If You Wish To Apply For The Federal Direct Parent Loan For Undergraduate Students: Fill & Download for Free

I will assume you are an US citizen (holding a valid US passport) and you are in your last year of high school in a foreign country and now wish to apply to attend colleges in the USA.In reality you face the Same issues that any US citizen does in the USA who does Not (for whatever reason) want to attend a public college in her/his state. There are few differences.If you have $320,000 at your disposal to pay for four years of college in the USA, then there are no issues. You can apply to Any college that is a good fit for you and then once accepted you attend the college with the combination of best fit for You and most cost-Effective for You. Since you have all the money that you need, you won’t fill out any FAFSA or PROFILE or equivalent financial aid forms.However, if you are not luck enough to have sufficient funds to pay for four years of college in the USA with No financial aid, then you are stuck. You and All of your parents will be required to fill out the FAFSA forms and possibly the PROFILE forms and other equivalent forms. As an US citizen you personally will need to show that you have filed US federal income tax forms the last several years Or show proof that you earned an insufficient amount of money to have to file. If your parents are also US citizens and have never filed US Federal IRS forms you may be out of luck for any financial aid. Your parents will be in violation of US laws and you will want to keep them hidden. If your parents are not US citizens, then you will be filling out a combination of the FAFSA and PROFILE forms and will need to seek some free advice for that After you have read everything online associated with those forms:FAFSA - Free Application for Federal Student AidApply for College Financial AidWe now have the basics of applying for financial aid out of the way.Now you will start at this web site: University & College Search Tool and register and fill out your profile and use the web site to assist you in finding colleges that are Both a good fit for You as well as possibly being cost-effective for you.As others have stated, take a look at some of the smaller states’ Public universities like University of Delaware. Roughly 70% of the undergraduate students at UDel are Not residents of Delaware, because Delaware is a small state, but it Loves education and built a large and very good university. (US Army and DuPont helped…..)Elite Private US universities will be cost-effective for you, because they will Only charge you the Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) that is determined from the FAFSA and PROFILE forms (above) and will provide mostly grants (aid) for the remainder. You will probably still need to take a Federal Direct Loan, but if you keep your Total amount of loans over four years (and graduate in four years) to less than $27,000 you will be fine, as you should be able to start a job with an annual salary in excess of $54,000 per year and that is why you are attending colleges in the USA….So, you have a Lot of homework to do.You need to read all that you can about the FAFSA and PROFILE financial aid forms, you need to register (free) online at a couple of college search web sites like the one at the College Board (above), and you need to sit down and have a Long discussion with your current high school guidance counselor, and then a long discussion with your parents. Allow 3 to 4 months for all of that. Hopefully you are a junior in high school now, otherwise you are probably too late to be starting this process.All the best.

Q. When you study to become a doctor and then quit before graduation are you still considered a doctor since you got the education?A2A. If you did not complete medical school, you will not receive a diploma and therefore, you are not a doctor.Without that degree, you cannot have an MD after your name. You cannot use that credential for jobs.Plenty of people flunk out of medical school. These people did attend classes and have some knowledge. But failed in some ways.The medical graduate has a lot of book knowledge, but little experience in managing patients alone. Lots of guidance is needed in clinical settings. Residency is when the stripe is earned and once completed, one truly becomes a doctor.The following are articles and threads for why some fail or quit medial schools. Lots of comments, which I include unaltered.Failed Medical School: What to Do Now?If you are visiting this section, most likely you have failed medical school or may be on the verge of failing medical school.If you are an US medical student, you will probably get a second chance, even a third chance. So make the most of it.But if you have been dismissed from the school, I want to let you know that it is ok. You are not the first person ever to fall. Your life is not over, it will go on. Failure is a blessing in disguise.Examine why you wanted to go into medical school. If you love medicine, you can be a nurse, physician assistant, or physical therapist. If you love money, you shouldn’t be a doctor. You can start a business, write a book, or even invest. If you want to help people, you can volunteer or become a teacher. Being a doctor is not the only way of life. The work ethic you learned in medical school will serve you well for the rest of your life, even if you failed medical school.You should be concerned about the debt you have accumulated over the years you spent in medical school. If you have a federal loan, you can apply for the income-based repayment program to reduce the monthly payments. (medical school loan)If Being a Doctor Is the Only Option for YouIf being a doctor is the only option for you, you can reapply but it will be risky and costly. You will most likely have to take the MCAT again and jump through 20 others hoops to get into medical school. Admissions don’t look at medical school failures in a positive light. So even if your scores are good, you may not get an acceptance. If you absolutely, positively must become a doctor, make sure you have a rock-solid study system.Are you turning your back on medicine? If so, you may feel like you are alone. You may feel like a failure. But, you are not. Leaving the field could turn out better than you have ever thought possible. And here is why you should get out …This article is part of the How to Survive Medical School series. Click on the link if you want more tips and hints about surviving academic hell.CommentsPage says: Hi, Alex. Just browsing through. We have same background! I was a business graduate who went straight into med school after one year of bumming and interning at an international organization for public health. I did one year of med and joined a sorority. It was hellish and I quit the next summer, PTSD from all the hazing. My grades certainly sucked too. My enthusiasm for the field is dampened. I think (somehow I thought it would be a cakewalk..). It’s funny you mentioned learning other languages. While wondering what to do with my life – yet again – (I was glumly contemplating finance or operations) I got a random fun job to pay for French classes. That job was -and is – at my country’s international trade office, where I now help to negotiate free trade agreements (Capital-side for now, but hopefully abroad in a few years ). And just like that my life turned upside down. So.. occasionally I browse online, to see if I find a solid enough reason to go back to med school in favor of this surprisingly novel and travel-wise rewarding career path.Hey Page,I agree with you that medical school is a hellish experience. Don’t go back to medical school. Your new job sounds really cool. If they can send you abroad, that would be a blast!derrick says: Hi Alex, you seem to give the best advice here. I’m in my first year of medicine, 2nd semester.. I failed two courses the first semester. Omg i feel like shit right now.. I’m the only one who failed anatomy, i got 48% .. Pass mark being 50%.. And it has lots of credits.. To retake i have to pay $200 , where am i gonna get that money? My dad would be like you’re always partying and shit and forget to study now look what you got into.. Second course is psychology i got 45%. I have to pay $50 to retake.. There’s a good chance I could persuade the lecturers to raise the marks. How do i sound so convicing that it guarantees they give them to me.. Right now i cant sleep.. And i have an exam tomorrow and i lost hope i cant even study for it.. I feel lost right now..Hey Derrick,It sounds like you’re in a medical school abroad. From my point of view, where tuition is $50,000+ per year, $200 and $50 is not too much to retake the http://classes.In anatomy, it seems like you are so close to passing. Maybe you can visit the teacher and discuss ways for you to get another 2%. Maybe you can turn in something for extra credit or something. Or if there was something subjective (such as an evaluation, you can appeal for a higher grade). The best way to get what you want is to give the other person what he wants. So you’ll have to figure that out.Then you’ll just have to worry about $50 for psychology.I’m gonna be real with you. It is just going to get harder and harder. Either quit now or strap yourself to your chair and study like your life depends on it.Carol says:Hey, I am in 4th term in Caribbean MED school. It’s been a struggle, I deceled for one class & I feel boxed in after my midterm. How do I explain the 2 year gap since I got my BS to employers?Sandra says: Hi Page, I have also failed out of medical school and wanted to know a little more about your new career choice. It sounds like something I would also like to try out.Hey Sandra, I did not fail out. But I know some people who either failed out or dropped out. One works as a teacher. Another works in finance. Another makes really good money with his own business.Personally, I would start my own business if I am not doing medicine.Red says: Sandra, I failed medical school in the UK.Became an Architect after 12 years of evening study, then did Law and Project Management. 30 years later I’ve designed and built many buildings, worked on Olympics projects, and live in a foreign country where I’ve had to learn 2 new languages.And I still regret my 1 year of stupidity where I thought I could get by with minimum work and maximum fun living in a Billy Liar kind of life for cheap laughs.My advice is whilst you CAN get over failure and build a new life its better not to be a dickhead and waste a dream. The life now is not the life I wanted. I still have dreams about being taken back for redoing the year. Sure there are many good things but there is something missing.Keep going because the alternative is not good. BestRedTrishia says: Hi Alex,I am on the verge of quitting medical school but I don’t know what to do with my life if I did. I got a degree in Biology for my pre-med and the career options are limited. I am interested in finance or business, but I don’t know how to start. Any tips?Alex Ding says: Hi Trishia,No one can tell you what to do with you life. But I can try to guide you.First, a college degree (no matter the major) is worthless. Everyone has one. So it doesn’t matter if your majored in biology or business. Your future is still very, very bright.Second, you have to determine what you love to do in life. I’m assuming you are still young, so you may not have a good idea. So pursue finance. If you love working 60 – 80 hours a week working on spreadsheets and dealing with numbers, you’ll love it. If you’re doing it for the money, it’ll suck.But definitely try it out. You have to break into the field first. So offer to work for free. Maybe it means you should get an internship. If no one takes you up on your generous offer, start learning finance on your own. Borrow a book in the library or look up the information on Google.Learn how to create pro forma. Learn what a bond is, what a stock is, what a mutual fund is. Learn how to calculate intrinsic value. Learn about P/E ratios and whatnot.I truly believe you have to experience the varieties of life before you can find what you love. So go out. Live. Explore. Volunteer. Learn.Sage Compos says: Hey Guys! I am on the verge of failing out of my third year. The MCAT was HELL for me, and now the Step 1 is seemingly the same…There are a MILLION things I want to do with my life, but this is what I wanted for my FUTURE. It is extremely scary. I have not gotten the official kick out, because I am going to fight it, but life is short and we should all do what we love. Cheers.Alex Ding says:That’s the spirit, Sage. I wish you the best of luck. Fight for what you want!Carmen says: I failed dental school. I graduated top of my undergraduate class and was accepted to dental school on my first time applying. I failed my first year of dental school, was allowed to repeat on a decelerated program, passed boards, but ultimately ended up failing a class again and was dismissed. Now I’m 6 figures in student loan debt & trying to figure out what to do with my life. Even though I’ve considered reapplying just to prove that I CAN succeed and become a dentist, I have given up on dental school. Honestly, the years that I was there were absolute hell for me and I did not have support at the school. I was depressed. But I feel like I really let my parents and family down. I’ve considered nursing, physician assistant, physical therapy, teaching, getting a degree in public health/nutrition, etc. I’m just not sure what to do. I’m working full-time now in a job unrelated to my college major (biology), and although I’m thankful for the job, I’m not content. I really don’t know what to do. I’ve complete classes for teaching certification and I’m considering getting a Masters in teaching or biology or health promotion/public health. Any advice?Alex Ding says: Hey Carmen,Maybe failing out is the best thing that happened to you in terms of happiness. Yea, the loans sure suck. But based on income-based repayment program or pay-as-you-earn program, if you make minimal salary, your repayment towards the loan is also minimal. (Assuming all your loans are federal.)To me, it seems like your life revolves around science of some sort: biology, dentistry, public health, etc. Is that what you really want to do?I don’t know what the hours are like for your current job. But whatever free time you have should be used to explore life. Try crazy things. Experiment with new things. Maybe go into computers or art or business or whatever.Your goal right now is to find what you love in life. You’ve probably been in school all your life, so why get another degree? That you may not even use?And once you find what you love, go after it. If you are passionate about your job, you won’t mind putting in the work. Therefore, you will succeed and you will be happy. And you’ll realize how trivial failing out of dental school really is.Angela says: Hello,I failed out of med school. I am not sure my heart was into medicine, I think I was mainly there for the money and due to parental pressure since I am Asian. You eluded early to finding out what you love to do. How does one find out what they love to do? I majored in a Humanities subject (English/History/Psychology) along with premed. I was always more interested in the Humanities. I am trying to decide whether I should pursue a career in business/finance or go after what I really love (writing) even if i have to struggle financially. What do you think?Alex Ding says: Hey Angela,You find out what you want to do by living life, taking risks, and trying new things. You asked about doing the sensible thing and working in a safe, stable job vs. following your passion. This is something I struggle with too. And to help you answer the question, here is a quote by Steve Jobs:“If you live each day as it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.”If you were to die in a week or even a month, would you be happy with your life? Sometimes, when you live for the future, it may never come. Too many people think about money. Money this. Money that.But think about it … How much is a year of your life worth? Would you give up a year of your youth for $50,000 or even $100,000? If not, why would you take on a job you dislike (or even hate) just for money? Even though you may be struggling financially, you’re happy. You enjoy http://life.So I say, do what you love. And when you get so good at it, the world will reward you. Chase after passion and excellence, and the money will come.Angela says: Thanks! What suggestions do you have for someone whose passion is for English literature and writing?Alex Ding says: Are you reading and writing every day? If so, why not create a website of your own? Or write a book? Or teach people how to write? Or tutor people in English literature?There are so many things you can do with the power of words. Writing is my passion as well. =)A Guy says: If you wish to understand English literature, or any Western literature, a good place to start is the Bible. It profoundly impacted Western thought.Of course Christianity is not limited to the West and vice-versa. Many Westerners are not Christian anymore, and Christianity has spread so rapidly outside Europe that most Christians are not Westerners. Also, the earliest Christian communities are actually in the Middle East, However, the impact is still undeniable.My personal recommendation is to read the New Testament before the Old Testament. It is much easier to understand, and the Old Testament makes more sense in the context of the New Testament. I know this is ironic as the OLD Testament was written first.Personal note: I am a Christian. But I am trying to present this in an unbiased format.Melissa says: How does one get over the bitterness of failing out of med school? I spent 3 years working as a research assistant at a hospital while completing organic chem classes and studying for the MCAT. I was admitted to med school at 25. I failed first semester and took a year off. I came back the next year to redo second year and was still struggling. I ended up failing some exams and since it was my second time around, they dismissed me. Now I am 27 and have no idea what I want to do with my life. I’ll be honest, I only went into medicine for the money and did not have a passion for it. I feel so bitter for wasting so much of my life and time.Alex Ding says: Hey Melissa,You are still young. There are people who did not succeed until their 40’s and 50’s.One of my friends went from multimillionaire to bankrupt around 39 years of age. Got divorced. He thought his life was over.He made his money back. He’s married to someone who care about him. He has a beautiful family. He is happier than ever.The trick is to pick yourself up and to wipe off the dirty feeling of failure after falling down. You now know you and medicine don’t mix well. So stop dwelling on the past and move forward. Try something else. Find something you love and you too will be successful.And anyways, medicine takes away a lot of your time. You’ll have to sacrifice your relationships, and maybe even your love life. It’s for the best that you get out now than after a decade.Pkay says: I just failed my 1st year in medicine and I have been given a second chance to redo the year in the units failed. In my country we do the degree as an undergraduate within 6 yrs.To be honest my heart was in pharmacy as *I love chemistry* and topics to do with micro organisms in biology.My idea was to get my degree in pharmacy then work in a pharmaceutical company as an analyst then later go into research.However I was discouraged by some doctors who told me that most pharmacists end up just selling meds behind counters and never use their training during their job.Medicine was my only other option and I don’t mind the idea of being a doctor nor the stress that comes with it. My problem is that I suck at memorization as I am more of an abstract thinker and I’m very analytical.My problem is that my confidence right now is sooooo low that I’m afraid of repeating the year because of the ridicule I’ll get from my former classmates. And I’m also afraid of not succeeding in pharmacy because I failed med in the 1st year!!!Any advice on how I could get over this grave yard I dug myself into?! Do you know of any one who failed their 1st year and became successful physicians/pharmacists?!Alex Ding says: Hey Paula,What a heavy burden on your shoulders. You know what? It is OK that you failed. It is not the end of the world At least you know that however you’re studying does not work.I had some classmates who failed the 1st year and had to repeat it. The majority of them will become doctors after this year. If you suck at memorization, you’re just like me. I wrote about how I study in great details at: http://www.medicalschoolsuccess.com/the-secret-of-studying/It helped me get through 4 years of medical school. I never failed a single exam. And it helped me pass my licensing exams all on the first try.Pkay says: I’m a 1st year who failed and has been asked to repeat. My confidence is shattered and I fear being ridiculed by my ex-classmates. I worked hard and I thought I’d a fair chance of making it through.I had a flu during the exams and was unable to read but I remembered my exams being extremely fair and 53% of the class passed well.I have always had a passion for chemistry and anything to do withmicrobiology. Hence my heart was set out for pharmacy but I was discouraged from that path and was told that as a pharmacist I won’t use my training much but be more of a business woman. Yes I love the idea of making money but I love the idea of getting into medical research more and wanted to work as an analyst in the labs.My only option of achieving this dream was through medicine.However I SUCK AT CRAMMING AND MEMORISING (hence avoided law school). But don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind reading constantly, I just have no idea on how to go about the content without memorising but rather understanding e.g. physio and bchem were fine, anatomy was the problem. What’s wrong with me?! In knew med would be a challenge but didn’t think I’d fall under the 5% that fails. I thought that group was for medics that partied too hard not studied like I did.Please give your opinion/advice before I make the huge desicion to leave the “medic” family. I am paralysed.Alex Ding says: Hey Paula,Please see my response above.Pkay says: Ohhh. Thanks!!! I have really bad connection at home hence didn’t see your response and sent the same message several times even Facebook is a problem .OH and congrats for that.I’ll definitely try it out and give you a response ASAP.J says: So I have a bit of a different story…. I was accepted into a very difficult masters of biomedical science program which is intertwined with the first year med students. So the deal for all those in this program is the following, as long as we end up with a B in the class we will be granted acceptance into the med school, and if one were to receive an A in anyone of the classes they would’ t need to repeat that course, which remarkably can/does happen, but not always. And for anyone students who end up with two C’s they would’t necessarily be dismissed, they would need to do a second year of the masters program and retake those courses they received C’s in. For any students that receive more than two C’s, they will not be eligible for the medical school but could receive a masters which isn’t the point of why we are there. So today i come to find out the physio exam i took on monday, which is one of the hardest classes, and taught by some of the biggest pieces of shits, who resent the med students because they never became doctors themselves handed me back my grade, it didn’t turn out so good (46%)…. and sadly not the lowest. The class avg was a 70 and there are 250 med students, maybe a few more. So I’m prepared to write a letter to the dean tomorrow resigning from the program…. I have been dreaming of becoming a doctor my entire life. I have never thought of anything else as a career choice for me. I will be honest, i do wish to make a substantial living, it’s of great importance. I plan on getting married within a few years and having a life, and without money i can’t do that/support my family….. However what sucks more is my father is an extremely successful doctor, who isn’t upset with me because he knows the professors in this school pride themselves on failing students. I’m just completely lost, not clue as to where I’m turning to. Either i retake the mcat and get in regularly which would be incredible bc getting at least a 70 isn’t that difficult, those 10 pts to an 80 are impossible when you F-uped the first exam and don’t know what else you can do the study and memorized everything/ concepts. No matter what i did these professors made exams to difficult people repeating the year found it harder. I know its going to be nearly impossible to come back after this physio exam, especially when the second exam is cardiophysio and there are more F’s on that exam then any other in the entire school. Now i to figure things out…. i though maybe getting my DNP… doctor of nurse practitioner, which hold essentially all the rights and abilities doctors have, just half the time of school. What do you think?Alex Ding says: Hey Jacob,I totally agree with what you wrote about professors getting job in failing students.Since the grade made you ineligible for medical school, it is wise to resign. If you could care less about the Master’s degree, then stop wasting money and time on it.Your backup plan is really good. Become a physician assistant or a nurse practitioner, because it will require less schooling and you’ll get to skip residency. You’ll also make darn good money … maybe in the six-figures or so. If I had to choose again between being a doctor or a physician-extender, I would choose the latter.In || We Reporting the future, doctor’s gonna do worse. The mid-tier practitioners will do better. It’s already happening now.Gilbert Grape says: Hello Alex,I failed out of medical school after I got a nervous breakdown and constant panic attacks. I was dismissed. I went into medical school because I wanted to be a Psychiatrist. I studied Psychology and premed in undergrad. Now I am wondering, should I apply back to go to med school in the Caribbean/Australia or some foreign school to fufill my dream of being a Psychiatrist? Or stay in the States and apply to PHD/PsyD. programs in Psychology and become a Psychologist? I am better at Psychology than the medical sciences.ThanksAlex Ding says: Hey Gilbert,If you want to practice in the US, applying to residencies as a foreign graduate will be one heck of a ride. It’ll be tough, because residencies favor American medical graduates.If you are ok with psychotherapy, become a psychologist. In some states, even psychologists can prescribe medication! You gotta do a little digging to find out which states give you more privileges.If you don’t like medical sciences, you’ll have a very miserable 4 years of medical school. (Like me.)Aud says: Hi Alex, I have taken the Step 1 3 TIMES!! Failed them! I just took it, and I am deathly afraid of the results…At this point, I am questioning everything in my academic career in order to obtain this goal of becoming a physician. I have two masters, and I cannot get why this exam is so difficult and daunting, I literally have 10 months of rotations remaining, but I question whether to continue…What is the point of having the degree, if you cannot get a residency position (I’m an IMG)… I am so distraught, I have no idea what to do next… Any thoughts?Alex Ding says: Hey Aud,Your situation is quite dire. You’re right; you most likely can’t get into a US residency.If you really want to become a doctor, there is a chance you can do so in another country. But if you want to work in the US, it is wiser to cut your loss and change direction. I can’t tell you what you should do instead. But I recommend that you try a lot of different things and find something you like. Get a job. Travel. Volunteer. Hang out with people outside your social circle.I would not urge you to go back to school. You also got enough of that and look where it got you.And you can skip the traditional job by creating something. It could be creating a new business, writing a book, producing videos, OERLIKON in Italia is a big world out there and there are lots of opportunities besides being employed as a doctor.Caroline says: January 19, 2015 at 5:35 AM Hello alex, I studied med school for two years but only accomplished the first year classes. As I repeated twice one subject that had a lot of credits and didn’t let me to continue with the other subjects because it was a pre requisite for the others. So I got dismissed of that school and now I don’t know if I should enroll into another university looking forward to becoming a med or just forget about med school and do another career? I’m not in the United States but I was looking for help online and found this forum which I read, and discovered many people was in a slightly same situation. I feel really lost and sad because in the bottom of my heart I really want to be a doctor but certainly I know that maybe I will do better in life if I did another thing that Im good at. I just keep thinking I should have studied more or didn’t get depressed for family problems which lead into the bad grades. When I was in high school everybody told me that I will be good if I was a journalist or a public relations manager or something involved with speaking or sharing your point of view or with languages because I was supposley good at that. But I dont know really what will I do If I wasn’t in med school….Alex Ding says: Hey Caroline,Please see your e-mail.Me says: First I would like to say that this post is more negative than positive and the comments equally. There are a lot of people who have failed out (like myself) and returned to medical school. Yes it’s hard, frustrating and depressing but if it is truly what you want ignore everyone else. It doesn’t matter. Stop worrying about what society thinks and what HE would do…All the successful people in the world, those unheard of and heard of all…ALL retook risks and never gave up. I failed out because I truly believed I was onto of enough, I had such a negative mind set and realised that a PBL based course sucked for me. I was so lost. The fact that younger and less studious people passed means something. So do NOT give up if it is what you want to do. Your story can inspire others. Lincoln was probably told to be crazy until he became president. Ignore the naysayers.E. Allan says: Hello,I failed out of Sgu. I am interested in getting into another program of medicine. Could you please give me some advice on how you did that.Thank you!A says:M Hello,I failed out of AUA and would love some information. I know this is what I want but coming to the carribbran was not what I should have done. I’m wondering if I retake my MCAT and do well in a Masters program, would I be able to get in somewhere in the US? I just want this so bad.Haley says: Hello, I failed out of medical school. I thought my life was set when I got an acceptance. I always did very well in school. Now I feel so ashamed of myself. I was dismissed from medical school. I don’t have a job. I am unemployed and moved back home to my parents house. I felt very suicidal for a while. I think about cutting myself. I don’t know what to do with my life and I am in my mid-20s. I always thought I would grow up to be very successful because I did well academically. I go often to a coffee shop and bookstore to read books. I met a guy who has been incredibly loving—helping me to see that I shouldn’t let this failure to define me…It is because of him, that I am still alive. I finally woke up today and instead of crying in bed, I got up and started applying to lots of jobs….I don’t know where life will take me. I am so