Entitled Premeds

[dartmed]

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I have been facing some entitled pre-meds lately, and I wanted to see how many of you actually faced these scenarios.

Scenario 1: Oh, I don't need to worry about my grades, my dad is a professor of anesthesiology at Columbia. He will get me in no matter what.

Why in the world would you say to your classmates? 😕

First of all, this is not true. Even if your father is the dean of admissions, I hope others on the admission committee will not admit he or she to medical school if they have poor grades. Yes, you might have connections, but do these students ever think about the others who do not have the privilege to have ANY members of their families in medicine? That we are fighting to the bone to make it, and that the rest of us are stressed? Honestly, if you are one of these people, please do not share this information. We are happy for you, but it does make you look a little inferior.

Scenario 2: I am going to use my father's connections to get as many publications./privileges as possible.

OMG. Seriously. There is something wrong with your dad or mom if they put your name on a pub that you do not deserve.

I have worked my tail off for the past 6 years to get a primary author. When you tell me that you got a pub in NEJM because of you dad...I am just
😡😡😡😡😡

Have any of you had these experiences before? Two people just made me furious today with their comments.

 

[Nymphicus]

Keep calm, carry on.
I mean, what else can you do?

Good luck to you!

 

[ISUBird100]

I've heard similar comments before. Every pre-med will tell you that they have those 6th degree connections that will land them at Harvard med or an ortho residency. Very little, if any, will make any difference, though. I usually just go along with what they are saying, but I disregard it completely. Just worry about yourself. Do what you can to make yourself the best applicant possible!

 

[akszp4]

I've heard similar comments before. Every pre-med will tell you that they have those 6th degree connections that will land them at Harvard med or an ortho residency. Very little, if any, will make any difference, though. I usually just go along with what they are saying, but I disregard it completely. Just worry about yourself. Do what you can to make yourself the best applicant possible!

I haven't really encountered this much but then again I don't spend a lot of time with pre-meds. That's really obnoxious though... reminds me of the kid with the Southern accent on Scrubs medical school.

 

[TheMightySmiter]

Reality check, there are self-entitled people everywhere you go. It's by no means limited to pre-meds and it will only get worse as you age when more of your peers are in positions of authority. Try not to let it bother you too much. Just laugh it off. 🙂

 

[Dr Love]

I've heard similar comments before. Every pre-med will tell you that they have those 6th degree connections that will land them at Harvard med or an ortho residency. Very little, if any, will make any difference, though. I usually just go along with what they are saying, but I disregard it completely. Just worry about yourself. Do what you can to make yourself the best applicant possible!

I've got quite a few of my classmates with obvious connections to the school. Saying your father is a professor is not exactly 6th degree, that person probably will get in.

 

[NickNaylor]

They will get what's coming to them eventually.

 

[raltima07]

My dad is the Dean of admission at Harvard and my mom is the associate dean; both of them need to be present when making a decision. Basically, I am accepted in to Harvard without even completing my secondary!!

Milk those connections baby

Before everyone gets all up in arms, Im just kidding. To answer the OP's questions, fear not, there is nothing you can do. Be the best you can be, and fly, I say, Fly!

 

[dmf2682]

They will get what's coming to them eventually.

Power and prestige?

 

[NickNaylor]

Power and prestige?

That's not coming without a real work ethic. Unfortunately you can't politic your way through the studying of medical school.

 

[dmf2682]

That's not coming without a real work ethic. Unfortunately you can't politic your way through the studying of medical school.

Damn I'm screwed. I lack both connections and a work ethic.

 

[mipp0]

I overhear this from dean of admissions with one student:

Dean: How is your father doing? Man, he and I attended X school together...blah blah blah
...I really hope you attend this school...blah blah blah

This kid interviewed with the dean of course and is a bit of a prick to be honest.

Connections are everything in medical school apparently...

 

[mipp0]

They will get what's coming to them eventually.

Will they, Nick? Will they?

In this life, or the next? Assuming there is a next life...

I think it's fair to say a good number of these entitled kids don't get what's coming to them, since it's hard to lose with 4 aces...

 

[ICanDoAllThings]

Why does this even matter. You really should not worry about things that are completely out of your control. In all areas of life, not just medicine, people will have connections that might give them a leg up on you. Do your best and work harder than them and things will work themselves out in the end. It's not like everyone applying to medical school has a dad who is the Dean at your top choice..

