I don't know if I should do medicine anymore

I’m in year 13 and have applied to medicine to start in September, and I’ve just finished my interviews so am waiting to hear back from the unis. Butttt I’m not sure I want to go into medicine anymore.
I’m a very anxious but driven person. I’ve had the idea in my head that I want to be a doctor for 3-4 years and the main few times that I’ve doubted that choice have been when I’ve been in a bad place with my mental health (I have semi frequent depressive episodes) and didn’t think I could manage the stress without losing the will to live. Since I’m always going to have low points like that, I think they will only get worse the more stress I have, which will be the case if I pursue medicine (at least until I become a consultant which is too far away to even think about).
Last yr my family convinced me that I should still apply for med (my dad is a doctor and my sister is a medical student) because of the job security and the salary is still good compared to many other jobs and because I will grow into the profession as I mature as a person. And aside from the hours, conditions and pay I really believe it’s a fulfilling, rewarding job. When I was looking at other uni courses they were mostly healthcare oriented or would help me get into a healthcare job later on - pharmacy, biomed or bio sciences.
To be honest I think I’m capable of going through medical school but I’m not sure I actually want to anymore. When I applied in Oct I fully felt that I was ok to make some sacrifice around work-life balance but I don’t think I want it that badly anymore. I have lots of other interests (philosophy, languages, art) and I think while medicine is fulfilling in its own way I want to have other interests and hobbies and not have all my energy sucked up by my job. I think if I were to reapply next year I would likely apply for pharmacy, because it’s still in the realm of healthcare and I think I would quite enjoy the course. I don’t mind my studies being intense or difficult however medicine requires SO many years of training before you get to a point with decent work life balance. I want to exist outside of my career. Medicine is really the only career I’ve felt passionate about going into but at the same time I dread it a little bit because I know all the downsides?
To be honest I might be having all these doubts because I’m nervous about whether I’ll get offers from where I’ve applied (not confident about my interviews) but my concerns are also very reasonable. I just don’t want to reject any offers I might get then regret it later, if I pick a different career path.
Could anyone offer some advice or share any similar experiences x

I’m in year 13 and have applied to medicine to start in September, and I’ve just finished my interviews so am waiting to hear back from the unis. Butttt I’m not sure I want to go into medicine anymore.
I’m a very anxious but driven person. I’ve had the idea in my head that I want to be a doctor for 3-4 years and the main few times that I’ve doubted that choice have been when I’ve been in a bad place with my mental health (I have semi frequent depressive episodes) and didn’t think I could manage the stress without losing the will to live. Since I’m always going to have low points like that, I think they will only get worse the more stress I have, which will be the case if I pursue medicine (at least until I become a consultant which is too far away to even think about).
Last yr my family convinced me that I should still apply for med (my dad is a doctor and my sister is a medical student) because of the job security and the salary is still good compared to many other jobs and because I will grow into the profession as I mature as a person. And aside from the hours, conditions and pay I really believe it’s a fulfilling, rewarding job. When I was looking at other uni courses they were mostly healthcare oriented or would help me get into a healthcare job later on - pharmacy, biomed or bio sciences.
To be honest I think I’m capable of going through medical school but I’m not sure I actually want to anymore. When I applied in Oct I fully felt that I was ok to make some sacrifice around work-life balance but I don’t think I want it that badly anymore. I have lots of other interests (philosophy, languages, art) and I think while medicine is fulfilling in its own way I want to have other interests and hobbies and not have all my energy sucked up by my job. I think if I were to reapply next year I would likely apply for pharmacy, because it’s still in the realm of healthcare and I think I would quite enjoy the course. I don’t mind my studies being intense or difficult however medicine requires SO many years of training before you get to a point with decent work life balance. I want to exist outside of my career. Medicine is really the only career I’ve felt passionate about going into but at the same time I dread it a little bit because I know all the downsides?
To be honest I might be having all these doubts because I’m nervous about whether I’ll get offers from where I’ve applied (not confident about my interviews) but my concerns are also very reasonable. I just don’t want to reject any offers I might get then regret it later, if I pick a different career path.
Could anyone offer some advice or share any similar experiences x

