Being introverted and premed

[funshine]

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K, this was posted earlier in another thread:

"No one wants to work with an introvert who has trouble expressing his/her ideas. This is a tough one, because I think everyone has got a couple people in their med school class where people wonder how on earth this person made it past the interviews."

Now, I'm worried because I happen to know a lot of introverts who are premed, including myself! And expressing yourself well....that has to come with practice, and gaining confidence.

I'm not worried about interviewing because I know I can prepare for those...and I generally make a good first impression (at least I THINK I do...i could very well be wrong). But yeah, I'm definitely quieter than most people, and I shy away from social contact esp. when I'm stressed out about classes. I have to study on my own.

Am I going to have a miserable med school experience then?!?!
I have to say that my college experience wasn't that great because I mainly buried myself in books, and isolated myself when I was stressed out. Of course, I came to really regret it because I had no support group of friends or anything, just a lot of acquaintances. I don't want to repeat this in med school, but I have the feeling that I might, if I get stressed out about the sheer amount of material I have to learn. How do you guys deal with it?

 

[tinkerbelle]

But yeah, I'm definitely quieter than most people, and I shy away form social contact esp. when I'm stressed out about classes. I have to study on my own.

hmm. i like social contact, but i can be shy depending on who i'm with. And I study on my own all the time (peeps talk way to freaking much...). I was an engineer in undergrad and studied my butt off, and when I was busy, my friends wouldn't see me for days! So don't worry! You'll be fine. Everyone is different and there is no one personality that does well in med school. Plus, med school is totally different than undergrad. You'll make freinds (hey, if you come to my school I'll drag you out with me 🙂 )

Do you have any hobbies? These are a great stress reliever and a great way to meet people!

As long as you make good first impressions, you'll be fine in interviews. And yes, you can prep, and you should do fine.

And you're not applying till next year right? You've got enough time to worry about med school

 

[constructor]

medical schools care much less about your interpersonal skills than you might be led to believe. it's all about numbers and ec's, so don't worry one bit about being introverted if you can pull it off with the numbers.

 

[DGhiker]

I have to disagree with constructor. Maybe there are still some old school-thinking med schools that don't care about applicants interpersonal skills, but I'm finding that more and more schools DO care whether you can express yourself. And this really only makes sense. How can you expect to be able to talk with patients and extract the information necessary to properly diagnose and treat them if you're terribly uncomfortable talking with people. And I'm not saying that you are, funshine. I'm just saying that I think it does matter, so just prepare for those interviews like you're planning on doing and you'll be fine! But don't think that they don't matter at all and just blow them off because you will regret it later.

 

[fourthyearmed]

Hey! I consider myself an introvert, although I get a little more confident and a little more outspoken every year. My high school classmates might not believe it's me anymore although I still have a reputation for being pretty quiet in my med school class. Interviewing for med school was tough for me because I was really nervous. I'm not too worried about my upcoming residency interviews though because I've gotten used to talking to strangers during my clinical years in the hospital. College sucked for me too. I wouldn't go back for a million dollars. I was always studying and did everything I could to get out of going to the parties my friends tried to drag me to. I preferred to stay home or just have dinner with a small group of friends. Med school has been a lot better. It was pretty easy to make friends in med school because I have a lot more in common with these people than the people at my university. I recommend trying hard to make friends during the first few months even at the expense of a few points on your tests. It's worth it in the long run. Invite a few people to join you for dinner on a study break or to a movie. I don't study well with others either. I wouldn't have made it through med school without the support of my 2 close friends in my class because when you do get stressed out by the material (and you will, I promise) it's really great to know that someone else is having the same problems and you're not alone. Good luck.