scared because I built my life on prestige/success. I am thinking of going to a career counselor but I am dead broke—literally have no money for anything….What advice do you have for me?Alex Ding says: Hi Haley,I’m sorry that you went through such hardships. When your big dream gets crushed, it is easy to get depressed. And the guy you must seems to be an angel in disguise.Haley, you’re too young to give up. You still have 60 more years ahead of you. And there is so much more to the world than medicine. I hear of people who didn’t fail out, but are trapped in medicine and miserable because of all the student loans. No matter which stage people are at, you will still find misery.Right now, you should explore what you like. You think being a career counselor is for you. So why not talk to actual career counselors. Shadow them. Intern with them for free. Experience as much of life as you can, and find the purpose of your life.I graduated from medical school and I would trade places with you in a heartbeat, because you have something I no longer time. Time.Haley says: Hi Alex,I am a Type A personality. So while you don’t have “time,” I have too much “time” on my hands. I also have no money and live at home with my parents. All this free time has been driving me nuts. As someone who has always been doing things my whole life, unemployment and having no direction now has been really rough. I don’t want to be a career counselor. I considered seeing a career counselor to receive advice on what to do with my life now, but the services are so expensive and I don’t have the money to pay for it.Alex Ding says: Hi Haley,With all the time you have on your hands, why don’t you explore the world around you. Try to get an internship or volunteer. Read books or take online classes. You don’t even have to spend a penny to do so.I don’t think a career counselor will help you out too much. You’ll probably take a quiz that assess your personality and give you a couple jobs you can go for. You can probably find one online if you search hard enough.Seriously, put yourself out there and be open to new experiences. Whatever you’ve wanted to try but were afraid to, try them out now. You’re not gonna wreck your life (as long as it is not illegal or immoral).Haley says: Hi Alex,Thanks for your advice. You mention being miserable in medicine but can’t leave—why is that? I was thinking of doing a biomedical masters and trying to get back into med school…But honestly, I am having second doubts. I would have to retake the MCAT, complete a biomedical masters and then based on my performance, see if any med school would admit me. I am 27 years old now and will be turning 28, which means if it did work out for me, I would be 30 when I started med school! Do you think this is worth it? While I have an interest in medicine—I also hope to get married and have children one day. I am worried I will have to sacrifice getting married and having children if I only finish training at age 37. Since I am 27, I don’t have much of my youth left and there is no guarantee any med school would even admit me…Not sure if I want to spend the remainder of my youth studying. What do you think?Thanks!Haley says: Hi Alex,Also you are right! There are lots of other things outside of medicine I would rather do….I guess I was attracted to medicine but it would enable me to make a high salary while also helping people and doing good in the world. I am also really interested in working for a non-profit and possibly one day becoming a non-profit director but non-profit work really does not pay much unfortunately. There are lots of things I would really enjoy doing but I would earn much less money than a doctor (which would mean living more modestly). However, like you said, even if I had to live more modestly, I would have more time to enjoy my youth. I would also like to get married and hopefully have children by my early 30s. Going back into medicine (and there is no guarantee any med school would even take me at this point) would mean sacrificing relationships/family until 37.Thank youHaley says: Hello Alex,Sorry for the 3rd post, LOL…I thought of something else I wanted to ask you since you said you had a Business degree and worked in the business field prior to going to medical school. What do you think of a job as a Business Analyst, Financial Analyst or Management Consultant? I know they are all careers that would enable me to make a good living. Is it possible to enter these careers with a Biology/Psychology degree and only medical research experience?Thanks!Alex Ding says: Hey Haley,I can see you’re really enthusiastic.The jobs which allow you to make a lot of money will also require a lot of time. Doctors, lawyers, investment bankers and whatnot will require much more than 40 hours a week.You have to prioritize what you want out of life. Do you want a family or do you want a career? It is very hard to have both. Your 20’s is soon gonna pass. Are you going to use the time to find a spouse or embark on a new career?If you really want to remain in medicine, make decent money, and have a family, I would recommend you look into becoming a nurse or a physician assistant. Neither occupation will require that much schooling. And neither will require residency. (As a bonus, maybe you’ll meet a nice doctor to marry.)In the right field, nurses and PAs can make six-figures.Before you dive into business, you have to first find out if you like the job. Do you like creating slides and giving presentations? Do you like to work on excel and create financial models? Do you like to analyze stocks, etc. You just have to try it out and see.Mal says: Hello Alex!Yesterday, the results of my first year medical school came out and I failed. I was “dropped from the student rolls for failing more than 40% of my academic load”.I was confused. Of course, it didn’t happen all of a sudden. Half of my school year, I was failing in my 2 subjects: Physiology and Biochemistry.The moment that doubt at myself started lingering (that moment of ‘I thought I can do this but apparently, this grade doesn’t say so) was when I got the result for my first Biochemistry exam. If I could remember correctly, I got 63 (the passing grade is 75). That was also the moment that I told myself to study harder.On the second exam, I passed my Biochemistry exam. I was happy; I was proud of myself. However, that was also the time where I failed my Physiology exam. I wasn’t that sad because I only lack 3 points. And I thought I could easily earn that in the next exam. (Well, I thought wrong.)On the third and fourth exams, I was continuously failing Physiology to the point I got a grade of only 62. I also failed Biochemistry again for 1 point behind on the third exam, but happily passed on the http://fourth.To this point, I was then seriously doubting my potential and capability as a medical student. And I hated that. I was against the educational system of today for making students hate learning and doubting themselves because of a failure in a somewhat biased and standardized exams. That was cruel.One moment medical schools were gladly accepting these highly appointed students, the next they were making them withdraw because they failed in a few exams. That was happening in my class. Some of my classmates withdrew in the middle of the semester because they were afraid that they will fail and it will be in their transcript. (Oh, if only I knew.)On the fifth and sixth exam, I was finally passing all my subjects again. In fact, I got an 80 in my sixth exam in Physiology. I was happy. I was hoping. It got me motivated to study even harder.When the finals came, I was more enthusiastic in studying because there’s this hope, this fire within me that I can actually do this. I thought to myself, “I was going to push the world harder this time.” I isolated myself from friends to study on my own because I have a lot of coping up to do.Then, I got sick. My asthma acted up. It was different from my other asthma attacks before. It was more intolerable. I couldn’t focus in reviewing, I couldn’t sleep. But I need to read a lot of transcripts because of my finals, and I also need to get myself something to eat despite how awful I feel because I was living along. But, surprisingly, all through that, I wasn’t losing hope. I was kind of getting the hang of it.Then, the waiting for the results came. I was nervous. I couldn’t sleep. I was even having nightmares.When it came, it felt like, out of nowhere, without my permission, I became the volunteer of a human catapult experiment and been slammed to a hard wall. I actually got the results while in Starbucks trying their new summer drink. If it mattered, I didn’t enjoy it and I didn’t even finish it. I was shocked because out of the options of a failing student, I was http://dropped.In my school, there were a lot of options before you get dropped from their medical school:(1) Get promoted to second year, but you need to attend your missed session in this one particular subject.(2) Take the removal/remedial exams, pass it, and then get promoted to second year.(3) Take the removal/remedial exams, if you failed it, you will be retained in first year to take the subject again.(4) Retained as a first year and take the subject/s you failed.(5) Lastly, dropped from the medical http://school.It was actually a list. When I read those who will get a removal and didn’t see my student number, I was relieved because I thought I passed. Then, I saw it at the bottom pit. Literally. I was scared. I was confused.I was finally passing my exams. How come they wouldn’t even give me the chance to take the removal exams for both subjects? Turned out, Physiology and Biochemistry, combined, was more than the 40% of the academic load. I only got the individual result for Physiology and I lack 0.78 points.I really wanted to be a doctor. Even more so, when I started medical school.At the moment, I don’t know what to do. I can’t reapply to other medical schools because the applications are already finished and most med schools here disqualify students who were dropped from their previous med school.I am only 21 years old, so you may say I still have a lot of options. But still, it was saddening for me. I couldn’t talk to friends because, frankly, I was embarrassed of failing. My parents were also sad. I am depressed. Sometimes, I just cry out of nowhere. I don’t know what to do.I’ll try emailing the dean and associate dean for a help for my other options. But I doubt, they’ll even reply. Nobody knows me at school, except those people I get to talk to (such as the employees in the library, secretaries, registrar, etc) , not those BIG people in the school such as the dean or even my professors. I’m just that average student. I didn’t graduate with honors. I was just wait-listed when I applied for this school. So, somehow, I can tell how “dispensable” I may be to the school. I now doubt myself. I hate it but I can’t help thinking I am that just average person.I have this hobby of writing screenplays. But I know I need to start from the bottom and work extra harder because I never had the time to pursue this. In the meantime, I need to find a work, so I wouldn’t be a hassle to my parents. They paid a lot for my tuition but it feels like I failed http://them.PS I’m sorry this post was quite long.Alex Ding saysHey Mal,It is unfortunate what you went through. And I understand why your post is so long. You have a lot to get off your chest.But it is not all over. You have the luxury of youth and time on your side. If your calling isn’t medicine, find out what it could be.I would gladly trade places with you. You can have my medical degree and I’ll be your age once again. So know how blessed you are in your circumstance. And if you think writing screenplays is what you want to do, write them! You never know unless you try.mo says: Failed out of med school by 1% how shitty is that. First semester I failed a course at 59% (passing grade is 60%) asked the prof to bump me to a pass but he didn’t. Next I find out I have to sit out a year and repeat this class with the new cohort. Okay fast forward a year later, pass the course I failed and now into second semester. Exam period comes and goes same BS 59% in two courses now. Prof’s are refusing to bump me resulting in my permanent withdrawal. No idea what to do next. Should I petition the dean? But even then I don’t even want to see those profs again. I mean 1% you have to be kidding me.Shaun Kahler says Hey, same thing happened to me. Two 69’s (and later a 65 b/c of year-long delay due to repeat). 3 strikes rule, bam. Done.I wish I could get all of the med school dropouts together and start a company. There is energy that we have that absolutely nobody in this world has. The act of being on top and dropping all the way to the bottom combines the elements of survival and prestige all in one unique personality. Med school dropouts would make one hell of a company.sanjeev kumar says: Sir I am very sorry to disturbed u ,but now I am in class 10 and week student but I am want to become doctor ,what I have to ,can u please help me.jeff smith m.d. says:I went through a very similar experience at UTMB. I had a family member die every year and I was cut no slack. My Mom died the week of my graduation and my school tried to say my father did not have cancer so friends in state legislature subpeonaed my records and school corruption was revealed. I can now say I fought along clean fight and am getting back into a better school. I know I am in minority but my advice is to believe in your soul and if you are thinking of giving up try harder, pray, you will succeed.Kaylin says: Hi all,I just failed a Caribbean medical school and I’m extremely frustrated with myself. I worked hard and studied a lot. But still failed one course by less than 2% and got a dismissed letter. Now I’ m back to the U.S. Facing a huge debt. But medicine is still my passion. I plan to take the new MCAT and reapply for U.S. Medical schools. I know that my chance is very low, but I still want to give it a try or two. Does anyone know any people that is in similar situation as me? Could you guys, please give me advice on what to do next?I m currently looking for a job in clinical lab and other lab setting, but jobs are so difficult to get nowaday. I am also thinking of opening a small business to sustain my living and to pay off some debt, but I really dont know where to starts. Any suggestions from you guys will be highly appreciated. Thank you.Natalie says: Hi kaylin,Just wanted you to know that you are not alone. Similarly I failed out of a caribbean medical school and suffered extreme frustration with myself and the system because I was so close to passing. Since I’ve been back to the US I’ve been working at a hospital doing secretarial work to keep up with the interest on my loans. I’ve also decided to study for the new mcat but it’s quite difficult because I’ve forgotten a lot of the details needed for the test. I thought I would try taking the test again in april or may of next year before moving on in a different career direction and if I still want to do it later I may return to medicine.Currently I’ve been exploring my other passions like travel and languages. I also plan on trying to find a job in a clinical lab because my mom who’s a physician suggested I try that. People around me suggest being a pa or a nurse or getting a master’s degree. I don’t want a master’s degree just cause it’s another degree and I would have to add to my debt for something I don’t really want. Friends that have been dismissed as well have moved to careers like nursing/Physical therapy and a couple went back to other caribbean medical schools. I love medicine too and I enjoyed the things I studied in med school it’s just the evaluation of what I knew didn’t reflect how much I loved it. I’m also hoping someone has advice for us.Les says: I am in my first semester of medical school at a Caribbean Medical school. However, I am on the verge of failing. I’m basically trying to get the minimum average right now to repeat my first semester. My situation is very unique. I am a mother and it was very difficult for me to adjust to medical school being so far away from my kids. They also had a very difficult time adjusting with me being away and it took a toll on them in so many different ways. Here I am with one month left to go and I’m trying to figure out if I should withdraw while failing or risk being dismissed if I don’t make the grade to repeat. I’m also worried that if I repeat, it will be the same stress all over again being away from my kids. The medical school where I am is not very family friendly like some others. I’m very worried that if I withdraw, even if I retake the MCAT and do well on it, U.S. medical schools may not accept me because of my semester 1 grades. I’m thinking of other Caribbean schools but the top tier ones all require the MCAT as well and my MCAT score is really old. Is there anyone else in a similar situation?Shaun Kahler says: Hello! I am about one year out of having failed medical school. I want to post this to let you guys know what I’ve been through.#1. The first couple of months were absolutely terrible.#2. Once the sun came out, I finally pulled a move and moved to Raleigh to get a job in the Clinical Trials industry, on the recommendation of a couple of friends who had also dropped out.#3. The Clinical Trials industry SUCKS. It’s a bunch of office assistants who know absolutely nothing about medicine. You’ll get lucky if you find one or two that can speak the language. At least, that’s if you go entry-level and become like a CTA or a Project Coordinator, that whole thing.#4. I am out of the clinical trials industry from that front, and am now looking into doing medical writing. I should have started with medical writing, because it’s more complex and also has a lot more potential for business starting later on in life.#5. What other kinds of industries have you all found to be a good match for med school dropouts? It’s crazy how much medical science we know, but can’t use because of licensure issues. That phenomenon doesn’t occur in any other field out there. Like I would be fine if I ended up anywhere different, all you need is a Bachelor’s (sometimes not even that! lol)Fat says:I failed in medical school twice and I think i’m going to fail again. What should I do now? I can’t think of anything other than being a doctor. I really want to be a doctor but I think my parents won’t support my medical career already when they’ll find out about my grades. Can you suggest an entry job for me? I mean I haven’t applied to any work before..Sandra says:November 24, 2016 at 2:19 PM Hello Alex,Happy Thanksgiving!!!! I failed of medical school. Do you think I would be able to do Physician Assistant school? I am already in debt but my career-options are limited now. I am scared of being in even more debt and potentially failing out of PA school. What do you think? Do you think someone who failed out of med school would be able to pass PA school?Thanks a lot!Alex Ding says:Hey Sandra,Could you pass PA school? I don’t know. That is a question you must answer yourself.Medical school is a lot harder than PA school. So there is a chance you can get through it, even after failing.ImAshamed says: Hi.. I’m a 3rd year medical student.. And right now I failed it.. I just saw the result and it’s tearing me to pieces.I’m so ashamed to myself and scared at the same time.. Ashame on the result and the time, efforts and money that I spent for the past yearssssss!!! And now I’m scared on the things that will happen to me after this..I never thought of things that I will do other than becoming a doctor.. But my chest is pressing so hardly thinking that I don’t know anything after medicine..A lot of what ifs in my head..What if I did not enter to the medicine world? What if after I graduated in college, I worked immediately? Will I be successful now or not?I can’t face my parents.. I can’t talk to my friends and family.. I want the ground to open up and eat me whole right now.I just need an advice from you guys…What should I do now? After I graduated Nursing, I entered medicine already. And I wasted my 4years and ended up nothing.. I ended up as a failure in medicine.What will i do?Nesta says: Hi Alex!Wow Alex your comments are just so uplifting and hope giving, and you’ve been giving advise on this thread for years now. Thank you! You have no idea what a great difference your advise and comments have made to many people’s lives, without even counting those who just visit the site and do not actively participate in posting.I know I’m not in the stickiest of situations here in light of many of the above posts, but I feel like I could really do with your words of wisdom and advice going forward.I am studying medicine in a country where you do it straight out of high school as a six year programme. Medicine has always been my passion. Just everything about it has always made me really, really exited but recent events have got me wondering otherwise, although I feel like it might just be cold feet.Quick background story. I did my first two year of Med School with no problems at all, I loved it, to the moon and back and had every motivation to study. And while it was challenging I didn’t find it impossible at all. Until I entered my third year of study (I was officially a medical student as I was given a kind of provisional place in medicine for the first two years, given I perform well and produce top of class results, which I did by God’s grace, and so got transferred into medicine). When I reached third year however, I lost ALL incentive to study. I literally, literally just couldn’t study! I still loved medicine and it was still my passion, no doubt, but something about not having to work towards something (getting transferred into medicine) just made me such a passive drivenless person. I still managed to pass third year though with 62% (pass mark is 60%) but things only got worse in fourth year. Again I couldn’t get myself to study AT ALL despite the fact that I sat in lectures marvelling at the beauty of medicine and feeling extremely privileged to be part of the field. However, due to my lack of personal time invested into actually learning and engaging with the course work I found myself slowly becoming less competent than my fellow classmates as we progressed and, hence, having a sort of unhappy feeling towards me being in the medical field. End of year results came and I failed fourth year by 1% ! Obviously I am so mad at myself because I feel like had I studied just a little more harder (not that I really studied that much to start with) I would have passed! Also, I feel very depressed for wasting the past two years of my degree and losing out on potentially being an excellent doctor (but instead settling for mediocrity) and really enjoying it in the process. Fortunately, I have been given the option to repeat the year. (All our subjects are combined into one grade such that repeating only comes in the form of redoing EVERYTHING! It’s all or none, pass all or fail all). My parents have been very supportive and reassured me that failures are not failures, unless you let them overcome you, but are merely unsuccessful attempts. Despite all this, this failure has left a somewhat bitter taste in my mouth for medicine. For the first time I feel myself wondering if this was the best path for me and even find myself wishing I’d settled for something a little more regular like teaching (although honestly I would probably have been more angrier and bitter had I not gotten a chance to peruse my dream of becoming a doctor). I find myself envying those not doing medicine and being somewhat jealous because of their free time and the flexibility of their future going forward and endless possibilities ahead of them. I know I’m still young (22). So repeating fourth year and finishing Med School is really not that big a deal and I guess it’s allowing me to correct my mistake of not taking the opportunity to be the best doctor I can be by making the most out of my third and fourth year out of Med School (I literally woke up at night feeling soooo guilty about this during my third and fourth year of Med School and couldn’t sleep, on many occasions ). but on the other hand this “cold feet” symptoms with regards to me being a doctor is bothering me to the point of worrying me and making me wonder if I will eventually regret becoming a doctor. Maybe it’s just the embarrassment and humiliation of repeating a whole freaking year, staying behind while my friends advance and now being in the same class as third years I tutored, maybe, but maybe not? Also failing and going through all these thoughts made me realise that because of Med School I haven’t really lived! I haven’t even had a boyfriend or had a real first kiss or travelled and many fun stuff. But deep down I still think medicine is my passion, so I can’t just throw it all away and regret having let this stumbling block make me give up on what maybe my dream. And the system here is such that if I leave I may never be allowed back into the system. I’m feeling quite depressed and burdened with what to do. Also if I leave medicine I don’t know what I’d do with my life because, while I did find may things fairly interesting in life, I can’t think of another career path that I’m good enough in AND at the same time love enough to spend the rest of my life doing. Please help? Advise from anyone will be very very much appreciated. Thanks in advance.Confused NestaReplyKorea_Travel says:February 2, 2018 at 11:20 AMHi Nesta~~~, can our situations be any more identical! The only difference is I failed 3rd year by 1%. I went through the exact same feelings. My medical school and residence was in a different city from where my parents were. I was so afraid of telling them that I had failed, that I came back to the city I was in for a whole month and as far as they knew, I was continuing with 4th year. I had to use all the pocket money they gave me to find accomodation and lived very very minimally. Point is, in my third year already, i could feel that the medical/physician route was not what I wanted to do. I absolutely loved medicine and I would also go to the lectures and sit in awe at all the interesting information that we were taught, but something about becoming a doctor, going through internship and clinical rounds made me lose motivation to study. Although I knew I was interested in the medical aspect of things I didn’t understand why I would put in so little effort. Sometime last year, with 6 months left of 3rd year, i could feel that things would go downhill very quickly and so started looking for options where I could study medicine but not have to go through the medical degree option. I did try to save my grades last minute, but.. here I am now. My few words of advise is find a section of medicine you are interested in. If it’s the physiology or psychology or neurology or respiratory part of it then there are other biology majors that allow for that area of study. And in terms of job prospects, after a lot of research I discovered that some health professionals such as respiratory therapists, physician associates, genetic counselors, optometrists, neuropsychologist …. all do not need a medical degree (instead a degree in human anatomy and physiology/ psychology/ applied biology etc) so finding what aspect pulls you into medicine really helps. One factor that was also really important to me was time. I love travelling, learning languages, working abroad AND medicine so after much thought, I decided to go into the psychology field and later doing further studies in neuropsychology where I can work abroad if I’d like and there is time for family, friends and travel. I hope this helps~~Nkechi says:Hello Alex, I’m a 2nd year med student in Nigeria. That means I’m just having my first encounter with Ana, Physio nd MBC. It’s not funny and it’s not easy. The worst part is I haven’t given my Life to medicine. I don’t want to limit myself to medicine and at the same time, I don’t want to fail my family. The only things keeping me in med school are the fact that I don’t know whatelse to do with my life yet and even though I’m not crazy about med, I can’t let myself fail. Should I drop out now or still pull through until I know what I want to do with my life? I’m not scared of the work but I’m scared of giving years of my life to something I don’t even want. I don’t know what I want yet but I know it’s not medicine and I know I won’t find out until I leave medicine. Should I jump off a cliff and see if I can fly?