Advice from a third year medical student...

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Fourth year is suppose to be bomb.
 
Dr.TobiasFünke;6841331 said:
medical school is the worst thing to ever happen to me

Then...stop whining on an internet forum and drop out?

I guess I can cut you off before the inevitable "but I'm too far in debt" response.
 
Dr.TobiasFünke;6841331 said:
medical school is the worst thing to ever happen to me

When you were a first year medical student and posted on this forum, you seemed very positive about your experience at Columbia as I recall. So what has happened to change your mind?
 
I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess someone got bad scores on their step 2
 
I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess someone got bad scores on their step 2


That sounds plausible. Dream residency flushed down the toilet?
 
When you were a first year medical student and posted on this forum, you seemed very positive about your experience at Columbia as I recall. So what has happened to change your mind?

Third year did, I think.
 
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No, the OP is not a troll. I respected his posts. But it seems like he quit posting during the last year. I am curious to know what happened to alter his perspective on his career in medicine. If I recall his biography accurately, he should just be starting his third year rotations.
 
No, the OP is not a troll. I respected his posts. But it seems like he quit posting during the last year. I am curious to know what happened to alter his perspective on his career in medicine. If I recall his biography accurately, he should just be starting his third year rotations.

I too hope that you can elaborate on your advice. Saying "don't do it" doesn't say much. Why don't you give some details? Why did you change your mind? If you have lost your shot at your desired residency, then I can understand how disappointed you may be, but I don't think that would be enough reason to prevent others to try.
 
doesn't like being bossed around by the higher ups
 
Well, Tobias just needs to spend some time with Panda Bear to get rejuvenated and to rediscover his passion for the healing arts.
 
Dr.TobiasFünke;6841312 said:
Don't Do It!

Let the great experiment begin!

ill be your wingman. even if it means me taking a chubby i will gladly suck it right up.

analrapist.jpg
 
So, it looks like the OP threw out 3 posts in 6 minutes...maybe a really, really, bad day?
 
yeah whats the deal? why do you hate medicine now? Did you just blue yourself?
 
please take your negativity elsewhere. we pre-meds would do anything to take your place.
 
Do step 2s even count for anything?

If you take them early or are going into one of the small handful of residencies that require them, they can. Most people either only take them early to balance out a poor step 1, or because they are going into something that wants to see a score. So most folks will be taking them during 4th year at a time when they won't really matter (so long as you pass) for residency.
 
Fourth year is suppose to be bomb.

It's mostly perceived this way because it is packaged in between 3rd year of med school and the first year of residency, both of which are draining and intense. So 4th year is your breather. But it's hardly the bomb if you are looking at it from a college perspective. Because you still have sub-Is in which you work the long hours, audition rotations in which you need to wow people, Step 2 (two parts), applications/interviews. And some folks take harder electives to try and give themselves a good background for various residencies, or pack in some last minute research they can talk about on the interview trail. So I'd still say some of those college days of a few hours of class a day and then happy hour, or tailgating before the big game, would beat 4th year pretty handily.

But yeah, once you match in late March, it's kind of a nice coast until you start up residency in July.
 
OP, im really sorry that you seem to be having a really rough time, but i really wish you would elaborate... I applied this cycle and columbia is one of my top choices and I would really like to know why you are so unhappy... If you have a few moments to share it here or PM me, i would greatly appreciate it
 
OP, im really sorry that you seem to be having a really rough time, but i really wish you would elaborate... I applied this cycle and columbia is one of my top choices and I would really like to know why you are so unhappy... If you have a few moments to share it here or PM me, i would greatly appreciate it

I won't speak for the OP, but doubt his issue is Columbia specific.
While it's nice to get out of the classroom, finally, and actually see and do stuff, 3rd year of med school is rough. You will often be getting to the hospital by 5 am on some rotations. You will often have overnight calls (staying overnight working on the wards), which can be as frequent as every 3rd or 4th night in some rotations. You might not get weekends off on some rotations. You will be on your feet all day, walking rounds, standing in surgeries holding retractors, etc. until your feet are sore and blistered. You will experience the 80 hour work week first hand on some rotations. And then be expected to go home and study an hour or two for the shelf exam or to be prepared for various pimp questions or presentations each night. So it's rough. On top of that, the grading is quite subjective, people who have been up all night can be a bit cranky and short fused, and your time is not your own. So it's hard. It's meant to be. Sort of residency-lite. Everybody survives it.
 
