Ashamed to be premed

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Dr.Forssmann

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does anyone else feel ashamed to say they are pre-med? i feel like i'm a dime a dozen.

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It's the first of many steps to reaching the career that many folks dream about their entire lives. If you're ashamed to know what you want because of a label that doesn't let you be unique, maybe you need to re-evaluate why you're pursuing this route in the first place.

Thousands start off as pre-med. Fewer than half of them stick with it by the time they finish their pre-reqs, and even fewer will even have the privilege of applying and interviewing at their dream school (or any school for that matter). You will definitely not be "a dime a dozen" if you "make it" ;)
 
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I may know what you're talking about, though I just say that I want to apply to med school eventually. I feel a bit too old to say I'm "premed." It's not necessarily a shame thing for me.
 
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does anyone else feel ashamed to say they are pre-med? i feel like i'm a dime a dozen.

I know where you're coming from. As I got older in college I kept things to myself regarding future plans.
 
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I always feel ashamed to tell people that I have a biology degree from UG.
 
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You get some satisfaction when you start med school, but once you get on the wards in third year and start to recognize how absolutely useless you are, you get to enjoy this feeling again. There are some cool, interesting, and fun things about undergrad/med school, but I'm already looking forward to being finished and starting residency. Make the most out of your obscene amounts of free time in college; you'll miss that time once it's gone.
 
I know where you're coming from. As I got older in college I kept things to myself regarding future plans.

Same here. Sounded like a "tool". Funny, I met an acquaintance on the interview trail who was shocked that I was interviewing at medical school. My business, now if I can just get my Mom to quit telling folks.
 
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I'm never ashamed to tell them I'm a premed, I would only be ashamed to tell them that I was a premed.

That said, I don't go around broadcasting it either and kind of cringe when people ask, especially at high school reunion type deals. Just don't think being a premed is an accomplishment in itself. Getting into med school would be a whole different story.
 
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Well, it's not like you have to major in "pre-med" (whatever that means) or call yourself a pre-med. You could major in something with a reasonable application beyond medical school admission.
 
The worst part about being premed is having to take classes with 100s of other premeds that aren't actually interested in the classes. Memorize, memorize, memorize, without ever understanding or enjoying the material. Many professors despised the fact that premeds were only in their classes to fulfill premed prerequisites.
 
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You could always just tell them your major instead of saying "pre-med" if it was that much of a problem. However, being a Pre Medical student shouldn't feel shameful at all, it is actually more impressive since you have decided to focus on something bigger.
 
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The worst part about being premed is having to take classes with 100s of other premeds that aren't actually interested in the classes. Memorize, memorize, memorize, without ever understanding or enjoying the material. Many professors despised the fact that premeds were only in their classes to fulfill premed prerequisites.

In fairness, many the professors are not interested in teaching you, just to get back to their research. I'm fine with that situation.
 
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Sometimes I'm frusterated but never ashamed. This is a difficult career choice to make and not many follow through this path to the end. So I am extremely proud to call myself a pre-med after 5 years.
 
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The worst part about being premed is having to take classes with 100s of other premeds that aren't actually interested in the classes. Memorize, memorize, memorize, without ever understanding or enjoying the material. Many professors despised the fact that premeds were only in their classes to fulfill premed prerequisites.

And those professors are idiots, who need to realize not everyone wants to slave away in research lab for the rest of there life with minimum human contact
 
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does anyone else feel ashamed to say they are pre-med? i feel like i'm a dime a dozen.

You are a dime a dozen. Keep the pre-med thing to yourself. I wasn't ashamed to be a pre-med, but never told people. I usually don't tell people I'm accepted to medical school.
 
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And those professors are idiots, who need to realize not everyone wants to slave away in research lab for the rest of there life with minimum human contact

yes because if you're a science major and don't go to med school you're a loser.

grow up.
 
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And those professors are idiots, who need to realize not everyone wants to slave away in research lab for the rest of there life with minimum human contact

Likewise, it is not wise as a student to openly express disdain in front of the faculty for the material that you are asked to learn in a class you signed up for. It's not exactly rewarding to teach a 500 person 200-level course either.
 