\Alex Ding says:\See if you can take a year off to explore other options. And by the end of the year, you can decide to continue or not.P says:Hi Alex,I am not a 100% sure I want to do medicine. I may want to be a doctor, but to me, life is not so much about my career anymore. I used to think this career would be meaningful and fun, as all my experiences in it prior had filled an empty void in my heart. I’ve always lacked meaningful relationships with people in my life, so helping others in this way used to make me feel a little less isolated in the world. And that’s all we can really ask for out of life. But in my journey to becoming a doctor, I have accepted admission to a medical school that I hate, and I am miserable and depressed. It is the same institution I went to as an undergrad and I was miserable and depressed then too. The teaching is mediocre, the location is mundane, and the people around me seem content settling for mediocrity. I can’t relate with others (as usual) and I have a feeling my life has lost the potential it once had. Now when I practice clinically or volunteer, that empty void remains empty. Though I tried very hard to never let myself come back to this school, my ties to the state and the U.S. medical school admission process left me without any options but to return if I wanted to be a doctor. This was the only school I got accepted into after 2 years of applying. When I initially accepted, I thought to give it a chance. Because what do we know about life except that we don’t know anything? I guess I had faith and if I want to be a doctor, it would be okay. But, I now know I don’t want to be a doctor if it means going to this school. The experience is the same as it was when I was an undergrad, but I think it is worse this time because I can’t believe I let myself come back, how could I have been so stupid and optimistic. During my two years of applying, I was doing work for a different institution that wasn’t in an ideal location, and I wasn’t super fond of the work I was doing, but I was happy to be a way from this school of bad experiences. And this happiness allowed me to develop strong friendships quickly and enjoyed my life so much. I can’t believe I gave that up for this. I am doing academically okay, passing everything despite bout of serious depression everyday, but I NEED to get out of this school if I want to continue my life. If I don’t, I am not quite sure what will happen to me. I looked into transferring, but it seems very rare, and almost exclusive to having a spouse in the location you want to transfer too. So the only way to get out of this school, that I can think of, would be to drop out. But, then I don’t know that I would be able to get into any other medical school. I would have to give up my dream of something that used to give my life more meaning. Which I guess could be okay, but doesn’t seem fair if the problem is not exactly the career, but rather the school. Do you have any advice or recommendations?SP says: I failed out of PA school in my second year and have the option to go back and repeat the year but i am hesitant for the same reasons I do not like the school and do not enjoy anything about the way the program does. It is sad how the environment and how you feel determines your future career and I may not go back for this same reason. I did struggle but I felt there was no moral support for people like me who were a little slower to absorb the load of material or who are older or struggle. I have witnesses other good classmates being dismissed from the program for not passsing and they were not stupid at all. Some of these programs are brutal in terms of rules and who they expec you to self learn a lot and if you do not make it they do not care because people will continue to apply since it is a competitive field. I just think that if anyone has to be weeded out of Med school or PA or any other grad school based on the grades it can be done on the first half year and not when the student is in the second or third year after you are loaded with debts.Siren5050 says: I withdrew from medical school in 2012. Immediately afterwards it sucked. Alot was going on, a really bad relationship that ended, being away from my family, sexual harassment, and discrimination at the school. This was in Oregon. I took all of it on for way too long and finally withdrew at the end of 3rd year. I want to let everyone know there is hope. I ended up learning bartending – something I had always wanted to do. Then I worked for Apple in their call center, and then I came back home to California. Had a good long couple of cries with my mum and family. Applied to aerotek – a temporary staffing agency and I got a job travelling the states for a few months as a scientist on the marketing team. That company liked me, and gave me a job as an research and development tech. I now work for the state of California as an environmental scientist and I’m really happy. I work in regulations and science toward keeping the environment safe for all of us, I work 40 hours a week and then I go home. Since I’m not always studying anymore – I had time to meet people. I met someone three years ago and we are getting married next year :).I actually have the time to do hobbies. One of my hobbies is writing and I hope to finish my book about what I experienced in medical school soon.I do get very sad about the loss of time and money sometimes but since I work in civil service I qualify for public service loan forgiveness.The money is not as great as being a doctor but you can’t really put a price on always having a golden weekend. Plus our office gets the option of teleworking on Friday.The sadness is overwhelming sometimes but my fiance is very good and just lets me cry it out when it comes. It happens about once or twice every few months now. At first it was like every other week. We’ve been thinking of ideas for a business and since I’ve gotten that direction – the overwhelming feelings have seemed to decrease.We just bought a house together and life looks pretty good. Just wanted to give everyone out there hope. Shitty things can happen but it is possible to recover and to move on.Siren5050 says: Sometimes I think I should reapply but life is really good. We have two dogs, a house, good jobs and I’m not sure I want to give that much of myself up. Nobody warns you about how much medicine takes from you. I used to feel guilty to take a nap when I was tired. Life is better – I’m sad to say it when you are out… I’m not exhausted all the time anymore. Apart from needing to complete that incomplete check box feeling, life has improved tremendously.purple.counting says:Hi Siren5050,Thanks for sharing your story.Would you mind if we exchanged emails? I have some questions for you, as I am in a similar boat you were in.My email address is [email protected] you!Thallasophile says: What should I do? I failed my 2nd year med school and thinking of changing my field into history related courses..However, my mom won’t approve it cause she wanted me to still finish it..I’m in great dilemma right now..lady amal says: Hi Alex….after I graduated my high school I just learned economics one year and that was my choice… My dad told me to study medicine from another country and not continue learning economics…. After he sended me I studied 3 hell yrs of medcine and my grades was pretty good then what happened was that my college told me I have to repeat one subject(pathology)…I made new frnds I thought this will be super easy bcz its only one subject for whole year so I was having fun and then I failed again and get dropped out of medicine…now I’m regretting all money.time.effort my parents spent…..I love my parents and I was learning bcz of them but after all these years idk how to face and tell my parents…. Idk what to do in my life..I’m hopeless and I already gave up…I see no future for me….I wll be 23yrs old soon with nothin…all my high school frnds graduated and they all hve jobs unlike me…..I don’t feel bad for anyone else or my self or what others will say abt me…but the only thing I’m worried is my parents bcz they were so proud of me….I think I came all the way here just to fail…plz any advice…. And sorry for my English….English is my third languageMark says: Hello, I currently just finished second year, but its taken me three years to do it because I had to repeat year 1 and have had multiple failures and poor grades along the way. My issue I’m struggling with now is whether or not I want to get out of med school or continue to go through it. I feel there is a strong possibility that I failed boards, but part of me almost wants to have failed that exam so that way the decision of med school being for me is essentially made for me by virtue of failing that test.I feel like I haven’t been able to balance my life at all over the past 3 years and I feel like I’ve regressed socially and am not getting anywhere in other areas I’d like to develop in my life like starting a family, having down time to enjoy with myself, and really having an influence on anybody aside from myself because all I ever have time to do is study non-stop just to merely survive just barely passing. I have an undergrad degree in Chemical Engineering and did well with that, and because I have a military background and I’m doing the HPSP scholarship, leaving school will not incur any financial debt to pay back, just years of service for school. The fact that I liked my life and actually felt some sort of personal satisfaction with what I’m doing with both the military and chemE really makes me wonder if I should get out of med http://school.Do you have any advice for what I should do? I went into medicine because I wanted to help people, but I realize that my view of medicine back then is a lot different than what it is now. I don’t want to feel like a quitter but at the same time I really wonder if this is worth it for me if I have to commit almost all of my time to medicine just to barely pass all the requirements of a physician. Would appreciate anyone’s advice on my situation. Thanks!Charle says: I failed medical school and was told to withdraw my fall semester or take failing grades on my transcript. Long story short I dropped out of med school and enrolled in anatomy and genetics at a local college and took the DAT and was accepted into dental school within a year. I am now dentist while many of my ex med school peers are still in residency. Don’t let negative people tell you what you can an cannot do. Succeed by any means!!!Peter says: I am Peter.I just failed medical school after my second year in Nigeria.I was so devastated, felt like I had failed family and friends.Never failed a major exam in all my academic experiences.Now I am clueless on how to go from here.Don’t know whether to reapply for med school, switch to nursing, or live the field entirely.I feel so ashamed that I couldn’t make it expecially as I am having many people looking up to me.batool says: i am batool , and i just failed my third year in med school everyone is telling me to change and go in to any other because medicine is not just for me cause i am not passionate about it as i first got in med school in the first place out of family pressure and i didn’t want to be a doctor but the problem is right now at this moment i really want to complete med school as i want to be a surgeon but everyone keep telling me that because i still have 3 years till graduation and i still have my internship year and i also failed a lot that its a sign that i shouldn’t complete and i should change my major before its too late as i am 24 years old now but i still don’t want to , i am lost and i don’t know what should i do and i am really depressed and desperate right nowA Survival Guide for Dropping Out of Medical SchoolRecently a reader left me a nice long note on my post about dropping out of medical school. His questions resulted in a week-long e-mail conversation about the experience. I’m afraid to say that these issues could easily turn into a series of posts, however I want to be careful to keep this part of my life compartmentalized. It’s not going to be the only topic that I blog about. You have to realize that some of my darkest, most painful memories come from this time in my life. Reliving them is quite depressing. That being said, I would love to offer hope and encouragement to anyone going through a similar struggle. I’m so glad that the pain is just a memory and not a close companion anymore.The QuestionsI am really surprised that your blog is one of the only ones I have found, considering that every year hundreds of people are faced with the same decision.What does one do about the financial burden incurred during your time in medical school? If you are anything like the 75% of medical students out there you must have accumulated a good amount of debt in your 1st two years (the average for four years of medical school is now ~140k, but the reality is closer to 25%= 0-50k and 75%= 100-240k). How have you handled that?You mention that you felt confused as to whether you could find something that would satisfy your career goals etc. Where did you begin? What sorts of things did you consider? Was this a job you had previous experience in? Did you look into other advanced programs? I am sure plenty of people could be found to submit their experiences on pursuing a different profession once the groundwork is laid out, be it blue collar, white collar, something else academic.I am hopeful that this discussion will allow others to share their own experiences as well. Maybe your blog can become a resource for others in this situation.My Answers1. Request a One Year Leave of Absence – Rather than dropping out of school completely, I first requested a leave of absence due to my depression. My standing with the school remained very positive. I had a one year window to return to the school with no questions asked. Then I could have picked up with Step 1 before completing my education.The details for this procedure vary from school to school. It helps if you have medical documentation of a disease (like depression or cancer) or if you have a concrete definable problem that the administration can understand (such as a sick relative that you intend to care for or a recent death in your immediate family). Failing Step 1 also works. If you request a leave of absence without a definable reason, your school may get a little squirrelly. My e-mail buddy had trouble with his leave of absence request, as you can see.Something I had the most trouble with was the reaction of my school’s administration. This is definitely not the same everywhere. My school views time off with GREAT DISDAIN, unless it is used to obtain another advanced degree. My request was met with scrutiny, questions about drug and alcohol abuse (which I suppose could be pertinent in some cases for students), as well as a basic statement of “We’re not sure why you feel like you need this….How do you think it will further your education? Why should we let you resume studies?” Because our medical school terms do not operate on the same schedule as the college’s billing cycle they took the liberty of erasing that I had been enrolled that term ‘for my own sake’ and permanent records (even though billing-wise it was halfway over. i.e. I should not have to pay back anything). So I basically was left with a sour feeling towards the administration, as well as a bill for financial aid that had already been put towards tuition (that was not refunded) and living that had to be paid back before I could resume school. Fortunately our financial aid adviser really busts his butt for students, and we found ways to make that as painless as possible. Additionally they gave me a date I had to take step I by or else I would not be able to re-enroll for 3rd year…which is strange in my head because essentially I finished Med 2, and should just have to take the exam by the time current Med 2s should have to right? All in all my leave of absence was fraught with punishment, despite being one I took by choice.2. Actively Pursue Other Careers– During your leave of absence, make it your mission to find a new career path. Start by analyzing your current situation. What did you love about your medical career? What did you hate? What things are essential for job satisfaction? How much money do you need to earn in order to stay afloat? Make a list of possible jobs and start researching.I loved the fact that I could make a difference in people’s lives with medicine. I liked feeling smart. I loved the science and the studying. But I wanted more time with my husband. I wanted to start a family. And I wanted to feel like a good mother even though I wanted a career. My essentials for job satisfaction were – impacting lives for the better, family-friendliness and plenty of time off. I fell in love with teaching.Be open to the likelihood of continuing education. You will probably have to be a student again before you will be qualified for the job of your choice. You might even want to consider getting certified to be a medical assistant. Try not to burn any bridges with the administration from your medical school, because they can help you with transferring credits. It would be a shame to waste all of that expensive education.Divide up your leave of absence into stages. There should be a research stage, a trial stage and a deciding stage. After you’ve researched your options, spend time in the fields that you’re considering. I spent a week shadowing various teachers at a local high school. That week gave me a good feel for the modern classroom. It gave me enough encouragement to sign a one semester contract to teach. I knew that if I hated my job, I would still have three months left to decide if I wanted to return to medical school.Consider obtaining your MD and using it towards another career. Plenty of doctors leave medicine to teach at the college level or to pursue a number of careers. However, you may find yourself overqualified for some jobs with an MD.3. Get Financial Counseling – The decision to leave medical school will leave you with a lot of debt and most likely a lifestyle adjustment. You’re going to give up a lot of material stuff. It will probably sting a little when you visit friends who have nicer homes than you, or when you realize that your “new” car is a decade old.The long and the short of it just comes down to making do with what you have. Hubs and I decided that it was better to be poor and happy, than rich and miserable. We made the decision together. His job as a cop and my job as a teacher leave us with enough income to pay all of our bills. On good months we even have a little extra left over. We don’t use credit cards. We don’t buy name-brand designer items. We don’t live in a big house. We don’t have expensive furniture.I highly recommend that you use Crown Financial Ministries and/or Dave Ramsey. Design a budget that you can live with and try to stick to it before your leave of absence expires. Look into consolidating your school loan(s). There’s no way we could have afforded to pay back our original ten year loan. We had to consolidate.There are many aspects to this decision. I’ve tried to hit the highlights. If you have any further questions, I’d love to hear from you. This discussion is open to anyone who has an opinion on the topic. I hope my experiences and advice have been somewhat helpful to you. Please feel free to leave a comment below.RelatedDropping Out of Medical School - UncensoredIn "med school stuff"Our First Brave Blogista ... Bethany ActuallyIn "blog reviews"TransitionIn "drama drama drama"Filed under: how to's, med school stuff |« Thievery The Birthday Promise »119 ResponsesBlueCastle said:This had to have been such a hard decision. Your experience can help others, I’m sure. I would think it would be better to be happy and in a place in life where you want to be, regardless of the financial cost.bosheba said:Hi there,I just fumbled on this blog and want to thank all of you for your sincere and honest contributions. I cried, and cried and cried. I dropped out of med school 7 years ago at the end of my third year following the break up of my marriage. It was traumatic and I spent two years wandering around grieving from the loss of my two loves. I struggled through the first half of first year with depression, but bounced back to earning high passes all through the last half and through second year Then third year hit and I hated it, and then my 3 month old marriage began to crumble right before my eyes. I realized that apart from being depressed because of my impending divorce, i was really very dissapointed with the whole medical system, the doctors and nurses and essentially medicine itself- i lean more towards a holistic organic approach to healing. I hated the fact that even veteran doctors hated their work and were bitter and mostly hypocritical in their patient relations. I moved on since, earning a Masters in Public Health, but still , there isnt a day that goes by when I don’t feel like a failure. I recently remarried, but still feel that I have a problem living for others- my parents, who were overjoyed that their precious daughter was no longer a “divorcee” are now praying that by some miracle, I would go back to med school. I havent had a stable job in the past 7 years, mainly because i still carry the baggage and loose ends of my past. I have no closure. I need it though, hating to wake up everyday for the rest of my life thinking “what could have” or “should have”. Thank you for being there and being strong.Anna G.Brian said:Anna — I can really relate to what you said. 10 years ago I dropped out of medical school due to anxiety and depression. I still have not discovered what I want to be when “I grow up”, and now I see my classmates who have made it through the system living in huge houses and driving expensive cars living the good life. Maybe they are miserable? It sure does not look like it. If they are miserable, at least they are miserable and successful. I look back at “what could have” been and it kills me. My mom still hopes that maybe I will come to my senses and try to get back into medicine. God, she won’t let go, and I guess, neither can I. BrianBuddhi said:Hi Anna..I too can empathize and I cried reading your post.I stumbled onto this blog because I am about to graduate with a double major in Marketing and Psychology in December and the happiness I should feel is tainted with a sense of failure that has dogged my every waking moment since I dropped out of Medical school in 2008 due to being diagnosed with clinical depression. Logically I know that the med school environment was just not a good fit with me and I should and can be a better functioning, healthy,happy individual removed from it. But sometimes I feel an overwhelming sense of having squandered so much by dropping out. I just feel so lost and broken sometimes. I remember myself at 18 marching toward a medical career and I feel that I will never be that hopeful or optimistic ever again. It was not an easy decision to make and I am trying to re-build my life and look at alternative career paths but I do question my decision and feel so afraid of failing yet again.God knows I tried to make med school work, it just didn’t due to my own inadequacies and I have to accept that, but I don’t know if I can ever move past it. I feel so lost. I feel so haunted by it.mS said:Dear Anna G., Thank you for your honesty. I think that in your case, if at all possible, one would have to consider going back, because it seems like you wanted it (just not the way doctors usually practice it, but hey there are institutes like the one at Univ. of Arizona that focuses on Alternative medicine within their med school – point being, once you’re done with med school you can strive and make your practice the way you want it to be)… Did you pass USMLE step 1? If not, could you do a review course now and ask your old program to go back or at the very least “transfer” to an off-shore school which would anyway allow you to do clinical rotations in the U.S…. In other words, given that this is something that continues to bug you I think it is worth exploring any option that would allow you to finish it, and then once you’re don you can decide what to do with it, if anything… Don’t know… Only clinicals left… tempting…amanda, said:The thing that really strikes me as being crazy is how unsupportive medical schools are. They HAVE to know that rates of depression are almost *double* in medical school and suicidal thoughts occur in 10% of medical students. But the counselors, at my school at least, act as though it is somehow the student’s FAULT… as though they are just being stubborn and noncompliant. Its absolutely nuts. And to get a year off is amazingly difficult … to get one without being seen as a problem-student is even harder. Its as though they believe that once you start being a med student, you stop being a http://person.In fact *any* year-off program — research, clinical, translational, international — is a GREAT way to buy yourself 1-2 years to think and recuperate. Depression wont keep you from winning some very prestigious fellowships AND you can even delay taking your boards until the end of your research year if you play your cards right. Year-off programs are one of the few reasons for time-off that your school will not only tolerate but applaude. You get paid. You often get to leave your home med school. AND you get to explore another career (in any PhD program or programs in public health/sociology/law/ etc) Plus, if the student DOES go back to medical school, the only thing a residency program would see is a prestigious year-off program (not how the student was depressed or struggling). You can even get publications and better Letters of Recommendation.A second option: In fact, if you KNOW what field you want to go in to, there is a second option — apply for a dual degree and never finish the MD. The advantage is that your medical student loans are still deferred through your second degree (though the unsubsidized loans might accumulate a little interest on the bulk amount — but you can often pay a LITTLE out of your grad student stipend to keep that under control). You could get anything from a masters to a JD to a PhD without having your med school loans come due while you are an impoverished grad student!Whenever I run across a med student who is miserable but not totally sure if leaving is the right thing to do, I strongly encourage finding a year-off program that sounds fun and applying. I think some time to decompress can either (1) let the student realize that they are not suited to medicine and move on to something they DO like or (2) sort out whatever other issues may exist allowing them to be better more committed doctors! Its good no matter how you slice it.LV said:Im considering taking a LOA, do you know of any good year-off programs? I don’t really have a plan yet on what exactly im going to be doing during my year off. please hep, any advice will be greatly appreciated!Tim, said:Damn, to put all that effort into your undergrad and then drop out. Hard decision indeed!Luckily I made my decision to drop premed my Freshman year of college, I just didn’t feel like it was the right path for me.Not to mention the hypercompetivity was a putoff. :pMeghan said:I am grateful to have found your story, thank you for writing it. I have just recently requested a 1 year leave of absence for my own long list of reasons, many of which I have not shared with very many people. I would say that my depression began in my first year as well, but I ignored it until it demanded attention. Like you, I want more time. Time for my relationship, which was 1600 miles away at a dangerous job, and time to pursue other passionate interests outside of my education or http://career.So I left. It took me about a week to pack up my life and drive the 1600 miles to be close to my best friend and the only person who can understand why I might not want to be a doctor anymore. I am so sad and feel so lost and still cannot believe that medicine has threatened to take so much away from me. I am left with no idea what my next move should be, scared of my debt and afraid that it’s going to push me in the wrong direction.I am very seriously considering an accelerated second degree program to get my BSN, but have decided on this too late to apply for the spring of 2010. I guess the good news is that I have more time to explore the different programs and to think about nursing as a career, but I’m so upset about what to do for money in the meantime. Can financial counseling be helpful when I have no income? My head is spinning.Continuing education is always an option, I could go to school forever, but I don’t want to waste anymore time or money. Everything sounds great to me though, when compared to the life I was headed toward in medical school, and I don’t know how to decide. Your suggestions have been very helpful and I will take the time to make a list and explore as many career choices as I can.I am struggling with the decision now of whether to look for work with my BS or to enroll this fall and start working on the few prerequisites I am missing for nursing. I feel so rushed because my payments will begin in 5 months if I’m not in school. And I guess I am also in a hurry to fall in love with something else and let go of medical school. I want to know that I’m making the right choice more than anything. I want to move forward because I feel as though I’ve just taken 10 steps back. It was not a terribly difficult decision for me to make because I have not dropped out, but I am afraid it has so much potential to be a terribly difficult decision to live with if it means that I will not return- although the idea of going back right now seems unbearable.dm29md on said:I’m in the same position, and curious as to what you finally decided on? The biggest obstacle I’m facing right now is finding a satisfying career(s) where I can use my Bio degree and 3 years of med school training, withOUT having to continue my education. As you stated, the debt makes it very difficult to begin a new educational path at this point.paulo said:3 years of med school? Finish it! My life in med school became a mess when my fiancee died and I became pitifully depressed. Picking up and I do not care about what people will think of my time off. Life is big.monica said:Hi, I was wondering what many of you who dropped out ended up doing? If you went into another program like a nursing program or a PA program or even pharmacy so as to not “waste” you education; also, as another said, the thought of staring something else now with all the costs is sort of unthinkable; yet, did any of you go into a field completely different than health care? Those who did go back to school how did you go about getting new LOR’s as all programs as for, from the med school professors, back to your old’ undergrad professors, how would you explain it again, or would you have to wait a few years to get new ones (most of us don’t have a few years). Please any input of this would be great. I’m about to start on my own journey, after 1 year from withdrawing, I’m thinking of applying to a pharmacy program as I’ve become pretty excited about the career. Yet, I’m so worried as to how the school’s committee’s will view my dropping out, should I even mention I went to medical school at all, or lie? I have to start contacting the schools directly, but anyone with any advice on this would be great to talk. Thank You. !!!PM said:Hello Monica,I worked at a hospital, graduated from an Ivy League school and thought seriously about medicine but ran into the same issues that you did in terms of depression, questioning my abilities and just not wanting to work 100 plus hours/week forever because that’s what medicine really is and there is not time to do anything else when patient care is your main focus in life. I just bit the bullet and bagged the whole idea, which had me lost for a time but I’ve learned that everyone has patches in life where they feel lost whether they are doctors, lawyers or janitors. Just keep plugging away and I admire you courage to move in another direction.PMlotusone said:Good to see that this page is generating some discussion.I posted on the other page about a year ago, as I was preparing to take step I during a one year LOA.Here are my thoughts having resumed school after a LOA…First…I think everyone should have a year off during med school. PERIOD. I know that idea isn’t going to ever take flight, but if it was in place and schools did a good job of arranging projects and opportunities for students I am sure most people would graduate happier. Be it for research, MPH’s, to work, do international projects, to spend time with family, etc. It is amazing how much one can appreciate that time having been really busy for the last two years. And don’t get things mixed up…I worked full time through undergrad, did all kinds of extracurricular stuff, entered medical school with several major research publications, and did plenty of good old hanging out and partying, so I was never “not busy”. Med school is just a different kind of busy. I can say that med school at the very least has given me a totally different perspective on downtime and how much I enjoy my hobbies, family, and friends more than ever. As well as subjects I miss studying.Although I was never officially in bad standing with my school, I did not pursue another degree during my absence. I think the advice to do so is REALLY SOLID. Anyone reading this, and toying with the idea of a LOA or just leaving med school all together should examine that as an option. At the very least, if you do decide not to resume med school you will have a qualification at hand which may help you land a job. In my case, I did construction, which although really let me take a huge step back and decide about my path, will probably hurt me some come time for the match process and interviewing. I accept this. For me it was the right thing. The physical labor and endless fresh air really helped me rid myself of a lot depressive symptoms I was experiencing, develop clear thoughts on what I wanted to get out of school, and reorganize my values a little.Step I…..I wish I could say my year off made all the difference in the world, but I don’t think it did. I worked, saved up, took time off (~month) to study, did just that, and took the test. I was getting 230s on my question bank and practice exams, and did not score near that. I passed, but my glass ceiling is definitely visible. I am ok with it. For anyone disappointed with their step I score, there are tons of us out there. For those that have failed (as I have had several friends fail and have to make the decision to retake/leave), it is most certainly not the end of the world. You can retake it, and will already have at least some sort of a system going (plus one thing that is irreplaceable, exerience). If you get a failing score, and replace it with a 220+, it is quite easy to just say come residency interiview time “I don’t know what happened, I probably had a bad day”, and they will most likely believe you, whereas if you pass but do poorly you will not get that chance. Step II is still there to do better as well, which is