Thanks for your suggestions and encouragement! I do consider myself financially literate, since I'm financially independent and support myself. My other options will end up around the same, and I already committed to this school because it has phenomenal opportunities. I didn't always want to be a doctor, rather I came to discover it in college during a work-study job and did a ton of research on the career. I would never go so far to say that I can't imagine myself doing anything else because the truth is I'm a rather multi-dimensional, open-minded person. But I can confidently say that I can't imagine anything being as fulfilling. (Like settling for something less than your soulmate is totally possible, but...).

I don't think anyone can truly grasp the intricacies and adversities of a career until they are in the trenches themselves, and my dilemma lies in that it's not my dream to be a mediocre physician. I don't care much about salary and prestige, but I truly want to affect change in my community/at an institutional level and that usually requires having a respected voice in the medical community. Obviously I'll work my ass off to get to where I want to go but I know there's a chance I won't get there. I'm confident in my abilities, but I'm also logical. Who would want to invest $400,000 to be mediocre? Maybe I'm naive, but I don't think mediocrity is helpful to patients and to advancing the field.

Based on your experiences, is medicine just "Put your mind and soul into it and you can achieve whatever you want" or is it "Realistically, the chances students can end up exactly where they want to be are slim even after they give it their all"?

Thanks again in advance, I really appreciate your thoughts.