I’m in year 13 and have applied to medicine to start in September, and I’ve just finished my interviews so am waiting to hear back from the unis. Butttt I’m not sure I want to go into medicine anymore.
I’m a very anxious but driven person. I’ve had the idea in my head that I want to be a doctor for 3-4 years and the main few times that I’ve doubted that choice have been when I’ve been in a bad place with my mental health (I have semi frequent depressive episodes) and didn’t think I could manage the stress without losing the will to live. Since I’m always going to have low points like that, I think they will only get worse the more stress I have, which will be the case if I pursue medicine (at least until I become a consultant which is too far away to even think about).
Last yr my family convinced me that I should still apply for med (my dad is a doctor and my sister is a medical student) because of the job security and the salary is still good compared to many other jobs and because I will grow into the profession as I mature as a person. And aside from the hours, conditions and pay I really believe it’s a fulfilling, rewarding job. When I was looking at other uni courses they were mostly healthcare oriented or would help me get into a healthcare job later on - pharmacy, biomed or bio sciences.
To be honest I think I’m capable of going through medical school but I’m not sure I actually want to anymore. When I applied in Oct I fully felt that I was ok to make some sacrifice around work-life balance but I don’t think I want it that badly anymore. I have lots of other interests (philosophy, languages, art) and I think while medicine is fulfilling in its own way I want to have other interests and hobbies and not have all my energy sucked up by my job. I think if I were to reapply next year I would likely apply for pharmacy, because it’s still in the realm of healthcare and I think I would quite enjoy the course. I don’t mind my studies being intense or difficult however medicine requires SO many years of training before you get to a point with decent work life balance. I want to exist outside of my career. Medicine is really the only career I’ve felt passionate about going into but at the same time I dread it a little bit because I know all the downsides?
To be honest I might be having all these doubts because I’m nervous about whether I’ll get offers from where I’ve applied (not confident about my interviews) but my concerns are also very reasonable. I just don’t want to reject any offers I might get then regret it later, if I pick a different career path.
Could anyone offer some advice or share any similar experiences x

Heyy I was in a very similar position to you when I did my a-levels. I got offers for medicine but I didn't achieve the grades on results day. I also realised I didn't want medicine that bad and I didn't wanna go through a resit and application process again. I'm now doing pharmacy at uni and I find it to be such a fulfilling career because you get the same level of patient contact but a better work-life balance. The salary will obviously be a bit less then medicine but the job security is still there. I would suggest waiting to see if you get any offers first. And regardless of your offers, over the summer get some work experience in pharmacy to see what the job is like and if you'd like it (bear in mind that hospital pharmacy will be a lot more clinical than community) and then also wait till results day to make your decision

I’m in year 13 and have applied to medicine to start in September, and I’ve just finished my interviews so am waiting to hear back from the unis. Butttt I’m not sure I want to go into medicine anymore.
I’m a very anxious but driven person. I’ve had the idea in my head that I want to be a doctor for 3-4 years and the main few times that I’ve doubted that choice have been when I’ve been in a bad place with my mental health (I have semi frequent depressive episodes) and didn’t think I could manage the stress without losing the will to live. Since I’m always going to have low points like that, I think they will only get worse the more stress I have, which will be the case if I pursue medicine (at least until I become a consultant which is too far away to even think about).
Last yr my family convinced me that I should still apply for med (my dad is a doctor and my sister is a medical student) because of the job security and the salary is still good compared to many other jobs and because I will grow into the profession as I mature as a person. And aside from the hours, conditions and pay I really believe it’s a fulfilling, rewarding job. When I was looking at other uni courses they were mostly healthcare oriented or would help me get into a healthcare job later on - pharmacy, biomed or bio sciences.
To be honest I think I’m capable of going through medical school but I’m not sure I actually want to anymore. When I applied in Oct I fully felt that I was ok to make some sacrifice around work-life balance but I don’t think I want it that badly anymore. I have lots of other interests (philosophy, languages, art) and I think while medicine is fulfilling in its own way I want to have other interests and hobbies and not have all my energy sucked up by my job. I think if I were to reapply next year I would likely apply for pharmacy, because it’s still in the realm of healthcare and I think I would quite enjoy the course. I don’t mind my studies being intense or difficult however medicine requires SO many years of training before you get to a point with decent work life balance. I want to exist outside of my career. Medicine is really the only career I’ve felt passionate about going into but at the same time I dread it a little bit because I know all the downsides?
To be honest I might be having all these doubts because I’m nervous about whether I’ll get offers from where I’ve applied (not confident about my interviews) but my concerns are also very reasonable. I just don’t want to reject any offers I might get then regret it later, if I pick a different career path.
Could anyone offer some advice or share any similar experiences x