something I am banking on.I started back up into 3rd year quite happily this past summer. So far I have been doing well. I wish I could say my depression from before was totally solved, but despite coming strong into 3rd year I can still feel it lingering. I have just given myself breaks when I need them, spent time with friends sometimes instead of studying every single evening, and tried to be as physically active as I have time to be. This seems to be working for the most part. I have received stellar evaluations from faculty, residents, and a lot of good advice on choosing a path. And although I am not blowing the shelf exams out of the water, I am satisfied, and I am learning about 10 fold what I did during med I/II. Sure, occasionally I have had to work with people that seemed like robots, had terrible senses of humor, or were just plain mean…but lets face it not everyone is awesome, no matter what field you are in.I can also say this. I think med I/II are conducive to depression because…A) it can be hard to set new goals during that time since the majority of your energy is spent just trying to learn the material, not choose a definite career path. even though on some level you are supposed to be doing this.B) there is a lot to learn, and unfortunately i think med school is almost too concise for its own good. the material is really not presented in a very intellectual manner, and really just shows how good you are at blatantly memorizing facts that are marginally related. this makes sense, because to present each subject in its entirety would add years onto med school. for those of us who learn by truly understanding this can be a really frustrating time.If you find yourself hating 3rd year (which is tough because you are probably knee deep in debt) my main advice, and this is opinion of course, is to stick it out and finish. Maybe the patient care setting isn’t what you thought it would be. Maybe having to live everyday in what some treat as a rat race (gunners are THE WORST) is hell’ish…well yeah it can be. But I can offer this piece of advice. If you are trying (not a blatant screw-up), and are a fun person, not knowing the tiniest details about this or that disease is not going to submarine your evals, but being a backstabbing gunner that doesn’t know team dynamics most certainly will. Believe it or not, but there are lots of jobs out there that will pay enough to stay a float with loan payments where having an MD will not hurt you. You can always go into research (which I am still considering despite really liking patient care) and make REAL medical ADVANCEMENTS as opposed to just exercising other people’s discoveries. There are endless biomed engineering firms that NEED your knowledge and help finding applications for their products. Law, business, insurance, government, the list goes on and on. Most likely you came to med school because you found the subject interesting. Well, there’s more than one way to skin a cat, and there’s more than one way to use a degree.Lastly….I find it unfortunate that “job” (residency) placement uses Step I scores so heavily…but that is life. So far I have found that the best people to work with, who can put in long hours next to you without eating your soul, and seem to have good interaction with nurses, clerks, etc. are not people who all blew the Step exams out of the water (some of them are, some aren’t). But rather, people who are just interested in doing a good job, having fun at work (without making mistakes), and helping the team as a whole get everything done.I hope to be starting a blog of my own soon talking about med school issues that I have encountered, advice on working through problems, funny experiences, and jsut some general chit chat. This is of course dependent on time. not much there now, but check back another http://time.grahamsandcoffee.blogspot.comannie said:Thank you for your thoughtful post! I was wondering if I could get in touch and hear more about your experiences and what you do now? I’m an M1 who’s re-thinking her decision to be in medicine.reflecting said:I’m an M3 currently on a LOA and am curious to know what happened as well!Rachel said:Today, I took a LOA. I am only a first year, but I just spent the last three days in an ICU after overdosing on pills and alcohol in the library.Honestly, I am more scared now than I was Monday night getting my stomach pumped in the ER. I have no idea what my options are or what I want to do, whether it be medicine or not.All I can say is I’m thankful to find this site.N. said:I took a LOA only a week before you did. I’m going through the exact same thing as you–can we please get in touch?TC said:Hi Rachel, just wanted to say that I’m also on a LOA which I started during my first year last year. The fear makes complete sense and is something all us not-sure-about-medicine people share. Medical school – entry, participation, what it leads to – is made out to be such a big deal that it’s only natural that it creates so much anxiety in its students. With great hype comes great fallout unfortunately.I hope the LOA gives you time to take care of yourself and do whatever it is makes you feel like you.NV said:HeyI have recently dropped out of medical school, despite still wanting to be a doctor, and am hoping someone can give me some advice.I’m not sure where everyone is from, but in my country entry to medicine has an undergraduate option (5, 6 or 7 years), requiring a test made up of empathy, verbal reasoning and pattern matching questions or a postgraduate option (4 years), which requires a test that is very similar to the MCAT examSince I knew medicine was very difficult to get into and practice, I spent weeks trying to find a different career that I would like to doHaving graduated from school in the top 3% of the country, I lacked the marks needed for entry into medicine by even the most lenient uni, so I did one year of health science, took a year off after that to study for the entry test, and finally got a place in an interstate university.Since I was desperate to study medicine I left my city with a population of millions for a city of barely 100,000. I left my boyfriend of 4 years, my friends, my favorite sport, the job that I loved and my close knit, yet dysfunctional, family.Despite loathing my new city, I really enjoyed what I was learning, and it seemed that medicine had everything I wanted in a career, however after only 2 months, I started experiencing severe depression, where I cried every day and deteriorated until I was unable to attend college and had mostly stopped eating. Since I couldn’t study like this, I reluctantly took the equivalent of a LOA for the rest of the year.Since coming home I have resumed eating, stopped crying and have been seeing my boyfriend but am now unsure of what to do.Believing that a 19 year old woman should not live alone in a different state, and that that caused my depression, my brother is encouraging me to finish health science and sit the MCAT equivalent and the undergraduate test after I finish in order go gain a place in the very competitive universities in my home city.I am not confident about this as the MCAT seems impossible and I know people who have sat it 4x without getting in. In addition the health science degree is purely a feeding degree and has few job prospects.I could also sit the undergrad test again this year but am unlikely to obtain the results I’d need for any other university.Unfortunately no other career seems to interest me and I really want to be a doctor for the right reasons, but am worried that I will not get the change to study medicine again. In addition I wonder if I am too emotionally weak to be a doctor.Does anybody have any idea of what option is the best one? Know of anyone who dropped out of medicine and got back in?Pretty much any constructive input would be appreciated.ThanksNathaliePM said:I just came to this blog yesterday so–sorry for the later post. I worked in hospitals for 7 years as a patient care tech, anesthesia aide and transporter and felt like a ‘loser’ not becoming a doctor for a time. Until I woke up from that haze and made the decision not to become one I do not regret that decision for a minute. Also, I don’t have the diagnostic aptitude and would hate dealing with disease all day and got over the guilt of that also. The world doesn’t need millions of doctors who don’t want to be there and there are other places for you to go. You are NOT emotionally weak but STRONG in making this decision. Also, you alienated your whole support system by leaving and that may have contributed to your problems. Good luck and you are smart–obviously–and strong.Jayla said:I’m in the pre-LOA stage myself. I’m a month away from finishing first year at a US med school. I know that I am severely depressed and this environment has a lot to do with that depression. But it is hard to know that to do about it. From my first day here, my experience has been overwhelming. The academic structure of my M1 medical program is incredibly ill-suited to my personality. The pace is grueling and the testing is so dependent on route memorization that I feel I must study separately for my own understanding and for the exams. And frankly, there just isn’t time for that. Even though I have not failed any courses, I feel constantly like I am failing. I think this feeling is connected closely to the fact that I don’t seem to be able to achieve the level of understanding that made learning worthwhile for me in undergrad. My attacks of depression and crying started during my first month here. They are better when I sleep and avoid caffeine (but what M1 can do that?).My classmates, for the most part, do not seem to be feeling the emotional drain of this place. However, I know that med students often lie to make themselves seem smarter and better adjusted than they are. I worry that this inhuman pace and constant elevated anxiety is something that I should expect to continue, not only throughout my training, but for the extent of my professional career. I feel certain a life like that will eventually destroy any passion I have for either the intellectual or human aspects of medicine.I have thought repeatedly about dropping out. But I’ve worked so hard and given so much, emotionally, financially and physically, to get where I am. It would be stupid to give up just because I feel sad and scared, especially if the feeling is something that comes from me and can easily follow me into any career I choose.I don’t want to give up on medicine. There are things about it that, theoretically, I really love. But, I don’t know how long I can do this.Kim said:If you have not taken a LOA by now, I would highly recommend doing so. I quit medical school 2 weeks ago following a 6 month LOA. I was half way through my 3rd year. My struggles during school began early during my first year and I ignored them because I felt like I should be strong enough to overcome the stress, depression (which I denied), and anxiety. They caught up with me big time and I could no longer ignore them. My advice is to take care of yourself right now, or it may be too late. If you take a LOA now and deal with your emotional health, it will make it easier for you in the long run. If you really want to finish medical school, you have to take care of yourself because the stress gets worse and it makes an already hard path seem impossible. I am happy with my decision to quit school, but I still wonder if things would have gone differently if I would have stopped earlier to evaluate things and take care of myself.PM said:Hello Kim,I saw your reply on my email. Just wanted to say that you are courageous for doing this and deciding not to become a physician. There are so many other things out there and personally, I worked in a hospital for 7 years as a patient care technician and an anesthesia tech, so I was around medical students/residents/attendings all of the time and seriously contemplated medical school after graduating from a top tier university. I’m glad I found this blog and wished it was around in ’93 when I was thinking about this and feeling like everyone else is smarter, has more energy and can just take it!Good luck with your future.MH, on said:Jayla-I know this response is quite late, but I wanted to agree 100% with Kim on your situation. Speaking from the same experience (Left medical school after 3 and 1/2 years), I wonder if my outcome would have been different had someone else advised me to take some time to evaluate the depression that, too, consumed me by third year. I felt the exact same way you felt, had outstanding grades, did well on my rotations, but cried every single day for nearly 2 years straight, leaving medical school at 95lbs (I’m normally 125). Please let us know what you decided, and I hope the very best for you.best medical schools said:ProspectiveDoctor is in the process of developing it’s newest tool- the Student Review. With Student Review, applying students can easily navigate medical student evaluations of a particular medical schoolSteve said:Hi everyone! I just read through all of the postings and I am glad to see I am not alone. My story is different but I think by sharing my story someone else will find a light as I have.I graduated from a top midwest university with a 3.8 and a 31 on the MCAT in 2001. I enrolled in medical school in 2003. I took time off because I really didn’t know what I wanted to do. Both my parents are Physicans and specialists in their field. My brother and sister are also physicians. It is safe to say that I went to medical school because my family is medicine.Well, I failed out of medical school in 2006 after 3 attempts on step 1. First try 183, 2nd 172 and 3rd 184..passing is 185. I studied a year for step 1. I passed every practice exam and did well on the practice tests. After being kicked out I enrolled in a Caribbean medical school where I had to redo my second year a then failed the step again and took it a fifth time and passed with a 220. I started my rotations in January of 2008 and liked it. I did well and impressed the residents and attendings. When step 2 came around I failed it – twice, passed on the third time. Today I have finished medical school graduating in May, not going into medicine, not doing residency.Thats my story….all through these seven years I lost friendships because I was focused on a dream that wasn’t my. I lost relationships because I was unhappy. I will finally get an M.D but at what cost. I am not mentioning the $$$ because that is just a given. I fought, cried, struggled more than I thought was possible and all I have is a piece of paper. I wish I would have been stronger and realized what I wanted earlier in life, I am 31 years old…..lacking a passion for medicine.MH said:WOW! I’m speechless! May I ask what you’re doing now? I’m 32 as well, left medical school after 3 and 1/2 years, and am still trying to figure out which way to turn! I realize more education is inevitable, but not sure what suits me best (all things considered). Just curious…Joseph said:I’m 33 and on the same boat es you guys!!MH said:Joseph- I would love to speak with you, hear your story! Please feel free to contact me: [email protected] sure to let me know in the subject line, in case I need to go fishing in my spam box.I look forward to it!Joseph said:Check your inbox, I wrote you today, take care!Tom said:Same here, 32 now. Was dismissed from Med School for failing Step 1. I am considering the path that Steve took, but it seems to be a waste of a large amount of money for a piece of paper.Definitely feels like time is ticking, but don’t know which way to go.winter said: Hi Joseph, I can relate. But, I got out after I failed Physiology also by one point. I just knew it wasn’t right to continue. I thought of returning but my heart wasn’t in it. I’m 33 now. I also have a family in medicine, and till this day sometimes, from my brother, who is a major asshole, get hell. But, then he’s always been an asshole. It’s not easy. I went back to school and I’m getting an MSW, Master’s in Social Work. I am so much happier in school. I’ve made good friends with classmates. I feel like I’m in the right place now in terms of my career path. I often get down on myself about my choice of going to medical school in the first place which was put into my head by my sister, who is now a pathology resident. Well, at the time I didn’t really know what I wanted, and I always loved studying, so I loved learning, until I realized what medicine was all about. I was very young when I did it too, 25-26, around that quarter life crisis. Anyways, it’s not easy having to move back with my parents again while I finish school, especially since my asshole, bully of a brother is studying for his steps and thinks he’s god’s gift to earth. He has called me a piece of shit, and verbally abused me. I currently do not speak with him and often life in this house is a living hell. But, I know career wise, school, wise I’m doing something that I am naturally good at, in a place where I can excel. I got a 4.0 my first semester, if that’s not a sign that I’m in the right place, I don’t know what is. But, living again, under my parents roof, in a load of debt, thinking I might not have the same lifestyle I thought I would, is hard. I have a good friend I met in this MSW program who dropped out of law school, and we are sort of in the same boat. I think that you will find your path. Everything happens for a reason. I’m glad for the experience and opportunity I got to go to medical school in the first place.You were trying to do what you thought was right, what you saw around you, what you learned. Trust me when you come from a house full of doctors, it’s like you’re brainwashed into believing it’s the best thing you could ever do. Doctor’s think this way, mostly, I think other professionals aren’t so much like this. My mom thinks the world of someone just if I tell them they are a physician. It’s so annoying. It’s like that person could be the scum of the earth, and you’re impressed just by a stupid job title. So, don’t feel bad about it. Tune out your family and figure out who you are, even if they are not in agreement. You have to do something you want to do, something you will excell in. Hey it’s not so bad do have that degree. it will always be something. At least it’s better than nothing. This time around look inside for yourself. Every thing happens for a reason. Wishing you the very best!TH said:It is unreal that your own brother calls you a piece of shit. What the F? There are other things out there beside medicine. I personallyworked in a hospital and decided then and there that medicine would NEVER be for me. I’ve met MANY docs who regret the path and this includes a leading Gyno at a major medical center in Chicago, a verysuccessful 3M buck a year neurosurgeon who actually owns part of 2 major teams (baseball;football). They BOTH said they would not have done it again. Your brother–or whatever the frick that thing is bullying you–sounds like he’s still a freaking med student and has NO clue. He can’t ever have a clue until he’s finished with his residency and then after he’s nearly ruined a patient’s life–a lot do because of inexperienced–and the douche is forced to be humbled actual real lifeand DEATH mind you in an urban setting, then he’ll keep his yapper shut!! Other docs have taken their own lives or just gotten out.Hope this helps, sorry to insult family but that’s bullshit!winter said:Well. He’s just a verbal abuser. He’s one of those people that I think feels good keeping others down. He’s always been abusive in some way or other towards me. And, my parents have mostly let him get away with it. They had to kick him out once when we were both younger because he used to trip me and throw fruit at me. It really messes with you self-esteem when you have an older brother, who in his case is very big, and I am a pretty small skinny girl. Who picks on you, tries to make fights with you. It’s horrible. I don’t know why he hates me so much and always has, I’ve never done anything to him. But, like I said, unfortunately it’s one of those things I’m dealing with at the moment, I have to live in the house with him because I can’t afford to move out while in graduate school. I finish in a year, but it’s hell, and is really depressing me. I’ve had to do to see someone about it, and I think I’m going to have to go again because things like these really bring me down. People commit suicide over bullying nowadays. Now that we are not on speaking terms, he hasn’t gotten a chance to say anything hurtful. But, his presence alone makes me completely miserable. I hate feeling like this and being like this, but it’s just something I have to tough out till either he’s gone or I graduate, get a job, and move out. Thanks for listening.TH said:Thank God that you’ll be able to move out. Not everyone has to be a doctor. I wonder how he’s going to get along when he has to deal with nurses and other physicians. The medical field is highly professional and one day he’ll do that to a patient.Good luckTH said:Winter,What your in med school is he?Natasha said:Steve, you have the proof that you can handle something immensely difficult. You have evidence of a spirit that doesn\’t give up. I just think that\’s so admirable…not something I take lightly in anyone. I think you are stronger than you give yourself credit for. I wish I\’d had your focus and strength to fight through unhappiness because those qualities are so necessary in life that\’s unpredictable and not always rosy. Wherever you are now, whatever you\’ve chosen, I hope you see the positives in your decision to finish medical school even though you may not be practicing.Nate only screw-up out there who is no longer in Med School. In my first year I experienced some real problems that led me to drop out. My very serious girlfriend of 2 years bailed on me in the first week. I couldn’t get my rhythm. I felt like the atmosphere did not make me want to study. I burnt out. There have been other times that I got into a good rhythm, but at medical school I couldn’t get into the swing of things. Ya know, the messed up thing is that I have always been very competitive and confident and probably would have looked down on someone else if this had happened to them. I guess, this whole experience has given me compassion. Unfortunately, I am worrying whether I will be able to apply this newly found compassion to the field it’s most needed.Rogue said:I was accepted to med school and started having major doubts and a nervous breakdown right before (undergrad) graduation. I didn’t know if I would like the clinical years and the physical/mental stress requried for those years +residency. I was worried that I would want to quit half way in and owe thousands of dollars with no way to pay back.Deciding whether to move for a deferral. Please contact me if you can offer advice.your story because I am going through a decision whether or not to leave medical school and it is tough. I am not sure what to do and it is one of the hardest things that I have gone through in my life. I am very depressed and that played a role in the fact that I failed one class. My school dismissed me after I failed one class and I have to appeal if I want to stay in that school and that is draining me. I feel so guilty and embarrassed and that makes it all much worst. Your story made me feel better about the whole situation and gave me inspiration.sam said:ooohhh…I feel for you I dropped out of dental school and it hurts like hell like everyday. I wish I had never gone.sam said:i feel for you i dropped out of dental school and it hurts like hell everyday. i wonder what I did to deserve such a thing, but i feel for you too.what2wha said:hey sam,I took a medical leavel of absence from dental school as well starting this last july. It’s been a really hard thing for me to deal with and I’m debating whether or not I should suck it up and go back. I was wondering if you had any advice. So far I’ve been too scared to do anything besides feel horrible.monica, on August 19, 2010 at 2:39 pm said:Hi, I was wondering what many of you who dropped out ended up doing? If you went into another program like a nursing program or a PA program or even pharmacy so as to not “waste” you education; also, as another said, the thought of staring something else now with all the costs is sort of unthinkable; yet, did any of you go into a field completely different than health care? Those who did go back to school how did you go about getting new LOR’s as all programs as for, from the med school professors, back to your old’ undergrad professors, how would you explain it again, or would you have to wait a few years to get new ones (most of us don’t have a few years). Please any input of this would be great. I’m about to start on my own journey, after 1 year from withdrawing, I’m thinking of applying to a pharmacy program as I’ve become pretty excited about the career. Yet, I’m so worried as to how the school’s committee’s will view my dropping out, should I even mention I went to medical school at all, or lie? I have to start contacting the schools directly, but anyone with any advice on this would be great to talk. Thank You. !!!MH, on said:Yes, please…I have all the same questions!TJ, on said:I know I am replying a little late to this particular blog post, but I hope some people will find this helpful.After I was dismissed from medical school, due to academic reasons, when I was struggling with depression and anxiety. I was extremely devastated! I have already gone through 2 and 1/2 years of medical school, spent so much time learning the material and accruing a substantial amount of debt at the same time as well.I was extremely lost, but I agree with most readers that have replied to this particular thread. Spend that time to really reflect and decide if medicine if really where you want to be. Last thing you want to do is try to remain in this career path that you will not put forth your best.After much contemplation, I came to the conclusion that I do love medicine and I do want have a positive impact in any community I plan to serve in the future. I went and pursued a Masters in Public Health to get my new plan into gear. I was determined to get back into medical school and become a clinician. However, during that year while I was getting my MPH, I discovered that I can still have a positive impact on my communities even if I was not a physician. I began to develop an interest in biomedical research and found the years I was in medical extremely http://helpful.As I worked on my masters, I took a job in a research lab as a technician to gain experience. As I finished my masters, I applied to a Ph.D. program that fitted my passion and interest. As I was accepted into a Ph.D. program, I was shocked by the fact that tuition was waived and I would also be receiving a stipend as well. As I continued my Ph.D., I found careers in industry that would still allowed me to be in the forefront of patient care, even if it was not is the direct manner as a physician.I found that leaving medical school and getting a Ph.D. is just as rewarding. I am also relieved by the fact that as a Ph.D., I choose my own career path and where I wanted to go. I am not bounded to what I can practice based on simple test scores, i.e. Step 1, but pursuing my most absolute interest, pathogenic virology. I was able to work in this field right away, and the knowledge base I received from medical school certainly help extend into my current career. Some of my colleagues who have never seen the clinical side appreciate my outlook on the research given my extensive time as a medical student.I am certainly enjoying where leaving medical school has led me and a career where I am honestly happy. My salary is very comparable to many of my past classmates but my hours are not as a long as theirs.I hope this post helps with individuals who feel that to not “waste” their education in medical school is to attempt apply to other clinical based programs like Physician Assistant or Nurse Practitioner. If that is what you wish, than go forth, but please know that there are numerous other possibilities available to you.TJ said:I apologize to mention about the letters of recommendations as well. If you had made some wonderful contacts while you were in medical school, keep those contacts up to date.It may sound unreal in a large medical school class, professors do know their students and do they care. All you need to do is make that connection with them.I was very fortunate that many of my professors were supportive of my decisions, whether it was to apply for readmissions into medical school or just being a bum. Luckily it was not the latter.When I applied for the MPH program, my previous Dean of Students from the medical school recommended and supported my admissions into the program. This was a great stepping stone to get into the program as I dreaded having to take another standardized exam, like the GRE to be even considered for an MPH. I was allowed to forgo that particular requirement given the fact, previously, I was a medical student.As I worked on my MPH, I continue to have contact with many professors I met during medical school. I would update them on my progress and where I stood. I even help T.A. for one of the anatomy professors and help with dissection with the medical students during my MPH. I also mentioned that I began working for a research lab. How did I get that research lab position? One of my old medical school professor applied for a grant and was successful and offered me a position in their lab.So I implore you to make those connections with those professors, it is never too late. I would suggest you contact professors in topics that you were highly successful during your time in medical school.As I applied for a Ph.D. program, it was once again those professors that came to my rescue and wrote my outstanding letters of recommendations. In my personal statement, I in pin pointed my downfall during medical school, what I had done to rectify the issue, and how am I now dedicated to my chosen career path. It is important to not just be honest with yourself, but also be honest to any admissions’ committee. Do not try to hide anything from your past (unless I guess you murdered someone) because it would make it seem like whatever made you unsuccessful at the time is still present.Remember as George Santayana said, “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”Michelle, on said:I am currently debating going to medical school. I deferred because I was feeling hesitant with the amount of work that would be placed on me. I know that it is difficult, but I have suffered from depression and anxiety for quite some time and feel that it is catching up with me. It doesn’t seem to be getting better and I had to defer my first week for fear of this path. Any advice? I am a strong student with a strong mcat. I even instructed an mcat course so I don’t feel like I am incapable of understanding the material. I just am having serious doubts about the future because I’m considering having a family and I want to have a life outside my profession. I am desperate. Please any help at all. I am already seeing someone about my depression/anxiety, and I work as a research assistant in the hospital. (People keep asking me how school is going…i say ok…it is all just so stressful and embarassing). Thank you.MH said:Michelle-You sound like you are doing all of the right things: seeking help, taking time to work on things, working with your anxiety and depression. My advice to you is try it for a given amount of time-6 mos, a year…. with the way you describe your situation, it seems that will be ample time to figure out if medical school will or will not be the best option for you. It IS tough, but give it a chance before letting fear take over. I hope all goes well for you. Keep us posted!Monica said:In my experience DOUBT means