Things I wish I knew before going to medical school

1. There are other ways to help people - just as meaningful as being a doctor. If anything, I think doctors are just putting band-aids (no pun intended) on real social issues!
2. "A life of a physician is a life of sacrifice" - in terms of time, family, money, fun, enjoyment and more
3. The long hours - even as a medical student and especially as a resident that you'll spend working
4. The hierarchy of medical school - and how eerily it recapitulates the social hierarchy and dynamics of baboons!
5. Expect bullying and abuse - I haven't had this much since elementary school
6. If you are not good at or don't particularly like to kiss-ass: don't go to medical school. Instead, open your own business and be your own boss!
7. Expect a major regression to being in elementary school: at least you could ask to go to the bathroom and you knew that you could eat lunch at noon. For surgery rotation: expect that people will not care whether you are about to fall over and die from hunger, or that you are going to get a UTI because you could not go to the bathroom. SURGERY = CRAZINESS
8. Being a doctor does NOT equal being a cash-cow. For some specialties, I suspect you can make a ton of $ (pre-tax!) but the pay is proportionate (with exception of dermatology, perhaps) to the pain of residency/fellowship and the pain of daily practice. Surgeons work long hours! And it's hard work standing on your feet for hours on end!
9. Medical school = ultimate "brainwashing" machine! OK. I'm going overboard, but seriously, you will be taught, practiced, and forced into thinking in a certain way, and only a certain way. If you flourish on creative thinking, you will suffocate. And you will have plenty of practice being arrogant!
10. I have a hard time thinking of #10, but let me try.... this what I say with grain of salt. I met a few really nice, really down to earth physicians who understand that I'm human and I have other interests/concerns besides medicine!