Failed a class

[BlackHoleSun19]

Any advice or harsh/honest words are welcome.

I am a first year medical student and I have had some academic trouble.
So I found out that I failed a unit and I will be remediating over the summer. My dean made it sound like my ability to do anything relatively competitive is basically over (because I wont be able to do research this summer, and because I will have a fail my record). So I have a few questions.

1: How badly will failing this course affect my ability to be competitive when applying for residencies?
2:I'm also not quite sure when another chance to do research will come up? When would be the next best time to try and do research?

Also what are some good study tips that you guys have developed. I go to class and re-watch at home. I annotate by hand on slide print outs because I know it works better for my memory. I've also watched sketchy, and read pathoma when relevant. I feel like I'm putting in a lot of work that isn't necessarily paying off and I want to know how to work smarter and not just harder.

3: What are some study tips that you would recommend, especially for memory intensive courses?

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[libertyyne]

Im sorry to hear about this. You have a larger hole to dig out of for competitive specialities, but I dont think it is insurmountable. You could always take a research year to get more research in. Doing well on step is probably the most important thing you can do. As far as study tips are concerned. Try experimenting with study techniques. I would suggest giving anki a try.

 

[Gurby]

Also what are some good study tips that you guys have developed. I go to class and re-watch at home. I annotate by hand on slide print outs because I know it works better for my memory. I've also watched sketchy, and read pathoma when relevant. I feel like I'm putting in a lot of work that isn't necessarily paying off and I want to know how to work smarter and not just harder.

3: What are some study tips that you would recommend, especially for memory intensive courses?

All I see is passive learning techniques. I have never been able to learn anything that way - things go in one ear, and out the other.

 

[Aerus]

You need to figure out how to best actively learn. Flashcards, teaching others, reciting everything to yourself, reconstructing pathways on a whiteboard from memory, etc. are great ways to actively learn rather than passively, like reading and watching.

 

[Stagg737]

In terms of research, I second an extra research year if you end up gunning for something really competitive. With a fail on your record you'll need to find some way to stand out, even with strong Step scores. For memory heavy classes Anki or some other form of flashcards is a good idea. I didn't like Anki because I was too inefficient at making the cards, but for the few classes where I managed to make decks fast enough I did great.

 

[Giovanotto]

Reciting everything to myself makes me look like a loonie, and it does limit where I can study (b/c I look like a loonie), but it's the best thing ive ever done for my learning and I'm not sure where I got the idea from but I just sort of started doing it once medical school started.

What sucks is that I'm so used to it that I like to talk to myself during UWorld questions, but I know that on exam day I won't be able to....so now I have to talk to myself in my own head. Medschoolproblems.

 

[takeurmeds02]

Reciting everything to myself makes me look like a loonie, and it does limit where I can study (b/c I look like a loonie), but it's the best thing ive ever done for my learning and I'm not sure where I got the idea from but I just sort of started doing it once medical school started.

What sucks is that I'm so used to it that I like to talk to myself during UWorld questions, but I know that on exam day I won't be able to....so now I have to talk to myself in my own head. Medschoolproblems.

Yea, I definitely talk things out to myself and I think myself appreciates it

 

[Goro]

Any advice or harsh/honest words are welcome.

I am a first year medical student and I have had some academic trouble.
So I found out that I failed a unit and I will be remediating over the summer. My dean made it sound like my ability to do anything relatively competitive is basically over (because I wont be able to do research this summer, and because I will have a fail my record). So I have a few questions.

1: How badly will failing this course affect my ability to be competitive when applying for residencies?
2:I'm also not quite sure when another chance to do research will come up? When would be the next best time to try and do research?

Also what are some good study tips that you guys have developed. I go to class and re-watch at home. I annotate by hand on slide print outs because I know it works better for my memory. I've also watched sketchy, and read pathoma when relevant. I feel like I'm putting in a lot of work that isn't necessarily paying off and I want to know how to work smarter and not just harder.

3: What are some study tips that you would recommend, especially for memory intensive courses?

One of my all-time worst students is now an anaesthesiologist in the Northwest. Probably killing patients in Spokane now. Even repeating a year didn't stop him.