DONT! You should be happy and excited about starting something new! If you feel this way now it will only vet worse and it’s a sign of what’s to come. This path is probably not right for you. Don’t be afraid to FOLLOW YOUR HEART not your brain !Can't Believe This Happened To Me said:My situation is more crazy than any of yours. At least you are at a US or Canadian medical school that is fair. Medical schools in other countries are criminal.I finished 3 years of medical school somewhere else, had already passed the USMLE Step 1 with a high score, and when I reported another medical student for violently bullying me, I was expelled, but the bullies were kept in the school. The bullying was so severe, that I had to go to a psychiatrist for 3 years. The other student(s) physically, verbally, sexually, and emotionally assaulted me. The medical school claimed I made false allegations of bullying. By the way, they knew the entire time I was being bullied, so they know they’re in the wrong. They then withheld my transcript, claiming I owe the school thousands of dollars in damages. When I asked for an invoice, they refused to give me one, so these are just bogus charges.I got accepted to another medical school and was able to start 4th year right away. Now the former school is withholding my transcript so that I cannot register for the USMLE Step 2 and Step 3 exams, can’t get a residency, and are still threatening me with the bogus charges. Also the dean of my former school is friends with the majority of the residency programs I applied to, so he can make up all kinds of lies about me. What the hell?I’m not the only one this happened to. Other students have complained about this school. Now there are about 150+ lawyers going after this school in a class action lawsuit. Both the US, Canadian, and Foreign medical boards are all investigating this school and are very angry as to how I and other students were treated. It will be shut down soon I’m sure.Unfortunately, foreign med schools often times get away with this. US med schools can’t.Belle said:I have been having difficulties with the medical profession as well. About five months ago I had completed the final written exam but still had to sit for the oral exam in a medical school in Western Europe and I broke down. I couldn’t stop crying for weeks, couldn’t read more than a couple of sentences in a textbook, and had lots of very dark thoughts. It was a nightmare and scared the heck out of my boyfriend. I really believe it stemmed from the fact that I didn’t want to start a residency. I had come to detest the hospital climate, wanted desperately to start a family and actually have time to be there for my kids, and was dealing with a new diagnosis of a chronic medical condition that necessitated a slew of lifestyle changes that I viewed as largely incompatible with a residency.Fast forward to 5 months later- I managed to complete medical school here in Western Europe (where we are staying) but am seriously considering staying home. My boyfriend is currently a resident and I am keeping house and have not begun to apply for a position. Luckily he is very supportive in whatever I choose. We plan to marry late this summer and start a family shortly thereafter. I am finding peace with myself but am struggling to announce my new plans to my family in the States for fear of being labelled lazy. If I lived in the States I could work a part-time job for now, but here I do have the advantage of affordable health insurance and no student loans, because tuition is free in this particular country.Looking back I definitely pushed myself in my studies, to the point of completing medical school in a foreign language. I feel what I learned is that just because I am capable of something doesn’t mean it is the right fit for me. When I think back to periods in my life and what I remember making me happy the results are surprising. In high school I participated in tons of extra-curricular activites, was an excellent student, high level honors courses, community college work while in high school, etc., etc. But what I remember making me the most happy was babysitting!! Weird. Later I attended a four year college and participated in all sorts of activities and high-level coursework again, but looking back my favorite part was hiking on the weekend with friends! For me I believe I have to pay attention to what makes me happy and make decisions based on this, and not try to achieve just for the sake of achieving. Sure I finished, but what is my degree worth if I never want to work as a resident?Melissa said:Today I received my letter of dismissal from my top tier medical school. I had been on a LOA, and apparently my school decided I was out of time. I had been granted a full tuition scholarship (they don’t even give those out anymore) so it is possible the school felt my education was no longer a good Want your own website? now I am lost. I took the LOA because I had been in an abusive marriage that was crumbling. I also have a young son to worry about. I don’t know what sort of job I am qualified for with a BS in physiology and 2 years of medical school. I would go into a graduate program, but I’m afraid my med school debacle will prevent admission. What jobs are out there? I need to support myself, my child, and pay back student loans…Thanks for any advice you can offer.Rogue Leader said:Melissa, I wish you best of luck on deciding where to go from here with your marriage. I want to tell you that if you apply for other grad programs, you don’t have to give them details on what happened at med school. You are clearly a highly competitive applicant for any program. You can re-adjust your student loan payments based on your new income.Grace W. said:I decided not to go to medical school 2 days before I was supposed to move across the country to start my first year. I do not think it was a rash decision, as my life had been plagued with never-ending anxiety and depression related to academics. I resented being a little fish in a big pond.Although I was instantly elated at the freedom I had found, this was short lived. I now must cope with the fact that I let go of something that til this day defined me. I am attempting to look at this as a blessed turning point but can’t seem to avoid the, “so what are you going to do now?”Truth of the matter- for the first time in my life I do not know what the next step is. This is extremely scary and exciting.bosheba said: Brian- I have actually thought of going back many times, thinking I can handle it because am older and wiser….wishful thinking maybe, but just like you when I see my mates and others who have made it and then look at my shapeless, unstructured existance living paycheck to paycheck, i wonder if to just bite the bullet and return. Losing self respect and identity is a major problem because many of us are/were wrapped up in that image of being a doctor. “What will I be when I grow up?” Only God knows…..T said:So this is my story. I had worked in many different fields prior to going to med school despite having considered the possibility several times before in my life. I am not one of those people that always wanted to be a doctor, in fact far from it, my passions are philosophy and mathematics, both of which I studied as an undergrad. After college I joined the peace corps and served in West Africa as an agriculture volunteer. It was in the remote village setting that I became most interested in medicine, not as an intellectual pursuit but as a practical one. The people I lived with needed a doctor in the kind of way that one rarely if ever experiences in the US. While there I saw more people born and more people die than I had ever before. I wanted to be able to offer medical care, something which I knew very little about but realized I had the capacity to learn as well as the opportunity. Leaping ahead about five years, as many jobs, and having completed my premed courses it was time to take the MCAT. Having returned to the US for quite some time, my enthusiasm for medicine was again waning. I just wasn’t very interested in medicine as an intellectual pursuit. Without ill or dying patients in front of me, I had almost no motivation to pick up a medical text book and start learning. This was very different from math and philosophy which I would actively pursue on my free time as well for my studies. At first I though I would probably do poorly in my premed courses (such as cell bio and organic chem) due to my complete lack of interest in the material. However, much to my surprise I ended up getting pretty much straight A’s. Having finished the courses it was time to take the MCAT. I had been simultaneously taking upper level math courses in order to remain a full time student as well as to maintain my sanity. I was deeply torn as to whether I should apply to med school or go into teaching math, which I was very excited to do but somehow thought wouldn’t be challenging enough. I decided to take the MCAT and see what I got. Maybe I would get a bad score and that would be that. Having almost no motivation I ended up only studying for the test the week before. Again, totally to my surprise I got a 33. It started to seem like I was destined to go to med school whether I wanted to or not. I couldn’t stomach the idea of studying in a school in the US so I started looking abroad hoping that I could find a place where I would be able to rediscover my motivation for medicine. I ended up discovering a school that by description perfectly fit that bill. They even offered a half tuition scholarship to one student per year. I decided to only apply to that school and if I got in AND got the scholarship I would go. AGAIN it happened! Wracked by indecision and a sense of foreboding that none of this was meant to be and that it would all catch up to me once I was deeply in debt and depressed…I decided to at least give it a try. I figured that the debt wouldn’t be so bad since I had the partial http://scholarship.As soon as the first year began I felt completely lost. I didn’t even know what kind of courses one would study in medical school. No one in my family had ever gone in to medicine and neither had any of my close friends. I felt totally lost in classes and stopped going to most of them. Come finals time I failed the first one, biochemistry. I thought about dropping out right then and there, but people kept telling me that “no one enjoys the first 2 years of medical school”, and that “medicine really starts in the 3rd year when you are on the wards”. I took that advice figuring I couldn’t dismiss medicine without giving it its fair shake. I passed biochem on the retake and never failed another exam again until…Step 1. I just found out that I failed yesterday. I am about begin my internal rotation in 2 days and I feel almost surreal. The thought of having to retake Step 1 seems horrible and unlike other people, I don’t feel like I really want it. The whole time I have been studying here I have felt that I have been working twice as hard as I should be. It is as though I were pulling the plow and pushing the mule. Memorizing facts has never been appealing to me and I still feel as though I would not even be able to tutor someone in a high school biology class. The only thing that makes any sense to me is physiology and the math based courses such as biostats and epi (which sadly for me feature minimally in medical school). Despite having the scholarship I am still massively in debt mostly due to living expenses and am unsure whether going in to teaching at this point would be feasible financially. I feel as though this has been the most expensive mistake I have made and probably will ever make. I am in my 30’s and single and the thought of returning to the US with my tail between my legs at this point is daunting. I am considering retaking my Step 1 in a month or so, but that won’t change the fact that I still don’t feel right here. I don’t identify with most of the people that I go to school with, nor with the faculty or staff in the hospital. Generally the only things that I look forwards to are my extracurricular activities like surfing, rock climbing, and mountain biking, which I probably do to much of given my current academic struggles. If I left school now I would definitely pursue a teaching job in mathematics. Still I am torn. I know I could retake the Step 1 and pass, but a part of me just doesn’t want to. I feel like I am too stubborn to quite, but that could very well be my undoing. I woke up this morning feeling very depressed about the whole thing and have been unable to sleep since finding out that I failed. As expected the school is offering little support, when I told the academic advisor what was going on he just asked when I wanted to retake the test and then rushed out to do something else.I am worried about trudging through reluctantly only to get a residency that I am unenthused about, or dropping out, becoming saddled with debt and being unable to enjoy what I might otherwise have enjoyed if I were debt free. The most attractive field of medicine to me is rural family practice, which also happens not to be extremely competitive, however, even those residencies often require you to pass the Step 1 on the first try.I would greatly appreciate any advice you could offer me.Thanks.MH said:T-How are things going? You’re situation mirrors mine in many ways, but I left mid-third year about 3 yrs ago now. Did you successfully retake step 1?Lt said:Just wondering what you are doing now T, thanks.hani.vdw said:What are you doing these days, T??bod dole said:fuck med school. i hate it so much. i dont even have time for proper grammarwinter said:lol;)Panda Bear said:Wow, I’m so glad I found this blog…I’m in my first year of medical school, and earlier today I just got back my Physiology final. I scored a 58%. The Anatomy final I took the day before was about the same score. I don’t understand it; about 2 months ago I was pulling B’s in my classes. Now, I’m failing…This is my second shot at med school. My first try was through the Rice/Baylor 8-year med program. I dropped out, went to Harvard to pursue a liberal arts degree, and went on to obtain a Master’s in Political Science. But my career ambition in government didn’t pan out, and I applied to med school for the second time, and got in. You would think I would be so excited and determined to finish medical school this time around…but I’m not. I don’t have the drive and motivation to study the 9-12 hour days that med school requires of you. For my Physiology final, I studied for 2 hours (I slept and skyped with my boyfriend). Part of me knows I am doing it for my parents, and part of me is scared because I don’t know what other options I have.I know I’m smart, but unfortunately my grades don’t reflect that. I want to drop out, but I don’t know what else I would do. I’m scared to take a risk, but even more scared of not trying. If money were no object, I would work for an international foundation in ecumenical relations or pediatric AIDS. But I still have expensive college loans to pay off, and I have to admit, I like having luxuries in life.I thought about doing Psychiatry…I’m a good talker and a better listener…but I really just want to find my “dharma” or my life’s purpose. In the end, I would like God to help me find the perfect career, and I would wholeheartedly pursue it. I don’t want to have any regrets.Like many of you in this thread, I too suffer from mental illness, and I feel I probably do suffer from depression, although it is being handled with medication and love therapy from my boyfriend. I just wish I knew what to do with myself. If anyone can help me answer these questions: How do you know if being a physician is the career for you? How do you motivate yourself to make it through med school? And how do you keep your sanity through it all?LuLu said:I am currently applying to medical school as a “second shot,” although I was dimissed from my first institution – I didn’t technically drop out. I did, however, let myself fail out because I wasn’t sure my heart was in it and becuse I was dealing with bipolar depression. Now that my health issues have been sorted out and I have had time to reflect, I am sure that I want to go back. How did you pull off getting into another medical school in the US? Did you have to put in any extra leg-work outside of reapplying?Jane said:I too am curious about LuLu’s question. For any of you who have left medical school, have you been able to reapply and restart at another US institution, and if so, how? Thanks for any advice.I feel your pain said:I read through all these post and thought I’d give my two cents. I’m 33 and withdrew from med school after 6 weeks. Spent 2 months in denial, and I am currently in month 3 after leaving school. Half denial and half trying to figure out what to do next.I related to what everyone else has said above. Depression/Anxiety …..I think that its all code for “your going the wrong way”.Also, I find it interesting that so many people referenced/implied/or stated something about mental illness. When I was younger (13-25) I used to bottle things up and tried to pretend that I didn’t have feelings. I dislike the term mental illness as it relates to anxiety/depression (not trying to invalidate anyone who has been clinically diagnosed).But I think that its worth talking about when it comes to medical school. There is soooooo much pressure. Doing well in all the pre-reqs, doing all the “right” activities, applying/interviewing, and all the societal/family shinanigans that goes along with “becoming a doctor”.For me going to medical school was supposed to be about starting a life of meaning, helping people, providing for my family, making them proud, all the other typical reasons. But I got a 60 on my first exam and was basically told if you fail another one you have to sit out a year (which felt like I was being labeled “not smart”). 2 weeks later I got a 56 on the next exam. I could have taken a LOA but decided that the program I was in didn’t fit me http://personally.To anyone reading this I started this post with rant about mental illness because I really felt like I was having a break down the night before that second test. I tried like hell to get my stuff together the night before the test. In between crying (and I hadn’t cried in years) and panic sweating, I did my best to study. I left a 5 year career at a corporate job to pursue medicine. I spent 4 years doing the pre-reqs, shadowing, taking the mcat (twice), and somehow it was as if the pressure built up over those 4 years just trying to get into medical school crushed me that night. It was like my whole life depended on that test (IE with that kind of messed up thinking no wonder I had couldn’t study).So I guess my point is, we all got into medical school, (which as cheesy as it sounds IS an accomplishment), and just because it didn’t work out, doesn’t mean that we need to feel branded “medical school dropout”. Although if I am being honest, I am only 3 months out and feel like I want to run away and hide from anyone who knows that I was in medical school. This is especially hard for my wife, who is the nicest person in the world, but I am sooooo detached at the moment, too busy having my own pity party.Well, thought I would add my two cents, hope it helps someone.I am currently looking into graduate school programs (most likely physical therapy), but haven’t made any commitments yet. I also might re-apply to a different medical school, but who knows how that will play out.Anyone thinking about dropping out of med school, I don’t know if I should have taken a LOA. So many people pleaded with me to do that instead of withdrawing, but I think it was part bruised ego and part just plain intuition that made me withdraw, it just didn’t “feel” right being at that medical school. My advise would be, your guess is as good as mine. I still don’t know what the “right” decision would have been, I just hope I didn’t withdraw because I was embarrassed and didn’t want to have to go back to the same school were I basically felt like I was labeled “not smart” (yes, I realize that label is my head) Best of luck everyone, and thanks for sharing your stories.andy said:Hi Panda.I think it is great that you have reflected on your career path many times. That is a maturity I wish more people had before entering med school. Looks like you took some time to try something else (polysci) and that did not work out. The fact that you returned to medicine I think says something! Would it help to just focus on completing each week, each month, each year just one step at a time? Forget about what specialty you should do. Just focus on passing…Some times we can worry ourselves out of a future because we are all such type As and want to be in control of everything! Even an unknown future. That is the gift and the curse of those who want to become doctors.I thought that way for a long time and couldnt deal with not knowing if med was the right fit for me…so I quit…before I even started. You have already started and have passed.Panda Bear said:Hi Andy,Thank you for your wise and sincere response. It came at a perfect time, when I am really struggling with what to do and still sorting out my options. You are right…I should take things step by step, day by day, week by week. I do hope to get my MD…and when I do, I know I will owe so much of it to your uncannily-timed reply.I wish you all the happiness and joy. May your journey be rich and fulfilling, and may you receive all the best this world has to offer!Panda Bear said:Hi Andy…not sure if you’re even still on this thread, but I just had to write you back and say THANK YOU a million times THANK YOU! I made it, I finished medical school, I have my MD, and will apply for residency soon. It was the biggest challenge of my life, but I made it…with your help. You are amazing.S said:The irony of hind-sight …I regret attending medical school, I regret not quitting after the first year when my gut told me I should, and, finally, I most regret quitting after my third year when I was so close to finishing.I went to an excellent university for my undergrad education where I also garnered a decent art following. I was accepted into medical school right out of college. Everything seemed like it was going according to plan.Then I went to medical school …My social life went to shambles. The long distance relationship I naively thought would work crumbled after only 2 months of my being away even though the relationship was built on a 4 year foundation.At this point I became indescribably depressed. Having never been depressed before, I had no idea. I meandered about until my school offered me a split semester opportunity in hopes that I wouldn’t fail out. Ultimately, the split semester lightened the load enough that I was able to keep up with the work load.When the split semester ended the following year, I was slung into MS-2 not knowing just how difficult digesting that amount of information in one year was. I was never one to memorize, and the split semester offered me the luxury of being able to learn the material. To be honest, most of what I learned during my two years of MS-1 I still remember 3 years later, but I honestly remember nothing of MS-2.During MS-2 I also met my current girlfriend. She is smart and beautiful … and because of it she didn’t understand that I couldn’t handle the volume. She would tell me I was making excusing or that I flat out wasn’t trying, when in reality I was never a good memorizer. Her disappointment in me coupled with my mother’s disappointment further coupled by my own sense of failure lead me to drop out just before taking Step 1.After quitting I felt a huge weight was lifted off of my shoulders. I thought I knew that I made the right decision. Then two years of inconsistent work as a teacher/tutor, and the workforce showing me how worthless my partial medical education is along with my girlfriends continued disappointment in me and my family basically nixing me from their lives has made me quite depressed again.I feel so lost. After reading this blog I realize just how hopeless my situation is. I have an insane amount of debt that I can’t pay down because I can’t get a good job. I find myself wishing I would have stayed in medical school and toughed it Your IP Address only hope is that my girlfriend keeps rooting for me while quietly being disappointed in me … lord knows, she is the only one that is trying to be positive.…and I don’t know how many more times I can wake up hating myself. The last two years out of medical school have felt like an eternity.My advice, once your are in, decide if you are staying after one year. Once that one year mark passes, it is in your best academic and financial interest to stay.Hopefully someone reads this and learns from my three greatest mistakes. I strung together 22 years of good decisions only to let 3 bad decisions be my undoing.If anyone can offer some advice, that would be great.Good luck to everyone on here. Be strong.R, on said:S: i have the same issue as you…..could we talk…..honestly…i need some help..im from north http://america….my stomach gets really tight when i have to study and bc of that I have bowel and acid reflux issues….could we talk….pleasethanks,R, on said:S: my email is [email protected]….LOL..its truedont hide lets work together to solve our issuekellen said:wow, thank you april 19th 2012. it’s so hard man. my school is keeping me out of my rotations and away in another state for an alcohol monitoring program they have me in. I’ve been sober quite a while (over a year), have passed all my classes, have passed a couple rotations, and my step 1, and have been negative on all UA’s. I feel alone, and no one understands what I am going thru. I’m so ready to just say, you know what, I don’t feel like putting up with you people (my school) anymore. I don’t know if I should hire a lawyer or what to do now. For the next 2 months, I have to be out of my rotations to do my monitoring program (one UA/wk, 2AA meetings/wk, counseling, psych docs) at the city where my school is, which is away from my family and culture.ambitious still said:I am also really glad I found this blog, and where was it before??? My situation is that I graduated from college at 20 with honors and passionate and enthusiastic about medicine. I had a low MCAT score and did not want to wait a extra year so I went to a caribbean school, boy that was difficult. I did poorly and failed my semester with just 1 point and could not return. After taking a year off from that, I went back to school and took advanced science class and researched in the mean time. I found that I really do love medicine but the passion and energy wasnt as high as it once was. Somewhat half heartedly, I went back to the Caribbean because I thought this was my only option as I didnt think Us med schools would accept me ever. From the moment I stepped on that island, I had hated it, didnt have proper food, place, have a long distance relationship, and since it was my second time around, I didnt make many friends and kept to myself. I did well 1st sem but come 2nd sem I dont know if I thought I was in the clear or was it just the professors. But I couldnt follow the profs in class, they were all foreign and had their own way of teaching which I couldnt follow, all I wanted to do was skip class and sit in the library to study on my own but even that wasnt allowed due to attendance, and if you miss 7 class, you automatically fail. So I was kept in class till 5. I couldn’t learn a thing in class and felt like I was missing out on some secret because I wasnt able to make connections in class. In addition, even though I felt as though I had a handle on the material, the tests proved otherwise. Needless to say, I thought it would be best if I withdrew. I am now back in the states, I found faith in God and this is helping me not to go into depression. Right now, Im applying to PA school and podiatry after shadowing. I still love medicine, and I wish I didn’t, but I really do and I dont know what else I would do if not. My predicament is if I should tell the us schools about the med school I attended abroad. It would be hard for them to find out, except in one of the school, I took out a 10K federal loan to help pay. If they would find out, it would be through this. I really want to go to school but I fear that due to my poor academic performance previously, I might not gain admission. Please help what should I do??Grace W. said:First and foremost, I congratulate you on your persistence. Your story embodies a deep passion- something that any admissions committee should want in an applicant.I think that after all your hard work (i.e. MCATs, science classes, etc.), you should definitely continue your education. Both PA and podiatric medicine are great fields that would allow you to further your passion for medicine. In response to the fact that you might not gain admissions, as cliche as it sounds, not applying is like an automatic rejection.ambitious still said:Thank you for your response. I just submitted my application and I was honest about my past and now Im sitting here like a scared duck. I hope I dont get punished for telling the truth. I asked a few other students and learned that they lied in their admission application. And now, Im wondering if I should have done the same because I dont know if this will cost my entrance. All I know is that those people who lied and got in could make it through and without geting caught. I wish schools have a surefire way and do look into each applicant because this is not fair to those of us who want to be truthful.Kanya said:Hey Ambitious still, My story is so much similar to yours. I went to Caribbean Med school and could not understand prof’s way of teaching and it impacted my step1 score and I could not believe that I failed… and it took me forever to get back to track.. I had to drop out and i tried to pursue another career……but I have had no luck(since past 3 yrs)..My husband told me to go back to Med school in US… But I really doubt I can even be considered as I have already failed step1. I am totally lost as, what to do next…sitting at home is just making me crazy…I feel like I am becoming dumb and useless everyday.Can someone provide, different career paths we can take…educationally or professionally to get back to Science/Medical Field. Also, I read lot of you doing MPH..what type of jobs can we expect from such a degree.. Please advise…ambitious stil said:Hi Kanya! I know it seems like you are in a dark tunnel but there is hope, for the moment just set everything aside. The reason I say this is because, I realized there are still many options. Going into PA is not a bad idea. Also you could go into Physical therapy or if your heart is set on becoming a doctor(Which Im think I am stuck on) then there are other ways. Shadow an optometrist or podiatry and see if you can see yourself doing that. Personally, I wish I didnt go the MD route the first time and had a little more patience but then again, I know most of my friends who went to the Carib are all practicing now. Its a gamble!! We might have lost this round but this doesn’t mean we lost in life. It has taken more than myself to find courage everyday and not to doubt myself. Even today, I was trying to figure out where I went wrong. I personally dont think Im dumb, though not always the best test taker which is probably what got to me. However, I cannot determine if this is it, because I do believe there is something fundamentally wrong. It cant all be the systems fault, because every year, there are many who are graduating from a carib school. we did not know how to play the game.Nevertheless, dont loose hope. Life is much bigger than just a job and I cant believe Im saying that because this has been the only thing on for as long as I can remember. I know I havent completely done this yet, but I think in order to move forward, its