College Question [Need Serious Advice]

[Sufficient]

So I'm 23 and partially through my second year in med school and I realize that I don't like what I'm doing, I hate cramming useless information in my head, I hate getting tested on the most obscure details of the folate deficiency pathway, the parts that I do enjoy I don't enjoy anymore because I spend all my time studying books and lecture material instead of practicing clinical skills with patients. I basically dread waking up and going to class.

So I decide to take the rest of the year off to think things through (also been struggling academically this year).

I realize that if I could do something besides medicine it would be product design or industrial design (ID). That would mean going back to get my BA in design at somewhere like the DAAP program at the University of Cincinnati (http://www.daap.uc.edu/). So 4 more years of undergrad. To give you an idea of where I'm at ... I have a BA in biology (specialization in physiology) from Northwestern University.

So three BIG questions:
1) How hard is it for me, a 23 year old, to go back to get a 2nd BA?
2) My parents have been taking a heavy load on my tuition. They say they will NOT pay for my education if I decide that medicine is not for me. I'll be totally financially independent. How the heck do I pay tuition? Will I be able to take out loans with no credit? I've literally have had no REAL jobs in my life.
3) Is anyone in the product design or ID industry and/or academic track? Can you tell me a bit about it and the education you need to work for a company like IDEO (www.ideo.com ... used to be my dream job in HS)?

[D1st0rt]

From the video we watched in my ME Design class, it looked like IDEO was the only company of its kind in the country or even the world.

[Left_Hand]

You've worked hard all your life to get to the point where you're at. To give it all up would be such a waste. Why not try and work a little harder? I heard that once you're in medical school, they (the school) will do everything they can to help you get through. I'm just a freshmen in college, but I hope one day I will be able to go to medical school. Could you give me a taste of what a typical day in class is like? Are the tests killer, etc.

[Sufficient]

From the video we watched in my ME Design class, it looked like IDEO was the only company of its kind in the country or even the world.

It is one of the most well-known and hard to get into jobs in product design. But there are many others ... especially smaller firms. Check out www.core77.com for more info on the "ID scene".

Some more resources:
http://www.designdirectory.com/
http://new.idsa.org/firms.htm

[Sufficient]

You've worked hard all your life to get to the point where you're at. To give it all up would be such a waste. Why not try and work a little harder? I heard that once you're in medical school, they (the school) will do everything they can to help you get through. I'm just a freshmen in college, but I hope one day I will be able to go to medical school. Could you give me a taste of what a typical day in class is like? Are the tests killer, etc.

Yeah it's true that they do try their best to help you through. My advice to you if you're thinking about medicine is to make ABSOLUTELY sure you want to do it. And to truly realize how long and painful the road lies ahead. You are sacrificing several years to intense studying. Detail after detail with little rest. Your summers after 1st year of med school are gone. You have Board tests to worry about.

I'm at Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine. If you are not a driven, motivated, and independent learner, you will not do well here. At NU they like to tell prospective students that one good thing about Feinberg is you have little class time and a lot of "free time" to study on your own. If you need to be taught by real teachers, then NU is not the school for you. I feel you have to teach yourself a lot of the material. A lot of professors are not physicians ... but do research, so it's frustrating that they lack communication skills.

I guess the most frustrating thing is that med school becomes all-consuming. It is your LIFE for th next 4+ years. My problem is that it has become less and less interesting and I have become less and less inspired by it.

Edit: Many med students quickly become jaded by the profession itself. Unless you have a very positive outlook on life, goals, and studying, it is hard to feel depressed for the majority of your time in med school.

[Left_Hand]

Wow, that sounds really bad. Good thing I'm only a freshmen...I still have a long time to think it through. Thanks for you advice.

Hope you will be able to fulfill your dreams!

[Scurvy]

fuck it dude. dont waste more time on med school if it turns you off. Designs a great place to be...always jobs to be found. and if you're passionate about it, then thats what you gotta be doing. this is your life--dont sweat the student loans right now, do what you feel like you should be doing.

