Did you have a horrible pre-med advisor? Post a stupid thing they said

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Epicurusall said:
You two aren't the only ones... We had posters and presentations and our premed advisor advocated for Caribbean schools being equally as good... Maybe we went to the same undergrad though?
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Ours never advocated for them being a good option, thankfully.
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My advisor never advocates for Caribbean (I actually like my advisor, lol), but there are posters all over campus for them. Also, the premed society had had events with Caribbean representatives before. I'm really not a fan of the society in general, tbh.
 
Here was what he said after 3 emails:
 
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Meh if you rely on a premed adviser for all your information rather than doing your own research you are going to have a bad time... (Everyone on student doctor already knows this, but I know a lot of people in real life who just expect an adviser to do everything for them)
 
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Ya'll should've spent more money on your undergrad. My advisor(s) were top notch. Since we are quoting here:

Once I made the decision to switch from PA to DO/MD:

"To be honest (name), I think that is a great choice. I never saw you as a PA to begin with."

Ayyyoooo seriously one of the most influential people of my life. Plot twist --> she was an RN :shrug::shrug::shrug::shrug::shrug:


I've actually heard very little poor things said about any of the pre-med advisors around where I'm from.
 
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JB50 said:
Ya'll should've spent more money on your undergrad. My advisor(s) were top notch. Since we are quoting here:

Once I made the decision to switch from PA to DO/MD:

"To be honest (name), I think that is a great choice. I never saw you as a PA to begin with."

Ayyyoooo seriously one of the most influential people of my life. Plot twist --> she was an RN :shrug::shrug::shrug::shrug::shrug:
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And? Because she's an RN, is she supposed to try to filter everyone she can towards nursing or mid-level programs? A pre-med advisor with some actual clinical experience would be awesome, as they might actually have some insight into the various fields. Or they might still suck. But at least there's some chance.
 
Matthew9Thirtyfive said:
And? Because she's an RN, is she supposed to try to filter everyone she can towards nursing or mid-level programs? A pre-med advisor with some actual clinical experience would be awesome, as they might actually have some insight into the various fields. Or they might still suck. But at least there's some chance.
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Brah, come on wut? SDN hates RNs lolololol it wasn't a down on RN's I'm married to one. I'm fond of them:love:
 
Incomparable said:
:lame:
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Lololololololololololololololololololol isn't there a saying like you pay for what you get or something like that.

That was a joke incompetentarable.
 
Mine told me I'd never get into medical school.

I got 18-20 interview invites.
 
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ChrisMack390 said:
Mine told me I'd never get into medical school.

I got 18-20 interview invites.
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Nice. Something like this happened to someone in my lab. The advisor encouraged him to look for a new career because "he'd never get into med school." Once he got accepted, that same advisor asked him to give a presentation to premeds at our school on how to be a "good applicant."

How Sway?!
 
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ChrisMack390 said:
Haha. Meh - I got in and flagged that advisor's emails as spam. No, I will NOT update you on how my cycle went.
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I'm going to show up in person and have mine check my old grades while I tell him.
 
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oosethegoose said:
During freshman year, my adviser helped me create a 4 year plan that satisfied med skewl pre-reqs and provided adequate prep for the MCAT. He failed to include Calc II on that list despite it being a pre-req for Physics II. Ended up taking the class before Physics II, but it took me a few days to get back into "calculus mode" after being away from Calc I for >2 years :poke:
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nvm misread
 
oosethegoose said:
During freshman year, my adviser helped me create a 4 year plan that satisfied med skewl pre-reqs and provided adequate prep for the MCAT. He failed to include Calc II on that list despite it being a pre-req for Physics II. Ended up taking the class before Physics II, but it took me a few days to get back into "calculus mode" after being away from Calc I for >2 years :poke:
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He failed to include it, but you failed to verify the info and that there weren't additional prereqs. :shrug:
 
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oosethegoose said:
got another one!

Told my chances of getting in were slim to none because of my religious studies major....hehe he was wrong
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"Yeah religious studies is pretty out there. You know what would really make you stand out is a bio major!"
 
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oosethegoose said:
Yeah my interviewers only wanted to talk about my pre-reqs...didn't give a **** about my apocalypse literature class titled "******, Dragons, and the Anti-Christ"
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Well shoot. Clearly I went to the wrong UG...
 
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Pre-med advisor, during a meeting Freshman year: "I think you need to start seriously exploring other career options. I just don't think medicine is realistic for you." Like dude...I've only finished one pre-req...calm down.
Pre-med advisor, when I told her I wanted to apply to XYZ medical school: "Might as well take the $100 it costs to apply to XYZ school and light it on fire." I now hold an acceptance to said school.
 