becoming detached with whatever just happened and really analyzing what went wrong, because no matter what you go into, you could come across the same problem. After that, its really about forgiving yourself. What really helped was when my mom told me that its ok to change my field or profession, so what if this did not work out, dont hang your head in shame, for the only time you should be shameful is if you lost your self dignity.Kanya said:Thanks Ambitious still. I totally agree with what you said. One failure can’t control your life. You have to get a courage to move on… Just make sure not to take too much time getting out of it. That is my problem. It took me forever to come out to my senses that I actually can not finish my medical school. I am just trying to get my career life back on track. Thanks for all the help. Great Post!!!Humphrey said:My story is very different from yours. i always knew i wanted to study medicine. where i come from straight away from high school you go into medicine proper. we don’t have premed programmes. Unfortunaly for me in my final high school chemistry exam i total got confused and got a C, Biology and Mathemetics whic are all pre-requisites i got a C. One year later, my University gave me physitherapy which i had never had of. I was shocked but quickly got over it. i decided to research about the field 2 months before lectures started. everyone i asked ha nasty things to say about the career. I was young then and all i cared about was the prestige associated with an MD. my siblings didn’t help either. i smetimes think they were happy ididnt get into http://medicine.My self esteem hit bottom. All i knew and cared about was medicine. so i enrolled int physiotherapy. the lecturers did not help either. they were actually encouraging us to quit saying all bad things. I guess part of me wanted to hear what they were saying. I stumbled upon the ACCA qualification. In my third year i quit even thoug i was doing very well in my class. i nboth years i was in the top 3 of my class. so i started the ACCA 3 years ago and just wrore my fina exam. To be onest i have been depressed fo the past 8 months. i have no clue what i am doing in accounting. i feel useless and i doupt if i will make it. i have no self esteem to talk about and feel like a complete failure. i have no one to talk to so i thought this forum could help me.TH said:Hi Humphrey,Try getting into a U.S. medical school or a Caribbean school. There are also the D.O. route in the U..S. That is Doctor of Osteopathy and is a bit easier to get into but they end up doing residencies like in the U.K (House Officer) and then going on to being attending physicians (Consultants).Some ideas.A.R. said:Hey everyone- Thanks all of you for posting on this difficult topic and sharing and being honest. Med school is tough and I think deciding to or thinking about leaving is even tougher. But it’s so nice to know that I am not alone.Here is my situation:I did very well in Undergrad and got great grades, scholarships, did research, extracurriculars, etc., etc.. I also did well on the MCATs and got a 3.0 my first year of med school. However, after first year, I developed pretty bad anxiety and depression and was put on a bunch of medication and took the next year off. It’s a long story, but basically, I ended up returning after my first LOA only to fail the first exam again and take a second LOA.This is all well and good, but during the last year I developed a drug habit and was arrested a couple of times for simple misdemeanors and was never convicted. All of my charges ended up dropped by the state. I also entered into inpatient treatment and completed it, followed by completion of outpatient treatment. I have been in recovery just over 4 months and I am abstaining from all drugs and alcohol and plan to do so for the rest of my life.I am just not sure what to do as I am supposed to start school again very soon. I am ready to return and do as well as I can, but I do not want to have to be worried all year about just being kicked out when/if my school finds this stuff out (which I am pretty sure they will as I need to do a Fitness for Duty Evaluation before I go back next month and my school does fingerprinting and the VA does a background check- which only asks for convictions from what I can tell-before you can start rotations).Anyways, thank you for reading and PLEASE please if anyone has any similar experience, advice, or knows of anyone who had anything remotely similar happen with them, PLEASE RESPOND!!! Thank you, it would be greatly appreciated.A.R., on said:P.S. I have a plan that involves just working and eventually finding a lab job and probably going back for M.S. or PhD in a few years and just paying off the loans as I can.Do PhD/grad school programs usually pay for their grad students’ tuition, etc.? Also, I’m assuming if I just withdrew from med school and all this other baggage was a few years behind me it wouldn’t much hinder my chances with admission to grad school, any thoughts??THANK YOU SO MUCH for reading and PLEASE RESPOND!!Good luck to everyone here- remember- NO ONE else cares if you are in med school or a doctor or not, and if they really do, they are not someone worth devoting any attention to anyways!Grace W. said:Hi A.R.,First of all, I want to commend you for your strength to persevere from your hardships and congrats on returning. Do not worry about being kicked out, because what you have gone through has only made you stronger.In response to PhD programs, there are many programs that give their grad students a stipend while in school. Maybe withdrawing now, applying to a M.S. program that may lead to a PhD program and ultimately being less stressed and anxiety-ridden is a better idea.men Romance said:[…] be cool and suave. Im sorry guys but most of us wear disappointment like a scribbled insult across our foreheads and once that takes over us we my ex girlfriend gave me herpes might as well be trying to pick up […]Easy Dating Advice : Questions To Get To Know A Girl, on said:[…] term future’s create romantic and seductive relationships. Both are essential but if one is emphasised as more important than the other or to the exclusion of the other the seduction […]joe said:I read this book about a medical school dropout. I thought it was a nice read: http://amzn.com/1470185881I found it on amazon.hibba said:Hey I just stumbled upon your blog amd I figured this might help me a little. I am in my first year of BDS ( bachelors in dentistry). The studies are extremely stressful tests and exams all the time. I went through a really bad phase of depression and anxiety in between and faced extreme panic attacks it was really hard for me to come out if that phase and it gets triggered when I am under a lot of stress.ialways wanted to do dentistry but after suffering ao muchReplyhibba said:Hey I just stumbled upon your blog amd I figured this might help me a little. I am in my first year of BDS ( bachelors in dentistry). The studies are extremely stressful tests and exams all the time. I went through a really bad phase of depression and anxiety in between and faced extreme panic attacks it was really hard for me to come out if that phase and it gets triggered when I am under a lot of stressI always wanted to do dentistry and thought that it would be easier than mbbs but its a lot harder and I realized that there is no point in being a doctor by compromising my health and mental peace. I have decided to quit it and opt for nutrition. I hope I make thw right decision and find happiness and contentment in it.beehive said:Hi! Thank you for your blog. I failed medical school twice in a row (from different schools). I can’t help but feel depressed after realizing i was 4 points short of still being a medical student. Right now, I am looking for work and I just can’t stop thinking about what a failure I am. I wish I could somehow move on a little quicker. Thank you for making me realize I am not alone.Pedro said:So I know this is an old and long thread but anyway here goes:I am 23 and currently at my 5th year of medical School, yes 5th, so next year would be my last and then to residency and so on…My problem is for the past few years I have been thinking I have made a mistake, but stuck to the “oh you´ll see you´ll like it just stick to it” http://atittude.So by the 2nd year of med school I thought I should think about if medicine was what I wanted, “should I drop med school?” (Dont take me wrong but it never was the hard working type truth be told, I am quite a lazy guy and never actually tried to be top of the class nor anything like that, but always got through with around average grades without that much effort, while simultaniously not being able to stay foot studying, or without suddently realize I had been day dreaming for 45 min in the library. No matter how little I had studied, no concentration what so ever, either that or plain lazy or just studying something that doesnt really interest me, this still happens) So no problems with others think and so on that oh I am dum or anything not at all or that Oh if I fail its such a shame in that area I really dont give a damn about other people opinion about my abilities or intelegence as I think people should but often do a mind a lot in med schools.Anyway back to point by 2nd year I thought “just stick to it dont be so lazy” and “the first years are very different from the clinical years” so “You´ll see you will possibly like it” anyway so I thought about quitting again on the 3rd year and thought the exact same ” at least get to the clinical years http://dude”.By the end of the 4th year nothing really changed still studying enough to get by and above all thinking even if you dont continue medicine until the end, dont waste this year, do the classes you have to and the exams you have to. And here is were I should have realized, which I kind of think I did, I should have talked to someone some friends or my parents, anyway didnt, chickened out, was afraid of the reaction because I was so far along and still am afraid actually (some of my closest friends would definitly say are you stupid or what, and be completely unsupportive which really hurts me cause everytime I even started to try and scratch the surface of this problem not directly, this was how they reacted) so i just went on, its easier to keep doing the same old same old, same routine and avoid making changes than to change. I managed to allure my self to keep on by doing a semester abroad which was very childish I realize I should have adressed the issues instead of getting http://distractions.So by now I am finishing the 5th year and I just feel more lost than ever because I still drag my self to study what I have to, just enough to get by as usual, find very little or no pleasure in that study, I keep finding my self day dreaming about doing something other than medicine and just pretending that all is fine, I am a pretty happy guy but I feel that If by now I dont feel any passion for medicine and cant picture my self anymore spending my entire day inside of an hospital for the rest of my life (and its not like I didnt know that that was most of the job, my mother is a doctor, so I cant say I didnt know) then probably never will,Medicine Is not the worst thing in the world, it aint, but Its just not what I would say I want to do with my life, if anyone asked me if I won the lottery tomorrow what would I do, the first answer would be quit medicine… and maybe doing journalism (I dont think its such na extravagante wish), this is also the part I am not sure either but I believe that journalism might be something I might have a passion for. I really do like helping people thats why I think I though that medicine would be it, even though even when I applied for med school I wasnt sure If I wanted journalism, medicine, acting or zoology, (Yeah I know they have nothing in common but thats why I like them). the problem is I think I was very Imature and probably still am to realise that there is more than one way to help people you dont have to be a doctor to help peopleSo long story short, and I apologize for the extent but its year of keeping it in, anyone has any kind of advice?. If I quit should I quit now or finish the 6th year and the quit? Honestly I am quite scared even if I quit because by the time I would end the journalism degree I would be at least 26/27 I this as idiotic as if someone suddently at 30 decided “Oh I want to be an olympic athlete” or Is it just me being afraid of failure in another area?Thanks for any help cheershanivdw said:Hi Pedro I know this is an old thread, but I am currently in 5th year and on a leave, considering what it is I should do next year (and for the rest of my life). I’d like to know what decision you ended up making? I’m dreading going back to the hospital environment…and for SO many hours a day. I also had my doubts throughout medical school, and just stuck it out (with minimal effort and A LOT of passing out in class/in the library…it seems uncannily similar to your experience). At the beginning of this year, I reached burnout. I kind of wish I had listened to myself from the beginning, but I always managed to convince myself that the financial security, mental challenge and reward of “helping others” outweighed not doing the career. It’s a pity my passion lay elsewhere (although I’m not entirely sure at the moment). I’d love to hear from you,Pedro said:p.s. sorry there are so many mistakes but my computer was constantly trying to auto correct in another language which even managed to make some sentences more or less illogical by changing, cutting, erasing, lots of words.hani.vdw said:Pedro! What are you doing now?? A big part of me really hopes you went on to follow your journalism passion! I just reread your comment, and it’s scary how much it sounds like something I could have written…John said:I dont know what to do either. My first year of med school starts in 1 month and im supposed to move in one week but I am having serious doubts about if this is the life I want to live. I dont know if got into med school for the best reasons, and now that I have, I would feel like a dispshit if I just quit before even experiencing it. I think im having a mix of cold feet with some legitimate doubts as well. Im afraid to get into school, get buried in debt and be unable to return once I realize I hate it. That said, what are my other options? I have a BS in Biology…..you cannot find a job for a recent grad with no field experience in Biology. It just doesnt happen. Can you guys give me any advice here? I dont really know what to do. Im terrified to let my family down after I’ve made them so proud just getting accepted. I’ve told myself that after the first semester/1 year mark I will assess if this is the field for me and I will make my decision then. Do you guys agree with this plan?citystreams said:I stuck with that plan. The benefit of it was that when I did quit it was on my own terms. I knew I could handle the profession but that I just didn’t enjoy it. The downside was that I did walk away with a lot of debt. If I could do it over again I wouldn’t have used loans to pay for my schooling. I wish I’d been smart enough to work for a few years first and then pay my own way. You can be a high school teacher with a Biology degree in most states. Science is a critical need and they will train you on the job. You can also work as a laboratory assistant at a university or you could choose another field to pursue.Steven said:I dropped out of dental school and it was the worst time ever.I missed all my friends in dental school and suffered depression quietly. I ask myself why did it happen to me. Why could I not be happy and healthy like everyone else. I still cannot answer that question. Sometimes life is strange and even cruel. Dental schools are no place for sympathy either. If you fail or defer your professors will notice. Anyway, on the good side I don;t have to pull out people teeth anymore or do root canals.lol… Took me ages to reconcile with dropping out.Also there is nothing worse than repeating a year with a different cohort. All the friendships re made in first year so it plays with your mind forever.Anyway the experience has made me wiser and more prepared for new studies. ok take care my fellow friendsphoenix said: steven, i’ve had the exact similar experience. what are you doing now? how do you deal with the massive debt? please contact me as i would love to share my story with someone who knows how it feels as I haven’t discussed my experience with anyone. [email protected] said:I just recently took a leave of absence from Physical Therapy School and then decided not to continue. I was in the clinical stage and had finished the academic work so I was able to take an academic Masters degree for the work I had done. Unfortunately it doesn’t really lead to any careers. I’m at a bit of a loss as to what to do now. I’m rather burned out on science. My other interests are with writing and kids; things that I have no preparation for. I’ve thought about going back for elementary teaching or trying to work my way into being an writer and or editor for children’s books. From where I am now though everything seems so unlikely to pan out and I’m scared of taking a risk (especially the financial aspects) only to fail again. I appreciate your post on this type of situation. It’s hard to talk about, but it’s comforting to know you’re not alone.Lost said:Elizabeth,I’m currently on a LOA and at a loss for what to do too. Message back if you get this. I would love to hear how you are doing now. Right now I just feel completely lost and overwhelmed.Elizabeth said:Lost –I’m still job searching. With my medical background and writing interest I’ve been pursuing medical writing positions. It’s hard to get into but I joined AMWA and am working on their certificates to boost my resume. Nothing has really panned out so far but I am actively pursuing something with potential and choosing to continue improving myself and my options and that feels good at least. I’m also praying and trusting God to provide, and remembering how much he has blessed me already. I hope you are able to sort things out for yourself. Remember, if you made it into the school (PT? Medical?) then you are smart and capable. If it is the right fit for you, then you can go back and conquer it, if it’s not then you can succeed in whatever comes next. Don’t be afraid to get some counseling to help you sort out your options if you need it.Blessings,Elizabet said:I came to this site looking for comfort also. However, I was not a medical student, but a physical therapy student at the age of 30 yrs. I stayed in the program for a miserable 4 ½ years (repeating a year, taking a yr off to work in the field as a tech for a 3-yr degree.) I struggled with the academics, initially, but sealed my fate by bombing clinicals. I had 9 mos of clinicals to complete, but it may as well have been 10 yrs; I WAS D.O.N.E. I was tired of the hypocrisy of patient-centered care; I was tired “not getting it”. I fell into a deep depression, divorced from my marriage, and then went scary manic (probably due to my prescription meds- BTW, not on ANY meds today.)Forward 4 yrs, and every single day I STILL live with the regret of having entered graduate school. My intentions were pure, but I was very naive. I am currently a SAHM and VERY happy and overjoyed at the opportunity to be a dedicated mom.But, I as will need to enter the work force soon, I can’t ignore two facts: 1) I have put 7 yrs (2 yrs of post undergrad prereq classes to qualify for the grad school- my undergrad degree was not related to grad degree; and 4 yrs of grad school) into schooling which has cumulated in zero degree (at the school I attended I was denied a degree based on my failure to complete clinical rotations); and 2) How do I funnel this experience-which was immensely financially, mentally, and timely expensive -into something tangible at a work level. It’s utterly incomprehensible that I actually PAID (tuition) to have my self-esteem and sanity trampled by a group of people (educators, other students, and other professionals in the field) that gave nothing but cold criticism or pity (if they were feeling generous.)I did drop the ball and knew it was the only option, but I can’t help but wonder, what if I had just worked at a 9-5 job for all those years? At least I would not have the debt (maybe even a savings); I would have real world work experience; and I may even kept my sanity! As Cam Newton says “hindsight is always 50/50”. That is still funny.G said:Elizabeth, if you are interested, I would love to commiserate!JG said:Add me to the list of willing listenersTroubled said:So I need URGENT advice: I have finished 3 out of 5 years of medical school, it’s an MBBS degree so I got into it right after high school. I was never sure about what I wanted to become, except that I wanted to study Psychology and Literature in college. My parents pressured me into studying medicine, as I did not have an alternative career in mind and they thought I could combine my interest in Psychology with medicine and become a Psychiatrist….anyway worst decision of my life. I have spent the last 3 years crying and hating every minute of every day, cursing internal medicine and histology and generally finding the subject matter completely boring. Furthermore, I resented medical school for the countless hours I spent standing in clinic or on call doing something I absolutely hated. Because of this I progressed into a very depressed state, despite successfully keeping up with my studies. When my Psych elective rolled around I enjoyed it thoroughly and developed a love for Child Psychiatry, but after some time in it began feeling sad/depressed by the patient’s stories, and found they were affecting me too much. I cannot discern whether this sadness was due to the field itself or because of my own depressed state. Anyway, after much research into psych residencies I realized that pursuing psychiatry still, for the most part, involves endless hours of medicine/neurology etc. and because of how depressed and anxious I have become in medical school I no longer feel cut out for listening to other people talk to me about their sadness either. I don’t know if it’s a phase or I should just genuinely cut my losses and run now. I won’t be in debt so the financial aspect isn’t a huge problem, but if I leave now I have the option of starting an undergrad in Canada and completing it in 3 years. My worry comes from the fact that I have NO idea what career to pursue instead, as my interests still only include Autism, Psychology, Literature etc. and I don’t want to be living paycheck to paycheck after giving up med school. In fact, the undergrad degree I plan to pursue would be far more costly that med school.The problem with continuing on this track is that I am so depressed I am finding it difficult to carry on, and even if I do manage to stick it out for the next 2 years, if Psychiatry truly isn’t for me then my career options outside healthcare are severely limited…so that’s a huge risk too, on top of risking my sanity of course. I am just so tormented because one does not simply leave med school after 3 years with NO idea of what they will pursue instead at their new college. PLEASE help me guys if you have any advice…I need to make a decision by tomorrow and I have no idea what to do….ThanksRobert Sargent said:Hey Guys. Sorry to hear about all your struggles. I was just yesterday dismissed in my first year of Medical school. My dean and school were not very understanding. I failed to pass 3 courses 1st semester due to depression and constant pain in my calves and abdomen which I now know was caused by then undiagnosed ulcerative colitis. In January I had to write a letter to the board explaining my situation to ask for a 2nd attempt at 1st year by switching to the 5 year program. The board never responded and when I asked them they basically told me they couldn’t comment until the dean made a decision. Well now its March and yesterday j received my dismissal notice. It was dated early February and not sent till mid March. I had been attending classes for 3 months while the comitee voted in early January to dismiss me. For a profession that should be about compassion, I was not shown very much. Now to figure out this life thing.Hopeless said:Dear Troubled, I am in the exact same situation as you were a year ago, with the same interest in psychology that got me to medical school…became overly hopeful that child psychiatry would be my reward but after doing it realized that I am too depressed and anxious to listen to my patients enough to help them anymore. I’m considering taking a leave of absence from my 4th year of medical school but don’t know where to turn. I have to decide very soon. Please reach out and let me know where you are today. Thank you.JG said:Hopeless, Hope you are hopeful. Where are you now?believe said: Dear reader, I dropped out from PA program one week ago because I was too hard on myself; I was the only international student in the class. I burned out, my depression and anxiety got really bad, but when my professors started questioning my “language abilities” I lost it…. I don’t know what is waiting for me at this point; loans, F’s, life long regret, facing peoples laughters….. At the end of the day, I did this for myself and I truly believe that people who love me for me will understand my decision. I am planning to take a year off and take some classes that would benefit my second try…. “The person with big dreams is more powerful than one with all the facts” A. EinsteinAnna said:I feel for all of you who have shared your stories on here. It’s a relief to know that many people do struggle with the decision of whether to stick with medicine once in, or not. I’m almost finished my second year, and it’s been tough to say the least! I soared through last year in health science, but internally struggled with knowing what to do with my life. Then I struggled to accept my position at med school. Now all through this year I’ve had serious, serious doubts about if I’m on the right path or not. I get incredibly anxious every day when I try to study, I cry all the time, I lack the motivation to do any work even though our big exams are in a few weeks and at this rate its not looking too good for me. I’ve almost resolved to quit multiple times, but in my mind I literally cannot take that final step. I’m terrified that if I quit and do something else, I’ll regret the decision to pull out, but at the same time, if I stay and do another year then I’m even further into the program and more time and money will be wasted. My issues stem from the fact that I want to have the perfect future for me, and I always contemplate if medicine is it. I’m always weighing up the job vs the salary vs the time and pressure vs the years of study etc. I also always tend to yearn for what I’m not doing e.g. I’m also interested in commerce and french, and feel bad that I’m not studying them. I always feel so lost and have no idea of where I’m going in life or what my purpose is. I think, deep down, that I just want to be a stay at home mum. I think that is my passion. But currently I’m literally immobilized at the thought of both pulling out AND staying in. These circular thoughts are eating at my mind. They’re driving me crazy and sometimes I just want to sleep and not wake up for a decadeSo … advice anyone?yis said:i was on the same shoes as u dont take every thing serious that comes into your mindhanivdw said:Hey Troubled and Hopeless. I have pretty much the same history as you guys. I think I’m holding onto the idea of Psychiatry as I also have an interest in the mind and psyche…the medical aspect of it and having to deal with the clinical environment, however, I have to keep forcing myself to enjoy. What did you end up deciding? I am currently on a leave after starting 5th year (see my above comment),To Anna: I competely understand the immobilization and incessant trying to weigh up the options. How are you now?reflecting said:hanivdw, are you still on a leave, and what have you been doing with your time?hani.vdw said:Hey reflecting I’m back at university, but I’ve opted to use my credits for a science degree – doing medical cell biology…so after this year I will have an undergraduate degree. It’s not a PASSION of mine and it’s not great ending with a 3 year degree after 6 years of uni time, but I see it as a pretty good bridging situation while I figure stuff out. Every now and then I get this pull towards medicine again but then I just come back and read this blog or speak to people in my old class and realise how much more I enjoy the kind of schedule and life I’ve got now. Perhaps I’ll go back at some stage (I think I might have a 5 year window period where my credits are still valid) but that’ll only be if I am CERTAIN that it was just a maturity thing and that I can see myself doing the crazy shiz that’s required of a doc EVERY DAY. At the moment, I’m enjoying playing with the idea of teaching English abroad next year and not necessarily returning for more studying…I finally feel like I’m actually free to seriously consider other career options out there and it just makes me so excited! Happiness is very important and doing something that feels like it aligns is really the only way, I’ve come to know…I spent a lot of time last year just recuperating and soul-searching – going for counselling sessions, seriously thinking about my interests, bonding with my niece and soaking up her pure baby energy And then I also did some odd jobs like au pairing, waitressing and volunteering on a farm.What is your experience and background, reflecting?JG said:I just want to say how much I love you all. I want to share my story, too, but am not ready. I will pray for you all.Ragnar Lothrok, on said:See you in Valhalla, my friend.Z said:Hey everyone, I was dismissed from medical school last year. Had a lot going on in my life and was in a terrible place. I didn’t see a future for myself at all in anything. I’ve since reached a turning point and would like to apply to PA school. I’m concerned that my dismissal from medical school is grounds for automatic rejection. Programs ask you to submit transcripts from all institutions attended, even if no degree was awarded. Should I omit this piece of information…. what are the chances the admissions committee will find out if i do? I don’t want to lie but I also don’t want my future to be determined by the darkest point of my life.B, said:Thank you to everyone who has posted. I just finished 3rd year at a US allopathic medical school and am studying for Step 2, terrified, again, that I’m going to fail and this relative nightmare will be over, but I won’t have made the decision to do it myself. I had taken an LOA to get another degree between years 2 and 3, and think about whether or not I wanted to go back to medical school- after the isolating experiencing of completing an online degree and realizing I had “no choice” but to go back due to my 250k debt (about to be 400k if/when I graduate), I was ready to go back to medicine. Third year sucked but I got through it with weekly therapy, the support of my life partner, and the knowledge of not having another plan that didn’t include another 3-5 years of school plus hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt (honestly, it’s the debt that has kept me going….). Studying for Step 2, like Step 1, has been another nightmare, even though I don’t study nearly as much as I know I’m supposed to. It’s all just been feeling deeply meaningless for a long time, with short bursts of hope here and there. I may be a generally miserable person anyway, but this life is not how to improve upon that. I think if I fail Step 2, I’m just going to drop out. But I know that my ego is going to take a huge hit and who knows how in the world I’m going to pay off my debt- I don’t mind dying with it, honestly… I love taking care of people, but not like physicians do. Maybe I’ll go use my other degree or go into social work or something- now THAT’S meaningful work. If I pass Step 2 I guess I’ll just keep going, but it’s very clear to me at this point that it’s not me making decisions for myself anymore. I’m kind of just on this train that’s pushing me along, waiting to see whether or not the day will come when I literally just can’t take it anymore… The idea of working as an indentured servant during residency is just another nightmare on the horizon. Sorry I don’t have much hope to impart here– I just wish they gave people who realize medicine isn’t for them (which isn’t a completely unreasonable realization after making a life-dominating decision at 18-20 years old) more options so they wouldn’t feel so lost and helpless if they decided leaving is the healthiest decision for them. Good luck to everyone who has or is going through the process of soul-searching!Success and Failure in Medical School (blog.clutchprep.com)Med school is no picnic, everyone knows that. What is especially hard about medical school is that it is filled with ~120 very intelligent, very driven people. Everybody in the room is used to being at the top of their class in undergraduate, used to being the smartest in the room, and many of them are in for a rude awakening. 