Also remember to take what most pre-meds say with a huge grain of salt, most of it probably isn't even remotely true. I am not sure why people feel the need to lie to make themselves look better, but I have been around so many that do.

 

[NickNaylor]

Damn I'm screwed. I lack both connections and a work ethic.

Don't worry, I do too and things are working out just fine.

Will they, Nick? Will they?

In this life, or the next? Assuming there is a next life...

I think it's fair to say a good number of these entitled kids don't get what's coming to them, since it's hard to lose with 4 aces...

Mommy and daddy can't make you pass your exams, successfully pass the USMLE exams, do well in your clinical rotations, and not look like a complete ***** at interviews.

Connections obviously play a role in things, but, like anything else, that one thing alone can't make up for general deficiencies.

 

[IMSingular]

Power and prestige?

That reminds me of George W Bush.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

I think you're jelly of their connections.

But in all honesty, I don't think these are prime examples of entitlement, they are more examples of cockiness and good connections being useful in life. Anyways, newsflash, life isn't fair, and it sure as hell isn't a clean affair. I went to seminar on ADHD animal models and the speaker, a lab PI from the National institute of Drug Abuse and he up front said that their are two things that help you get published, connections to good publishers and the ability to keep your publisher in fear, so that if they screw you you can screw them back. " Civility is the direct result of fear of reciprocation."

On point 1. Well, not going to be easy, but I can bet you that his connection puts him at an advantage up against other candidates of similar caliber. Is it fair? No, but that's irrelevant.

TL;DR: Life is unfair, get used to it.

 

[flodhi1]

OP, you should be mature enough to ignore such ridiculous comments. I on the other hand would just laugh and walk away.

 

[shinbeats]

I think you're jelly of their connections.

But in all honesty, I don't think these are prime examples of entitlement, they are more examples of cockiness and good connections being useful in life. Anyways, newsflash, life isn't fair, and it sure as hell isn't a clean affair. I went to seminar on ADHD animal models and the speaker, a lab PI from the National institute of Drug Abuse and he up front said that their are two things that help you get published, connections to good publishers and the ability to keep your publisher in fear, so that if they screw you you can screw them back. " Civility is the direct result of fear of reciprocation."

On point 1. Well, not going to be easy, but I can bet you that his connection puts him at an advantage up against other candidates of similar caliber. Is it fair? No, but that's irrelevant.

TL;DR: Life is unfair, get used to it.

What did you score on the MCAT writing section?

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

What did you score on the MCAT writing section?

No need to be cruel and mock my cognitive inhibitions from alpha wave sleep.

Also cohesion is for the lame.

 

[IMSingular]

This probably happens, in MD admissions, only for students on the margin, that is on the borderline who might get little push or pull. Old legacy system, I think, is dead. Subjective assesment of EC, LOR & PS give a lot of room for shananigans. But that is the way of the world, and people always say whom you know is more important than what you know. Unfortunately ethics cannot be legislated; too much beyond bounds of rationality. There is no point wasting time on this aspect unless something can be done to legally. The school I went to generally doesn't give addmissions to childrens of faculty. However, many schools give incentive for childerens of faculty to attend that school.

 

[gmcguitar4]

This probably happens, in MD admissions, only for students on the margin, that is on the borderline who might get little push or pull.

I agree, but it still happens every now and then. I met a guy who get an interview invite to a good school with a 3.8gpa and 26 MCAT! Then he said how his father went to that school. It is not an acceptance yet, but without that legacy there is no way this person could have gotten an interview at this particular school.

 

[dartmed]

I think you're jelly of their connections.

But in all honesty, I don't think these are prime examples of entitlement, they are more examples of cockiness and good connections being useful in life. Anyways, newsflash, life isn't fair, and it sure as hell isn't a clean affair. I went to seminar on ADHD animal models and the speaker, a lab PI from the National institute of Drug Abuse and he up front said that their are two things that help you get published, connections to good publishers and the ability to keep your publisher in fear, so that if they screw you you can screw them back. " Civility is the direct result of fear of reciprocation."

On point 1. Well, not going to be easy, but I can bet you that his connection puts him at an advantage up against other candidates of similar caliber. Is it fair? No, but that's irrelevant.

