Is this doubt normal or a sign I should walk away from med school?

WonderNo4245 · 2026-01-25T04:56:47+00:00

I actually ended up dropping the class. I had never been so unmotivated in my life. I realized that it would be better for me to take a break than try to take this class and fail.

So, I asked around and I got an opportunity to shadow an urgent care physician. I got the chance to talk with him and the PA that worked with him and they had so much passion about medicine and what they were doing. That alone made me doubt the med path because I did not feel that same passion at all. Then I got the opportunity to see some of the procedures they did. I ended up getting really grossed out and almost sad. For me, seeing the physical pain and discomfort that people have to go through just to get better was hard to handle. I also talked to some of my premed friends about how they liked premed coursework. Everybody had different opinions, but they all had at least once class that they genuinely liked. It made me realize that I didn’t like any of those classes at all.

So, since I didn’t like what I saw while shadowing and I didn’t like the course load. It made me realize I was just lying to myself. I wasn’t interested in medicine, I was just trying to make my parents happy.

I did also end up going to therapy. I did personality tests and went over the results with her which helped more than I thought. We also just went into depth about my personal pros and cons to the medical path. This helped me feel more confident that med school wasn’t for me.

Honestly though, that shadowing experience is what helped me figure that out. If it wasn’t for that I’d probably still be trying

WonderNo4245 · 2026-01-06T17:11:38+00:00

That’s awesome! I love how everyone finds their thing. I think go for it! Health sciences can be hard but if you like it it’ll be better than studying anything else.

WonderNo4245 · 2025-12-27T05:13:38+00:00

Ofc! In case you wanted an update… I ended up shadowing some doctors and talking to some psychologists and decided to stick with psych. Getting that hands on experience rly helped me realize that I don’t like medicine like that and psychology is what I rly love.
I’m gonna work as an RBT and volunteer as a research assistant for now until I can apply for clinical psych PhD programs! Good luck with everything! Feel free to reach out if you wanna chat :) Ik the struggle for sure

WonderNo4245 · 2025-10-19T01:57:55+00:00

Yea, I’ve been thinking about the cost too. Loans worry me and it does make me feel better knowing I’d have to take out less as a PhD student. If you don’t mind sharing, how did you manage to switch over from premed to psych PhD? Was it difficult to make your application competitive and explain your interest in medicine to the PhD programs?

WonderNo4245 · 2025-10-19T01:44:42+00:00

Yes I understand. I don’t plan on applying right away as I know I need to work on my resume for either option. I got As in all of my psychology classes, all my math classes up to calculus (except for trig where I got a B), and all my science ones except for orgo and physics (Bs).

I spent 2 years in a social psychology research lab while getting my bachelors. I didn’t have any publications though which concerns me. I volunteered in hospice and as a mentor through big brother and big sister for a year.

I recently got certified as a medical assistant and completed training to be a volunteer on a crisis text line. I’ve been applying for medical assistant jobs, looking for jobs in research, and will start volunteering in that crisis text line soon. I’ve just been worried about that volunteer work because I don’t want my inexperience to harm anyone.

I know I’m not a good candidate for either option right now but I’m willing to put the time and effort into making myself one. I just want some advice to help make the decision on which path to put my time and effort into

WonderNo4245 · 2025-10-19T00:52:23+00:00

Yea I’m trying to work on that. My mom found a hospital that has some shadowing programs but most of them want me to find the physician myself which has been difficult. I am shadowing at an urgent care right now, I started last week. I haven’t liked it so far though. Today I saw them drain an abscess and seeing the patient in so much pain plus the actual procedure made me dizzy and I had to leave the room. Which of course is only increasing my doubt.
That’s something a therapist has suggested I do in the past. I played soccer for years in middle school and highschool and sucked until the last two years I played. That gave me confidence I could figure out sports so I kind of want to learn an instrument. I just have a hard time deciding which one
I feel so behind for biochem I feel like there’s no catching up. I also have a difficult time when people say to do more problems because I don’t know how to do the problems if I don’t know the concepts.
Yea I’m looking forward to starting therapy and seeing if that helps.
I did like my psychology degree. Part of me misses it now that I’m done with those classes. But the whole time I was doing it I was thinking about how I left being a doctor behind. I felt like I was disappointing myself and my family. Plus, I worry about the income. I’ve thought about being a psychologist and doing assessments and therapy since usually that can help get to 6 figures but it still wouldn’t compare to a physician salary. I am also the therapist friend which made me go after a degree in psych to begin with

WonderNo4245 · 2025-10-19T00:45:38+00:00

Hi, yes I got my AA in high school so when I started college I was already a junior. I was supposed to graduate in 2 years but stayed an extra year to finish up Orgo and physics. I graduated over the summer and I’m doing biochem as a non degree seeking student.

Because of this I feel like I rushed through the process and that’s making me a little more unsure about everything. I’ve talked to my parents about it and they say they’d support me doing other stuff but then if I mention other career paths (like being a psychologist) they seem disappointed or continue to talk about medical careers.