30 of them will find themselves in a very unfamiliar situation, being at the bottom of the class.Attrition rates: Med school isn’t like other professional or graduate programs which are plagued by high attrition rates. Graduate school for example has an average of 20-40% attrition rate depending on the program. Medical school has around a 4-6% attrition rate total which means that when you’re accepted to medical school you have a 95% chance of becoming a doctor.Sounds easy right?Medical school has a saying, P=MD. Meaning as long as you pass you’ll become a doctor.Another popular phrase is, “What do you call a person who graduates at the bottom of their medical school class? A doctor”Both of these statements are true but this notion can be somewhat misleading. Simply passing medical school is not necessarily as easy as it sounds. In addition, scraping by is likely to make the USMLE examinations quite a bit more difficult and then applying to residency with subpar numbers is not desirable. In addition to just barely passing, you CAN fail out of medical school.How Failure worksMany people ask me about failing medical school. They might ask because they’re afraid of failure or they might ask because they want to know whether it’s worth it to wager 4 years and upwards of $300,000 on something that is not guaranteed. These are reasonable inquiries, so what do you have to do to fail?Medical schools don’t want to kick you out, so you’ll get many chances if you fail. These policies vary school to school but are generally quite similar. Most schools will assign you a tutor (typically at no extra charge) if they see you are performing subpar, even if you’re not failing. One failed test is usually harmless if you end up passing the class as a whole, but it will likely trigger some sort of observation to make sure you’re not falling behind. Remediation exams are offered after a failed course and may replace one test or may be an assessment of the entire course. If you pass you will usually get the lowest passing score possible for that course but you continue on your way. If you fail again or fail another course in the future you may have to go in front of the promotions committee. Here they will assess whether you’re doing so poorly that you’d benefit from doing the entire year again or if a remediation exam is appropriate. They typically don’t “recommend withdrawal” after failing one year, but failing the same year twice is going to put you in hot water. Some states have a requirement for you to pass in a certain amount of time so this may change how lenient they are with you. Students who fail a year generally try to use the time to either study or do research in their off time because they’re aware their transcript won’t look as good with a failed year.Why do people fail?By far the biggest reason people fail medical school is for lack of trying. This isn’t to say that these people are lazy, but they weren’t able to muster the mental effort to perform for 4 years. Some of them ARE lazy, some of them lose motivation, and some realize that medicine isn’t the right fit for them. There are plenty of other reasons someone might have difficulty in medical school but here’s a list of things that I feel students did wrong and how to correct it.The problem: Poor test taking strategiesMany of them just didn’t test well; they took the MCAT 5 times to get a good score and convinced themselves that med school tests wouldn’t be so bad. They then go on to suffer from some of the same test taking problems they had during the MCAT. They may get anxiety, move too quickly or too slowly, change answers, not understand the big picture, fall for traps/distractors, or get hung up on details.How to avoid it:Practice practice practice. Med school is all about practice problems. Putting yourself in the testing environment early and often will help you work through questions faster and hone your skills. You should learn to pick apart a question and understand what the question writer is really asking, and learn to identify distractors and sift through fluff. Many students think they have to master the material before they can do practice questions on it, but this isn’t the case. Most question banks have thorough explanation of why each answer was wrong and why the correct answer was correct, and then the good ones will also have a couple paragraphs of high-yield information. A great strategy is to get the baseline knowledge by watching lecture or reading a review book and then expand that knowledge by doing questions. You hone your test taking skills and you learn as you go.The problem: Trying to do everything the professor assignsThis is more rare but I’ve seen it happen, the professor assigns 200 pages of reading and journal articles and such and they think they have to read every word in order to pass. Sometimes in med school you need to know what to ignore. The professors are often putting up supplemental reading for the people who are interested in that topic. Learning how to discern what is important and what isn’t will save a TON of time.How to avoid it:Pretty simple. Think about what they’re assigning and compare it to other textbooks and review material. Talk to your classmates and talk to students above you. If all else fails you can talk to the professor as well.The problem: Not evaluating their effortsSelf-Assessment is pivotal, and sometimes students don’t understand this. They will study a certain way and do poorly and not re-evaluate exactly what they’re doing wrong and how they can change it. They often get into the trap of “I just need to study harder” without thinking about how to study better.How to Avoid it:Ask yourself “Am I retaining this information” and “Am I studying efficiently.” These are two questions that should be asked during and after courses, regardless of how well you’ve been doing up until this point. Different classes will require drastically different study strategies and relying on prior successful strategies may be your undoing. Evaluate the amount of time you spent studying, did you become distracted, were you too uncomfortable, were you too comfortable, did you need to stop to get food too often, did you have trouble staying motivated, did your friends talk too much, etc.Sometimes you just need a change of scenery; certain classes I studied in the library, others at a starbucks, sometimes in the designated group study rooms and even occasionally at home. Studying in a group worked for some classes where you needed to talk things out and quiz each other like anatomy, we’d go and look at the cadavers and the models repeatedly asking each other what everything was and what it did. Some classes were more about straight memorization like pharm and I made concept maps to keep it straight. This isn’t necessarily what you should do but you should keep your techniques fluid and never be afraid to shake up your routine based on perceived and quantifiable efficacy (scores).The Problem: BurnoutThis one gets everybody, but everybody seems to think it wont affect them. Medical school is long and arduous, with little time off. My school gave one summer vacation in between 1st and 2nd year but after that it’s straight through until mid-late 4th year. This can get real exhausting real fast. Burnout is a more than being exhausted, because sometimes you’ll feel exhausted but be able to keep going, but when you’re really burnt out you just cant go any more. You’ll sit and stare at your screen but nothing clicks. You’ll dream of the outside world and wish that you just had a break, and start envying people out there enjoying . Depending on how long you stay “burnt out” you may just end up a little behind or it could ruin your performance in a class.How to avoid it:Avoiding burnout should be a very top priority, because all of what I’ve said before will crumble if you don’t have the will to go through with it. Sometimes burnout avoidance is as simple as scheduling breaks, which help prevent you from getting “sick” of studying. Attending to your wellbeing is an important factor in avoiding burnout as well, activities with friends and a few minutes here and there on old hobbies can work wonders in the long run. Staying in shape or playing sports help keep you from blimping up and also keep you sane as becoming one dimensional and making medicine your entire world is the fastest way to burn out. If you’re like me and in a long term relationship, take some time with them to unwind and maybe watch a movie. Doing things together like cooking dinner can maximize time efficiency and you can have fun too. Going out on the town or taking a mini-vacation on a long weekend can really recharge your batteries. Taking care of yourself is very important. Beware of going too hard on the relaxing, though, so on that note:The Problem: College Part IIThis is something a lot of premed students don’t realize, but med students still party pretty regularly. Some people use it to (rightfully) unwind occasionally, but some go way too hard. Sounds a lot like college huh?How Success worksSo besides avoiding pitfalls what are some other things you can do to excel in med school?Advice from your eldersTalk to people in the class above you, preferably several of them to compare the different strategies each of them had. They’ll be able to advise you on which resources are better and also may even have some study material left over that they can bequeath on you. Don’t get too caught up on doing exactly what they did but see which strategies were used and feel free to pick and choose as it suits you.Study environmentFigure out where you like to study, and be honest with yourself. A lot of people LIKE studying in a big group but if you don’t get any work done then it’s not a good fit. Going back to the previous suggestion, constantly re-evaluate how much you get done vs how much you enjoy your studying environment. Studying at home can be cost efficient and enjoyable but if you’re not getting enough done because of all the distractions then suck it up and head to the library. Additionally I’d like to go ahead and recommend some Bose QC-25 noise-cancelling headphones, you’ll thank me later.Resources: QbanksAs I stated above, question banks are gold. But you need to balance the cost with its utility. If your school has a question bank they pay for consider using it but if it isn’t good then feel free to ignore it.By far the best Question bank is UWorld, but it’s expensive and its questions are a little advanced for first year so keep that in mind. UWorld has some pretty challenging questions that really make you understand the material, there are some real NBME questions that are similar to UWorlds difficulty but most are actually easier than UWorld. Uworld also has the best explanations, images, and charts.Kaplan Qbank and USMLERX are tied for second place in my opinion, with a little bit of an advantage towards Qbank. These questions are some what simpler but they have some tough questions too, explanations are decent and the overall difficulty of these tests were comparable to the NBME and in house tests we encountered in 1st and 2nd year.Other question banks include USMLEZ, Exam Masters, and some others. If your school provides them for free they’re not bad, but I would recommend the other banks unless money is really an issue.Resources: Review Books and VideosThese are great, but you need to know which ones to use for each class. The bible of med school is First-Aid, but on top of that you’ll need a good review book for each class. I felt that First-Aid Organ systems was good for some classes like cardio but useless for others. BRS was good for pathology and physiology but less so for others. It comes down to personal preference and what your professors like to focus on. Hit up your classmates and elders to find out which books are best for which class. Sketchymicro is really clutch when it comes to microbiology, you can save a bunch of time and really solidify information.In addition you should be watching Pathoma. Dr. Sattar is a blessing upon us and those videos are golden. The book is also good but the videos are awesome. Some people liked Dr. Najeeb for physiology and organ systems but I thought he took too long to explain things.This should be a good overview, as usual, any questions are welcome.Why Students Fail in Medical School.One of the biggest myths in the medical school process is that once you get into medical school, it is relatively easy to STAY in medical school. Each year, approximately 5% of those who enter fail one or more courses or fail out of medical school entirely. Why does this happen after being subjected to a selection process that is very stringent?The biggest reason for students failing a course or failing out of medical school is an inability to put in the study time that a very competitive medical school curriculum demands. A sizable proportion of freshman medical students may have been able to get through their undergraduate studies by the “last minute knowledge cram” method, only to find that they are in deep trouble fast.Most of these students will adjust their time management skills and do well enough to pass their coursework but some are not able to make the transition from undergraduate to medical school. These folks find themselves behind their class very quickly and fail to catch up enough to pass. Courses like Gross Anatomy and Biochemistry quickly knock them out of the freshman class.Another small proportion of students will have too many personal demands to keep up with their studies. They may be parents or spouses or they may have personal illness that actually prevent them from the mastery of their work. In these cases, a wise Dean of Students will offer a Leave of Absence before the student finds himself/herself in academic difficulty. It pays to alert your Dean of Students at the first sign of personal trouble. Often the Dean can alleviate the problem and get the student back on track. Again, sometimes the problem is so pervasive, that only a Leave of Absence will allow the student to take care of personal matters and return to academics without penalty.Few medical students are intellectually unable to master the curriculum. While the amount of information to be mastered is massive, the difficulty of the material is fairly average. This means that the key to keeping yourself academically sound is disciplined study habits that enable you to digest this large body of information in a short period of time. Most students study daily and keep a rigorous study schedule even on weekends.Many students will become caught in the “no one else is struggling so I must be stupid” trap. Every medical student from time to time will struggle with something. Most students figure out what they need, ask for help and get the task accomplished. Some students will become depressed and procrastinate. Procrastination is the enemy of good scholarship and leads to more depression. Again, chatting with a few classmates or the Dean of Students can often put your problems into perspective and give you new ides that get you on your way.Here are a couple of examples that illustrate my points above:Janet A. was newly married and entered medical school. Her husband worked as a high school teacher and had a eight-year-old daughter by his previous marrige. Two months into medical school, Janet discovered that she was pregnant. Her pregnancy zapped her energy level and made the demands of medical school more difficult. In addition, she was having difficulty getting along with her new step-daughter who was unhappy that they had moved from another state. She got behind in her studies, especially Gross Anatomy, and struggled with her other courses. She ended up failing both her Gross Anatomy lab and lecture exams and barely passed her Biochemistry exam. On top of her worsening academics, she miscarried and was absent from class for one week.Solution: The Dean of Students recommended a medical Leave of Absence for Janet. She started with the next year’s class and did very well. She was able to take the time for family counseling and was able to devote full time to her studies.Chris P had eagerly awaited his medical school acceptance. He had been happy and enthusiastic during orientation week attending all of the social events and developed a lively group of friends and study mates. When classes started, he kept up but partied very hard on the weekends spending Saturday night in the clubs and Sundays recovering from his Saturday night partying. Few people were able to keep up with him. By the second block of exams, Chris found himself just barely passing his coursework yet he continued his active social life. He always said that he “needed to let off steam” in order to concentrate on his studies.By the end of the first year, Chris found that he needed to take two courses in summer school in order to be promoted with his class. He was able to pass one summer course but failed the other summer course and was dismissed from his class.Solution: Chris applied for readmission at the end of the summer and was denied. He applied for re-admission after sitting out for a year and was re-admitted. When he returned to school, his discipline and study skills were outstanding. He was able to finish medical school and enter residency.James P had entered medical school witht he idea of becoming a child psychiatrist. He had extensive experience teaching inner city children (had been a high school teacher) and was the author of several books on innovative teaching methods for children at risk. He embraced his studies and did well on his first block of exams. About halfway through the material for the second block of exams, James decided that he was not interested in medicine at all. He went to the Dean of Students and withdrew from medical school. He later completed his Ph.D in clinical psychology and very happily practices his vocation.The three medical students above, illustrate the most common reasons that medical students fail. It becomes very difficult to catch up with your studies if you get behind. Many people are overwhelmed with the sheer volume of material to be mastered but make the adjustments necessary to do what is needed. A small proportion of medical students do fail and fail out of school. An even smaller proportion decide that medicine is not what they thought it would be and elect to leave.The bottom line is that medical school demands a student with good study skills and a strong work ethic. While having a photographic memory will help with pre-clinical materials, the strong work ethic will get the student through the clinical years and through residency.Understand Common Reasons Students Leave Medical School (usnews.com)Students entering medical school to fulfill someone else’s dreams may encounter setbacks.By Kathleen Franco, M.D., Contributor |Oct. 22, 2013, at 9:30 a.m.Medical school is stressful and can be an emotionally taxing experience for students who do not truly want to become physicians.(ISTOCKPHOTO)Not every medical student becomes a doctor. Although not a frequent problem, about 6 percent of medical students are unsuccessful in meeting their dream within seven years, according to a 2007 study from the Association of American Medical Colleges.This failure is almost never an academic problem or an inability to handle the material. Admissions committees in the U.S. do not accept candidates they believe will fail to become physicians.In some cases, students leave medical school because there is a conflict as to whose career goal they are actually fulfilling. Medical school requires great discipline and steals most available free time. If a student is living out the parents' dream instead of his or her own, the inner conflict can lead to unconscious sabotage.Parents dream of their children having lives equal to or better than their own. In some cultures, bright students are expected to study either medicine or engineering – a comment I was at first surprised to hear, but I now understand its seriousness in some families.Students who don't want to disappoint their parents, or have no plan of their own, may go along with their parents' wishes initially. Although admissions committee members try to discern if it is the student's own desire to come to medical school, they can be fooled as a student tries to convince himself or herself that this is the career path they want.If you aren't sure, you shouldn't attend – try something else that you might prefer. The cost, emotionally and financially, is great and dropping out doesn't come without disappointing yourself or others.Medical research is a frequent alternative for students. Multiple students I know have gone that route; some return to decide medical school is what they want for themselves and about half prefer research.Others have chosen to go to physician assistant or nurse practitioner programs. Just because they achieved a dazzling 37 or 39 on the MCAT doesn't mean that medicine is absolutely their cup of tea. They like patients but not the length of time it takes to go through medical school and residency.Still others have said, "I need to live my life for myself," and have gone to business school, entered the entertainment or cooking industries or chosen to become a stay-at-home parent.[Ask these five questions when applying to medical school.]But a lack of desire to become a doctor isn't the only reason medical students are unsuccessful. An untreated or undertreated mental illness – be it an eating disorder, panic disorder, major depression, bipolar disorder or other mental illness – can also be a roadblock to success in medical school.Students may deny their symptoms or be discouraged from seeking help by others. They may hear comments like, "Everyone is stressed in medical school."Many students fear there is a stigma associated with seeing a mental health professional, and some families encourage that thinking. Other students are even afraid to confide in their parents for fear of disappointing them.This becomes a snowball effect, with symptoms increasing steadily until the student is no longer able to complete their assignments or report to class.[Understand the factors behind medical school admissions.]The student may be able to ask for a leave of absence but this will not necessarily solve the problem, as the stress of medical school will still be there when he or she returns. The bottom line is that psychological and psychiatric help is needed if the student is to return to school successfully.If a leave of absence is granted, there is a limit to the amount time off students can take and if they have made no effort to face their own challenges and get help, they will eventually come to the end of the grace period. Promotions committees will dismiss them, or, in some instances, allow them to resign.Some students come to medical school already knowing their vulnerability to a particular mental illness and will seek a referral early in the first year so that there is no break in treatment.I have had students come to me during orientation week requesting contact information for good mental health professionals. These students have a high rate of success.[Learn how to balance medical school and extracurriculars.]When they notice they are starting to slip, they immediately go for an appointment. If they are on medication, they take it regularly and get adequate sleep, allowing them to keep stability in a stressful life.Many of these disorders often present for the first time when students are beginning medical school and under increasing amounts of stress.As a result, students may not have developed good coping skills and could be at risk of developing negative habits such as not getting enough sleep or increased alcohol consumption. This can also lead to disorders like depression, mood swings and panic attacks.If a future physician wants to help others, he or she must be willing to look at themselves and correct behaviors that are damaging and unprofessional. Self-discipline, personal motivation and a willingness to seek help are the best guards against failure.Kathleen Franco, M.D., is associate dean of admissions and student affairs at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine ofCase Western Reserve University. She previously served both as director of residency training and director of medical student training in psychiatry at Cleveland Clinic. She is board-certified in psychiatry, geriatric psychiatry and psychosomatic medicine and attended Medical College of Ohio—Toledo.Tags: medical school, medicine, careers, doctors, graduate schoolscareers after failing out of med schoolI failed medical school, We are medical school dropouts.

Q. Which colleges offer a scholarship for pharmacy careers?A. Quite a few scholarships are available.Top Scholarships for Pharmacy School Students - NerdWalletRYAN ZUROWSKI December 20, 2012This article was last updated on Jan. 26, 2015.The cost of pharmacy school — like most professional schools — has risen significantly, and students often face a heavy debt load by the time they graduate. Schools generally offer some form of financial aid, but it isn’t always enough. If you’re in pharmacy school and trying to reduce your loan debt or if you’re an undergraduate planning to go to pharmacy school, check out these scholarships.TO FIND MORE SCHOLARSHIPS, CHECK OUT OUR SCHOLARSHIP SEARCH.Tylenol Future Care ScholarshipsSponsored by McNeil Consumer Healthcare, these scholarships are for undergraduates and graduate students in medicine and health care. They recognize academic excellence, leadership and community involvement. To apply, you must be a resident of the U.S.; enrolled in a health care related field at an accredited college or university, graduate school or vocational/technical school; and have one year remaining in your program.Express Scripts Scholars ProgramFunded by the Express Scripts Foundation, this scholarship supports students with diverse interests who pursue dual degrees. The award can be used for tuition, fees, books or other costs of attendance. The foundation gives special consideration to low socioeconomic status students, as well as students who are underrepresented minorities.American Pharmacists Association Foundation Student Scholarship ProgramThis program supports students who invest time in their school’s American Pharmacists Association-Academy of Student Pharmacists chapter to help shape the profession. To qualify, you must demonstrate strong academic performance, involvement in school and community activities, and potential to become a leader in the profession of pharmacy.American Society of Health System Pharmacists Student Leadership AwardsThe ASHP Student Leadership Awards Program supports students who have demonstrated leadership ability and have an interest in pharmacy practice. To be eligible, you must be a pharmacy student in your second, third or fourth year of the program. The award consists of a plaque, an ASHP drug information reference library, and a cash award provided by the ASHP Research and Education Foundation through the Walter Jones Memorial Pharmacy Student Financial Aid Fund.Allied Healthcare Scholarship ProgramThis scholarship is for undergraduate students enrolled in an Allied Healthcare program field such as pharmacy or pharmacy technician. To qualify, you must be willing to work for a certain period of time in an area that is medically underserved; be legally eligible to work in California; and must not have any other service obligation.RESPy AwardPharmacy Times sponsors this award, which honors outstanding student pharmacists who display exemplary behavior and great potential as community pharmacist candidates. To qualify, you must have a record of voluntary public service activities, a high level of professional/public health-related activities outside the classroom, and a demonstrated effort to advance the profession of pharmacy. To be considered, your pharmacy school dean must nominate you. Winners receive a cash award and a summer internship with Walmart.American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education ScholarshipsAFPE provides funding for a range of scholarships:Undergraduate Research Scholarship ProgramsThe aim of this program is to increase the number of students who undertake a faculty-mentored research program and then enroll in a Ph.D. program in basic, clinical or administrative pharmaceutical science. The majority of money awarded consists of a stipend for your academic research project. The foundation gives preference to students who need relevant research experience in order to decide whether they want to pursue a Ph.D. in the pharmaceutical sciences. To qualify, you need to be an enrolled student, have completed one year of the degree program and be nominated by the faculty member you’ll work with.First-Year Graduate School Fellowships in Pharmaceutical ScienceThese fellowships target students who are members of Kappa Epsilon, Phi Lambda Sigma and Rho Chi and who plan to pursue a Ph.D. in pharmaceutical science.Pre-Doctoral Fellowships in Pharmaceutical ScienceThese fellowships are for outstanding Ph.D. candidates who are enrolled in pharmaceutical science Ph.D. programs in the U.S. You get up to two years of financial support as you prepare for professional positions in the pharmaceutical industry and in academia.Pre-Doctoral Fellowships in Clinical Pharmaceutical ScienceThese fellowships are for Ph.D. candidates enrolled in clinical pharmaceutical science programs in the U.S. You can receive up to two years of support as you prepare for professional positions in the pharmaceutical industry and academia.Minority Pre-Doctoral Fellowships in Pharmaceutical ScienceThese fellowships are for minority Ph.D. candidates enrolled in pharmaceutical science programs in the U.S. You can receive up to two years of support as you prepare for professional positions in the pharmaceutical industry and in academia.Minority Pre-Doctoral Fellowships in Clinical Pharmaceutical ScienceThese fellowships are for minority Ph.D. candidates enrolled in clinical pharmaceutical science programs in the U.S. You can receive up to two years of support as you prepare for professional positions in the pharmaceutical industry and in academia.National Community Pharmacists Association Foundation ScholarshipsThe NCPA Foundation funds several scholarships to support students who demonstrate strong leadership qualities and high academic achievement. To be eligible, you must be an NCPA student member.Presidential ScholarshipsFor students with a demonstrated interest in independent