TL;DR: Life is unfair, get used to it.

I did walk away, but it bother me a lot, and I shouldn't let it bother me. There is always going to be these people who get an unfair advantage for no reason. But, I am really happy to see that people on SDN can relate to me. Reading what you guys have to say definitely make me happy 🙂

 

[kristinairene]

Dont worry about it. As long as you're doing good with your grades (GPA/MCAT) then you're good to go! No need to believe whatever he said anyway. I do get these scenarios with other pre-meds and in my head im like WTF? cockiness is in the air mate!

 

[Bforn]

I agree, but it still happens every now and then. I met a guy who get an interview invite to a good school with a 3.8gpa and 26 MCAT! Then he said how his father went to that school. It is not an acceptance yet, but without that legacy there is no way this person could have gotten an interview at this particular school.

I think I saw LizzyM once post that even though schools do give out "legacy" invites it is sometimes more of a professional courtesy thing and by no means an acceptance (as you pointed out).

 

[link2swim06]

Newsflash....people get way further via connections than education or grades will ever get them. How the hell do you think george bush got elected, twice....certainly not his grades.

While it is less so in medicine, I would take an average mcat score and a connection to the admin board than just a high mcat score any day.

 

[IMSingular]

Dont worry about it. As long as you're doing good with your grades (GPA/MCAT) then you're good to go! No need to believe whatever he said anyway. I do get these scenarios with other pre-meds and in my head im like WTF? cockiness is in the air mate!

Well. This, that is addmissions, is a zero sum game. Number of seats are fixed. It's not that there is cut off point and you get in if you cross it.

 

[KnuxNole]

I have been facing some entitled pre-meds lately, and I wanted to see how many of you actually faced these scenarios.

Scenario 1: Oh, I don't need to worry about my grades, my dad is a professor of anesthesiology at Columbia. He will get me in no matter what.

Why in the world would you say to your classmates? 😕

First of all, this is not true. Even if your father is the dean of admissions, I hope others on the admission committee will not admit he or she to medical school if they have poor grades. Yes, you might have connections, but do these students ever think about the others who do not have the privilege to have ANY members of their families in medicine? That we are fighting to the bone to make it, and that the rest of us are stressed? Honestly, if you are one of these people, please do not share this information. We are happy for you, but it does make you look a little inferior.

Scenario 2: I am going to use my father's connections to get as many publications./privileges as possible.

OMG. Seriously. There is something wrong with your dad or mom if they put your name on a pub that you do not deserve.

I have worked my tail off for the past 6 years to get a primary author. When you tell me that you got a pub in NEJM because of you dad...I am just
😡😡😡😡😡

Have any of you had these experiences before? Two people just made me furious today with their comments.

The first one is cringeworthy

The second one is actually pretty smart. I mean, it's research, something most pre-meds hate to have to do. Gotta admit it's a smart way to jump through a hoop.

 

[KnuxNole]

Don't worry, I do too and things are working out just fine.



Mommy and daddy can't make you pass your exams, successfully pass the USMLE exams, do well in your clinical rotations, and not look like a complete ***** at interviews.

Connections obviously play a role in things, but, like anything else, that one thing alone can't make up for general deficiencies.

To play devil's advocate:

Mommy and Daddy could pull strings to pass the first two years, sweettalk to get a P in clinicals, and pull more strings for residency interviews.

But Mommy and Daddy can't make Little Jimmy pass the USMLE. Well, unless they pay for an extensive prep class. So, maybe they can 🙄

 

[kduck]

To play devil's advocate:

Mommy and Daddy could pull strings to pass the first two years, sweettalk to get a P in clinicals, and pull more strings for residency interviews.

But Mommy and Daddy can't make Little Jimmy pass the USMLE. Well, unless they pay for an extensive prep class. So, maybe they can 🙄

If Little Jimmy is so terrible that he really can't accomplish any of these things on his own, at a certain point Mommy and Daddy (and all these "strings" you refer to) are not going to be willing to risk their own careers and reputations (not to mention patient safety) for the sake of making Little Jimmy a doctor. Similarly, classes that help you study only help if you 1) do the work 2) are capable of passing the test in the first place.

tl;dr People who are really that stupid/lazy will eventually get the boot, no matter what.

