Are premeds narcissistic?

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z_maverica

z_maverica

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I recently had an orgo professor and several classmates call me narcissistic because I told them I was premed. The professor embarrassed me in front of 300 students, telling me to find "premed" in the list of university majors. One of the bio majors in the class asked me what my major was, and I said it was premed biology. I was shocked when he got mad and said he was majoring in biology an planning to go to med school but considered himself a biology major. The professor then asked the chem majors to raise their hands. There were about 20 in the class. He asked every one of them what their major was and they said it was chemistry. The prof then asked how many of them planned to go to med school and 8 of them said they were going. Again my orgo professor turned to me and said "Did you learn anything or do we have to go through this again next time"?

I've been thinking about this for 2 weeks. Are premeds narcissistic? Is this a bad thing? Do I have a "pathological psychological disease" as one of my psychology classmates said?
 
OMG...some professors can be jerks. You have a goal and you are leveraging your major as a spring to board you into med school. Maybe he wanted you to have a plan B and not just think yourself as a premed because way too many bio majors at my school don't have jobs if they don't do med school. It is up to you to make that spring board. This professor has the audacity to mock you with no explanation but for the shear fact that you are forthcoming enough about your goals by the reference of "biology premed". I am sorry OP, but maybe you just need to start ignoring this professor and mind your business at class, leave immediately when it is over, look the other way when the professor calls you, still be polite but understand that the more you talk with this professor the more biased your grading might seem on tests if you are not doing so well. Just focus on your education and in a matter of a month you are done. Don't hold it to the heart, sometimes you just meet people like that.
 
You sound like you're a young student, and so I empathize with the embarrassment you must have felt when the professor called you out. I wish the professor had just let it slide, for your sake.

But now it's time for some self-awareness. I'm going to avoid entering a discussion about "pre-med narcissism" directly, because I anticipate that it will just devolve quickly.

If you want to get to the root of the problem, consider what "pre-med" implies. The label essentially says that you are pre--a-real-career. That you are just attending college because it's a hoop you have to jump through to get to medical school. It's very easy to refer to yourself as "pre-med," but the label really tends to turn people off because it oversimplifies what is, in reality, a long, complicated, arduous process. You should never go to college because "you have to in order to go to medical school." You shouldn't look at college as just a meaningless preparatory overture before the real show starts. College is so, so important for your growth, your maturation, your evolution: both as a student and as a human being. If you aren't getting that feeling right now, then I suggest you reconsider why you do the activities you do. You have to figure out what these classes, what this time means to you on a personal level, and it had better be more than just a stepping stone to medical school.

"Pre-medical" belittles the process, and is often negatively received. I have many stories from my own education where the biochem majors intent on graduate school would frown upon, scoff at, and ultimately deride my own ambition to attend medical school. There are many reasons for this attitude, so don't oversimplify their responses to "jealousy" either (as I once saw someone do).

Are pre-meds narcissistic? I sure hope not. After all, your dream is (or should be) rooted in altruism and compassion for the physical and mental well-being of others. But should you avoid calling yourself a "pre-med student"? Yes. I think so.

Also, your psychology classmate is being far too literal in their interpretation of the word. No one would be *****ic enough to diagnose you with a DSM disorder just because you said you're pre-med. Maybe you are narcissistic in real life, but you certainly don't come across that way to me. Don't take that particular friend too seriously.
And once again, I'm very sorry that you were embarrassed like that. I find that kind of behavior from a teacher, a mentor, an instructor entirely unprofessional and unbecoming. That professor would get a scathing ratemyprof review if I had been in that lecture 😛

Best of luck to you!

EDIT: Wolverine's final pro-tip: When people ask me what I'm studying, I say, "Oh, I'm majoring in (e.g.) Psychology and (e.g.) Biochemistry, minoring in nobody-cares, but my real hope is to attend medical school someday. In framing my studies this way, I don't reduce the major to a stepping stone in the same way that you might have (accidentally, I'm sure) in saying "pre-med biology." Tell people what you're studying, have a great reason for studying it, and only after establishing that should you slip in "oh btdubbs I also really wanna go to medical school."
 
