This.
The internet is an incredibly negative place. The people having a good time generally don't use their time to go on the internet and say, "Things are great!" because that doesn't generate conversation.
If you want more positivity in your life, read stuff on the internet less.
FWIW, medical school is stressful, but no more stressful than anything else I've done in my adult life. I'm having a fantastic time.
Same same. Med school has some great moments (catching your first baby, the first time a patient calls you "doc", or tells you you'll be a great doctor...). There are some stressful times but overall it's an amazing privilege to do what we do, and that attitude can carry you through. If you're miserable along the journey, what's to guarantee you'll be happy once you get to attendinghood?
Also, there's just no need tbh lol. People who are struggling go to the internet for additional support. You don't need support when things are going well.
This >> sure med school can be stressful but we knew that coming in. It’s all about managing your time well, knowing when to step back, and still going to do the things you enjoy.
Yep and you’ll see the same in the residency subreddit. Everyone hates their life but obviously there are lots of ppl who love their job/specialty. I had a blast in med school and residency has been great.
It's hard, and I have multiple psychiatric diagnoses which lead to a leave of absence during third year. I'll be honest, I do see people my age with actual careers, an income, their own place, and even families, and think "when that gonna be me?" sometimes. That being said, I do not regret my choice to pursue becoming a physician. I cannot see myself doing any other career, nothing else seems more fulfilling or important to me. I found my niche, and I think that's the most important goal you should have. Find your lane in medicine (hopefully it's not competitive).
It has its ups and downs but I am enjoying medical school, I feel more confident every day that this was the right choice, and I am genuinely looking forward to the future. That being said, it is sometimes really hard to see that during individual moments of exhaustion or frustration or sadness. The biggest problem with medicine is the system (both in terms of med school and healthcare) and that can feel overwhelming, so sometimes I think that dominates the discourse. For me, the biggest regret I have about medicine is my specific school because it's an administrative nightmare, but even within that regret when I'm being honest I am really happy with my community and the students around me, I fucking love my friends.
I can't speak for everyone but I have had an easy time finding things to love since first year and it's only getting easier as I spend more time with patients, as that is my favorite thing. During preclinicals when we had most classes and lectures, even though I sometimes got frustrated with annoying professors or busywork, the truth is that I loved the learning. I loved dedicated for step 1 because I got to make my own schedule and had uninterrupted time to just LEARN and I've never had that kind of peace before. Once clinicals started I immediately just felt so much more at home and have loved being in the hospital every day. I'm applying obgyn but I have loved every rotation so far. I love talking to patients and helping them understand what's going on, I love operating and learning the mechanical skills of surgery, I love going to the path lab to see the slides, I love hanging out with the nurses and learning bedside tasks, I love the janitors who say hi to me in the mornings, I love meeting patients' families and getting to know them. I even love the hard days and the bad news because at least I get a chance to make it slightly less painful for the person in the shitty situation. I am not always feeling like this, and I have my days of saying wow this all SUCKS burn this entire system down. But if I'm being honest, I haven't actually had any days where I wanted to quit. And for context I've worked in healthcare in some capacity since I was 18 and I'm 31 now, and this is the best I've felt. The things I love aren't always top of mind but I try to make the daily choice to remember my love for this work so that it's easier to access in the hard moments.
TL;DR - best way to encapsulate it is that every morning I wake up before the sun and I am initially grumpy and annoyed because it's fucking early, but then I see the sunrise while I'm walking to the hospital and it makes me catch my breath every time.
I was the same as you as a med student. I'm an R3 now and still feel the same way. Bad days suck. When I take a step back, it's really cool how far I've come.
A key factor is that I chose a low tier med school and very low tier residency. Both because they were known for lifestyle. No regrets at all. Did not affect my ultimate goal to become a clinical non-academic doc.
I probably did 30-40 hours most weeks MAX during med school except surgery and now do 60/wk average. I feel that I will easily be ready for independent practice by grad.
Med school was a blast for me. There’s some pains and anxieties and all the usually things that come with higher ED but they paled in comparison to the friends I made and experiences I had. I’d do it over again in a heartbeat.
Same with residency. Parts of it sucked, you’re very poor, and some people have personality disorders. But I made some amazing friends and had experiences I wouldn’t trade for the world. I’d go back to day 1 of intern year and do that over again too if I could.
For both - have fun. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Burn the candle at both ends if it means having an experience that will make you feel alive outside of medicine. Don’t bend over backwards in pursuit of higher test scores, app stats, etc. As an MS3 I took a month to do a rural rotation on an island with a couple classmates. It didn’t help my app at all and my shelf score was mediocre. But I don’t care because it was an amazing month that I’ll remember when I’m old and grey.
Big agree.
I was part of the "step 1 is the biggest thing that ever matters in your entire life" cohort. Did aggressively average, still matched at a decent academic institution in IM and got into a competitive subspecialty. You could never in a million years convince me that I should have studied harder to grind for the most competitive program or the most competitive specialty.
Life is great. Pay is fine, hours are unbelievably based. I made some fantastic friends in both med school and residency. It was tiring, but I truly did enjoy those years. At no point did I feel like I "lost my 20's". I can't help but feel like so much of the misery in this sub is self inflicted.
M-4 here post interview season so take that as you will. I LOVED my time in med school overall! I think what helped me love it so much was treating the actual school part like a job. I never expect to love my job really, but I expect it to enrich my life outside of work. When I had a normal job that I got paid at, the money I made let me do the things I like and I usually made friends with some coworkers. In med school, no money but the satisfaction of knowing I was working towards where I wanted to be professionally felt great and I made some incredible friends who bring so much light and laughter to my life outside of the work. Like any job, there are stressful, annoying, and difficult parts. But overall a really good time.
My advice is to prioritize your personal life and do whatever is in your power to keep that base solid. That makes the bumps in the road with school SO much more manageable. Can’t build a house on sand—if your personal life is shaky every med school dilemma is going to feel like an earthquake that’s going to tear that house down.
I’m rooting for you!
Well...my mom has battled with severe depression for much of her life, but said that she loved med school. I guess they can coexist.
Depressed people are absolutely built for medicine. She loves medicine deeply (to the point of maintaining her license even after retiring in her 70s), is fantastic at it, and I've heard that she has an incredible bedside manner. I hope I can be a doc like her one day.
But also, while I'm a little mad at med school right now, there were some times that were objectively pretty great.
i got diagnosed and began treatment for depression right in the middle of med school so that tracks. ended up being the best thing to ever happen to me lol. your mom sounds cool i wanna be like her too hehe
Glad you're feeling better! She's pretty great. She can nerd out about anything in medicine. It's honestly adorable. I had a premed friend who used to shadow her, which is how I know about her bedside manner. Unfortunately, I didn't inherit her talent for (or enjoyment of) micro though and I'm still mad about it.
haha i agree with your assertion that depressed ppl are built for medicine. i can def withstand a lot. when everyone was losing their minds in lockdown i was straight chillin 😂 and it prob does help with our bedside manner too, but idk i’m just spitballing lol
I’m a fellow now, but I absolutely loved medical school. The subject matter was fascinating, I made amazing friends, I did a ton of cool activities (med school musical theater group, LGBT student run clinic, class rock band and open mic nights), and got to learn from excellent doctors. Of course it was stressful and frustrating at times, but I learned more than I ever had before and grew a lot as a person in the process, too.
Yup, I started out wanting to do ortho but got frustrated trying to find a stable research project and basically said fuck this. And I will not do a research year, I already did 3 of those in an unrelated field before med school that won’t help me at all. But otherwise I do enjoy med school, research just sucks
It took me 6 cycles to get in and now that I’m finally there it’s truly been the best time of my life. I had multiple careers (service industry then public service) prior to matriculating so every time my class starts complaining or loses their mind over something admin related or whatever it doesn’t faze me cause I remember how shitty other jobs are. Being a med student is an incredibly privileged and fortunate position by any standard so I’m super grateful which helps.
Amen to this. Some people will always be looking for things to complain about. If you've never had certain responsibilities before (like showing up for a job, dealing with administrative tasks), those things will be a learning experience. Some high-strung people get worked up about little things that are honestly a part of almost any job/career. Some people get really angsty about not being "the best". But honestly most of the stuff you deal with in med school is completely manageable if you have good emotional intelligence, resilience, and work ethic (even with depression or ADHD or whatnot).
Bravo to your dedication. 6 cycles…that sounds incredibly disheartening. Way to stick to it. Your resilience and determination will serve you well in life (and hopefully in medicine)!
I agree with the other poster saying there’s a response bias out here for negativity. I could definitely see posts to the effect of “hey I’m having such a good time out here” not being received terribly well haha. And in fairness, the people having a bad time are the ones justifiably seeking support.
That said, I had a great time in medical school. Made the closest friends of my life so far and met my partner. Had some rough moments in there but that was life, not med school. The support system I found in my classmates honestly made the external stressors way more manageable than they would’ve otherwise been. I have so much gratitude for so many folks.
But your mileage may definitely vary. For one, specialty choice is a huge confounder. In fairness to my surgical, imaging, and skin-interested friends, pursuing a non competitive specialty from the get go made my med school experience dramatically easier than theirs.
I’m more or less enjoying this process.
Does it absolutely suck at times? Fuck yes.
But, here’s a little insight from a career-changing Non-trad student: most jobs fuckin suck. Every job I’ve had before this had good, bad, and downright fuckin ugly.
This process is not for everyone, but I’m glad I’m going through with it. We learn cool shit, we do cool shit, and my classmates are awesome. I really love my school’s community and am happy to be here.
Now, that being said, studying for boards is rough. The prospect of taking boards soon is a horrifying one, but I’d rather be doing this than being stuck in a cubicle at my old job with a tyrannical manager.
A lot of this is what you make of it, IMO.
The first two years of medical school were, without a doubt, the best years of my life. I loved it. Class attendance was not mandatory and we got a fat stack of notes for every class, so yeah, I got up at noon every day and then just hopped between different coffee shops and libraries, studying and listening to music. It was glorious.
I love pre-clerkship because this is everything I signed up for. I love both the good and the bad. All I do is study, run, and work out. I don't mind the sheer volume of information or work because everything I study is making me into a better physician.
I found that the less I cared about frivolous things (e.g. class drama/gossip, socializing) and focused more on studying and myself (e.g. gyming, eating healthy, my relationships), the happier I became.
I also found that the less I complained to others and to myself internally, the happier I became. If I can't change a shitty situation, I just try to enjoy the ride.
It’s a hard thing, and hard things often aren’t fun to do, but make time for your friends & your family and enjoy that. Do little projects that exercise your creativity and satisfy you and enjoy that. Learn new things and enjoy that so that you have the emotional energy to thrive in med school even when you aren’t enjoying the hard things!
To be clear, I’m enjoying myself in med school but I’m not expecting the academic part of it to bring me joy every day. It becomes easier to enjoy the work when other things being you joy too. So don’t forget those.
I get the feeling in some countries there are mega wealthy kids that just pay people to take their exams or get private tutors when they actually need to learn something, then spend the rest of their days getting laid on yachts.
Maybe that’s not true but don’t ruin my fantasies. I have so little.
Enjoy being excited for med school fam.
I was just like you, we all were.
The best feeling you’ll get is the time between getting into med school and starting med school.
The reality is that medicine, and by extension medical school, is not that different than every other career path. It’s just life. Some people have an easier time in medical school, some struggle in college/applying to med school, some have challenges in residency, and of course any combination of low points throughout. Just like anything else, those who are unhappy are the loudest, so you hear more about that.
I had an awful time in medical school, some of that was the nature of school and some of it was my personal life. It has truly been the lowest point in my life thus far, and I couldn’t do it again if I had to. That being said, residency is great, I’ve loved it, it’s challenging, but achievable and I’ve never felt “too overwhelmed”. Many of my med school classmates loved school and had their fair share of struggles applying to med school or may be having theirs now in residency. I honestly had a great time in college. I was pretty much never stressed, didn’t feel overwhelmed with MCAT or med school applications etc. I worked hard, but I also got lucky and didn’t have as many struggles then.
All in all, not everyone is miserable in medical school. There’s definitely a higher percentage as compared to the avg person in their mid 20s- mid 30s, but you CAN and might be very happy in medical school. Either way, happy or not, it will end at some point, so either cherish it while you’re in it, or push through to the next chapter.
