"Funny quotes from 'less informed' pre-meds," On-Topic Edition

[RedPhys]

Lol It's that type of thinking that makes me nervous to tell people I'm a psych major. Idk why people think psych is the exact opposite of premed stuff. Personally, it seems that they go hand and hand in a lot of aspects.

Psych, as far as I know, is, alongside with Econ, the most popular major in college. Therefore, you're gonna get a lot of clueless people associated with the major.

There's serious psych majors, though. I took only one psych class, but the TAs (grad students in psych) seemed pretty down to earth people. So, if you have someone having preconceived notions about you, let the haters hate.

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[AspiringERMD]

I guess this is less funny and more just sad, but it's all I can think of for now.

When I was at an OOS interview, I stayed at my uncles' house. One of my uncles took me out to dinner and mentioned that some distant cousin that I don't know also just got into medical school and thus we were going to have several new doctors in the extended family. I asked him where, and he couldn't remember, so he pulled out his iPad to let me read the FB status.

The FB status was an absolutely glowing "proud parent" status that their son had gotten into medical school at... a Caribbean school. Dozens of likes and congratulatory comments. I put my head in my hands and said, "how well do you know this relative and how much do you care about his life not being ruined?" Unless my memory is wrong, I think I may have even had to explain to my uncle about DO school (even though my other uncle, his partner of 21 years, is a doctor!).

I later found a very informative article about why you should never go Caribbean and sent it via email to my uncles and my mom reaffirming my feeling that those relatives should be warned, since the mere fact that they were over the moon and trumpeting a Caribbean acceptance HAS to mean they are poorly informed. My uncle said he didn't feel close enough to interfere, and my mom said "they always seem like they know what they're doing."

I felt bad that they seem to be flying blind, but I eventually just let it drop, as I don't even know them :-/

 

[deleted407021]

Psych, as far as I know, is, alongside with Econ, the most popular major in college. Therefore, you're gonna get a lot of clueless people associated with the major.

There's serious psych majors, though. I took only one psych class, but the TAs (grad students in psych) seemed pretty down to earth people. So, if you have someone having preconceived notions about you, let the haters hate.

I have to take an online "Careers in Psychology" course and we have to do a minimum one page career outline. It took too long to convince the instructor that you can, indeed, go to medical school after majoring in psychology. He was also surprised when my career outline was 7 pages long.

 

[NYCdude]

Lol It's that type of thinking that makes me nervous to tell people I'm a psych major. Idk why people think psych is the exact opposite of premed stuff. Personally, it seems that they go hand and hand in a lot of aspects.

I don't know either. Also, I don't get why psych seems to be the fallback for premed. Maybe because you can still do clinical stuff somewhere down the road? Beats me.

 

[Flintwire]

I don't know either. Also, I don't get why psych seems to be the fallback for premed. Maybe because you can still do clinical stuff somewhere down the road? Beats me.

Because it's a relatively easy major, and some of its required courses overlap with the required premed courses (biopsych, for instance) ... two birds one stone and all that jazz.

 

[Flashfan]

We have a lot of psych major/chem minor premeds. Our biology department is full of professors that do great research in plants. Our psych department does a lot of neuroscience, experiments of effects of drugs on the brain, etc. It made more sense to study humans for four years over ferns.

 

[allantois]

Majoring in Psych as a pre-med is a great way to stand out among psych majors especially when it comes to biopsychology courses

 

[hoihaie]

Idk if it's the same at other big state schools but psych here is seen as a big funnel for "Mrs." Degrees. I don't see it as the opposite as pre-Med though.

What's a mrs degree?

 

[aprimenumber]

What's a mrs degree?

It's a derogatory term commonly used to refer to degrees/majors that are perceived as being worth little with regards towards difficulty or future employment prospects. The "Mrs." refers to the notion that holders of such degrees will likely make their living by marrying someone with a dependable income, and becoming a homemaker, reducing their degree to the status of a superficial decoration.

 

[JulioJones]

.

