@ Current Med School students

[Samiamm]

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Ahh I apologize for making so many threads today

During your undergrad years, did you guys ever get really intimidated by the thought of it all??

I mean it's nuts, if I would've never found SDN, I would've been so much more relaxed about getting into Med School and all. This is obviously a good thing, but did you guys ever really freak out, because honestly, if you don't get in, wtf are you going to do with a bio, or even a biochem. degree, and so on.

How did you guys find ways to just relax and let it off your mind, and what kept you motivated?



😎 😎

 

[FSU2013]

Yes.

Church, family, friends and exercise.

 

[music2doc]

Ahh I apologize for making so many threads today

During your undergrad years, did you guys ever get really intimidated by the thought of it all??

I mean it's nuts, if I would've never found SDN, I would've been so much more relaxed about getting into Med School and all. This is obviously a good thing, but did you guys ever really freak out, because honestly, if you don't get in, wtf are you going to do with a bio, or even a biochem. degree, and so on.

How did you guys find ways to just relax and let it off your mind, and what kept you motivated?



😎 😎

I dunno. For me, there never was a question of "what if it doesn't happen." Once I decided I was going, it was more a question of whether I'd be going to Harvard or settling for Yale (J/K!) -- but honestly, not getting in never really crossed my mind. I tend to be pretty systematic and determined in my approach toward a goal. When I declared myself "pre-med," I already had a solid UG GPA and I knew how to play the game (from having done it successfully for another set of professional programs prior). I would certainly think that approaching med school with determination is probably helpful. You have to want it. Of course, you also have to have what it takes...but more than that you have got to want it and do whatever it takes to be successful. More importantly, you've got to know why you want it. What inspires you toward medicine? Why are you "pre-med"? Something I have to constantly remind myself as I work through the tedium that is 1st year is why I am here. I am not here to learn Biochemistry, Anatomy, or Pharmacology. I am not here to learn why a patient's autonomy comes before my own. I am here to learn to reach out to the poor and underserved, to heal the sick and to give them freedom and hope through the work that I do.

 

[allie1361]

I freaked out after I took MCAT. Convinced myself that I didn't get a good enough score. My backup plan was nursing school. I had all the credits I'd need to get into my school's program. But honestly, you just have to go with it. It's a lot of hoops to jump through for a reason...people who can't handle this, give up. They don't want to put the work into it all. But if you can survive all of these hoops and get in somewhere, you obviously deserve it. Just relax. Once something is done (like MCAT!), it's done, and there's nothing you can do but wait. So don't dwell on things. Remember to have a life!!

 

[chillaxbro]

There's always DO
If you fail so much that you can't even DO, you probably shouldn't be a doctor

 

[Samiamm]

There's always DO
If you fail so much that you can't even DO, you probably shouldn't be a doctor

I'm not looking at DO, but it gets you to the same place I guess

 

[link2swim06]

Ahh I apologize for making so many threads today

During your undergrad years, did you guys ever get really intimidated by the thought of it all??

I mean it's nuts, if I would've never found SDN, I would've been so much more relaxed about getting into Med School and all. This is obviously a good thing, but did you guys ever really freak out, because honestly, if you don't get in, wtf are you going to do with a bio, or even a biochem. degree, and so on.

How did you guys find ways to just relax and let it off your mind, and what kept you motivated?



😎 😎

Lesson #1. SDN is not the normal pre-med/med student population. The majority of people on here are overachievers. Look at admission data from the AAMC to judge your chance of getting in.

Lesson #2. Apply to additional easier schools...getting an acceptance from a low tier DO school in October makes the rest of the interview season very relaxing. You KNOW you are going to become a doctor regardless.

 

[Anon212]

SDN is not the normal population, but it is part of the population you'll deal with in med school, so you might as well start getting used to it- and you're here, and you're staying here, so as much as you don't want to admit it, you probably belong to some extent.

I worried throughout college that my grades weren't good enough, that my extracurriculars weren't impressive enough, etc. My GPA wasn't nearly as high as I would have liked. My MCAT was fine but wasn't a 40. Sure, I was worried. I was constantly freaked out, actually, that my degree would be useless and all this time and effort had been wasted- I genuinely had no plan B. I took 2 years off, did research (not because I failed at applying, but because I just needed some time to breathe, wanted to live somewhere cool and wanted something impressive on my app) and then applied. And guess what- I got into like, 6 places, one of which was a top-something-or-other school. I found out 4 years ago- almost to the day (crazy!!!).

