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I know a few people who aren't too compassionate (one has no volunteering as a Junior...) but kill the grades/MCAT and want to do medicine. The Junior I mentioned has two physician parents and knows what he's going into. Not sure what motivates him.
I know a few people who aren't too compassionate (one has no volunteering as a Junior...) but kill the grades/MCAT and want to do medicine. The Junior I mentioned has two physician parents and knows what he's going into. Not sure what motivates him.
Having no volunteering doesn't necessarily equate to having little compassion. Most premeds wouldn't volunteer half as much as they do now if they weren't trying to get into medical school
I know a few people who aren't too compassionate (one has no volunteering as a Junior...) but kill the grades/MCAT and want to do medicine. The Junior I mentioned has two physician parents and knows what he's going into. Not sure what motivates him.
Doing a minor gravedig here with a tl;dr list.
1. I consider myself a compassionate person, but the process of doing ECs and preparing for medical school has made me feel more self-centered, and has forced me to recongize that many of the good things I do benefit me too
2. Unless I bomb the MCAT, I'm guessing I can get into a DO or low-tier MD school. At this point I'm not overly concerned about less ethical applicants beating me out
3. Maybe I can't truly "evaluate" other pre-meds, but I intuitively feel that certain pre-meds shouldn't be doctors with their current levels of maturity (though I have issues just as everyone else does). Some of them are not kind people, are overly-ambitious (more than I am!), overestimate the physician's lifestyle/salary or have their heart set on other fields. None of these traits should inherently disqualify someone from applying - it's just the ugly combination of them that I see (or get an impression of) in other pre-meds scaring me.
4. Then there's the "3.8 + ECs robo" argument. My friends have commented that I seem obsessed (and I probably am!) - my fixation with rankings is unbecoming of me. I honestly haven't had a creative thought, or creative project, in the past two years. I'm very good at following directions, working hard, and conforming to a standard though - skills that med schools select for.
5. Prestige & money are far down the list of reasons to apply to med school, but I'm afraid they're becoming more compelling. I was in it because I liked science, helping people, and research on the side (and I still believe these are the biggest reasons!), but money + prestige is becoming more persuasive.
Overall, I honestly feel kind of terrible about being pre-med , and everyone says problems get worse in medical school, residency and beyond, so yes, I'm kind of scared. Am I being unreasonable?
Maybe I'm too idealistic.I don't see any flaws with your thinking, but I don't feel terrible about any of the things above. It is what it is.
Are you being unreasonable? No, I think you're doing a decent job evaluating yourself.Doing a minor gravedig here with a tl;dr list.
1. I consider myself a compassionate person, but the process of doing ECs and preparing for medical school has made me feel more self-centered, and has forced me to recongize that many of the good things I do benefit me too
2. Unless I bomb the MCAT, I'm guessing I can get into a DO or low-tier MD school. At this point I'm not overly concerned about less ethical applicants beating me out
3. Maybe I can't truly "evaluate" other pre-meds, but I intuitively feel that certain pre-meds shouldn't be doctors with their current levels of maturity (though I have issues just as everyone else does). Some of them are not kind people, are overly-ambitious (more than I am!), overestimate the physician's lifestyle/salary or have their heart set on other fields. None of these traits should inherently disqualify someone from applying - it's just the ugly combination of them that I see (or get an impression of) in other pre-meds scaring me.
4. Then there's the "3.8 + ECs robo" argument. My friends have commented that I seem obsessed (and I probably am!) - my fixation with rankings is unbecoming of me. I honestly haven't had a creative thought, or creative project, in the past two years. I'm very good at following directions, working hard, and conforming to a standard though - skills that med schools select for.
5. Prestige & money are far down the list of reasons to apply to med school, but I'm afraid they're becoming more compelling. I was in it because I liked science, helping people, and research on the side (and I still believe these are the biggest reasons!), but money + prestige is becoming more persuasive.
Overall, I honestly feel kind of terrible about being pre-med , and everyone says problems get worse in medical school, residency and beyond, so yes, I'm kind of scared. Am I being unreasonable?
