Funny quotes from "less informed" premeds

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Annabell Lee said:
Well yes, there are kids in high school like that. But I know someone who dropped out of college and is planning on applying for an engineering program who can be a bit cocky about it. I also know someone who dropped out in the 9th grade, didn't have a GED, but got a job for a company that does contract work in the chemical plants around here. He claims that the company will pay tuition for employees going into chemical engineering (even though the company doesn't actually hire engineers) and constantly brags about how he's going to be a chemical engineer. He (supposedly) got his GED recently and now just has to find the time to go to Texas for a year for the training.
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I'm really confused or your friend is, or both. There is no such thing as a 1 year chemical engineering degree. And by "program" do you just mean an UG degree?
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jonnythan said:
Your friend was right, to a point. Advances in public health are more responsible for increased life expectancy and decreased morbidity than medicine. Things like water treatment and waste management are critical to public health.

Medicine is a large, large part but if we were still living in conditions like 1890s Chicago we'd all be much worse off no matter how many antibiotics we give out.
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I agree that they definitely provide a healthcare service, but I was really complaining about how engineering students like to prove that they're better than premends by making they're profession seem more important than ours. I dont like comparing people's jobs and saying that one provides a greater service. We all have work to do and in our own respective area.
 
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milski said:
In all fairness, the last time this was discussed (or at least I was part of it), AAMC claimed [in an email to me] that the 33 median was from non-duplicated entries. Eventually, they put the comment that you quote on the MSAR, contradicting themselves. It is quite likely that the person who answered me did not know all the details, I would consider the disclaimer on the MSAR much more trustworthy.
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I would as well, and it has been there since before the thread I linked where we (Goro and I at least) last discussed this.
 
xffan624 said:
Well, life expectancy was rising worldwide well before the modern medical advances gave them an extra push. Reducing diarrhea illness through proper waste management has saved countless lives worldwide.
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agreed. I just dont like it when engineering students try and downplay the physician's role in society and make they're own seem so much morei mportant
 
Uafl112 said:
agreed. I just dont like it when engineering students try and downplay the physician's role in society and make they're own seem so much morei mportant
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It's ok, they'll figure it out once they get really sick and their first few internet diagnosis attempts have failed them.
 
WhippleWhileWeWork said:
I'm really confused or your friend is, or both. There is no such thing as a 1 year chemical engineering degree. And by "program" do you just mean an UG degree?
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The first one, I don't know what type of degree they're planning on trying to get, I just know he hasn't even applied to get back into school but talks like he's already half way through school or something. He's a cool guy most of the time, but a bit of an alpha-nerd.

The second one is just an idiot/compulsive liar. I should have added an *eyeroll* after my last sentence, as that was the tone I was going for.

EDIT: emoticons added to previous post to indicate tone.
 
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gettheleadout said:
Note that using a single record for each applicant means that 1 accepted applicant = 1 matriculant. The MSAR thus clearly states that the median MCAT for matriculants is 31. Further, the AAMC data linked shows the mean MCAT for matriculants is 31.3.

Since we've presented all of this to you before I think we deserve some response as to why you disagree with our interpretation of the data and statements (which I infer to be the case since the OP in your thread still retains the statement that the "average" matriculant has a 33), especially since misrepresentation of this data can have great impact on applicants' perceived chances (31 vs 33 is a big deal).
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This was obvious that there was a mistake in the reporting or interpretation of the results since the day they were released but some people didn't want to look at the MCAT trend from the last 10 years and see that it never raises more than a few tenths each year and they were so quick to believe that it could go up over 2 pts in one year. Just from a data statistics point of view, a 33 as the median would have to be discarded as an outlier and could not be taken seriously unless data from subsequent years backed it up, and a Q test confirms this. This is a moot point anyways, I guess, because we have since found out that 31 is the median as expected.
 
gettheleadout said:
We've covered this before, in your thread where you first made this assertion:



Note that using a single record for each applicant means that 1 accepted applicant = 1 matriculant. The MSAR thus clearly states that the median MCAT for matriculants is 31. Further, the AAMC data linked shows the mean MCAT for matriculants is 31.3.

