Hi Sabrina,
I might not be the right person to ask because I always say to everyone - "if I had ANY idea of what I was getting into I NEVER would have done it" - that said, "I'm glad I did". Saying TCM school is amazingly difficult is an understatement, however if you love the medicine and believe in it and can't imagine not practicing it - then it's for you. It's like people who act or paint or write - it's the same thing - the thought of not doing it is more painful (or even out of the question) than the thought of spending the next 3-4 years in school full time and completely giving up your life as you know it.

Again, I'm probably not a good person to ask here. Just this past weekend as I was locked in my house alone for 3 days straight studying for midterms I fantasized endlessly about what else I might like to be doing right now - namely traveling the world.

I think the best way to think about it, is not to think of the time it takes to get there/done - but what you will be accomplishing once you are through.

Usually when I have an uber important life changing decision to make, I'll see a bunch of signs that all point in the same direction. In the case of starting acupuncture school, I had the encouragement of everyone from my mentor to my martial arts instructor. Even my boyfriend called me up and said that he would be willing to move wherever I decided to go. And when I visited the school that I ended up enrolling in, I had the most wonderful feeling within five minutes of being there that this place was going to help me be the person I needed to be to fulfill my destiny. I know this sounds pretty dramatic, but frankly, it was. I know that my experience was unusual. It really was like the clouds parted, the sun shone down on me and a choir of angels were singing in the back ground.

Maybe you wont know if you can hack it. Maybe you wont know until you're done. Maybe it will be a gateway to something else. Is the only thing making you hesitate a fear of failure? Do you have a passion for wanting to do this work? Have you considered getting acupuncture specifically to try to bring some clarity on this issue? It might help. I've now made it a policy to get an acupuncture treatment before midterms and finals, just because I find that it really helps my ability to make decisions and not stress about being right.

Good luck to you, whatever you decide. I hope that you find the guidance that you're looking for. Let us know how you're doing.