Do You Like Other Premeds

[SourMD]

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Deleting my post!

 

[Hifey]

The ones I like:

Generally, the ones this far in the game that KNOW they're going to be going to med school or really are going to earnestly work their butts off to get there. I like people who haven't done amazing on their MCATs and/or GPAs because they're more real and more likely to try to prove themselves. Nothing against smarties, but some are so cocky I shudder to think that any of them will ever be my colleagues!


The most annoying ones ( and I have seen a few of these):

freshmen/sophomores/sometimes juniors who lack the grades ( have a 2.3 GPA <-- seriously, I've seen this) or the social skills to work with patients and say they're going to be amazing doctors because they're applying and getting accepted to medical school in two or three years. When I see that I can't help but go like ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?! Just wait until application year lol. I don't say anything...I know life will teach them.

 

[nickmx50]

There's a pre-med at my school who claims he used to be a lawyer. He actually goes around bragging how he's going to fool the med school interviewers into believing he's compassionate. Of course, he knows everything too (self proclaimed). Other than that guy, everyone else is pretty down to earth and cool to talk to. We all support each other.

 

[ziggyd0c]

i'm sure i would like some of them and not like others, but the reality is that i barely know any. none of my college friends are going into healthcare.

 

[jtimmer1]

There are a handful at my university that I like. However, this number fails to compare to the mass of idiots that call themselves "pre-meds".

 

[Geekchick921]

Depends. I don't think I've ever met a real gunner that tries to sabotage everyone else, but I have met a few spazzes that I just want to grab by the shoulders, shake, and say "YOU MUST CHILL!" a la Say Anything.

I kinda feel bad for them when they're people I otherwise like, you can tell they're vastly overthinking concepts in the class. Settle down, Beavis.

 

[Handinhand]

I Mega-loathe you all.


...


UH!

 

[Procyon]

I generally like them. Not that I've gotten to know any very intimately, but the ones who I'm acquainted with are friendly enough. And in general, when I first meet someone, I'll automatically like them until they do something to get on my nerves. I have yet to meet another pre-med who annoys me terribly...Must mean that I'm the annoying one.

 

[apumic]

I generally like them. Not that I've gotten to know any very intimately, but the ones who I'm acquainted with are friendly enough. And in general, when I first meet someone, I'll automatically like them until they do something to get on my nerves. I have yet to meet another pre-med who annoys me terribly...Must mean that I'm the annoying one.

...Or the more tolerant and better adjusted one who possesses good social skills. 😉

 

[45408]

All the OTHER pre-meds are dorks and gunners, but I was pretty cool.


just kidding. honestly, I went to a big state school with relatively low acceptance standards, so my school didn't have very many gunner types. I was really good friends with several other pre-meds, nearly all of whom made it into med school. some of them switched early on to other fields, like nursing and pharmacy, so I'd say yes, I liked other pre-meds.

 

[Sed8&Intub8]

I think this thread is amazing. I am still perplexed by this because I never know this existed. All of my closest friends are premed, so I love premeds, I have met all cools ones pretty much. I guess if they are the way you guys are saying they are, then I just must not have bumped into them...

 

[surftheiop]

All I can say is that I thank my lucky stars everyday that I didnt discover medicine until I was halfway through sophmore year. Taking bio and organic as a junior makes the freshman premed conversations really funny where as they would otherwise have freaked me out as a freshman.


Also another interesting thing is how the pre-meds act depending how competitive your undergrad is.

I go to a really competitive school and if you talk to any pre-med they will tell you that if they get into med school it will be just by the skin of their teeth. (Even though they have great stats and the such)

I took some summer classes at one of my state universities and the pre-meds there were astounding confident (to add also already declaring they are going to do ortho or EM), but their resumes didnt even compare to alot of my friends at school and I would frankly be very suprised if many of them made it to medschool.

 

[apumic]

I took some summer classes at one of my state universities and the pre-meds there were astounding confident (to add also already declaring they are going to do ortho or EM), but their resumes didnt even compare to alot of my friends at school and I would frankly be very suprised if many of them made it to medschool.