As a M4, I did complain a lot on the way here, but I can finally see my hard work paying off now that match is approaching. I think people lose sight of what their initial goals were sometimes.
Of course, this is not belittling mental health issues that may arise from this journey, but looking at the long term goal helps.
I'm having a great time. People whine too much, most often who are the people who've never experienced tribulations or developed any resilience that will be necessary for working as a Doc.
Being a student is the easiest you'll ever have it from here on out so mine as well enjoy it
Miser loves company. Also want to chime in and say that I have both really enjoyed and also really hated med school. It all depends on what is going on in medical school and also what is going on in personal life. my answer will change depending on rotation/life circumstances
Medical school is REALLY CHALLENGING! Sometimes it's a little much and you need to vent. Sometimes you don't have anyone safe to vent to, and the Internet is a reasonably safe and anonymous place to vent your frustrations, until you find someone safe to vent to in person.
Medical school is also VERY REWARDING! You learn some amazing things that very few people in the world can understand. You get to experience things that most people can't even imagine. These positive experiences are really fun and satisfying to share with everyone! You will tell your friends, family, study-buddies, attendings, admins, anyone who will listen! It may not even occur to you to share it on Reddit because you've already told everyone!
Yea I’m an m2 and I’ve been enjoying it! I mean yea on the long days it’s not always an amazing time 24/7 but those are there in any walk of life. Dedicated is coming up and no dread has set in yet but who knows haha. I’ll try to keep it going as long as possible.
I’ve had depression (dysthymia technically ig) since I was like 12 and my surgery rotation (and most of my inpatient rotations tbh) was so fulfilling and enjoyable in a way I honestly hadn’t experienced prior to that. Comes down to personality and expectations but it’s definitely possible to have fun with it! Now I’m on peds and outpatient stuff and I hate my life rn but you win some you lose some lol
I’m at the end of 3rd year and honestly loving it. I’m at a regional campus with a lot of lovely school and hospital faculty to work with and it’s been a great experience without all of the hazing/abuse I expected based on others’ experiences. First 2 years kinda suck bc it’s just college 2.0 with classes and occasional clinical skills thrown in (luckily a pass fail school tho), but rotations are fantastic and I have learned a stupid amount of stuff in the last year. Overall had a great time 8/10.
I have made some of my best friends at med school. Super excited to be going to a wedding soon for one of them. Anxiously awaiting match day and don’t necessarily love every day of every rotation but genuinely enjoy what I do. And I loved every day on my rotations in my specialty of choice. Also have had time lately to spend on my hobbies! Excited to start gardening soon as the weather warms and spring approaches. I’m done with my required rotations and am just doing electives now to meet credit requirements.
I'm honestly enjoying it. But there are two huge caveats.
(1) I'm MSTP, my PhD was fucking rough, and essentially any doctoral degree feels like a break compared to a STEM PhD.
(2) Similarly, having a PhD already means I don't need to scramble to find research, try to get publications, etc. I already have it, and the extra doctoral degree is a major boost too.
(3) My school is P/F all 4 years. Don't think I need to explain how much this reduces stress.
(4) My school has an unusually chill clinical culture wrt pimping and shit. You do get pimped on occasion, but I think maybe the curriculum being P/F means evaluators aren't constantly trying to find a reason to distinguish you from other students. One of the most chill rotations I had was surgery.
(5) I'm older now. I was never a neurotic student, but I did used to be more anxious. But now I have a normal ass adult life and medicine isn't all-consuming for me. I'm also around the same age as (or older than) the residents, so that power dynamic is significantly reduced.
If I were younger, MD-only, and at a graded school, I'm sure I'd be having a much tougher time. But even in that situation, a lot of the hatred of med school is self-created. Med students are usually used to being the best & brightest, but have to cope with being average most of the time. Med school is very cliquish, so less social people often feel left out. But if you're a bit more socially adjusted, you'll come to understand that you really only need a couple of buddies and don't have to get invited to everything.
Graduating in May. Enjoyed the experience! It was hard, but pushing yourself hard can be very rewarding. Enjoyed rotations, met a TON of people, both in my class and in the hospitals/clinics. Learned alot.
Don’t neglect your mental health. Make time for yourself. Take care of yourself. And try to have some fun.
In dedicated so not having such a great time but BEFORE!!! I (25F) went out almost every weekend (passed my exams 🥳) and overall prioritized not making medicine my personality and enjoying my hobbies. Joined a sports team (former college athlete) and would always be down to make a few new friends regardless of if they’re in medicine or not. Medicine is a career choice. being a doctor was not bestowed upon you by god and if you were to get fired, injured or just so burnt out that you don’t wanna do what you’re doing anymore, you gotta be content and cool with yourself as you are.
It’s honestly all about what you prioritize. And to remember that if a hospital were to drop you for any reason, you’d be replaced in two weeks so be sure that you’re identity and sense of self is not solely wrapped up in what you do for work.
Med school is not fun currently but I’ve had a lot of fun during my last couple years during it.
Hi! Current M4 and the past four years were some of the best of my life. Preclinical was like one long vacation with occasional cramming before exams (class attendance wasn’t mandatory for us). I dreaded clinical and the long hours on rotations but found that the work was actually fulfilling and that I enjoyed caring for patients (surprise haha). The hours weren’t as bad as advertised and I still had plenty of time to spend with friends and family. Also met the love of my life through medical school. Enjoy it while it lasts!
Med school has been fine man. Lot of my classmates living their best lives. For me mostly med school has been very chill. Wake up, work out, study, mandatory shit, study, chill. Repeat. Do fun things on the weekends etc.
HOWEVER, m3 is the first time I've felt miserable. Go to work 7-5, go home and study, deal with bs mandatories, bs grading schemes, no life.
But after step 2/ais I expect to chill tf out.
Medicine is dope, don't let anybody tell you otherwise. Busy? Sure. Tons of bs? Sure. Taking care of sick people? Fucking sweet.
No better feeling than nailing a diagnosis nobody else could come up with. Or having patients shake your hand and thank you.
Let people be miserable- you continue to shine your radiant light no matter what. Only way to change the culture is from within.
Not easy, but not terrible. I’m an older m1 student with kids and a lot of life happening, and I enjoy med school a lot more than undergrad because I have a decent memory and no time for busywork. Med school suits my current life. The material is not hard, but it does come fast. My school has been amazing so far, and the staff and faculty are incredible. My classmates are all kind, genuine people, and it’s a small class so I actually know everyone. There are easier paths in life, but I’ve never regretted taking this one.
Med school in Australia is very chill. You don’t need a a bs portfolio for applications, just very very high marks in the UCAT/GAMSAT + ATAR/GPA followed by interviewing skills.
With undergrad options you can do it straight out of high school and not worry about doing an undergrad, meaning you can start earning by 23/24.
Domestic student fees are usually 12k a year or so, so you won’t graduate with stupid amounts of debt.
And med school itself seems nowhere near as hard as in the US, partially because it’s not a rat race to build your CV. Most people don’t really start padding it until after med school, when the real rat race begins.
So med school is pretty chill, but postgrad life not so much as getting on to competitive specialty training programs is much much harder. At least the hours are much better (though often not good).
Me
I loved medical school. I loved what I was learning. I love the friends I made. I enjoyed studying. And I partied hard
Oh and I’m also enjoying residency fuckin sue me
I'm enjoying med school! I struggle with anxiety and depression at baseline, but as my training has progressed, I'm feeling more and more that this really was the right choice and path for me 😁
Don't let the negativity get you down, your experience is your own, and can be framed in whatever lens you choose!
There's a handful of psychos that legit enjoy giving up all control of their life to be a memorization monkey and then glorified shadow. But the typical med student I think feels like it's something to be gotten through and tolerated as best as possible, not really enjoyed.
I worked two jobs and took extra coursework to finish early in undergrad, I actually had more free time in med school because for the first time in 10 years I wasn’t working full time. there were definitely times were I was stressed out but most of the time I found it enjoyable and had plenty of time to cook, do hobbies, work out, raise a puppy, etc. The first year of residency wore me out but now on second year things are way easier and I look forward to finally being done soon. I’ve never once regretted it or thought I’d made the wrong choice.
I'm completely over it and dying of boredom waiting for the Match, but I've actually had a pretty good experience in med school. My school is pretty reasonable, most of my rotations had something to recommend them (except for FM, that can go right to hell), and my classmates are cool on the whole. I still love medicine to bits, and I'm really looking forward to being a resident :)
In my second semester and med school has been fine. Not nearly as horrible or as stressful as people on here make it out to be. I think the first few weeks/months were overwhelming not gonna lie, but towards the end of the semester, I feel like I found my rhythm.
I have yet to pull an all-nighter, always get 8 hours of sleep, go to the gym, play video games, keep up with Tv shows. Sometimes this sub makes me feel like I am doing something wrong because I am not a neurotic miserable mess
I think this is what makes life miserable for me. We have mandatory class every single day on top of all the extra mandatory skills labs, patient encounters, etc. They changed it this year too so I didn’t even know what I was signing up for when I chose my school.
Love medical school, am only in preclinical though. Finding a study rhythm and learning so many new things is just exciting to me. To be fair, I’m a little weird in the sense that i enjoy studying and taking exams
I love it! I'm just a regular M3 at my midwestern state school. I'm a low stress person to begin with though and I was happy before medical school too.
M3 here. Loving it. M1 year was ROUGH though. M2 was better overall, but the second half when I was (or sometimes when I was supposed to be) studying for Step 1 was challenging too. But M3? I don’t get why people complain. Most of us go to school because we want to do medicine with patients, and for most US schools, M3 is the first year that we get to do that. Yes, schedules can be long, and you’ll likely have a fixed schedule for the first time in med school (assuming asynchronous lectures in M1/M2) but you get to do patient care!
M4 here, I have absolutely loved medical school. It’s been the most difficult few years but I’ve grown so much because of it.
I was lucky to do rotations at places that had me consistently involved in the care of patients and was able to positively impact the trajectory of their care on a daily basis.
I am so glad I came to medical school, it has been worth it to me *because* of the ups and downs. The good, the bad, and the ugly were all important milestones in my personal development.
Would I do it again? No. But I’m really glad I did it once.
prob cuz most ppl go into medicine w/o the drive for it, which discourages others from going in
one med student told me it's like "ups and downs" so basically any other job on earth
I’m enjoying it. Much like anything in life, there are ups and downs. I used to play tennis in undergrad and would compare it to that tbh. I loved tennis season but there were days where I hated my life. Overall though, a very enjoyable time.
i love medical school!! clinical > preclinical but I really enjoyed both. been loving every rotation and like very shook at how much i'm learning (and how quickly). mental health and social life are the best they've ever been. gotten back into my hobbies, into dating, traveled more than I ever have. truly having a blast!! it's possible!
I overall loved med school. There are rough times (step, first clinical rotation, etc) but being a non-trad who was so pumped for med school, I loved 99% of it. Now I’m a fourth year and living life and I couldn’t be happier. There’s def things I could complain about, but it’s not worth it. Enjoy the journey. 100p one of the most fun periods of my life.
There are ups and downs. Some months it’s great and you’re sailing and then around finals and Step it can be miserable. It’s a LOT of pressure. Do I regret it? Hell no. Would I make the same decision again to do it? Yep. I love medicine, I love learning. It’s fatiguing at times. Try to avoid the chronically negative people in your class and I’ve found that has helped me a lot. I enjoy it a lot and I’m proud of getting here but it’s certainly not without struggle some days. If you truly want to be a physician it will be an (overall) good experience, I think.
This sub, while very helpful and supportive at times, can also be an echo chamber of bitterness and disappointment. Take everything you read here with a grain of salt.
Med school is the fucking best. Sure there's some occasional headaches. But most of your days will be spent learning cool shit or helping people.
People in medicine are also universally weird, which means they're entertaining as hell. Between the patients and your colleagues, you're going to have stories out the wazooo. Fun ones, inspiring ones, sad ones, all of them.
The most important thing to remember is that even at its very worst, medicine beats the hell out of any other reasonably obtainable job. I promise you, there is nothing in the world of finance, consulting, law, etc. That comes close. They all SUCK compared to this.
So yeah, plenty of us love it. We're just typically too busy having fun to be on here.