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TheRealJohnDorian said:
Pre-med advisor, during a meeting Freshman year: "I think you need to start seriously exploring other career options. I just don't think medicine is realistic for you." Like dude...I've only finished one pre-req...calm down.
Pre-med advisor, when I told her I wanted to apply to XYZ medical school: "Might as well take the $100 it costs to apply to XYZ school and light it on fire." I now hold an acceptance to said school.
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Take a Benjamin and a lighter to your advisor and light it in front of his face
 
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freak7 said:
Take a Benjamin and a lighter to your advisor and light it in front of his face
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Pros: This would make my advisor uncomfortable/confused
Cons: I'll have just lit $100 on fire
 
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oosethegoose said:
got another one!

Told my chances of getting in were slim to none because of my religious studies major....hehe he was wrong
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I just got one from John's. It's our lucky day broski you are an inspiration.
 
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UNMedGa said:
I was told that I should mention specific schools in my personal statement.
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For run-of-the-mill grad school, you do. You write a basic statement, called either your letter of intent or your statement of purpose, and you drop a few professor names based on the research that they do that you would be interested in. I'm math, though, so different disciplines may do things differently.

Can you imagine what personal statements would be like if you had to write one for every school, with personalized faculty name drops thrown in there?

I can just imagine a pre-med writing like that to Harvard:

"Harvard has always been a dream of mine, for reasons I'm sure you can understand. With the help of this fine institution, I earnestly hope that I too can be a prosperous and fulfilled academic, both to enrich the educations of those to come and also to be a respected expert of my field, which I know Harvard would do.

I look forward to embracing the unique culture of advanced learning that Cambridge so heartily fosters, and I aspire to work hand in hand with Dr. Shmooze on his riveting research on the epithelial cells on the surface of the anal sphincter. He is truly a world-class gastroenterologist that I sincerely admire.

In addition, I feel like the resources that Harvard offers will in turn inspire me to work towards greater heights, to always seek the higher challenge. Maybe, this educational culture will enable me to work on similarly life-changing works as Dr. Shmooze, and maybe he will be able to cultivate my skills and experiences to be a broader and more seasoned researcher. I too wish to decode exactly what the epithelial cells on the anal sphincter do.

I know Harvard can equip me for this laborious task. When I had discovered that the university was fielding applications for a PhD position, I knew that I must chase my dream and apply.

This university prides itself both as a bastion of research and as a paragon of achievement, and I too wish to be part of this legacy. I hope that your committee will consider my application with as much heart and soul as what we all feel burning inside us, for the illustrious chase of inquiry and knowledge.

With my most sincere gratitude for even considering me for this position,

I. P. Freely"
 
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Conflagration said:
For run-of-the-mill grad school, you do. You write a basic statement, called either your letter of intent or your statement of purpose, and you drop a few professor names based on the research that they do that you would be interested in. I'm math, though, so different disciplines may do things differently.

Can you imagine what personal statements would be like if you had to write one for every school, with personalized faculty name drops thrown in there?

I can just imagine a pre-med writing like that to Harvard:

"Harvard has always been a dream of mine, for reasons I'm sure you can understand. With the help of this fine institution, I earnestly hope that I too can be a prosperous and fulfilled academic, both to enrich the educations of those to come and also to be a respected expert of my field, which I know Harvard would do.

I look forward to embracing the unique culture of advanced learning that Cambridge so heartily fosters, and I aspire to work hand in hand with Dr. Shmooze on his riveting research on the epithelial cells on the surface of the anal sphincter. He is truly a world-class gastroenterologist that I sincerely admire.

In addition, I feel like the resources that Harvard offers will in turn inspire me to work towards greater heights, to always seek the higher challenge. Maybe, this educational culture will enable me to work on similarly life-changing works as Dr. Shmooze, and maybe he will be able to cultivate my skills and experiences to be a broader and more seasoned researcher. I too wish to decode exactly what the epithelial cells on the anal sphincter do.

I know Harvard can equip me for this laborious task. When I had discovered that the university was fielding applications for a PhD position, I knew that I must chase my dream and apply.

This university prides itself both as a bastion of research and as a paragon of achievement, and I too wish to be part of this legacy. I hope that your committee will consider my application with as much heart and soul as what we all feel burning inside us, for the illustrious chase of inquiry and knowledge.

With my most sincere gratitude for even considering me for this position,

I. P. Freely"
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It's like that for law school. You can send a different statement to each school, and some people do.
 
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Some of the most competitive residencies require individualized statements!
 
I'm not saying they shouldn't; but could you imagine reading them? Parsing through the same tidbits from the website over and over again?
 
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Today my counselor said "getting perfect grades shouldn't be your goal. You should aim for lots of free time to enjoy yourself and don't stress over studying and grades. If you get a few Cs or Bs then so what. You'll be fine. Don't count the hours you study. " I got annoyed by this comment bc I'm in college to learn and get my grades, not waste time! Also,I have to work harder than other kids who just attend lecture and cram before exams.

I just had to vent on here. Thanks


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hall1ms1b said:
Today my counselor said "getting perfect grades shouldn't be your goal. You should aim for lots of free time to enjoy yourself and don't stress over studying and grades. If you get a few Cs or Bs then so what. You'll be fine. Don't count the hours you study. " I got annoyed by this comment bc I'm in college to learn and get my grades, not waste time! Also,I have to work harder than other kids who just attend lecture and cram before exams.