[Sufficient]

fuck it dude. dont waste more time on med school if it turns you off. Designs a great place to be...always jobs to be found. and if you're passionate about it, then thats what you gotta be doing. this is your life--dont sweat the student loans right now, do what you feel like you should be doing.

It's complicated for me since I'm not a HS student and I'm technically not a transfer student (since I already have my BA in biology). I dunno how financial aid will work out because of this. I assume I'm going to have to work will I'm in school in order to pay for stuff like rent and food ... and in some ways that's scary as heck for me since I have never had to worry about paying for tuition in the past.

[Scurvy]

well obviously its your call

but i made my post secondary decision based primarily on monetary issues...and i honestly i wish i had decided to bite the bullet and go to the school where i didnt get 100% tuition. Money dictates a lot of shit it shouldnt, but dont let it determine a future that you're going to regret

[Sufficient]

Wow, that sounds really bad. Good thing I'm only a freshmen...I still have a long time to think it through. Thanks for you advice.

Hope you will be able to fulfill your dreams!

I hear that other med schools are different (more class time for example) so some of my opinions and suggestions only come from my experiences at Northwestern. So def be open about other med schools. It is probably good to note that I was in a fast track 7 year program to NU's med school. So I did not have to apply to med school or take MCATs. Perhaps that is one reason I feel the way I feel. Take time to enjoy undergrad instead of rushing through it. And working before you come to med school allows you to gain A LOT of maturity and perspective that helps you really do well in med school. Many of the older students in my year who have worked, gotten married, done other things, are really doing well because of that.

[Ikrit]

It's complicated for me since I'm not a HS student and I'm technically not a transfer student (since I already have my BA in biology). I dunno how financial aid will work out because of this. I assume I'm going to have to work will I'm in school in order to pay for stuff like rent and food ... and in some ways that's scary as heck for me since I have never had to worry about paying for tuition in the past.

Learn programming, I'm a college freshman with a $20/hour job. You could make it through school working part time like that .

[Zingy]

Getting a second BA or BS usually doesn't take 4 years. There are lots of programs out there that let you get it done in 2 years.


Something similar happened to me, though fortunately I was able to adjust my (future) career path in time. I spent first 2 years of college doing Biomedical Engineering (w/ Pre-Med) with hopes of either going on to med school after or some kind of Ph.D program for engineering. After those first 2 years of undergrad I realized that neither were what I wanted to do in the future, so I changed my major and transfered to another school while I was at it.


Where are (were) you going to med school btw?

[Vykromond]

Where are (were) you going to med school btw?

I'm at Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine

answered above

[Bioture]

I totally feel you on this, buddy. I can give you a little bit of info regarding question #2, however. Finding money and becoming financially independent before bringing this to your parents and convincing them will be tough. I suggest you take a look at fafsa (www.fafsa.gov) and fill out their applications with you as an independent. They'll give you a figure to borrow against, and there are no costs associated in finding out how much money you could get from the government as a loan. Also ask around to see if local banks also have subsidized tuition programs like fafsa. Ideally you want something that is interest-free while you are in school, with minimal interest that's applied 6 months after you graduate. I don't THINK that tuition loans from banks relies heavily on credit history, I mean, how many 18yr old regular college students have credit scores over 600? I never got a loan from a bank so I might be talking out of my ass... but I have gotten money from fafsa and I'm paying them back right now.

You might also be able to only take the major-related courses if it's your 2nd BA... I'd check with the school to see how many credits are needed so you can get an more accurate estimate from fafsa.

Don't waste another second of your life in med school if it isn't something you'd want to do professionally.

[Saturn V]

(BTW, I didn't read anything except your initial post)

Medical school might be tough, but would you enjoy your work after you're done with school? If so, then it's worth sticking it out. However, if you're just cramming then you're probably not really learning the material that you may one day need in work doing the stuff that you (might) enjoy.

I have a friend in medical school and I see him about twice a year now.