Describe a Gunner....

[DocHeart]

I may have started to become a gunner in college, in high school I hung on to a 2.0 (only for baseball) but now I find my self studying more than ever. I also want to have the top grades in all my classes, am I becoming a gunner? Any ways, What are the most annoying things gunners do? I want to see if I am doing any of these things.

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[Virgil]

lol

 

[Pansit]

I may have started to become a gunner in college, in high school I hung on to a 2.0 (only for baseball) but now I find my self studying more than ever. I also want to have the top grades in all my classes, am I becoming a gunner? Any ways, What are the most annoying things gunners do? I want to see if I am doing any of these things.

gunners love to sit right in front of the class and ask a question every 5 minutes knowing full well that they know the answer or can figure it out if they thought about for a second. It so annoying, specially since you know that guy is really smart and half the class knows the answer to that question

 

[silverlining1]

From Wikipedia:

A gunner, especially in medical schools and law schools, is a person who is competitive, overly-ambitious and often excitedly volunteers oral answers in class that are, by turns, incorrect, off-topic, or specifically designed to demonstrate the questionable intellectual prowess of the person supplying them. A gunner will compromise his or her peer relationships in order to obtain recognition and praise from his or her instructors and superiors.

Also check out Urban Dictionary http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=gunner

 

[west nile]

It seems like you just come unprepared to class and then take up everyones time by asking many questions that you would have got should you have been prepared. Or maybe I am missing something from your other ridiculous post...

Holly Molly,

Wow, that probly came off in a way that was completely opposite of my intention. When I was asking the questions I was actually clueless about the lecture, I asked questions that I knew every one knew the answer to but I was still clueless on. And I was surprised to get a top grade because every one else seemed to know every thing. I don't think I am a gunner, but I do ask alot of question when I don't get some thing. I could probly ask professor during office hours but never, but would rather do it in class.

 

[blargh]

i think gunners and snipers are equally horrible.

 

[MassTransport]

From Wikipedia:


Also check out Urban Dictionary http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=gunner

Damn, Wikipedia's on the ball.

 

[doinmybest5840]

I have a wild idea. Are you ready for it?

Stop making new threads about useless topics.

Take a moment to just try and wrap your head around that while I go eat a fruit cup.

What kind of fruit?

 

[proclivity]

What kind of fruit?

classic fruit cocktail.....oh the elementary days of 3 oz styrofoam cups filled with fruit cocktail.

 

[Nooblet]

if you think gunners are bad, in my classes there were these two twins that were gunners. sat together (front row of course), dressed alike, and both were equally annoying. The worst is when they ask questions totally off topic in a review session just to suck up to professor or demonstrate that they are intellectual...the person running the review would often get very visibly annoyed and exasperated too...quite funny

 

[voirlesetoiles]

Wow and here I was thinking that there's no such thing as a stupid question. I ask a LOT of questions, but if they're off-topic I usually wait and see the prof afterwards.

OP, does it really matter whether you're classified as a "gunner"? Heck, I'd rather be a gunner with honors than loved by all and at the bottom of the class any day.

 

[jochi1543]

if you think gunners are bad, in my classes there were these two twins that were gunners. sat together (front row of course), dressed alike, and both were equally annoying. The worst is when they ask questions totally off topic in a review session just to suck up to professor or demonstrate that they are intellectual...the person running the review would often get very visibly annoyed and exasperated too...quite funny

"Woman gives birth to gunner sextuplets...blames SDN."

 

[Law2Doc]

gunners love to sit right in front of the class and ask a question every 5 minutes knowing full well that they know the answer or can figure it out if they thought about for a second. It so annoying, specially since you know that guy is really smart and half the class knows the answer to that question

Actually gunners never sit in the front because part of being a gunner has to do with an unhealthy focus on what other people in the class are doing and you can't really see that if you are in front of them. A gunner is not just someone who works hard and does well. A gunner is someone who attempts to gain advantage by pushing down others. So for example, the classic law school example of the person who runs to the library, reads the chapter of the book on reserve and then rips it out so no one else can -- that is a gunner. The person who disseminates wrong and voluminous info to others ("I found this useful outline") under the guise of being helpful but with the goal of wasting people's time is a gunner, the person who researches your presentation topic so he can ask you questions you don't know the answer to and show you up is a gunner, the dude who sends his competition a pizza at 2am the night before an early morning exam hoping to wake you up is a gunner. It isn't someone who buckles down and studies, although most gunners will do this too and then announce how little work they did. So you don't really want to be a gunner - it's a pejorative term. And most people who are gunners don't recognize that they are -- it is just part of their essence -- a function of how they view the world (as the enemy).

 

[Hyperstudyosis]

Gunners sit at the front of the class, ask questions they already know the answers to so that they will sound smart, answer all the questions the prof asks, and go to office hours to have 45 minute discussions with the prof and ask more questions that make them sound really smart. In addition, they sometimes research in depth certain topics they are studying on the internet and print off scientific articles to take to their profs, who are most of the time delighted that they are so interested in the material that they do independent research. Gunners are unhappy with a 99 when they could have gotten a 100 and they are unhappy with a 104 when they could have gotten a 105 (even though everything over 100 is extra credit). They HAVE to have the highest grade in the class, or else! And they get a rush of excitement when their profs tell them they got the highest grade and congratulate them on what good students they are. They like it when their classmates ask them questions and rave about how smart they are.