 

[constructor]

I have to disagree with constructor. Maybe there are still some old school-thinking med schools that don't care about applicants interpersonal skills, but I'm finding that more and more schools DO care whether you can express yourself. And this really only makes sense. How can you expect to be able to talk with patients and extract the information necessary to properly diagnose and treat them if you're terribly uncomfortable talking with people. And I'm not saying that you are, funshine. I'm just saying that I think it does matter, so just prepare for those interviews like you're planning on doing and you'll be fine! But don't think that they don't matter at all and just blow them off because you will regret it later.

well, you're right in the sense that what you say is true for certain schools. but it's not true for most schools in my experience. you do the interview and unless you come across as a total nutcase (which introverted people don't usually do since they don't talk enough to come across as one), your report goes to the adcom and they don't disqualify you simply because you had an average interview. they then look at the numbers and ec's and say ok this person can make it here, so we'll accept him/her.

if you don't like to think that this is the truth, maybe you need to pay more attention to the students at some of the top medical schools. i was pretty surprised during my interviews at how socially inept some of them were. the reason many schools care so much about numbers is because getting funding is highly competitive and based almost entirely off of us news rankings and reputation. in order to get up on this list, you need students with high numbers and not students with great interpersonal skills because interpersonal skills are simply not quantifiable and so us news chooses to not factor it in their rankings. am i saying that this is fair or right? hell, no. i'm just saying that this is just the way it is...

 

[funshine]

Hey! I consider myself an introvert, although I get a little more confident and a little more outspoken every year. My high school classmates might not believe it's me anymore although I still have a reputation for being pretty quiet in my med school class. Interviewing for med school was tough for me because I was really nervous. I'm not too worried about my upcoming residency interviews though because I've gotten used to talking to strangers during my clinical years in the hospital. College sucked for me too. I wouldn't go back for a million dollars. I was always studying and did everything I could to get out of going to the parties my friends tried to drag me to. I preferred to stay home or just have dinner with a small group of friends. Med school has been a lot better. It was pretty easy to make friends in med school because I have a lot more in common with these people than the people at my university. I recommend trying hard to make friends during the first few months even at the expense of a few points on your tests. It's worth it in the long run. Invite a few people to join you for dinner on a study break or to a movie. I don't study well with others either. I wouldn't have made it through med school without the support of my 2 close friends in my class because when you do get stressed out by the material (and you will, I promise) it's really great to know that someone else is having the same problems and you're not alone. Good luck.

i'm totally with you on the bad college experience. And it was supposed to be the best time of our lives too! ahh well, at least i've learned the importance of socializing early on, just as you stated =). thanks

 

[funshine]

hmm. i like social contact, but i can be shy depending on who i'm with. And I study on my own all the time (peeps talk way to freaking much...). I was an engineer in undergrad and studied my butt off, and when I was busy, my friends wouldn't see me for days! So don't worry! You'll be fine. Everyone is different and there is no one personality that does well in med school. Plus, med school is totally different than undergrad. You'll make freinds (hey, if you come to my school I'll drag you out with me 🙂 )

Do you have any hobbies? These are a great stress reliever and a great way to meet people!

As long as you make good first impressions, you'll be fine in interviews. And yes, you can prep, and you should do fine.

And you're not applying till next year right? You've got enough time to worry about med school

tinkerbelle, you're so sweet ^_^
good luck w/ everything. i hope you get into uroch!!

 

[PreMedAdAG]

if i have any classmates that are introverts, I'm totally converting them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Any time we have a break in med school, I'm taking full advantage of it... 🙂

 

[tinkerbelle]

tinkerbelle, you're so sweet ^_^
good luck w/ everything. i hope you get into uroch!!

thanks! i hope so too

 

[cowgirl]

I have to disagree with constructor. Maybe there are still some old school-thinking med schools that don't care about applicants interpersonal skills, but I'm finding that more and more schools DO care whether you can express yourself. And this really only makes sense. How can you expect to be able to talk with patients and extract the information necessary to properly diagnose and treat them if you're terribly uncomfortable talking with people.

I would sure hope interpersonal skills are valued nowadays considering my science gpa isn't all that great. I was really studious in high school and hardly partied. In college I decided that life is not all about books and grades and decided to have fun...and I did..and it was worth every minute because my social skills improved drastically and I didn't have ulcers every minute of the day. True I didn't have a perfect gpa anymore but really in the long run who cares? If you are still early in the process take it from me: it's not worth it to isolate yourself from the same people that you may one day be treating. Learn to make time to socialize AND study when you should and you'll be an all-around winner in the med school application process and you will realize that college really can be as good a time as everyone else seems to think it is. Peace!
🙂

 

[fielight]

"Am I going to have a miserable med school experience then?!?!"