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It is frowned upon to say "pre-med". It is obnoxious. I always said that I was studying biology and chemistry. If they asked what I wanted to do with that, I told them that I was applying to medical school.

Edit: @onceawolverine could not have stated it any better. Kudos, wolv!
 
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While I don't see anything wrong with saying you're a premed something, I can see how it may sound obnoxious as stated above and some people might get rubbed the wrong way thinking you see yourself as better than them for being "premed bio" as opposed to "bio only".
With that in mind, your prof was a total douche and could have made his point clear in a less aggressive way.
 
onceawolverine said:
You sound like you're a young student, and so I empathize with the embarrassment you must have felt when the professor called you out. I wish the professor had just let it slide, for your sake.

But now it's time for some self-awareness. I'm going to avoid entering a discussion about "pre-med narcissism" directly, because I anticipate that it will just devolve quickly.

If you want to get to the root of the problem, consider what "pre-med" implies. The label essentially says that you are pre--a-real-career. That you are just attending college because it's a hoop you have to jump through to get to medical school. It's very easy to refer to yourself as "pre-med," but the label really tends to turn people off because it oversimplifies what is, in reality, a long, complicated, arduous process. You should never go to college because "you have to in order to go to medical school." You shouldn't look at college as just a meaningless preparatory overture before the real show starts. College is so, so important for your growth, your maturation, your evolution: both as a student and as a human being. If you aren't getting that feeling right now, then I suggest you reconsider why you do the activities you do. You have to figure out what these classes, what this time means to you on a personal level, and it had better be more than just a stepping stone to medical school.

"Pre-medical" belittles the process, and is often negatively received. I have many stories from my own education where the biochem majors intent on graduate school would frown upon, scoff at, and ultimately deride my own ambition to attend medical school. There are many reasons for this attitude, so don't oversimplify their responses to "jealousy" either (as I once saw someone do).

Are pre-meds narcissistic? I sure hope not. After all, your dream is (or should be) rooted in altruism and compassion for the physical and mental well-being of others. But should you avoid calling yourself a "pre-med student"? Yes. I think so.

Also, your psychology classmate is being far too literal in their interpretation of the word. No one would be *****ic enough to diagnose you with a DSM disorder just because you said you're pre-med. Maybe you are narcissistic in real life, but you certainly don't come across that way to me. Don't take that particular friend too seriously.
And once again, I'm very sorry that you were embarrassed like that. I find that kind of behavior from a teacher, a mentor, an instructor entirely unprofessional and unbecoming. That professor would get a scathing ratemyprof review if I had been in that lecture 😛

Best of luck to you!

EDIT: Wolverine's final pro-tip: When people ask me what I'm studying, I say, "Oh, I'm majoring in (e.g.) Psychology and (e.g.) Biochemistry, minoring in nobody-cares, but my real hope is to attend medical school someday. In framing my studies this way, I don't reduce the major to a stepping stone in the same way that you might have (accidentally, I'm sure) in saying "pre-med biology." Tell people what you're studying, have a great reason for studying it, and only after establishing that should you slip in "oh btdubbs I also really wanna go to medical school."
Click to expand...

Wow I see you really drank the premed coolaid. Personally I wasn't as passionate about having to spend 4 years and tens of thousands of dollars on college but I guess that's just me

And to OP your professor is an insecure idiot. There is nothing wrong with saying you are a premed if you are indeed a premed.
 
Ha... what? I mean, I can understand someone being annoyed if they ask you your major and you tell them it's a nonexistent "premed"... but most people wouldn't call you out for something like that. You either really rubbed the professor the wrong way... or they went off on you for no good reason.