With the expansion of schools and the tightening of residency slot numbers, I have worries like your dean does. Still, failing a single course isn't the same as having to repeat a year, so I suggest that you focus on doing well this semester, and focusing on remediation.

And read this:
Goro's Guide to Success in Medical School (2017 edition)

 

[zero0]

One of my all-time worst students is now an anaesthesiologist in the Northwest. Probably killing patients in Spokane now. Even repeating a year didn't stop him.

With the expansion of schools and the tightening of residency slot numbers, I have worries like your dean does. Still, failing a single course isn't the same as having to repeat a year, so I suggest that you focus on doing well this semester, and focusing on remediation.

And read this:
Goro's Guide to Success in Medical School (2017 edition)

If it's any consolation he's probably getting worked to death at an IMG sweatshop

 

[mistafab]

I am an M2 with just slightly different input than others on here.

You are talking about being competitive and doing research - bro, you failed. Stop thinking you are competetive and make sure you never fail a single thing ever again. The single best thing you can do right now to be competitive is to DO WELL IN YOUR CLASSES so that you understand the foundations of medicine. You can’t possibly expect to do well on step if you don’t nail everything from here on out. Pull out all the stops - get research and time wasters out of your head because at this point you can’t afford to do any.

Spend some time in the summer while you are forced to remediate to review your old coursework with first aid in hand, because if you failed one then you were probably borderline on most. You need to nail that physio bro! Histo and junk too!

 

[Chelsea FC]

Any advice or harsh/honest words are welcome.

I am a first year medical student and I have had some academic trouble.
So I found out that I failed a unit and I will be remediating over the summer. My dean made it sound like my ability to do anything relatively competitive is basically over (because I wont be able to do research this summer, and because I will have a fail my record). So I have a few questions.

1: How badly will failing this course affect my ability to be competitive when applying for residencies?
2:I'm also not quite sure when another chance to do research will come up? When would be the next best time to try and do research?

Also what are some good study tips that you guys have developed. I go to class and re-watch at home. I annotate by hand on slide print outs because I know it works better for my memory. I've also watched sketchy, and read pathoma when relevant. I feel like I'm putting in a lot of work that isn't necessarily paying off and I want to know how to work smarter and not just harder.

3: What are some study tips that you would recommend, especially for memory intensive courses?

This is strange at my school they give you a change to retake a cumulative exam in the summer and if you pass they dont put it on your record. They try and do everything to make their applicants as competitive as possible.

 

[bananafish94]

I don't think failing a single course is a huge deal. My understanding is that on the list of things PDs care about your pre-clinical grades are not particularly high. I suppose it could have downstream effects (like sequestering your time during the summer when you could be doing research) but you can always make up that time in the end. I've done research during the academic year and it's not that bad - you don't necessarily need to do your research over the summer. Also, I think there would be time in the summer to both retake a course and do a research project. I wouldn't let this get you down too much.

 

[sammiesings]

This is strange at my school they give you a change to retake a cumulative exam in the summer and if you pass they dont put it on your record. They try and do everything to make their applicants as competitive as possible.

I think the general guideline at most schools is if you take the remediation test and pass, it won't show up on your record.

However, I do agree that you're using a whole lot of passive resources. You really need to make your studying active so that you're utilizing your time more effectively. I think if you do that, you stand a good chance at anything you want to match (maybe not any program though). Keep your chin up and don't let this hold you back, OP! I know someone who failed anatomy at the beginning of the year, really buckled down and then he aced biochemistry and physiology the next block! (I mean at least that's what he told me lol)It is definitely a one class setback right now, keep it at that

 

[zero0]

I think the general guideline at most schools is if you take the remediation test and pass, it won't show up on your record.

However, I do agree that you're using a whole lot of passive resources. You really need to make your studying active so that you're utilizing your time more effectively. I think if you do that, you stand a good chance at anything you want to match (maybe not any program though). Keep your chin up and don't let this hold you back, OP! I know someone who failed anatomy at the beginning of the year, really buckled down and then he aced biochemistry and physiology the next block! (I mean at least that's what he told me lol)It is definitely a one class setback right now, keep it at that

That's kinda not cool. If you failed a class and remediated it should say so. This gives people who go to those schools an unfair advantage, but what else is new.

