Anybody else in the same boat?

[crabbsmcdonald]

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blah

 

[NotASerialKiller]

Anybody else a pre-med at a small liberal arts college that is sick of feeling like they are in a bubble? I feel like I am the only person that wants to learn more than they are taught in their courses. I guess I'm just really sick of feeling like a big fish in a small pond when I know that there is so much more I need to learn before I become a physician.

My pre-med peers get so hung up on course work that they don't grasp the inefficiencies and inequalities of the current healthcare system. As such, they aren't even thinking about the possible ways that they could improve the system in the future. I spend more time reading and learning about engineering, technology, and economics and design than actual school work. (I don't neglect my required school work, I just get it done as quickly and efficiently as possible so I can do something else.) I realize that learning about the fundamentals of anatomy, physiology, chemistry, biochemistry, etc. is important. But if pre-meds stick to just these kinds of topics, we seriously miss out on learning ways that we can make innovations and impact patients in a holistic manner.

Maybe it is just the optimism bias at work on their part? All I know is, my school isn't prestigious nor very selective and the pre-meds that I have better grades and MCAT score than are comfortable resting on their laurels and assuming they know everything they need to be great doctors. Why are people so comfortable with mediocrity?

Anybody else in the same place? I now realize this was a huge rant.

Not everyone can be as brilliant and ambitious as you

 

[crabbsmcdonald]

Not everyone can be as brilliant and ambitious as you

I will be the first person to admit I am not brilliant

 

[Gilakend]

Go to a party brah.

 

[longhaul3]

I doubt they assume they know "everything they need to be great doctors" but rather that they assume that they will learn all that in medical school. Which is true. All you need to know when you start med school is how to use the internet and a calendar.

 

[Jaigantic]

Maybe rather than musing about how your classmates don't see things the way you do, you take the initiative and teach yourself things beyond what your classes offer? No use in wasting time thinking about others when there's always room for personal improvement.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

and the pre-meds that I have better grades and MCAT score than are comfortable resting on their laurels and assuming they know everything they need to be great doctors. Why are people so comfortable with mediocrity?

Maybe because they know how to play the admissions game? You can’t be a good or bad doctor if you don’t get accepted. If they have higher GPAs and MCATs perhaps it is you who needs to rethink where you are dedicating your time....

 

[DoctorSnow]

This sounds like a huge humble brag post

 

[dr_kateb]

All I know is, my school isn't prestigious nor very selective and the pre-meds that I have better grades and MCAT score than are comfortable resting on their laurels and assuming they know everything they need to be great doctors. Why are people so comfortable with mediocrity?

So why are you in this small liberal arts college and didn't get into WashU or John's Hopkins?

 

[Disciple of Sattar]

Incorporate this into your personal statement.

 

[stickgirl390]

Incorporate this into your personal statement.

 

[chaim123]

TL;DR: Please get over yourself

There's so much to know in this world, and we each learn different things in different ways. Those people you are talking about may not be throwing themselves into healthcare politics, but are learning how to be people, one way or another. As someone who is in the process, I can tell you that adcoms won't care how dedicated you think you are, it's about your actions and what you've been able to show. Which comes from participating in activities outside the classroom. I won't say I've never felt this way before as someone in a similar position, but I have realized that the only person's whose choices will affect my acceptances are my own, and so I stopped worrying about what other people are doing. Congratulate them where they are succeeding, instead of attempting to find a moral high horse.

 

[YeaJeets2]

Being a big fish in an ocean of sharks sucks, relax

 

[Stumpyman]

Do something that humbles you on a regular basis. Ever try Jiu Jitsu? It doesn't matter if you're a Harvard Lawyer + Rhodes Scholar + Nobel prize recipient, without practice you will get repeatedly humbled doing something like Jiu Jitsu.

 

[md-2020]

So why are you in this small liberal arts college and didn't get into WashU or Johns Hopkins?

FTFY. Dude sure had mean parents to name him "Johns."

Also, WashU and JHU are for pre-meds that couldn't cut it into a Top 10 undergrad 😉

Obviously I don't really mean that. But hey if OP is feelin' good about him/herself, who are we to stop 'em?

 

[el_duderino]

You need to get out of your comfort zone and bubble and live a bit.

 

[stickgirl390]

Do something that humbles you on a regular basis. Ever try Jiu Jitsu? It doesn't matter if you're a Harvard Lawyer + Rhodes Scholar + Nobel prize recipient, without practice you will get repeatedly humbled doing something like Jiu Jitsu.

I. LOVE. Jiu Jitsu. Talked about it at all my interviews!