Since we've presented all of this to you before I think we deserve some response as to why you disagree with our interpretation of the data and statements (which I infer to be the case since the OP in your thread still retains the statement that the "average" matriculant has a 33), especially since misrepresentation of this data can have great impact on applicants' perceived chances (31 vs 33 is a big deal).
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This is what worries me. I haven't even taken the mcat yet but SDN has led me to believe that if I only get a 31, I'm not very competitive. Sure, the msar statistics are there, but I'm pretty sure if i got a 31 I wouldn't be dead in the water.
 
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ciestar said:
This is what worries me. I haven't even taken the mcat yet but SDN has led me to believe that if I only get a 31, I'm not very competitive. Sure, the msar statistics are there, but I'm pretty sure if i got a 31 I wouldn't be dead in the water.
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When in doubt, refer to Table 25. Feel better.
 
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ciestar said:
This is what worries me. I haven't even taken the mcat yet but SDN has led me to believe that if I only get a 31, I'm not very competitive. Sure, the msar statistics are there, but I'm pretty sure if i got a 31 I wouldn't be dead in the water.
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31 is the average. Being the average matriculant is a good thing I would imagine.

Edit: Also, MCAT is only one factor of many.
 
WierdScience said:
This was obvious that there was a mistake in the reporting or interpretation of the results since the day they were released but some people didn't want to look at the MCAT trend from the last 10 years and see that it never raises more than a few tenths each year and they were so quick to believe that it could go up over 2 pts in one year. Just from a data statistics point of view, a 33 as the median would have to be discarded as an outlier and could not be taken seriously unless data from subsequent years backed it up, and a Q test confirms this. This is a moot point anyways, I guess, because we have since found out that 31 is the median as expected.
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I agree entirely, the trend is obvious from Table 17 and an average of 33 would make no sense. That said, my concern is more with the distinction between "average" (presumably mean) and median and that's why I'm trying to be clear that we actually have data/statements to both ends from the AAMC.
ciestar said:
This is what worries me. I haven't even taken the mcat yet but SDN has led me to believe that if I only get a 31, I'm not very competitive. Sure, the msar statistics are there, but I'm pretty sure if i got a 31 I wouldn't be dead in the water.
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A 31 is a solid score. This is why I think it's important that we not let people get the impression that they're 2 whole points below an imaginary average.
 
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Goro said:
Interesting. This is at odds with what's on MSAR Online!
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Interesting, where in the MSAR? If it is the info on the "Selection Factors" page, they have a footnote that it includes duplicates from individuals with multiple acceptances. The footnote started showing up only (relatively) recently.
 
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Just yesterday:

person: what kind of medical school are you going to?

me: uh...doctor ? :/

person: Oh, that's nice. I just never know what people are doing when they say that since there are so many different kinds...you know like nursing..... (she went on and on)
 
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Last year, during the summer I applied to med school, I ran into some drunk dude from Illinois while I was a refereeing a volleyball tournament in the Dominican Republic (Yes, this all really happened). He wanted to play and ended up asking me what I was doing there.

me: I'm here to do a health research project, but I have to concentrate on the game...

Dude: No way, do you want to be a doctor? I'm going to apply to med school next year.

me: Ya, I'm applying right now. That's great! Have you taken your MCAT yet?

Dude: No, I don't think I need to. I'm going to be an MD/PhD (really?) because I want to be a double doctor! Cuz, you know, like it pays better.

me: ...wait, what? You can't apply without taking the MCAT.

Dude: Don't tell me what I can and can't do! I just have to take all the prereqs and I'll be fine.

me: ...hold on, what was your major in undergrad?

Dude: Music.

me: Have you taken science classes before?

Dude: Astronomy, but I know I'll be fine. I know all the doctors at "INSERT NAME" School of Medicine. My mentor is one of the heads of the admission board, he knows everyone at the school.

me: So wait, you know all these people or your mentor does?

Dude: Man, quit being a hater, you're just trying to bring me down! I'm totally getting in!!

me: ...ya... you'll be fine.

He kept talking to me, screaming about how I was a hater and that he was probably going to get in ahead of me. I was just gritting my teeth, hoping he would go away before. And yes, he had already graduated.
 
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I cant believe that you guys actually think that the concepts of "rate of change" and integration isn't worth knowing.

I honestly use it every week, even if its something silly like driving my car.
 