 

[sammiesings]

That's kinda not cool. If you failed a class and remediated it should say so. This gives people who go to those schools an unfair advantage, but what else is new.

Yeah, if we take an advantage perspective though, its not really fair to your own classmates either, considering they passed the first time around.

TBH, the "I think" should be heavily emphasized in my post- I actually don't know for sure if I understand the process at my own school correctly.

 

[libertyyne]

That's kinda not cool. If you failed a class and remediated it should say so. This gives people who go to those schools an unfair advantage, but what else is new.

I found all the PD's that care about Preclinical grades in one place.

 

[Chelsea FC]

That's kinda not cool. If you failed a class and remediated it should say so. This gives people who go to those schools an unfair advantage, but what else is new.

life's not fair. Its kinda not cool that other schools dont do it.

 

[libertyyne]

life's not fair. Its kinda not cool that other schools dont do it.

Some schools have true pass fail, others have false pass fail, others have graded. Some top schools form what I hear have you write an essay if you fail an exam, Some schools rely heavily on quizes and instructor feedback.

 

[Chelsea FC]

Some schools have true pass fail, others have false pass fail, others have graded. Some top schools form what I hear have you write an essay if you fail an exam, Some schools rely heavily on quizes and instructor feedback.

Yeah that what I was getting at alot of stuff isnt fair in life.

 

[Goro]

I've seen you say this multiple times, and it always comes off as in poor taste. If you really had concerns about this person, and he was at your school, then it was your responsibility to help him succeed or stop him from graduating.

If he passed the hurdles of medical school, Step and anesthesiology boards and now works in a team that gains the trust of patients... then it is extremely cynical and frankly offensive for you to assume he is "killing patients."

I have met multiple students who had to repeat a year - some drop out, and some address their deficiencies and score in the top of the class, and then well on Step. For you to suggest that academic struggles make someone destined to kill patients is uncalled for. If that were true, schools wouldn't make it an option.

Every medical school, from Harvard to JAB, from Albany to Yale, from U WA to Nova, have students who, at graduation, make the Faculty elbow each other and mutter, "I can't believe we're letting him graduate!"

That's because once you get into med school, it's actually harder to get out than in...meaning, we do everything we can to see to it that students graduate, no matter how much we dislike them.

If you're triggered by my comments, the Ignore button is that way ->.
EDIT: I've read through your post history and can understand why you're raw-nerved about this. I don't know you, and I wish you all the best, but I did know student "BC", and still shake my head.

 

[Goro]

You're welcome to ignore me if that's how you handle conflict.

A sound suggestion. Good luck with Anatomy.

Applying Ignore function now. You'll feel some slight pressure between the eyes.

15 people failing out of a class???? At an MD school????? That's Carib style attrition!

 

[zero0]

life's not fair. Its kinda not cool that other schools dont do it.

Some standardization would be nice is all I'm saying

 

[Aerus]

That's kinda not cool. If you failed a class and remediated it should say so. This gives people who go to those schools an unfair advantage, but what else is new.

This is really just another barrier to catch students who may struggle with adjusting to the class or had real life difficulties interfere with their academics. Schools define how students fail their classes differently. A sub-passing % the first time may not be defined as "failed a class" at certain schools.

A true "fail" at many schools, including my own, is when you fail after taking the "remediation" or if you choose not to take it altogether. How my school handles it is if you cannot get a passing % after taking the final, then you are on "stand-by" and may take the remediation exam or choose to fail the class. If you take the remediation exam (it replaces a certain portion of your final exam grade) and you score high enough to pass the class, then your "stand-by" status becomes a Pass. If you do not score high enough or if your grade was so far below the pass line that even a 100% on the remediation final cannot let you pass the class, then your "stand-by" status becomes a Fail.

 

[NeurologyHopeful2018]

One of my all-time worst students is now an anaesthesiologist in the Northwest. Probably killing patients in Spokane now. Even repeating a year didn't stop him.

With the expansion of schools and the tightening of residency slot numbers, I have worries like your dean does. Still, failing a single course isn't the same as having to repeat a year, so I suggest that you focus on doing well this semester, and focusing on remediation.