I’m in year 13 and have applied to medicine to start in September, and I’ve just finished my interviews so am waiting to hear back from the unis. Butttt I’m not sure I want to go into medicine anymore.
I’m a very anxious but driven person. I’ve had the idea in my head that I want to be a doctor for 3-4 years and the main few times that I’ve doubted that choice have been when I’ve been in a bad place with my mental health (I have semi frequent depressive episodes) and didn’t think I could manage the stress without losing the will to live. Since I’m always going to have low points like that, I think they will only get worse the more stress I have, which will be the case if I pursue medicine (at least until I become a consultant which is too far away to even think about).
Last yr my family convinced me that I should still apply for med (my dad is a doctor and my sister is a medical student) because of the job security and the salary is still good compared to many other jobs and because I will grow into the profession as I mature as a person. And aside from the hours, conditions and pay I really believe it’s a fulfilling, rewarding job. When I was looking at other uni courses they were mostly healthcare oriented or would help me get into a healthcare job later on - pharmacy, biomed or bio sciences.
To be honest I think I’m capable of going through medical school but I’m not sure I actually want to anymore. When I applied in Oct I fully felt that I was ok to make some sacrifice around work-life balance but I don’t think I want it that badly anymore. I have lots of other interests (philosophy, languages, art) and I think while medicine is fulfilling in its own way I want to have other interests and hobbies and not have all my energy sucked up by my job. I think if I were to reapply next year I would likely apply for pharmacy, because it’s still in the realm of healthcare and I think I would quite enjoy the course. I don’t mind my studies being intense or difficult however medicine requires SO many years of training before you get to a point with decent work life balance. I want to exist outside of my career. Medicine is really the only career I’ve felt passionate about going into but at the same time I dread it a little bit because I know all the downsides?
To be honest I might be having all these doubts because I’m nervous about whether I’ll get offers from where I’ve applied (not confident about my interviews) but my concerns are also very reasonable. I just don’t want to reject any offers I might get then regret it later, if I pick a different career path.
Could anyone offer some advice or share any similar experiences x

oh my god I’m in the exact same position. except i’ve already got offers so its not about that fear or rejection. like i know i could get through medicine if I REALLY REALLY tried, but I don’t want to try that hard. I don’t want to study so much and I honestly don’t really care about the pay either. I went into medicine because there was literally nothing else besides dentistry that I was interested in. but dentistry was the same amount of studying and even more competitive to get into so i went with medicine. but now i don’t think i wanna do medicine. But i don’t wanna regret not doing medicine either when i literally have offers people die to get. ugh being indecisive is not fun.

Have you done much work experience? The real reason for doing work experience is NOT to tick a box on an application or talk about at interview but to decide if you would like the job. I know of more than one aspirational medic who changed tack after work experience. It might be worth looking at doing some more work experience specifically with this in mind. The other thing to consider, and this might seem quite heretical - you don’t need to be a doctor once you have completed your medical degree. You could go into research or leave medicine completely and go into law or accountancy!

