In college, there is a major for anything and everything under the sun. While every major has its respective perks and downsides, most students on the pre-med tract can relate to a number of the same struggles.
Crippling fear of the MCAT.
The Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) is usually taken during the spring semester of junior year, but the exam itself haunts students from the first day of freshman year. Professors talk about its difficulty while upperclassmen are just relieved to be done with it.
Never ending anxiety of school.
I am relatively a relaxed person, whether it is in regards to school or to personal respects of my life, but the pre-med tract brings out the worst in me academically. Every exam, every final grade, and every professor, can make or break your beloved GPA in my eyes and that scares the heck out of me.
The insane amount of pressure we apply on ourselves.
My family, my professors, and my classmates all apply pressure on me in one way or another, but the worst pressure comes from myself. I refuse to produce anything but the best and that can wholly consume me from time to time.
Overthinking literally everything and the real fear of failure.
This tends to happen to me in the shower, or when I’m trying to sleep, or pretty much when I’m doing anything. Are my grades good enough? Am I involved in enough extracurricular activities? What if I don’t get into medical school? If I don’t get an A in biochem, I’m going to be homeless, aren’t I?
Summertime sadness.
Most students picture lounging on beaches or lakes for their summer vacation, but pre-med students are stressed over what research opportunity, internship, or summer program they will get into. I just want to spend three months catching up on all the sleep I lost during the year.
The pre-med life is not the most glamorous.
There's an organic chemistry exam after my physics exam and then a quiz in biochem. Does it look like I have time to shave my legs or do my laundry? No. Will I shave my legs or do my laundry? Probably not. Life is rough, and some things take priority over others.
Being called smart is better than any compliment, ever.
It is not an ego thing, but being called smart is better than being called beautiful in my opinion. I appreciate my intelligence being recognized more than my looks (not implying that either my brain or my face is 10/10, but you get what I'm saying).
The idea that Grey’s Anatomy is not the reality of our futures.
As much as we all enjoy thriving in the emotional rollercoaster that is Grey’s Anatomy, the reality is that there will not be all of these wildly attractive doctors in a single hospital, nonetheless steamy rendezvous in the storage closets.
Endless medical school applications.
Although I’m not there yet, I know plenty of pre-med students who are on the struggle bus to write personal statements and countless essays for an abundance of applications. The more places you apply, the likelier you’ll get in somewhere, right?
The desire to be a "gunner" but the need to refrain.
Okay, gunner is a strong word. It’s more like the desire to be a high achieving go-getter, both in undergrad and medical school. I think most of us are pretty competitive, but the reality is that most of us have no idea what's going on, and that's okay.
The list can go on for days, and while these struggles are real, it builds a sense of community throughout the pre-med population at universities. I know I definitely feel like a part of a family among my fellow pre-meds.
While there may be struggles, the upsides to being a pre-med are invaluable. Knowing that we are pursuing a future of betterment for this world’s health is priceless in my eyes. Our compassion and love for people is insurmountable and I would not want to be on any other tract.
Point of the story is: no amount of stress or struggles will ever surpass the beauty and honor of being a future physician.
“Wherever the art of Medicine is loved, there is also a love of Humanity. ” ― Hippocrates