 

[areserine]

It's a derogatory term commonly used to refer to degrees/majors that are perceived as being worth little with regards towards difficulty or future employment prospects. The "Mrs." refers to the notion that holders of such degrees will likely make their living by marrying someone with a dependable income, and becoming a homemaker, reducing their degree to the status of a superficial decoration.

Alternatively, I've heard of Mrs. degree as an engagement. As in people going for their Mrs. degree are attending college solely with the hope of getting engaged to someone with a college degree rather than seeking a college degree themselves. Getting one's Mrs. degree is achieved once they are proposed to and doesn't really have anything to do with a college degree itself.

 

[mehc012]

Alternatively, I've heard of Mrs. degree as an engagement. As in people going for their Mrs. degree are attending college solely with the hope of getting engaged to someone with a college degree rather than seeking a college degree themselves. Getting one's Mrs. degree is achieved once they are proposed to and doesn't really have anything to do with a college degree itself.

Yeah, that's how I've always heard it...the Mrs degree IS being married. If you go to college to get your Mrs degree, it's because you're going there hoping to find a husband.

I can see the other, though, because if you imply that a major is appealing to those who aren't interested in schoolwork and are only there to socialize, well, I can see it becoming kind of a snide, derogatory term for certain majors.

 

[DokterMom]

You're both right, really. It's where the student's primary goal is not a BS or BA, but rather to find a husband.

 

[GoPens]

Lol It's that type of thinking that makes me nervous to tell people I'm a psych major. Idk why people think psych is the exact opposite of premed stuff. Personally, it seems that they go hand and hand in a lot of aspects.

I'm hesitant in telling people I have a psych degree as well. I understand the stereotype, and saw it all too often in my own program, but it irks me nonetheless.

I am happy that the topic led to the different definitions of the term "Mrs. Degree" though. I've learned something new today.

 

[DesertPT]

Though not a pre-med myself, after having spent a few years as a bio major among predominately pre-meds, I have to say after reading this thread and many pages of the previous thread, this is some of the funniest dang stuff I have read in a long time.

And I have met a few pre-PTs in my travels that have laid some whoppers on me as well...so trust me these stories are not just isolated to medicine.

 

[DokterMom]

Though not a pre-med myself, after having spent a few years as a bio major among predominately pre-meds, I have to say after reading this thread and many pages of the previous thread, this is some of the funniest dang stuff I have read in a long time.

And I have met a few pre-PTs in my travels that have laid some whoppers on me as well...so trust me these stories are not just isolated to medicine.

One year I was invited to speak at a local university's professional school honorary society initiation and awards banquet. After my talk, a master's student approached me about employment opportunities at the firm I worked for (well-known to be among the most lucrative in the industry), and what he might reasonably expect in the way of compensation if he were hired. I gave him a typical starting salary and 5-yr range, and he was absolutely shocked. Mind you, he'd been in this program for 18 months at this point...

Face-palming lack of foresight exists in all fields --

 

[ridethecliche]

I gave a talk at a conference last fall and had to fill out a disclosure and do a disclosure side. Obviously, I had nothing to disclose, but this is what I really wanted to say:

"I have nothing to disclose, except that I'm applying to medical school right now. If you have any pull with an admissions committee please raise your hand and I will come talk to you (i.e. beg you) after this presentation."

One year I was invited to speak at a local university's professional school honorary society initiation and awards banquet. After my talk, a master's student approached me about employment opportunities at the firm I worked for (well-known to be among the most lucrative in the industry), and what he might reasonably expect in the way of compensation if he were hired. I gave him a typical starting salary and 5-yr range, and he was absolutely shocked. Mind you, he'd been in this program for 18 months at this point...

Face-palming lack of foresight exists in all fields --

Shocked about how high it was or shocked about how low it was? I have a friend that started working for Harvard after having worked for a non-profit org. She knew the people hiring as she'd networked with them at an event and they'd invited her to apply after being unable to find someone they liked. When they asked her about current salary and her expectation, the number she gave was so low (because of what she was used to) that they said... "yeah, we'll pretend we didn't hear that. Here's what you should say, so say it so we can put it down." It was pretty hilarious.