Having no volunteering doesn't necessarily equate to having little compassion. Most premeds wouldn't volunteer half as much as they do now if they weren't trying to get into medical school
You and me both bud. I took 2 years off after high school, trvaled, partied hard, fell in love, got dumped, started smoking cigarettes, got kicked out/became homeless, essentially hit total rock bottom, and then worked a string of ****ty retail jobs. Needless to say, those were two very humbling years, and at this point, I grin while doing homework. My family loves me, I do not care too much for social interaction, and women will always be around. I have a very different perspective than most; I consider myself lucky and fortunate.I know you might not be addressing this directly to me, and I understand what you're saying, but I honestly am not afraid of losing time (I'm about 22). I pissed away most of my teenage years failing classes, hunting for dead-end jobs and playing video games. Realizing I lost several years of my life doing nothing is worse than doing something - although I'm sure spending the rest of my 20s in med school/residency isn't pleasant either.
The time involved and time lost isn't a significant concern to me.
Haha yeah, it really does give a different perspective.You and me both bud. I took 2 years off after high school, trvaled, partied hard, fell in love, got dumped, started smoking cigarettes, got kicked out/became homeless, essentially hit total rock bottom, and then worked a string of ****ty retail jobs. Needless to say, those were two very humbling years, and at this point, I grin while doing homework. My family loves me, I do not care too much for social interaction, and women will always be around. I have a very different perspective than most; I consider myself lucky and fortunate.
THANK YOU for saying thisThe further I get in my curriculum, the more cynical I feel about potentially becoming a doctor, and heck, going into an altruistic profession - especially when I look at what other pre-meds are doing.
ex.
*Girl who goes on medical mission trips and uploads photos of herself where she's holding poor children
*Guy with a 3.8 and a 36 who wants to be a humanities professor and is only interested in medicine for money/traveling potential
*People picking up weird hobbies only to interest adcoms (this is a thing, apparently)
*Pre-meds in research labs who only do enough work to get a good LoR and still whine about the work
I consider myself a kind, giving person too, but even I still feel like I would enjoy the prestige of becoming a doctor a little too much. And I'm skeptical of my own "motivations" for volunteering too!
I'm not even applying soon and I still feel very cynical. Is this normal to experience on the pre-med track?
Edit: followed up in later posts
Thanks, that was a good read.I also wanna point your attention to this thread - http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/are-we-really-wasting-away-our-prime-years.1100935/
I felt that thread to be quite insightful. It really shows how much you are literally giving up for this career. Its almost a bittersweet sacrifice for many (myself included).
The further I get in my curriculum, the more cynical I feel about potentially becoming a doctor, and heck, going into an altruistic profession - especially when I look at what other pre-meds are doing.
ex.
*Girl who goes on medical mission trips and uploads photos of herself where she's holding poor children
*Guy with a 3.8 and a 36 who wants to be a humanities professor and is only interested in medicine for money/traveling potential
*People picking up weird hobbies only to interest adcoms (this is a thing, apparently)
*Pre-meds in research labs who only do enough work to get a good LoR and still whine about the work
I consider myself a kind, giving person too, but even I still feel like I would enjoy the prestige of becoming a doctor a little too much. And I'm skeptical of my own "motivations" for volunteering too!
I'm not even applying soon and I still feel very cynical. Is this normal to experience on the pre-med track?
Edit: followed up in later posts
I know you might not be addressing this directly to me, and I understand what you're saying, but I honestly am not afraid of losing time (I'm about 22). I pissed away most of my teenage years failing classes, hunting for dead-end jobs and playing video games. Realizing I lost several years of my life doing nothing is worse than doing something - although I'm sure spending the rest of my 20s in med school/residency isn't pleasant either.
The time involved and time lost isn't a significant concern to me.
I know you might not be addressing this directly to me, and I understand what you're saying, but I honestly am not afraid of losing time (I'm about 22). I pissed away most of my teenage years failing classes, hunting for dead-end jobs and playing video games. Realizing I lost several years of my life doing nothing is worse than doing something - although I'm sure spending the rest of my 20s in med school/residency isn't pleasant either.
The time involved and time lost isn't a significant concern to me.