Attn: MS(zeros)

[typeB-md]

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In an effort to salvage broken feelings, i have decided to make myself available as medical school consultant. Please do not hesitate to ask me anything you may have questions about. I will open the thread to any types of questions as long as they are w/in the SDN user's terms. I will give you the real deal answer and none of the fluffy-bunny answers that so many students churn out these days.

Let's keep this one open, please.

 

[ishaninatte]

On average, do professors and teaching docs like MS students and want to work with them?

 

[wends]

do people get along or is it fakey fakey?
will I have a life outside of class?
will guys run away when i say im in med school?

😛

 

[typeB-md]

On average, do professors and teaching docs like MS students and want to work with them?

yes, this seems to be true ~ 95% of the time. they teach because they like teaching, not because they were rejected from medical school and got stuck with a PhD in chemistry.

i prefer the MD professors to the PhD professors, but both usually go out of their way to help students understand the material.

 

[NMH2001]

In an effort to salvage broken feelings, i have decided to make myself available as medical school consultant. Please do not hesitate to ask me anything you may have questions about. I will open the thread to any types of questions as long as they are w/in the SDN user's terms. I will give you the real deal answer and none of the fluffy-bunny answers that so many students churn out these days.

Let's keep this one open, please.

Seriously, who are you???

 

[typeB-md]

do people get along or is it fakey fakey?
will I have a life outside of class?
will guys run away when i say im in med school?

😛

People get along very well for the first few months, then cliques form and competitive undertones coalesce into more serious rivalries.

You will have as much of a life as you choose. I had many free hours a day (many times as the result of skipping class), but i am also very gifted with a fantastic memory. But even my buddies with average/good memories were able to workout, play cards, play ball, etc. You practice how you play. If you want to give up luxuries in order to better succeed that is a decision only you can make.

Guys will likely not run away. My advice, as well, is to stay away from guys. Many of them tend to act like cowards these days and will only whine when they can't see you 24 hours a day. Save yourself the wasted effort and just focus on school and yourself. However, if a boy toy is a must, choose another professional as they are more likely to a) understand that women can do more than just look good b) realize that you need to get your learn on and can't be babysitting them 24 hours a day. Good luck with that.

 

[lightnk102]

what percentage of your classmates do you like? What percentage of your classes do you like?

and just out of curiosity (because someone who doesn't bs always intrigues me), what are your reasons for doing medicine? the fuzzies of helping others? 😛

 

[lightnk102]

However, if a boy toy is a must, choose another professional as they are more likely to a) understand that women can do more than just look good b) realize that you need to get your learn on and can't be babysitting them 24 hours a day.

c) Will have a salary to finance all your post-exam shoe purchases with.

 

[typeB-md]

Seriously, who are you???

if i recall, you are already in school as well, no? please feel free to contribute to the answer pool.

 

[joselind]

if i bumped all of the 2009 threads once a day at the same time each day until august 15th, how would you respond?

 

[sdnstud]

1. Do good looking girls get better grades in clinical years? if I rotate with a hot looking girl, will I get less attention from my instructors?

2. If I have crappy grades, will my school discourage me from applying to competitive residencies?

 

[ecoscuba]

1. Which people or professions within the healthcare industry look down on medical students and tend to be unnecessarily disrespectful, condescending, etc?

2. How long does it take for medical students to get sick of seeing their classmates all the time?


3. Why do you prefer MD professors to PhD professors?


4. How bad do rivalries get between competitive med students (in your experience)?

 

[BGGA]

What do you wish you would have know before you started?
What would you have done differently?
Any definate dos or don'ts?

 

[typeB-md]

what percentage of your classmates do you like? What percentage of your classes do you like?

and just out of curiosity (because someone who doesn't bs always intrigues me), what are your reasons for doing medicine? the fuzzies of helping others? 😛

i would potentially hang out with ~ 50% of the class.

i would say that i like ~ 85% of classes. classes like the molecular bio, biochem, etc. are alright and i can deal with. the phys, anatomy, histology are pretty cool. the worst classes are probably the clinical skills stuff where they patronize our clinician skills. "look how cute you guys are when you talk to patients."

reasons for medicine are as follows:
-will pay my bills
-i don't have to answer to some tight-ass boss if i don't want to
-there will always be a demand for physicians and you can't cut corners on education like engineering and business where you always have to watch out for the young gunners
-science is more fun than law
-you can actually put your knowledge to real life and use it for something other than screwing people out of money

the biggest reason against medicine (and medical school) is the lack of intellectual reasoning encountered. you become a walking text book which i guess is cool, but it's very specific and you forget cool things like calculus and aerospace physics.