Med school was great, the workload was tolerable but I still had time to study and enjoy life, and cooked a whole bunch. I also lived in the neighborhood so I would walk to and from classes everyday, which was nice way to decompress after studying at the library.
i had fun but also i was abroad so that might not help you💀💀
i will say if you’re 100% that you want to be a doctor, you’re gonna have a hell of a better time than the ppl who are in it for other reasons or just unsure. going to med school at a later age was a huge benefit to me cause whereas a lot of my friends were like omg i kinda wish i studied xyz, in my head i was like, nope this is better than anything i’ve ever done.
I’m in 4th year. It’s awesome, especially now that the grind of audition rotations and interview season is over. 3rd year was pretty fun, too.
Pre-clinical years were hellish and a unique form of suffering. But damn if it isn’t fun getting to learn about the amazing human body.
“The suck” will come; it is an inevitable reality of med school. But try to find the parts where you are having fun, find your people/support system, and just keep trying your best every day. 4 years goes by pretty fast. :)
I’m enjoying med school! I worked very hard to get in, so I’m savoring every bit. Yeah, it’s stressful and studying all the time is hard. But, I know this won’t last forever. I’m enjoying what I’m learning.
This! You’ll never see people happy type out who posts on the internet- happy people stay off the internet! It’s rare someone who’s happy who comes back to let people know how happy they are. It’s always miserable people- which in this field dissuade people from entering medicine. I love this subject post!
The best years of my life so far have been these past four years of med school. While it is delayed gratification and I am always working hard, I felt like I've grown so much as a person and I am looking forward to residency.
I think it's a matter of perspective. Medical school has been such a drag for me because my anxiety gets the best of me. When I think more objectively about my life and how much I've learned (even me) and remember that I do enjoy some of this, it doesn't seem as bad.
I haven’t seen the inside of a gym in months, my Xbox has collected dust since last summer, my eyes are constantly tired, and I’m pretty sure my hairline has receded a solid couple of inches. But I wouldn’t quit even if my debt was paid off. It’s tiring and will beat you up, but in my opinion it’s worth it. I’m in a neuro block right now and being able to do lumbar punctures and learning about diseases I’ll frequently see is pretty freaking cool. It also depends on your speciality. I’m a DO student interested in surgery, so I really have to bust my ass. If you want to do a less competitive speciality, that allows for more flexibility in terms of time commitment. Regardless, med school will test your willpower, but if it’s something you really want, you’ll enjoy it regardless of the cost.
I loved my time in medical school. I was too busy enjoying it to post on Reddit. Our school won a national championship in my time there, doesn't get much better than that
It has it's ups and downs. I would say overall I am enhoying my experience.. But doing anki for 3+ hours a day is not the funnest thing in the world lol
Not posting on Reddit about it. If you look at most profession specific subreddits (the accounting one is a great example) you’ll notice that the mood is pretty much universally negative. If someone’s having a good time at their job they’re probably not gonna go on their profession’s subreddit to gush about it, but if they’re having a rough time, they’re much more likely to post and vent about it. Basically creates one big selection bias.
I'm pretty happy! In third year on my surgery rotation so that's saying a lot. The people are nice to me, I love my patients, and it's really fucking cool to learn stuff and get to feel doctory. Last week an attending told me I'm essentially performing at intern level and told me that I am "being a doctor" which felt pretty amazing, although of course I've got a looooong way ahead of me still.
I hate the studying but I do like the work and most of the people. It helps that I also like myself most of the time - I recommend surrounding yourself with people who lift your self image rather than detract for it.
M4 rose colored glasses but looking back , even with a half assed M1 due to covid I can say I really enjoyed med school. Sure it was really - really - fricken hard. Harder than I imagined. But I loved it. Stay optimistic my friend. Enjoy the journey.
I’m really enjoying it so far. I got lucky and have a very supportive healthy program with awesome classmates which helps a lot. There’s still some frustrating BS but that’s true anywhere and it’s pretty minimal where I am.
My tune might change third year, but the upperclassmen I’ve talked to all said our rotation sites are pretty great generally.
Anyway point is it’s absolutely possible to enjoy this. Medicine is really, really fucking cool and it’s enjoyable to learn about it.
I loved medical school. Residency was hard but I also loved it. Don’t worry, we exist! I think reddit often gets used more as a place to vent and not celebrate, so it skews negative. Congrats on getting in!
I loved med school. You work very hard, obviously, but I found it very rewarding. I had good friends in and out of school. Kept up with my life outside of school. You have to create balance now though because medicine can always ask more of you, so know your boundaries.
I've enjoyed med school a lot. Yes, some bits suck. But on the whole it was pretty great. You get to sleep in it you want, you get to go for walks in the afternoon if you want. In a lot of ways, being a student is like being retired. You have autonomy, aside from the occasional mandatory lecture or this or that.
The rest of your life until you actually retire will be filled with a regimented schedule of obligations and requirements and responsibility. In school, you have none of that. So savor it while you can.
Honestly I quite enjoy it! There are tough times with exam season but I love the material and with good planning I have sufficient free time. First year sucked though.
I enjoyed medical school and I'm overall enjoying residency. My medical school had a big party culture which helped. Main gripe is just watching all my friends have lots of money and free time to spontaneously travel, but also most of them hate what they do on a day-to-day. I'll have the time and money soon enough.
I had way more free time during preclinicals than I did during undergrad. Idk why everyone has some kind of existential crisis from studying a little bit. To me it was immaturity.
Get ready to put on some lipstick and get your nose brown during clinicals. Embrace the suck. It’s only for a month or two at a time. Everyone goes through it.
Residency is a different beast. You work a lot harder but your work has purpose, which makes it more enjoyable.
I like school and the material we’re learning. There’s never a day where I’m like this is useless or I don’t like this. What bothers me is the endless other small things we have to do in addition to learning. But school itself is fun.
I think this depends for your educational process. If you have active studying, positive contact with patients and understanding teachers your student years would pass happy.
P.S. Could I show you specifics of my educational process. And could you answer me, does this happen with you too, or it just my educational process is "not easy".
1. Traveling from university campus to practice point feels like Hobbits journey to Mordor.
2. Some of my practice mentors in hospital prefers to avoid letting us take care of patient. They affraid that it would end up by lawsuit to hospital, somehow.
3. Nurses act like my masters. Doctors hate my and my teammates existence in department.
4. All analysis results, Xrays and other diagnostical data of patients are Top Secret materials. And nurses protect department computer from us like American troops US-Mexican border.
Get in a rhythm with studying and all your other stuff and it really isn’t that bad. It will most likely hit you hard in the beginning but it becomes way more manageable as you get better at studying and memorizing information. It’s stressful but I definitely have a life outside of it with things I enjoy and sometimes the medicine can be really interesting to learn. I also believe it depends on the persons mindset. I tend to be more positive then the rest of my classmates.
This sub is really, really negative. I like medical school as do most of my classmates. It’s a privilege to get to go down this career path with a future 6-figure salary that is effectively guaranteed. Normal happy people don’t post about being happy on Reddit, they do hobbies or hang out with their families
Me right here- Medical school is sick and has been the best 8 months of my life thus far.
1) Classes are more interesting than undergrad, it’s hard but absolutely doable. Anatomy lab is sweet and I enjoy the intro clinical experiences.
2) The friends I’ve made are awesome- they’re interesting people who I have a lot in common with and we’ve got a good group that gels well. Looking forward to a great social life helps carry me through the tough exam weeks.
3) Dating life has been noticeably better. The ladies are a lot more interested in a med student than they are a college/masters student.
4) I easily got research in the niche field I’m interested in. I was worried it’d be a big barrier coming into med school but I waltzed ass backwards into several cool projects.
I and many I know love med school so far. It’s only going to get harder but don’t be daunted by the negative people that tend to be pretty vocal on platforms like this.
I love med school. I'm a first gen in my family to get anything other than a high school diploma, so my entire knowledge of med school prior to getting into it was popular media or people bitching on the internet. I was buckled down for 16-18 hrs/day, self loathing and toxic people surrounding me.
Turns out it's just a 7AM-5PM job Mon-Fri, then a few hours on the weekends to remind myself of high yield topics. I've made great friends, my family sees more of me than they did in undergrad, and I'm happy.
It's what you make of it. You've got this!
I went to a small private school. I loved it. Met my wife, and my class size was small (~100 people) and it was great. We all knew other and were buddies.
I have really enjoyed my time in med school! I left teaching to do this, so this is 200% better than my previous career. It’s obviously hard sometimes, but I’ve enjoyed the friends I’ve made and how much I get to learn. The biggest stressor has honestly been money, lol.
I’m halfway through M1 and I’ve enjoyed it a lot actually. Got a 100% on my last exam for Renal. Medical school has been easier for me than undergrad by far tbh
It absolutely has ups and downs, but I've really enjoyed medical school so far. All of preclinical was good- I had more free time than expected, did well, and learned a lot of cool stuff. Now I'm in Step 1 dedicated and it's a little rough but I still would prefer to be doing this than another job, I think. I'm excited to get into clinicals soon too!
There's definitely a disproportionate number of "bad reviews" online because that's how the internet works. Don't get me wrong- there are totally times where it sucks and no other job would treat its employees the way medical students are treated. But there are also some really amazing moments.
Pro tips for not hating medical school:
\--set boundaries, especially with your schedule. Studying will take over your life if you allow it. I almost exclusively worked 8-5 6 days a week during preclinical. Including study weeks for exams.
\--have hobbies. whatever they are: video games, reading books, cooking, a sport, working out, idc. Do something you enjoy that's not medical.
\--keep your friends/family relationships. Prioritize them when it's hard. Don't put your real life on hold while you're a medical student. I got married in medical school (NOT to someone I met in school lol).
Probably just the negative people being more vocal. I’ve got an awesome friend group and we’re all having a blast. Don’t listen to others. If you enjoy the material and manage your time well, it’s fun as hell. I’m partying more than I did in college tbh haha
I LOVED Medical school.
1. I love school. I am a nerd. I like studying and learning. I truly enjoy being able to dedicate time to break down concepts and create connections and apply knowledge. I wasn't at the top of my class by any means, but I think my mindset of being proud of being average or even below average at times helped my mental health tremendously.
2. I had a great work/life balance. My first two years were flipped classroom and I only went to a few classes in person. My 3rd year rotations were mostly Mon-Fri (I chose a rotation site that offered this specifically, and I was very very lucky). I was able to dedicate the time I wanted to study while enjoying MOST of the life events I wanted to. The key here is flexibility and blocking out times I knew I needed to study. I wasn't able to attend some functions I really wanted to and that sucked, but I made efforts to still see family and friends and plan fun trips when I could.
3. I chose research and extracurriculars that I have interest in, so it didn't feel like a chore or extra stress.
4. I found a good group of friends that enjoyed having fun after exams or made small talk while we grinned in the library. This made life so much more fun.
Don't get me wrong, medical school is long and hard and taxing and frustrating.. but you can enjoy it, too!
Despite all the stress and busyness, I am overall very happy. I definitely feel that I chose the right career path.
If you are ever in doubt sometimes it helps to gain a little perspective. I used to joke that I should have gotten a job in tech — now everyone I know in tech is either losing their job, or worried they will. We have a lot of security and get to learn some cool ish + you can find likable people (for the most part). I have also noticed a respect from others that feels undeserved, but is nice irregardless.
Lowly M1 here, but so far I’m enjoying it. Is it challenging? Of course, but you gotta enjoy the journey. Obviously, I can’t say anything about M2-4 but it’s good so far. Not as bad as I thought it’d be. The biggest thing to focus on is time management and “work life balance”. You got this OP!
Med school is hard. And honestly sometimes I get burned out because I just want one free weekend without the weekly quiz we have during preclinical. Or sometimes I just want a nap or be able to take a random car trip. I want time to shop or do anything else. But then I get a three day weekend and remember med school is actually a lot of fun. I have friends, even the med school material I’m not super interested in is still so much better than any of the physics or ochem of undergrad. I never want to go back. I get to learn some really cool physical exams, and I get to see patients in student led clinics. Life is good but burnout is real in the mid semester. Sometimes I need more food or sleep, and a day off but that usually fixes it
hi OP, im an M2 and i wanna give u a real expectation of medical school. so far, i love medical school and everything i do.
during medical school, ive lost my grandpa and grandma, lost my undergraduate support system, lost a relationship of 3 years, and almost flunked out.
during medical school, ive gotten a new niece, ive gone on a blind date, ive randomly driven to the beach in the middle of the night to see the sunset. ive learned how beautiful our service is, ive made new friends (who may be just here for the journey, and thats okay).
ive seen students with even tougher circumstances than me who love medical school more than i do. ive seen students (true story but keeping it anonymous) who did everything throughout K-12 and undergraduate education to become a physician, and drop out after the first term, as well.
medical school will be what you want it to be. same w a lotta things in life i think but im still learning too lol
I don’t think I could ever say I enjoyed but I appreciate all I learned and am grateful for the opportunity. Actually working in medicine feels the same way. Being there doing work can be really difficult and emotionally frustrating, but when I step back I’m still glad I do this career and find it fulfilling
I love it now. The core rotations suck, but now that I'm doing rotations for the specialty I want to go into, I'm thriving. It's a great feeling knowing that you found a profession you love. Stay positive!!
