<p>should i go premed simply because i feel like i should, and that i want my family/parents/grandparents and the like to be happy? i mean, i think being a doctor would be a fine occupation, and it's not like i hate the idea or anything. (actually, i don't really have much of an idea what i want to do, but my parents are like A DOCTOR, BECOME A DOCTOR) so i've doubled on the sciences every year and done only mediocre in them... even though i've tried harder in them than my english/humanities classes, i always manage excellent grades in english/classics. so i really do think i'm more english/history/reading/writing orientated ... although i'm decent at math, science concepts DO NOT come easily to me at all (bio i'm decent, chem + physics are HELLISH, emphasis on the physics) </p>
<p>premed students SHOULD be good at bio, chem and physics, right? what if no amount of studying help you in those areas? should i just give up becoming a doctor? :( ...</p>
<p>You should be a doctor because you want to, you won't appreciate it if you you aren't doing it for yourself. The path to becoming a doctor is too long and too expensive if you don't really want it. I really do not believe that anyone should go into medicine simply because it is a good paying or prestigous position. It's not a matter of not being good at science or not enjoying science, although that does play a role.</p>
<p>Believe me, being a pre-med is not the most fun thing, and medical school (at least the first year) is even more discouraging. If you can't look at being a doctor as an accomplishment FOR YOURSELF, then you won't make it through. </p>
<p>What I would do if I were you is ask your parents why they think you should be a doctor. What do they see in you that makes it seem like you would be good at it. If they point to things that make sense (like you are really good with people and have always asked questions about the body, or something), then maybe you should consider what they have to say. However if you find that they are only pushing you that way for the salary, or the prestige, or some other reason, then you need to talk to them that it's not something that you can see yourself doing. </p>
<p>Think about it this way. If you go through the pre-med trek, you're going into debt over 150k (just for med school - more if you have to take out loans for undergrad) for a profession that you are just doing for other people. You'll be at least 26 with that debt, with a job that you are going to working 80 hours a week for about $45000 year for at least three years.</p>
<p>I'm a pre-med student who is going to be a sophomore in college this coming fall. I enjoy the work and I'm happy I'm doing the whole pre-med thing. But it's extremely hard work. Like you, I'm better in the humanities than the sciences. I'm good at science, and my GPA for first year was on track with what I was hoping for, but I am better at history, English, etc. I have to work so much harder at the sciences to get a good grade. But it's worth it to me, because (1) I like science even though it's harder for me; and (2) I love being pre-med and knowing I'll (hopefully) be a doctor someday.</p>
<p>If I wasn't totally motivated to do medicine, I would be absolutely miserable right now. Pre-med is hard enough for people who want to do it; I can't even imagine how hard it would be if you lacked enthusiasm for it. </p>
<p>And then what about beyond your undergrad years? Med school is very, very expensive, not to mention lots harder than undergrad work (obviously). And residency requires 80+ hours a week and nights spent on-call, where you get little or no sleep. Like undergrad, med school and residency are hard enough for people who want to be there. I don't understand why someone would want to put themselves through all that if they didn't really want it.</p>
<p>You cannot let your parents convince you to go into medicine if that's not what you want to do. And you have to WANT to do it, not just be okay with doing it because they want you to. I know a kid whose parents wanted him to go to med school, so he chose an obscure science major (NOT that you have to choose a science major to go to med school, but apparently he thought you did), wound up not going to med school, and is now stuck with a degree in a field he (a) doesn't like and (b) can't get a job in. Basically, the whole point of this long post is that you need to do what you want to do. It's your life. You're the one who's going to have to get up and live it every day, not your parents. Do what you love.</p>
<p>Agree with above posters. Don't go into medicine unless you really, really think you will love it. The schooling is hard yes, but living a life doing a job (and that's what it will be if you don't love it) you don't care for will be miserable. The life of a physician is not an easy one (that's all on another thread). Many people think "doctor" equals respect and that is want they want for their children, but there are SO many other profesesions just as "respectable". I have a son in premed (at this point), a husband who is a physician and a brother who is a physician and I keep counseling my son to keep his mind open to all possibilities. Undergraduate school is a time for exploration, see what appeals to you or as my generation used to say "what turns you on".</p>
<p>I would better like to hear that you want to be a doctor for yourself, not just to impress your friends and family. Im not trying to criticize you or make you feel bad but I think that if you are intrinsically motivated, you would have a much better experience and suceed in those classes if you wanted. Science classes are just alot harder and they take more time but its not impossible. I think that the only way your "not a science person" is if you say it yourself.</p>
<p>Im personally insecure myself but I work hard and suceed in them thats all it is. Believe me, im not exactly the brightest person either. Its all up to you!</p>
<p>"Think about it this way. If you go through the pre-med trek, you're going into debt over 150k (just for med school - more if you have to take out loans for undergrad) for a profession that you are just doing for other people. You'll be at least 26 with that debt, with a job that you are going to working 80 hours a week for about $45000 year for at least three years."</p>
<p>That's exactly why my parents DONT want me to become a doctor. But i'm still striving for it. But I don't have any experience at all. I just want to step up to the challenge to see if I can do it. And I do want to help people. I'm not in it for the money, I know about all the debts, insurance, and malpractice doctors have to face.
