My FAQ
These are questions that I’ve been asked on Sarahah/Tellonym via my Instagram, so even though I’ve probably answered…
These are questions that I’ve been asked on Sarahah/Tellonym via my Instagram, so even though I’ve probably answered it there, I’ll stick it here for ease’s sake.
Q: What got u into medicine?
A: It was actually coincidental: I had been bugging one of my professors to give me some research option during my undergraduate degree (in biomedical engineering), and after weeks of pestering, he asked, “What are you up to this summer?” I told him I had no plans, and so he nominated me for a 6-week observership program at a private hospital in the area. I was excited, but I told him I had no intention of becoming a doctor so maybe the opportunity would better serve a pre-med classmate. He said not to worry about that, and so off I went to shadow amazing surgeons in internal, burn, orthopedic, and even neuro! I also spent a week in their ICU, which was a little bit heartbreaking, and spent my final week watching numerous surgeries from all disciplines and working on my research paper. The chief of surgery at the facility was an absolute inspiration, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized that maybe biomedical engineering wasn’t going to fulfill me as I had previously thought. Lots of research and questions and deliberation later, I decided to pursue a medical degree, and so the application process began!
Q: Hello, I am also a medical student and wanted to ask you what was your first reason to become a doctor and why choose european university? thank you!!!
A: Hm, my first reason for doing medicine? That’s so hard to pick because really, it’s a combination of many many reasons. But if I had to pick the first and foremost, I would give the corny answer: “to help people.” I think there’s no job more fulfilling than being with, and ideally helping, people in their time of need, and I think (hope) that I’d be good at it.
As to why I chose to attend a European medical school: again, a multi-faceted answer haha. By the time I decided I wanted to go to medical school for sure, I was already in my fourth year of my undergraduate degree, and applying to US medical schools would’ve taken an extra year and quite a bit of money. I decided I’d rather get my medical degree underway than spend that same amount of time taking/retaking courses to fulfill the pre-med prerequisites, and because there was a well-known medical school in the European city where I was born, the decision just made sense. It would give me a chance to reconnect with my family that still lived (lives) here, and I would also save a bit of money because European medical schools are not nearly as expensive as the US ones. Another (small) factor also played into it: I realized while studying abroad in Munich in my junior year of college that living in a large European city was amazing, that influenced my decision as well. There was some hesitation and going back-and-forth, but in the end, I’m really glad with my decision.
Q: Why did you choose to study medicine?
A: This ties into the questions above, but it’s a bit different so I’ll answer it again.
I chose medicine for so many reasons, including (but not limited to) the following: [I liked] the idea of working with people, of making an impact on the world, the science and my fascination with the human body, the presumed job security, the prospect of life-long learning, the prestige, the thought of being there for people in their time of need, the thought that I would be able to take care of my family in ways that I don’t feel like I’ve been able to until now, the hope that I’ll be financially set once I’m settled… and so many more. Most of my life, I’ve been pretty average at things, never really finding “my place” in the world. But somehow, I felt like medicine will be something I’ll be good at. I’m not sure why, but that really enticed me, and I hoped (and still hope) that I’ll make not just a mediocre doctor, but a great one.
Q: Tips for feeling dumb? I study all the time but I can’t learn anything or remember and I feel so dumb- I want to do medicine 🙁
A: I’ve put off answering this question because I wanted to make sure I can express my thoughts properly on such an important topic.
First off, I felt dumb most of my life. I still do, all the time. It’s really hard to handle, especially when I feel like I try hard. But trust me, everyone feels this way at some point or another. So please don’t feel like you’re alone. Here are some ways I’ve dealt with it:
- find something you are good at. everyone’s good at something. celebrate that thing, and know that no one’s good at everything (even if they act like it).
- learn from your mistakes and your accomplishments. find out what you did wrong, what you could improve. make a list, vow to be better. try to improve one thing every day. but also note what you did right, make a note of it, and keep doing that.
- forgive yourself. woke up late? it’s ok. failed a test/quiz? there will always be another one. review what went wrong (not so much the answers, but the study methods) and work to develop a method that works for you. (See my “study tips” page for ideas of how you can improve your study techniques and retain more info.)
Secondly: medicine isn’t really about being smart. At least, it’s not just about being smart. (Of course, it doesn’t hurt to be smart, but I don’t feel like I’m particularly smart and I get by.) Sometimes I feel like I study twice as much to understand a relatively simple concept, whereas my classmates get it so much faster. But again: everyone’s good at something. So find your niche but also schedule extra study time to learn the other (tougher) stuff too.
In my eyes, to study medicine, you have to be disciplined. It’s hard to study so much. It’s hard to force yourself to get up so early. It’s hard to stay focused when your college friends are out partying or traveling.
And to be a good doctor, you have to be so much more than just smart.