I've seen the same thing happen when fellow friends get their first attending gig. Especially living in the city, you learn to adjust your interests, activities and cost of living based on salary so after a huge jump I have a few new attending friends that won't stop buying me booze when we go out together. I'm really not complaining!

 

[DokterMom]

Shocked about how high it was or shocked about how low it was?

Shocked at how low starting salaries were, actually. But they were 10-15% higher than the rest of the industry...

 

[Gyromance]

I'm a little surprised that psych majors get looked down upon quite a bit. When I was making an app for a local clinic, it was a psych major that was a crucial help for me developing a good user experience. Many of the CS majors at my school had a healthy respect for psych majors as having a good understanding of psych is very helpful in creating user interfaces.

 

[samac]

So a few other pre meds and I were talking about interviews we'd had and such last month. This kid at a table behind us said "Wow. You've all had interviews?"
Me: Yeah, how about you, aren't You pre-med?"
Him: I completed applications in September. I got a rejection from Louisville, but I got secondaries at all the DO schools I applied to.
Me: That's great! Have you had any interviews? Heard anything?
Him: Nope. Not yet.
Me: Which schools did you apply to?
Him: that one in Tennessee, Indiana, West Virginia, and Pikeville (We're KY locals)
Me: You don't know the names of the schools you applied to?
Him: No. But that's not important, is it?

 

[aprimenumber]

So a few other pre meds and I were talking about interviews we'd had and such last month. This kid at a table behind us said "Wow. You've all had interviews?"
Me: Yeah, how about you, aren't You pre-med?"
Him: I completed applications in September. I got a rejection from Louisville, but I got secondaries at all the DO schools I applied to.
Me: That's great! Have you had any interviews? Heard anything?
Him: Nope. Not yet.
Me: Which schools did you apply to?
Him: that one in Tennessee, Indiana, West Virginia, and Pikeville (We're KY locals)
Me: You don't know the names of the schools you applied to?
Him: No. But that's not important, is it?

To be fair though, I often find myself unsure of the names of some of the schools I applied to, especially when the medical school and the larger university are often referred to with different names.

 

[ridethecliche]

To be fair though, I often find myself unsure of the names of some of the schools I applied to, especially when the medical school and the larger university are often referred to with different names.

I'm guessing you applied to more than 5 schools though.

 

[PrettyIvy]

I guess this is less funny and more just sad, but it's all I can think of for now.

When I was at an OOS interview, I stayed at my uncles' house. One of my uncles took me out to dinner and mentioned that some distant cousin that I don't know also just got into medical school and thus we were going to have several new doctors in the extended family. I asked him where, and he couldn't remember, so he pulled out his iPad to let me read the FB status.

The FB status was an absolutely glowing "proud parent" status that their son had gotten into medical school at... a Caribbean school. Dozens of likes and congratulatory comments. I put my head in my hands and said, "how well do you know this relative and how much do you care about his life not being ruined?" Unless my memory is wrong, I think I may have even had to explain to my uncle about DO school (even though my other uncle, his partner of 21 years, is a doctor!).

I later found a very informative article about why you should never go Caribbean and sent it via email to my uncles and my mom reaffirming my feeling that those relatives should be warned, since the mere fact that they were over the moon and trumpeting a Caribbean acceptance HAS to mean they are poorly informed. My uncle said he didn't feel close enough to interfere, and my mom said "they always seem like they know what they're doing."

I felt bad that they seem to be flying blind, but I eventually just let it drop, as I don't even know them :-/

One of the Doctors I worked for tried to convince me to apply to the Caribbean during my first application cycle and not bother applying US MD/DO. If I hadn't been for SDN and great friends of mine, this might be me.

 

[Holmwood]

Waited till I got my MCAT score for this to not jinx myself:

At MCAT testing center, met another kid about to take it.

Other Kid-"Yeah I got a 17 the first time, didn't study"
Me- "what'd you do for it this time"
OK-"Just took the practice tests, thats all you need to do, and I had a buddy tell me all the secrets from his MCAT class"
Me-"Oh I'm sure that helps" (regretting my conversation now)
OK-"Yeah you're supposed to take your time on verbal and only solve 6 passages is to make sure you get them right, and then guess on the 7th, there's no way anyone can finish 7 in an hour normally"
Me-"ill keep that in mind..."