This is a silly question but is it wrong that one of my reasons for wanting to be a doctor is because I watched too many medical shows?</p>
<p>I'm pretty much in the same boat as precocious. i'm going to be a senior in high school and i don't know what i want to do in college. my parents tell me that the medicine field is the most 'stable of all' -- there will always be a need for doctors, and the salary is of course extremely generous, ' you can live happily ever after', especially in a world that's getting harder to live in, right? but i really am not that interested in medicine. i like science, but i just can't see myself practicing medicine for the rest of my life. i really like english, and am thinking about becoming an english professor ( a long time from now), but my parents tell me that i won't earn enough money from that. it's really frustrating</p>
<p>do i need to know a major before i choose a college or
can i choose a college, and then a major? </p>
<p>this has always been a HUGE, MASSIVE, issue for me. i come from a medical family, and i think i'm going to 'cut the umbilical cord' by not doing medicine. okay that sounded retarded, but yeah, im done.</p>
<p>bica24,
When you apply to university, you can select a major, or you can check the "Undecided" box. I believe most, if not all universities in the US and Canada allow students to change majors up until the end of the 2nd (sophomore) year. After that it becomes more difficult to change because of the upper level courses. I think the only thing you need to know is which faculty you want to go into (Arts and Science, Applied Sciences/Engineering, etc.) because it can be difficult to switch faculties.</p>
<p>I don't understand why people are so slow to adapt to the reality that in a very short time, medicine is likely to become less- and less-well-compensated over time - welcome to managed care, universal health care, and a whole host of economic complexities.</p>
<p>Bica,
I know both my son's colleges didn't allow one to "declare" a major until 2nd semester soph. year. Yes, they both had an idea and chose their classes accordingly though. My daughter-in-law went to Chapel Hill and changed her major 4 times and still graduated in 4 years (math to french to business school and finally anthropology). You do realize that you can major in English or whatever and take the prereqs. for med. if you want to leave that door open. You do not need to major in a science in order to apply to med school (if you should desire that later)</p>
<p>thanks for the replies, CCers. the thing i dont understand is.. why would someone major in something NOT medicine-related, if they want to eventually go into med school. you know? like wouldn't it be smart to major in something that will be very important to the medical field? i would love the idea of majoring in english, or pyschology and eventually going into med school, but wouldnt i be behind? also, if you major in biology or chemistry wouldn't that help you out for MCATs</p>
<p>You get enough science in the prereqs for the mcats--2 classes of bio, inorg and org chem, physics (some schools require biochem, calc-have to check individual schools). You are not penalized in any way by not majoring in a science and if you decide to go to medschool you will have all the basic sciences along with everyone else the first year or two--things like anat/phys, pharm, etc. Take at look at mdapplicants.com--think you can search by schools, scores, etc. and it will show applicants majors. By not majoring in a science, in your case, it may be leaving more doors open for you to explore. If science is a student's main interest, by all means major in it. Also take a look at some of the threads under premed--they can be helpful to you.</p>
<p>Bica, you can major in anything under the sun for pre-med you just need to do that classes required. </p>
<p>Now for people in general who's parents are pushing them. If you don't want it, dont do it. Its your life, not your parents so they shouldn't control it. If you think you might be interested look into the field yourself, look at the training mostly. Also look at the declining pay for many specialties and rising medical malpractice insurance cost. These are factors that will be very real in your carrer. If you think you can deal with everything and you are 100% sure want to do it, then do it. If you aren't, think long and hard or you will have big debt and big problems later on in life.</p>
<p>Tangents,
I can tell you that both my husband's and brother's pay has decreased steadily over the last 10 years. Medicare often doesn't reimburse enough to cover the actual cost of procedure, the physician must cover his a** with diagnostic tests (due to litigious society) but many times insurance will not pay if "they" do not deem test necessary---I could go on, but you get the general idea. The more the gov't is involved, the poorer the quality of care and the less reimbursement.</p>
<p>What about practicing medicine abroad? After residency and board certification can you generally find positions open in let's say the Middle East region/East Asia (Given you don't speak the language). How do doctors in other countries deal with insurance and whatnot. </p>
<p>Does this apply to all Doctor's or only certain fields like internal medicine?</p>
<p>Applies to most fields. Doctors with very little responsibility - i.e. those that can pass it off to a specialist - will see a decline in income without the malpractice issues, but it applies to almost all fields.</p>
<p>And if you're expecting to find higher salaries in anything - much less medicine - overseas, sorry, you're out of luck.</p>
<p>Meh I was just curious on comparable salaries not higher. I know some of those small city-states in the Middle East want american doctors while they pay for living expenses etc. which is an attractive offer for me at least but again I was just curious. As for Medicare insurance, If a hospital employee's you, then don't you already get an annual salary so the hospital has the headache of dealing with the insurance? For private practive I can understand the declining salaries.</p>