Effect of Medical School Ranking on Competitive Specialty Aspirations

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I skipped the middle of this discussion but I will chime in with a suggestion for OP: skip med school and go to school after college to be an esthetician. Get some hands on training (pardon the pun) in a high end spa that caters to clients who put a high value on appearance and who have lots of cash. Consider it your residency training. Go into partnership with someone experienced in the business end of skin care. Use your knowledge of organic chem and biology to develop a line of skin care products and beauty products. Get a good public relations advisor. Marry well. Appear at all the best charity events. Do skin care, be your own boss, be independent and prosper.

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Hey everyone,

I am just writing to announce that this is my last post. This thread has run its course and I feel that I've saturated all I can obtain from this thread, as well as all that anyone can obtain from this thread. The thread has failed to remain on topic.

Instead of staying on topic, the thread at times turned into a direct targeting of OP and OP's intentions/motivations/qualifications for medicine and for a competitive specialty. This is just not what the purpose of me asking the question in the first place was. It was to get advice. Honestly it could have been a yes or no question but NO people just had to get mean.

In addition, several self-proclaimed "altruistic" and "sacrificial" people here have cherry-picked quotations or parts of things that I've said, taken out of context, and used them to make me out to be some sort of horrible person. I have even recently been accused (and earlier on in the thread) of wanting this specialty because of financial or cosmetic/aesthetic reasons. These are baseless assumptions that I have uttered NOWHERE on this thread. Moreover, they are extremely inaccurate as I have time and again gone over my motivations for pursuing this line of medicine and those are not even close to my reasons. I sincerely wonder what you folks have to gain from being so verbally violent on this thread? Can you please take a minute to think about that? Reflect on yourself, please. Think about what you are gaining from being violent/sarcastic/bullies/generalizers (refer to anti-millenial comments above). Please think about that. Please also, if this is how you act in real life, work to constantly change so that your patients, regardless of specialty, have a nice and compassionate physician who doesn't make judgements on people's intentions/motivations for a specialty.

With that said, am I troll? Have you been PUNKD? I guess you'll never know. Haha. I'll say this: as a Theater person in college I guess I have a tendency to be overdramatic. I also feel that many of my statements were taken literally on this thread, and that this further made me seem like some extremist who wouldn't do any other specialty--even though I later clarified I would. The truth is this, and I have said this over-and-over-and-over. I would love to do derm and it would give me an extra spark of happiness that another specialty wouldn't. However, that's all it is, an extra happiness, in no way required or needed for my survival or prosperity in the field of medicine. I will openly admit that some of my comments on here may have been too dramatic but with the literal feedback I was getting, it was hard to not play along just for fun.

Despite being verbally targeted on this thread, some of the off-topic conversations have really been EYE-OPENING. the social dynamics of medicine and clerkships was really interesting and actually important to learn, as was the advice about attending a school versus the stigma of reapplying w acceptances. tbh, i am glad i can't reapply and am quite happy with my med school options so far (this was said in my first post btw). another eye-opening lesson is just how mean my fellow classmates might get in the coming years (ascertained from the comments of the gratuitous posters on this thread). this is a very sad realization to come to, but i have a game plan: to be so overtly nice that i will shatter any evil meanies with my niceness :)

also-i do want to emphasize that anything you think or perceive to know about me is largely flawed/incorrect because the portrait i painted early on was highly underwhelming in terms of stats/activities and most importantly: background and reason for wanting to do medicine or derm. so as far as judging me or my fit for med school, i would like to point out you cannot make that call.

so, this is me, logging off forever. even though my mind hasn't been changed about derm, my viewpoints and game plan and expectations have been expanded. i know much more now than i did early on, and i intend to use this knowledge to my benefit and the benefit of others trying to match.

i would like to end with a quotation from a favorite dermatologist who i shadowed two years ago. this quotation will be ill-perceived by some and might be good for others. i think knowing this quotation will help you understand part of my self-aware stubbornness.
when i asked him virtually what should i do and after disclosing the fact that i'll do anything, he said the following: "if you really want this, and i mean really, really want it, like i did, you cannot give yourself the option of not-getting it. you cannot give yourself the option of switching to another specialty. med school will throw bowling balls in your face--especially when you're trying to get into derm-- and you will frequently be tempted to pick another specialty when times get weak. you have to plan ahead, and keep your eye on the goal, and don't let yourself switch your goal, because you will switch if you leave that option readily open"
i am aware that switching may very well end up being a reality, but i think he's right in some aspects. you can't half-*** matching into something like derm.