 

[IlDestriero]

This probably happens, in MD admissions, only for students on the margin, that is on the borderline who might get little push or pull. Old legacy system, I think, is dead. Subjective assesment of EC, LOR & PS give a lot of room for shananigans. But that is the way of the world, and people always say whom you know is more important than what you know. Unfortunately ethics cannot be legislated; too much beyond bounds of rationality. There is no point wasting time on this aspect unless something can be done to legally. The school I went to generally doesn't give addmissions to childrens of faculty. However, many schools give incentive for childerens of faculty to attend that school.

The University where I am on the faculty is among the most competitive with regard to admissions and it offers a very large tuition benefit for the children of faculty. Miraculously every senior faculty with college age kids in my department, without exception, has sent at least one child to the university and a couple to the university's professional schools. Legacy admissions are far from dead.

 

[dmf2682]

The University where I am on the faculty is among the most competitive with regards to admissions and it offers a very large tuition benefit for the children of faculty. Miraculously every senior faculty with college age kids in my department, without exception, has sent at least one child to the university and a couple to the university's professional schools. Legacy admissions are far from dead.

Woah, hold on a minute. If there's family benefits, might I be able to get some sort of tuition benefit if, say, a spouse was employed there? Reason I ask is that I'm looking to get engaged to a lady who will be looking for a job as an attending at the same time I'm applying to med school.

 

[IMSingular]

The University where I am on the faculty is among the most competitive with regards to admissions and it offers a very large tuition benefit for the children of faculty. Miraculously every senior faculty with college age kids in my department, without exception, has sent at least one child to the university and a couple to the university's professional schools. Legacy admissions are far from dead.

I suppose game is rigged. Once upon a time it was blatant. May be now it is subtle. Well the institutions I attended, graduate and undergraduate, didn't have much of that. But those were science and technology type institutes; who wants to go there? May be my experience is biased.

Then they can also do like "I help you and you help me". Like congress passed a law to forbid them from employing their kids; but they employ each others' kids.

Once upon a time in German universities you had to marry a daugter of professor to get on faculty. Reiman never got a position at a university.

It is frustrating! Unfortunately there is no easy solution.

 

[IlDestriero]

Woah, hold on a minute. If there's family benefits, might I be able to get some sort of tuition benefit if, say, a spouse was employed there? Reason I ask is that I'm looking to get engaged to a lady who will be looking for a job as an attending at the same time I'm applying to med school.

It would be University specific. Mine does have an education benefit for spouses as well, but only for undergraduate classes. I can take a couple classes per semester in any school gratis. Few use that benefit though.

 

[Tim Armstrong]

I live by these simple words.... "We never had nothin handed, took nothin for granted, took nothin from no man. Man, I'm my own man!" - Kanye West

But seriously, I've had to work to support myself throughout school and pay for it, while all my other premed classmates all had rich parents that paid for every little thing their heart desired.

Life isn't fair at all. But in the end, you will have a genuine pride in your own abilities that none of them could begin to understand. I'd rather get into my dinky state school from my own hard work than go to Harvard Med due to Mommy and Daddy's handout's.

 

[Ormm]

I live by these simple words.... "We never had nothin handed, took nothin for granted, took nothin from no man. Man, I'm my own man!" - Kanye West

But seriously, I've had to work to support myself throughout school and pay for it, while all my other premed classmates all had rich parents that paid for every little thing their heart desired.

Life isn't fair at all. But in the end, you will have a genuine pride in your own abilities that none of them could begin to understand. I'd rather get into my dinky state school from my own hard work than go to Harvard Med due to Mommy and Daddy's handout's.

 

[dartmed]

I live by these simple words.... "We never had nothin handed, took nothin for granted, took nothin from no man. Man, I'm my own man!" - Kanye West

But seriously, I've had to work to support myself throughout school and pay for it, while all my other premed classmates all had rich parents that paid for every little thing their heart desired.

Life isn't fair at all. But in the end, you will have a genuine pride in your own abilities that none of them could begin to understand. I'd rather get into my dinky state school from my own hard work than go to Harvard Med due to Mommy and Daddy's handout's.

Agreed. 🙂 I think the ones that started from scratch become the most successful anyway, look at Ben Carson, Alfredo Quinones, Surgeon Kofi