And read this:
Goro's Guide to Success in Medical School (2017 edition)

I heard you repeat this story many times as well. My problem is - if he is truly incompetent and a danger to patients - why did the school let him graduate, and how did he pass all the board exams? To become a board-certified anesthesiologist - he had to successfully grind out residency - not a easy feat for an incompetent trainee.

 

[Goro]

I heard you repeat this story many times as well. My problem is - if he is truly incompetent and a danger to patients - why did the school let him graduate, and how did he pass all the board exams? To become a board-certified anesthesiologist - he had to successfully grind out residency - not a easy feat for an incompetent trainee.

He did everything he was supposed to do.

That doesn't mean I can't have a low opinion of him.

SDNers are advised not to project.

 

[NeurologyHopeful2018]

He did everything he was supposed to do.

That doesn't mean I can't have a low opinion of him.

SDNers are advised not to project.

This low opinion by faculty creates a highly toxic environment for students. If he passed Step 1, 2, 3 + Anesthesia boards and got passing evaluations throughout med school and residency - he is competent. Period. It's much more difficult to accomplish than just "he did what he was supposed to do." You are making it much easier said than done.

 

[libertyyne]

He did everything he was supposed to do.

That doesn't mean I can't have a low opinion of him.

SDNers are advised not to project.

If his specialty board and residency program say that he is competent it is a little unfair to claim that he is killing patients because of poor performance in his classes. Plus doesnt the school have a fiduciary duty in protecting the public from incompetent and dangerous physicians.

 

[Goro]

This low opinion by faculty creates a highly toxic environment for students. If he passed Step 1, 2, 3 + Anesthesia boards and got passing evaluations throughout med school and residency - he is competent. Period. It's much more difficult to accomplish than just "he did what he was supposed to do." You are making it much easier said than done.

Wait, my opinion of this guy on SDN magically affects everyone else in the world? What drivel is this?

Look, becoming a doctor is a great challenge and it's my job to make sure my students do this. Heck, I'm on SDN because I like helping other people get into and through med school.

It's a great accomplishment to become a doctor, but it's not an affirmation of who you are, nor do you become one of God's anointed.

And none of you have had to teach students like BC.

Toxic environment indeed.

 

[Goro]

If his specialty board and residency program say that he is competent it is a little unfair to claim that he is killing patients because of poor performance in his classes. Plus doesnt the school have a fiduciary duty in protecting the public from incompetent and dangerous physicians.

Jeeze, the internet is just impermeable to sarcasm, isn't it?

 

[Tots]

This low opinion by faculty creates a highly toxic environment for students. If he passed Step 1, 2, 3 + Anesthesia boards and got passing evaluations throughout med school and residency - he is competent. Period. It's much more difficult to accomplish than just "he did what he was supposed to do." You are making it much easier said than done.

If his specialty board and residency program say that he is competent it is a little unfair to claim that he is killing patients because of poor performance in his classes. Plus doesnt the school have a fiduciary duty in protecting the public from incompetent and dangerous physicians.

Oh please. Just because you jumped through all the hoops doesn't mean everyone has to respect your mad skills as a doctor. They are surrogate markers at best. For your whole career your peers, colleagues, trainees, patients, and supervisors will be making judgements about your abilities. Sometimes fair judgements, sometimes not. Fortunately for all of us though medicine is an incredibly diverse field that rewards people with diverse talents and you don't need to be the best at everything to be a successful doctor.

Plus don't we all have that one classmate who we seriously wonder how they made it through medical school?

To the OP: Its unlikely any real doors have really been closed off here though it might be harder for the most competitive specialities. I think there is some great advice here on how to succeed, and clearly seeking out this advice is a good first step. Take advantage of any resources available at your school regarding study skills, etc. If you feel comfortable about it, talk to some of your friends in the class and find out how they are succeeding. Most of all know you are not alone, many medical students fail exams or struggle with the material.

 

[sunshinefl]

This is really just another barrier to catch students who may struggle with adjusting to the class or had real life difficulties interfere with their academics. Schools define how students fail their classes differently. A sub-passing % the first time may not be defined as "failed a class" at certain schools.

