Anybody else feels crappy after reading SDN

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CodeBlu said:
First off, I wasn't trying to make anyone else feel crappy. But, really? Did you miss the part where I got a 30 the first time around? And my GPA sucks in comparison with a C+ in organic chemistry II. Then I studied my tail off for a month straight, 12 hour days, no drinking (whatsoever).

If you feel crappy, wake up, smell the coffee. Change something up and you can get a sweet MCAT score/along with a great GPA. Let's get serious, if anyone tells you they didn't study all that much for the MCAT, they're either not that serious about medicine, or they're LYING.

Best of luck to you FattySlug!
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Aw Man. I was usually on the receiving end of that statement when I was in HS and part of Summer 1. I had certain students in my English class bring their mcat prep materials and just swag (?) it out. When I decided to question them about it, they were extremely pompous and boasted of consistent high (upper 30s) scores with minimal study time...It always made me sick. However, me being on SDN so much (which will dramatically reduce once I enter the fall semester) has made me realize that I have to strive for excellence and do my work and not get distracted. Thanks SDN. I love you! 😍........somewhat.
 
Mahliah said:
This site is deff motivation for me not to screw up when I do reach college. My original plans were to party and have a great time freshman year, but all those low gpa threads have changed my mind haa:laugh:
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no, by the love of god have fun in college.
Swiss Medical said:
Aw Man. I was usually on the receiving end of that statement when I was in HS and part of Summer 1. I had certain students in my English class bring their mcat prep materials and just swag (?) it out. When I decided to question them about it, they were extremely pompous and boasted of consistent high (upper 30s) scores with minimal study time...It always made me sick. However, me being on SDN so much (which will dramatically reduce once I enter the fall semester) has made me realize that I have to strive for excellence and do my work and not get distracted. Thanks SDN. I love you! 😍........somewhat.
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we don't love you back
- SDN
 
It's definitely a good idea to take everything here with a grain of salt and when its time to check about interview invites for specific schools give yourself a break and do it once a week. No need to go crazy here people.
 
therunner12 said:
Oh a 30!? You poor thing.
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That was my thought. "Did you not hear the part where I got a 30 the first go around" Man get the f$ck outta here. Its not the best but you know dam well thats typically a good score. It would have been different if you went from the low 20's to a 37.. anyways Im ranting.... damm sdners.👎
 
Doctor246853 said:
That was my thought. "Did you not hear the part where I got a 30 the first go around" Man get the f$ck outta here. Its not the best but you know dam well thats typically a good score. It would have been different if you went from the low 20's to a 37.. anyways Im ranting.... damm sdners.👎
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Honestly, while I get the frustration, some of you are a bit sensitive. Just let it go. Truthfully, anyone with a 25+ did above average, so really there are very few people on SDN who can rightfully whine about how terribly they did. Yes, a 30 is decent, but it's still not great if you want to go MD.
 
CodeBlu said:
Let's get serious, if anyone tells you they didn't study all that much for the MCAT, they're either not that serious about medicine, or they're LYING.
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I don't want to come off as a pompous ass, but this isn't always true. I studied for 2 weeks, and I'm serious about medicine. I think the biggest key to getting a high MCAT score is a strong undergrad curriculum.
 
My take on the MCAT is that its 70% psychological and 30% actual knowledge. It took me a few tries to get past the idea that this test is basically worth 4yrs of your life. I just went in and thought, whatever happens...happens and I ended up getting a decent score out of it. Now I'm just mad that I didn't do better in UG.
 
CodeBlu said:
SDN has a way of making you feel horrible about yourself...
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Codeblu.... You know better. Don't even pretend to wallow in self-doubt. You have a great score.

I was fortunate enough to come on SDN halfway through the application process. Ignorance is *sometimes* bliss.
 
SDN can be depressing. But atleast it's good to know others are in just as much despair as me!

We had a program at our school called PMED which by all accounts was more depressing than SDN. Every Friday for 2 hours we were bombarded with what we needed to do to get into school. Worst part is that they held a committee letter over out heads, so as to threaten that without it we were doomed to a life of failure and cheap booze. I found myself in a drunken stupor every night following those sessions, just trying to feel good about my future 🙂 At least I felt good about those nights😀
 
littlefaster said:
I don't want to come off as a pompous ass, but this isn't always true. I studied for 2 weeks, and I'm serious about medicine. I think the biggest key to getting a high MCAT score is a strong undergrad curriculum.
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I think if you spent 2 weeks studying for the MCAT you are either very knowledgeable about what you're up against, very arrogant, or not taking this seriously.
 
Narmerguy said:
I think if you spent 2 weeks studying for the MCAT you are either very knowledgeable about what you're up against, very arrogant, or not taking this seriously.
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Actually I know quite a few people who did that... I think that it's way easier for people who have taken upper level courses in the areas covered by the MCAT. A biochemistry major who took courses like adv. ochem, adv. physiology & genetics, pchem, inorganic chem etc. wouldn't to review much at all.