pharmacy.J.C. and Rheba Cobb Memorial ScholarshipFor students with a demonstrated interest in government activities.Willard B. Simmons Memorial ScholarshipFor students with a demonstrated interest in independent pharmacy management.Partners in PharmacyFor students who demonstrate a strong commitment to community service and independent pharmacy.Neil Pruitt Sr. Memorial ScholarshipFor students with a demonstrated interest in entrepreneurship.Indian Health Service Scholarship ProgramThe Indian Health Service funds a number of scholarships for Alaska Native/American Indian U.S. citizens or their descendants. They include:Preparatory ScholarshipThis scholarship provides tuition and required fees for qualified students who are preparing for professions in the health field by enrolling in undergraduate courses at nursing, pharmacy or other such schools. Preparatory courses are defined as those that are required to improve science, mathematics or other basic skills and knowledge. The qualification criteria are lengthy, so consult the scholarship handbook to see if you’re eligible.Pre-Graduate ScholarshipThe Pre-Graduate scholarship provides tuition and required fees for qualified students to enroll in courses leading to a bachelor’s degree in pre-medicine, pre-dentistry, pre-podiatry and others as needed by the Indian health programs. This program is designed to prepare you for admission to an accredited medical, dental, pharmacy or other health profession school.Health Professions ScholarshipThe Health Professions scholarship provides financial aid covering tuition, fees, and educational and living expenses for qualified students who are applying to, accepted by or enrolled in a health profession program. You incur a service obligation if you accept funding from this program, and priority is generally given to graduate students and junior- and senior-level undergraduates.More ways to payThe scholarships on this list are all great ways to help pay for college. But be sure to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid so you get other sources of financial aid, too. The FAFSA is the key to unlocking grants, work-study opportunities and even additional private scholarships. Learn more about the FAFSA.AACP > Resources > Student Center > Financial Aid and ScholarshipsFinancial Aid and ScholarshipsThe American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) does not administer any financial assistance programs directly to students. Federal and state grants and scholarships, although widely available, are generally reserved for the most economically disadvantaged students. Your college advisors are often the best sources of information about loan, grant and scholarship programs. Additionally, pharmacy colleges and schools may offer financial assistance. Other financial assistance opportunities are provided below.Financial Aid OverviewWhat is all of this going to cost?How much your education will cost depends on where you enroll, distance to your hometown and the extent to which public dollars are used to support the pharmacy institution. As you make plans to fund your education, remember that every dollar you spend is a dollar well-invested. The return in direct salary benefits and other less tangible gains will be far less than your initial investment.AACP does not administer any financial assistance programs directly to students. Federal and state grants and scholarships, although widely available, are generally reserved for the most economically disadvantaged students. Your college financial aid advisors are often the best sources of information about loan, grant and scholarship programs.Additionally, pharmacy colleges and schools may offer financial assistance directly to students. Pharmacy colleges and schools also administer student financial assistance funds provided by local or state pharmaceutical associations and their auxiliaries, practicing pharmacists, drug manufacturers and wholesalers, memorial funds and foundations, alumni associations, local chapters of pharmaceutical organizations and fraternities, as well as general university funds allocated for this purpose. For further information about aid that may be available, write to the college or school of pharmacy of your choice. Pre-professional students may be eligible to receive similar assistance from the community colleges or universities they plan to attend before entering professional schools.Potential Grants and ScholarshipsExpress Scripts Scholars Program - AACP works with Express Scripts to facilitate the application process for the Express Scripts Scholars Program. As an organization, Express Scripts recognizes that students interested in dual degrees may have increased financial need and supports the efforts of academic pharmacy to educate students with diverse interests. The Express Scripts Scholars Program will provide four (4) $10,000 scholarships to enrolled dual degree students each year. The awarded students are given $2,500 per semester for 4 consecutive semesters, totaling $10,000 over 2 years. Application Deadline: The 2017 application will open in April 2017. Questions? E-mail [email protected] Loans and Grants - Information about federal aid for undergraduate and professional student pharmacists.Explore Health Careers' Financial Aid Tool - This site includes some portable, non-school-specific funding. In addition, research the availability of financial aid opportunities offered by pharmacy schools.Guide to College Financing for Students and Parents - To help you learn more about paying for a college education, this site offers helpful resources, including information on college planning, saving for college, Scholarships, student loans, parent loans and college financing processes.RESPy Award - Pharmacy Times and Walmart award honors outstanding student pharmacists who display exemplary behavior and great potential as community pharmacist candidates.Tylenol® Future Care Scholarship - Started in 1992, this program helps students who are pursuing careers in the medical field manage the rising costs of education.American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education - AFPE provides funding for research scholarships, graduate school scholarships, pre-doctoral fellowships in the pharmaceutical sciences, post-Pharm.D. fellowships in the biomedical research sciences and pharmacy faculty new investigator grants.Indian Health Service Division of Health Professions Support - The Federal IHS provides and administers scholarships, externships, loan repayment, recruitment, grants and other career support services to assist healthcare professionals in Indian health programs across the nation.HRSA’s Scholarship for Disadvantaged Students (SDS) Program - This program increases diversity in the health professions and nursing workforce by providing awards to eligible health professions schools for use in awarding scholarships to students from disadvantaged backgrounds who have financial need, including students who are members of racial and ethnic minority groups. Accredited schools of medicine, osteopathic medicine, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, podiatric medicine, optometry, veterinary medicine, public health, chiropractic, allied health, a school offering a graduate program in behavioral and mental health practice, or an entity providing programs for the training of physician assistants are eligible.Check with your financial aid office to see if your school participates in the Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students program.HCPC Patient Adherence Student Packaging Design Competition - The Healthcare Compliance Packaging Council is a not-for-profit trade association whose mission is to promote the greater use of compliance-prompting packaging to improve patient adherence and patient outcomes. The organization has instituted a scholarship competition for pharmacy and/or packaging students to design pharmaceutical packaging that will meet criteria as described on the competition flyer. The winning design will win a $1,000 scholarship and the runner-up will win a $500 scholarship. Deadline for concept outlines is February 15, 2017, with final designs/renderings due April 14th. Winners have the ability to receive their awards at the HCPC RxAdherence2017 conference in Florham Park, NJ on May 2, 2017. For more information, please see the attached rules and contact [email protected] Ambrose Scholars Program -The Paul Ambrose Scholars Program exposes health professions students to influential public health professionals and prepares them to be leaders in addressing population health challenges at the national and community level. Scholarships are awarded to students to conduct a community-based health education project at their institution. Since 2002, more than 600 students from 160 academic institutions have become Paul Ambrose Scholars, equipped with leadership and organizational skills in public health education that can only be found outside of the classroom.Alcohol Addiction Awareness Essay Contest - AlcoRehab is an organization devoted to providing free support and resources for those who are fighting alcohol addiction and their loved ones. The Alcohol Addiction Awareness Essay Contestwill award $6,000 in scholarships to students, who share their vision on the dangers of alcohol abuse and addiction. To be eligible, candidates must be enrolled in a full-time graduate or undergraduate program at a U.S. institution. Three students will be selected to receive the awards.Scholarship Search ToolLast updated on: 11/16/2016 10:30 AM25 Great Scholarships for Pharmacy StudentsFollowSince there is currently a shortage of pharmacists to keep up with the increased demand for patient services and growing number of prescriptions filled each year, many organizations are offering scholarships for pharmacy students to encourage qualified individuals to fulfill open positions in the field.Along with years of schooling and difficult coursework, pharmacy school entails steep tuition bills that most students cannot afford to pay on their own. Luckily, the following are 25 of the most generous scholarships available specifically for pharmacy students to lessen the financial burden of achieving their rewarding career goals as a pharmacist.1. AFPE Gateway Research ScholarshipDeadline: March 31stSponsored by the American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education (AFPE), the Gateway Research Scholarship is designed to grant up to $5,000 for promising pre-professional or baccalaureate pharmacy degree students in order to support their participation in a faculty-mentored research project. Eligible candidates must have completed at least one year of college, be enrolled full-time, be a U.S. citizen, and submit a personal letter explaining their career interests in pharmaceutical sciences.ContactAFPE Gateway Research Scholarship2107 Wilson Blvd. Suite 700Arlington, VA 22201(703) [email protected]. Air Force Health Professions ScholarshipDeadline: OngoingFor those interested in active duty upon graduation, the Air Force Health Professions Scholarship program provides up to $45,000 each year with a monthly stipend of $2,060 to cover living expenses for aspiring pharmacists, optometrists, clinical psychologists, nurses, medical doctors, dentists, and public health officers. Qualified candidates must be U.S. citizens, be accepted at an accredited graduate institution, and sign an agreement to serving one year per year of participation.ContactAir Force Health Professions Scholarship1690 Air Force PentagonWashington, DC 20330(800) 588-5260http://www.airforce.com/opportunities/healthcare/education3. American Pharmacists’ Association Student ScholarshipDeadline: December 1stIn recognition of students who choose to invest their time in their school’s APhA chapter while managing the demands of a full-time pharmacy curriculum, the American Pharmacists’ Association (APhA) Student Scholarship awards up to $3,000 annually to members who have completed at least one academic year of the professional program. Eligible applicants must show active participation in their chapter’s activities and have a cumulative GPA of 2.7 or better.ContactAmerican Pharmacists’ Association Student Scholarship2215 Constitution Avenue NWWashington, DC 20037(202) [email protected]. Anne S. Chatham Fellowship in Medicinal BotanyDeadline: January 31stSponsored by the Garden Clubs of America, the Anne S. Chatham Fellowship in Medicinal Botany provides at least one grant of $4,500 annually to currently enrolled Ph.D. or Pharm.D. students who wish to assist medical science in its ability to protect lives by conducting research on medicines from plants with therapeutic potential. Applicants must submit a brief application letter, two-page research proposal, financial budget, current curriculum vitae, and letter of recommendation from faculty advisor.ContactAnne S. Chatham Fellowship in Medicinal Botany14 East 60th St. Third FloorNew York, NY 10022(212) [email protected]. Christian Pharmacist Fellowship International ScholarshipDeadline: October 1stWith the mission of encouraging students to pursue a career that advances the Kingdom of Jesus Christ and the profession of pharmacy, the Christian Pharmacist Fellowship International Scholarship is offered for up to $2,500 to students enrolled in accredited pharmacy colleges for the advancement of knowledge and ethics in the practice of pharmacy with an integration of faith. Preference will be given to students who are current members of a college chapter of the national CPFI organization.ContactChristian Pharmacist Fellowship International Scholarship4301 West Markham St.Little Rock, AR 72205(501) [email protected]. Coal County Scholarship for Pharmacy StudentsDeadline: May 1stAdministered by the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA), the Coal County Scholarship for Pharmacy Students provides financial aid to Kentucky residents who are actively pursuing a pharmacy degree from an accredited school of pharmacy in the state. Recipients of the scholarship funding must agree to work at least one year as a full-time licensed pharmacist in a Kentucky coal-producing county upon degree completion.ContactCoal County Scholarship for Pharmacy Students100 Airport Rd.Frankfort, KY 40602(502) [email protected]://www.kheaa.com/website/kheaa/convloan_pharmacy?main=27. CVS Caremark Charitable Trust Pharmacy ScholarshipDeadline: May 1stThe CVS Caremark Charitable Trust Pharmacy Scholarship is designed to advance the business of pharmacy by providing financial support to the most promising pharmacists of tomorrow as they complete their education. In order to be eligible for up to $5,000 in scholarship funding, students must be currently enrolled at an institution in the United States or Puerto Rico accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) full-time.ContactCVS Caremark Charitable Trust Pharmacy ScholarshipOne CVS DriveWoonsocket, RI 02895(401) [email protected]. Dr. B. Olive Cole Graduate Educational GrantDeadline: November 1stEstablished by the international professional pharmacy fraternity known as Lambda Kappa Sigma, the Dr. B. Olive Cole Graduate Educational Grant is available for up to $2,500 to members in good standing who are currently enrolled in a licensure eligible U.S. pharmacy degree program full-time. Qualified candidates must have successfully completed at least one-fourth of the program’s required credits and rank in the upper half of their class academically.ContactDr. B. Olive Cole Graduate Educational GrantP.O. Box 570Muskego, WI 53150(262) [email protected]. Express Scripts Scholars ProgramDeadline: May 15thIn order to support the efforts of academic pharmacy by educating students with diverse interests, the Express Scripts Scholars Program provides four $10,000 scholarships to graduate students enrolled full-time in a professional pharmacy degree program accredited by the ACPE to pursue a dual degree in another field closely related to pharmacy. Selection for the scholarships will be strongly based on career goals, professional involvement, work experience, and financial need from low-socioeconomic status.ContactExpress Scripts Scholars Program1727 King St.Alexandria, VA 22314(703) [email protected]. Francis C. Bowden Memorial ScholarshipDeadline: November 1stSponsored by the Alaska Pharmacists Association (AkPhA), the Francis C. Bowden Memorial Scholarship program provides $1,500 for professional pharmacy students, $1,000 to pre-pharmacy students, and $500 to pharmacy technician students. For consideration, applicants must be Alaska residents, be enrolled in a pharmacy degree program at an ACPE-accredited school of pharmacy in the state, and submit a personal statement discussing Alaskan background and career goals helping the association.ContactFrancis C. Bowden Memorial Scholarship203 West 15th Avenue Suite 100Anchorage, AK 99501(907) [email protected]://www.alaskapharmacy.org/html/resources/scholarships.php11. Health Resources and Services Administration Scholarships for Disadvantaged StudentsDeadline: VariesAdministered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Health Resources and Services Administration distributes Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students for varying amounts to students at participating accredited health profession schools with a major in osteopathic medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, optometry, podiatry, pharmacy, chiropractic, mental health, public health, nursing, or allied health. Qualified students must be from medically underserved communities with a low-level income based on family size.ContactHealth Resources and Services Administration Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students5600 Fishers LaneRockville, MD 20857(887) [email protected]. J.C. and Rheba Cobb Memorial ScholarshipDeadline: March 15thEach year, the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) Foundation grants the J.C. and Rheba Cobb Memorial Scholarship for $2,000 with a $300 travel stipend to attend the annual convention for pharmacy student members who are currently enrolled in an accredited U.S. college of pharmacy on a full-time basis. Recipients will be chosen on the basis of demonstrated interest in governmental affairs, leadership qualities, involvement in extra-curricular professional activities, and academic achievement.ContactJ.C. and Rheba Cobb Memorial Scholarship100 Daingerfield Rd.Alexandria, VA 22314(703) [email protected]. Jack and Frances Fruth Family Pharmacy ScholarshipsDeadline: March 5thFor students enrolled at Marshall University, West Virginia University, the University of Charleston, Ohio State University, and the University of Rio Grande, the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation offers up to 25 Jack and Frances Fruth Family Pharmacy Scholarships annually. Qualified candidates must be enrolled full or part-time, have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher, and be pursuing an accredited degree in pharmacy.ContactJack and Frances Fruth Family Pharmacy Scholarships4016 Ohio River Rd.Point Pleasant, WV 25550(304) [email protected]. Luther and Mary Ann Park ScholarshipDeadline: Contact sponsoring organizationIn honor of a couple who dedicated more than 40 years of their lives to supporting pharmacy education in Texas, the Luther and Mary Ann Park Scholarship awards $1,000 to student members currently enrolled in their fourth professional year at an accredited college of pharmacy in Texas with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher. Applicants will be judged based on financial need, academic performance, involvement in professional activities, and potential for becoming a leader in Texas pharmacy.ContactLuther and Mary Ann Park Scholarship6207 Bee Cave Rd. Suite 120Austin, TX 78746(512) [email protected]://www.texaspharmacy.org/?TPFScholarship15. Maryland Pharmacists Association Student ScholarshipsDeadline: April 25thAnnually, the Maryland Pharmacists Association (MdPhA) awards three scholarships for $1,500 apiece to Maryland residents who are currently enrolled in an accredited degree program to pursue a career in the field of pharmacy and are in good academic standing with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher. Along with the application, candidates are asked to attach proof of Maryland residency, an official sealed transcript, a current CV or resume, two letters of recommendation, and a 750-word essay on professional objectives.ContactMaryland Pharmacists Association Student Scholarships1800 Washington Blvd. Suite 333Baltimore, MD 21230(410) [email protected]. Minnesota Rural Pharmacist Loan Forgiveness ProgramDeadline: January 3rdWith the goal of recruiting and retaining healthcare professionals to needed areas throughout the state, the Minnesota Department of Health has established the Rural Pharmacist Loan Forgiveness Program to provide funds for the repayment of qualified educational loans up to $64,000 to students and residents in their final year of training to become a licensed pharmacist. Participants must plan to practice for at least 30 hours per week, for 45 weeks per year, for a minimum of three years in a designated high-need rural area.ContactMinnesota Rural Pharmacist Loan Forgiveness ProgramP.O. Box 64975St. Paul, MN 55164(651) 201-5000http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/orhpc/funding/loans/pharm.html17. Partners in Pharmacy Scholarship ProgramDeadline: March 15thFor student members of the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) Foundation, the Partners in Pharmacy Scholarship Program offers $2,000 awards with a $300 travel stipend for attending the annual convention to pharmacy students who are currently enrolled at an accredited U.S. school of pharmacy on a full-time basis. Applicants must submit a recent official transcript, two letters of recommendation from a school official and pharmacy owner, and a resume outlining work experience and participation in professional activities.ContactPartners in Pharmacy Scholarship Program100 Daingerfield Rd.Alexandria, VA 22314(703) [email protected]. Phi Lambda Sigma First Year Graduate ScholarshipDeadline: February 1stAs the national pharmacy leadership society, Phi Lambda Sigma grants the First Year Graduate Scholarship to student members in the final year of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program who are planning to start their first year in a graduate Ph.D. program upon completion. In order to qualify for the $7,500 award, applicants must submit two letters of recommendation, proof of enrollment, two-page personal statement on educational goals, a list of special honors, and an official college transcript with GRE scores.ContactPhi Lambda Sigma First Year Graduate Scholarship1450 Jayhawk Blvd.Lawrence, KS 66045(913) [email protected]. Plough Pharmacy StudentScholarship FundDeadline: April 1stAs a non-profit organization focused on bringing awareness to the comprehensive needs of the older citizens in our communities, the Plough Foundation awards up to 16 Pharmacy Student Scholarships annually for $5,000 apiece to full-time Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) students who are enrolled at a participating college of pharmacy in the United States. Plough Scholars will be selected based on academic achievement, leadership qualities, good citizenship, professional involvement, and financial need.ContactPlough Pharmacy Student Scholarship Fund62 North Main St. Suite 201Memphis, TN 38103(901) [email protected]. Rite Aid Competitive Pharmacy ScholarshipsDeadline: VariesEach year, Rite Aid awards numerous competitive pharmacy scholarships for varying amounts to interns or dependents of Rite Aid employees who have completed at least 2 years of a pharmacy degree program and are enrolled full-time at an accredited institution. While it is required that all applicants have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 and are U.S. citizens, preference will be given to those in Arkansas, Minnesota, and Wisconsin where the pharmacy has not established its retail presence yet.ContactRite Aid Competitive Pharmacy Scholarships30 Hunter LaneCamp Hill, PA 17011(717) [email protected]. Sacramento Valley Pharmacists Association Student ScholarshipDeadline: November 10thFor active members in good standing, the Sacramento Valley Pharmacists Association offers scholarships for $2,000 each to students who are currently enrolled in a school of pharmacy to pursue a professional Pharm.D. degree within the state of California. Eligible candidates must have lived a minimum of five years in Sacramento, attend at least six meetings each year, possess a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher, and write a two-page essay on future goals.ContactSacramento Valley Pharmacists Association Student Scholarship4030 Lennane DriveSacramento, CA 95834(916) [email protected]. Tylenol Future Care Scholarship ProgramDeadline: May 27thIn order to support students pursuing an education in healthcare, the Tylenol Future Care Scholarship Program presents at least 30 scholarships for $5,000 each and 10 scholarships for $10,000 each to students in the United states, Puerto Rico, or the District of Columbia who have completed at least one year of graduate studies in public health, allied health, medicine, nursing, and/or pharmacy. Qualified candidates must be enrolled at an accredited four-year institution, be in good academic standing, and demonstrate involvement in volunteer service.ContactTylenol Future Care Scholarship Program200 Crutchfield AvenueNashville, TN 37210(866) [email protected]://www.tylenol.com/news/scholarship23. Walmart Pharmacy Scholars ProgramDeadline: February 18thIn collaboration with the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), the Walmart Pharmacy Scholars Program provides $1,000 for up to 85 graduate students, professional doctoral students, residents, or fellows annually who are committed to a career in academic pharmacy and participate in the AACP Annual Meeting and Teachers Seminar. Applicants must submit a letter of recommendation from an advising faculty member and an essay exhibiting their interest in academic pharmacy.ContactWalmart Pharmacy Scholars Program1727 King St.Alexandria, VA 22314(703) [email protected]. Westshore Pharmaceutical Association ScholarshipsDeadline: March 15thAnnually, the Westshore Pharmaceutical Association offers four scholarships for $1,500 apiece to deserving students residing in Cuyahoga, Lorain, or Medina counties who are currently attending an accredited professional Pharm.D. degree program in pharmacy within Ohio. Preference for the awards is given to students who exhibit an interest in practicing in Cuyahoga or the surrounding counties and becoming involved in the organization’s efforts.ContactWestshore Pharmaceutical Association Scholarships2634 Westmoor Rd.Rocky River, OH 44116(440) [email protected]. William B. Simmons Memorial ScholarshipDeadline: March 15thEstablished by the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA), the William B. Simmons Memorial Scholarship provides $2,000 and a $300 travel stipend to attend the association’s annual convention for student members who are currently enrolled in an accredited U.S. school of pharmacy on a full-time basis. Selection will be made based on demonstrated interests in independent pharmacy management or entrepreneurism, leadership qualities, involvement in extra-curricular activities, and academic achievement.ContactWilliam B. Simmons Memorial Scholarship100 Daingerfield Rd.Alexandria, VA 22314(703) [email protected]://www.ncpafoundation.org/scholarships/simmons.shtmlIf you have a passion for helping patients feel better as quickly as possible and are seeking to become a respected member of the healthcare team with high levels of job stability, a career as a pharmacist may be the perfect option. In order to fulfill this professional goal and afford the years of schooling for earning a pharmacy degree without mountains of loan debt, check out these 25 excellent scholarships for pharmacy students just like you.6 Scholarships for Pharmacy SchoolPublished by Allison WignallWhen sickness rears its ugly head, pharmacists are there to answer the call for help. By dispensing medication and working with other healthcare professionals, pharmacists get people feeling better and back on their feet. The world needs pharmacists and so several scholarships have been founded in order to provide financial aid to the next generation–here are just a few opportunities available.APhA Student Scholarship ProgramAmount: $3,000 (renewable)Deadline: December 1For full-time students who have completed at least one academic year in a pharmacy program, and dedicate their time to their school’s APhA – Academy of Student Pharmacists chapter, this renewable scholarship is a great source for aid.To be eligible, students must: be an active member of their APhA – ASP chapter, have a cumulative GPA of 2.7 or higher, submit two letters of recommendation, and write a 500-word essay.Learn more about this scholarshipExpress Script Scholars ProgramAmount: Up to $10,000 ($2,500 per semester)Deadline: May 16This scholarship is awarded to promising students who are working towards a duel degree in pharmacy-related fields.The AACP’s interest is to provide financial aid to students with diverse interests.To apply, students: must be enrolled in a duel-degree program, be enrolled at an ACPE-accredited college/university, and write an essay describing why they want to be accepted into the program and what their career goals are.Learn more about this scholarshipHealth Resources and Services Administration Scholarships for Disadvantaged StudentsAmount: VariesDeadline: VariesThis scholarship is all about equality in the field of healthcare. Offered to medically disadvantaged students who are pursuing a degree in fields related to: medicine, pharmacy, nursing, public health, chiropractics, allied health, and others.Eligible students: are from a disadvantaged background (as defined by the US Department of Health and Human Services), are a citizen or permanent resident of the US, and are enrolled in an accredited college/university.Learn more about this scholarshipTYLENOL Future Care Scholarship ProgramAmount: $500-$2,500, $5,000, or $10,000Deadline: June 30 (annually)Tylenol wants to support future healthcare providers by offering numerous scholarships to academically excellent students. Awarded to students involved in their community, these scholarships provide aid to those studying a healthcare-related major.To apply to this scholarship, students must: be a resident of the US (Puerto Rico and DC included), if an undergrad the student has completed at least one academic year, if a grad student provide proof of enrollment, enrolled in an accredited college/university.Learn more about this scholarshipWalmart Pharmacy Scholars ProgramAmount: $1,000Deadline: February 18 (annually)Both the AACP and Walmart want to ensure that future pharmacists are well-prepared and equipped to enter the field. Students in this program receive financial aid in order to attend two AACP seminars with a teacher.To be eligible, students must: be either a graduate student, professional (doctoral) student, resident, or fellow, be preparing for a career in a pharmaceutical field, submit a letter of recommendation, and write an essay.Learn more about this scholarshipHCPC Compliance Package of the Year – Student CompetitionAmount: $500 second place, $1,000 first placeDeadline: February 29 (annually)This competition has students–or a team of students–design the most innovative and helpful packaging to assist patients in taking their medication properly. First students submit concept outlines, and once approved, can begin work on developing a prototype or 3D rendering.Eligible students: are enrolled in a packaging or pharmaceutical program, adhere by competition rules, stick to all deadlines.Learn more about this scholarship