Total gunner move. Don't comply!

 

[AspiringERMD]

Not uninformed, but still funny. This one's courtesy of that "Timehop" app from which everyone's been posting things (at least on my Facebook feed). A year ago today I was but an enthusiastic unregistered SDN lurker, so I wouldn't have posted this in the other thread.

Orgo friend: "Yeah, doesn't cyanide mess with your midi-chlorians?"
Me: "Midi-chlorians."
Orgo friend: "Yeah. The electron transport—"
Me: "Midi-chlorians are from Star Wars."
Orgo friend: "...mitochondria. I'm tired, okay?"

He actually was just tired. Orgo friend beat me on the MCAT by three points, and it was deserved.

 

[breakintheroof]

(Details have been altered in this story to protect identities; the quotes haven't been.)

At one interview day, a physiatrist gave a great talk about her work and her path in medicine. She showed videos of patients with abnormal gaits, along with imaging of their spinal cords showing where they were pinched or damaged. She then went into how she diagnosed and treated these patients, and touched on her research on how to improve diagnostics in this area. It was a wonderful presentation. When she finished, another interviewee raised his hand.

Interviewee: "So, what you do is, like, what a Ph.D. does?"
The physiatrist explained that she was in fact a physician, though perhaps the interviewee was misled by the fact that she also did research.
Interviewee: "Oh. Another question. What do you do about patients who are faking it to get pain medications?"
The physiatrist, confused, pointed out that her patients rarely complained of pain and that she did not prescribe these medications. Furthermore, the diagnoses were confirmed with imaging.

I was impressed by how the physician dealt with these baffling questions kindly and without judgment. (I can't say the same for my internal monologue--"faking it," really?) The interviewee is in the Facebook group for that school; he was accepted.

I try to see a positive moral here. Even though all of us applicants have a great deal of ignorance, it doesn't stop us from getting to the next step.

 

[BadgerBadger]

Just a tip, if you ever run out of these quotes, just hop on twitter and search "#premed". It's a mix of completely cancer-inducing premeds, med school admission accounts, and MCAT prep books.

 

[ridethecliche]

(Details have been altered in this story to protect identities; the quotes haven't been.)

At one interview day, a physiatrist gave a great talk about her work and her path in medicine. She showed videos of patients with abnormal gaits, along with imaging of their spinal cords showing where they were pinched or damaged. She then went into how she diagnosed and treated these patients, and touched on her research on how to improve diagnostics in this area. It was a wonderful presentation. When she finished, another interviewee raised his hand.

Interviewee: "So, what you do is, like, what a Ph.D. does?"
The physiatrist explained that she was in fact a physician, though perhaps the interviewee was misled by the fact that she also did research.
Interviewee: "Oh. Another question. What do you do about patients who are faking it to get pain medications?"
The physiatrist, confused, pointed out that her patients rarely complained of pain and that she did not prescribe these medications. Furthermore, the diagnoses were confirmed with imaging.

I was impressed by how the physician dealt with these baffling questions kindly and without judgment. (I can't say the same for my internal monologue--"faking it," really?) The interviewee is in the Facebook group for that school; he was accepted.

I try to see a positive moral here. Even though all of us applicants have a great deal of ignorance, it doesn't stop us from getting to the next step.

This doesn't make me feel better about anything.

 

[breakintheroof]

This doesn't make me feel better about anything.

Ever ask a question and get a blank stare? Find out you don't know as much as you thought you did? It happens. We learn as we go.

 

[ridethecliche]

Ever ask a question and get a blank stare? Find out you don't know as much as you thought you did? It happens. We learn as we go.

Certainly, but I'd hope that a med school applicant has the sense to not accuse TBI/cord injury patients to be drug seeking...

Anyway, m0@r stories!

 

[RedPhys]

cancer-inducing premeds

Quick! Act now to get in a pub on a new carcinogen!!

