Fireside (Labside?) Chat #2 - Ask Questions Here!

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calvnandhobbs68 said:
Nick benches 315 for reps I'm his spotter. U jelly bro?
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jPfZO.gif
 
1. If you're willing to share, have you experienced any financial difficulties during medical school with regards to buying supplies, paying rent, living life, etc.?

2. Do any of you have a family (children and wife)? If so, what is it like for you to juggle med school and a family? If not, do you know of anyone that in a similar situation who would be able to give you insight on this?

3. Why did you all choose to go to Pritzker? Did you have a hard time choosing schools?

4. What factors do you think applicants should consider when choosing medical schools? What is important/not important?

5. How is the food up there? Is there like a meal plan?

6. I like to ask students where I interviewed at what they do not like about the school, and if possible, what recommendation would they make for improvement. Whether it be to the curriculum, labs, clinic exposure, etc.

7. When should you start trying to find an apartment and what are important factors for finding a place to live?

8. What are the things that you worried about as a pre-med, that looking back now, you realize that it really was not worth worrying about?

9. I know Pritzker is about as prestigious as it gets, but do you ever wonder/worry that you would've been better off going to a more prestigious school like a Harvard or Hopkins?

10. Piggybacking on question 1, if you aren't getting financial help from anyone or anything but loans, how did you manage the summer months that loans don't cover?

11. I realize pre-clinical grades don't matter too much, but how do residency programs rank students from different schools if one school, for example, uses a P/F grading system and another school uses the A/B/C/D system?

12. Is it possible to get a girl med student in there maybe? Should be interesting getting a female perspective.

13. Also, what are the things that you worried about as a pre-med, that looking back now, you realize that it really was not worth worrying about?

14. Since most of you are M2's how are you planning on tackling boards coming up?

15. How does MS4 work, exactly? Do you get time off from rotations to interview for residency?

15. How big of a role has technology played in your medical education? Has it helped you out to a large extent, thus far?

16. Are you personally invested in the local community of your medical school?

17. Do you usually study out of the textbook? Or do you also need to study the lectures? Or do you also have supplementary books to study with?
 
ElCapone said:
Nah. Just mirin' bro.
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All about the 'mirin.

titanz7 said:
1. If you're willing to share, have you experienced any financial difficulties during medical school with regards to buying supplies, paying rent, living life, etc.?

2. Do any of you have a family (children and wife)? If so, what is it like for you to juggle med school and a family? If not, do you know of anyone that in a similar situation who would be able to give you insight on this?

3. Why did you all choose to go to Pritzker? Did you have a hard time choosing schools?

4. What factors do you think applicants should consider when choosing medical schools? What is important/not important?

5. How is the food up there? Is there like a meal plan?

6. I like to ask students where I interviewed at what they do not like about the school, and if possible, what recommendation would they make for improvement. Whether it be to the curriculum, labs, clinic exposure, etc.

7. When should you start trying to find an apartment and what are important factors for finding a place to live?

8. What are the things that you worried about as a pre-med, that looking back now, you realize that it really was not worth worrying about?

9. I know Pritzker is about as prestigious as it gets, but do you ever wonder/worry that you would've been better off going to a more prestigious school like a Harvard or Hopkins?

10. Piggybacking on question 1, if you aren't getting financial help from anyone or anything but loans, how did you manage the summer months that loans don't cover?

11. I realize pre-clinical grades don't matter too much, but how do residency programs rank students from different schools if one school, for example, uses a P/F grading system and another school uses the A/B/C/D system?

12. Is it possible to get a girl med student in there maybe? Should be interesting getting a female perspective.

13. Also, what are the things that you worried about as a pre-med, that looking back now, you realize that it really was not worth worrying about?

14. Since most of you are M2's how are you planning on tackling boards coming up?

15. How does MS4 work, exactly? Do you get time off from rotations to interview for residency?

15. How big of a role has technology played in your medical education? Has it helped you out to a large extent, thus far?

16. Are you personally invested in the local community of your medical school?

17. Do you usually study out of the textbook? Or do you also need to study the lectures? Or do you also have supplementary books to study with?
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These questions are great - looks like we've got a good lot to choose from already. Feel free to keep them coming (and, as Bacchus said, DO-specific questions are also welcome to get him involved 😉).
 
Nick, I couldn't help but realize you don't really sound Texan.

Did you ever have an accent -- or do you just mask it while in the windy city?
 
Blais said:
Nick, I couldn't help but realize you don't really sound Texan.

Did you ever have an accent -- or do you just mask it while in the windy city?
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Lol, most Texans from larger cities in TX don't really have thick accents. Except for El Paso; that's a strange lot.
 
Two questions I have:

1. How much did your social life change once you got to med school?

2. On average how would you compare the stress of med school to your undergrad experience, taking into account a more lax grading system, etc.
 
Blais said:
Nick, I couldn't help but realize you don't really sound Texan.

Did you ever have an accent -- or do you just mask it while in the windy city?
Click to expand...