 

[typeB-md]

if i bumped all of the 2009 threads once a day at the same time each day until august 15th, how would you respond?

i would probably chuckle after they banned you.

 

[typeB-md]

1. Do good looking girls get better grades in clinical years? if I rotate with a hot looking girl, will I get less attention from my instructors?

2. If I have crappy grades, will my school discourage me from applying to competitive residencies?

1. yes, and they get better residency offers as well. if you rotate with a hot girl and are worrying about you instructor, you have failed the male species and this is much worse than any mediocre evaluation from your instructor.

2. If you have crappy grades any good advisor would (as they should) shoot straight with you and tell you what your realistic chances are. They'll save you time, money, and despair.

 

[wends]

c) Will have a salary to finance all your post-exam shoe purchases with.

AMEN to that! 😛

 

[typeB-md]

1. Which people or professions within the healthcare industry look down on medical students and tend to be unnecessarily disrespectful, condescending, etc?

2. How long does it take for medical students to get sick of seeing their classmates all the time?


3. Why do you prefer MD professors to PhD professors?


4. How bad do rivalries get between competitive med students (in your experience)?

1. most of the faculty are very amiable. most of the nutritionists i have met are goofy. the pharm students and PT students are pretty cool. as far as physicians, i haven't really had any super bad dealings. act right, do what they say, get out their way when they're bringing it and you'll be fine.

2. i do not get sick of seeing my classmates yet. partly because i skip a fair amount of lecture. they are decent folks and even the worst of the gunners is likeable when you realize that the only thing they have going for them is their 4.0 gpa. worry about yourself and maximize your potential.

3. MD. they teach for the reasons we are there. "and this is relevant because..."

4. rivalries are kept on the dl. you can sense the competitive undertones but most people try and at least superficially mind their own business. your biggest competition, however, is yourself. it sounds cheesy, but keep your head in the game and you are your best motivation.

 

[ishaninatte]

When would a normal, well-adjusted, completely average person begin studying for Step 1 in order to score 50th percentile exactly?

 

[typeB-md]

What do you wish you would have know before you started?
What would you have done differently?
Any definate dos or don'ts?

i would have liked to know that first year really isn't the big deal they make it out to be.

done differently: don't listen to anyone when they tell you a class will be easy and then you don't go except for two lectures and then end up having to bust butt to pull of a good grade.

definitely find something else to study on the side... politics, engineering, business, world religion, etc. it's very rare to find a medical student that remains versed in something other than medicine. when people come to school, they stop watching the news, they forget simple mathematics, dare i say grammar?, etc. as a scholar, i believe knowledge is power.

 

[ForbiddenComma]

What are the must-have books for the core of 1st year?

 

[Winged Scapula]

You have opened a hornet's nest with your offer, type B!

 

[typeB-md]

When would a normal, well-adjusted, completely average person begin studying for Step 1 in order to score 50th percentile exactly?

it is my belief that failing Step1 is the result of actively disregarding class subject matter. if you pay attention in class and give a minimal effort outside of class, i would be hard-pressed to believe that you would end up with anything less than a B/Pass average. after this, reviewing material 4-5 weeks before the exam should be sufficient for a passing mark.

if you are going to make the effort to get into medical school, though, why not make the effort to do well on the boards? burning bridges because (excuse the alliteration) of laziness is a poor practice (again, excuse the alliteration).

 

[typeB-md]

What are the must-have books for the core of 1st year?

this varies from school to school.

i will tell you that for your first year courses, the BRS and High Yield series are great adjuncts to the required text and notes. they don't usually contain the very specific items but they are more than adequate for NBME subject tests and for a good, general understanding of the subject matter.

and pickup a Color Photo atlas for anatomy if you want a good review of cadavers without having to bear the stench of rotting flesh.

 

[typeB-md]

You have opened a hornet's nest with your offer, type B!

well, the newbs want answers, you guys refuse to merge threads, so rather than have 800 threads with random q/a, they can put it all right here and everyone benefits.

 

[ishaninatte]

it is my belief that failing Step1 is the result of actively disregarding class subject matter. if you pay attention in class and give a minimal effort outside of class, i would be hard-pressed to believe that you would end up with anything less than a B/Pass average. after this, reviewing material 4-5 weeks before the exam should be sufficient for a passing mark.

if you are going to make the effort to get into medical school, though, why not make the effort to do well on the boards? burning bridges because (excuse the alliteration) of laziness is a poor practice (again, excuse the alliteration).