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Uafl112 said:
I also had a friend majoring in environmental engineering that INSISTED that waste management engineers do a greater healthcare service than Physicians.
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500 years ago, that was probably a very true statement -- :laugh:
 
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asw98 said:
Once in physics II office hours, the TA had to explain to someone how to add/divide fractions. The kid's response was that was so unintuitive. :eek: I'm positive that the student was a junior and this was at an ivy league school.:wow:
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I was once asked by a CPA how to write a formula in Excel. He spent 10 minutes trying to explain what it was he wanted to calculate before it became clear that is was a simple 'year over year % change'. When I asked him if that was what he was asking, he turned grey and left, apparently having talked himself into a knot...
 
Eremba said:
Just yesterday:

person: what kind of medical school are you going to?

me: uh...doctor ? :/

person: Oh, that's nice. I just never know what people are doing when they say that since there are so many different kinds...you know like nursing..... (she went on and on)
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Allopathic/ osteopathic?
johnston9234 said:
I cant believe that you guys actually think that the concepts of "rate of change" and integration isn't worth knowing.

I honestly use it every week, even if its something silly like driving my car.
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I'm not sure what all you are doing while driving your car :D
 
johnston9234 said:
I cant believe that you guys actually think that the concepts of "rate of change" and integration isn't worth knowing.

I honestly use it every week, even if its something silly like driving my car.
Click to expand...
notsureifsrs.jpg

We already established in discussion that the concepts are important for educated individuals to know. The computation for complicated functions, not so much.


Sent from my neural implant using SDN Mobile
 
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Frazier said:
*Convo with a pre-med [with 3.3 GPA]*

Me: Are you considering applying to DO schools?
Pre-med: Ugh, no not really. I want to be a general surgeon.
Me: You can be a general surgeon with a DO degree.
Pre-med: Umm, no, I'm afraid you have mistaken. DO's are not licensed to do surgery. They aren't allowed in the OR.
Me: O'RLY?
Pre-med: Ya RLY.

*sends pre-med the match list of PCOM*

Pre-med: what is this?
Me: a match list. Notice how the DO school produced more general surgeons than many MD schools.
Pre-med: I see. However, you forget to account for these locations. I bet they are getting paid significantly less as a DO resident. These are likely for surgeon assistant positions.
Me: Got to go. See ya.
Click to expand...

Follow up 100 pages later: 3 years have passed and the once-premed described above works ticketing at Disney. Should have considered DO afterall.
 
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Eremba said:
Just yesterday:

person: what kind of medical school are you going to?

me: uh...doctor ? :/

person: Oh, that's nice. I just never know what people are doing when they say that since there are so many different kinds...you know like nursing..... (she went on and on)
Click to expand...


I know a girl who told someone we both knew I was going to medical school because I wanted to be just like her. I was copying her.


She's a nurse......I had to explain that nursing school and medical school are VERY different.
 
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things i am officially sick of hearing:

stuff along the lines of

"you sure you wanna go into medicine at this point in time?"
"you know you're not gonna make a lot of money anymore, right?"

. . . .because healthcare in america was so perfect and everyone was smiling and baking cakes before obama care came along.
. . . . and because everyone who decides to become a doctor only does it when the "timing is right" and when it's super glamorous and you can buy flashy cars and ****.

shake my head
 
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Frazier said:
Follow up 100 pages later: 3 years have passed and the once-premed described above works ticketing at Disney. Should have considered DO afterall.
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That's.....rather depressing actually. They'll be one of those people with regrets about what they did with their careers.
 
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From a conversation with a sophmore currently taking gen. chem. 2, physics 2, and reminiscing on bio 2. This occurred at a pre med dinner and we were told to mingle for about 20 minutes between the tables.

