I know. I guess im just wondering if theres other people in a similar position to myself? Any motivational words? lol Im hoping I'll go to uni and be surrounded by likeminded people and we'll all be in the same boat then...... so it wont feel too bad?

[lil-mazie]

You might just be in a slump that's why you feel so down but honestly try to look at the best part of the situation, you friends might be having the time of their life but you really shouldn't look at other instead keep pushing your self. You might have got rejected alot but everyone gets rejected the ones that don't give up are the ones that are truly successful. Keep trying and best wishes when you go to uni

[Elwyn]

(Original post by tpxvs)
decent enough courses like sociology

Good one.

I know how you feel, I think most medical students feel that way. I remember my friends all having 5 offers from UCAS and having to actually decide where to go, where as I was lucky to get one offer. Then there's the work load, but bear in mind you will have time to yourself. It may not allow you to do everything you want to do but there'll be time for that at some point in the future. Focus on the present, enjoy med school. Also, don't forget about your elective!

[tpxvs]

(Original post by Elwyn)
Good one.

ha, well i come from a small town and not many people are going off to do "good" courses.. the examples i gave were the bet i could think of! haha.

(Original post by Elwyn)
I know how you feel, I think most medical students feel that way. I remember my friends all having 5 offers from UCAS and having to actually decide where to go, where as I was lucky to get one offer. Then there's the work load, but bear in mind you will have time to yourself. It may not allow you to do everything you want to do but there'll be time for that at some point in the future. Focus on the present, enjoy med school. Also, don't forget about your elective!

Exactly.. its totally different for us right from the very start. People found it weird how I - someone who got all A/A*s didnt get into uni, they dont understand medschool lol and probably thought this means im not capable of becoming a doctor. Fortunately for me, the internet exists and i dont listen to everything i hear! On my gap year i've visited quite a few friends at different unis and they all seem to have more spare time than me. Theyre at uni but do hardly any work but get to live in halls and get the whole social side of uni. I cant imagine medschool being like that.. im a very sociable, outgoing girl but i bet uni will make me the loser of the flat who cant go out and do things with other people as much as id like cause instead i have revision to be doing :/ So they get to breeze through uni, have fun in the all the holidays and actually have the time to do exciting things and after it all get a job that has a lot less hours/stress etc.. though it may not be as well paid, its an easier life! ....at the end of the day that lifestyle might be more content than ours? tell me im wrong, please lol

[Elwyn]

(Original post by tpxvs)
ha, well i come from a small town and not many people are going off to do "good" courses.. the examples i gave were the bet i could think of! haha.


Exactly.. its totally different for us right from the very start. People found it weird how I - someone who got all A/A*s didnt get into uni, they dont understand medschool lol and probably thought this means im not capable of becoming a doctor. Fortunately for me, the internet exists and i dont listen to everything i hear! On my gap year i've visited quite a few friends at different unis and they all seem to have more spare time than me. Theyre at uni but do hardly any work but get to live in halls and get the whole social side of uni. I cant imagine medschool being like that.. im a very sociable, outgoing girl but i bet uni will make me the loser of the flat who cant go out and do things with other people as much as id like cause instead i have revision to be doing :/ So they get to breeze through uni, have fun in the all the holidays and actually have the time to do exciting things and after it all get a job that has a lot less hours/stress etc.. though it may not be as well paid, its an easier life! ....at the end of the day that lifestyle might be more content than ours? tell me im wrong, please lol

Yes, you're wrong

I can't comment on clinical years, but pre-clinical years aren't too stressfull. I could fit in 2 or 3 nights out a week in first year, not much less than anyone else.

[theatrical]

(Original post by tpxvs)
Now, i really want to do medicine (hence why i applied twice!) but i cant help but a feel a little like.. am i making my life more difficult than i need to? I doubt ill be able to breeze through uni like my sibling and every friend from home. Plus it doesnt stop there, i really want to travel in the summers - nothing extravagant just backpacking different parts of the world for a couple months at a time but with med school you only get 2 proper summers? Then 3rd year onwards you get about 5 weeks off and work to be doing etc? And it doesnt change after uni! Doctors get very very little time off :/ and there is obviously sooooo much studying to be doing, exams that need passing etc before you are actually earning a good salary and have paid off the student debts while everyone else will be in a much better position.

Doctors get decent holidays, and once you've been working for a few years you'll be able to afford to do pretty decent things with them.

As for holidays while at uni - there's never any work to do over the summer (unless you choose to) and 5 weeks is more than enough time to do a bit of backpacking.

Preclinical medicine isn't difficult or overly time consuming (at least not at Manchester) and clinicals, while long and tiring, weren't difficult academically.

[cactus_farmer]

Stop feeling sorry for youself.

There are millions of people who are working about 2 jobs to support themselves, plus doing the necessary voluntary work experience to get into medical school, and studying with every single bit of spare time they've got to take the GAMSAT just so they get into medical school and have no holidays then have to worry about funding themselves.

