Too much competition?...

Started by ktworld
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ktworld

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OK so I'm a pre-med freshmen who's completely overwhemled by the competition...not really sure if I want to continue with medicine, but to those other pre-med's struggling or just whoever, how do you deal with the stress? Another thing was that I was just starting to volunteer at a hospital, i never have before. What are key interactions between staff and patients in a hospital and between staff members themselves? And what are unique qualities/hcaracteristics for pre-med's/med students to have in order to work thoroughly with other students/staff/patients?
 
How are you feeling competition? Of course there are going to be tons of smart pre-meds. Just prove you're smarter and can work harder.
 
One thing that helps me is to read all of the lame/stupid comments that people write on here. They are the competition, so that usually calms me down a bit.
 
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I'll tell you what my pre-med advisor told me: for every 20 students that start out as pre-meds only 1 actually endures through the whole process. Now that I'm in my last semester I see how every single friend that I've made that was a pre-med has changed their minds and are now pre-dentistry or physical therapy or something else.

Alot of people are going to talk big in order to seem big...don't let that get to you in any way. Will you feel inadequate compared to some? Always. Let that drive you. Just stick with it...ignore the people and focus on your studying. I think you'll be surprised in a few years when some of the people that had used to make you feel inferior decided to change their goals to physical therapy because of some lame reason like "i don't like the hours doctors work." Hang in there.
 
The comments in here are pretty good... I do, however, feel the medical school application process is ridiculously and unnecessarily competitive :laugh:
 
ktworld said:
OK so I'm a pre-med freshmen who's completely overwhemled by the competition...not really sure if I want to continue with medicine, but to those other pre-med's struggling or just whoever, how do you deal with the stress? Another thing was that I was just starting to volunteer at a hospital, i never have before. What are key interactions between staff and patients in a hospital and between staff members themselves? And what are unique qualities/hcaracteristics for pre-med's/med students to have in order to work thoroughly with other students/staff/patients?
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As a volunteer you're not really going to be able to actually do anything--and they don't expect you too. There are legal issues that prevent volunteers from touching patients and even some that deal with what a volunteer can say to a patient. Just observe everything going on around you...get a feel for what the world of medicine is like, and most of all, determine if you can see yourself doing what you see the doctors do.
 
Don't worry about the competition. Just do your part and do well in your classes and the MCAT and everything else will fall into its place.

If you worry about who did better on that Organic Exam and possible ways to get beat him/her score....it's not going to work out.

Live stress free and you will be fine. 👍
 
I think you'll be surprised in a few years when some of the people that had used to make you feel inferior decided to change their goals to physical therapy because of some lame reason like "i don't like the hours doctors work."
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I think wanting to work a "normal" 40-hour week is a pretty decent reason to not become a doctor. I kind of doubt physical therapists have that sort of schedule, but still, if you don't like the lifestyle, don't pursue the career. Working 70+ hours gets in the way of, well, everything, so I definitely can't blame someone for bailing because of that.

Threads like these make me really glad I didn't have to deal with this competition at all in college. Everyone I knew in my classes was really supportive and cool, for the most part. I'd never even heard the expression "gunner" until I found SDN in the semester before I started med school. Sucks for you guys. 😛
 
I've learned to like working under stress (part of why I can't imagine pursuing a less intense career) and its best if you channel that tension and use it in your favor to get yourself in gear. You know what they say about this career: it's not a sprint, but a marathon.

Also whenever other pre-meds start talking big or flashing their almighty premed endevours, you have to understand that it's a major defense mechansim. Don't let it psych you out! It's the silent (but confident) pre-med kids that are the true runners of this race, so become one 😉

Just remember, it has to be what you want, not anyone else.
 
MilkmanAl said:
I think wanting to work a "normal" 40-hour week is a pretty decent reason to not become a doctor. I kind of doubt physical therapists have that sort of schedule, but still, if you don't like the lifestyle, don't pursue the career. Working 70+ hours gets in the way of, well, everything, so I definitely can't blame someone for bailing because of that.

Threads like these make me really glad I didn't have to deal with this competition at all in college. Everyone I knew in my classes was really supportive and cool, for the most part. I'd never even heard the expression "gunner" until I found SDN in the semester before I started med school. Sucks for you guys. 😛
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what's a gunner?
 
Aromatic Amine said:
Don't worry about the competition. Just do your part and do well in your classes and the MCAT and everything else will fall into its place.

If you worry about who did better on that Organic Exam and possible ways to get beat him/her score....it's not going to work out.

Live stress free and you will be fine. 👍
Click to expand...

This is truth. Do not fixate on what other people are doing. It's all about you. Do as much work as you need for you to feel PERSONALLY satisfied with your performance. Don't worry about other people's performances. Despite most of these classes being graded on a curve, it's not really all that much of a competition. If you know the material well, you'll do well, regardless of what other people are doing.
 
