Help! changing course??

boo-yaw-ka-shaa

Hi guys,
just wondering if anyone can help me because this has been wrecking my head for nearly a year now.I've jus completed 1st year Medicine but really don't know whether to stay in the course or not.
Since about 1/2 months into the course I’ve been unsure if it’s really for me. Was close to leaving at Christmas but decided to stay & stick it out the year &then make up my mind.
I always knew the course would be hard but just not this hard. Get really down &fed up coming up to exams because of the workload &late night study shifts I’ve to put in. I feel like I’m wasting my life or that sum how my life is passing me by because I’m cooped up studying. Not sure I can face into another year of it. Got results of summer exams few days ago and passed everything. Got top marks in Clinical Practice, which is hard to do, so it gives me a boost to know I’m considered good at doing the practical things that matter. This also made me think I should stick out the early years & maybe when I get to do more clinical work I might enjoy it more. But what if I don’t & I realise I’ve wasted good few years of my life & stressed myself out all this time for no reason.
Another problem is if i do leave I’ve no idea what else I’d do?????

Please give me your suggestions. Because i don’t know where i go from here
should i stay or should i go?

taram

I know Medicine is more intensive that other courses, but I found my first year nearly impossible to get through. Work piled on, tested a lot, tons of practical work when you had a free moment from lectures. Education is never a waste, but maybe you should take a step back if it's bothering you this much. You could go talk to a careers advisor, or maybe a tutor, and just try get a feel for it in the future. Is it the work load or the particular subjects that don't click for you?

boo-yaw-ka-shaa

Thanks 4d post:)
Ya I went to a careers advisor alright but I don't find them very helpful. They usually say, "Its up to you" and "what do you think yourself" which is kinda the prob...I dont know what to do myself !!
I like some of the subjects but there are others I absolutely hate. e.g Biochem :mad:! Think its mainly the workload and the effect thats having on my life and free time that bothers me most. even when I'm qualified it'll be a good few yrs before that workload gets any less.

deRanged

Well done on passing the year. Now you can take the time to make the right decision. Are you in Cork - can you get into the department to talk to your lecturers? They will be able to give you advice on the workload in future years. They also know what first year is like - the transition from the grind of the leaving cert, to the looser world of university, plus the hard work of first med. that would shake anyone up.

Is there any mentor system in Med - do you have an advisor?

You have a bunch of options now, you can defer second year, your first year results allow you to do this.
You can transfer to another course, again (possibly) bringing your results, maybe to a first year with less subjects or to second year.
You can carry on into second year.
You have more options still - other colleges and so on.

Remember that always in University you'll have courses you won't like. That's the price for being able to follow a course towards subjects you do like. That's true across all courses, not just medicine, and unfortunately it often holds right up to the end of the course.

boo-yaw-ka-shaa

Yeah we've a mentor system alright, and a buddy system where we're paired with 2nd yrs. My mentor is approachable enough so I could prob e-mail her about this but I live couple hours away from her so prob wouldn't be able to meet up any time soon.

Re: deferring 2nd year, think its difficult enough to take a year out of med. Was reading up about it and it says you have to apply in March to get year starting forthcoming sept off. You also have to have a valid reason and it must be passed by the Head of Medicine. I suppose they have to do that or else with the pressure in our course pple would be taking years out all the time.

Medicine gets tougher up until 4th year and then it tails off more towards practical stuff.

It is immensely time consuming which is one of the reasons Med classes get so close and why they are roundly disliked by most of the other faculties. Not their fault it's just after a while they get almost as pompous as the Law Soc (Philosoph is the best obv ).

You better get used to those long hours of study because it is an immensely tough discipline, but then again it should be. I want to know my Doctor worked his/her backside off to get their degree so they can figure out what's wrong with me.

Not that it takes a medical doctor for that. Psychology forum methinks...

Same As

Hi there,

Medicine in 1st year does have a quite a heavy workload alright,there are over 30 repeating from the 1st years of 2006.

Unfortunately,things dont get any easier,2nd year is also tough,small bit more practical work involved which might interest you,still plenty of theory with Subjects like Medical law being taught in 2nd year. However,I think that some of the modules that 1st year Medicine study are equal to what other 1st year courses in the faculty of medicine and health,like anatomy and bio-chem are also studied by 1st Dent,1st Pharm and 1 or 2 more I think.

The Best Thing that you could do would be to visit the Medicine Faculty office in Brookfield and explain your predicament to them. In most faculties,transfers between various courses are possible (deadlines sometimes apply) and the faculty administrators should be able to point you in the right direction if you are interested in another course within the faculty.

Hope this is of some help to you.

Flamed Diving

What age are you, OP?

boo-yaw-ka-shaa

Flamed Diving wrote: »

What age are you, OP?

Nineteen! What age are you?? :D:D

Flamed Diving

I'm 27. Dude, my advice is that if you don't know what you want to do with your life, maybe you should just take some time out and put your 'career path' on the backshelf. Go travelling, play in a band or something! Take the time to find yourself and you will know when you are ready to return to college and what it is you wish to study. You have plenty of time. Don't waste it doing a degree that you are not even sure you want. Thats my advice.

boo-yaw-ka-shaa

Ya, still young alright, which is big plus in my favour. Actually going travelling round Europe for 4wks now so lookin forward to that. Lookin back prob should've even taken a year out straight after the leaving really.
Btw Dunno bout "playing in a band" though unless dares great demand out dare for tinwhistle players!!!:D:D Thanks for advice anyway man. Much appreciated!