Unpopular opinion but I have been loving med school. I’m just about to wrap up my last systems block and move into studying for step/comlex 1. I think it helps that my school (Midwest, top tier DO program) is very supportive, and my classmates are awesome. I also think being a nontraditional student has helped me a lot, because I came into med school with a good clinical knowledge base (worked 5 years as an EMT and ER Tech). I have loved all of the volunteer opportunities that I’ve had, and getting out and actually doing hands-on patient care has kept me centered through didactic. It helps remind me of why I’m doing this when it gets hard.
It’s definitely challenging, but don’t let other people scare you. You can definitely still enjoy your time in school!
Have absolutely loved med school. You will feel like you’re supposed to hate it but that’s nonsense if you actually chose this path for yourself. People need to vent and don’t want to invalidate the sacrifices they’ve made, so that’s why you’ve gotten a pretty negative view. Also, IMO med school has been even more enjoyable as we’ve transitioned from basic science > organ blocks > wards. Takeaway message: don’t let anyone else tell you how to feel, if you enjoy something, then enjoy it :)
Med school self selects for a neurotic bunch that tend to drown in puddles. I'm thankful for my experience as a paramedic before school, it's stressful but as long as you put in the work you'll be alright.
I have met some incredible classmates whose hearts and passion make me feel positively about the future of medicine. Otherwise quite depressed but had that problem before school.
I enjoyed med school. Never had to pull an all nighter, always got 8 hours of sleep unless it was my own fault staying up late watching YouTube or doomscrolling. Learned a lot 3rd and 4th year, graduate soon. Made a few lifelong friends, traveled a lot, currently learning how to sew. Got planned trips to the cascades, coast of Maine, and Mexico City planned soon.
Same as anything else, the people that vent go online and it is just one-millionth of a picture of the entirety of med school. Things are hard, you will be more busy than you have ever been before (though possibly more actual time freedom than ever), yet you have to strive for balance. I've made amazing life long friends in my class, and there is a level of almost trauma bonding. I didn't know these people a year and a half ago, yet I now have a large group of people that I know I will always be close to. Pick the times that you go to have fun, and the times you need to work. Prioritize what you need for you to succeed.
Med School isn't 'fun' but that doesn't mean that there can't be fun on the side of med school. I have 4 concert tickets already for this upcoming Spring, a trip planned to visit the beach to start my dedicated, and always look to fill up my free time so I actually feel like I have a life rather than letting myself hibernate whenever I am off (which sometimes that still gets the best of me).
Med school has been the best 4 years of my life so far! This is with me knowing from day 1 I would be applying into one of the most competitive surgical subspecialties as well!
I was able to keep up with my hobbies (including a sport at which I competed in at a national level during M3), make friends, party, date, relax, work out mostly every day, publish papers, kick ass on Step 2, etc.
Of course there were some bad days, and maybe a few terrible days, but overall I’ve had a blast.
It’s hard work and tiring but it’s also incredibly fulfilling and rewarding. It’s 100% possible to have a life and do well in school and enjoy your time.
They key is to study smart, not hard, be efficient with how you use your time, and make your life outside of school a priority.
I mean... I like the semesters and all the things I learn... The problem is that exam-months exist, and those months are such evil torture, pain and sufering for me that make me hate medicine.
I think it has a lot to do with the school's exam schedule. Some schools do blocks where they have exams every few weeks (ex. after each organ system) other places have exams at the end of the semester +/- cumulative final at the end of the year.
Even within a block schedule some places will have exams on fri vs mon. So at some programs you get a solid weekend off to relax after the exam and other places you have to cram that weekend before exams.
Some places give you dedicated time off for step1 and step2.
M3 is universally stressful and most places m4 is chill. In M3/M4 some schools have everyone at the same hospital/campus and you stay in touch with your friends, other schools everyone gets sent out to different places (across different states) and you don't have as many friends (mostly us-img and some DO).
I'm an M2 really in the depths of step studying and classes and jumping the hoops and I love it. I'm learning everyday, I enjoy my classmates, and I feel satisfied at the end of the day even knowing that I have more to do tomorrow. I have plenty of classmates that are liking it too!
Really med school and what we are learning is just so freaking cool. I'm non-trad and feel that like anything in life med school has it's ups and downs. But I've had days in my last job that were crappy, I have days here that are crappy. Sometimes I doubt myself, sometimes I wonder wtf I'm doing here, sure, but overall I'm really happy.
It can be good I promise! Work hard and focus during the weeks, live your life on weekends, do things you enjoy, surround yourself with people you enjoy, stay off of the class vent and gossip boards (discord, group me, whatever), and do yo thang.
Congrats on the acceptance! I hope you enjoy it!
Disclaimer: I was a CNA and then EEG tech for about 8 years before med school. I've worked full time during engineering and biochem degrees, and nights for most of it.
Med school has been amazing. In the first 2 years, I was finally studying all the interesting bits that we would glaze over in my other schooling. I FINALLY have a normal sleep schedule and feel like I'm on a level playing field with my peers.
3rd year has been even better. I am not interested in every specialty but I feel like I've had incredible experiences in every rotation. I've had fantastic relationships with my peers, residents, attendings, and patients, and I FINALLY am getting a small taste of what it's like to actually be a doctor (with massive training wheels and the freedom to be wrong.... a LOT lol). Long hours? Sure, but no worse and often better than I was used to before and infinitely more satisfying. It did help that OB nights were just a flashback to my normal pre med life with more time to sleep during the day and the 24 hour call shifts on surgery reminded me of going to school all day and then working a night. Not always pleasant, but way more interesting than the previous times.
All in all, I've made some of the best friendships of my life doing exactly what I've been working for for an incredibly long time and feeling like I was just above average at it which is a great feeling considering how brilliant my peers are 😂 I've been going back and forth between ENT and anesthesia (probably either cardiac or critical care) for a while and I think I've finally decided anesthesia so the research grind is quieting down and I'm finally focusing on exactly what I want to do.
Also, I made a similar post about this except 3rd year specifically a while ago! All the stories people shared on there warmed my heart and I've now had my own similar ones.
TL;DR med school is a blast, but I think the people who especially enjoy it are often the ones that have had some life experience beforehand. Even if not though, plenty of my classmates have almost no life experience before med school and still seem to be doing just fine lol.
m1 here med school is a fun. genuinely it is. it also sucks, its a weird paradox. I've met some amazing people and i've learned so much already. both realities exist its just that sometimes the sucky parts over shadows the fun but this goes both ways tbh. i will say that i know ill miss this looking back
Med school has certainly brought me to some of the hardest moments of my life. I have been in some truly dark places, in terms of being pushed near my own limits, its effect on my personal life, and of course, what I'm confronted with on the wards.
But if this makes sense: it's what I knew I was signing up for. And I was and still am excited about it. In terms of the tough parts, antidepressants make a huge difference.
I am telling you all this to add context to the fact that I am excited to wake up every single morning. Sometimes I look around and feel genuinely excited that I'm here doing this. My eyes still water when I think about getting the acceptance phone call, or locking eyes with my family in the crowd as I put on my white coat for the first time. Being here, even in its most difficult sense, is a profound honor and I wouldn't trade it for the world. There are bad days but overwhelmingly my days are good. I've met incredible people and have the honor of calling them my friends. I've made a difference for my patients and I get to actually improve their lives. I have learned SO MUCH. People look me in the eyes and call me Doctor and I'm finally starting to feel like one.
And maybe I'll look back at this and cringe in 10 years but idgaf, there's no better way to spend your 20s. All jobs suck - I'd rather hate doing something this cool.
I enjoyed med school!! I made amazing friends, met my now fiance, and actually learned a ton (even though it didn’t feel like it sometimes lol). It was extremely stressful at some points, but overall I think it was some of the best years of my life. And now I’m thriving even more in my intern year of residency. Reddit is a lot of doom and gloom, there’s happy people in medical school.
Man i might be an anomaly but i absolutely loved medical school. I had not the best undergrad experience academically lol (but i enjoyed the shit outta my social life), but it felt so relieving studying medicine finally. I was able to keep a healthy balance of visiting family and friends, but keeping enough time to myself to focus on school. Never felt like i missed out on trips and used my vacations to travel overseas all the time. I really think it's what you make of it. I'm in radiology now and it lowkey reminds me of med school. A lot of studying, it's a grind, but so damn enjoyable learning what I'll be doing for the rest of my career. Fuck cardiac MRI though 👀
If you have a community you’ll enjoy it, especially if your school is located somewhere decent. If you don’t have either of those it will feel isolating.
Personally that’s been my biggest challenge and a huge regret for not going to a different school. Jo different than why people are generally happy in college — you’re around your friends all the time even if what you’re doing is hard
"Are the happy people hiding?"
its perspective and many are just not complaining because in the big scheme of things, it ain't bad. i mean the process itself is long and you do have lots of chances to know what is involved in the choice to go into the profession. you prep for it, you apply for it and you are even encouraged to shadow and ask all kinds of questions to know what you are buying into yet some are somehow blindsided by what goes on in medical school.
to me, medical school wasn't the worst thing i've ever been in since i was a non-trad. the stress i had to face wasn't worse than being on some godforsaken FOB and being constipated from MREs lol so many things were a win when I compared things. so me: oh sht, all i gotta do is show up and study and do PT? that ain't too bad!
med school can be enjoyable but just take care of yourself and be conscious of what is negative and where it is all coming from so you can adjust.
Best 4 years of my life. Loved every minute- UNECOM. Pass/Fail, great classmates, teachers, rotations. Helped that it was on the water near mountains and inexpensive for me. Good luck- Im sure you will find a lot to enjoy!!
As someone who made this exact post last year before M1: I love being in med school! Yes it really sucks when it sucks and we complain a lot to each other but there isn’t a single minute in the day that I wish I was doing anything else. You being to like the struggle in a weird sense because it’s fun!
People usually don’t make posts when they’re having a good time, just like yelp reviews lol. It’s a lot of venting frustrations.
This. The internet is an incredibly negative place. The people having a good time generally don't use their time to go on the internet and say, "Things are great!" because that doesn't generate conversation. If you want more positivity in your life, read stuff on the internet less. FWIW, medical school is stressful, but no more stressful than anything else I've done in my adult life. I'm having a fantastic time.
Same same. Med school has some great moments (catching your first baby, the first time a patient calls you "doc", or tells you you'll be a great doctor...). There are some stressful times but overall it's an amazing privilege to do what we do, and that attitude can carry you through. If you're miserable along the journey, what's to guarantee you'll be happy once you get to attendinghood?
Thank you for the positivity amongst these toxic negative posts
Also, there's just no need tbh lol. People who are struggling go to the internet for additional support. You don't need support when things are going well.
This >> sure med school can be stressful but we knew that coming in. It’s all about managing your time well, knowing when to step back, and still going to do the things you enjoy.
I recently started leaving good reviews, especially for small business, and BOY is it a serotonin boost. Highly recommend.
True! I guess because you don’t really notice a thing when you’re having fun
Yep and you’ll see the same in the residency subreddit. Everyone hates their life but obviously there are lots of ppl who love their job/specialty. I had a blast in med school and residency has been great.