[Sophomore]: I'm so glad that I can forget all of this stuff as soon as the semester ends
[Me]: Watch out though, the MCAT is going to cover all of that stuff
[Sophomore]: No, the MCAT only covers Sociology, Psychology, and writing. Didn't you hear?
[Me]: *voice inside my head in the tone of a supportive Queen Latifah* Oh honey...
[Sophomore]: Ya they changed it for 2015
[Me]: No, they added those sections along with adding biochemistry to the list of testable materials
[Sophomore]: What are you talking about? All of the med students I've spoken to say that you never use any of the stuff you learned throughout college in medical school
[Me]: You still have to remember that stuff for the MCAT.
*I'm not lying about this next part. This seriously came out of her mouth.*
[Sophomore]: Like what stuff? (she proceeds to whip out her notebook) I doubt they would test about random stuff like Ka's, electrical fields, magnetics, or reaction rates. That stuff is ridiculous. Doctor's aren't going to be using any of that stuff.
[Me]: All of that stuff is bread and butter MCAT material. You're also going to have to know stuff like enzyme kinematics for your MCAT. When are you taking the MCAT?
[Sophomore]: I'm taking it in February. My advisor said that I'd only need about a month to study for it so I think that if I start studying about 1.5 months beforehand, that I can definitely score high. Like, 39-42 high, since to get into most medical schools you need like a 36-38.
[Me]: You should definitely delay your MCAT until next summer. There is a lot of stuff you need to get straight before you take it. It is definitely worth waiting a little longer to get a better score.
[Sophomore]:Why? Are you trying to psych me out or something? I'd rather trust my advisor instead of my competition. Just because you didn't get a great score on your MCAT doesn't mean I won't either. I can definitely do well with ~1.5 months of studying.
[Me]: I studied for 3 months, and I got a 33. It's not as easy as you think.
[Sophomore]: Good luck with that. You're probably going to have to retake like my friend.

At this point, she rolled her eyes, gave me attitude, and walked away.

That is literally the last time I ever attended a pre med dinner function hosted by anyone but my local medical school. I was just as appalled by her attitude as I am that her advisor would supposedly tell her that 1 month of studying for the MCAT was sufficient. There was just such a large amount of misinformation coming from her (and other pre meds that night) that I was almost sad.

Now kids, what's the takeaway from this story?

That there's a lot of "stuff" on the MCAT.

 
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J Senpai said:
:diebanana:These snowflakes are so special they get a banquet.
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Well, it was more like a meet and greet with finger foods in the faculty lounge. I don't really think that counts as a banquet, but they called it a dinner.
 
osckey said:
Well, it was more like a meet and greet with finger foods in the faculty lounge. I don't really think that counts as a banquet, but they called it a dinner.
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I hate it when they do this and call it 'dinner'. They used to have these routinely in the President's house at our college (they were super proud of the fact that almost every student in the school was able to have dinner with and speak to the President at some point before graduation), so you get all dressed up, run over, and find that, in fact, you should have eaten first so that you aren't just standing there devouring hors d'oeuvres like a crazy person while standing in a circle with the college President, a handful of professors/college head gurus, and some other starved students...until you spill your drink on someone because finger foods are a great concept until you remember that plate + drink + fingers + napkin = far more than 2 hands.
 
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osckey said:
Well, it was more like a meet and greet with finger foods in the faculty lounge. I don't really think that counts as a banquet, but they called it a dinner.
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Ah, okay. I was under the impression that it was some full blown, congrats for being premed type thing. Like the school that gives out bloody lab coats.

As far as the girl in your post, all I can say is......Oh, honey.
 
My friend told me his goal was to get a 45 on the MCAT, but that he'd be okay with a 40. A 35 was the worst-case scenario.

He was genuinely shocked when I told him that the average was like a 25. He didn't know that getting a 45 is a pretty much unattainable goal.
He's a pretty smart kid though, so I'm sure he'll do alright regardless of how informed he is :p
 
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Lannister said:
My friend told me his goal was to get a 45 on the MCAT, but that he'd be okay with a 40. A 35 was the worst-case scenario.

He was genuinely shocked when I told him that the average was like a 25. He didn't know that getting a 45 is a pretty much unattainable goal.
He's a pretty smart kid though, so I'm sure he'll do alright regardless of how informed he is :p
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I like your friend. I like the way he thinks!
 
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Lannister said:
My friend told me his goal was to get a 45 on the MCAT, but that he'd be okay with a 40. A 35 was the worst-case scenario.

He was genuinely shocked when I told him that the average was like a 25. He didn't know that getting a 45 is a pretty much unattainable goal.
He's a pretty smart kid though, so I'm sure he'll do alright regardless of how informed he is :p
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Well, no one wants to aim low, so it's good he's challenging himself.
 
Except he wasn't challenging himself. He really thought getting a 45 would be easy.
 