A true "fail" at many schools, including my own, is when you fail after taking the "remediation" or if you choose not to take it altogether. How my school handles it is if you cannot get a passing % after taking the final, then you are on "stand-by" and may take the remediation exam or choose to fail the class. If you take the remediation exam (it replaces a certain portion of your final exam grade) and you score high enough to pass the class, then your "stand-by" status becomes a Pass. If you do not score high enough or if your grade was so far below the pass line that even a 100% on the remediation final cannot let you pass the class, then your "stand-by" status becomes a Fail.

At my school 70% is passing. If you get below that, there is a remediation exam at the end of the year. If you score above a 70 on that, you pass the course with a ‘70E’ on your transcript. If not, you have to retake. There is also a limit to the number of credit hours you can not pass per year by retention policies.

Edited to add all our grades are reported as numerical grades except the select P/F which are things like IGC where we are with a doctor in the community at their office every 3 weeks for the year. The ‘E’ signifies pass by exam.

 

[libertyyne]

Oh please. Just because you jumped through all the hoops doesn't mean everyone has to respect your mad skills as a doctor. They are surrogate markers at best. For your whole career your peers, colleagues, trainees, patients, and supervisors will be making judgements about your abilities. Sometimes fair judgements, sometimes not. Fortunately for all of us though medicine is an incredibly diverse field that rewards people with diverse talents and you don't need to be the best at everything to be a successful doctor.

Plus don't we all have that one classmate who we seriously wonder how they made it through medical school?

To the OP: Its unlikely any real doors have really been closed off here though it might be harder for the most competitive specialities. I think there is some great advice here on how to succeed, and clearly seeking out this advice is a good first step. Take advantage of any resources available at your school regarding study skills, etc. If you feel comfortable about it, talk to some of your friends in the class and find out how they are succeeding. Most of all know you are not alone, many medical students fail exams or struggle with the material.

If a system allows dangerous physicians to get through it is not the idiots fault that was chasing a dream, rather it is the systems fault that let him through all the checks. So either the system is flawed , or someone didn't do their job and hold back someone when they should have been. Plus residency training is what really matters for practice, not grades in histo.

 

[HomeSkool]

If he passed Step 1, 2, 3 + Anesthesia boards and got passing evaluations throughout med school and residency - he is competent.

False. Those things are markers for competence, but they aren't infallible. Some people manage to get their act together to clear the hurdles -- barely -- but don't consistently maintain a high level of performance. Others allow their knowledge bases and skill sets to drop off, which led to the development of Maintenance of Certification programs, and please let's not open that can of worms right now because today's Friday and Fridays are for happy thoughts and regretting that you signed up for an elective Saturday shift.

If a system allows dangerous physicians to get through it is not the idiots fault that was chasing a dream, rather it is the systems fault that let him through all the checks. So either the system is flawed , or someone didn't do their job and hold back someone when they should have been. Plus residency training is what really matters for practice, not grades in histo.

You're right that some people slip through, and sometimes it is because they were passed when they shouldn't have been. That can happen for a variety of reasons including administrative incompetence, lack of appropriate remediation, politics, legal concerns, and the student in question doing just enough to scrape by. Unfortunately, there's no perfect answer. It's like laboratory testing: if you increase the "positive" threshold, you'll have fewer false positives, but you'll miss a lot of true positives. Similarly, we could weed out incompetent providers by making the standards even more stringent than they already are, but we'd lose a lot of good doctors by doing so. We have to draw the line somewhere, and the appropriate placement of that line is a constant topic of conversation amongst education and certification personnel.

Plus don't we all have that one classmate who we seriously wonder how they made it through medical school?

You only had one?

 

[treebeardette]

If a system allows dangerous physicians to get through it is not the idiots fault that was chasing a dream, rather it is the systems fault that let him through all the checks. So either the system is flawed , or someone didn't do their job and hold back someone when they should have been. Plus residency training is what really matters for practice, not grades in histo.

This is all true, and unfortunately reflects how hard it is to fail someone once they make it into medical school. At each step they get shuffled along for doing just well enough. Since they keep passing remediation and they pass their steps in the designated number of attempts, the med school graduates them and hopes that residency will fix the problem. Then residency doesn't want to go through the hassle of firing them either or they're doing just well enough that there's nothing quantifiable to document to justify dismissal, so they keep shuffling them along. Then they get into practice and if they're really bad, they bounce from hospital to hospital and it takes years before any actual action can be taken. I've read some of these cases where a physician's license is revoked, they're often public. The story is always pretty similar.