Pay and job security are bad reasons to go into any healthcare career - do you love caring for people and making a difference? If it's your vocation you'll more than likely get over the anxiety and difficulty of it, if it's not the pay/job security won't keep you motivated. I second getting some work experience, or a related job if you're 18+, you really need to get an idea of what it's like before you commit. If those aren't an option you could think about studying something related now and doing postgrad medicine later on if you're still interested in it - nursing or an allied health profession are great options if you're more interested in the human side, biomed or pharmacy if the science side appeals more. All of those lead to great careers if you don't end up doing medicine after and keep the option to transfer open if you want to

oh my god I’m in the exact same position. except i’ve already got offers so its not about that fear or rejection. like i know i could get through medicine if I REALLY REALLY tried, but I don’t want to try that hard. I don’t want to study so much and I honestly don’t really care about the pay either. I went into medicine because there was literally nothing else besides dentistry that I was interested in. but dentistry was the same amount of studying and even more competitive to get into so i went with medicine. but now i don’t think i wanna do medicine. But i don’t wanna regret not doing medicine either when i literally have offers people die to get. ugh being indecisive is not fun.

this is literally me, have u got anywhere with deciding? for me it's also about like having a good uni life aswell, but how can I reject a medicine offer, like won't I regret it my whole life??

I’ve decided to go for medicine. Obviously all the studying is still off putting, but if I actually hate it THAT much when i’m in degree then worse comes to worse I’ll just drop out. It’s never that deep i guess, I’m still young and I can’t expect myself to ever be 100% sure about what I’m going for, so might as well just try out medicine. As for your major concern, actually enjoying uni, in a medical degree you can’t expect night outs every week or every other week, maybe in year 1 but it’s gonna get tough in year 2. I don’t think it’s a huge sacrifice though, you still have summers and term breaks, and if you start at 18 (I am) you’re gonna graduate by 23 then two foundation years so you’ll be pretty relaxed by 25. That’s my take on it anyway, dropping out is always an option if I hate it that much, but I don’t wanna regret not even trying.

I’m in year 13 and have applied to medicine to start in September, and I’ve just finished my interviews so am waiting to hear back from the unis. Butttt I’m not sure I want to go into medicine anymore.
I’m a very anxious but driven person. I’ve had the idea in my head that I want to be a doctor for 3-4 years and the main few times that I’ve doubted that choice have been when I’ve been in a bad place with my mental health (I have semi frequent depressive episodes) and didn’t think I could manage the stress without losing the will to live. Since I’m always going to have low points like that, I think they will only get worse the more stress I have, which will be the case if I pursue medicine (at least until I become a consultant which is too far away to even think about).
Last yr my family convinced me that I should still apply for med (my dad is a doctor and my sister is a medical student) because of the job security and the salary is still good compared to many other jobs and because I will grow into the profession as I mature as a person. And aside from the hours, conditions and pay I really believe it’s a fulfilling, rewarding job. When I was looking at other uni courses they were mostly healthcare oriented or would help me get into a healthcare job later on - pharmacy, biomed or bio sciences.
To be honest I think I’m capable of going through medical school but I’m not sure I actually want to anymore. When I applied in Oct I fully felt that I was ok to make some sacrifice around work-life balance but I don’t think I want it that badly anymore. I have lots of other interests (philosophy, languages, art) and I think while medicine is fulfilling in its own way I want to have other interests and hobbies and not have all my energy sucked up by my job. I think if I were to reapply next year I would likely apply for pharmacy, because it’s still in the realm of healthcare and I think I would quite enjoy the course. I don’t mind my studies being intense or difficult however medicine requires SO many years of training before you get to a point with decent work life balance. I want to exist outside of my career. Medicine is really the only career I’ve felt passionate about going into but at the same time I dread it a little bit because I know all the downsides?
To be honest I might be having all these doubts because I’m nervous about whether I’ll get offers from where I’ve applied (not confident about my interviews) but my concerns are also very reasonable. I just don’t want to reject any offers I might get then regret it later, if I pick a different career path.
Could anyone offer some advice or share any similar experiences x