It's not particularly hard to rub someone (who has a doctoral degree) the wrong way if you come off as a student who is of the "I'm going to be a neurosurgeon because I liked my psychology class and I want to help people and make a lot of money" class of pre-meds. Not saying you are that way... but if the professor has had to deal with a lot of students from that camp you may have been the straw that broke the camel's back. Orgo teachers, in particular, get to be the ones to deal with students who come crying about their dreams of being a doctor being shattered by their "unfair" class.
 
sliceofbread136 said:
Wow I see you really drank the premed coolaid. Personally I wasn't as passionate about having to spend 4 years and tens of thousands of dollars on college but I guess that's just me
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I've had an amazing time in college. I've learned a lot, inside and outside the classroom. Sure, I'm an enthusiastic fella, but I don't think my "passion" boils down to drinkin' the *Kool-Aid.
 
onceawolverine said:
I've had an amazing time in college. I've learned a lot, inside and outside the classroom. Sure, I'm an enthusiastic fella, but I don't think my "passion" boils down to drinkin' the *Kool-Aid.
Click to expand...

There's a difference between enjoying it and it being essential/so so important
 
I never say that I intend to go to medical school. When professors ask I usually say that I want to pursue a career in research - I think doing so gives them a better impression of me than directly admitting to be a premed.
 
Who cares if someone says they're pre-med? Honestly, people must have answered me "Pre-med bio major" a hundred times when I asked them their major when I was in undergrad. Tells me a lot more about their educational goals than "Biology." Never hurt me.

Why does anyone have strong opinions about this? We may as well be arguing the best flavor of Kool-aid (which would be stupid because it's obviously grape).
 
Salt Salt said:
Who cares if someone says they're pre-med? Honestly, people must have answered me "Pre-med bio major" a hundred times when I asked them their major when I was in undergrad. Tells me a lot more about their educational goals than "Biology." Never hurt me.

Why does anyone have strong opinions about this? We may as well be arguing the best flavor of Kool-aid (which would be stupid because it's obviously grape).
Click to expand...
How. Dare. You.



Blue.
 
sliceofbread136 said:
My point is that college/the premed game is not essential, so I'm not sure how this is pertinent
Click to expand...
Good luck getting into med school with that attitude. The college/premed game is essential. Don't have a bachelor's degree? No med school for you!

But actually tho, @onceawolverine said it best. College is one of the best times for personal growth; it certainly helped me get to where I am today. If I could go back and do college again, I'd choose the same school and do more things but with the right attitude all the time.
 
Hospitalized said:
If people ask me what my major is, I say biology. If people ask me what I'm going to do with my degree, I say I'm going to apply to medical school. Simple.
Click to expand...

I like your signature.
 
Ace Khalifa said:
Good luck getting into med school with that attitude. The college/premed game is essential. Don't have a bachelor's degree? No med school for you!

But actually tho, @onceawolverine said it best. College is one of the best times for personal growth; it certainly helped me get to where I am today. If I could go back and do college again, I'd choose the same school and do more things but with the right attitude all the time.
Click to expand...

I am an ms2. Just because a medical school requires something doesn't make it essential, it just means it's a hoop to jump through. You can personally grow without spending tens of thousands of dollars and four years learning material you will likely never use.
 
This is so hilarious. The only outcome of this whole thing is:

1) You probably won't be getting a letter of support from that professor.
2) You got lightly hazed and got a little hurt. There there, you'll be okay. Now toughen up! Do your own thing. Learn to flip people off and tell them to STFU cuz IDGAF. MD is MD, regardless of whatever detractors you have en-route.
 
Salt Salt said:
Who cares if someone says they're pre-med? Honestly, people must have answered me "Pre-med bio major" a hundred times when I asked them their major when I was in undergrad. Tells me a lot more about their educational goals than "Biology." Never hurt me.

Why does anyone have strong opinions about this? We may as well be arguing the best flavor of Kool-aid (which would be stupid because it's obviously grape).
Click to expand...

This. My take is that pre-med is a label. I mean, you might as well call yourself a pre-PhD or pre-job student if you want to take labels seriously.