You're right that residency matters more, but I doubt Goro is worried about some guy who failed histo once. It's a pattern of failures and poor performance and barely passing and probably a level of unprofessionalism that make someone scary. I'd bet if you're like that in med school, you'll be like that in residency too.

This low opinion by faculty creates a highly toxic environment for students. If he passed Step 1, 2, 3 + Anesthesia boards and got passing evaluations throughout med school and residency - he is competent. Period. It's much more difficult to accomplish than just "he did what he was supposed to do." You are making it much easier said than done.

This is an absurd statement. People can be exactly as incompetent as they want, regardless of steps and boards. And we've all seen what it takes to get a passing evaluation (a pulse at most). Those are not the definition of competence, they are the definition of board certified, and the two things are not the same. Plenty of physicians get their licenses revoked for incompetence despite being board certified for decades. Just because it was hard to do and they managed to squeak by does not give them a pass on everything from then on.

And I think the worst part of your statement is the claim that an administrator commenting on someone's lack of competence is somehow toxic. It's called feedback, and we would all benefit from a more open discussion about this topic, not less. I am horrified at a (very) few people in my class that are somehow squeaking through to become doctors in a few months. They will kill people when in independent practice, but somehow they managed to pass boards and their classes after a few remediations, so they'll have that MD after their names. High horse be damned, I guarantee you would never allow them to treat your family members if you had seen their med school performance (in both clinicals and pre-clinicals), but they'll be treating someone's family.

--
To OP, one failure is not the end of the road. Don't worry about being competitive, worry about passing. Step 1 is fix your study habits. Ultra competitive specialties may not be in the cards for you, but you can bounce back from this and find something you like.

 

[treebeardette]

And yet, Goro blocked the first person who disagreed with him. I don't think that's what you mean by "open discussion."

Yeah, fair enough. And looking back on the trajectory of this conversation I agree with you that he probably shouldn't lead with that story.

My hackles get raised when overly-sensitive and idealistic med students start screaming "toxic work environment" any time someone brings up the fact that not all med students are perfect angels. It's led to a couple of truly excellent faculty members at my school having to step down from teaching for being "too hard" on students by requiring that they you know, work hard.

 

[sammiesings]

Ugh Goro. Please just stop. You're neither a physician, nor will you ever be. To say that a student who has failed courses is probably now a physcian killing patients somewhere is such an anatomy professor thing to say.

Not liking a student is fine. Saying he's probably killing patients bc he had academic preclinical struggles is exactly why more of us should have YOU on ignore. You don't know what it is to be a clinician. Stay on the preclinical side of things and don't make clinical judgements you're not qualified to make. You're hilariously out of scope here.

Also, learn how to take a simple disagreement without crying. Geez.

 

[HomeSkool]

My only intention in my first response was to question if it is necessary and/or productive for Goro to repeatedly mock his student as his first reply to threads of struggling students seeking guidance, and for him to suggest that remediation and particularly repeating a year is akin to killing patients.

I understand your point, I get it, but you're perseverating now. I'm pretty sure he was being sarcastic with the "killing people" comment in the first place. Let it go and move on, my friend. Don't let it ruin your weekend.

 

[HomeSkool]

Your first response missed the point (mine, at least) so I clarified.

I didn't miss it; I intentionally directed my response down a more productive line of discussion. Some battles are worth fighting and others aren't.

And my points still stand whether he was sarcastic or not.

Goro's a blunt New Yorker whose personality isn't for all tastes. He sometimes gets his dander up. He's also a good person and an invaluable source of advice for premeds and med students. Don't fall into the trap of dismissing him because you had a falling out here today. The world isn't black and white, and neither are people. We're all unique mixes of positive and negative traits. Despite your disagreements today, you can still learn a lot from Goro. I think you'd be wise to do so.

Edit: thanks everyone who quoted me so I could keep getting under Goro's skin . Ah, the joy of internet

Actually, the Ignore function blocks everything, even when quoted. Sorry to bust your bubble.