 

[Depakote]

Actually gunners never sit in the front because part of being a gunner has to do with an unhealthy focus on what other people in the class are doing and you can't really see that if you are in front of them. A gunner is not just someone who works hard and does well. A gunner is someone who attempts to gain advantage by pushing down others. So for example, the classic law school example of the person who runs to the library, reads the chapter of the book on reserve and then rips it out so no one else can -- that is a gunner. The person who disseminates wrong and voluminous info to others ("I found this useful outline") under the guise of being helpful but with the goal of wasting people's time is a gunner, the person who researches your presentation topic so he can ask you questions you don't know the answer to and show you up is a gunner, the dude who sends his competition a pizza at 2am the night before an early morning exam hoping to wake you up is a gunner. It isn't someone who buckles down and studies, although most gunners will do this too and then announce how little work they did. So you don't really want to be a gunner - it's a pejorative term. And most people who are gunners don't recognize that they are -- it is just part of their essence -- a function of how they view the world (as the enemy).

 

[Law2Doc]

and go to office hours to have 45 minute discussions with the prof and ask more questions that make them sound really smart.

Actually this is just the normal approach of many premeds who want a good LOR. Part of playing the game. Gunnerism is less about making you seem smart in a vacuum -- you have to also make someone else look stupid in the process or you are not being a true gunner. And as I explained in my above post, gunners rarely sit in the front row because they can't see what everyone else is studying from/doing from that vantage point. Without the focus on other people and how to best stomp on them, they aren't gunners.

 

[littlealex]

Law2Doc is right, although I still think most of the gunners I know sit in the first row and asks ******ed questions that annoy both the class and the professor.

In the end, being a gunner is about other people. It is sometimes a symptom of low self-esteem where they become married to knowledge, and feels validated only through their academic performance. Putting others down through demonstrations of how much they know becomes a central focus of their life. Gunners are to be despised because they fail to understand education and competition.

What you should strive to be is a good student. One who prepares ahead of time, learns his material well, strives to get the best score on the test and study enough to do well. However, you should not hesitate to help others achieve their potential, and you should never put others down. Be both a good person and a good student. You can get straight A's by working hard without putting others down. In fact, the strongest applicants I know are non-gunners.

 

[greg1184]

I usually sit in the front row because either I can't hear the professor well or I simply do not want to look at the back of people's heads all of the time.

 

[Law2Doc]

Law2Doc is right, although I still think most of the gunners I know sit in the first row and asks ******ed questions that annoy both the class and the professor.

The more effective gunners are the clandestine ones you don't know.

 

[Law2Doc]

I usually sit in the front row because either I can't hear the professor well or I simply do not want to look at the back of people's heads all of the time.

Agree, it's usually the nearsighted, hard of hearing types who sit in the front, along with folks who feel like they need to avoid distractions of other people or they will miss the lecture. Probably the least likely types to be gunners.

 

[LadyLightning20]

Agree, it's usually the nearsighted, hard of hearing types who sit in the front, along with folks who feel like they need to avoid distractions of other people or they will miss the lecture. Probably the least likely types to be gunners.

lol so true! I have really bad eyesight combined with the attention span of a flea on speed, so I always sit in the front so that every ten seconds the prof is right in my face dragging me back to class!

 

[powerful_squib]

I thought I was a gunner.... but nevermind, I am not even that cruel. Jeez... lol people really do that kind of stuff, like rip out pages of books that others might need. That is ridiculous... but not far fetched.

I knew this girl, whose boyfriend would like study for hours and hours... and then when the exam would come, he would be like "oh golly jee wiz... we have an exam... I am going to completely fail it. I didn't study at all!" and then he gets the highest grade. Why would someone do that? It's ridiculous.

Even though I am personally not a true gunner, I think there are varying degrees of gunnerism... does any one else think this way?

 

[ScubaEMT]

I usually sit in the front row because either I can't hear the professor well or I simply do not want to look at the back of people's heads all of the time.

Totally.... Especially when they have dandruff issues. There is nothing worse than trying to pay attention while trying to not vomit because the guy in front of you has unloaded about a pound of scalp flakage onto your notebook. YUCK!

 

[ladynice]

Don't understand why you take gunners so personal. As far as I am concerned career is war and your classmates are your competition so you gotta do what you gotta do to be the best in class. It not even being cruel - it is being a little bit smarter than everyone else.

 

[punkindrublic]

Tonya Harding.

 

[ScubaEMT]

Don't understand why you take gunners so personal. As far as I am concerned career is war and your classmates are your competition so you gotta do what you gotta do to be the best in class. It not even being cruel - it is being a little bit smarter than everyone else.

It is nice to see that the spirit of comradery and teamwork is alive and well here at SDN

 

[pittnative]

Don't understand why you take gunners so personal. As far as I am concerned career is war and your classmates are your competition so you gotta do what you gotta do to be the best in class. It not even being cruel - it is being a little bit smarter than everyone else.