I suppose that, at least as freshmen, we go by "pre-med" because we want to attach ourselves to something and find others who are doing similar things as we are ("you're pre-med? Me too!"). But I find that this becomes less relevant once you find that not all pre-meds are doing the same kinds of things. Similar programs, similar extracurriculars, but as people so what?

I started dropping "pre-med" as part of introducing myself when I was not exactly certain whether I wanted to go with medical school as an option. Once I did, I kept it that way just because it doesn't say anything about me as a student other than "four years of med school that I'm hoping to get into." Ironically, when I introduce my major people also automatically assume things about me based on it (so maybe that's counterproductive?).

For the record, there's no best flavor of Kool-aid because Kool-aid is awful. 😕
 
z_maverica said:
I recently had an orgo professor and several classmates call me narcissistic because I told them I was premed. The professor embarrassed me in front of 300 students, telling me to find "premed" in the list of university majors. One of the bio majors in the class asked me what my major was, and I said it was premed biology. I was shocked when he got mad and said he was majoring in biology an planning to go to med school but considered himself a biology major. The professor then asked the chem majors to raise their hands. There were about 20 in the class. He asked every one of them what their major was and they said it was chemistry. The prof then asked how many of them planned to go to med school and 8 of them said they were going. Again my orgo professor turned to me and said "Did you learn anything or do we have to go through this again next time"?

I've been thinking about this for 2 weeks. Are premeds narcissistic? Is this a bad thing? Do I have a "pathological psychological disease" as one of my psychology classmates said?
Click to expand...
your professor sounds like a dick. also, FWIW, when i was an undergrad, i would always just say "i'm a biology major", but people would inevitably follow up on that by asking me "so are you pre-med?" or some variation of that. but at the end of the day, who gives a ****? IMO, you didn't do anything wrong, and no, you're not a "narcissist" on the basis of one little incident.
 
Fun fact: a lot of today's science teachers didn't do so hot on the MCAT in the 80's if you catch my drift. Don't let it get to you OP. That said, avoid identifying yourself as "pre-med" since it implies that you know you'll be going to medical school when in fact 90% of the people who start out as pre-med don't even wind up applying.
 
Next time that happens with your prof say:

"whoever majored in pre-jack*** during college pls stand in the front of the class"

😛
 
I think the problem lies a bit deeper than that. Many pre-meds are pretentious in the sense that they only see their "major" as a means of getting to medical school. They major in bio not because they thoroughly enjoy the subject, but rather because they
see it as the path to medical school. I have seen this problem far too many times. Remember that many professors are not people who did not do well on the MCAT and never wanted to go to medical school. In fact, this seems to be the case here. Plenty of my friends want to go to grad school and any one of them could get into med school. But they're really passionate about the subject they want to teach.

So, what I think is happening is that for some reason, your professor sees you in that light. It may or may not be true, but perhaps your interactions with him have given him that impression. One of the big problems at universities today, especially in research departments, is that pre-meds want to be in a lab because they think it'll make them more attractive medical applicants. The problem is that they are not as interested/devoted in the research as they should be and many departments are imposing minimum hours spent in lab as a requirement because of this.

So in short, saying that you're a "pre-med bio" major probably gives off the vibe that you are using your major as a means to medical school, nothing more. You want to be giving off the vibe that you're really interested in your major and are majoring in it because you really enjoy the subject, not because you're pre-med.
 
z_maverica said:
I recently had an orgo professor and several classmates call me narcissistic because I told them I was premed. The professor embarrassed me in front of 300 students, telling me to find "premed" in the list of university majors. One of the bio majors in the class asked me what my major was, and I said it was premed biology. I was shocked when he got mad and said he was majoring in biology an planning to go to med school but considered himself a biology major. The professor then asked the chem majors to raise their hands. There were about 20 in the class. He asked every one of them what their major was and they said it was chemistry. The prof then asked how many of them planned to go to med school and 8 of them said they were going. Again my orgo professor turned to me and said "Did you learn anything or do we have to go through this again next time"?