 

[sammiesings]

I didn't miss it; I intentionally directed my response down a more productive line of discussion. Some battles are worth fighting and others aren't.


Goro's a blunt New Yorker whose personality isn't for all tastes. He sometimes gets his dander up. He's also a good person and an invaluable source of advice for premeds and med students. Don't feel into the trap of dismissing him because you had a falling out here today. The world isn't black and white, and neither are people. We're all unique mixes of positive and negative traits.


Actually, the Ignore function blocks everything, even when quoted. Sorry to bust your bubble.

Meh. My issue with goro is 100% that he speaks on things he has no business speaking on. Having physician colleagues isn't the same thing as being a physician. If he wants to pass judgement on someone's preclinical abilities, then cool. Reaching as if he knows what it takes or even what it physically/metaphysically/whattheeffever is to be a practicing physician is what irks most people.

If you want to go in on me, I'm chill. Because you've actually been me and I know youre speaking from personal experience.

I'm a military brat. I thrive on tough love teaching approaches. I also wouldn't say my peers here in the MD and/or do student forums are particularly thin skinned or thrown off by goro's "personality."

If that were the case he'd get into it with the premeds too. But he doesn't. And I'm projecting here, but it's probably because when we were premeds we didn't know how much he speaks outside of his scope. It wasn't until I actually entered med school that I started rolling my eyes at every other goro post. Frankly, he's a stereotype. He's that one preclinical professor we all have that's always trying to overreach and speak to how we should or shouldn't be studying bc he deigns to know so much about step/being a physician bc he's learned vicariously from his students. I get that he's your friend, but come on, this is a valid perspective

 

[W19]

Some people are untouchable here... @Goro is one of them for his/her contribution to this forum.

We also need the perspective of PhD profs that are training physicians. We don't have to be part of history to know about history.

 

[sammiesings]

Some people are untouchable here... @Goro is one of them for his/her contribution to this forum.

Right. And I 100% think he's invaluable to premeds especially pre-DOs. But when he blocks every med student who politely, rationally and validly disagrees with him, he undercuts himself and any authority he may or may not have.

 

[Chelsea FC]

So yeah your school kinda blows for not making you take a exam to make it up......

 

[HomeSkool]

"Let it go"
"Some battles aren't worth fighting"
Soo why u still responding, "friend"

Because I'm not the one who got butthurt by an anonymous stranger on the Internet making fun of another person.

That said, this will be my last post to this thread. Ciao, dude.


Sent from my Pixel 2 using SDN mobile

 

[Rei02sDinnerParty]

One of my all-time worst students is now an anaesthesiologist in the Northwest. Probably killing patients in Spokane now. Even repeating a year didn't stop him.

With the expansion of schools and the tightening of residency slot numbers, I have worries like your dean does. Still, failing a single course isn't the same as having to repeat a year, so I suggest that you focus on doing well this semester, and focusing on remediation.

And read this:
Goro's Guide to Success in Medical School (2017 edition)

LOL i spit out my coffee, i think you're funny @Goro . obviously the guy is sufficiently competent if he passed his stuff, but i can see how this could be a touchy subject.

 

[Goro]

LOL i spit out my coffee, i think you're funny @Goro . obviously the guy is sufficiently competent if he passed his stuff, but i can see how this could be a touchy subject.

Did you notice that the point I was making, that one can be successful even after failing a class or two, sailed right over the OP's head?

I think I've said all I need to say.

 

[BadSanta]

1. Breathe.
2. You are not the first and will certainly not be the last medical student to perform poorly in a course. You are still feeling-out the methods/ways of medical school, sometimes curveballs and speed bumps come with the territory (especially early on).
3. This is nothing more than one bad test, on one bad day. You are a human being prone to making mistakes. Do not develop the mindset that leads many med students/physicians down a dangerous path. You are not a machine.
4. If it makes you feel any better, I have the privilege of learning directly from a ROAD specialty interviewer who, when asked about the consequences of remediation, laughed. She simply stated: "Just don't repeat a year".
5. If you haven't figured this out by now, step scores, research, presentations, LOR, etc. are far more important than pre-clinical grades. Is there a correlation between step scores and course performance? Sure, but this is why you are going to keep the damage to a minimum, i.e. one bad test on one bad day. Keep your head up and the world is still yours.

