Anybody sometimes amazed by how smart your colleagues are?

[DrDude]

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I'm not talking about run-of-the-mill smart that most med students are, but rather those scary smart people who sometimes leave me in awe? Like we have this one guy a class below who I had heard remembers everything he reads. I thought no way, that can't be possible. Then today we were hanging in the student lounge and I talked to him for the first time and mentioned the rumor I had heard about him and he said it was no rumor. Still skeptical I asked him to show me, so I opened up a random place in one of my medical books and he started reading a few pages. Then we got to talking again and about 15 minutes later I asked him if he still remembered what he had read and he recited the 2-3 pages he had read perfectly line-for-line from memory. He said I could ask him again in a week or a month or whenever and he'll be able to recite it again perfectly. Freaking amazing!

 

[coffeebythelake]

I'm not talking about run-of-the-mill smart that most med students are, but rather those scary smart people who sometimes leave me in awe? Like we have this one guy a class below who I had heard remembers everything he reads. I thought no way, that can't be possible. Then today we were hanging in the student lounge and I talked to him for the first time and mentioned the rumor I had heard about him and he said it was no rumor. Still skeptical I asked him to show me, so I opened up a random place in one of my medical books and he started reading a few pages. Then we got to talking again and about 15 minutes later I asked him if he still remembered what he had read and he recited the 2-3 pages he had read perfectly line-for-line from memory. He said I could ask him again in a week or a month or whenever and he'll be able to recite it again perfectly. Freaking amazing!

He has an incredible memory, but how is that considered smart?

 

[da8s0859q]

He has an incredible memory, but how is that considered smart?

Semantics. He's something of a savant, I guess.

Anyway, yeah, that's awesome. Hell of a parlor trick to be capable of for something like med school. 👍

 

[kypdurron5]

Is he at the top of his class? The ability to memorize word-for-word does not necessarily imply a similar ability to absorb, integrate, and understand this raw information.

 

[Law2Doc]

Is he at the top of his class? The ability to memorize word-for-word does not necessarily imply a similar ability to absorb, integrate, and understand this raw information.

No, but there's certainly an advantage when every test is "open book" for him while the rest of us mortals struggle to remember various kernels. Fortunately there are only a handful of folks out there like this, and most don't even go into medicine.

 

[njbmd]

I'm not talking about run-of-the-mill smart that most med students are, but rather those scary smart people who sometimes leave me in awe? Like we have this one guy a class below who I had heard remembers everything he reads. I thought no way, that can't be possible. Then today we were hanging in the student lounge and I talked to him for the first time and mentioned the rumor I had heard about him and he said it was no rumor. Still skeptical I asked him to show me, so I opened up a random place in one of my medical books and he started reading a few pages. Then we got to talking again and about 15 minutes later I asked him if he still remembered what he had read and he recited the 2-3 pages he had read perfectly line-for-line from memory. He said I could ask him again in a week or a month or whenever and he'll be able to recite it again perfectly. Freaking amazing!

There are a some folks out there who have a photographic memory. It will probably come in pretty handy during third-year when you have to remember patient lab values. Nifty characteristic to have.

 

[coffeebythelake]

The guy can remember things perfectly, but can he forget things when he wants to?

 

[kypdurron5]

Fortunately there are only a handful of folks out there like this, and most don't even go into medicine.

Perhaps they're smart enough to know not to go into medicine 😉.

 

[nekrogg]

Is he at the top of his class? The ability to memorize word-for-word does not necessarily imply a similar ability to absorb, integrate, and understand this raw information.

haha you sound like you believe med school actually involves thinking and not rote memorization

 

[coffeebythelake]

haha you sound like you believe med school actually involves thinking and not rote memorization

physio requires thinking

 

[DrDude]

Is he at the top of his class?

I dunno if he's ranked #1 but he has Honored every class so far, but maybe somebody else also Honored every class with higher test scores and they're technically at the top of the class.

 

[Blade28]

Wait and see how he does during the MS-III rotations.

 

[-Goose-]

I dunno if he's ranked #1 but he has Honored every class so far, but maybe somebody else also Honored every class with higher test scores and they're technically at the top of the class.

What is the criteria for honoring at your school? Top 25%?

 

[hakim100]

I hope he has ugly kids...haha justtt playingg

I am not going to lie, I am completely jealous. I hate memorizing with a passion and medschool has been a grueling process for me. Unfortunately just because he's gifted doesn't mean he's conceptually ******ed or an ass hole. I shadowed a doc who said one of his best friends in med school was something of a savant, similar to what you mentioned, and he said he was charasmatic, friendly, very logical (not just a good memory), and married a gorgeous woman and had beautiful kids....sucks to be us normal people right?

 

[Crixivan]

This seems more like a genetic attribute than a controllable one (like being seven feet tall). I'm more impressed by the student who applies because she loves kids and wants to serve her rural hometown, works hard for 4 years, gets great board scores/AOA/etc., and then actually stays true to her motives and becomes a pediatrician in her small town regardless of the compensation.

 

[avacado]

This seems more like a genetic attribute than a controllable one (like being seven feet tall). I'm more impressed by the student who applies because she loves kids and wants to serve her rural hometown, works hard for 4 years, gets great board scores/AOA/etc., and then actually stays true to her motives and becomes a pediatrician in her small town regardless of the compensation.

