Disillusioned?

[nezlab99]

It seems like a lot of the pre meds at my school are arrogant and dishonest. I mean, I look around and all of them are cheating, getting unearned reccomendations, taking the easy classes, lying on applications and resumes, etc. Everyone is so caught up in padding their gpa's and resumes (at any cost) that they lose all of their ethics. I am trying to work hard in the hard classes, be ethical, and actually learn. How can I compete with them though when they consequently look so much better on paper? Am I the only one who feels like this? How do yall deal with this?

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[none]

How exactly does one get an unearned recommendation? Anyways, no I don't feel like that. The pre-meds at UCSD are hard workers and obsessive like everyone else, but they don't seem to be any less ethical.

 

[Jameson]

Like none, I haven't really had to deal with a situation like that. But here is what I can say about the situation...when the time comes that those who are phony are at an interview, hopefully the interviewer will see through their facade. Even better, they will be caught in any lies they may have created. Just remeber that you are only responsible for yourself, if you focus on them your gonna' loose sight of what your after. Don't let that happen - Work hard and it will show.

 

[nezlab99]

NONE: For instance, my father is a physician and has many physician friends that would write me a reccomendation just as a favor to him. I may not know them at all, but they would do it. Everyone has some sort of contacts like this.

 

[Thumper]

Hi, I would have to agree with the Nezlab99 because many of the people at UCLA that I have come into contact with (as in the Physiology Major) seems to have that nasty streak. They cheat, pass tests and papers to eachother after stealing them during a midterm, kiss up to teachers, and keep themselves away from others in case they might (OMIGOD!) have to answer someones question or lend them some notes to copy. I swear that I hate the thought of going to Med School with these people, and even more the idea of having them as my doctor because they have no morals and are just in it for the prestige and money. I mean, I study my ass off, but I refuse to cheat and kiss ass, so I am left behind while some brown-nosing little wuss gets a better grade because he's got the "inside scoop" on what's up!
I feel your pain, but I agree w/ Newton who said that the best you can do is just try your hardest and know that Karma will come back and bite those people in the ass. Just have faith in yourself and your compassion for others, because it is that true desire to help people that will set you apart from other "cold" doctors (a la SCRUBS!). As for worrying that you might not get in to begin with, I am sure that if you stick to your guns and try your hardest, you will eventually make it, even if it takes more than one try. Good luck, and hope that people like us get a break soon!

 

[Sonya]

I don't see too much of this steryotyped pre-meds at my school, but it IS out there.

I also know t hat grading in my class is extremely random... i mean, sure there are rules and all, but it turns out your grades have NO relevance to how much you know.

But, often rec letters show that... a brigth student, creative, thinker, understands material well, will stick out with a prof even if he struggles to get above a b+ grade. The profs can tell if you're kicking butt and trying hard and really learning material, even if you don't get a good grade.

but i guess rec letters can be distorted... but i don't think it's that common as you say it is.

 

[Vader]

You should never feel like you need to resort to cheating in order to succeed in medical school admissions. The process is geared to screen out for those real malignant types (i.e. interviews). It is often fairly obvious when someone looks good on paper but then is a troll in real life. I personally know some people who weren't admitted to certain schools because of their personalities or lack of ethics. Admittedly, every now and then a few of these people slip through the cracks, but then again that happens in any profession. You just have to be confident in your own qualifications and abilities, and not let any gunner out there take you down. Maturity is looking those malignant types in the eye and smiling, knowing that you not only have the qualifications but also the morality and ethics necessary for becoming the best physician you can be.

 

[urasia]

vader, your post gives us all so much hope. in my o-chem classes, i did meet some nasty pre-meds who would pretend not to see or hear you when you asked them a science related question. i know the system is not perfect and the adcoms cannot spend more than a couple hours with their applicants to find out everything about them; however, do have faith in yourself, there are some very wonderful people who are accepted to med schools. and i hope that you'll be one of them too.

 

[Jessica]

I'd like to second the compliment for Vader, thanks for sharing your insight with us pre-meds!

About those "cheaters" and "app padders", don't worry about 'em. As far as I know, there is no way to cheat on the MCAT, and if these vicious pre-meds have been focusing all of their efforts on brown nosing and cheating, their lack of knowledge might just bit them in the butt when they take the MCAT.

I used to worry about people looking better than me b/c they lied to get to the top of classes or exaggerated their involvement in e.c.s on their applications, but the bottom line is, thinking about them is a waste of time. Focus on yourself, and don't sweat people without morals, eventually their ways will catch up with them.

 

[leorl]

Wow, geez... sorry y'all have had those experiences. At CWRU, there isn't much of that...among undergrad premeds OR med school students. I guess that's a plus. Generally the classes are viewed as so difficult that collectively, you can't possibly handle everything unless you collaborate with other people. Ok, so a little cheating goes on, but it's not rampant, and it's not to get an edge or cut other premeds out. More like "I was too busy to study and there's no way I'm going to pass unless I have a little 'help' kind of thing." Or people are just lazy -it doesn't make a significant difference.

We share notes. We take notes for each other or tape the lecture when a friend misses. We help others study and have no qualms about asking someone who gets it to clarify stuff (i.e. ochem). And I might be naive, but I don't think too much c.v. padding occurs - all the accomplishments listed have actually been done, resulting in some pretty amazing people. I have yet to meet a premed who's isolationist and cut-throat.

 

[Dr. Kermit]

I went to Hopkins and had a roommate that cheated her way through Orgo I and Orgo Lab. Essentially, her brother went to my school too and she had him take her Orgo final freshmen year. It was after that year (when the situation was brought before the ethics board) that they proctors started asking for ID's before finals and began giving assigned seating for certain classes. She then dated her TA for Orgo Lab and miraculously got an "A-" in the lab.

Guess what though, she took the MCATs. After taking it the first time and (cheating her way throught the MCAT class) she had to retake it. Guess what, she retook the MCAT and still did horribly. She is now working at a lab somewhere in Baltimore because she couldn't get into med school.

So, there will be cheaters, dishonest people, gunners, and cutthroats, but I'm a firm believer that if you try your best and still end up average you can end up in med school. You don't have to cheat or lie your way through anything.

 

[Jamier2]

I agree wholeheartedly with Dr. Kermit. To quote the great poet Kid Rock

"You get what you put in
and people get what they deserve"

(Yes, I know it don't rhyme)