no, i don't think so. med school is what you make of it... at the very least, you'll be studying material you care about (so that's always going to be interesting).

most people in med school tend to be very social. in part, i think that's the kind of applicants the schools attract, but also because it's makes life easier to have different friends (for studying, asking questions, sharing rumors about upcoming tests, etc.). it can be more difficult if you don't have close friends, but it's definitely not impossible to survive.

the truth is, at the end of the day, most med students will just go home and study. there's so much material that you don't really have that much time to socialize outside of class. i think it's actually a little easier to make friends (or at least acquaintances) in med school, because you see the same people everyday for the next 2 years. it just depends on how much you want to reach out to others. the easiest class to make friends is probably anatomy, because you get thrown in a small group and work closely (and people tend to be helpful after-hours in the labs, so you'll meet new people if you choose to study outside of the scheduled lab times).

 

[supersnuffles]

hmm. i like social contact, but i can be shy depending on who i'm with. And I study on my own all the time (peeps talk way to freaking much...). I was an engineer in undergrad and studied my butt off, and when I was busy, my friends wouldn't see me for days! So don't worry! You'll be fine. Everyone is different and there is no one personality that does well in med school. Plus, med school is totally different than undergrad. You'll make freinds (hey, if you come to my school I'll drag you out with me 🙂 )

Do you have any hobbies? These are a great stress reliever and a great way to meet people!

As long as you make good first impressions, you'll be fine in interviews. And yes, you can prep, and you should do fine.

And you're not applying till next year right? You've got enough time to worry about med school

Hey, I know tinkerbelle personally, and I can vouch for a fact she's not quiet at ALL, especially if you talk to her about design team. HAHA. Just kidding. Sorry, I couldn't help it...couldn't....resist.

 

[Jeffy]

Am I going to have a miserable med school experience then?!?!?

No, it just means that the rest of us will.

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

Don't worry - you are not alone. I've met a lot of pre-meds in my days, and many, many of them have seemed somewhat introverted. You won't be the first shy person that ADCOM interviewers have met. I guess it's just something that you should work on.

 

[Surg Path]

A well respected psychologist once told me that it would be fairly unlikely for an extrovert to get through med school.....although this may be an overstatment.

I'm fairly quiet socially myself, but I've found the best practice for improving professional interactions is to try to do some presentations, especially in a medical setting if possible. It sound like you'll be fine. Med schools don't evaluate you on how many numbers are in your cell phone...I hope.

AD

 

[PreMedAdAG]

A well respected psychologist once told me that it would be fairly unlikely for an extrovert to get through med school.....although this may be an overstatment.

I'm fairly quiet socially myself, but I've found the best practice for improving professional interactions is to try to do some presentations, especially in a medical setting if possible. It sound like you'll be fine. Med schools don't evaluate you on how many numbers are in your cell phone...I hope.

AD

Wow... do you only think about academics? Wait, I'm sorry, I'm really not trying to sound rude, but hey! there is more to life than medicine. I'd be stoked if someone was into reading, or fishing, or anything besides JUST medicine. I think if you want to have better professional interactions, then you need to know more about life than the details of your vocation.

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

A well respected psychologist once told me that it would be fairly unlikely for an extrovert to get through med school.....although this may be an overstatment.

Haha - Sounds like this psychologist is a quack.

 

[tinkerbelle]

Hey, I know tinkerbelle personally, and I can vouch for a fact she's not quiet at ALL, especially if you talk to her about design team. HAHA. Just kidding. Sorry, I couldn't help it...couldn't....resist.

lol. I love you supersnuffles 😍 😍

 

[erin682]

I'm totally an introvert and I wouldn't say that med-school is miserable at all. We have class parties but I don't usually go to them and no one thinks less of me for it. Most people in med school have been the dork at one time or another so they are for the most part pretty accepting. I would recomend having good roommates that have similar interests to you. Mine have made all the difference in the world to me and are always supportive. Mostly though just try to relax and let things come as they will. You define your own med school experience. It can be as joyful or miserable as you make it. Good Luck!

 

[snapdad]

A couple of thoughts on the OPs original post:

1) Being an introvert doesn't mean you have trouble expressing yourself, or that you're shy. It just indicates your preference for levels of social interaction. It doesn't say anything about your social skills or your ability to be a good doctor (or med student).