Curious... assuming you're a traditional student, what makes you so confident about your ability to evaluate someone's resume (in general, much less in terms of medical school)? Have you ever hired anyone or sat on an admissions committee? IME, many (most?) traditional students have little to no real understanding of what makes a student marketable to any kind of employer or school. I would guess this extends to premeds understanding exactly what makes an applicant truly desirable (beyond simple high stats, lots of hours, etc.)

 

[Narmerguy]

Curious... assuming you're a traditional student, what makes you so confident about your ability to evaluate someone's resume (in general, much less in terms of medical school)? Have you ever hired anyone or sat on an admissions committee? IME, many (most?) traditional students have little to no real understanding of what makes a student marketable to any kind of employer or school. I would guess this extends to premeds understanding exactly what makes an applicant truly desirable (beyond simple high stats, lots of hours, etc.)

There are some things that applicants can pick out as weak compared to other applications. For example, an applicant with few activities outside their academics and a paltry academic record at that will probably have a weak application. Or, pretty low academic record in general can make an application weak. Reciprocally, it is easy to pick out some of the features that make applications strong (MCAT, GPA, research, clinical exposure, African babies, etc). This doesn't require us to be privy to the thought process of an Adcom or interviewer.

However, sure, when you start getting applicants that are more a blend of both, then you start getting picky and the students have to market themselves to convince the interviewer that the positives are attractive enough that their negatives are overlooked/mitigated.

 

[surftheiop]

Curious... assuming you're a traditional student, what makes you so confident about your ability to evaluate someone's resume (in general, much less in terms of medical school)? Have you ever hired anyone or sat on an admissions committee? IME, many (most?) traditional students have little to no real understanding of what makes a student marketable to any kind of employer or school. I would guess this extends to premeds understanding exactly what makes an applicant truly desirable (beyond simple high stats, lots of hours, etc.)

Alot of them didnt even have this.

It might be hard to tell exactly who a med school will pick, but often its trivial to see who doesnt have much of a chance.

Theres a good chance im going to be borderline of getting in my first application cycle and there is really no way for me to tell if adcoms will admit me, but thats really different than seeing someoine who is completly clueless and saying that I dont think they will get in.

 

[apumic]

There are some things that applicants can pick out as weak compared to other applications. For example, an applicant with few activities outside their academics and a paltry academic record at that will probably have a weak application. Or, pretty low academic record in general can make an application weak. Reciprocally, it is easy to pick out some of the features that make applications strong (MCAT, GPA, research, clinical exposure, African babies, etc). This doesn't require us to be privy to the thought process of an Adcom or interviewer.

However, sure, when you start getting applicants that are more a blend of both, then you start getting picky and the students have to market themselves to convince the interviewer that the positives are attractive enough that their negatives are overlooked/mitigated.

Exactly my point. You and I can certainly make some educated cases on someone with a 3.0 GPA's chances or a 28 MCAT (for US MD). However, my question was about the resume. Assuming these people's resumes weren't full of "Burger King -- Burger Flipper -- 2002-2003"-type entries, it would be difficult to look at someone's resume and determine it was weak without knowing exactly what an adcom is looking for. Resumes are generally quite subjective and while there are certainly some guidelines to follow, they are largely about your selling yourself. The poster above referred these people's being much weaker than those at his/her own school. Additionally, in most cases, the obvious problem applicants (low GPA, likely to get a low MCAT, etc.) get weeded out by jr or sr yr at the latest. (Although obviously half of all MCAT test takes are below 25...)

 

[balder1]

I see what everyone is saying. Honestly, I do not like saying "pre-med" at my school. Even my cool organic chemistry teacher jokes about being a pre-med student. What gets me when people say it as if it is their major and they are so fixated on it. I ask them what is your major they say pre med. No!!!! I mean what is your major. I do not give a rat's behind what path you are taking🙂D), what is your major????!!!?! is it computer science, English, bio????
I want to enjoy the four years of my university, do activities/sports/clubs that I like to do, chill out/hang with my diverse friends from different departments, and study my major. Yes after college I want a career in medicine, but I do not boast about it like some tight pant, obsessed, arrogant S.O.B!!! Just chill out, enjoy the 4 years of your undergraduate studies, study, get your degree, and then do what you want to do.🙂

 

[apumic]

No!!!! I mean what is your major. I do not give a rat's behind what path you are taking🙂D), what is your major????!!!?! is it computer science, English, bio????