In fairness, many the professors are not interested in teaching you, just to get back to their research. I'm fine with that situation.
And those professors are idiots, who need to realize not everyone wants to slave away in research lab for the rest of there life with minimum human contact

Eh, I doubled majored in econ, and my econ professors were big name researchers but still put in the effort to teach us, answer questions, and prompt/engage in class discussions. It was because the students who took those classes actually wanted to be there to learn and understand the material. Most of us in the class weren't going to go on to get PhDs in economics....many went into finance, accounting, consulting, and unrelated fields (like medicine).
 
yes because if you're a science major and don't go to med school you're a loser.

grow up.

Im not saying that, im saying the medical school prereqs make up about half a biology degree.So professors shouldn't blame the students for being un-passionate about every topic they should blame a system that all but forces people to be a biology major.
 
Eh, I doubled majored in econ, and my econ professors were big name researchers but still put in the effort to teach us, answer questions, and prompt/engage in class discussions. It was because the students who took those classes actually wanted to be there to learn and understand the material. Most of us in the class weren't going to go on to get PhDs in economics....many went into finance, accounting, consulting, and unrelated fields (like medicine).
Being in a post-bacc and done with the prereqs it is a lot of fun to take classes out of pure enjoyment, it is extremely disheartening to find a professor who has a bad attitude because he feels people are in his class for the wrong reasons. Many a part of "intro" classes is to get a survey of the material and to decide if you want to take more of the subject. I've had several classes over extremely interesting material sort of ruined by the professor's attitude so I see this. I've also seen the same ruined by bad attitudes from fellow students so I understand what you're saying.

I think some context is important in this. If you're teaching General Chemistry I and expect people to exhume large amounts of passion then you're being unrealistic. But if you're teaching Advanced Anatomy (purely an optional class) then you are reasonable to expect some interest from your students. I have noticed that a large amount of graduate students and professors are presumptuous in determining how much passion and motivation a person has for taking a class based on a few interactions. This tends to be to the detriment of the introvert.
 
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I worked as a medical assistant where I was made fun of from the other MA's because word got around that I was applying to medical school. It was like they would pick every little thing I did wrong and say that "pre-meds are always so smart but have no clue how to actually do anything useful."

But a couple more weeks in people start to realize that its not that I was "smart" or inherently built for it or whatever, they found out that I could work circles around everyone else. At least that is what I learned when I finally got out of the classroom. Brush it off

No one can make you feel ashamed about yourself except you
 
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I never told people I was a premed. There is no such thing anyway. You were just am undergrad in most cases trying to get into medical school in the future. My major is biology, premed literally means nothing to me.
 
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I am right there with you OP, when I finally decided to go to medical school, I was very ashamed of the label "premed". Honestly, I stand by that shame. Pre-meds as a group (that is, undergraduates who declare pre-med, saying nothing about their future) are not very bright. The fact is that many undergraduates are all but forced to declare pre-med by their families and may not have any innate ability or drive to be successful in science. Pre-meds are also students who have no idea how to go about finding their passions and exploring what the world has to offer - while medicine is a passion for many on SDN, plenty of pre-meds in real life haven't learned the meaning of passion because they have been too afraid to step off some imaginary path. As a result, premeds tend to be less imaginative and creative, less enthusiastic about learning in and of itself, and less daring to go out and become a real person in this world with likes, dislikes, passions, and opinions. I see this every day in a research lab. The best pre-meds are amazing. The average pre-med is a drain of my PI's time and patience.

If we roughly say that 50% of declared premeds make it to the end, and then we say that 50% of those won't make it to a medical school ever, then only 25% of students who say they are pre-med in college end up in medical school. Likely, that number is much smaller.

I am proud to be a successful young adult who will be joining the medical profession. I look back at my institution's pre-med meetings and cringe - that's not me, that doesn't describe other great posters on SDN.
 
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I was a non-traditional student, so I didn't really get a feeling of how pre-meds are on a college campus, since I was only on campus for class and labs.

As for the perception of pre-meds outside of the campus, you run into a few issues. Pre-meds have a pretty bad reputation among volunteer sites, research labs, etc... Why? Because as a pre-med, you're asking a college student (who is also a human being) to go do a bunch of things they would never do otherwise. In fact, they are checking so many boxes doing things that very few college students would actually do. This is a recipe for disaster, especially when you have pre-meds that are either less serious, or simply don't care about what they are doing. I didn't get much love as a pre-med volunteer from day one at the hospital I was at. On the other hand, the elderly volunteers got mad respect!

The insane level of cookie cutterness makes for bad situations. It's kind of odd that people who are aiming for such a highly regarded profession can be viewed so negatively.
 