Unfortunately I've only got the chem part so I still need to buckle down a study, but it's definitely possible.
 
the thing is, if you're a person who only needs to study a couple of weeks to get a 33 or whatever (and yes, this is undoubtedly possible), why not study for a couple of months and nab a 40?
 
RogueUnicorn said:
the thing is, if you're a person who only needs to study a couple of weeks to get a 33 or whatever (and yes, this is undoubtedly possible), why not study for a couple of months and nab a 40?
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Because there are people who study a couple of weeks, are able to remember absolutely everything they've ever read, and get 40+. I hate them.
 
If anything, I feel that SDN has given me more confidence to attempt things that I normally wouldn't. As I have accomplished one personal goal after another, I have gained a sense that this journey toward becoming a doctor is more than possible. I have also learned the finer art of being a gunner. :laugh:

But seriously, people should realize that plenty of people with 3.7s and 30s do get into medical school. Having a 40+ MCAT and 4.0 are ideal but not very realistic for the most of us. What SDN can teach you is how to make your application an overall success.
 
RogueUnicorn said:
the thing is, if you're a person who only needs to study a couple of weeks to get a 33 or whatever (and yes, this is undoubtedly possible), why not study for a couple of months and nab a 40?
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I got a 35 off of 2 weeks of studying, and as a previous poster said, being a biochem major is REALLY helpful. I like to go out a lot, socialize, and have a life. With my class schedule studying for a couple of months wasn't really an option. I realize a 35 doesn't look nearly as good on paper as a 40, but it's really only a few less correct answers. Anything 35+ has marginal returns, so if you can score a 35 naturally or kill yourself studying to MAYBE get a 40, why not relax? Obviously this doesn't apply to most applicants, but some people can pull these scores. For me, the best way to study for the MCAT was to do well in my prereqs. We're all different though. 🙂

Taking classes like physiology and biochemistry help immensely, IMO. I've also noticed that those who are very good at classes like organic chemistry tend to do well on the MCAT. I think the thought processes are similar--this is why o chem is a weed out class for medical school.
 
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littlefaster said:
I got a 35 off of 2 weeks of studying, and as a previous poster said, being a biochem major is REALLY helpful. I like to go out a lot, socialize, and have a life. With my class schedule studying for a couple of months wasn't really an option. I realize a 35 doesn't look nearly as good on paper as a 40, but it's really only a few less correct answers. Anything 35+ has marginal returns, so if you can score a 35 naturally or kill yourself studying to MAYBE get a 40, why not relax? Obviously this doesn't apply to most applicants, but some people can pull these scores. For me, the best way to study for the MCAT was to do well in my prereqs. We're all different though. 🙂

Taking classes like physiology and biochemistry help immensely, IMO. I've also noticed that those who are very good at classes like organic chemistry tend to do well on the MCAT. I think the thought processes are similar--this is why o chem is a weed out class for medical school.
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The amount you have to study for the MCAT is inversely related to how well you learned the subjects the first time through. That's simultaneously the best and worst thing about the MCAT: your score shows what you understand.
 
I remember how stress-inducing SDN was when I was still an undergrad, but knowing that I did a decent job pushing myself during those times makes SDN more bearable, to the point where I find that I can actually enjoy it more than the stress it causes. Or maybe it's because I'm just as neurotic now as some SDN posters...😛
 
ModerateMouse said:
Yeah, my biggest problem with SDN was that I spent way too much time on it.

Feeling bad when comparing myself to other applicants was a (more minor) concern as well, but I always tried to take those comparisons with a grain of salt.

Just look at me now... I haven't seriously read through SDN in many months, and yet I am back here and reading threads just because I submitted the primary tonight.

Actually, even worse than the waste of time for me was that sneaking suspicion that I was missing out on something that could make me a better applicant.

Sometimes, most frequently late at night, I would become obsessed with the idea that if I just read a couple of more threads there might be some nugget of information in them that I had been missing out on.

Yikes 😱

I guess it's a good thing I stopped going on SDN :scared:
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Oh my god. It's like you're me. Except, substitute "a year" for "many months" above...
 
Reading the WAMC board gives me much needed peace of mind knowing that I won't have to go through the s***storm infamously known as the application process. :scared:
 
Not really. It actually motivates me to do better in my classes and work harder for my goals. Also, I get some entertainment by some of the posts, so I don't mind reading some of the stuff here. It also gets me excited for the future.

However, I'm really depressed by the worthless arguments online on topics such as "is science dying as a career"/"business, accounting, and engineering are the only majors that have decent lives"/"the country will collapse"/etc. That depresses me because I become less certain on what the future holds.
 
Seeing all the premeds who made an A in organic chemistry makes me feel dumb.
 