Actually... in some ways, I'd rather (or also) like to hear what they hope to do w/ their degree. If that's go to med school, great! If that's start a business selling X, Y, or Z, that's great too!

 

[JonathanMD]

Quick Note:

I always found the nursing students to be a lot more stuck up than premed students, both at community college and at university. Maybe premeds were more cutthroat, but it felt like the nursing students were always looking down at you.

 

[werd]

ever notice there are many more unpleasant premeds than there are obnoxious med students? funny how that works 😉.

in college one of my good friends was "premed." most were ppl i lived near as a freshman or ppl in my major. what stands out in my mind about the nursing students is that they wore sweatpants with their sororities on the backside... i don't remember anything about being stuck up... or maybe it's just selective memory...

 

[Iso4ane]

A lot of the "pre-meds" I know are really chill and do not openly say they are pre-med. It the ones with a big flashing sign saying "I'm a pre-med" that I don't like, cause they usually are socially awkward and not always the brightest. I just want to like tell the guys off, and be like "It's people like you, that make other people and professors, hate pre-meds!"

 

[zeppelinpage4]

Most of the premeds I know are all quite supportive and hard working. None of us hide it, we all have a goal but no reason to be weird or competitive (these classes are hard enough as is).

Then again if none of the premeds around me are neurotic and weird...it's quite possible I might be the annoying one. 😱

 

[JPMo]

WOW! 😱 You guys are uber serious! I usually feel a bond with other pre-meds cause we're in the same boat and we always share information! I mean misleading someone for your own benefit is a total **** move. But then again my school doesnt have too many pre-meds and im nowhere near the top of the pre-med grade hierarchy so that could also be it

 

[surftheiop]

WOW! 😱 You guys are uber serious! I usually feel a bond with other pre-meds cause we're in the same boat and we always share information! I mean misleading someone for your own benefit is a total **** move. But then again my school doesnt have too many pre-meds and im nowhere near the top of the pre-med grade hierarchy so that could also be it

I think it would be much better at a school where there where are less pre-meds. It gets annoying when the fact that your a pre-med suddenly makes everyone else believe that it is imposible for you to be altruistic and everything you do is just part of some scheme to get into med school.

 

[JPMo]

I think it would be much better at a school where there where are less pre-meds. It gets annoying when the fact that your a pre-med suddenly makes everyone else believe that it is imposible for you to be altruistic and everything you do is just part of some scheme to get into med school.

Yeah i can imagine! luckily my school is fairly new with about 20,000 undergrad students so we still get the awe factor when we saw we're pre-med

 

[Narmerguy]

I think it would be much better at a school where there where are less pre-meds. It gets annoying when the fact that your a pre-med suddenly makes everyone else believe that it is imposible for you to be altruistic and everything you do is just part of some scheme to get into med school.

Oh my goodness , yes!!!!! I hate hate hate hate this. I do plenty of volunteer work and before I start the director will often ask, "so are you premed?" To which I don't lie so I'll say "yes" and then they seem to nod knowingly. The volunteer stuff that I do has nothing to do with being premed 😡

 

[Canned Heat]

Can someone please explain to me the benefit of not revealing grades and MCAT scores? I'm friends with a few pre-meds and I love that I can have discussions about similar ideas and motivations. I do despise those cocky students that announce to the world they are pre-med and have not even taken chem 1. I'm still wondering about the overly-competitive nature of not revealing grades, etc. My friends and I could care less. We see it as an opportunity to help each other when we need it and work hard for our own effort when we have to. I have a curious group of friends at school that I'm very thankful for. Otherwise, my undergrad would be torture...

 

[Narmerguy]

Can someone please explain to me the benefit of not revealing grades and MCAT scores? I'm friends with a few pre-meds and I love that I can have discussions about similar ideas and motivations. I do despise those cocky students that announce to the world they are pre-med and have not even taken chem 1. I'm still wondering about the overly-competitive nature of not revealing grades, etc. My friends and I could care less. We see it as an opportunity to help each other when we need it and work hard for our own effort when we have to. I have a curious group of friends at school that I'm very thankful for. Otherwise, my undergrad would be torture...