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I'm just hoping for the best. There's a lot of smart people here and i'm definately not up there at the top with grades but i'm holding on and with the exception of slip ups and lazy days i've been pretty serious about my work.

I guess just work hard, find days to relax now and then and allow for a few slip ups. I definately have and still face moments of stress and there's a lot of premeds around me. The thought of only a small percentage of us making it through as premed is scary because I don't see myself anywhere near the top.

However I honestly like what I am learning and aside from the stress I enjoy a bit of a challenge in school.
Really just work hard, hope for the best and try to have some fun too.
 
The competition is fine and needed, you need to weed out the less qualified individuals. Medicine is a science after all, not a competition to see who can hug with the most conviction.

One thing that I think does need to be changed is the vague and arbitrary portions of the acceptance process. They really need to have goals or targets people need to reach in order to meet an acceptance level, barring some failing such as a criminal record, history of cheating etc. To be entirely honest I'm very surprised the clubby nature of many schools hasn't been the subject of legal action. An attempt to intuit an applicants level of altruism by feeling is not only silly but a bit frightening for a group that claims to be part of a science.
 
The problem with that approach is that applicants would be even more mechanical than they already are. I agree that it would be nice to have some clarity in the admissions process, but instituting a checklist is not the solution. You have to keep those vague portions around, or everyone in medicine would just be an academic robot. The process favors those types of people strongly enough as it is.
 
The simple truth is that any field you decide to pursue with the intent of achieving great success will conjur up competition from other people who also want to do well. Let me give you an example, I am a pre-med that is going into a very competitive field (medicine) duh!. My friends & family are doing business, and also feel strong competition from people who also want to be promoted/increase client base/maximize profits/etc/etc/etc.
 
Get friends at school who aren't pre-med. Yeah, those pre-meds (for now) are in all/most of your classes, but if you can find people that are going in a completely different direction, it makes it way easier. My best friend is a music major. The only class we took together was an art class, and that was so ridiculous we couldn't have competed if we wanted to.

Plus with non-science/non-med friends, you won't be talking about school 24/7, which is always nice.
 
I've always felt pretty lucky that the pre-meds at my undergrad were not horribly competitive with each other. Talking to friends at other schools, it seemed like they had to deal with a lot of competitive crap which had nothing to do with making yourself better, and everything to do with making everyone else look bad. I don't think I would have dealt well with that.
 
Tutmos said:
The competition is fine and needed, you need to weed out the less qualified individuals. Medicine is a science after all, not a competition to see who can hug with the most conviction.

One thing that I think does need to be changed is the vague and arbitrary portions of the acceptance process. They really need to have goals or targets people need to reach in order to meet an acceptance level, barring some failing such as a criminal record, history of cheating etc. To be entirely honest I'm very surprised the clubby nature of many schools hasn't been the subject of legal action. An attempt to intuit an applicants level of altruism by feeling is not only silly but a bit frightening for a group that claims to be part of a science.
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You speak as if you've never been through interviews for a "normal" job...the process is "unfair" wherever you go.
 
greatnt249 said:
You speak as if you've never been through interviews for a "normal" job...the process is "unfair" wherever you go.
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Funny you should mention that. I'm an employer and I've interviewed hundreds of people over the past decade and I would have been sued into bankruptcy years ago if I followed the same practices.

I don't mean to sound bitter at all, because I'm not. I'll play by whatever the rules are in the process, I just think it could be improved for the applicants with more specific guidelines on what each school would like to see, instead of relying on assumptions from the internet.
 
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If your worrried about the competition in college, so much so that you are thinking of giving up your dream, how will you make it through med school and everything after that? If this is what you really want to do and you believe you can do it then don't give up so early in your journey.

I am very lucky to have the volunteer position that I do. I get patient contact all the time on every shift because its all part of my unit. I work with kids and do activities/crafts, etc with them. I talk with them and sometimes with their parents. It gives me experience in building good relationships with patients. Its about being polite, courteous, kind, empathic, etc. I also get to become familiar with rules and regulations of a hospital such as codes, do's and do not's.

Like I would tell my friends who complain about the difficulty of persuing this career - it is hard, and its only going to get more difficult as you progress. Just accept it and decide whether you are ready for that and ready to put in the effort it takes. Your dream career will be worth it in the end if you truthfully want it for the right reasons. Good luck 🙂
 
Honestly? Don't hang out with the pre-med crowd if it bothers you that much. And if you need to be under pressure to function well, then compete with yourself, because in the end, the med school app process is really you competing with yourself to not satisfy your other (more unproductive desires) so you can succeed. with thousands upon thousands of applicants, you are only very indirectly competing with Joe from your O-chem class, because one spot in a class of 200 isn't that big of a deal.
 