In med school, I worried that my grades weren't good enough, that my extracurriculars weren't impressive enough, etc. I worried that i didn't stack up compared to my classmates, that my research wasn't influential, that I'd be forced into a specialty I didn't want, that my boards would be a disaster, etc etc etc. If you're a worrier, you just are. You're gonna keep worrying. This process will always give you fodder for it. It doesn't get better- it just gets worse, because the stakes are higher. It's one thing to worry about not getting into med school with a college degree, it's another to realize you spent 4 years in med school working harder than you could ever imagine toward a degree that only qualifies you toward clinical medicine and gathering hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt, and you still have no guarantee that you'll actually match somewhere and get to practice anything. You can't let yourself fall into that spiral or you'll lose it. Take deep breaths, focus on one small goal at a time, and do what you gotta do. Don't lose perspective. The world doesn't end because you did poorly on a test or even if you don't get into med school. Just focus on your next goal.

 

[Renaissance Man]

wtf are you going to do with a bio, or even a biochem. degree, and so on.

Teach, graduate school (PhD, MPH, MBA, etc.), plenty of medically related jobs (respiratory tech, radiology tech, perfunsionist, laboratory tech etc.), go into sales of medically/research related products, work for tutoring companies, get a job with a non-profit, and so on...

I think there are plenty of great jobs out there for bio/chem/biochem degrees. The problem is that graduates don't want to "settle" for anything less than a MD. No matter what, don't let your undergrad degree determine what jobs you are qualified for. You could definitely even get a job in big business with a biology degree.

 

[golgiapparatus88]

I mean it's nuts, if I would've never found SDN, I would've been so much more relaxed about getting into Med School and all.

Without SDN, I would have applied knowing very little about the process.

 

[hellocubed]

I think this is a good topic~ I'll share my personal experiences.

I was probably one of the most "screwed premedical students." After doing decently well my first semester, my GPA absolutely nosedived. By the end of my Sophomore year, I had a cGPA of ~2.9, ending that year with a C- in organic chemistry, C+ in Bio2, and C+ in Chem2. I had NO extracurriculars, NO research, NO any medical EC experience whatsoever.

A lot of my friends told me (and I don't think they were wrong) that I should drop my dreams of getting into medical school. I was teetering on the edge of pursing engineering instead, but one of my friends pulled me aside and basically told me that "if someone wants to get into medical school, they'll get in, it's only a matter of how long."

I studied extremely hard for the next three years, and pulled off a 3.93 cGPA while taking difficult bio courses (Biochem 1 and 2, Immunology, Vert Anatomy, Human Phys, Organismal, Evolutionary/Ecology, etc) I could cram into my schedule. I retook Orgo and Aced it quite easily the second time around. I pursued a couple oversea medical mission trips, started a musical culture band on campus, finished my "standard medical ECs," and did 2 years of research during college and Another 2 years of full-time research post-grad as a Research Specialist while getting a few publications.

And now, I'm an MS1~

Basically, I have my share of white hairs from the journey. But I found solace in the idea that, if you are a half-way competent person who wants to get into medical school, you'll get in. Don't stress too much about it, it'll happen. (which, I admit, may actually be bad advice. but it worked for me~)

 

[Skull Pell]

Without SDN, I would have applied knowing very little about the process.

👍

As a new SDN'er who has two more years before applying, I am becoming increasingly neurotic

 

[anon3]

Alot of people worry too much this early in. What you need to get into med school as far as GPA, MCAT, and extracurriculars. is pretty formulaic and not hard to achieve (I think another poster described it best saying you only need to be 'halfway competent'.) If you look at people who don't get in on these boards (re-apps), 95% of them are lacking in one of the holy triumverate and 5% can't get past interviews.) But there's always more hoops set higher to jump through later.

Each standardized exam or screening (med school app, residency app, job) they put in front of you, a couple folks get stuck at. The people who can't even be 'halfway competent' are lucky to to find out early rather than realize 10 years later with a mountain of debt and time invested that they'll never pass the boards for their specialty no matter how hard they study/work/etc (10-15% fail rate for boards for internal medicine/family medicine while surgery boards seem worse).