Frazier said:
Follow up 100 pages later: 3 years have passed and the once-premed described above works ticketing at Disney. Should have considered DO afterall.
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It's all good if it ends with a Disney fairytale :D
 
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osckey said:
Well, it was more like a meet and greet with finger foods in the faculty lounge. I don't really think that counts as a banquet, but they called it a dinner.
Click to expand...
3ded4c5e4cbf7c3a41f147c14506b8f876edb144b5bb70c64119584ffb67a08e.jpg
 
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osckey said:
From a conversation with a sophmore currently taking gen. chem. 2, physics 2, and reminiscing on bio 2. This occurred at a pre med dinner and we were told to mingle for about 20 minutes between the tables.

[Sophomore]: I'm so glad that I can forget all of this stuff as soon as the semester ends
[Me]: Watch out though, the MCAT is going to cover all of that stuff
[Sophomore]: No, the MCAT only covers Sociology, Psychology, and writing. Didn't you hear?
[Me]: *voice inside my head in the tone of a supportive Queen Latifah* Oh honey...
[Sophomore]: Ya they changed it for 2015
[Me]: No, they added those sections along with adding biochemistry to the list of testable materials
[Sophomore]: What are you talking about? All of the med students I've spoken to say that you never use any of the stuff you learned throughout college in medical school
[Me]: You still have to remember that stuff for the MCAT.
*I'm not lying about this next part. This seriously came out of her mouth.*
[Sophomore]: Like what stuff? (she proceeds to whip out her notebook) I doubt they would test about random stuff like Ka's, electrical fields, magnetics, or reaction rates. That stuff is ridiculous. Doctor's aren't going to be using any of that stuff.
[Me]: All of that stuff is bread and butter MCAT material. You're also going to have to know stuff like enzyme kinematics for your MCAT. When are you taking the MCAT?
[Sophomore]: I'm taking it in February. My advisor said that I'd only need about a month to study for it so I think that if I start studying about 1.5 months beforehand, that I can definitely score high. Like, 39-42 high, since to get into most medical schools you need like a 36-38.
[Me]: You should definitely delay your MCAT until next summer. There is a lot of stuff you need to get straight before you take it. It is definitely worth waiting a little longer to get a better score.
[Sophomore]:Why? Are you trying to psych me out or something? I'd rather trust my advisor instead of my competition. Just because you didn't get a great score on your MCAT doesn't mean I won't either. I can definitely do well with ~1.5 months of studying.
[Me]: I studied for 3 months, and I got a 33. It's not as easy as you think.
[Sophomore]: Good luck with that. You're probably going to have to retake like my friend.

At this point, she rolled her eyes, gave me attitude, and walked away.

That is literally the last time I ever attended a pre med dinner function hosted by anyone but my local medical school. I was just as appalled by her attitude as I am that her advisor would supposedly tell her that 1 month of studying for the MCAT was sufficient. There was just such a large amount of misinformation coming from her (and other pre meds that night) that I was almost sad.

Now kids, what's the takeaway from this story?

That there's a lot of "stuff" on the MCAT.

Click to expand...

You know what pisses me off the most? When they finally understand that they were wrong and then ***** and moan about it. Say that the test isnt fair and that its too hard and that these are "unrealistic expectations" of them
 
Uafl112 said:
You know what pisses me off the most? When they finally understand that they were wrong and then ***** and moan about it. Say that the test isnt fair and that its too hard and that these are "unrealistic expectations" of them
Click to expand...

Yet there are still too many qualified applicants out there applying every year. Those extremely uninformed pre-meds are not funny they are extremely annoying. I just had one supersenior pre-med tell me that ALL electives that I take must be upper division because otherwise they won't count for anything! She went as far as saying that I am confused by the requirements of my degree, no wonder she's taking so long to graduate ..
 
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allenlchs said:
Yet there are still too many qualified applicants out there applying every year. Those extremely uninformed pre-meds are not funny they are extremely annoying. I just had one supersenior pre-med tell me that ALL electives that I take must be upper division because otherwise they won't count for anything! She went as far as saying that I am confused by the requirements of my degree, no wonder she's taking so long to graduate ..
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Poor her. if she only did her research...

I am in a dry spell right now because there seems to be very, very few premeds at my summer program. But bet your ass, as soon as I hear something hilarious/misinformed, I will post it here and cackle uncontrollably.
 
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