Wow, maybe I'm crazy, but I actually enjoyed school and my classmates. I personally preferred studying by myself to avoid distractions and have more time to hit on girls in the library, though if anyone ever asked I'd gladly help them out with something. Isn't that what 90% of being a doctor is about? Wanting to help people. Treating it like a war??? Good luck making it through 4 more years of school and residencies and fellowships and a career that is based on collaboration and working with others, seriously.

 

[JackieTreehorn]

Don't forget the gunner's even more annoying cousin. You know, the sort of reverse gunner kid who's always "Ha, I never study." wow but then goes home and all day it's study study study. Casually flaunts the 99 on the Physics Midterm, and then you ask "Whoa wtf man I studied 10 hours the night before and I got an 80" and then he's "Psh, I never study[read:I outlined every chapter and redid all the homework over Christmas break.]"

He's ambitious like the gunner but for a different reason. The gunner is overly ambitious, the other is all about the image and the ego trip he gets. Joins all the clubs where people have to tolerate him and then off to go home and "slack off", which is his way of saying "hit the books for 12 hours".

The gunner and the reverse gunner are the classic personality types found in high school valedictorians. The latter is far more annoying and describes the vast majority of them

 

[sle3pyguii]

i think gunners and snipers are equally horrible.

They are like spiders and flies; Snipers take out the annoying gunners, but they still annoy you as well.

 

[jochi1543]

Tonya Harding.

Perfect example.

 

[Hyperstudyosis]

Actually this is just the normal approach of many premeds who want a good LOR. Part of playing the game. Gunnerism is less about making you seem smart in a vacuum -- you have to also make someone else look stupid in the process or you are not being a true gunner. And as I explained in my above post, gunners rarely sit in the front row because they can't see what everyone else is studying from/doing from that vantage point. Without the focus on other people and how to best stomp on them, they aren't gunners.

I thought I was a gunner, but maybe I'm not because I definitely don't want other people to do poorly and I don't try to make them look bad, but I have to admit that I always hope nobody will do as well as I do.

 

[Law2Doc]

...but I have to admit that I always hope nobody will do as well as I do.

You are only a gunner if you take overt steps to make this happen.

 

[HumidBeing]

Thanks for the thread. Even though I've looked up the definition in the Urban Dictionary before, I still wasn't sure that I understood the way that most people seem to use the term. Thanks to all these wonderfully descriptive posts, I'm now relieved that I don't fit the definition, since I'm not out to make a fool of anyone else, and only ask questions when I truly do not understand, even though I've come to class prepared. I'm just a normal, everyday, serious student. Well, maybe just a little more serious than the majority. Um, maybe so serious that there must be some sort of pejorative for my type. (Nope, not a tool.)

 

[Ashers]

I was just told that there are so few "true" gunners now (at my school anyway) that people need to call someone a gunner, so they're going to call me a gunner just because I did well in class, and I wasn't too happy with my step 1 score. I've never been out to get anyone, and I help people with studying as much as I can, even to the point of it possibly being detrimental to my grade.

 

[Hyperstudyosis]

You are only a gunner if you take overt steps to make this happen.

I guess I'm not a true gunner then because I definitely don't take any steps to make others do worse than I do. Quite to the contrary actually. I help my classmates and explain things to them when they are stuggling with something. My most productive studying is when I am explaining things to other classmates. It helps to solidify the material in my own mind.

 

[HappyG0Lucky]

My school was pretty gunner-free but I do have one gunner story. Organic Chem 2, there was this guy who sat RIGHT behind me. I never talked to him but I would hear everything he said since it was a crowded lecture hall and he was practically breathing down my neck. He would raise his hand and ask our teacher really advanced questions about spectroscopic diagrams (AFTER the teacher had very straightforwardly explained that we would only have to know basic groupings at this level) and our teacher would just come out and tell him that if he wants to know about it he has to take a more advanced class and that he was wasting time. The most annoying thing I ever heard him say was, "I self taught myself latin at the age of 12 so I could read Dante's Inferno in it's original format." God I wanted to kill him! lol

 

[sle3pyguii]

My school was pretty gunner-free but I do have one gunner story. Organic Chem 2, there was this guy who sat RIGHT behind me. I never talked to him but I would hear everything he said since it was a crowded lecture hall and he was practically breathing down my neck. He would raise his hand and ask our teacher really advanced questions about spectroscopic diagrams (AFTER the teacher had very straightforwardly explained that we would only have to know basic groupings at this level) and our teacher would just come out and tell him that if he wants to know about it he has to take a more advanced class and that he was wasting time. The most annoying thing I ever heard him say was, "I self taught myself latin at the age of 12 so I could read Dante's Inferno in it's original format." God I wanted to kill him! lol

Some gunners bluff a lot, to make themselves seem more intimidating. It would've been interesting to ask him to read a random part of the book, and ask him to translate it.

 

[da8s0859q]

"I self taught myself latin at the age of 12 so I could read Dante's Inferno in it's original format."

"Good for you. Be sure to put that on your résumé."

[turns to friend]

"So, what're you doing this weekend?"