Terry,
I am so glad that the school is working with you and you have the opportunity to return next year. You know the stumbling blocks I have come across, and let me tell you, they only make you stronger. Keep your focus on achieving your goal, believe in your success, and keep moving forward. . . one step at a time!
Terry take this time as not only time to regroup but also time to spend with your family before the madness returns. I wish you the best and I am glad your medical school is being understanding. Good luck!
WHEW…
In case I never mentioned it… “There but for the Grace of God Go I”
I have shared PART of my story regarding giving the former anatomy professor a ride in the semi truck… BUT there is MORE: the rest of the story was that the final I had just turned in to him had to be passed with a score greater than 90% to pass the COURSE… (I did a 91%… so it goes in this wild deal)
I suggest take a GOOD break from ALL things academic for a month or two… have a good holiday (go to New York Christmas shopping and take in the Rocketts), reconnect with friends or your roots… you know RECHARGE the batteries… then and only then (like January) ease back in and work on school stuff!
Richard
Terry,
I also missed the beginning of the thread and just saw it today for the first time! I’m glad that things are going to work out after all! It’s really nice that they granted you the leave; I’m sure that you’ll make the most out of the incoming year and will rock next fall.
And keep us posted on how things are going!
Kasia
Dear Terry,
I also just saw this post. I’m so sorry things have not worked out with medical school this year and that you had to withdraw, but as others have said, in the end it will make you stronger. Your time off will give you the chance to reconnect and figure out a plan of attack for next year. Let me know if there is anything I can do.
Love,
Stacy
Terry,
I haven’t read the details but repeating a year is not necessarily a bad thing. Take it from one who knows…yeah, it’s a blow to your ego and if your grades ever drop you start the whole questioning yourself thing all over again but…
the material seems to ‘click’ the second time and you look at the lectures in a whole new light…
Don’t despair—you’ve still got a valid ticket on the medical school ride…
Thanks OMT Dave,
Your story is an inspiration to me.
I was just doing things wrong up until about the last 2-3 weeks when I started doing things better–but too little and too late to do me much good.
Now I have a bunch of review books with practice questions, lots of notes, and have been trying to hone my memorizing skills. Never mind just naively hearing the information and hoping it sticks; it goes right out the other end, does not pass Go or collect $200.
Now I always look for the hook. What innervates the trapezius? The accessory nerve–because the traps is such a general purpose muscle, and accessories serve all sorts of purposes. a.k.a. Cranial nerve 11–because 11 sounds “extra” or “accessory”. Sensitivity measures false negatives, specificity measure false positives–because they contain “N” and “P”, respectively. Kinda silly when I see this written out, yet it works.
And when I go back, I’m going to find me some study partners starting the first day. I can’t do this alone. Best wishes,
I just dropped in for the first time in a while - I am sorry to hear of your difficulties, glad that you are working on a solution, also glad that you did not burn 6-8 months of first year (and $$) and then have to repeat all of that.
You now know what it is so impossible for us to hear as premeds. We are so intent on our dreams, and it’s hard for us to believe that med school can suck in a stupendous way.
I had a truly humbling first 7 months in med school, the worst of my entire academic career. I came in with a PhD in chemistry and an extremely strong academic background, and then failed more exams than ever in my life. I like problem sets, conceptual learning, a nice chunk of kinesthetics along with my auditory/visual, and like you I had never before needed to memorize such a huge volume. We had no tutors or teaching assistants at my school, just the lecturers, who really did not know what to suggest to me. (I do think the osteopathic schools in general do a much better job of assisting students with a variety of learning styles.) I had to resort to flash cards, quizzing with friends, and other techniques I had never used before. It took quite a while to figure it out. I did pass first year (fortunately, I squeaked through a few courses by pulling out near-miraculous passes), and then did much better in second year with my newfound strategies for success.
There are a few students at my school each year who repeat first year, and always they come back with a much better understanding of how to approach the material.
In my residency interviews, I was often asked how I might deal with being in a junior position. I talked about my first-year experiences as an experience of true humility, being at the bottom of the heap, having zero status, and constantly having to remind myself of why I was doing this in the first place.
Starting a medical career in your 40s is a life-changing choice. It is very expensive, very time-consuming, it will consume your entire life if you let it (and sometimes you won’t have much choice), and it is very, very hard on relationships. If I had known at the start exactly what I was in for, I’m not sure I would have gone ahead. I am glad to be headed for residency and practice, but there is NOTHING easy about this life choice.
Best wishes wherever you go.
MeowMix,
Thanks for your insightful words. Those of you not so far along in this process - take heed. This is humbling process! Most of us, if we truly applied ourselves, were on the top end of the curve academically. You would not be competitive as a med school applicant nor capable of surviving the rigors were you not.
However, being in med school, it is like you were dropped into a bucket full of folks like yourself - sharp, dedicated & capable. There will be a bell curve established and, by definition, there will be a ‘middle’, ‘top’ & ‘bottom’ - folks who’ve never been on the bottom or have been & detested it will have a hard time adjusting to that position. Some will literally drive themselves into the ground, become depressed & devalue themselves struggling to get back on top or into the middle. The fact of the matter is - this is an elite bell curve & the bottom still represents the upper-crust of academia…even if it is the “bottom” of your class.
This reminds me of the old adage: What do they call the bottom graduate of the lowest ranking medical school? DOCTOR.
Critical lesson to learn here: your value as a person & professional is far more complex than a bunch of marks on a transcript.
Thanks Dave, I needed to see your posting this morning…
Thank you all. It was really important for me to read (and re-read) this thread.
ttraub…stay positive love. The fat lady is yet to sing.