Hi everyone! I’ve been keeping my desire to go to med school as a nontrad student (I’m 30) mostly to myself until I was really sure I wanted to do it. I’m feeling ready to tell my family and friends soon, but I’m weirdly nervous about it. I come from a very supportive family and know they’ll ultimately support me, but I’m curious if anyone has any advice on dos and don’ts when it comes to breaking the news to loved ones?
Thanks!
I was in your shoes! I wanted to wait basically until I was ready to apply, but then on one of Dr. Gray’s podcasts he talked about how he’d wished he’d been more open about his aspirations as there were lots of people willing to help him. If I remember correctly he didn’t tell his boss/supervisor at the gym and when he finally did say he’d been accepted to med school the guy was like “Dude, my dad’s a doctor I could have helped you (or something along those lines).” So I bit the bullet and have mentioned it to a lot of people. I framed it as…“Hey, so I’m thinking of getting my pre-reqs and going to med school.” And…it’s been nice. I have supportive friends and family who know I love my current career, but that I used to want to be a doctor but felt that door had closed when I didn’t do so great in undergrad. It’s been nice to be asked like hey…have you gotten into a pre req class yet? It kind of keep me accountable and I don’t feel isolated or alone in my journey. Also, I mentioned it to my direct supervisor (since I work at a university and I’d have to get her approval to take a class) and she’s been very excited and encouraging.
Hi! Dr. Gray covered this on the podcast in Session #154! We hope we answered your questions about when and how to tell your family and friends about your aspirations. If you have any other questions please feel free to post in the forum again.
Thank you,
Team MSHQ
I remember that episode of his podcast. I chose to continue with my decision to only tell certain people. Not everyone is in the same position to be open about everything. No one at my current job knows, for instance. Most of my family doesn’t know. My significant other and friends do. Know your people. Know yourself.
But, your mileage may vary. You say you come from a very supportive family. If that’s the case, why not test the waters.
Best of luck with everything OP.