Does SDN make you feel stupid?

[TTSD]

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LOL. I thought most of the things I did was pretty extreme for an undergrad to do, or that almost no one else at my school would be taking the courseload I was. Then I come to SDN and realize, boy.. am I stupid 🙂

 

[mackaikai]

don't worry, u are still smarter than me 🙂

i am like the dumbest guy here ;o

 

[Gleevec]

Yeah SDN does have that effect. But if you have constrained your viewing to pre-allo, you are lucky. Just looking at the MD/PhD forum with its average 36 MCAT (or so it seems) is quite scary as well.

 

[voltron77]

Don't let it get to you. Every applicant is unique in their own way and that's just how life is. Remember people with high GPA's and high MCAT's get rejected too. There are a lot of intelligent people on and off the forum.......and you are one of those smart people. I use the forum for passing/getting information and for encouragement and that's it. I am not jealous or envious of people on here because that's not my nature. Be happy with it and concentrate on your own situation, hpoing for the best and staying positive. Good luck to everyone in the process!!!

🙂

 

[DrSal]

I'm so thankful for SDN. I, too, use it for encouragement, and support. And i would hate for there to be any bad feelings between the people on SDN (any jealousy/resentment...etc.). We all know what it's like to try to get anything out of any pre-meds at school...it's like if you ask a question about their classes or study habits or anything...they feel like their charm or brains will decrease or something so everybody's like hush hush. SDN tho, people are more friendly and willing to share, and it doesn't feel so competitive...so let's not bring any competition in here!!!!!

 

[luckyzero]

SDN is an awesome community.

 

[DieselPetrolGrl]

it sometimes makes me want to panic..and scream..and cry hopelessly

 

[superdevil]

SDN does tend to make you wonder about things (you, your chances, the endless lists of stuff everyone else seems to have done...), but on the whole, its a supportive, killer place to waste some time!

Oh, and I TOTALLY second what Gleevec was saying about the pre-MSTP forum. Holy crap! If I see one more thread about "I only got a 42 on my MCAT, do I have a shot at getting in?", I think I'm going to put my foot through my computer. 😀

 

[KirsteenB]

superdevil, you seriously made me laugh out loud. (You got to that visual side of me, I guess!)

Cheers for the chuckle,
Kirsteen

 

[bella_dottoressa]

SDN is great, no doubt, but it really warps our premed minds! I love how after mcat scores get back people are embarrassed to post if they got a 33.

 

[miscalculated]

Originally posted by DrSal
I'm so thankful for SDN. I, too, use it for encouragement, and support. And i would hate for there to be any bad feelings between the people on SDN (any jealousy/resentment...etc.). We all know what it's like to try to get anything out of any pre-meds at school...it's like if you ask a question about their classes or study habits or anything...they feel like their charm or brains will decrease or something so everybody's like hush hush. SDN tho, people are more friendly and willing to share, and it doesn't feel so competitive...so let's not bring any competition in here!!!!!

Tell me more, what are typical premeds like? Is medicine the most competitive degree course to get onto in the States?

 

[matthew45]

SDN didn't depress me too bad, mdapplicants.com depressed me. I thought my MCAT score was pretty hot until I surfed over that way.

 

[dumbest premed]

Originally posted by mackaikai
don't worry, u are still smarter than me 🙂

i am like the dumbest guy here ;o

Are you really sure about that? 😉

 

[Gleevec]

Originally posted by matthew45
SDN didn't depress me too bad, mdapplicants.com depressed me. I thought my MCAT score was pretty hot until I surfed over that way.

Yeah, there is a natural tendency for ppl to report successes but not failures, thats why there is such an upward skewage of data there. Still a cool site though.

 

[koma]

Originally posted by matthew45
SDN didn't depress me too bad, mdapplicants.com depressed me. I thought my MCAT score was pretty hot until I surfed over that way.

If you look at the matriculant average stats on mdapplicant it's

675 results in set, 32.8 average MCAT, 3.68 average GPA. Search took 4.89 seconds.


AMCAS research shows the average stats to be

16,488 results in set, 29.7 average MCAT, 3.61 average GPA.

So I would say it's inflated - mcats more so then GPA. Just add 3 pts to your MCATS score and it will be more reliable.

 

[Gleevec]

Originally posted by koma
If you look at the matriculant average stats on mdapplicant it's

675 results in set, 32.8 average MCAT, 3.68 average GPA. Search took 4.89 seconds.


AMCAS research shows the average stats to be

16,488 results in set, 29.7 average MCAT, 3.61 average GPA.

So I would say it's inflated - mcats more so then GPA. Just add 3 pts to your MCATS score and it will be more reliable.

Huh?
How can you add 3 points more to your MCAT score to make the site more reliable? You cant subtract 3 from every other applicant on mdapplicants either, because their acceptances/interviews are based on competition with the overall pool.

You just have to take the site with a grain of salt, if you find some applicants that match your profile, great. If not, its no biggie.

 

[thackl]

Just remember, the 90th percentile falls around a 32. A lot more than the top 10% of MCAT takers get in

 

[superdevil]

Just remember, the 90th percentile falls around a 32. A lot more than the top 10% of MCAT takers get in

exactly. Although this is easily forgotten among the insane numbers reported on SDN and MDapplicants.com, this is one stat that I hold near and dear to my pre-med heart!