Thanks for all the great advice. Yeah, I don't plan on aiming for a 50%, I was just going to use your answer as a gauge of sorts.

I may have been being slightly facetious too, I can't tell sometimes.

 

[typeB-md]

Thanks for all the great advice. Yeah, I don't plan on aiming for a 50%, I was just going to use your answer as a gauge of sorts.

I may have been being slightly facetious too, I can't tell sometimes.

anything worth doing is worth doing well.

also remember that if it didn't require any effort, they'd call it a PhD.

 

[Winged Scapula]

well, the newbs want answers, you guys refuse to merge threads, so rather than have 800 threads with random q/a, they can put it all right here and everyone benefits.

Who says we refuse to merge threads?

BUT if we did, there would be a large outcry of those unable to find their threads...I know, I tried it in Clinical Rotations and everyone got their panties in a bunch.

 

[mustangsally65]

What do you learn in the first year of clinical medicine classes? I know this will vary from school to school, but do you learn the complete physical exam, or only parts of it? When are you expected to do your first physical?

 

[typeB-md]

What do you learn in the first year of clinical medicine classes? I know this will vary from school to school, but do you learn the complete physical exam, or only parts of it? When are you expected to do your first physical?

Yes, it is complete physical exams. They usually try and correlate them with the current subject of study (i.e. neuro exam while learning neuro).

As far as your first physical, that can vary from doing it on a fake patient, to practicing on another student, to working with patients in the hospital. It's usually pretty laid back, though, and it's not that difficult. They just belabor each step of the exam and in reality, docs do a much more succinct exam rather than waste time with unnecessary movements. Time-wise, it was late fall semester.

 

[erock]

also remember that if it didn't require any effort, they'd call it a PhD.

you must be joking...

tell that to the grad students working 12-16 hour days, 7 days a week.

 

[thehomez66]

Does the underlying competition that you were talking about still exist in schools where there is no curve and group based learning is highly emphasized?

 

[joselind]

are you gunning for surgery?

 

[thackl]

Does the underlying competition that you were talking about still exist in schools where there is no curve and group based learning is highly emphasized?

It's always there, but not everyone gets caught up in it...... maybe 1/3-1/2 will be like this (about 1/10 openly).

FYI- TypeB is so right on here is scary. He's not BS-ing this time

 

[xanthines]

Is it completely asinine to start thinking about which areas of medicine I will practice, so that I can learn the right things and meet the right people early on? Knowing my limitations, I would prefer to triage my study time (if necessary) according to the needs of my future discipline. That is all.

-X

 

[Larsitron]

well, the newbs want answers, you guys refuse to merge threads, so rather than have 800 threads with random q/a, they can put it all right here and everyone benefits.

Dude, what's your deal? I mean seriously, should I beg forgiveness because I don't have the expertise you do? Last time I checked, people could feel free to create threads with whatever questions they had so long as they adhered to the user policies and were located within the proper subject area. In fact, that's what the forums are for right? People asking questions/discussing issues with individuals of varying levels of expertise? While I think your attempt to reconcile with the people who you pissed off seems more patronizing than anything else, I'd really wish you'd cut out your jabs to the admins. I'd hate to see the product of you managing a forum.

 

[Smurfette]

Is it completely asinine to start thinking about which areas of medicine I will practice, so that I can learn the right things and meet the right people early on? Knowing my limitations, I would prefer to triage my study time (if necessary) according to the needs of my future discipline. That is all.

-X

Yes, it would be asinine to triage your studying to your possible specialty. So many people change their minds about what they want to do (when they were 100% committed with no doubts prior to 3rd year) that this is foolish. You need to learn what they teach you, even if you are sure that you want to be a psychiatrist and do not need to know the bones of the foot or the vascular supply to the stomach. You need to pass the boards and all your classes in order to practice medicine.

Learn everything you are supposed to, to the best of your abilities. This will help you do well on step 1 and to do well on rotations, thus helping you land the residency of your choosing. Studying "extra" in your area won't be all that useful the first couple years of med school.

 

[getunconcsious]

1. yes, and they get better residency offers as well. if you rotate with a hot girl and are worrying about you instructor, you have failed the male species and this is much worse than any mediocre evaluation from your instructor.