[chloemo14]

(Original post by cactus_farmer)
Stop feeling sorry for youself.

There are millions of people who are working about 2 jobs to support themselves, plus doing the necessary voluntary work experience to get into medical school, and studying with every single bit of spare time they've got to take the GAMSAT just so they get into medical school and have no holidays then have to worry about funding themselves.

And there are bright, motivated children in developing countries who couldn't dream of going to medical school at all. The point is, people's concerns are relative, and just because they might not be on the same scale as someone else's doesn't invalidate them, particularly when they relate to the next five or six years of one's life.

[WackyJun]

(Original post by cactus_farmer)
Stop feeling sorry for youself.

There are millions of people who are working about 2 jobs to support themselves, plus doing the necessary voluntary work experience to get into medical school, and studying with every single bit of spare time they've got to take the GAMSAT just so they get into medical school and have no holidays then have to worry about funding themselves.

You don't understand. Medical school is full of us self-pitying types. Why do you think we drink so much?

[That Bearded Man]

(Original post by WackyJun)
You don't understand. Medical school is full of us self-pitying types. Why do you think we drink so much?

Truest point, some medics are mad partyers - the formals sound mental

[That Bearded Man]

(Original post by tpxvs)
ok so iv always got good grades, plenty of vol work, e/cs, work exp blabla.. applied to med: got rejected 4 times over. reapplied the following year and now im waiting to start in sept. i have loads of friends on gap years too some of who intend to take more time out/not go to uni at all and all have such exciting plans! ..that are actually feasible and if they work at the jobs they have they will afford it for next summer etc.

I have other friends my age at uni having the time of their lives doing decent enough courses like primary teaching, maths, geography, sociology etc.. all of whom seem to be finding uni easier in terms of academics than school and a hell of a lot of fun. They too seem to have really exciting travel/fun plans for the near-not so near future.

Now, i really want to do medicine (hence why i applied twice!) but i cant help but a feel a little like.. am i making my life more difficult than i need to? I doubt ill be able to breeze through uni like my sibling and every friend from home. Plus it doesnt stop there, i really want to travel in the summers - nothing extravagant just backpacking different parts of the world for a couple months at a time but with med school you only get 2 proper summers? Then 3rd year onwards you get about 5 weeks off and work to be doing etc? And it doesnt change after uni! Doctors get very very little time off :/ and there is obviously sooooo much studying to be doing, exams that need passing etc before you are actually earning a good salary and have paid off the student debts while everyone else will be in a much better position.

I know I sound really pessimistic right now and i know money isnt a reason to apply to med and all that, I know. I guess im just wondering if theres other people in a similar position to myself? Any motivational words? lol Im hoping I'll go to uni and be surrounded by likeminded people and we'll all be in the same boat then...... so it wont feel too bad?

I understand, I did my share of voluntary work, I learned my first aid, sign language to boost my personal statement, worked my ass off for my grades and ukcat....and what for?

Horrendous hours, 12 hour shifts, night and day, your job is to stop people dying, this has by definition a 0% success rate. Some patients will mistreat and resent you, your social life shrinks, your ability to do anything besides work and sleep is 0. You deal with death, you befriend patients who die the next day and it's sad, it's demoralising and it's terrifying that so much pressure is on you, people's life in your hands. Never mind being saddled with £45,000+ debt and the government eroding your pension.

But when my offer came through and I met my requirements I cried, I was ecstatic, I was silent, I was a mix of all three. I have an opportunity to prove myself, to join a well-respected profession that makes a difference to the world, I also have a strong chance of employment.

I know there are challenges ahead, but I look forward to them, a chance to make my family proud, a chance to make a mark on the world.

[graemematt]

To be perfectly honest with you, I can completely understand your concerns. Having had a year to reflect on things, you're worried about having a life outside of medicine and simultaneously being able to deal with the academic challenge of medicine.

In which case let me reassure you now. You can have an excellent work-life balance in medicine During my time at medical school (bearing in mind I was on a 4-yr course with 48-week academic years) I managed to maintain a long-distance relationship, get into running and compete in lots of races, and make loads of good friends who I often had a few pints with at the end of a hard week. It's not going to take over your life so long as you don't let it! I do know some people who spent every hour of every day in the library, however if I'm honest, the people who performed best in med school were those who:
a) Went in to hospital placements often, even when their consultant was off/there was little to do etc
b) Saw plenty of patients while on the ward, rather than reading about their condition in a book all day
c) Maintained a good work-life balance! Without so much stress, it's a lot easier to focus on study.

The other issue you had was about your friends who are studying non-vocational subjects at uni and are having a ball. Yes, of course they are...that shouldn't upset you And yes, their subjects are perhaps less demanding than medicine in the time commitment sense. But think about it in the long-term...you'll have a (pretty much) guaranteed job at the end of it with a very good starting salary (with banding!) that you enjoy doing. That's worth the extra hours surely?