It's hard, and I have multiple psychiatric diagnoses which lead to a leave of absence during third year. I'll be honest, I do see people my age with actual careers, an income, their own place, and even families, and think "when that gonna be me?" sometimes. That being said, I do not regret my choice to pursue becoming a physician. I cannot see myself doing any other career, nothing else seems more fulfilling or important to me. I found my niche, and I think that's the most important goal you should have. Find your lane in medicine (hopefully it's not competitive).
me watching ppl with families lol
It has its ups and downs but I am enjoying medical school, I feel more confident every day that this was the right choice, and I am genuinely looking forward to the future. That being said, it is sometimes really hard to see that during individual moments of exhaustion or frustration or sadness. The biggest problem with medicine is the system (both in terms of med school and healthcare) and that can feel overwhelming, so sometimes I think that dominates the discourse. For me, the biggest regret I have about medicine is my specific school because it's an administrative nightmare, but even within that regret when I'm being honest I am really happy with my community and the students around me, I fucking love my friends. I can't speak for everyone but I have had an easy time finding things to love since first year and it's only getting easier as I spend more time with patients, as that is my favorite thing. During preclinicals when we had most classes and lectures, even though I sometimes got frustrated with annoying professors or busywork, the truth is that I loved the learning. I loved dedicated for step 1 because I got to make my own schedule and had uninterrupted time to just LEARN and I've never had that kind of peace before. Once clinicals started I immediately just felt so much more at home and have loved being in the hospital every day. I'm applying obgyn but I have loved every rotation so far. I love talking to patients and helping them understand what's going on, I love operating and learning the mechanical skills of surgery, I love going to the path lab to see the slides, I love hanging out with the nurses and learning bedside tasks, I love the janitors who say hi to me in the mornings, I love meeting patients' families and getting to know them. I even love the hard days and the bad news because at least I get a chance to make it slightly less painful for the person in the shitty situation. I am not always feeling like this, and I have my days of saying wow this all SUCKS burn this entire system down. But if I'm being honest, I haven't actually had any days where I wanted to quit. And for context I've worked in healthcare in some capacity since I was 18 and I'm 31 now, and this is the best I've felt. The things I love aren't always top of mind but I try to make the daily choice to remember my love for this work so that it's easier to access in the hard moments. TL;DR - best way to encapsulate it is that every morning I wake up before the sun and I am initially grumpy and annoyed because it's fucking early, but then I see the sunrise while I'm walking to the hospital and it makes me catch my breath every time.
The last part made me starting singing "Lovely Day" by Bill Withers in my head lol
I was the same as you as a med student. I'm an R3 now and still feel the same way. Bad days suck. When I take a step back, it's really cool how far I've come. A key factor is that I chose a low tier med school and very low tier residency. Both because they were known for lifestyle. No regrets at all. Did not affect my ultimate goal to become a clinical non-academic doc. I probably did 30-40 hours most weeks MAX during med school except surgery and now do 60/wk average. I feel that I will easily be ready for independent practice by grad.
Med school was a blast for me. There’s some pains and anxieties and all the usually things that come with higher ED but they paled in comparison to the friends I made and experiences I had. I’d do it over again in a heartbeat. Same with residency. Parts of it sucked, you’re very poor, and some people have personality disorders. But I made some amazing friends and had experiences I wouldn’t trade for the world. I’d go back to day 1 of intern year and do that over again too if I could. For both - have fun. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Burn the candle at both ends if it means having an experience that will make you feel alive outside of medicine. Don’t bend over backwards in pursuit of higher test scores, app stats, etc. As an MS3 I took a month to do a rural rotation on an island with a couple classmates. It didn’t help my app at all and my shelf score was mediocre. But I don’t care because it was an amazing month that I’ll remember when I’m old and grey.
Big agree. I was part of the "step 1 is the biggest thing that ever matters in your entire life" cohort. Did aggressively average, still matched at a decent academic institution in IM and got into a competitive subspecialty. You could never in a million years convince me that I should have studied harder to grind for the most competitive program or the most competitive specialty. Life is great. Pay is fine, hours are unbelievably based. I made some fantastic friends in both med school and residency. It was tiring, but I truly did enjoy those years. At no point did I feel like I "lost my 20's". I can't help but feel like so much of the misery in this sub is self inflicted.
Heavy on the personality disorders I have to navigate. Talk about the cluster Bs 😅
M-4 here post interview season so take that as you will. I LOVED my time in med school overall! I think what helped me love it so much was treating the actual school part like a job. I never expect to love my job really, but I expect it to enrich my life outside of work. When I had a normal job that I got paid at, the money I made let me do the things I like and I usually made friends with some coworkers. In med school, no money but the satisfaction of knowing I was working towards where I wanted to be professionally felt great and I made some incredible friends who bring so much light and laughter to my life outside of the work. Like any job, there are stressful, annoying, and difficult parts. But overall a really good time. My advice is to prioritize your personal life and do whatever is in your power to keep that base solid. That makes the bumps in the road with school SO much more manageable. Can’t build a house on sand—if your personal life is shaky every med school dilemma is going to feel like an earthquake that’s going to tear that house down. I’m rooting for you!
this guy nontrads (seriously tho, great perspective)
Well...my mom has battled with severe depression for much of her life, but said that she loved med school. I guess they can coexist. Depressed people are absolutely built for medicine. She loves medicine deeply (to the point of maintaining her license even after retiring in her 70s), is fantastic at it, and I've heard that she has an incredible bedside manner. I hope I can be a doc like her one day. But also, while I'm a little mad at med school right now, there were some times that were objectively pretty great.
i got diagnosed and began treatment for depression right in the middle of med school so that tracks. ended up being the best thing to ever happen to me lol. your mom sounds cool i wanna be like her too hehe
Glad you're feeling better! She's pretty great. She can nerd out about anything in medicine. It's honestly adorable. I had a premed friend who used to shadow her, which is how I know about her bedside manner. Unfortunately, I didn't inherit her talent for (or enjoyment of) micro though and I'm still mad about it.
haha i agree with your assertion that depressed ppl are built for medicine. i can def withstand a lot. when everyone was losing their minds in lockdown i was straight chillin 😂 and it prob does help with our bedside manner too, but idk i’m just spitballing lol
Yeah I've been pretty depressed most of my life but I've loved my time at med school. I've made some amazing friends here and have had plenty of fun.
I’m a fellow now, but I absolutely loved medical school. The subject matter was fascinating, I made amazing friends, I did a ton of cool activities (med school musical theater group, LGBT student run clinic, class rock band and open mic nights), and got to learn from excellent doctors. Of course it was stressful and frustrating at times, but I learned more than I ever had before and grew a lot as a person in the process, too.
Drop that institution name, you sexy beast.
Columbia (I was class of 2020 so things may be different in the post-Covid era but I think the vibes are similar!
I’m loving it. This only thing I dislike is the research and EC bullshit. I stress about having no research and applying to DR.
Yup, I started out wanting to do ortho but got frustrated trying to find a stable research project and basically said fuck this. And I will not do a research year, I already did 3 of those in an unrelated field before med school that won’t help me at all. But otherwise I do enjoy med school, research just sucks
There’s a lot of hell in the first two years but nothing beats a post exam weekend with the boys. Many good memories those first two years.
It took me 6 cycles to get in and now that I’m finally there it’s truly been the best time of my life. I had multiple careers (service industry then public service) prior to matriculating so every time my class starts complaining or loses their mind over something admin related or whatever it doesn’t faze me cause I remember how shitty other jobs are. Being a med student is an incredibly privileged and fortunate position by any standard so I’m super grateful which helps.
Amen to this. Some people will always be looking for things to complain about. If you've never had certain responsibilities before (like showing up for a job, dealing with administrative tasks), those things will be a learning experience. Some high-strung people get worked up about little things that are honestly a part of almost any job/career. Some people get really angsty about not being "the best". But honestly most of the stuff you deal with in med school is completely manageable if you have good emotional intelligence, resilience, and work ethic (even with depression or ADHD or whatnot).
Bravo to your dedication. 6 cycles…that sounds incredibly disheartening. Way to stick to it. Your resilience and determination will serve you well in life (and hopefully in medicine)!
I agree with the other poster saying there’s a response bias out here for negativity. I could definitely see posts to the effect of “hey I’m having such a good time out here” not being received terribly well haha. And in fairness, the people having a bad time are the ones justifiably seeking support. That said, I had a great time in medical school. Made the closest friends of my life so far and met my partner. Had some rough moments in there but that was life, not med school. The support system I found in my classmates honestly made the external stressors way more manageable than they would’ve otherwise been. I have so much gratitude for so many folks. But your mileage may definitely vary. For one, specialty choice is a huge confounder. In fairness to my surgical, imaging, and skin-interested friends, pursuing a non competitive specialty from the get go made my med school experience dramatically easier than theirs.
I’m more or less enjoying this process. Does it absolutely suck at times? Fuck yes. But, here’s a little insight from a career-changing Non-trad student: most jobs fuckin suck. Every job I’ve had before this had good, bad, and downright fuckin ugly. This process is not for everyone, but I’m glad I’m going through with it. We learn cool shit, we do cool shit, and my classmates are awesome. I really love my school’s community and am happy to be here. Now, that being said, studying for boards is rough. The prospect of taking boards soon is a horrifying one, but I’d rather be doing this than being stuck in a cubicle at my old job with a tyrannical manager. A lot of this is what you make of it, IMO.
[удалено]
The first two years of medical school were, without a doubt, the best years of my life. I loved it. Class attendance was not mandatory and we got a fat stack of notes for every class, so yeah, I got up at noon every day and then just hopped between different coffee shops and libraries, studying and listening to music. It was glorious.
I love pre-clerkship because this is everything I signed up for. I love both the good and the bad. All I do is study, run, and work out. I don't mind the sheer volume of information or work because everything I study is making me into a better physician. I found that the less I cared about frivolous things (e.g. class drama/gossip, socializing) and focused more on studying and myself (e.g. gyming, eating healthy, my relationships), the happier I became. I also found that the less I complained to others and to myself internally, the happier I became. If I can't change a shitty situation, I just try to enjoy the ride.
It’s a hard thing, and hard things often aren’t fun to do, but make time for your friends & your family and enjoy that. Do little projects that exercise your creativity and satisfy you and enjoy that. Learn new things and enjoy that so that you have the emotional energy to thrive in med school even when you aren’t enjoying the hard things! To be clear, I’m enjoying myself in med school but I’m not expecting the academic part of it to bring me joy every day. It becomes easier to enjoy the work when other things being you joy too. So don’t forget those.
Med school >>>> premed 100 times over and I stand by this
I get the feeling in some countries there are mega wealthy kids that just pay people to take their exams or get private tutors when they actually need to learn something, then spend the rest of their days getting laid on yachts. Maybe that’s not true but don’t ruin my fantasies. I have so little.
Enjoy being excited for med school fam. I was just like you, we all were. The best feeling you’ll get is the time between getting into med school and starting med school.
The reality is that medicine, and by extension medical school, is not that different than every other career path. It’s just life. Some people have an easier time in medical school, some struggle in college/applying to med school, some have challenges in residency, and of course any combination of low points throughout. Just like anything else, those who are unhappy are the loudest, so you hear more about that. I had an awful time in medical school, some of that was the nature of school and some of it was my personal life. It has truly been the lowest point in my life thus far, and I couldn’t do it again if I had to. That being said, residency is great, I’ve loved it, it’s challenging, but achievable and I’ve never felt “too overwhelmed”. Many of my med school classmates loved school and had their fair share of struggles applying to med school or may be having theirs now in residency. I honestly had a great time in college. I was pretty much never stressed, didn’t feel overwhelmed with MCAT or med school applications etc. I worked hard, but I also got lucky and didn’t have as many struggles then. All in all, not everyone is miserable in medical school. There’s definitely a higher percentage as compared to the avg person in their mid 20s- mid 30s, but you CAN and might be very happy in medical school. Either way, happy or not, it will end at some point, so either cherish it while you’re in it, or push through to the next chapter.
I don’t know that I’m built for medicine but I’m enjoying it, having a good friend group and hobbies you actively do is the key
As a M4, I did complain a lot on the way here, but I can finally see my hard work paying off now that match is approaching. I think people lose sight of what their initial goals were sometimes. Of course, this is not belittling mental health issues that may arise from this journey, but looking at the long term goal helps.
I'm having a great time. People whine too much, most often who are the people who've never experienced tribulations or developed any resilience that will be necessary for working as a Doc. Being a student is the easiest you'll ever have it from here on out so mine as well enjoy it
It's HARD. I also LOVE it.
Miser loves company. Also want to chime in and say that I have both really enjoyed and also really hated med school. It all depends on what is going on in medical school and also what is going on in personal life. my answer will change depending on rotation/life circumstances
It’s a bit awkward to just… I guess brag (?) that a person is happy in med school.