Also, depending on how well the school looks out for its students during rotations, you might find yourself doing a lot of "scut" work instead of learning the things you need to know.

One of the things I liked about UPenn (and tried to research about my schools) was that the M3 and M4s there said that they found rotations to be generally very educational and rewarding, and never had any complaints about being treated disrespectfully by their residents or attendings.
 
never had any complaints about being treated disrespectfully by their residents or attendings.

"never" is an impossible and unrealistic standard. I'd be shocked if this was the case. Every med student I have met has come across at least one superior they would just as soon have skipped. Many, more than one.
 
"never" is an impossible and unrealistic standard. I'd be shocked if this was the case. Every med student I have met has come across at least one superior they would just as soon have skipped.

Haha, I realize that, and I definitely took it with a grain of salt since they were obviously representing the school, and were trying to make a good impression on us. I guess it would be better to say, none of them had strong enough complaints of those years that were worth mentioning to us, and that they all seem to review those years very positively. My m4 interviewer was ridiculously relaxed and happy (this was in December), which I took to be a good sign.

Of course, its a self selected group of students who choose to be interviewers. Haha, I also saw an archived thread on SDN about "easiest clinical rotations" and Penn was mentioned as having pretty gentle ones...hopefully that's still true :)
 
"never" is an impossible and unrealistic standard. I'd be shocked if this was the case. Every med student I have met has come across at least one superior they would just as soon have skipped. Many, more than one.

And while I realize it may be a totally different experience as a resident at Penn, I have read some horrifying anecdotal stuff about malignant residencies there...is it reasonable to assume that stuff trickles down to the med students, too?
 
The problem with trying to research stuff like this about schools, is that almost all of it is anecdotal :( I wish they made all their M3s and M4s do a rating system of rotations or something that was put into the MSAR, lol, wishful thinking...

Even then, it might not even matter, because the residents are constantly changing too. Maybe it really doesn't matter which school you're at, you just hope you get lucky in who your superiors are that month?

This was the best I could find, but its about residencies and not clinical rotations as a med student, so it might not be at all relevant, lol. And of course, it's anecdotal and self selected, etc.

http://www.scutwork.com/cgi-bin/links/search.cgi?d=1&query=university+of+pennsylvania
 
From the last dozen people I've talked to medical school was fun, amazing, etc. So, I'm not particularly worried about 1 person on an internet forum
 
What is wrong with you people? Just because the OP is upset and miserable, you assume he/she has done poorly on a test or "lost their shot at a dream residency?" There's more to it than that. Residency is probably the last thing on the OP's mind at this point. Medical school will make you miserable. I don't care how upbeat, how positive, how naively optimistic you are.
I will never understand how pre-meds get so uppity in the defense of a career path that they haven't even started down. I understand and can empathize with the OP's frustration. You have no idea how many times you will think "NOTHING is worth this much stress."
 
Medical school will make you miserable. I don't care how upbeat, how positive, how naively optimistic you are.
I will never understand how pre-meds get so uppity in the defense of a career path that they haven't even started down. I understand and can empathize with the OP's frustration. You have no idea how many times you will think "NOTHING is worth this much stress."


QFT. right on, ladywolverine.

hopefully things will get better for the OP. :luck:
 
I too hope that you can elaborate on your advice. Saying "don't do it" doesn't say much. Why don't you give some details? Why did you change your mind? If you have lost your shot at your desired residency, then I can understand how disappointed you may be, but I don't think that would be enough reason to prevent others to try.


Nobody loses their shot at a desired residency in third year, at least not in one fell swoop where one test puts that coveted dermatology spot out of your reach. You're not even applying yet.

The OP is the only rational one here. Third year, although it has its moments, blows with the power of a thousand hurricanes and I dislike almost all of it intensely. Now, if your idea of a rocking good time is to follow some boring attending around talking about sodium and potassium until you want to plunge a knife in your own heart just to end it...well, you'll do fine.
 
