Myths About Med School

Hey Friends!

I'm back with a quick little lifestyle in medical school post, and today I wanted to address common myths people hold about medical school. I would have to say I have held some of these beliefs myself, until I went to medical school & discovered what it was truly like. I've only highlighted a handful here, so let me know if I've missed any (& of course feel free to share your experiences with these misconceptions if you're comfortable)!

1. You won't have a social life.

This was truly something I believed until I was actually in medical school & proved myself wrong. A lot of people hold the perception that since medical school is mentally, physically, and emotionally challenging, that means you will never see your friends or anyone you love for 4 years. What a depressing sentiment! Lol, I might have worded it a little extreme, but you get the idea. Medical school = no social life. For the sake of all of our wellbeing's, I sure hope that isn't the case!

One thing this idea gets correct is the very first part. Yes, medical school is mentally, physically, and emotionally challenging. It is a rollercoaster of very high highs, and very low lows at times. However, being that it is such a challenge, it sort of means a social life is more important so you have a support system. You make friends in medical school who can relate to exactly what you're going through, and having people to vent to who really get it, like GET IT, is a big deal. I absolutely love hanging out with the friends I've made in medical school because we understand each other.

I also love hanging out with my best friend who isn't a medical student, my other friends who are not medical students, and my husband who is an adorable Canadian carpenter, a professional snuggler, and definitely not a medical student. These people revitalize me when I'm tired, burnt out, or just in need of a break.

Now, I'm not doing social things every night of the week, but I usually have a day on the weekend that I spend with other people, and during the week I can be found spontaneously having lunch with friends. (And I obviously spend time with my husband every day). Some of my peers go out with friends multiple times a week. I think it's really healthy to have designated times to not study. Overall, you would be amazed at what social beings medical students can be.

2. You will miss out on your 20s.

I hear this mostly from people in my life who had no desire to go to medical school, and I will say most everyone I've met in medical school does not agree with this. Another manifestation of this sentiment I hear is: won't it be weird watching your friends from undergrad start their careers & move on with life?

The answer is no, and being in medical school most certainly DOES NOT mean you are missing out on your 20s. It's a big misconception that being in medical school means you "can't" or "shouldn't" do things other non-medical student 20-some-year-olds do. Like go out with friends, travel, have meaningful life experiences, "discover yourself", and live up your 20s to their fullest.

I would like to propose the novel idea that you can actually do all these things in medical school. In fact, I am. I would go as far to say that most people I know in medical school are. Being a med-student is not as restrictive as people think. We have opportunities to go-abroad and learn medicine from other cultures and communities. We have opportunities to travel around the country (and the world) to attend medical and research conferences, and even do hospital rotations at other institutions. Some people take a year off in the middle of medical school to do things like Fulbright scholarships, masters degrees, research projects, etc.

Discovering yourself doesn't have to look the same for everyone. For people with a passion for medicine, discovering themselves can involve a meaningful experience on the hospital floor. Even aside from that, medical students are capable of taking an exam one day, and being in a different city for a music festival another. Life as a med student is not as restricting as everyone tends to believe.

When it comes to looking at our peers from undergrad go off and start their careers while we are still in school, it's like comparing apples to oranges. The start of their career involves beginning a job, while the start of our career involves education. After our years of education, we will be practicing physicians able to care for people - how is that much different than spending that time learning your profession in another field?

3. While you're in medical school, you need to wait to do big life things: getting married, starting a family, etc.

I've addressed this a bit in other posts, and it ties in with my previous points, but being in medicine simply just means you do big life things through it. There is objectively never a good time; you will always be busy. Life will always have challenging aspects, so you take things when you're ready for them and not when society thinks you should be ready for them.

I've have peers have children in medical school. In fact, @MamaDoctorJones who does a lot of medical education on instagram & YouTube, and more importantly, is a fantastic, board-certified OBGYN, started her family in medical school with her husband. She is a happy, functioning physician & mom today, so safe to say it can successfully be done!

I would like to follow-up this point by saying this of course applies to individuals who want to do things like get married and have a family. If that's not your cup of tea, and you just want to be a badass doctor - then that is just as valid & wonderful.

4. You should immediately go from undergrad to medical school.

This is SUCH a misconception. Most of my peers took gap years and got so much from them. Meaningful life experiences, knowledge that informed their practice of medicine, and information on what they want to do. There are also plenty of people in my class who came back to school later in life, after already having careers, families, etc. You can go straight from undergrad to medical school (which is what I did), but you definitely don't have to, and there is a very strong argument to be made for having that extra time & life experience to assist you in medical school.

5. You won't have time for hobbies in medical school.

Last, but definitely not least, you can OF COURSE have hobbies in medical school, and you should! It's healthy to have other components of your life and identity besides being a medical student. This ties into my first couple of points, but medical students are often very involved in their hobbies. For me personally, I love cooking, baking, reading, doing yoga, and now sharing my thoughts with you all in this blog. Some weeks I have more time for hobbies than others, but they are always a consistent & important part of my life and wellbeing.

Overall, I hope you enjoyed my quick little chat regarding common myths about medical school! I hope this has informed how you view the medical education system, and if you are wanting to be a medical student, hopefully this is a big sigh of relief!

As always, may you hobbies be fruitful, may your friends be cheerful, may your life be vibrant, and may the odds be ever in your favor!

Sincerely,

Natasha LaGrega