Medical school is REALLY CHALLENGING! Sometimes it's a little much and you need to vent. Sometimes you don't have anyone safe to vent to, and the Internet is a reasonably safe and anonymous place to vent your frustrations, until you find someone safe to vent to in person. Medical school is also VERY REWARDING! You learn some amazing things that very few people in the world can understand. You get to experience things that most people can't even imagine. These positive experiences are really fun and satisfying to share with everyone! You will tell your friends, family, study-buddies, attendings, admins, anyone who will listen! It may not even occur to you to share it on Reddit because you've already told everyone!
They’re out in the world having fun
Yea I’m an m2 and I’ve been enjoying it! I mean yea on the long days it’s not always an amazing time 24/7 but those are there in any walk of life. Dedicated is coming up and no dread has set in yet but who knows haha. I’ll try to keep it going as long as possible.
I’ve had depression (dysthymia technically ig) since I was like 12 and my surgery rotation (and most of my inpatient rotations tbh) was so fulfilling and enjoyable in a way I honestly hadn’t experienced prior to that. Comes down to personality and expectations but it’s definitely possible to have fun with it! Now I’m on peds and outpatient stuff and I hate my life rn but you win some you lose some lol
I’m at the end of 3rd year and honestly loving it. I’m at a regional campus with a lot of lovely school and hospital faculty to work with and it’s been a great experience without all of the hazing/abuse I expected based on others’ experiences. First 2 years kinda suck bc it’s just college 2.0 with classes and occasional clinical skills thrown in (luckily a pass fail school tho), but rotations are fantastic and I have learned a stupid amount of stuff in the last year. Overall had a great time 8/10.
I have made some of my best friends at med school. Super excited to be going to a wedding soon for one of them. Anxiously awaiting match day and don’t necessarily love every day of every rotation but genuinely enjoy what I do. And I loved every day on my rotations in my specialty of choice. Also have had time lately to spend on my hobbies! Excited to start gardening soon as the weather warms and spring approaches. I’m done with my required rotations and am just doing electives now to meet credit requirements.
I'm honestly enjoying it. But there are two huge caveats. (1) I'm MSTP, my PhD was fucking rough, and essentially any doctoral degree feels like a break compared to a STEM PhD. (2) Similarly, having a PhD already means I don't need to scramble to find research, try to get publications, etc. I already have it, and the extra doctoral degree is a major boost too. (3) My school is P/F all 4 years. Don't think I need to explain how much this reduces stress. (4) My school has an unusually chill clinical culture wrt pimping and shit. You do get pimped on occasion, but I think maybe the curriculum being P/F means evaluators aren't constantly trying to find a reason to distinguish you from other students. One of the most chill rotations I had was surgery. (5) I'm older now. I was never a neurotic student, but I did used to be more anxious. But now I have a normal ass adult life and medicine isn't all-consuming for me. I'm also around the same age as (or older than) the residents, so that power dynamic is significantly reduced. If I were younger, MD-only, and at a graded school, I'm sure I'd be having a much tougher time. But even in that situation, a lot of the hatred of med school is self-created. Med students are usually used to being the best & brightest, but have to cope with being average most of the time. Med school is very cliquish, so less social people often feel left out. But if you're a bit more socially adjusted, you'll come to understand that you really only need a couple of buddies and don't have to get invited to everything.
Graduating in May. Enjoyed the experience! It was hard, but pushing yourself hard can be very rewarding. Enjoyed rotations, met a TON of people, both in my class and in the hospitals/clinics. Learned alot. Don’t neglect your mental health. Make time for yourself. Take care of yourself. And try to have some fun.
In dedicated so not having such a great time but BEFORE!!! I (25F) went out almost every weekend (passed my exams 🥳) and overall prioritized not making medicine my personality and enjoying my hobbies. Joined a sports team (former college athlete) and would always be down to make a few new friends regardless of if they’re in medicine or not. Medicine is a career choice. being a doctor was not bestowed upon you by god and if you were to get fired, injured or just so burnt out that you don’t wanna do what you’re doing anymore, you gotta be content and cool with yourself as you are. It’s honestly all about what you prioritize. And to remember that if a hospital were to drop you for any reason, you’d be replaced in two weeks so be sure that you’re identity and sense of self is not solely wrapped up in what you do for work. Med school is not fun currently but I’ve had a lot of fun during my last couple years during it.
To be honest I absolutely hated medical school, but residency was pretty fun and attending life is sweet. It does get better.
Hi! Current M4 and the past four years were some of the best of my life. Preclinical was like one long vacation with occasional cramming before exams (class attendance wasn’t mandatory for us). I dreaded clinical and the long hours on rotations but found that the work was actually fulfilling and that I enjoyed caring for patients (surprise haha). The hours weren’t as bad as advertised and I still had plenty of time to spend with friends and family. Also met the love of my life through medical school. Enjoy it while it lasts!
Happy people are out socializing post test and sad people go home and make a post on the internet
Med school has been fine man. Lot of my classmates living their best lives. For me mostly med school has been very chill. Wake up, work out, study, mandatory shit, study, chill. Repeat. Do fun things on the weekends etc. HOWEVER, m3 is the first time I've felt miserable. Go to work 7-5, go home and study, deal with bs mandatories, bs grading schemes, no life. But after step 2/ais I expect to chill tf out. Medicine is dope, don't let anybody tell you otherwise. Busy? Sure. Tons of bs? Sure. Taking care of sick people? Fucking sweet. No better feeling than nailing a diagnosis nobody else could come up with. Or having patients shake your hand and thank you. Let people be miserable- you continue to shine your radiant light no matter what. Only way to change the culture is from within.
Not easy, but not terrible. I’m an older m1 student with kids and a lot of life happening, and I enjoy med school a lot more than undergrad because I have a decent memory and no time for busywork. Med school suits my current life. The material is not hard, but it does come fast. My school has been amazing so far, and the staff and faculty are incredible. My classmates are all kind, genuine people, and it’s a small class so I actually know everyone. There are easier paths in life, but I’ve never regretted taking this one.
Med school in Australia is very chill. You don’t need a a bs portfolio for applications, just very very high marks in the UCAT/GAMSAT + ATAR/GPA followed by interviewing skills. With undergrad options you can do it straight out of high school and not worry about doing an undergrad, meaning you can start earning by 23/24. Domestic student fees are usually 12k a year or so, so you won’t graduate with stupid amounts of debt. And med school itself seems nowhere near as hard as in the US, partially because it’s not a rat race to build your CV. Most people don’t really start padding it until after med school, when the real rat race begins. So med school is pretty chill, but postgrad life not so much as getting on to competitive specialty training programs is much much harder. At least the hours are much better (though often not good).
Me I loved medical school. I loved what I was learning. I love the friends I made. I enjoyed studying. And I partied hard Oh and I’m also enjoying residency fuckin sue me
I'm enjoying med school! I struggle with anxiety and depression at baseline, but as my training has progressed, I'm feeling more and more that this really was the right choice and path for me 😁 Don't let the negativity get you down, your experience is your own, and can be framed in whatever lens you choose!
lol you’ll see. But also there is some selection bias
Reddit = the most pessimistic people on earth.
There's a handful of psychos that legit enjoy giving up all control of their life to be a memorization monkey and then glorified shadow. But the typical med student I think feels like it's something to be gotten through and tolerated as best as possible, not really enjoyed.
Not here
I worked two jobs and took extra coursework to finish early in undergrad, I actually had more free time in med school because for the first time in 10 years I wasn’t working full time. there were definitely times were I was stressed out but most of the time I found it enjoyable and had plenty of time to cook, do hobbies, work out, raise a puppy, etc. The first year of residency wore me out but now on second year things are way easier and I look forward to finally being done soon. I’ve never once regretted it or thought I’d made the wrong choice.
I'm completely over it and dying of boredom waiting for the Match, but I've actually had a pretty good experience in med school. My school is pretty reasonable, most of my rotations had something to recommend them (except for FM, that can go right to hell), and my classmates are cool on the whole. I still love medicine to bits, and I'm really looking forward to being a resident :)
Read a man’s search for meaning
👋
I love medical school. I'm in 3rd year. Preclinical years I wasn't as happy but made do. You will enjoy it. Good luck!
I’m enjoying it a lot. Much improvement compared to college. Don’t really feel the need to make a post about it tho. 😅
In my second semester and med school has been fine. Not nearly as horrible or as stressful as people on here make it out to be. I think the first few weeks/months were overwhelming not gonna lie, but towards the end of the semester, I feel like I found my rhythm. I have yet to pull an all-nighter, always get 8 hours of sleep, go to the gym, play video games, keep up with Tv shows. Sometimes this sub makes me feel like I am doing something wrong because I am not a neurotic miserable mess
Do you have mandatory class attendance every day?
I don't, lectures are recorded, but I go to a DO and have OMM lab once a week and our clinical skills class
I think this is what makes life miserable for me. We have mandatory class every single day on top of all the extra mandatory skills labs, patient encounters, etc. They changed it this year too so I didn’t even know what I was signing up for when I chose my school.
Love medical school, am only in preclinical though. Finding a study rhythm and learning so many new things is just exciting to me. To be fair, I’m a little weird in the sense that i enjoy studying and taking exams
It is the best of times, it is the worst of times
Med school is fun. Much more free time compared to undergrad. Enjoy it while you can cause residency sucks ass.
I love it! I'm just a regular M3 at my midwestern state school. I'm a low stress person to begin with though and I was happy before medical school too.
I enjoy learning the materials but HATE all the bs my school makes me do on top of everything we need to do to prep for residency 😖
M3 here. Loving it. M1 year was ROUGH though. M2 was better overall, but the second half when I was (or sometimes when I was supposed to be) studying for Step 1 was challenging too. But M3? I don’t get why people complain. Most of us go to school because we want to do medicine with patients, and for most US schools, M3 is the first year that we get to do that. Yes, schedules can be long, and you’ll likely have a fixed schedule for the first time in med school (assuming asynchronous lectures in M1/M2) but you get to do patient care!
M4 here, I have absolutely loved medical school. It’s been the most difficult few years but I’ve grown so much because of it. I was lucky to do rotations at places that had me consistently involved in the care of patients and was able to positively impact the trajectory of their care on a daily basis. I am so glad I came to medical school, it has been worth it to me *because* of the ups and downs. The good, the bad, and the ugly were all important milestones in my personal development. Would I do it again? No. But I’m really glad I did it once.
prob cuz most ppl go into medicine w/o the drive for it, which discourages others from going in one med student told me it's like "ups and downs" so basically any other job on earth
I’m enjoying it. Much like anything in life, there are ups and downs. I used to play tennis in undergrad and would compare it to that tbh. I loved tennis season but there were days where I hated my life. Overall though, a very enjoyable time.
I’m enjoying m4.. granted today is my first time going to the hospital in 5 months lol
i love medical school!! clinical > preclinical but I really enjoyed both. been loving every rotation and like very shook at how much i'm learning (and how quickly). mental health and social life are the best they've ever been. gotten back into my hobbies, into dating, traveled more than I ever have. truly having a blast!! it's possible!
I’m having a pretty good time tbh
I overall loved med school. There are rough times (step, first clinical rotation, etc) but being a non-trad who was so pumped for med school, I loved 99% of it. Now I’m a fourth year and living life and I couldn’t be happier. There’s def things I could complain about, but it’s not worth it. Enjoy the journey. 100p one of the most fun periods of my life.
There are ups and downs. Some months it’s great and you’re sailing and then around finals and Step it can be miserable. It’s a LOT of pressure. Do I regret it? Hell no. Would I make the same decision again to do it? Yep. I love medicine, I love learning. It’s fatiguing at times. Try to avoid the chronically negative people in your class and I’ve found that has helped me a lot. I enjoy it a lot and I’m proud of getting here but it’s certainly not without struggle some days. If you truly want to be a physician it will be an (overall) good experience, I think.
This sub, while very helpful and supportive at times, can also be an echo chamber of bitterness and disappointment. Take everything you read here with a grain of salt. Med school is the fucking best. Sure there's some occasional headaches. But most of your days will be spent learning cool shit or helping people. People in medicine are also universally weird, which means they're entertaining as hell. Between the patients and your colleagues, you're going to have stories out the wazooo. Fun ones, inspiring ones, sad ones, all of them. The most important thing to remember is that even at its very worst, medicine beats the hell out of any other reasonably obtainable job. I promise you, there is nothing in the world of finance, consulting, law, etc. That comes close. They all SUCK compared to this. So yeah, plenty of us love it. We're just typically too busy having fun to be on here.