 

[handsanitizer2021]

Im sorry to hear about this. You have a larger hole to dig out of for competitive specialities, but I dont think it is insurmountable. You could always take a research year to get more research in. Doing well on step is probably the most important thing you can do. As far as study tips are concerned. Try experimenting with study techniques. I would suggest giving anki a try.

could i ask for your advice? similar situation with failing and all but in undergrad. at my school you can register for independent research credits with a professor as a freshman/sophomore, and they are pass/fail (s/u). i signed up for 3 credits last semester while learning the techniques and i got a pass from my PI pretty easily. this semester i'm taking 17 credits so i only signed up for 1.5 research credits since our credit max is 18.5. my PI told me i haven't done enough work this semester (in terms of data and experiments) and she told me she plans to give me a fail for those credits. HELP i'm scared i will get continuously questioned about this throughout the application process. it won't affect my GPA and i'm a good student but she thinks i haven't done enough. technically 1.5 credits that she is grading me on means coming in for 4-5 hours/week which i have definitely done, even if it isn't enough work for me to stay in the lab, i still have spent enough time in lab to pass. i will talk to my advisor about withdrawing from the research and if that doesn't work i'll try to talk to my PI. but what if nothing works and i end up with an unsatisfactory on my transcript? how bad will that affect my application? what can i do?

 

[libertyyne]

could i ask for your advice? similar situation with failing and all but in undergrad. at my school you can register for independent research credits with a professor as a freshman/sophomore, and they are pass/fail (s/u). i signed up for 3 credits last semester while learning the techniques and i got a pass from my PI pretty easily. this semester i'm taking 17 credits so i only signed up for 1.5 research credits since our credit max is 18.5. my PI told me i haven't done enough work this semester (in terms of data and experiments) and she told me she plans to give me a fail for those credits. HELP i'm scared i will get continuously questioned about this throughout the application process. it won't affect my GPA and i'm a good student but she thinks i haven't done enough. technically 1.5 credits that she is grading me on means coming in for 4-5 hours/week which i have definitely done, even if it isn't enough work for me to stay in the lab, i still have spent enough time in lab to pass. i will talk to my advisor about withdrawing from the research and if that doesn't work i'll try to talk to my PI. but what if nothing works and i end up with an unsatisfactory on my transcript? how bad will that affect my application? what can i do?

Your best option is to withdraw. If not possible you need to be living in the lab to satisfy your PI for a pass. The final grade is what will impact your chances of admission, but it is difficult to say anything without more information etc.

 

[handsanitizer2021]

Your best option is to withdraw. If not possible you need to be living in the lab to satisfy your PI for a pass. The final grade is what will impact your chances of admission, but it is difficult to say anything without more information etc.

i am doing my best to withdraw but we are way past the deadline. i did have a lot of personal/family issues going on so they may let me withdraw, so i am trying to go through that process right now. my PI basically won't pass me because the semester is over and there are only two options, satisfactory or unsatisfactory. what should i do? this is scary

 

[handsanitizer2021]

Did you notice that the point I was making, that one can be successful even after failing a class or two, sailed right over the OP's head?

I think I've said all I need to say.

@Goro could i ask for your advice as well?
similar situation with failing and all but in undergrad. at my school you can register for independent research credits with a professor as a freshman/sophomore, and they are pass/fail (s/u). i signed up for 3 credits last semester while learning the techniques and i got a pass from my PI pretty easily. this semester i'm taking 17 credits so i only signed up for 1.5 research credits since our credit max is 18.5. my PI told me i haven't done enough work this semester (in terms of data and experiments) and she told me she plans to give me a fail for those credits. HELP i'm scared i will get continuously questioned about this throughout the application process. it won't affect my GPA and i'm a good student but she thinks i haven't done enough. technically 1.5 credits that she is grading me on means coming in for 4-5 hours/week which i have definitely done, even if it isn't enough work for me to stay in the lab, i still have spent enough time in lab to pass. i will talk to my advisor about withdrawing from the research and if that doesn't work i'll try to talk to my PI. but what if nothing works and i end up with an unsatisfactory on my transcript? how bad will that affect my application? what can i do?