 

[yuiness]

I think that I freaked out much more than I had any right to, but I never really had a viable backup plan and always assumed that I would be able to get in to some medical school somewhere. If I didn't get in the first try, I was probably just going to take a year off an try again.

On a semi-related note, I got freaked out quite a bit by the stories about clinicals and overnight call and working 80-hr weeks, etc. etc. while I was a premed and preclinical student, but I've realized that, for some reason, this kind of stuff always sounds a lot scarier than it actually is. I remember that at the end of my 2nd year, we had a day where we each followed a 3rd year around to help us get ready for 3rd year, and I watched my 3rd year pre-round and write notes and present papers to the team, and I was sure that I would never be able to do it all well. But it was actually pretty easy once I got into the swing of things, and it wasn't nearly as bad as I had imagined.

 

[mvenus929]

During your undergrad years, did you guys ever get really intimidated by the thought of it all??

I mean it's nuts, if I would've never found SDN, I would've been so much more relaxed about getting into Med School and all. This is obviously a good thing, but did you guys ever really freak out, because honestly, if you don't get in, wtf are you going to do with a bio, or even a biochem. degree, and so on.

I get intimidated now by the thought that someone's life will someday be in my hands.

During undergrad, I was sure that I'd get in. Then I didn't. That scared me. But I picked up the pieces and sought out more clinical experience and reapplied a couple years later and now I'm in my 3rd year. If I hadn't gotten in, I would've pursued something else in healthcare... nutrition was near the top of my contingencies at the time.

 

[dominicandoctor]

I just never accepted failure as an option. To me it was never "if" I get in.. it was always about WHEN I get in. Not everyone is as confident as I am though.

 

[Praefectus]

Without SDN, I would have applied knowing very little about the process.

👍 I probably would have submitted a month or two later if I wasn't on here.

 

[flodhi1]

Ahh I apologize for making so many threads today

During your undergrad years, did you guys ever get really intimidated by the thought of it all??

I mean it's nuts, if I would've never found SDN, I would've been so much more relaxed about getting into Med School and all. This is obviously a good thing, but did you guys ever really freak out, because honestly, if you don't get in, wtf are you going to do with a bio, or even a biochem. degree, and so on.

How did you guys find ways to just relax and let it off your mind, and what kept you motivated?



😎 😎

If I was to ever give anyone advice about SDN in one line, "It's a great resource but far from reality so be very careful about what you follow from the site"

Yes

Hang out with family, watch tv, play video games and exercise.

 

[music2doc]

If I was to ever give anyone advice about SDN in one line, "It's a great resource but far from reality so be very careful about what you follow from the site"

Yes

Hang out with family, watch tv, play video games and exercise.

This is usually what I tell people when it comes up. I suggest it as a resource for people who I think can take it, but I do preface that recommendation with the fact that it shouldn't be their primary resource and everything here should be taken with a grain of salt and examined to see whether or not many people with experience seem to agree.

 

[Aerus]

I dunno. For me, there never was a question of "what if it doesn't happen." Once I decided I was going, it was more a question of whether I'd be going to Harvard or settling for Yale (J/K!) -- but honestly, not getting in never really crossed my mind. I tend to be pretty systematic and determined in my approach toward a goal. When I declared myself "pre-med," I already had a solid UG GPA and I knew how to play the game (from having done it successfully for another set of professional programs prior). I would certainly think that approaching med school with determination is probably helpful. You have to want it. Of course, you also have to have what it takes...but more than that you have got to want it and do whatever it takes to be successful. More importantly, you've got to know why you want it. What inspires you toward medicine? Why are you "pre-med"? Something I have to constantly remind myself as I work through the tedium that is 1st year is why I am here. I am not here to learn Biochemistry, Anatomy, or Pharmacology. I am not here to learn why a patient's autonomy comes before my own. I am here to learn to reach out to the poor and underserved, to heal the sick and to give them freedom and hope through the work that I do.

Sorry, not a medical student, but I feel like this post says a lot.

Most of the medical school admissions process IS in your control. If you want it badly enough, you'll probably be able to get in somewhere. Maybe not the best school or your first choice, but if being a doctor is what you really want to do in life, you can, if you are determined enough and prepared enough.