On the one hand, it's easy to understand why a physician is typically at the top of their class and is required to go through numerous years of higher education. Wouldn't you want an intelligent doctor who has had extensive education and training? Of course. On the other hand, actually becoming a doctor is a very, very long and difficult struggle. Simply being a pre-med undergrad student is excruciating for many reasons.

1. Our classes are hard, in every sense of the word.

I’ve always kind of envied the other fields. I have little-to-no understanding of being a business major but I assume that there is some type of formula to get us rat racers to buy things. It seems to me that it’s just a matter of time before our lives are governed by giant companies so really, what’s the point?

English majors seem to have boiled everything down to seven basic plots so once you’ve read seven, you’ve read them all, right? There’s history, economics, communications…so many possibilities.

However, there doesn’t seem to be much room for expansion in any of those fields. The real struggle with being a science student is that they are constantly expanding the field. All the time. The science that was taught five years ago isn’t the science that is being taught now and won’t be the science that is taught five years from now. Scientists are never satisfied and, as a student, it’s quite annoying.

Very few majors have to learn as much in as many subjects as the science majors. Our classes are not specific to a field because we are studying the entire field. And many of our required courses dive deeper than those required of the other STEM majors.

2. The pressure to do well increases as med school applications approach.

Not only do we have to take all those science classes, but the need to do well in them exponentially increases once you decide that the field of medicine is a possibility.

Not only do we have to think about going up against the classmates sitting beside us, but also those throughout campus, throughout the state, and throughout the nation (depending on how elite the medical school you plan to apply for is).

At that point, it’s not so much about learning the material as it is mastering it – any given thing you’re taught could have a huge impact on your future career.

3. So. Many. Extracurriculars.

The assumption is that anyone can get stellar grades. So, the only way to set yourself apart is to get involved in a ridiculous amount of extracurricular activities and prove that you can juggle a copious amount of work without dropping your GPA. On top of that, we also give up our summers to shadowing, internships, or research opportunities. So really, the next time I will have an actual vacation is at the end of my senior year, when I have already been accepted somewhere and can take a break.

4. The MCAT is unreal.

It’s a seven hour test that practically decides your future. No further description required.

5. Constant self-doubt is a plague.

This may not be an over-arching theme for those self-confident applicants out there but it’s my firm belief that, as a medical school student, we are trained to never feel too comfortable. Grades can always be higher, extracurriculars can always be better, and free time can always be filled. I’m in three labs, three E-Boards, spent my summer at an internship, and have high grades and still don’t feel comfortable.

Basically, what it comes down to is the moment I sit in front of the medical school board at my school and they tell me whether or not applying to medical school is worth my time. The grades, the clubs, the summers, and the MCATs all come together to define not only who I am as a student but who I will be as a physician. The only hope any of us can have is that all of it was enough.