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HOW IMPORTANT ARE GPA AND MCAT SCORES?
In some cases, students leave med school because there is a conflict as to whose
career goal they are actually fulfilling. Caribbean Medical school requires great
discipline and steals most available free time. If a student is living out the parents鈥�
dream instead of his or her own, the inner conflict can lead to unconscious
sabotage.
Parents dream of their children having lives equal to or better than their own. In
some cultures, bright students are expected to study either medicine or
engineering.
Students who don鈥檛 want to disappoint their parents, or have no plan of their
own, may go along with their parents鈥� wishes initially. Although Caribbean
medical school admissions committee members try to discern if it is the student's
own desire to go to Caribbean medical school, they can be fooled as a student
tries to convince himself or herself that this is the career path he or she wants.
If you aren鈥檛 sure, you shouldn鈥檛 attend. Try something else that you might prefer.
The cost, emotionally and financially, is great, and dropping out doesn鈥檛 come
without disappointing yourself or others.
Medical research is a frequent alternative for students. Multiple students We
know have gone that route; some decide Caribbean medical school is what they
want for themselves and about half prefer research.
Others have chosen to go into a program to become a physician assistant or nurse
practitioner. Just because they achieved a dazzling score on the MCAT doesn鈥檛
mean that med school will be their cup of tea. Although they like patients, they
may not like the length of time as it finally sinks in 鈥� or what they are giving up in
their personal lives.
Competition in some med schools is more stressful to some students, and they
choose a kinder environment.
Mental Illness or Learning Disorder
A lack of desire to become a doctor isn鈥檛 the only reason medical students are
unsuccessful. An untreated or undertreated mental illness 鈥� be it an eating
disorder, panic or other anxiety disorder, major depression, bipolar disorder or
other mental illness 鈥� can also be a roadblock to success in med school.
Newly discovered or untreated learning disorders also contribute to students
dropping out of med school. Students may deny their symptoms or be
discouraged by others from seeking help. This is especially true in the first year,
and they may wait until it is too late to get help. They may hear comments like,
鈥淓veryone is stressed in Caribbean medical school.鈥�
Many students fear that there is a stigma associated with seeing a mental health
professional, and some families strongly encourage that thinking. Other students
are even afraid to confide in their parents that they have been referred for an
evaluation, for fear of disappointing them. This has a snowball effect, with
symptoms increasing steadily until the student is no longer able to complete
course assignments or report to class.
The student may be able to ask for a leave of absence, but this will not necessarily
solve the problem, as the stress of Caribbean medical school will still be there
when he or she returns.
The bottom line is that psychological and psychiatric help is needed if the student
is to return to school successfully. It is particularly distressing when a student
takes a leave of absence and the therapy recommended does not occur, or is
initiated half-heartedly because the pressure is off. Sadly, that student can be
throwing away his or her dream.