I've been thinking about this for 2 weeks. Are premeds narcissistic? Is this a bad thing? Do I have a "pathological psychological disease" as one of my psychology classmates said?
Click to expand...
Should have said "sorry, you're just a stepping stone for me. Pre-med."
 
Honestly, this feels blown out of proportion. The immediate accusation of narcissism based on an individual saying that their major is "pre-med biology" is not a valid statement--nobody can determine an entire personality based on those words. Gross generalization, very one dimensional. There's some serious grasping going on here if this is the case, and not worthy of any concern.

Also, I don't see why calling your major "pre-med biology" is a big deal. I referred to myself as a biology major catered for pre-med when explaining my career path because it simplified my answer when people wanted to know what I was doing. I knew pre-med was not an official title, but the fact that I was doing more than a biology degree to attain my pre-reqs for medical school--and then some--did differentiate me from other biology majors. It was simply an acknowledgment of what I was doing with my education, not a means to elevate myself.

And can I just point out how asinine it feels to be arguing about this on a pre-med forum? Who's really in denial here about this label?
 
The professor wanted to make a point about pre-med not being a major, and you just so happened to be the target.
 
I don't see the difference in "pretentiousness" between "premed biology" and "student doctor". If you are premed biology you're not in medical school yet, and if you're a student doctor you're not a doctor yet. So why is premed biology so pretentious? I'm willing to admit when I made a mistake, and personally I think my professor is probably more hurt than I was (isn't that where passive aggressive anger comes from?), but I just don't get why one term is pretentious and another isn't.
 
z_maverica said:
I don't see the difference in "pretentiousness" between "premed biology" and "student doctor". If you are premed biology you're not in medical school yet, and if you're a student doctor you're not a doctor yet. So why is premed biology so pretentious? I'm willing to admit when I made a mistake, and personally I think my professor is probably more hurt than I was (isn't that where passive aggressive anger comes from?), but I just don't get why one term is pretentious and another isn't.
Click to expand...
Some of us do think "student doctor" is a bit of a silly and pretentious title... 😛
 
If you say "premed biology," that's not a major, and you're adding the premed in there just so people know you're going to med school. So you might be a bit narcissistic 😛

I think all of us are a little neurotic and narcissistic though. I think it requires a lot of introspection to know whether you're up to par to get into medical school, and thinking about yourself all the time can lead to somewhat of a self-centered mentality, although it can fluctuate between being high on yourself and thinking you're kind of a waste of space. It's one of the interesting contradictions of medical school expectations - be self-centered enough to keep track of your accomplishments and make sure you're meeting expectations, but at the same time be the most altruistic and tender hearted person at your school. Just have to find balance!
 
Weird. At my school almost no one but pre-meds takes gen chem/orgo.

Anyway, I love Me 😛
 
lifetothefullest said:
Really? What about engineers and chem majors? Isn't there some sort of core science curriculum people have to take?
Click to expand...

They have their chemistry for engineers. Chem majors are a scarce, in fact first day of orgo 2 my professor specifically asked if anyone in class was interested in doing a PhD in Chemistry: not a single hand went up in a class of 200.
 
Yeah but many chem majors are pre-meds who don't want to pursue grad school. But you must go to a huge pre-med school then.
 
lifetothefullest said:
Yeah but many chem majors are pre-meds who don't want to pursue grad school. But you must go to a huge pre-med school then.
Click to expand...

They are, but that's not what orgo professors want to hear😀

I just go to a big school in general, there are classes based on your major (e.g. physics for physics majors, physics for life science majors, physics for engineers).

I'm sure Chem/Physics grad departments will do just fine with students from Asia. There seems to be very little interest in those fields from American students. And for good reasons.
 
We all just wanna get laid, guys. Although, I'm not sure that telling people you wish to be in debt, sleepless, pompous, and never around, would be the best way to do it.
But yes, your PhDou*** of a professor is in the wrong, here. Hope you learned a valuable lesson 🙂
 
Why would you even introduce yourself as a premed major?
 
allantois said:
I'm sure Chem/Physics grad departments will do just fine with students from Asia. There seems to be very little interest in those fields from American students. And for good reasons.
Click to expand...