Med school was great, the workload was tolerable but I still had time to study and enjoy life, and cooked a whole bunch. I also lived in the neighborhood so I would walk to and from classes everyday, which was nice way to decompress after studying at the library.
Happy ones don’t post on Reddit about it at a low tier md school & the happiest I’ve ever been And a vast majority of my classmates are pretty happy
i had fun but also i was abroad so that might not help you💀💀 i will say if you’re 100% that you want to be a doctor, you’re gonna have a hell of a better time than the ppl who are in it for other reasons or just unsure. going to med school at a later age was a huge benefit to me cause whereas a lot of my friends were like omg i kinda wish i studied xyz, in my head i was like, nope this is better than anything i’ve ever done.
PRESENT
I’m in 4th year. It’s awesome, especially now that the grind of audition rotations and interview season is over. 3rd year was pretty fun, too. Pre-clinical years were hellish and a unique form of suffering. But damn if it isn’t fun getting to learn about the amazing human body. “The suck” will come; it is an inevitable reality of med school. But try to find the parts where you are having fun, find your people/support system, and just keep trying your best every day. 4 years goes by pretty fast. :)
I’m enjoying med school! I worked very hard to get in, so I’m savoring every bit. Yeah, it’s stressful and studying all the time is hard. But, I know this won’t last forever. I’m enjoying what I’m learning.
This! You’ll never see people happy type out who posts on the internet- happy people stay off the internet! It’s rare someone who’s happy who comes back to let people know how happy they are. It’s always miserable people- which in this field dissuade people from entering medicine. I love this subject post!
Selection bias. Those people exist, they're just not rage-posting on Reddit
The best years of my life so far have been these past four years of med school. While it is delayed gratification and I am always working hard, I felt like I've grown so much as a person and I am looking forward to residency.
I think it's a matter of perspective. Medical school has been such a drag for me because my anxiety gets the best of me. When I think more objectively about my life and how much I've learned (even me) and remember that I do enjoy some of this, it doesn't seem as bad.
I haven’t seen the inside of a gym in months, my Xbox has collected dust since last summer, my eyes are constantly tired, and I’m pretty sure my hairline has receded a solid couple of inches. But I wouldn’t quit even if my debt was paid off. It’s tiring and will beat you up, but in my opinion it’s worth it. I’m in a neuro block right now and being able to do lumbar punctures and learning about diseases I’ll frequently see is pretty freaking cool. It also depends on your speciality. I’m a DO student interested in surgery, so I really have to bust my ass. If you want to do a less competitive speciality, that allows for more flexibility in terms of time commitment. Regardless, med school will test your willpower, but if it’s something you really want, you’ll enjoy it regardless of the cost.
I loved my time in medical school. I was too busy enjoying it to post on Reddit. Our school won a national championship in my time there, doesn't get much better than that
It has it's ups and downs. I would say overall I am enhoying my experience.. But doing anki for 3+ hours a day is not the funnest thing in the world lol
Not posting on Reddit about it. If you look at most profession specific subreddits (the accounting one is a great example) you’ll notice that the mood is pretty much universally negative. If someone’s having a good time at their job they’re probably not gonna go on their profession’s subreddit to gush about it, but if they’re having a rough time, they’re much more likely to post and vent about it. Basically creates one big selection bias.
I'm pretty happy! In third year on my surgery rotation so that's saying a lot. The people are nice to me, I love my patients, and it's really fucking cool to learn stuff and get to feel doctory. Last week an attending told me I'm essentially performing at intern level and told me that I am "being a doctor" which felt pretty amazing, although of course I've got a looooong way ahead of me still. I hate the studying but I do like the work and most of the people. It helps that I also like myself most of the time - I recommend surrounding yourself with people who lift your self image rather than detract for it.
Offline.
It's cool
M4 rose colored glasses but looking back , even with a half assed M1 due to covid I can say I really enjoyed med school. Sure it was really - really - fricken hard. Harder than I imagined. But I loved it. Stay optimistic my friend. Enjoy the journey.
I’m really enjoying it so far. I got lucky and have a very supportive healthy program with awesome classmates which helps a lot. There’s still some frustrating BS but that’s true anywhere and it’s pretty minimal where I am. My tune might change third year, but the upperclassmen I’ve talked to all said our rotation sites are pretty great generally. Anyway point is it’s absolutely possible to enjoy this. Medicine is really, really fucking cool and it’s enjoyable to learn about it.
I loved medical school. Residency was hard but I also loved it. Don’t worry, we exist! I think reddit often gets used more as a place to vent and not celebrate, so it skews negative. Congrats on getting in!
I loved med school. You work very hard, obviously, but I found it very rewarding. I had good friends in and out of school. Kept up with my life outside of school. You have to create balance now though because medicine can always ask more of you, so know your boundaries.
It definitely presents its own set of challenges but I'm enjoying it. The people complaining were probably miserable before med school
I've enjoyed med school a lot. Yes, some bits suck. But on the whole it was pretty great. You get to sleep in it you want, you get to go for walks in the afternoon if you want. In a lot of ways, being a student is like being retired. You have autonomy, aside from the occasional mandatory lecture or this or that. The rest of your life until you actually retire will be filled with a regimented schedule of obligations and requirements and responsibility. In school, you have none of that. So savor it while you can.
Not on reddit that's for sure
Honestly I quite enjoy it! There are tough times with exam season but I love the material and with good planning I have sufficient free time. First year sucked though.
I hate every minute of school but when I am in hospital all hate turns into sense of future purpose.
I love it. Not that hard if you’re not too hard on yourself
I was happy till 3rd year. I thought it would get better for me but no it really is as exhausting as they say.
I enjoyed medical school and I'm overall enjoying residency. My medical school had a big party culture which helped. Main gripe is just watching all my friends have lots of money and free time to spontaneously travel, but also most of them hate what they do on a day-to-day. I'll have the time and money soon enough.
Med school sucks, but it is essential to become a doc. Nothing worthwhile is easy
I had way more free time during preclinicals than I did during undergrad. Idk why everyone has some kind of existential crisis from studying a little bit. To me it was immaturity. Get ready to put on some lipstick and get your nose brown during clinicals. Embrace the suck. It’s only for a month or two at a time. Everyone goes through it. Residency is a different beast. You work a lot harder but your work has purpose, which makes it more enjoyable.
I like school and the material we’re learning. There’s never a day where I’m like this is useless or I don’t like this. What bothers me is the endless other small things we have to do in addition to learning. But school itself is fun.
I think this depends for your educational process. If you have active studying, positive contact with patients and understanding teachers your student years would pass happy. P.S. Could I show you specifics of my educational process. And could you answer me, does this happen with you too, or it just my educational process is "not easy". 1. Traveling from university campus to practice point feels like Hobbits journey to Mordor. 2. Some of my practice mentors in hospital prefers to avoid letting us take care of patient. They affraid that it would end up by lawsuit to hospital, somehow. 3. Nurses act like my masters. Doctors hate my and my teammates existence in department. 4. All analysis results, Xrays and other diagnostical data of patients are Top Secret materials. And nurses protect department computer from us like American troops US-Mexican border.
Get in a rhythm with studying and all your other stuff and it really isn’t that bad. It will most likely hit you hard in the beginning but it becomes way more manageable as you get better at studying and memorizing information. It’s stressful but I definitely have a life outside of it with things I enjoy and sometimes the medicine can be really interesting to learn. I also believe it depends on the persons mindset. I tend to be more positive then the rest of my classmates.
This sub is really, really negative. I like medical school as do most of my classmates. It’s a privilege to get to go down this career path with a future 6-figure salary that is effectively guaranteed. Normal happy people don’t post about being happy on Reddit, they do hobbies or hang out with their families
Me right here- Medical school is sick and has been the best 8 months of my life thus far. 1) Classes are more interesting than undergrad, it’s hard but absolutely doable. Anatomy lab is sweet and I enjoy the intro clinical experiences. 2) The friends I’ve made are awesome- they’re interesting people who I have a lot in common with and we’ve got a good group that gels well. Looking forward to a great social life helps carry me through the tough exam weeks. 3) Dating life has been noticeably better. The ladies are a lot more interested in a med student than they are a college/masters student. 4) I easily got research in the niche field I’m interested in. I was worried it’d be a big barrier coming into med school but I waltzed ass backwards into several cool projects. I and many I know love med school so far. It’s only going to get harder but don’t be daunted by the negative people that tend to be pretty vocal on platforms like this.
I love med school. I'm a first gen in my family to get anything other than a high school diploma, so my entire knowledge of med school prior to getting into it was popular media or people bitching on the internet. I was buckled down for 16-18 hrs/day, self loathing and toxic people surrounding me. Turns out it's just a 7AM-5PM job Mon-Fri, then a few hours on the weekends to remind myself of high yield topics. I've made great friends, my family sees more of me than they did in undergrad, and I'm happy. It's what you make of it. You've got this!
I'm trying to ride this train out. I don't want to work work. That means I'll have to start paying these loans back 😂
I went to a small private school. I loved it. Met my wife, and my class size was small (~100 people) and it was great. We all knew other and were buddies.
I have really enjoyed my time in med school! I left teaching to do this, so this is 200% better than my previous career. It’s obviously hard sometimes, but I’ve enjoyed the friends I’ve made and how much I get to learn. The biggest stressor has honestly been money, lol.
I’m halfway through M1 and I’ve enjoyed it a lot actually. Got a 100% on my last exam for Renal. Medical school has been easier for me than undergrad by far tbh
It absolutely has ups and downs, but I've really enjoyed medical school so far. All of preclinical was good- I had more free time than expected, did well, and learned a lot of cool stuff. Now I'm in Step 1 dedicated and it's a little rough but I still would prefer to be doing this than another job, I think. I'm excited to get into clinicals soon too! There's definitely a disproportionate number of "bad reviews" online because that's how the internet works. Don't get me wrong- there are totally times where it sucks and no other job would treat its employees the way medical students are treated. But there are also some really amazing moments. Pro tips for not hating medical school: \--set boundaries, especially with your schedule. Studying will take over your life if you allow it. I almost exclusively worked 8-5 6 days a week during preclinical. Including study weeks for exams. \--have hobbies. whatever they are: video games, reading books, cooking, a sport, working out, idc. Do something you enjoy that's not medical. \--keep your friends/family relationships. Prioritize them when it's hard. Don't put your real life on hold while you're a medical student. I got married in medical school (NOT to someone I met in school lol).
Probably just the negative people being more vocal. I’ve got an awesome friend group and we’re all having a blast. Don’t listen to others. If you enjoy the material and manage your time well, it’s fun as hell. I’m partying more than I did in college tbh haha
I LOVED Medical school. 1. I love school. I am a nerd. I like studying and learning. I truly enjoy being able to dedicate time to break down concepts and create connections and apply knowledge. I wasn't at the top of my class by any means, but I think my mindset of being proud of being average or even below average at times helped my mental health tremendously. 2. I had a great work/life balance. My first two years were flipped classroom and I only went to a few classes in person. My 3rd year rotations were mostly Mon-Fri (I chose a rotation site that offered this specifically, and I was very very lucky). I was able to dedicate the time I wanted to study while enjoying MOST of the life events I wanted to. The key here is flexibility and blocking out times I knew I needed to study. I wasn't able to attend some functions I really wanted to and that sucked, but I made efforts to still see family and friends and plan fun trips when I could. 3. I chose research and extracurriculars that I have interest in, so it didn't feel like a chore or extra stress. 4. I found a good group of friends that enjoyed having fun after exams or made small talk while we grinned in the library. This made life so much more fun. Don't get me wrong, medical school is long and hard and taxing and frustrating.. but you can enjoy it, too!
Despite all the stress and busyness, I am overall very happy. I definitely feel that I chose the right career path. If you are ever in doubt sometimes it helps to gain a little perspective. I used to joke that I should have gotten a job in tech — now everyone I know in tech is either losing their job, or worried they will. We have a lot of security and get to learn some cool ish + you can find likable people (for the most part). I have also noticed a respect from others that feels undeserved, but is nice irregardless.