Well some people are self conscious about their grades and don't want others to know how well they're doing. Also, if you are doing better than someone else, some people don't want others to know so that they become more competitive etc.

Personally, I think it's kind of silly. I typically won't volunteer my grades when they're good because I don't want to come off as gloating but I have no problem telling mine if someone asks. I'm sure some others are probably like me as well.

 

[Canned Heat]

Well some people are self conscious about their grades and don't want others to know how well they're doing. Also, if you are doing better than someone else, some people don't want others to know so that they become more competitive etc.

Personally, I think it's kind of silly. I typically won't volunteer my grades when they're good because I don't want to come off as gloating but I have no problem telling mine if someone asks. I'm sure some others are probably like me as well.

Oh I see. I guess that is understandable, but the logic is flawed. If someone is getting a good grade, I don't see why someone that was previously not performing at their full potential would want to all of a sudden compete. Unless of course that person has something against the other student. Too many pre-meds seem paranoid.

Great minds think alike. I never tell unless someone asks and it's usually only to my closest friends. I do however post my semester GPA's on facebook when I'm proud 🙂 (not to be confused with arrogance)

 

[surftheiop]

Can someone please explain to me the benefit of not revealing grades and MCAT scores? .

My friends and I talk about our grades pretty openly, usually it involves one of my crazier friends making very graphic descriptions of what he metaphorically did to his class or what it did to him.

Disturbing? Yes. Amusing? Very.

 

[Canned Heat]

My friends and I talk about our grades pretty openly, usually it involves one of my crazier friends making very graphic descriptions of what he metaphorically did to his class or what it did to him.

Disturbing? Yes Amusing? Very

I lol'd pretty hard at that one. It happens more often than you think haha

 

[minicow]

Well some people are self conscious about their grades and don't want others to know how well they're doing. Also, if you are doing better than someone else, some people don't want others to know so that they become more competitive etc.

Personally, I think it's kind of silly. I typically won't volunteer my grades when they're good because I don't want to come off as gloating but I have no problem telling mine if someone asks. I'm sure some others are probably like me as well.

-nods in agreement-

i feel pretty crappy when one of the people i study with asks how i did on a test. i always felt like they wanted numbers similar to theirs so they wouldnt feel so bad....that really sucks🙁...so i never tell unless im asked...and i never tell numbers if i barely know them

on topic with the thread-havent met any obnoxious pre-meds yet...maybe a few naive ones, but no gunners👍

we'll see what happens when i transfer next year to a "real" school, lol🙄

 

[apumic]

Well some people are self conscious about their grades and don't want others to know how well they're doing. Also, if you are doing better than someone else, some people don't want others to know so that they become more competitive etc.

Personally, I think it's kind of silly. I typically won't volunteer my grades when they're good because I don't want to come off as gloating but I have no problem telling mine if someone asks. I'm sure some others are probably like me as well.

Same here. If they ask, I will generally give them an idea. (Although how close depends upon how I think they are doing. If they're struggling, I probably won't tell them I got a 105% b/c that's not likely to be a positive thing to say. Instead, I might emphasize that the test was hard but I still managed to do well and then ask how they did and congratulate them for the results of their hard work and emphasize whatever positives I can find about how they did or what I've seen them do elsewhere. OTOH, if they're doing well or looking for help/tutoring, I'll probably be more open about how I did and offer any help I can if they are asking for assistance.)

 

[Canned Heat]

Same here. If they ask, I will generally give them an idea. (Although how close depends upon how I think they are doing. If they're struggling, I probably won't tell them I got a 105% b/c that's not likely to be a positive thing to say. Instead, I might emphasize that the test was hard but I still managed to do well and then ask how they did and congratulate them for the results of their hard work and emphasize whatever positives I can find about how they did or what I've seen them do elsewhere. OTOH, if they're doing well or looking for help/tutoring, I'll probably be more open about how I did and offer any help I can if they are asking for assistance.)

I think that's a very thoughtful way to approach it. I'm going to keep this in mind next time this situation happens. Although sometimes I feel like I have to give an answer when they are all up in my face about it.

Is this getting out of topic or can we keep talking about this?

