I want to be a doctor..but I'm afraid my ability doesn't meet the doc standard, what should I do?

Question

Hi everyone,

My dream career is being a doctor, but the problem is..I'm afraid I'm not smart enough to be one. I think my GPA is okay (not that high like some ppl, but i think I can improve it) right now, and I know I have to work hard to study for the MCAT...However, I'm still doubting if I can stand the pressure of medicine. I heard that medical school is extremely difficult, and many(?) students drop out.

I volunteer in a hospital, and I know for sure this career is right for me, but my intelligence isn't great like some ppl.
I'm scared that I might waste my energy on this pre-med path then disappoint myself later on.

For this reason, I don't have a lot of motivation to do well in school like I used to..I get lazy very easily, and I procrastinate like crazy these days. .I know I have to study hard to compete with other pre-meds, but I just can't find any motivation anymore..but I really want to be a doctor...

What should I do?

Answer 1

Self-talk is one of the strongest languages in the universe. If you want to be a doctor then start telling yourself that you are going to be one of the best doctors around. You are not dumb or stupid therefore you can do this.

When you go to the hospital to volunteer, see yourself as a doctor in the hospital and see the people depending on you for their health needs. Visualize yourself as a doctor. Visualization is a powerful tool. Don't let anyone take your dream away, and that means you too. Don't cheat yourself out of something because you didn't have all the facts and you didn't have any confidence in your own ability.

Worse case scenario would be if you dropped out. OK say you do drop out after say a couple of years of pre-med, will your life end? No! Will you be considered a failure by the rest of the world? No! Will you have gained knowledge that you would not have otherwise? Yes! Could you channel this new knowledge into a different career? Yes! So what did you lose? Nothing!

Go for your dream and take it to the stars. If you don't reach for the stars you will be earthbound all your life (that means you will be very unhappy for the rest of your life) :-)

Answer 2

If you're still in high school, major in a science in college/university rather than something called pre-med. Chemistry or biology would be good. Make sure you get at least the chemistry, biology, and physics credits as a pre-med would get. Then, if you decide against med school, you'll have a B.S. in another profession ready-made.

In other words, procrastinate.

Medical school is hard, but once they're there, few students drop out. Go to amazon.com or alibris.com and see if you can pick up a cheap copy of "Not an Entirely Benign Procedure" by Perri Klass. She recounts her years at Harvard med.

Answer 3

The good news is, if you have what it takes to get into med school, you most likely have what it takes to finish (med schools have a high graduation rate). If you can get through a year each of general chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, and biology, with a decent GPA, I'd say you are smart enough. You'd never make it past these classes (particularly organic chem. and physics) if you weren't smart. Trust me. Most students struggle in the introductory classes (gen chem. and bio). Your performance in the lower level science classes will be a good indication of how well you will (not) do in the tougher classes. The only way you will know is if you try. Take a few courses and TEST your aptitude, interest, and motivation. You will need both. Intelligence is worthless and will do you no good without motivation. For med school itself, an excellent memory will definitely come in handy, as your primary concern from there on out will be biology, and in-depth study of anatomy and physiology. Most of the detailed organic chemistry and physics you were forced to learn to demonstrate your intelligence will be safely and happily discarded by most students. These classes are "weed-out" classes, so it's important for you to realize that you will not need to concern yourself with these subjects after they have served their purpose in getting you into med school. Of course it depends on your chosen specialty, but from looking at the med school cirriculum at a couple of schools, a thorough understanding of biology, not surprisingly, is the sole focus of the med school education. This is why it is crucial for you to have a keen interest in biology, but not necessarily the other subjects I mentioned. If you like biology, you should be motivated enough to get through, so you will definitely need to test your motivation by taking some bio courses (upper level when possible). Good luck.

Answer 4

the first step is to stop discouraging yourself. you can be a good doctor ONLY if you want to be a good doctor. if you have the passion for it, then you know better than anyone else that you can do it. If anything, do it to prove to your family that you are very much capable of getting into med school and becoming a doctor. yes, med school is difficult, but those who dropped out really don't want to do it.

Answer 5

I say go for it. What happens if you don't, and it you realize that that's what you truly wanted to do... but it's too late? As far as not being "smart enough", don't worry about it. you say you can improve your GPA, that shows that this is what you want to do and you know it. If this is really for you, if it was meant to happen...it'll happen.

As far as being scared about dropping out. Don't worry about it. I had a simular situation this year, i started taking an AP history class. [ one of the hardest classes in my school to be exact.] everyone told me that i would drop out. well it's second semester and i'm holding an 87% in that class.

The point it is, if you drop out, you drop out. big deal; at least you'll know that you tried your hardest. and that there's something so much better out there for you.

So just go for it! good luck to you =]

Answer 6

I would look 24 hours into the future

Answer 7

If you lack the confidence to follow through in medicine, it is best to decide on something else now, instead of wasting valuable time.

Answer 8

Medical school is real tough. Are you taking AP classes?

Answer 9

change careers/goals...if you have doubts now...you will have alot more later