Pre-meds are also students who have no idea how to go about finding their passions and exploring what the world has to offer - while medicine is a passion for many on SDN, plenty of pre-meds in real life haven't learned the meaning of passion because they have been too afraid to step off some imaginary path.

They may not be good at finding their own passions, but you'd have to admit that they do an amazing job at being passionate about the things ADCOMs want them to be passionate about. :cigar:
 
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I don't think being premed is what makes people feel ashamed, it's the number of people who say "I'm premed" but never make it to med school that give us that feeling. Also premeds I know tend to do things just for being "premed" which often sets bad reputations. I purposely avoided clubs and organizations that had lots of them. It's ok not telling others that you're premed or saying you're premed. Doing so avoids other premeds and makes life more happy. However you should be proud of whatever you're doing and being premed shouldn't be the reason you're ashamed of yourself.
 
does anyone else feel ashamed to say they are pre-med? i feel like i'm a dime a dozen.

I don't... and that's probably because I don't hang out with premeds or care about what they do/whine.
 
Honestly, I am proud of myself for being pre-med! I went from a place of nobody thinking I could be a doctor to being really close to applying to med school. I've worked hard and gotten experience, good grades, and a decent MCAT score. I'm proud of that!! Sure, being pre-med isn't an accomplishment in and of itself, but I'm proud that I've stuck to this path when so many people thought I couldn't. I don't think there is anything wrong with that. Nobody in any of my ECs have been negative about my career aspirations either -- I don't go around bragging or anything, but I don't make an effort to hide it at all. Maybe my lack of shame just depends on my location and the people that I've met. Nobody at any of my volunteering gigs gives me grief for being pre-med, so I don't feel like it's something to hide.
 
*at a social event*

"What are you studying"

"I'm currently taking courses to fulfill pre-med requirements"

"Oh that's nice"
 
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not so much ashamed because of being a dime a dozen, but ashamed because of how premeds act.

i really disliked the entitlement of premeds in general during my undergrad. "i worked so hard, i deserve this grade bump!" um, no. lots of people work hard... get Cs + Ds... and don't ask for grade bumps!
or how about the old "is this going to be on the quiz/midterm/final?" question. god. can't you just sit back, relax, and enjoy what you're learning (and see how it relates to the real world)?
or "omg i'm so stressed!!!1! 'cause i'm premed!!!1!" everyone's stressed in college... not just premeds.
or "omg i got a B!! end of the world!!" if this is the most stressful thing in your life, you need to 1) get a grip and 2) some perspective.
or refusing to help a classmate out on the off-chance that they do better than you. /rant

idk, it's just these things that make me embarrassed to be premed. i'm not like that, and i don't want to be associated with a group that is known for this type of behavior.

and before everyone gets their panties in a bunch, i don't mean to say that ALL premeds act like this. SOME do. and unfortunately, these premeds tend to be the most vocal + outspoken about being premed.
 
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Im not saying that, im saying the medical school prereqs make up about half a biology degree.So professors shouldn't blame the students for being un-passionate about every topic they should blame a system that all but forces people to be a biology major.

Prereqs make up half a bio degree?! It's only really 32 credits (science credits....the others are usually fulfilled no matter what degree you end up with). The system hardly forces you to be a biology major! I have my BA in History, and it really wasn't all that tough to do the extra science courses.
 
Prereqs make up half a bio degree?! It's only really 32 credits (science credits....the others are usually fulfilled no matter what degree you end up with). The system hardly forces you to be a biology major! I have my BA in History, and it really wasn't all that tough to do the extra science courses.


Yea its 32 credits but don't forget some people may want to take upper level bio classes to assist with the mcat. Also some school even require upper level bio prior to matriculation.
 
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Prereqs make up half a bio degree?! It's only really 32 credits (science credits....the others are usually fulfilled no matter what degree you end up with). The system hardly forces you to be a biology major! I have my BA in History, and it really wasn't all that tough to do the extra science courses.
Depends on the schools you're applying to. If you're applying broadly, you may want to take classes like genetics, cell bio, physiology, etc. Many schools require them.
 
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I never tell anyone I'm "Pre-Med", and if they ask me if I am I'll say no 99.999% of the time - I just tell them I want to apply to some Neuroscience PhD programs.

So many ******ed pre-meds it brings a bad name, and I just cringe when I hear people say "Oh im pre-med" trying to be cool, act smart, or something along those lines.
 