 

[whimsical]

Can someone please explain to me the benefit of not revealing grades and MCAT scores? I'm friends with a few pre-meds and I love that I can have discussions about similar ideas and motivations. I do despise those cocky students that announce to the world they are pre-med and have not even taken chem 1. I'm still wondering about the overly-competitive nature of not revealing grades, etc. My friends and I could care less. We see it as an opportunity to help each other when we need it and work hard for our own effort when we have to. I have a curious group of friends at school that I'm very thankful for. Otherwise, my undergrad would be torture...

I don't mention my grades because usually the people who ask me are trying to be competitive. So they ask me how I did on a biology test so they can compare themselves to me and maybe say, oh, well I did so much better than that. It's not just curiosity, it definitely has a motive. If they want to know I feel about it (which is an entirely different question), I'll tell them. But I keep my actual grades and MCAT private because unfortunately there are people at my school who really just want to create competition where there doesn't need to be any.

 

[apumic]

I don't mention my grades because usually the people who ask me are trying to be competitive. So they ask me how I did on a biology test so they can compare themselves to me and maybe say, oh, well I did so much better than that. It's not just curiosity, it definitely has a motive. If they want to know I feel about it (which is an entirely different question), I'll tell them. But I keep my actual grades and MCAT private because unfortunately there are people at my school who really just want to create competition where there doesn't need to be any.

There's an old proverb that says "as iron sharpens iron, one man sharpens another"... sure, it's not really talking about competition persay but I'd say it could be applied to competition. Competition can be very healthy. Why do you think runners run faster when training with other runners or why do you think people tend to work out harder at a gym than at home (controlling for differences in equipment)? Social cues, such as competition, greatly increase performance. If you're not getting the scores you need as a premed it might actually behoove you to "compete" with other premeds. Of course, "competing" in a cruel or distasteful way is a totally different story, but if there's a (positive) relationship of some sort w/ those wanting to compare test scores with you, it may push you both toward greater success.

 

[Narmerguy]

There's an old proverb that says "as iron sharpens iron, one man sharpens another"... sure, it's not really talking about competition persay but I'd say it could be applied to competition. Competition can be very healthy. Why do you think runners run faster when training with other runners or why do you think people tend to work out harder at a gym than at home (controlling for differences in equipment)? Social cues, such as competition, greatly increase performance. If you're not getting the scores you need as a premed it might actually behoove you to "compete" with other premeds. Of course, "competing" in a cruel or distasteful way is a totally different story, but if there's a (positive) relationship of some sort w/ those wanting to compare test scores with you, it may push you both toward greater success.

I agree. I enjoy competing with others over pretty much anything but it ceases to be fun when someone takes things too seriously or become aggressive and unpleasant if they don't do so well. Otherwise, I think competition does keep everyone sharp and I'm sure professors enjoy having students that care enough about the class to compete over it.

I also want to add that I liked your approach that you mentioned earlier about grade requests and that I employ something similar. You can usually tell when someone asks (though definitely not always--made that mistake before!! ) if they're asking because they did very well or if they're asking because they did really poorly. I remember that I used to be genuinely curious in how others did on their tests so I could get an idea of how I was doing in the class but after about the second week of freshman year I realized that could make people uncomfortable so I haven't asked since.

 

[Canned Heat]

There have definitely been some very good posts. I think it's awesome that some of us are quite thoughtful about these kind of topics. I've learned so much in the 1 day I've re-joined SDN lol!

 

[whimsical]

Of course, "competing" in a cruel or distasteful way is a totally different story, but if there's a (positive) relationship of some sort w/ those wanting to compare test scores with you, it may push you both toward greater success.

True, but if someone I've rarely spoken to only comes up to me to ask me what grades I got, I'm not particularly impressed with that. I'm competitive, don't get me wrong, and I certainly do well. But I believe in competing with myself and striving to be the best I can be. I don't really need to compare my test scores to my friends to be motivated. But that's just me.

I have a feeling a pass/fail med school is the way to go for me.

 

[apumic]

True, but if someone I've rarely spoken to only comes up to me to ask me what grades I got, I'm not particularly impressed with that. I'm competitive, don't get me wrong, and I certainly do well. But I believe in competing with myself and striving to be the best I can be. I don't really need to compare my test scores to my friends to be motivated. But that's just me.

