As a medical graduate and a resident physician, I would always encounter undergraduate students asking about medical school.
"Doc, masaya po ba magmed?" (Is med school happy?)
I would answer them straight:
"Hinde." (No.)
"Gaano mo ba kamahal ang sarili mo? Kung di mo mahal ang sarili mo. Go."
(How much do you love yourself? If you don't love yourself then go for it.)
Maybe it seems like I was just joking, but in my answer is a hidden bitterness and a tinge of regret.
Most doctors will encourage you on taking Medicine. Most doctors will tell you to go for it. Most doctors will tell you that you just have to study hard and you can do it. Well, I guess I'm not "most doctors" at all.
I consider myself as average or maybe below average student in Medical school. Maybe it's my lack of self-confidence speaking, but I did not finish medical school on time. Removal exams are part of my semester ender. I repeated a subject for three semesters. I got debarred from my first school and I graduated two years late from my original batch. I can't count the how many times I told myself "Ayoko na." (I don't want this already) but every time I do, feelings of shame and guilt creeps my mind. Because of this, I chose to continue with my studies. Sometimes, my tears would literally fall onto my reviewers. My reviewers were full of tear drops. I just can't let my sadness take my precious time away from studying.
So yeah, I graduated. I passed my written and oral revalida in one take. I passed my licensure exam in one take. Yes, I was happy. My parents were very happy, that my dad even had happy tears. I am a physician now and I even entered residency training.
Looking back, was it all worth it? Would I be willing to go through all these again if given the chance to go back to the past? It may not be all about crying, failing, being tired and being sleepless; there are light-hearted moments too: I met a lot of wonderful (and awful) people in medicine, my husband was my classmate (and seatmate!) on first and second year; but honestly, my answer would be no. Medicine was not my dream, in the first place. I entered Medicine for the money. I have relatives who are doctors but both my parents are not. Yes, they see my doctor relatives as successful but I'm not really sure if they have an idea of what they had to go through. There are a lot of other jobs that can give you a higher income than medicine without having to experience all of these.
Is missing important family and social events worth it? How about spending most of your time studying, that even a nap for two hours makes you feel guilty? All those emotional roller coasters you have to go through: failing even after giving your best?
If you are still willing pursue Medicine even after knowing all these, then go on and enter medical school. I wish you all the best. May you be the doctor, you dreamt your self to be.
For those, who are now not sure of Medicine, or those saying that they are "50-50"? My advise is think about it. Don't go into Medicine just because of pressure. Don't go into medicine just because you think, you'll earn big. If you're already a medical student and is in doubt whether you would like to continue or not, take time to think this through. Don't let the thought of sayang (waste) hinder you from pursuing what you really want.
If you're not happy with your life on the journey to your end goal, you're most likely not gonna be happy even after you reach it. It's like playing a video game. Don't play a video game that you hate just because you think it's gonna be fun when you beat it. - Ryan Higa