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does anyone else feel ashamed to say they are pre-med? i feel like i'm a dime a dozen.

I think ashamed is a bit strong to describe the sensation but if you mean that you hesitate to mention you are a pre-med I get what you mean. I mean, pre-med just sounded so presumptious so whenever people asked me what I was studying, I just said "Human Biology" (my major) and then if people asked me (most assumed it though) what I would do with that, I'd say I'd like to apply to medical school some day in a modest tone.

Now as for feeling like a dime in dozen...that's a bit worrisome. The minute you come to peace with the idea that you're a healer, not a legend...you'll become a lot happier. Look at all the great physicians who came before you? Do you think they were recognized for their MCATs/USLMEs/etc? No, they were just physicians that were recognized for how well they treated their patients. If you can take pleasure in that and not think to much of yourself, then you'll become a lot more content with yourself. I haven't entered the field but I anticipate that too many people enter the field with something to prove. Honestly, there's nothing to prove. The study of medicine is not immensely difficult when compared to the likes of abstract mathematics for example. You should be going into this to touch some lives, not make a name for yourself.
 
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does anyone else feel ashamed to say they are pre-med? i feel like i'm a dime a dozen.

We pre-meds should be ashamed! We are part of a group that everyone hates. Even pre-meds hate on pre-meds. Look at these posts. It may have been honorable many decades ago to declare that you are pursuing a career in the field of medicine...but today it is a joke. But then again, aren't we all deemed jokes by society at large - especially by accomplished individuals - for being in college? Irrespective of your college, major or degrees held, the title of 'student' also may have been honorable in the distant past but nowadays it is used in a derogatory way (e.g. he/she hasn't experienced the real world...he/she is just a student).

The way I see it is that we all (students) wear the badge of shame. People give credit where credit is due. Being a pre-med, or any other student, is not an accomplishment and does not deserve respect. But being a good person begets respect regardless of the pre-med title. Point being...whether you show or hide your pre-med badge, don't be a d!ck and you will be fine.
 
I just say that I want to apply to med school eventually.
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We pre-meds should be ashamed! We are part of a group that everyone hates. Even pre-meds hate on pre-meds. Look at these posts. It may have been honorable many decades ago to declare that you are pursuing a career in the field of medicine...but today it is a joke. But then again, aren't we all deemed jokes by society at large - especially by accomplished individuals - for being in college? Irrespective of your college, major or degrees held, the title of 'student' also may have been honorable in the distant past but nowadays it is used in a derogatory way (e.g. he/she hasn't experienced the real world...he/she is just a student).

The way I see it is that we all (students) wear the badge of shame. People give credit where credit is due. Being a pre-med, or any other student, is not an accomplishment and does not deserve respect. But being a good person begets respect regardless of the pre-med title. Point being...whether you show or hide your pre-med badge, don't be a d!ck and you will be fine.
I don't think a pre-med, much less a student, should inherently feel ashamed of their status. It's true that as students we (mostly) haven't accomplished anything too significant yet. But that is just part of the process of growing up and getting the education you need to be successful.

However, I do see where you're coming from; to me, one of the reasons why you might argue that students should automatically have some sense of shame is because the current generation is often criticized for being entitled, selfish, solipsistic, overconfident, etc. Some students behave in a way that very much reflects and reinforces these stereotypes, so they probably do have some cause to feel shame (though they probably don't). Likewise, pre-meds are notorious for being arrogant, obsessive/neurotic, and in some cases antisocial, so pre-meds who reinforce those stereotypes, again, might deserve to feel ashamed. But I see no reason why anyone would inherently be occasioned to feel that way, particularly if they exemplify the best aspects of their peers and have a genuine interest in the path they're on. Also, a critical distinction is that people who are appropriately humble should have no reason to be ashamed. As long as you are modest about your achievements, and recognize that you have a long way to go and a lot left to accomplish, there is absolutely no reason why you should feel bad about being a pre-med or a student in general.
 
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I'm not ashamed of the "pre-med" label, but I don't make a habit of mentioning it, either. Funny story. There's this chick I had Bio with who began the semester declaring pre med status to any and all who would listen. Even had (not her real name, but) "Sara 'Pre Med' Reynolds" as her Facebook name. She finished Bio and Chem with a C and D respectively, and has recently discovered a passion for economics and finance.