I had to apply for medicine three times over to get in (once prior to my undergrad, once before my MSc and once during my MSc). It's partially a lottery as so many students have seemingly identical academic records and have allegedly saved Mother Teresa from bubonic plague or what have you. Don't be disheartened by having to apply twice...you've got an offer now and that's all that matters! Enjoy

[Carpediemxx]

I know exactly how you feel, and it's always going to be a balancing act between doing what you want to do in life and doing what you know you should do. Medicine is always going to be a compromise. However, i would say you time at uni is what you make it. Many people say that the course really does not need to be as long as it is, and i agree. If you are sensible with your time there is more than enough of it to do what you want to do.

One point i may make is that you may look now and see people on standard BSc and MSc courses having a great time partying every week and going on long holidays, but take a look at the postgrad/work/career forums and see how many people are struggling to find any sort of employment...life isn't so rosey after uni for them...which always makes me feel relieved and fortunate that we are doing a course which has 100% employment rates.
In addition, i still have resentful thoughts about how i could have done a BSc and had a decent wage and nice lifestyle 2 years ago, but the reality of it is that medicine will provide you with an above average salary which will go up every year of your life (or thereabouts).

Then there is the thought about the impact your life makes on those around you and the world. And it may be a romanticised thought, but you don't get much better than being a doctor for making an impact on people around you.

Final point, medicine is changing...now that women are overtaking men in the number of doctors this country has, the availability of part time work is increasing. There are quite a few specialities now that provide an even better work-life balance, for still a fairly decent wage, meaning you really can have it both ways if thats what you want from life.

[adsyrah]

A couple of people above have touched on the benefits of medicine vs. another degree.

Take it from me, doing a degree that you're not compeltely into just because you have a "better" social life isn't all it's cracked up to be. I graduated in 2004 having done Computer Science and Maths. I've worked as a programmer ever since and have become increasingly depressed at work - it's soul-destroying working in a job you have no interest / motivation in. Yes, it pays well, but that's not enough to keep me interested. Money just isn't a motivator for me.

I took the decision to apply for grad medicine about this time last year after about 12 months of procrastination. I didn't apply for medicine when I was 17/18 as I perceived it to be "too much like hard work". But, you know what? The 5 years of hard work to become a doctor pales in significance now I know what it's like to work in what feels like a rut of a job. If you're heart's not in your career, you're not going to enjoy it.

Yes, medicine will be challenging. But a challenge definitely doesn't have to take up your whole life. If you're disciplined with your work, then you'll have spare time to socialise.

I'm moving to Newcastle and am going to keep up a long distance relationship between Newcastle and Birmingham. The only way I will be able to do this is to make sure I work hard during the week and have weekends off to travel and do what I please. graemematt has manged to do it on a 4 year course, I'm attempting to do it on a 4 year course so I'm sure you'll be able to find time to see friends and have a great time on a 5 year course.

As for the holidays in summer - 4/5 weeks is PLENTY of time to go travelling. If you're wanting to go backpacking for a few months, do it now before applying for uni.

[bahjat93]

(Original post by tpxvs)
ok so iv always got good grades, plenty of vol work, e/cs, work exp blabla.. applied to med: got rejected 4 times over. reapplied the following year and now im waiting to start in sept. i have loads of friends on gap years too some of who intend to take more time out/not go to uni at all and all have such exciting plans! ..that are actually feasible and if they work at the jobs they have they will afford it for next summer etc.

I have other friends my age at uni having the time of their lives doing decent enough courses like primary teaching, maths, geography, sociology etc.. all of whom seem to be finding uni easier in terms of academics than school and a hell of a lot of fun. They too seem to have really exciting travel/fun plans for the near-not so near future.

Now, i really want to do medicine (hence why i applied twice!) but i cant help but a feel a little like.. am i making my life more difficult than i need to? I doubt ill be able to breeze through uni like my sibling and every friend from home. Plus it doesnt stop there, i really want to travel in the summers - nothing extravagant just backpacking different parts of the world for a couple months at a time but with med school you only get 2 proper summers? Then 3rd year onwards you get about 5 weeks off and work to be doing etc? And it doesnt change after uni! Doctors get very very little time off :/ and there is obviously sooooo much studying to be doing, exams that need passing etc before you are actually earning a good salary and have paid off the student debts while everyone else will be in a much better position.

I know I sound really pessimistic right now and i know money isnt a reason to apply to med and all that, I know. I guess im just wondering if theres other people in a similar position to myself? Any motivational words? lol Im hoping I'll go to uni and be surrounded by likeminded people and we'll all be in the same boat then...... so it wont feel too bad?

Why do people want to go back packing??? It's not very safe!
Just apply to another course, somethings aren't ment to be