AntiHouseMD said:
However, I'm really depressed by the worthless arguments online on topics such as "is science dying as a career"/"business, accounting, and engineering are the only majors that have decent lives"/"the country will collapse"/etc. That depresses me because I become less certain on what the future holds.
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You find those worthless 😱 I find those to be the most worthwhile arguments there are on this forum. We stop arguing whether shadowing 50 doctors for an hour looks better than shadowing 1 doctor for 50 and instead talk about a general societal trend that is much bigger than our application process but still will impact all of us in very tangible ways.
 
Narmerguy said:
You find those worthless 😱 I find those to be the most worthwhile arguments there are on this forum. We stop arguing whether shadowing 50 doctors for an hour looks better than shadowing 1 doctor for 50 and instead talk about a general societal trend that is much bigger than our application process but still will impact all of us in very tangible ways.
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I don't mean on this website (the discussions here have actually been quite helpful). I mean the arguments on other websites with themes like (every field except engineering and business is dying) and (the country will collapse because of the Democrats/Republicans). They make it seem like there's really no way for anyone to succeed in the future unless you fit a very specific mold. Here, many types of people are able to succeed in what they do. That is one of the things that motivates me despite all of the pessimism that's around.
 
Thanks, now I feel crappy after reading SDN. I'll take back my original post.
 
zeppelin125 said:
I've come to realize that many of the pre-med SDN members reflect the top 25% of the applicants that you are competing against. In the "real world", most of the pre-meds I know didn't score above a 30 on their MCATs, and many have had B's and C's during their undergraduate career, and are still getting acceptances to MD's. SDN has the tendency to make you feel neurotic and compare yourself against these hugely successful individuals, but make a plan on how you're going to get into medical school, stick to it, and watch the positive outcomes, and you shouldn't feel lousy about reading the forums.
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Options:
a) Go on neurotic forum and try to be in the top 25%, where if you fail your resume will actually be far above most other's applicants (very competitive) and you may actually still get in with "only" your 32;
b) Get off SDN and be in the bottom 75%, potentially be a cookie cutter applicant and struggle.

I will never be near the 25% but I'm sure as **** not going to be the bottom 75%. I've gotten my share of B's and C's.
 
Doctor246853 said:
That was my thought. "Did you not hear the part where I got a 30 the first go around" Man get the f$ck outta here. Its not the best but you know dam well thats typically a good score. It would have been different if you went from the low 20's to a 37.. anyways Im ranting.... damm sdners.👎
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u mad?
 
pfaction said:
Options:
a) Go on neurotic forum and try to be in the top 25%, where if you fail your resume will actually be far above most other's applicants (very competitive) and you may actually still get in with "only" your 32;
b) Get off SDN and be in the bottom 75%, potentially be a cookie cutter applicant and struggle.

I will never be near the 25% but I'm sure as **** not going to be the bottom 75%. I've gotten my share of B's and C's.
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😕
 
I would damagecontrol but in all honesty I didn't know which numbers to suggest where I should be.
 
fattyslug said:
i spent that last 2 weeks reading a lot on sdn and it seems to me like every other poster was rocking a 3.7 and bombing the mcat 35+. Anything below that and you are in for an uphill battle.

i saw this one poster who got 40n the 1st time but took it again for the writing sample and got 41q. I was like wtf!!!???
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lol
 
IwannabeDrP said:
ahhh sorry brochocho......Too late
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Next time I'll remember that only your experience with the MCAT matters. 😎

But back on topic--SDN has motivated me a lot, but it's also discouraged me too. Some information has proven extrememly useful. On the other hand, seeing the resumes of some SDN users has slowed down my PS writing because I've gotten into the "my experiences aren't good enough" mindset.
 
Frazier said:
[/b]


1 + 1 = 3

2 + 2 = 9

25% + 75% = ?
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lol!

yeh i think the big things with SDN:
1. you get to hear the idealized versions of who you want to become, which thus motivates you to aim higher instead of staying in your comfort zone
2. the people here are ridiculous and the people who post their scores are ridiculous so you're more likely to hear the 3.9 40 MCAT more than anything else
3. you also find solace in threads like this where people are aiming for the same thing you are but have the same grades you do
 
The posts where people are like OH MY GOD I GOT A B IN CHEMISTRY or something like that but they still have a 3.98 gpa...
 
For the most part, only the people who are proud of their scores (or are lying) actually post numbers here on SDN. I think that's why the perception is that everyone here is a stellar student. For my part, I never outright posted my scores or grades here because they aren't amazing and I feel lucky to have been accepted to a school. I don't feel the need to have my undergrad/pre-med performance to follow me any farther than it needs to.

So I guess it's partially the fault of people like me, that by our omissions we keep the SDN average high haha.
 
TheProwler said:
u mad?
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tn78241007.jpg
 
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