 

[DesertPT]

Just a tip, if you ever run out of these quotes, just hop on twitter and search "#premed". It's a mix of completely cancer-inducing premeds, med school admission accounts, and MCAT prep books.

Yikes...

 

[philosonista]

My former lab partner is a total gem for this forum. She...

- Believes that the fact that her parents are from a pretty gruesome third world country will get her into an MD/PhD program.
- Believes that now is the right time to start planning to open her own hospital. If you press her about how it would be financed and compare the costs to the salary of a doctor, she will tell you she will persuade people to finance her from bringing out the goodness of people's hearts.
- Believes that good letters of recommendation can make up for bad grades, < 3.0 GPA, because she "values learning over grades." Fun fact to go along with this: She was kicked out of the lab or the head of the pre-medical committee who helps to write the committee letter. So much for good LOR's
- She consistently declares that she is unhappy with her grades at the start of every semester, tells people to not be "down on her" and that she'll "show you all," then always ends up doing poorly.
- Believes you can do "anything you put your mind to," then asks me to convince her to do her organic homework an hour later.
- Has forgotten to do two online quizzes two weeks in a row and announced it in class in a sing-song voice.

I'm sure they'll be more to come as the semester goes on. I share a class with her.

 

[WingedOx]

I don't know either. Also, I don't get why psych seems to be the fallback for premed. Maybe because you can still do clinical stuff somewhere down the road? Beats me.

you can do that clinical stuff, but getting someone to pay you to do it is another matter.

 

[pandadawn]

Conversation from a fellow pre-med (who is STILL a premed). We had just taken a practice MCAT, and we were looking at our scores.

PoorKid: Crap I didn't do very well
Me: How bad was it?
PoorKid: I got a seven.
Me: Hey well that's not terrible. What section?
PoorKid: What? I got a seven overall
Me:

He is still pursuing medicine... no plans to take an MCAT prep course or anything like that. I didn't have the heart to say something about probably needing an MCAT above 10 or so to be considering MD/DO...

 

[HCHopeful]

.

 

[ridethecliche]

That's when med schools start doubting the rigor of your undergrad school.

Which is also sort of a funny pre med joke.

Or worst nightmare.

This is like goosebumps. You pick the ending.

 

[marauderette]

My former lab partner is a total gem for this forum. She...

- Believes that the fact that her parents are from a pretty gruesome third world country will get her into an MD/PhD program.
- Believes that now is the right time to start planning to open her own hospital. If you press her about how it would be financed and compare the costs to the salary of a doctor, she will tell you she will persuade people to finance her from bringing out the goodness of people's hearts.
- Believes that good letters of recommendation can make up for bad grades, < 3.0 GPA, because she "values learning over grades." Fun fact to go along with this: She was kicked out of the lab or the head of the pre-medical committee who helps to write the committee letter. So much for good LOR's
- She consistently declares that she is unhappy with her grades at the start of every semester, tells people to not be "down on her" and that she'll "show you all," then always ends up doing poorly.
- Believes you can do "anything you put your mind to," then asks me to convince her to do her organic homework an hour later.
- Has forgotten to do two online quizzes two weeks in a row and announced it in class in a sing-song voice.

I'm sure they'll be more to come as the semester goes on. I share a class with her.

Not sure if funny or sad... Poor girl

 

[DesertPT]

At an interview I went to a few weeks ago, during the department tour, in the cadaver lab, cadaver that they've been working on has femur dislocated and rotated 90* so that head of femur is sticking up. One of the girls on the tour points and goes, I bull crap you not: "Is that an eyeball?!?" She was deadly serious.

I don't know if this person was accepted...

 

[WingedOx]

At an interview I went to a few weeks ago, during the department tour, in the cadaver lab, cadaver that they've been working on has femur dislocated and rotated 90* so that head of femur is sticking up. One of the girls on the tour points and goes, I bull crap you not: "Is that an eyeball?!?" She was deadly serious.

I don't know if this person was accepted...