@asmallchild i would kindly ask that this thread be locked now since i will no longer be participating and since the question has been "answered".

thank you to everyone who participated. and to the unsupportive ones, one last time, please work on being nice :D


good luck to everyone with their careers! :) <3 ;)





:kiss::flame:
 
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I skipped the middle of this discussion but I will chime in with a suggestion for OP: skip med school and go to school after college to be an esthetician. Get some hands on training (pardon the pun) in a high end spa that caters to clients who put a high value on appearance and who have lots of cash. Consider it your residency training. Go into partnership with someone experienced in the business end of skin care. Use your knowledge of organic chem and biology to develop a line of skin care products and beauty products. Get a good public relations advisor. Marry well. Appear at all the best charity events. Do skin care, be your own boss, be independent and prosper.
OP might not have taken this seriously. But this is some amazingly thoughtful and practical advice tailored to OP. OP's ability to use adjectives to blow things out of proportion will likely be of great use in cosmetic industry, as a matter of fact, it is a necessity! You will need that kind of naive self reassurance to tell someone with a straight face that they should spend $300 on a cream because it was mixed with "diamond particles" that probably cost less than $1 total because...just because.
OP, if you do follow this advice and succeed accordingly, can we all have coupons to your cosmetic line?
 
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meep
 
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Not you, Ace!
LOL OP is so butthurt she had to run away like a coward by making an extremely long post that still reeks of her gen Y naivety and delusion. And honey, you can tell us we can't make that judgment call, but that doesn't mean we won't. That's not how the real world works, babe. You're not gonna change someone's attitude by being so "nice" that it hurts. I've tried that before, but that person would not change. Therefore, you need to accept the fact that there will be people who will never ever agree with you or like you or respect you, and that you have no control over other people's opinions and judgments.
 
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Not you, Ace!
I only rated 2/10 troll. Whatever, whoever this person really is, she's kind sorta actually really dumb.
 
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I'm not familiar with the whole Streampaw deal, I'd appreciate some elaboration :prof: on its historical background .
Uhhhh....


Like Goro said...long story. You can find her threads lying around in the archives.
 
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Oh sh**, just searched SP. I didn't exist on SDN when SP was a huge deal, so I didn't know.
 
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OP might not have taken this seriously.
What makes you say that? :lol: Oh well, we tried. At least it will benefit other premeds on the correct attitude to entering medical school.

Rule #1 - Never go into medical school saying that you will be only happy w/doing one field and one field only, when you have yet to truly experience any clinical rotations, when you don't know what your performance in medical school will be, etc. You have to be open to different specialties and most importantly you have to be flexible.

If that is too much ambiguity, then stop, don't pass go, don't collect $200 and walk yourself to the nearest PA or NP school, in which a residency match, much less residency completion, is not required.
 
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Damnit! I missed it.

Oh well. This thread paired well with my dinner.

I wonder how surprised OP would be to learn how many of the posters giving her crap for her attitude are also the most present advocates from improving and monitoring mental health among physicians/med students in other threads on this site. Textbook tunnel vision.
 
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Damnit! I missed it.

Oh well. This thread paired well with my dinner.

I wonder how surprised OP would be to learn how many of the posters giving her crap for her attitude are also the most present advocates from improving and monitoring mental health among physicians/med students in other threads on this site. Textbook tunnel vision.
Worst part is we weren't even giving her crap (at least I wasn't). We were trying to relay the reality of the rough terrain and landscape that will be med school for her (since she has an acceptance already). She is deadset on one field and one field only - it's a recipe for disaster.
 
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Worst part is we weren't even giving her crap (at least I wasn't).
You wasn't. The entire time you were really trying to get through. :bow: to you.
 
Well I didn't read this whole thread, but I did read the beginning and the end, and I can say with great confidence that I smell disaster for OP. I feel like it would kinda suck going in so fixated upon one specialty. Having an idea is fine, I guess, but come on. We haven't even started yet.
 