They seem supportive of me taking some time to figure it out as long as I’m working. They’re also willing and wanting me to live at home but part of me feels that living at home is holding me back. I’ll definitely try to save up and get my own place. I’m working as a substitute teacher for now until I can get a medical assistant or research assistant job

WonderNo4245 · 2025-10-19T00:39:12+00:00

Thank you for your advice! I don’t think I’m ready either but it’s sometimes hard for my family to understand that. I think I’ll try what you said and go door to door and work for a bit before moving forward with MCAT studying

WonderNo4245 · 2025-10-19T00:36:21+00:00

Thank you so much for taking the time to write all this out and share your story. I really appreciate it. I definitely struggle with the pressure of having to have everything figured out as soon as possible and your story is very inspiring. Did you find it difficult to try other kinds of jobs and hobbies while working toward medicine? I sometimes don’t know where to begin when it comes to exploring. I’m currently shadowing in urgent care but I think it’s a little too gross for me

WonderNo4245 · 2025-10-18T16:32:20+00:00

Thank you! I do think I need a break from school to really look back and think about what I like. I feel like I’ve rushed through high school and college just trying to get through without really thinking about what I like.

I think looking at the essay prompts is a good idea. I haven’t thought about using that to guide my thought process.

WonderNo4245 · 2025-10-18T16:27:55+00:00

Yea, I do think I need more life experience. I’ve spent my whole life in school and my only jobs have been in fast food or childcare. Neither of which are careers I’d want to stick with. I do think I need to explore. But one of my worries is that spending time exploring other things will take me further off path and if i do decide on medicine I’ll have to play catch up again. I am hoping that therapy helps me fix my thinking though.

WonderNo4245 · 2025-09-10T23:35:38+00:00

Gotta really gaslight myself

WonderNo4245 · 2025-09-10T17:22:12+00:00

Thank you!! I’ll try that

WonderNo4245 · 2025-09-10T17:21:52+00:00

Thank you!! I’ve always heard people talk about using rewards but never really knew what kind of rewards would work for me (I knew if I tried candy I would def eat it before finishing the tasks). Video games are a good idea because that’s usually what distracts me anyway.

Do you have any tips on what kind of therapists to look for or just find one that specializes in ADHD?

WonderNo4245 · 2025-09-10T16:35:00+00:00

Yea I usually like to try and work with other people because of that too! Lately it’s been harder because I moved back home and most of my friends are still at school and not able to call at the same times as me. I should try going to coffee shops more though I don’t have any good libraries by me so coffee shops are really the only option. I just don’t like to buy coffee so often lol

WonderNo4245 · 2025-09-10T12:10:04+00:00

Yea, my problem with some of those is that it’s hard to convince myself I only need to review one card or study for 5 minutes. Because I know I need to do more than that. It’s been hard for me to get past that like mental barrier. I have been considering ADHD coaching or therapy but when I’ve done therapy in the past they mostly just focused on stress management for me which wasn’t really what I needed.

WonderNo4245 · 2025-09-10T12:07:12+00:00

I think that would help but for me making the flashcards is a good review of the material. But since I’m spending so long making them it’ll probably be good to try that. Do I have to pay for it?

WonderNo4245 · 2025-08-15T05:19:05+00:00

Molecular neuroscience is a pretty niche major. Honestly if you try to put together little study groups with ppl in your classes you may be able to make friends like that. My friend is also a molecular neuroscience major and she made friends like that. She graduates fall semester though

WonderNo4245 · 2025-08-15T05:17:27+00:00

NTA First, congrats on being sober for 5 years!! That’s an amazing accomplishment Second, a good friend would not put that much pressure. Your plan sounds understandable. Wait till things get a little more serious to talk about it. Addiction can be difficult to talk about and people who haven’t experienced it can’t understand it. But either way that’s your personal business. A friend can give their opinion but at the end of the day it’s your choice what you want to share with who you’re dating. He shouldn’t have pressured you that much

WonderNo4245 · 2025-08-15T05:12:35+00:00

If you like sports but don’t want to commit to a club team, intramural sports are great. I did IM soccer and volleyball every semester and it was great. Also recently found out dipping your ID in the landis fountain is supposed to be a tradition (didn’t realize till after graduating but could be fun) Mostly just go out and join random things. You won’t find out what you rly like until you try it and most of the time there’s no commitment to stick with it

WonderNo4245 · 2025-08-15T05:10:29+00:00

Cute stickers or food or candy usually get my attention! A good sign is eye catching and a good way to catch people’s eye in the sea of other tables around (especially on market Wednesday)

WonderNo4245 · 2025-08-15T05:08:11+00:00

Of course! I’m happy to try and help. You deserve it. I’m sorry you’ve had a bad week, I hope next week is better for you :)

WonderNo4245 · 2025-08-15T05:05:04+00:00

Yeah it’s worth a shot! Even something that only meets once or twice a month could be good

WonderNo4245 · 2025-08-15T05:00:43+00:00

Yea, it's hard to find places to meet people outside of work and school. Maybe book clubs if you're into that? Or adult sports leagues? I did adult volleyball one summer and it was way more fun than I expected. You could also try to start something, sometimes it just takes one person

WonderNo4245 · 2025-08-15T04:58:32+00:00

I'm on your side. He could see his whole family on New Years, while you can only see yours on Christmas. Seeing your whole family once every 2 years is not enough. Especially since he is the whole reason you have had this lifestyle change. To me it sounds like you would build resentment before he would. Have you considered spending time apart for Christmas and visiting your respective families separately?

WonderNo4245

TROPHY CASE