Why would a school let applicants into the cadaver lab? I'd have serious ethical concerns about your tour guide's respect for the cadavers and their privacy.

Furthermore, dressed up as you are on an interview, why would you set foot in one?

 

[The Milkman]

Why would a school let applicants into the cadaver lab? I'd have serious ethical concerns about your tour guide's respect for the cadavers and their privacy.

Furthermore, dressed up as you are on an interview, why would you set foot in one?

Well, on most of the tours I've been on all of the bodies have been covered and locked up still. There was also one awesome cadaver lab that was so new and well ventilated that there was zero odor!

 

[Ace Khalifa]

Why would a school let applicants into the cadaver lab? I'd have serious ethical concerns about your tour guide's respect for the cadavers and their privacy.

Furthermore, dressed up as you are on an interview, why would you set foot in one?

I thought it was standard to show the cadaver lab on interview day tours? A few of my student-led tours included a brief glimpse of the anatomy labs.

 

[Prettywoman0172]

Her: "I'm going to be a pediatric neurosurgeon."

Me: "Are you applying this year?"

Her: "Yeah, uh huh."

Me: "Are you registering for the MCAT next week?"

Her: "MCAT? What's that?"

Me: "The medical college admission test"

Her: "Oh, I dont have to take that."

Me: "Ohhh reallyyyy? Well good luck with your application"

 

[Prettywoman0172]

She got a 5 on the first exam and then seemed confident about getting 100s on everything from then on out? Those are the most unrealistic expectations I've ever heard aside from a kid in my mom's special ed class telling her he wanted to be an astronaut.

Astronaut may not be out of the question for a special Ed kid if he has the right guidance (depending on the disability of course). If I ever heard a kid say something like that sincerely, I would do everything I could to help him realize it.

 

[Spinach Dip]

I thought it was standard to show the cadaver lab on interview day tours? A few of my student-led tours included a brief glimpse of the anatomy labs.

Yeah.... but with cadavers IN FULL VIEW?

IDK about that.

 

[PreciousHamburgers]

Why would a school let applicants into the cadaver lab? I'd have serious ethical concerns about your tour guide's respect for the cadavers and their privacy.

Furthermore, dressed up as you are on an interview, why would you set foot in one?

Aside from ethical concerns, different states have different laws when it comes to this sort of thing. I remember one tour telling us there was no way we could even get into the room without all this paperwork and another tour basically apologizing that there weren't any cadavers out at the time of the tour.

 

[TxC]

Her: "I'm going to be a pediatric neurosurgeon."

Me: "Are you applying this year?"

Her: "Yeah, uh huh."

Me: "Are you registering for the MCAT next week?"

Her: "MCAT? What's that?"

Me: "The medical college admission test"

Her: "Oh, I dont have to take that."

Me: "Ohhh reallyyyy? Well good luck with your application"

Maybe she's going for some of the Caribbean schools that don't need the MCAT. I know people who already decided that they cannot be accepted into any US school because of their stats and only apply to Caribbean schools. I feel bad for trying to dissuade them so I don't do it.

 

[Tman90]

.

 

[crossfit4lyfe]

Not from a premed, this quote was from a business major (that I met at the plasma donation center lol):

Him- "You're going to med school?! I could never do that, I love working with people too much!"
Me- "What?"
Him- "Yeah, I'm doing business because I need to interact with people everyday in my career."

 

[LostinLift]

Waited till I got my MCAT score for this to not jinx myself:

At MCAT testing center, met another kid about to take it.

Other Kid-"Yeah I got a 17 the first time, didn't study"
Me- "what'd you do for it this time"
OK-"Just took the practice tests, thats all you need to do, and I had a buddy tell me all the secrets from his MCAT class"
Me-"Oh I'm sure that helps" (regretting my conversation now)
OK-"Yeah you're supposed to take your time on verbal and only solve 6 passages is to make sure you get them right, and then guess on the 7th, there's no way anyone can finish 7 in an hour normally"
Me-"ill keep that in mind..."

That is a real strategy from one of the most famous MCAT prep companies. Hint - it's not Kaplan, BR, or GS.