Session 29

Today's episode is a lot different from the previous sessions where Ryan and Rich pull out a question from the OldPreMeds.org forum. In this session, Ryan reads out a post sent by someone over at the same forum as he bids goodbye to being a premed.

Hopefully, this session will help you gain insights into your journey towards becoming a physician and pay attention to your thought process as to whether this is something that you really like and if so, whether you’re willing to put all the work in.

Some points from the poster’s letter:

• Realizing this is not a path he/she will complete
• Struggling for the past six years to study for the MCAT but unfruitful
• Having very poor study habits and knowledge of the MCAT sciences is very lacking
• Only made it through college because professors were generous at allowing them cheat sheets during exams and having open book during the final exams

“You have to ask yourself if you want it. Then you have to ask yourself if you want it bad enough to actually put the work into it and do it.”

Poster’s realizations:

• Not willing to put the effort into overcoming the barriers of entry to medical school.
• He/she values time to self and family more than the prospect of becoming a doctor
• Enjoys being a musician more than studying for the MCAT which he/she finds stressful and depressing

“My admission here is not that I do not think I'm capable. It is that I do not think I am willing. Too much false hope from too many people and not enough listening to those who warned me along the way. Not enough paying attention to how the really hard classes indicated that I would not make it.”

Here are the insights from Ryan:

This is a very common thought process for people as they make the decision of whether or not to continue this path or jump ship and find something else to do.

• Take some time and do some self-inspection.
• Figure out if this is really what you want to do.
• You have to be willing to put in the time and effort to do well in your classes.
• Take a deep look inside yourself and ask yourself if this is worth it.