I just had to vent on here. Thanks


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
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TBF that's not exactly the worst advice.
 
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hall1ms1b said:
Today my counselor said "getting perfect grades shouldn't be your goal. You should aim for lots of free time to enjoy yourself and don't stress over studying and grades. If you get a few Cs or Bs then so what. You'll be fine. Don't count the hours you study. " I got annoyed by this comment bc I'm in college to learn and get my grades, not waste time! Also,I have to work harder than other kids who just attend lecture and cram before exams.

I just had to vent on here. Thanks


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
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This is literally the correct advice.
 
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hall1ms1b said:
Today my counselor said "getting perfect grades shouldn't be your goal. You should aim for lots of free time to enjoy yourself and don't stress over studying and grades. If you get a few Cs or Bs then so what. You'll be fine. Don't count the hours you study. " I got annoyed by this comment bc I'm in college to learn and get my grades, not waste time! Also,I have to work harder than other kids who just attend lecture and cram before exams.

I just had to vent on here. Thanks


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
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Doing nothing but stressing over grades and studying will not only make you miserable, but will make you an extremely cookie-cutter, boring applicant.
 
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hall1ms1b said:
Today my counselor said "getting perfect grades shouldn't be your goal. You should aim for lots of free time to enjoy yourself and don't stress over studying and grades. If you get a few Cs or Bs then so what. You'll be fine. Don't count the hours you study. " I got annoyed by this comment bc I'm in college to learn and get my grades, not waste time! Also,I have to work harder than other kids who just attend lecture and cram before exams.

I just had to vent on here. Thanks


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
Click to expand...

Matthew9Thirtyfive said:
Doing nothing but stressing over grades and studying will not only make you miserable, but will make you an extremely cookie-cutter, boring applicant.
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Your advisor isn't wrong here. Perfection should never be your goal. Your world won't come crashing down without a 4.0 GPA. A few B's? Yeah, not a big deal at all. Your attitude towards college isn't a bad one, as yes, you are there to learn and not just screw around (look at all the DO threads especially, before they removed grade replacement). However, you need to have time for yourself to literally waste time and relax. College is supposed to be a fun experience. Don't work yourself to death.
 
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Lost In Transcription said:
Dude, on an aside, congrats. I've been watching you go through ups and downs this year and it was worth it! Hope you get into your top choices.
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Thanks so much!

I got into a couple of schools that I think are awesome. Everything from here is icing :)
 
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JB50 said:
Lololololololololololololololololololol isn't there a saying like you pay for what you get or something like that.

That was a joke incompetentarable.
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Let's be real for a sec, I know many students (myself included) that went to schools where COA before scholarships was over 40k and had **** advisors. That extra money isn't going towards education anymore, it's going towards all the amenities and services that entitled college kids and their parents think they deserve from a school.

Another one from my pre-med advisor after telling me a few months earlier I was competitive for mid-tier MD schools: "You don't have a research publication? Well why'd you even bother applying???" (This was while I was in the process of doing research with her and trying to figure out how to do a poster presentation).
 
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Mine was actually pretty good. I was at a cheaper state college that wqs essentially a 4 year CC before it became a university. Anyhow, I was off doing other things for a couple years before returning to school and so I had the thought of going to medical school when returning to school. The premed advisory was a guy who graduated from the Caribbean and had completed his intern year at a nearby university and was now the premed advisor. As he was obviously fresh in the process and, being from the Caribbean, knew more about different paths and advising. At least during the time I was there, the school boasted a higher acceptance rate to medical school than the nearby big name school, with like 15-20 kids applying per year.

Long story short I ended up finishing at the bigger university (typically a top 5-10 in terms of volume of applicants produced per year) and I remember when I went in to the premed office for the first (only) time and inquired about speaking with an advisor they were going to have me meet with some student who I assume must have held a leadership position in the premed club. After that I never sought any help from that office again and, now thinking about it, I wonder if that guy is even a physician.

Anyway, back to my original advisor, I had googled him a few years back and saw that he had died (young guy). His obituary said something about him getting ready to apply to law school. In hindsight I recognize that he obviously had a tough go at training as I presume he just completed a preliminary year and, I'm assuming, wasn't able to secure a residency. Obviously that has more meaning to me now than it did then. He was living in another state and reading between the lines it appeared he was separated from his wife and kids. I had assumed he had committed suicide by the nature of his circumstances and the lack of any detail in obituary. Anyway, it was nice to have a really good advisor at a place that wasn't supposed to be known to be anything more than essentially a CC. He helped me out a lot and put me in the right direction. Contrasting that with the nonsense I experienced at the "better" place to be a premed is laughable.
 
“You shouldn’t worry about that 122 CARS score. You’re only 3 points from the average. At least it’s not like a 116.” So glad I retook!
 
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