You wasn't. The entire time you were really trying to get through. :bow: to you.
I've come to realize there will be some premeds whom you can't get through to no matter how much you nicely explain things. They either hold onto rose-colored glasses for dear life, or think that you're trying to keep them from going to medical school (as if I give a **** at this point). The pathway is what it is. You can't change it and you can't abandon ship midway thru MS-3 and say you should have done some other route, just bc you no longer like the rules you agreed to. Of course, she also thought she could get into a Top 20 medical school, with only 80 hours TOTAL of healthcare experience, so she was a delusional from the beginning.

No one is saying don't go into med school with a good, positive attitude as you'll need that energy to study, process information, take exams, and perform well on rotations. But don't say something stupid upon entering medical school that the only way you will be happy (or in her words, "glowing") in medicine is if you get to become an ophthalmologist. You don't get to put in caveats esp. when you haven't even set foot on a med school campus. Those who do are exactly the type of people medical school admissions committees are trying to filter out.
 
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Well I didn't read this whole thread, but I did read the beginning and the end, and I can say with great confidence that I smell disaster for OP. I feel like it would kinda suck going in so fixated upon one specialty. Having an idea is fine, I guess, but come on. We haven't even started yet.
Esp. since so much of her education won't even touch on Derm to begin with. Same for PM&R, Rad Onc, Anesthesia, etc. Medical school emphasizes and gives more lecture hours to certain specialties and organ systems in basic sciences and in MS-3. Her enthusiasm is great. Her distortions and lack of reality in her perceptions is what is dangerous.
 
Esp. since so much of her education won't even touch on Derm to begin with. Same for PM&R, Rad Onc, Anesthesia, etc. Medical school emphasizes and gives more lecture hours to certain specialties and organ systems in basic sciences and in MS-3. Her enthusiasm is great. Her distortions and lack of reality in her perceptions is what is dangerous.
For sure. Enthusiasm would serve her far better if it were coupled with some more open-mindedness, I believe. I just can't understand why one would want to put all their proverbial eggs in one extremely competitive basket. I'm sure that dermatology is a desirable specialty for several good reasons, but that doesn't mean it's the only speciality that could offer a physician-in-training a sense of fulfillment. It shouldn't, at least.

Personally, I'm very unsure as to what specialty I'd like to pursue. Hopefully that's not a bad thing in and of itself, but I'd like to think that open-mindedness and flexibility will be beneficial in the long run.
 
For sure. Enthusiasm would serve her far better if it were coupled with some more open-mindedness, I believe. I just can't understand why one would want to put all their proverbial eggs in one extremely competitive basket. I'm sure that dermatology is a desirable specialty for several good reasons, but that doesn't mean it's the only speciality that could offer a physician-in-training a sense of fulfillment. It shouldn't, at least.

Personally, I'm very unsure as to what specialty I'd like to pursue. Hopefully that's not a bad thing in and of itself, but I'd like to think that open-mindedness and flexibility will be beneficial in the long run.
Agree. There are tons of specialties that can give you fulfillment for different reasons. If lifestyle is your concern - then there are many specialties and subspecialties w/in a specialty that have that as a component. Also lifestyle can also be tailored to practice model also if you work in private practice, regardless of the field.

It's ok to be unsure. There will be some medical information when you learn - you'll have a natural affinity for - i.e. liking seeing radiologic imaging in Gross Anatomy which makes you think about Radiology. There are books out there and online medical specialty quizzes that can help sort your likes and dislikes, also what you want from the field that's not only based on the intellectual material (lifestyle, etc.). Choosing a specialty is a ruling in/ruling out process for all med students.
 
Agree. There are tons of specialties that can give you fulfillment for different reasons. If lifestyle is your concern - then there are many specialties and subspecialties w/in a specialty that have that as a component. Also lifestyle can also be tailored to practice model also if you work in private practice, regardless of the field.

It's ok to be unsure. There will be some medical information when you learn - you'll have a natural affinity for - i.e. liking seeing radiologic imaging in Gross Anatomy which makes you think about Radiology. There are books out there and online medical specialty quizzes that can help sort your likes and dislikes, also what you want from the field that's not only based on the intellectual material (lifestyle, etc.). Choosing a specialty is a ruling in/ruling out process for all med students.
That's reassuring. Some of my friends have interests in certain fields (not quite as rigid as OP's, but they have general ideas) and so I sometimes wondered whether or not I should have a general idea as well. But as you mentioned, I'm sure things will be ruled in or out based on the exposure I'll get in the years to come. I'm quite open-minded so I'm excited to get that exposure and come closer to a decision.
 
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