Competition should be part of what drives you...and your Passion should help you endure the bumpy road. The best advice I have ever gotten in my life (I was once in your shoes...questioning the commitment and endurance needed) is to take everything one step at a time. If you are starting as a freshman in college and envisioning a career in medicine, you may burn out trying to reach the top of the hill in one jump. Take it in small steps. Concentrate on the general sciences and do well. Then concentrate on succeeding on Orgo and Physics..and then EC's and volunteer and shadowing...etc. Focusing on smaller steps gave me more endurance and I felt like I was constantly succeeding...instead of viewing "Medical School Acceptance" as the only success.

And remind yourself everyday (no matter good or bad) that this is what you want and need to do. In the end it will be worth it and your dedication will move you past the competition. And I've seen PLENTY of people in undergrad with top grades that would make AWFUL doctors.
 
MilkmanAl said:
It's someone who is determined to succeed at all costs and will readily undercut others to do so. They're otherwise known as "douchebags" or "people I punch on sight."
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Gunners are also the know-it-all types that always have their hand up to answer every question, and go on an on just to hear themselves talk.
 
futureboy said:
Gunners are also the know-it-all types that always have their hand up to answer every question, and go on an on just to hear themselves talk.
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No, this is it's reassigned definition; the traditional meaning of "gunner" implied that someone was willing to throw others under the bus to advance themselves. It's just not the same without that cutthroat element to it.
 
man, screw the competition. dont listen to or worry about other pre-meds. study, do well in class, rock the mcat and tell em all to shove it when you get accepted and they are left talking about "hopes and wishes" for when they go to med school
 
Aromatic Amine said:
Don't worry about the competition. Just do your part and do well in your classes and the MCAT and everything else will fall into its place.

If you worry about who did better on that Organic Exam and possible ways to get beat him/her score....it's not going to work out.

Live stress free and you will be fine. 👍
Click to expand...

Agreed. Worrying about what everyone else is doing is just wasting precious time that could be spent having fun or sleeping. Wasting time freaking out is what will screw you over. Work your hardest, compete with yourself to continue to improve. Push yourself but not for the purpose of being the best, but rather doing your best. You can't beat yourself up if you know that you gave it your all. And if you are going to end up in medschool you better get comfortable with not always being top dog because you will be surrounded by other brilliant people constantly. Just commit and work hard and forget about the game of admissions for now.
 
I never felt like it was a "competition" with other students. The only person I was really fighting was myself, trying to get good grades/experiences, and trying to balance it with a healthy social life. Even during the interview process, I didn't feel like the other people in the room were my competitors... it's about doing your best and helping others, not about beating the "other guy."
 
ktworld said:
OK so I'm a pre-med freshmen who's completely overwhemled by the competition...not really sure if I want to continue with medicine, but to those other pre-med's struggling or just whoever, how do you deal with the stress? Another thing was that I was just starting to volunteer at a hospital, i never have before. What are key interactions between staff and patients in a hospital and between staff members themselves? And what are unique qualities/hcaracteristics for pre-med's/med students to have in order to work thoroughly with other students/staff/patients?
Click to expand...

Remember being a pre-med does not mean you have to major in Biology/Chemistry or any of the sciences for that matter. Here are few things that helped me through the process:

1. Major in something you love and passionate about. If that turns out to be Biology, that's fine. But how about engineering, business, philosophy, english...If you do major in something other than the sciences, devise a plan to take the required science classes before your Junior year.

2. You do not have to volunteer at a hospital to go to medical school. You have to somehow show the adcom that you are compassionate and have an idea about what you are getting yourself into. Volunteer at food pantries, habitat for humanity...Shadow a doctor.

3. Find a balance in your life. Set aside some time to relax. I know this is easier to be said than done. Play sports, sing, dance whatever gets you going.

4. Get involved with extracurricular activities that you love. A myth among pre-med students is that you have to be a member of this club and that club to get into medical school. This is far from the truth. Adcom is looking for a balanced, motivated, compassionate and hard working person. Not a member of certain clubs.

5. Do not think of your classmates as your competition. Learn from each other.

6. Most importantly, help others out. This is what you will be doing for rest of your life. If you do not like doing that, I think it is time to think of a different career.
 
Daedra22 said:
I never felt like it was a "competition" with other students. The only person I was really fighting was myself, trying to get good grades/experiences, and trying to balance it with a healthy social life. Even during the interview process, I didn't feel like the other people in the room were my competitors... it's about doing your best and helping others, not about beating the "other guy."
Click to expand...

You're an excellent example! 👍
 
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