 

[zinjanthropus]

yeah, i've never understood why people even bother using MDapplicants.com

A self-selected small sample is not nearly as useful as the data available on med school websites and on www.aamc.org

 

[Gleevec]

Originally posted by zinjanthropus
yeah, i've never understood why people even bother using MDapplicants.com

A self-selected small sample is not nearly as useful as the data available on med school websites and on www.aamc.org

MDapplicants gives a lot more information than any other site does. I basically found 3 individuals who were quite similar to me and just saw the schools they applied to and success. Its not good for aggregating statistics because of the upward reporting skew, but its good if you find a few people similar to yourself, at least statwise.

 

[matthew45]

You all are of course right about mdapplicants.com having higher GPAs and MCATs. The way that I managed to keep my sanity after browsing it was recalling something that one of my mentors (who is on an AdCom) told me:

"Alot of people with a great GPA and tip-top MCAT scores are drones, this comes out in the interview."

 

[KirsteenB]

...but at least they got an interview! 😉 Nice point though.

Cheers,
Kirsteen

 

[JM.]

When I surf SDN I feel very masculine.

 

[quideam]

SDN definetly makes me even more neurotic than I already am... but I have friends outside the posts (thank god!) to keep me in check. For instance, while many people on SDN already have interviews - or even multiple interviews - most of my pre-med friends are still waiting for the AMCAS apps. to get verified! So take a deep breath people, it's only the few and the insane that have these psychotics stats and schedules. 😉

- Quid

 

[thewzdoc]

Originally posted by jmwalker
When I surf SDN I feel very masculine.

You should....you are a guy right!? 😀

 

[DW]

yeah, you think sdn is intimidating, wait till you meet your classmates in med school, especially if you end up at "top" school i guess. at times seems like everyone has either sequenced the entire genome of several pathogens, developed the healthcare system of a third world african country, has 16 different degrees from 5 different ivy league institutions, or has a 56 mcat score. makes me want to cry at times

 

[Catalyst]

What DW just said seems entirely true from my experience interviewing at Columbia. The other girl who was interviewing my day had an undergrad degree from MIT and a law degree from Columbia. The tour guide had taken off four years to do research at Cornell after graduating from Columbia undergrad, got accepted to 9 schools, and chose Columbia over 2 full scholarships.

And SDN intimidates me enough...

Sachin

 

[Gleevec]

Originally posted by SachinG
What DW just said seems entirely true from my experience interviewing at Columbia. The other girl who was interviewing my day had an undergrad degree from MIT and a law degree from Columbia. The tour guide had taken off four years to do research at Cornell after graduating from Columbia undergrad, got accepted to 9 schools, and chose Columbia over 2 full scholarships.

And SDN intimidates me enough...

Sachin

So are you saying that all medical students in New York City are really really old? 😉

 

[Catalyst]

Haha, well, I would say that just about every Columbia student I talked to had taken some time to pursue their interests (whether it be music, medicine, teaching, etc.) more in-depth between undergrad and med school. What is your definition of "old" ? 🙂 I don't consider someone entering med school before 30 to be old at all. In fact, the more I think about my Columbia interview, I think I'd actually like to attend a school where most students have taken time off after undergrad to develop their interests. That seems like it'd provide for a more valuable social and intellectual experience in med school (granted, the students also know how to drink like pigs and have fun 😀 )

 

[JM.]

Originally posted by thewzdoc
You should....you are a guy right!? 😀

yeah. haha.

 

[dstn2bmd]

This is what I remember when I see people here both super neurotic, and the not so (thank god).

No matter how high your MCAT, no matter how high your GPA, no matter what great thing you have done so far....

You still need to take a ****...
You will laugh
You will cry
You will lose something (a dream, a loved one, yourself)
and when the end comes you will die...................

And so, in reality we are all equal.

I am not intimidated one bit.

Heb

 

[trauma_junky]

Ya, we need a "Talk me away from the edge of a cliff" thread hear for us average folks. 😀

 

[PianoGirl04]

I'm new to this community (just discovered it 2 days ago), and while it doesn't make me feel stupid, it does make me feel like a procrastinator. I though that by turning in AMCAS by the end of July and getting my secondaries done right about now, I was doing things early. My premed advisor said that only 25% of people submit AMCAS by the end of July...then I came here, read the "what you need to know" thread, and was shocked! To make things worse, I've been following the interview thread...I only have one interview so far. I know there are people who are in a lot worse of a situation than I am, but it still feels weird.

 

[mattorama]

100th post.....

I guess I am now an offical SDN tool..

 

[Entei]

Originally posted by SachinG
Haha, well, I would say that just about every Columbia student I talked to had taken some time to pursue their interests (whether it be music, medicine, teaching, etc.) more in-depth between undergrad and med school. What is your definition of "old" ? 🙂 I don't consider someone entering med school before 30 to be old at all. In fact, the more I think about my Columbia interview, I think I'd actually like to attend a school where most students have taken time off after undergrad to develop their interests. That seems like it'd provide for a more valuable social and intellectual experience in med school (granted, the students also know how to drink like pigs and have fun 😀 )

Don't be intimidated! We're nice people. 🙂

Actually, there are a lot of us who, like me, have taken NO time off between undergrad and med school. I'd say the mix for our class is about 50/50.