I have a feeling a pass/fail med school is the way to go for me.

Good points. 👍

 

[Narmerguy]

True, but if someone I've rarely spoken to only comes up to me to ask me what grades I got, I'm not particularly impressed with that. I'm competitive, don't get me wrong, and I certainly do well. But I believe in competing with myself and striving to be the best I can be. I don't really need to compare my test scores to my friends to be motivated. But that's just me.

I have a feeling a pass/fail med school is the way to go for me.

True, but having an idea of your peers may allow you to set a more practical benchmark for yourself. I'm not advocating to go around interrogating others for their grades. I'm merely pointing out some of the potential benefits of comparing test scores for motivation.

 

[whimsical]

True, but having an idea of your peers may allow you to set a more practical benchmark for yourself. I'm not advocating to go around interrogating others for their grades. I'm merely pointing out some of the potential benefits of comparing test scores for motivation.

*shrug* That's a potential benefit, but most of my professors provide data about mean/median test scores and the highest and lowest grades in the class, so I always feel like I know where I stand. And I can figure out how competitive my gpa is from looking here.

But I do understand what you mean by that, and it can definitely be helpful for someone who'd like to see where they stand.

 

[Arjuna]

I've noticed that there seems to be a lot of hate of premeds from med students and other premeds. I myself must admit that I'm not fond of most premeds that I meet. How do you feel about most premeds (of course there will be exceptions).

It depends on whether they are in the same year as me. If they are, I completely avoid talking about my academic and extracurricular activities. But, I don't hate them; I still hang with them and stuff. If they are not in the same year as me, then its a different story.

 

[jhamaican]

Not a big fan of other Premeds. Always so competitive and such. But then i realize that I am only looking at myself 🙁

 

[Canned Heat]

*shrug* That's a potential benefit, but most of my professors provide data about mean/median test scores and the highest and lowest grades in the class, so I always feel like I know where I stand. And I can figure out how competitive my gpa is from looking here.

But I do understand what you mean by that, and it can definitely be helpful for someone who'd like to see where they stand.

Lucky! I've only had two professors do that for tests. Ehhh my friends and I talk about grades only to get a conversation going believe it or not. I don't think we really care about being all that competitive because we were friends before even finding out that all of us were pre-med, pre-pharm, whatever.

I think the moral of the story is work as hard as you can. If you get straight-A's then who cares about anyone else? If someone asks you about your grade(s) be respectful and compassionate. I don't think people need to freak out and go on an interrogation spree.

Get yo' pants off da ground 🙂

 

[Tatastrophy]

most premeds that i stay around long enough to get an impression of are pretty cool people. of course there are some ridiculously tool-y pre-meds out there as well.

 

[Marcus Brody]

There are just SO many stupid, neurotic, self-absorbed, insecure, ******* pre-meds out there that this poll is a no-brainer. So many people go into this for the wrong reasons. And the competitive nature of it all only adds to the problem, because the more selective it is, the more it attracts the people interested in "prestige" and bragging rights, and the more neurotic and overzealous they become. Overall I can't fcking stand them. Though in med school many are weeded out, and people generally lose the gunner attitude.

 

[Infinitydrop]

Lets face it people, premeds who make it to medical school have to be competitive if not with others then with themselves. It takes a concentrated effort and planning to land a 4.0 semester or your school is not that competitive. I think of most premeds as wolfs. You are certainly on top of the food chain, and you doidn;t get ther by playing house with the bunnies, but in an enviroment (like a pass-fail medical school) we can all certainly recgonzie that we have to hunt together as a pack to survive. So to people who say that they "aren't competitive", you are either not gonna make it to med school, or you arn't comparing yourself to the right people.

 

[FloatOn]

You know what? I said "generally dislike" before but I would say "neutral" now. I'm pretty apathetic to other pre-meds. Who cares if they're needy or d-bags. Some are really down-to-earth and friendly and some aren't, just like any other population of students. People need to do their own thing and stop worrying about everyone else's business.

 

[billw]

I generally like pre-meds who are still pre-meds after organic chemistry.

I feel the same about pre-engineering students who haven't taken calculus.

Before that point, lots of chaff, little wheat.