What is wrong with you people? Just because the OP is upset and miserable, you assume he/she has done poorly on a test or "lost their shot at a dream residency?" There's more to it than that. Residency is probably the last thing on the OP's mind at this point. Medical school will make you miserable. I don't care how upbeat, how positive, how naively optimistic you are.
I will never understand how pre-meds get so uppity in the defense of a career path that they haven't even started down. I understand and can empathize with the OP's frustration. You have no idea how many times you will think "NOTHING is worth this much stress."

By the tone of his post, it seems to me that something specific happened to make him say this, not just a med student being generally miserable. It's about time for step 2 (if he's finishing third year) or step 1 (if hes finishing second) so that would be why I guessed that was the issue. So don't put words in my mouth.
 
What is wrong with you people? Just because the OP is upset and miserable, you assume he/she has done poorly on a test or "lost their shot at a dream residency?" There's more to it than that. Residency is probably the last thing on the OP's mind at this point. Medical school will make you miserable. I don't care how upbeat, how positive, how naively optimistic you are.
I will never understand how pre-meds get so uppity in the defense of a career path that they haven't even started down. I understand and can empathize with the OP's frustration. You have no idea how many times you will think "NOTHING is worth this much stress."


These exchanges are so pointless however. It is cathartic for med students to come on here and vent their frustrations to those who will listen to them, and it is a defense mechanism for pre-meds to defend a career that they are going to spend so much time and energy pursuing.

In the end nothing is accomplished.
 
What is wrong with you people? Just because the OP is upset and miserable, you assume he/she has done poorly on a test or "lost their shot at a dream residency?" There's more to it than that. Residency is probably the last thing on the OP's mind at this point. Medical school will make you miserable. I don't care how upbeat, how positive, how naively optimistic you are.
I will never understand how pre-meds get so uppity in the defense of a career path that they haven't even started down. I understand and can empathize with the OP's frustration. You have no idea how many times you will think "NOTHING is worth this much stress."

its just, i cant take anyone with the name DrTobiasFunke... a Tobias Av... the title "analrapist", seriously. its just too funny. I really want to meet Tobias and the masquerading OP irl cause they seem like cool dudes. although, since everyone here only watches shows like Scrubs and ER, i doubt anyone knows who Tobias really is.
 
It's about time for step 2 (if he's finishing third year)

As I mentioned above, this is inaccurate. It isn't time from step 2. Most people won't take step 2 right after 3rd year. You only want to take it this early if (1) you did poorly on step 1, or (2) you are going into one of the very very small handful of residencies that require it prior to applications. Most people will take it later in 4th year, when it won't matter.
 
I will never understand how pre-meds get so uppity in the defense of a career path that they haven't even started down. I understand and can empathize with the OP's frustration. You have no idea how many times you will think "NOTHING is worth this much stress."

Self-defense - it'd be too scary for some people to go down this road if they didn't keep it all sunshine and rainbow colored unicorns.

Personally I prefer to know what's coming and prepare for it. Well, as much as possible. It's also helpful to remember that things are temporary...as miserable as you might be during 3rd year or residency, those don't last forever, right? Right?! :eek: :D
 
Dr.TobiasFünke;6841331 said:
medical school is the worst thing to ever happen to me
:idea: Troll anyone?
 
As I mentioned above, this is inaccurate. It isn't time from step 2. Most people won't take step 2 right after 3rd year. You only want to take it this early if (1) you did poorly on step 1, or (2) you are going into one of the very very small handful of residencies that require it prior to applications. Most people will take it later in 4th year, when it won't matter.

Depends on the school I guess. UW lists the step 2 as needing to be taken after 3rd year.
 
Depends on the school I guess. UW lists the step 2 as needing to be taken after 3rd year.

It's generally "after" but usually not "right after". From a strategic point of view, it's actually a bad idea to take it early if you did well on Step 1 and don't need it early for your particular specialty application -- it can only hurt you. At any rate, I doubt that's the OP's issue since most schools won't have required it at this juncture.
 
Dr.TobiasFünke;6841312 said:
Don't Do It!


I agree with this statement. Withdraw your AMCAS, seriously.

Advice for you Tobias: match for pathology.
 
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