2) We do what we do according to our level of comfort. If you're a person who tends to stay away from parties and goes for the books, that's ok. Find one activity that interests you (and that you have time for), and meet people through that. Having a common interest might facilitate interaction, and you'd all see each other often enough to get to know one another. You don't have to be friends with every person in your class.

 

[DaniDoc]

Amen to that, snapdad!

One additional thought: if YOU are introverted, rest assured that some of your patients will be, too. You may well be better prepared to deal with more timid patients when you, yourself, have similar tendencies. A truly wise Adcom (and, granted, the jury's still out on whether or not these actually exist...) will keep in mind that class composition ultimately should be determined by examining the needs of a diverse patient base and selecting people who will be able to cater most effectively to the full spectrum.

In other words, being introverted is cool, too.

 

[skoaner]

medical schools care much less about your interpersonal skills than you might be led to believe. it's all about numbers and ec's, so don't worry one bit about being introverted if you can pull it off with the numbers.

I beg to differ! I just got off the phone with an admissions director who said the most glaring reason I'm on the wait-list was that I come off as quiet/shy. They felt this was a bad personality trait for a physician to have.

 

[Haybrant]

you gotta learn to chill girl; be passionate about something, even if it is your research; the dumbest thing i hear is that people into their research are zombies, introverted etc... If you are passionate about it and can communicate that you're good; People can confuse your introvertedness with playing life cool; so, listen to hip/hop music and watch mtv if you can and you'll learn what it means to chill and you wont have to change who you are to impress anyone....

 

[Quynh2007]

shy is not equal to introverted. shyness occurs ONLY in social situation in which there are physical signs (like blushing, perspiration, getting hot) and there are cognitive symptoms like thinking you are acting like a fool, don't know why you are here, and ppl look down at the floor more, stand to the side, less hand gesture.

Introverts are quiet and also keep to themselves. They recharge their battery by being alone. (shy people want to be around other people but find it difficult and painful)

Introverts get energy from being alone, extrovert get energy from being around other people. (like a party will wear an introvert down, but that same party will pump the extrovert up even more)

 

[angelinebear]

I would sure hope interpersonal skills are valued nowadays considering my science gpa isn't all that great. I was really studious in high school and hardly partied. In college I decided that life is not all about books and grades and decided to have fun...and I did..and it was worth every minute because my social skills improved drastically and I didn't have ulcers every minute of the day. True I didn't have a perfect gpa anymore but really in the long run who cares? If you are still early in the process take it from me: it's not worth it to isolate yourself from the same people that you may one day be treating. Learn to make time to socialize AND study when you should and you'll be an all-around winner in the med school application process and you will realize that college really can be as good a time as everyone else seems to think it is. Peace!
🙂

I totally agree with you, cowgirl! I'm pretty much in the same boat. I used to be really introverted in high school, and I graduated top of the class, but when I got to college, I made friends who wanted to party all the time. I got sucked into it, and I partied all night long, even if I had an orgo test that monday. Anyways, yes, my science GPA is not the greatest, and I'm not proud of it, but in the process, it was definately an experience that I wouldn't trade for a million bucks. I found out that I wasn't the type to party all the time, I found out who I am and the type of people that I want to surround myself with, and at the same time, my social skills jumped! After I got over the whole "i want to party everyday" mode, my GPA went up drastically, and consquently, my relationships with my advisors and my teachers got even better because I wasn't nervous to talk to them about anything (I once had a 1 1/2 hr conversation with my psych teacher about polar bears and penguins)

Anyways, the whole point of this story comes down to this: I was talking to Filo Maldonado from A&M Monday night and I told him my story in a nutshell and he told me: "we totally understand, and that's nothing to be ashamed of...we take that into consideration...a jump in your grades shows us something"....

Study hard, but at the same time...I honestly believe that college is a time to learn about yourself, and to experience things that you may not ever get a chance to experience. The only way to do that, however, is to break out of your shell, because you never know what you're capable of unless you break your own barriers. 🙂

It's best to get acquainted with all types of people, because when you become a doctor (and i Have no doubt that if you really want it, you will) you'll see these types of people again. 😀 ....Best of luck!