I agree, this is more noble and impressive, but I am still amazed at how well some people remember things.

 

[ChubbyChaser]

I know a guy with photographic memory and Perfect pitch. Too bad hes a lazy SOb, he could dosome amazingthings

 

[EMH]

That's nice and all but at my school several of the classes seem to test your ability to decode a poorly written question just as much as they are testing your knowledge of the material.

It helps to be a good guesser. That's my trick.

 

[coffeebythelake]

That's nice and all but at my school several of the classes seem to test your ability to decode a poorly written question just as much as they are testing your knowledge of the material.

It helps to be a good guesser. That's my trick.

At my school we have been told specifically that "decoding" is part of the exam.

 

[bubbachuck]

I'm not talking about run-of-the-mill smart that most med students are, but rather those scary smart people who sometimes leave me in awe? Like we have this one guy a class below who I had heard remembers everything he reads. I thought no way, that can't be possible. Then today we were hanging in the student lounge and I talked to him for the first time and mentioned the rumor I had heard about him and he said it was no rumor. Still skeptical I asked him to show me, so I opened up a random place in one of my medical books and he started reading a few pages. Then we got to talking again and about 15 minutes later I asked him if he still remembered what he had read and he recited the 2-3 pages he had read perfectly line-for-line from memory. He said I could ask him again in a week or a month or whenever and he'll be able to recite it again perfectly. Freaking amazing!

genetic freakishness doesn't impress me much. i would be much more amazed if, for example, he owned a patent in an amazing invention, he first-authored a nature paper, he rode his bicycle across the country, etc.

besides, who actually shows off their amazing memory like that?

 

[sendwich]

genetic freakishness doesn't impress me much. i would be much more amazed if, for example, he owned a patent in an amazing invention, he first-authored a nature paper, he rode his bicycle across the country, etc.

besides, who actually shows off their amazing memory like that?

or better yet, who makes $$$$$$$ off of being a fantastic....memorizer?

 

[NCF145]

or better yet, who makes $$$$$$$ off of being a fantastic....memorizer?

 

[Corker]

I hope he has ugly kids...haha justtt playingg

I am not going to lie, I am completely jealous. I hate memorizing with a passion and medschool has been a grueling process for me. Unfortunately just because he's gifted doesn't mean he's conceptually ******ed or an ass hole. I shadowed a doc who said one of his best friends in med school was something of a savant, similar to what you mentioned, and he said he was charasmatic, friendly, very logical (not just a good memory), and married a gorgeous woman and had beautiful kids....sucks to be us normal people right?

It's refreshing to hear a response that's not "sour grapes" about this guy's abilities. Just because someone has a talent in one area doesn't mean he's ******ed in other areas. I agree that some people are just high on the "gift" list. More power to them...hopefully they use their talents to benefit humanity!!!

 

[TheMightyAngus]

I'm more impressed by the student who applies because she loves kids and wants to serve her rural hometown, works hard for 4 years, gets great board scores/AOA/etc., and then actually stays true to her motives and becomes a pediatrician in her small town regardless of the compensation.

😴

Not me. People like this are a dime a dozen in medical school.

How often do you meet someone who can memorize 2-3 pages of textbooks verbatim? Once in a lifetime.

You guys can trivialize his "genetic freakishness" all you want. But he has one skill that the vast majority of the world doesn't have. How many people can say that truthfully?

Patents? Nature articles? Come on. Nature is published every week.

Sour grapes is right.

 

[DrGregoryHouse]

I wish I could memorize things with one look, it would make things easier.

 

[DoctaJay]

holy cow. This guy reminds me of that part in the Matrix where they plug your brain up to the machine and just feed you the info. I would get through Costanzo in hours with that gift. Can't even be mad at the guy...that's just cool.

 

[arsenewenger]

I wish I could memorize things with one look, it would make things easier.

It would make life more boring, for there would be nothing else to do.

 

[EMH]

It would make life more boring, for there would be nothing else to do.

Then you could concentrate on learning to use the force.

 

[TehDoc]

genetic freakishness doesn't impress me much

+1

 

[EMH]

+1

?

 

[jocg27]

😴

Not me. People like this are a dime a dozen in medical school.

.

😕

I see what you're saying about the rare and freakish skill - it really is pretty impressive. But I don't really agree with your opinion of the example.

Students who rock the boards, honor everything, end up AOA, and then go into rural primary care peds just like they said they would on their admissions personal statement are a dime a dozen at your medical school?

That's wonderful I suppose...but we must go to very different schools...I would still think crixivan's example is pretty impressive and not a dime a dozen. just looking through last yrs 21 AOA people and the match list, one did peds, one med-peds, one neuro, and a couple medicine...The other 3/4 are the fields one would expect - ent, uro, ortho, ophtho, derm, rads.

There's nothing wrong with this, of course; people can do what they want, and may have always wanted to enter those fields which is awesome. I just disagree with you and do think it's impressive when someone who did great and has any option they want open follows through on what they really want to do even when others might think they're crazy.

 

[EMH]

....(continuing above post's idea).... and not just following the money.