As a chem major at a top research institution, I believe quite the opposite actually - a lot of students are majoring in those fields to go to grad school, not as a pre-professional program.
 
lifetothefullest said:
As a chem major at a top research institution, I believe quite the opposite actually - a lot of students are majoring in those fields to go to grad school, not as a pre-professional program.
Click to expand...

It's all great if you are at a top program. On the other hand, if you went to a regular state university, your prospects of making a decent living are dim.
 
allantois said:
It's all great if you are at a top program. On the other hand, if you went to a regular state university, your prospects of making a decent living are dim.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but in terms of overall marketability, it's pretty good. Big firms are looking for quantitative majors so STEM and engineering people with the exception of biology. A BA in the humanities or even social sciences are not nearly as marketable as degree in a STEM field.
 
efle said:
Either that prof is bat**** or we aren't getting the most objective account of what happened
Click to expand...
Based on the responses thus far I was starting to think I was the only one who was thinking this while reading OP's initial post.
 
I understand where the professor is coming from, although he did go too far. At my school, in a class of 200, I would say at least 100 are applying to medical school. Probably less than 10 will be accepted. I talk to kids that regularly get Cs, and don't know what the MCAT is, and are set on going to to med school.

Basically saying you're pre-med is like playing college football but when people ask you about it, you say you're pre-NFL.
You know?
 
onceawolverine said:
You sound like you're a young student, and so I empathize with the embarrassment you must have felt when the professor called you out. I wish the professor had just let it slide, for your sake.

But now it's time for some self-awareness. I'm going to avoid entering a discussion about "pre-med narcissism" directly, because I anticipate that it will just devolve quickly.

If you want to get to the root of the problem, consider what "pre-med" implies. The label essentially says that you are pre--a-real-career. That you are just attending college because it's a hoop you have to jump through to get to medical school. It's very easy to refer to yourself as "pre-med," but the label really tends to turn people off because it oversimplifies what is, in reality, a long, complicated, arduous process. You should never go to college because "you have to in order to go to medical school." You shouldn't look at college as just a meaningless preparatory overture before the real show starts. College is so, so important for your growth, your maturation, your evolution: both as a student and as a human being. If you aren't getting that feeling right now, then I suggest you reconsider why you do the activities you do. You have to figure out what these classes, what this time means to you on a personal level, and it had better be more than just a stepping stone to medical school.

"Pre-medical" belittles the process, and is often negatively received. I have many stories from my own education where the biochem majors intent on graduate school would frown upon, scoff at, and ultimately deride my own ambition to attend medical school. There are many reasons for this attitude, so don't oversimplify their responses to "jealousy" either (as I once saw someone do).

Are pre-meds narcissistic? I sure hope not. After all, your dream is (or should be) rooted in altruism and compassion for the physical and mental well-being of others. But should you avoid calling yourself a "pre-med student"? Yes. I think so.

Also, your psychology classmate is being far too literal in their interpretation of the word. No one would be *****ic enough to diagnose you with a DSM disorder just because you said you're pre-med. Maybe you are narcissistic in real life, but you certainly don't come across that way to me. Don't take that particular friend too seriously.
And once again, I'm very sorry that you were embarrassed like that. I find that kind of behavior from a teacher, a mentor, an instructor entirely unprofessional and unbecoming. That professor would get a scathing ratemyprof review if I had been in that lecture 😛

Best of luck to you!

EDIT: Wolverine's final pro-tip: When people ask me what I'm studying, I say, "Oh, I'm majoring in (e.g.) Psychology and (e.g.) Biochemistry, minoring in nobody-cares, but my real hope is to attend medical school someday. In framing my studies this way, I don't reduce the major to a stepping stone in the same way that you might have (accidentally, I'm sure) in saying "pre-med biology." Tell people what you're studying, have a great reason for studying it, and only after establishing that should you slip in "oh btdubbs I also really wanna go to medical school."
Click to expand...

/thread
 
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