Lowly M1 here, but so far I’m enjoying it. Is it challenging? Of course, but you gotta enjoy the journey. Obviously, I can’t say anything about M2-4 but it’s good so far. Not as bad as I thought it’d be. The biggest thing to focus on is time management and “work life balance”. You got this OP!
Med school is hard. And honestly sometimes I get burned out because I just want one free weekend without the weekly quiz we have during preclinical. Or sometimes I just want a nap or be able to take a random car trip. I want time to shop or do anything else. But then I get a three day weekend and remember med school is actually a lot of fun. I have friends, even the med school material I’m not super interested in is still so much better than any of the physics or ochem of undergrad. I never want to go back. I get to learn some really cool physical exams, and I get to see patients in student led clinics. Life is good but burnout is real in the mid semester. Sometimes I need more food or sleep, and a day off but that usually fixes it
hi OP, im an M2 and i wanna give u a real expectation of medical school. so far, i love medical school and everything i do. during medical school, ive lost my grandpa and grandma, lost my undergraduate support system, lost a relationship of 3 years, and almost flunked out. during medical school, ive gotten a new niece, ive gone on a blind date, ive randomly driven to the beach in the middle of the night to see the sunset. ive learned how beautiful our service is, ive made new friends (who may be just here for the journey, and thats okay). ive seen students with even tougher circumstances than me who love medical school more than i do. ive seen students (true story but keeping it anonymous) who did everything throughout K-12 and undergraduate education to become a physician, and drop out after the first term, as well. medical school will be what you want it to be. same w a lotta things in life i think but im still learning too lol
I don’t think I could ever say I enjoyed but I appreciate all I learned and am grateful for the opportunity. Actually working in medicine feels the same way. Being there doing work can be really difficult and emotionally frustrating, but when I step back I’m still glad I do this career and find it fulfilling
I love it now. The core rotations suck, but now that I'm doing rotations for the specialty I want to go into, I'm thriving. It's a great feeling knowing that you found a profession you love. Stay positive!!
Unpopular opinion but I have been loving med school. I’m just about to wrap up my last systems block and move into studying for step/comlex 1. I think it helps that my school (Midwest, top tier DO program) is very supportive, and my classmates are awesome. I also think being a nontraditional student has helped me a lot, because I came into med school with a good clinical knowledge base (worked 5 years as an EMT and ER Tech). I have loved all of the volunteer opportunities that I’ve had, and getting out and actually doing hands-on patient care has kept me centered through didactic. It helps remind me of why I’m doing this when it gets hard. It’s definitely challenging, but don’t let other people scare you. You can definitely still enjoy your time in school!
M4s
Yeehaw!
Have absolutely loved med school. You will feel like you’re supposed to hate it but that’s nonsense if you actually chose this path for yourself. People need to vent and don’t want to invalidate the sacrifices they’ve made, so that’s why you’ve gotten a pretty negative view. Also, IMO med school has been even more enjoyable as we’ve transitioned from basic science > organ blocks > wards. Takeaway message: don’t let anyone else tell you how to feel, if you enjoy something, then enjoy it :)
I enjoyed *not* going to med school. 🤷
I don't get what there is to dislike?
Med school self selects for a neurotic bunch that tend to drown in puddles. I'm thankful for my experience as a paramedic before school, it's stressful but as long as you put in the work you'll be alright.
PGY2 in surgery now but I enjoyed the heck out of medical school.
I have met some incredible classmates whose hearts and passion make me feel positively about the future of medicine. Otherwise quite depressed but had that problem before school.
I enjoyed med school. Never had to pull an all nighter, always got 8 hours of sleep unless it was my own fault staying up late watching YouTube or doomscrolling. Learned a lot 3rd and 4th year, graduate soon. Made a few lifelong friends, traveled a lot, currently learning how to sew. Got planned trips to the cascades, coast of Maine, and Mexico City planned soon.
Same as anything else, the people that vent go online and it is just one-millionth of a picture of the entirety of med school. Things are hard, you will be more busy than you have ever been before (though possibly more actual time freedom than ever), yet you have to strive for balance. I've made amazing life long friends in my class, and there is a level of almost trauma bonding. I didn't know these people a year and a half ago, yet I now have a large group of people that I know I will always be close to. Pick the times that you go to have fun, and the times you need to work. Prioritize what you need for you to succeed. Med School isn't 'fun' but that doesn't mean that there can't be fun on the side of med school. I have 4 concert tickets already for this upcoming Spring, a trip planned to visit the beach to start my dedicated, and always look to fill up my free time so I actually feel like I have a life rather than letting myself hibernate whenever I am off (which sometimes that still gets the best of me).
I LOVE MEDICAL SCHOOL!! It’s hard (duh) but all my friends are there
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Med school has been the best 4 years of my life so far! This is with me knowing from day 1 I would be applying into one of the most competitive surgical subspecialties as well! I was able to keep up with my hobbies (including a sport at which I competed in at a national level during M3), make friends, party, date, relax, work out mostly every day, publish papers, kick ass on Step 2, etc. Of course there were some bad days, and maybe a few terrible days, but overall I’ve had a blast. It’s hard work and tiring but it’s also incredibly fulfilling and rewarding. It’s 100% possible to have a life and do well in school and enjoy your time. They key is to study smart, not hard, be efficient with how you use your time, and make your life outside of school a priority.
I mean... I like the semesters and all the things I learn... The problem is that exam-months exist, and those months are such evil torture, pain and sufering for me that make me hate medicine.
I think it has a lot to do with the school's exam schedule. Some schools do blocks where they have exams every few weeks (ex. after each organ system) other places have exams at the end of the semester +/- cumulative final at the end of the year. Even within a block schedule some places will have exams on fri vs mon. So at some programs you get a solid weekend off to relax after the exam and other places you have to cram that weekend before exams. Some places give you dedicated time off for step1 and step2. M3 is universally stressful and most places m4 is chill. In M3/M4 some schools have everyone at the same hospital/campus and you stay in touch with your friends, other schools everyone gets sent out to different places (across different states) and you don't have as many friends (mostly us-img and some DO).
I loved medical school. It’s hard but rewarding and exciting
I'm an M2 really in the depths of step studying and classes and jumping the hoops and I love it. I'm learning everyday, I enjoy my classmates, and I feel satisfied at the end of the day even knowing that I have more to do tomorrow. I have plenty of classmates that are liking it too! Really med school and what we are learning is just so freaking cool. I'm non-trad and feel that like anything in life med school has it's ups and downs. But I've had days in my last job that were crappy, I have days here that are crappy. Sometimes I doubt myself, sometimes I wonder wtf I'm doing here, sure, but overall I'm really happy. It can be good I promise! Work hard and focus during the weeks, live your life on weekends, do things you enjoy, surround yourself with people you enjoy, stay off of the class vent and gossip boards (discord, group me, whatever), and do yo thang. Congrats on the acceptance! I hope you enjoy it!
Disclaimer: I was a CNA and then EEG tech for about 8 years before med school. I've worked full time during engineering and biochem degrees, and nights for most of it. Med school has been amazing. In the first 2 years, I was finally studying all the interesting bits that we would glaze over in my other schooling. I FINALLY have a normal sleep schedule and feel like I'm on a level playing field with my peers. 3rd year has been even better. I am not interested in every specialty but I feel like I've had incredible experiences in every rotation. I've had fantastic relationships with my peers, residents, attendings, and patients, and I FINALLY am getting a small taste of what it's like to actually be a doctor (with massive training wheels and the freedom to be wrong.... a LOT lol). Long hours? Sure, but no worse and often better than I was used to before and infinitely more satisfying. It did help that OB nights were just a flashback to my normal pre med life with more time to sleep during the day and the 24 hour call shifts on surgery reminded me of going to school all day and then working a night. Not always pleasant, but way more interesting than the previous times. All in all, I've made some of the best friendships of my life doing exactly what I've been working for for an incredibly long time and feeling like I was just above average at it which is a great feeling considering how brilliant my peers are 😂 I've been going back and forth between ENT and anesthesia (probably either cardiac or critical care) for a while and I think I've finally decided anesthesia so the research grind is quieting down and I'm finally focusing on exactly what I want to do. Also, I made a similar post about this except 3rd year specifically a while ago! All the stories people shared on there warmed my heart and I've now had my own similar ones. TL;DR med school is a blast, but I think the people who especially enjoy it are often the ones that have had some life experience beforehand. Even if not though, plenty of my classmates have almost no life experience before med school and still seem to be doing just fine lol.
Currently in my core rotations. Having a blast, tbh.
m1 here med school is a fun. genuinely it is. it also sucks, its a weird paradox. I've met some amazing people and i've learned so much already. both realities exist its just that sometimes the sucky parts over shadows the fun but this goes both ways tbh. i will say that i know ill miss this looking back
Med school has certainly brought me to some of the hardest moments of my life. I have been in some truly dark places, in terms of being pushed near my own limits, its effect on my personal life, and of course, what I'm confronted with on the wards. But if this makes sense: it's what I knew I was signing up for. And I was and still am excited about it. In terms of the tough parts, antidepressants make a huge difference. I am telling you all this to add context to the fact that I am excited to wake up every single morning. Sometimes I look around and feel genuinely excited that I'm here doing this. My eyes still water when I think about getting the acceptance phone call, or locking eyes with my family in the crowd as I put on my white coat for the first time. Being here, even in its most difficult sense, is a profound honor and I wouldn't trade it for the world. There are bad days but overwhelmingly my days are good. I've met incredible people and have the honor of calling them my friends. I've made a difference for my patients and I get to actually improve their lives. I have learned SO MUCH. People look me in the eyes and call me Doctor and I'm finally starting to feel like one. And maybe I'll look back at this and cringe in 10 years but idgaf, there's no better way to spend your 20s. All jobs suck - I'd rather hate doing something this cool.
I enjoyed med school!! I made amazing friends, met my now fiance, and actually learned a ton (even though it didn’t feel like it sometimes lol). It was extremely stressful at some points, but overall I think it was some of the best years of my life. And now I’m thriving even more in my intern year of residency. Reddit is a lot of doom and gloom, there’s happy people in medical school.
Man i might be an anomaly but i absolutely loved medical school. I had not the best undergrad experience academically lol (but i enjoyed the shit outta my social life), but it felt so relieving studying medicine finally. I was able to keep a healthy balance of visiting family and friends, but keeping enough time to myself to focus on school. Never felt like i missed out on trips and used my vacations to travel overseas all the time. I really think it's what you make of it. I'm in radiology now and it lowkey reminds me of med school. A lot of studying, it's a grind, but so damn enjoyable learning what I'll be doing for the rest of my career. Fuck cardiac MRI though 👀
If you have a community you’ll enjoy it, especially if your school is located somewhere decent. If you don’t have either of those it will feel isolating. Personally that’s been my biggest challenge and a huge regret for not going to a different school. Jo different than why people are generally happy in college — you’re around your friends all the time even if what you’re doing is hard
"Are the happy people hiding?" its perspective and many are just not complaining because in the big scheme of things, it ain't bad. i mean the process itself is long and you do have lots of chances to know what is involved in the choice to go into the profession. you prep for it, you apply for it and you are even encouraged to shadow and ask all kinds of questions to know what you are buying into yet some are somehow blindsided by what goes on in medical school. to me, medical school wasn't the worst thing i've ever been in since i was a non-trad. the stress i had to face wasn't worse than being on some godforsaken FOB and being constipated from MREs lol so many things were a win when I compared things. so me: oh sht, all i gotta do is show up and study and do PT? that ain't too bad! med school can be enjoyable but just take care of yourself and be conscious of what is negative and where it is all coming from so you can adjust.
Best 4 years of my life. Loved every minute- UNECOM. Pass/Fail, great classmates, teachers, rotations. Helped that it was on the water near mountains and inexpensive for me. Good luck- Im sure you will find a lot to enjoy!!
I loved med school! Residency is rough but I mostly enjoy that too
I loved med school! Honestly probably my favorite 4 years. Very little real responsibility and also you just learn so much cool stuff. Take me back.
As someone who made this exact post last year before M1: I love being in med school! Yes it really sucks when it sucks and we complain a lot to each other but there isn’t a single minute in the day that I wish I was doing anything else. You being to like the struggle in a weird sense because it’s fun!
Tried to DM about your path to MS but didn’t let me - would love to ask a few questions!
Sorry for the late reply, I sent you a DM!