First off, I'd like to thank you for answering so many questions in such a candid manner.

That said, I can't help but take issue with your answer to this question (and no, it's not because I'm gay). Why does everyone view males as primarily sex-driven. If there was a hot girl or guy on my rotation I would not give 2 $hits! It's all about your career, not about who you ogle or sleep with! Don't any other men think that way?

 

[Mr. Seeds]

First off, I'd like to thank you for answering so many questions in such a candid manner.

That said, I can't help but take issue with your answer to this question (and no, it's not because I'm gay). Why does everyone view males as primarily sex-driven. If there was a hot girl or guy on my rotation I would not give 2 $hits! It's all about your career, not about who you ogle or sleep with! Don't any other men think that way?

Yes, it really is rather annoying.

 

[Engin]

Damn it, even when the guys tries to help you guys have to b1tch. Can't you guys let some things go so it doesn't become some obvious flame war and take away from what was a useful thread.

My question,
Are the pre-meds as insufferable as they were in college? Do they raise their hands and ask every question under the sun?

Even when it's nearing finals week and they ask something because it's cool?

And what I hate most is, are they still wound up so freaking tight that they make you nervous?

 

[rpkall]

My question,
Are the pre-meds as insufferable as they were in college? Do they raise their hands and ask every question under the sun?

Even when it's nearing finals week and they ask something because it's cool?

And what I hate most is, are they still wound up so freaking tight that they make you nervous?

Ahaha! 👍

I'm sure they're exactly the same as they were in undergrad. Look at the population med school specifically selects for.

I'm sure the only people who don't see the blatent competition are the competitive ones.

 

[Law2Doc]

My question,
Are the pre-meds as insufferable as they were in college? Do they raise their hands and ask every question under the sun?

If it's anything like law school, the more vocal classmates tend to go mute after the first set of grades come out and they realize they are no longer above the mean. (I'm not sure if this works in P/F schools, though -- maybe it's a good argument for grades.)

 

[humuhumu]

What do you need to do to get into the most competitive residencies? Is it all about your performance on Step 1? What else do residency directors look for?

 

[chameleonknight]

What do you need to do to get into the most competitive residencies? Is it all about your performance on Step 1? What else do residency directors look for?

They hate triggerfish above all else. Sorry.

J/k. There's a good book out there by Iserson, called "Getting into Residency" or something to that effect. Would make for good summer-gunner reading.

 

[humuhumu]

They hate triggerfish above all else. Sorry.

J/k. There's a good book out there by Iserson, called "Getting into Residency" or something to that effect. Would make for good summer-gunner reading.

This one? http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...002-1737130-1095220?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

Iserson's Getting into a Residency: A Guide for Medical Students, Sixth Edition

Looks good. Thanks for the tip!

Triggerfish rock. It's been too long since I've seen one in its native habitat. 😎

 

[bigfrank]

What do you need to do to get into the most competitive residencies? Is it all about your performance on Step 1? What else do residency directors look for?

I can answer this question. Step I is extremely important for residency placement in the "competitive" specialties. HOWEVER, it is not the most important part of the application. When you're at the stage of applying to programs (like I am), you'll find that Step I is very important but so are M-3 grades, AOA status, good LORs, preclinical grades, class rank, interviewing skills ("the likeability factor"), etc.

It's difficult to say what is the MOST important aspect of the application, but doing very well on Step I will set you up for future successes throughout the M-3 year. BOL to you!

 

[jojo14]

I would add if you know of a program that you want to go to, consider doing an away rotation there before interview season. That way they know who you are and if you impressed them, it makes getting a spot much easier.

 

[typeB-md]

Does the underlying competition that you were talking about still exist in schools where there is no curve and group based learning is highly emphasized?

i do not know of this first hand, but i would bet so.

meds students are competitive by nature even if there's no reason to be.

 

[typeB-md]

are you gunning for surgery?

we will find out someday. as of now i cannot be certain of my future.

 

[typeB-md]

Is it completely asinine to start thinking about which areas of medicine I will practice, so that I can learn the right things and meet the right people early on? Knowing my limitations, I would prefer to triage my study time (if necessary) according to the needs of my future discipline. That is all.

-X

negative.

you would want to make contacts as early as possible if you know for certain that you want to do a certain area. just keep in mind that without doing rotations, you can never be 100% certain.

you should still learn everything and not triage material. become competent in all areas and you will be better doc. as well, you are paying to learn and you might as well make the best of your $$.