She was embarrassed, and rightfully so. When you advertise something like that to the world and fall flat, I imagine that it could be very humbling. This track is a long one. I don't plan on failing, but I also refuse to look like a tool if I do. I keep my head down, do my best in my studies, and whatever happens, I'll live with. No inherent shame for me because I do my best to stay even keel - don't get too low, nor too high. Had a great semester, but I'm not interested in celebrating until I have an acceptance.

I believe the shame comes from broadcasting the label and subsequently failing to succeed. More focus on doing what it takes to reach your goal and less about everyone knowing you're going to be a doctor (along with several hundred thousand undergrads)
 
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Not ashamed of it but I don't reveal it or declare it unless directly asked about it.

The first 2 years of college I was pretty naive/immature and yeah I was kinda like that annoying premed who declared it and felt all arrogantly good (ugh bad bear...bad bear....). I made a big deal about spending time in research, having responsibilities, and etc (other premed things). Had my premed research labs & volunteer listed under my FB work & blogged about it on tumblr... yeah kinda just not classy.

Then I realized around my jr year it was stupid. I removed "premed" under my facebook education 'major/field of study' and stopped telling ppl I was premed unless explicitly asked "Are you a premed". I stopped complaining of research/ECs unless it really was something and I tried to enjoy them more (which I did!).

The only thing I disliked about premed l is that my UG had a large international student population who studied at our 'prestigious' business school. Apparently, doctors aren't as well respected (?) from where they're from or something, because when international students find out I'm premed they were just like "Oh....yeah...that's cool (politely). That doesn't sound too hard......well I'm trying to get into ibanking at JP Morgan/GS/Morgan Stanley/etc so yeah." Oh wells, I graduated since anyways, so it doesn't matter.
 
does anyone else feel ashamed to say they are pre-med? i feel like i'm a dime a dozen.
Bad news for you... IF you make it to med school you will still be dime a dozen. I'm a doctor and we are all dime a dozen. Ultimately, we are replaceable. There will never be anything you do as a doctor that someone else doesn't do just as we'll or better. You best grovel about something else.
 
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I feel ya, OP. I didn't tell people because there are so many pre-meds at my UG that are completely oblivious to the process and their odds (a freshman in my bio lab told everyone she was studying bio because she was going to be an orthopedic surgeon. This on the FIRST day while were introducing ourselves). This and many experiences like it, made me hold in my desires because I did not want to be lumped in with other pre-meds. Additionally, most everyone from my hometown and high school kind of viewed me as a goof off and would not take me serious if I expressed that I was pursuing medicine. Also, I was always afraid of having to tell everyone that I didn't get in if it ever came to that. With every challenge I overcame (orgo, MCAT, interviews, etc.) I started to feel less afraid of telling others I was pursuing this field, and now that I am accepted I am telling everyone and their momma too.
 
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LOL god premeds (~95% of them) are the most annoying, fake people in college (especially the ones who join the stupid little premed clubs)..... yeah tbh im pretty ashamed of being lumped in with them.
 
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LOL god premeds (~95% of them) are the most annoying, fake people in college (especially the ones who join the stupid little premed clubs)..... yeah tbh im pretty ashamed of being lumped in with them.
This is for the most part true. I guess what I hate is that these self proclaimed "premed" feel important, but in reality are clueless about what it takes to have a reasonable chance at getting in. I think SDN does a somewhat good job at keeping people humble about the process. Here, you learn that nothing is certain when it comes to getting into med school.
 
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I only feel ashamed of being associated with the many douchey, neurotic , overcompetitive, uptight premeds around.
 
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LOL god premeds (~95% of them) are the most annoying, fake people in college (especially the ones who join the stupid little premed clubs)..... yeah tbh im pretty ashamed of being lumped in with them.
Good point. I just think that as long as you break that stereotype you have no reason to be particularly ashamed.
 
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I agree with the above that not fitting the well earned stereotype is what is important.

"To feel shame for no cause is a waste. To feel shame for cause is also a waste; for you must rather spend time correcting that of which you are ashamed." -Master Po

Don't be that premed and, by extension, you'll be fixing the source of shame.
 
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Good point. I just think that as long as you break that stereotype you have no reason to be particularly ashamed.

Yeah but if you mention your premed or tht you want to go to med school people just immediately start summing you up to see if your going to or not. Saying your premed is a big statement. I feel like its saying that your confident you are gonna go to med school and there are really high standards associated with medical school that are really tough to meet. In reality its much more than just meeting some standards. Its really fistrating cause its easy to get up in he neroticism.
 
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