Lol. Despite being born and raised in Texas, I think my "foreigner" (aka Michigander) parents prevented me from getting a thick accent. Stumpy's right though - the Texan accent is pretty rare in more urban environments. It's definitely audible in more rural places though.
 
Just watched the first video tonight. I forgive you for calling me a gunner :meanie:
 
Part of what I was trying to get at in my last question - and which I expressed poorly - is the question of what types of people seem to survive and thrive in med school. I don't necessarily mean the people who are getting high scores and honors in all their classes, but rather the people who are happy, well-adjusted, and on track to having the careers they want.

Med School (and residency) are hyped up as SO stressful, SO difficult, that I find myself talking myself out of applying all the time for fear that I will be miserable: that I won't be able to do the things that bring me contentment and day-to-day happiness in pursuit of some lofty academic goal and distant ambition. I know I love the science, that I want to do work that's concrete and hands-on, and that I'm interested in social justice. I know that I'm fascinated by infectious diseases and that not much makes me squeamish.

But I don't know whether I'm the kind of person who, when push comes to shove, will be happy and grateful (on the whole) to be in med school, rather than stressed out, pissed, depressed, and erratic.

So: what undergrad experiences - clinical volunteering, a job, academic coursework - gave the best picture of what medical school and medical education in general would be like?
 
Agent B said:
Not my question I know, but in regards to Top 20, ranking system fails. Harvard isn't the best because it's No.1. The schools in Top 20 are equally prestigious.
Click to expand...

It depends who you ask, pretty sure Sinai isn't as prestigious in some areas of the country...
 
1. If you're willing to share, have you experienced any financial difficulties during medical school with regards to buying supplies, paying rent, living life, etc.?

2. Do any of you have a family (children and wife)? If so, what is it like for you to juggle med school and a family? If not, do you know of anyone that in a similar situation who would be able to give you insight on this?

3. Why did you all choose to go to Pritzker? Did you have a hard time choosing schools?

4. What factors do you think applicants should consider when choosing medical schools? What is important/not important?

5. How is the food up there? Is there like a meal plan?

6. I like to ask students where I interviewed at what they do not like about the school, and if possible, what recommendation would they make for improvement. Whether it be to the curriculum, labs, clinic exposure, etc.

7. When should you start trying to find an apartment and what are important factors for finding a place to live?

8. What are the things that you worried about as a pre-med, that looking back now, you realize that it really was not worth worrying about?

9. I know Pritzker is about as prestigious as it gets, but do you ever wonder/worry that you would've been better off going to a more prestigious school like a Harvard or Hopkins?

10. Piggybacking on question 1, if you aren't getting financial help from anyone or anything but loans, how did you manage the summer months that loans don't cover?

11. I realize pre-clinical grades don't matter too much, but how do residency programs rank students from different schools if one school, for example, uses a P/F grading system and another school uses the A/B/C/D system?

12. Is it possible to get a girl med student in there maybe? Should be interesting getting a female perspective.

13. Also, what are the things that you worried about as a pre-med, that looking back now, you realize that it really was not worth worrying about?

14. Since most of you are M2's how are you planning on tackling boards coming up?

15. How does MS4 work, exactly? Do you get time off from rotations to interview for residency?

15. How big of a role has technology played in your medical education? Has it helped you out to a large extent, thus far?

16. Are you personally invested in the local community of your medical school?

17. Do you usually study out of the textbook? Or do you also need to study the lectures? Or do you also have supplementary books to study with?

18. Can you relate the significance of research, service/leadership activities, preclinical/clinical grades, Step 1 score, and LORs when aiming for top primary care residencies (ex. CHOP, Boston and Baylor for peds) versus top (or not top) specialty care (cardio, ortho, etc.) ones ?
 
Bacchus said:
I might try to help out with this potentially (I talked to Nick). If anyone has DO questions it'd convince me moreso to do it 😉.
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Yes please!! It would be great to have your perspective just in general. But I'd also like to hear about some DO-specific stuff. Like how did you approach boards prep with both options, how do you know if you should do both, and was it harder with having to learn OMM as well? What are some things you would want a DO student to know going in, that might be different from advice given to an allopathic student going in?
 
MaenadsDance said:
Part of what I was trying to get at in my last question - and which I expressed poorly - is the question of what types of people seem to survive and thrive in med school. I don't necessarily mean the people who are getting high scores and honors in all their classes, but rather the people who are happy, well-adjusted, and on track to having the careers they want.

Med School (and residency) are hyped up as SO stressful, SO difficult, that I find myself talking myself out of applying all the time for fear that I will be miserable: that I won't be able to do the things that bring me contentment and day-to-day happiness in pursuit of some lofty academic goal and distant ambition. I know I love the science, that I want to do work that's concrete and hands-on, and that I'm interested in social justice. I know that I'm fascinated by infectious diseases and that not much makes me squeamish.

But I don't know whether I'm the kind of person who, when push comes to shove, will be happy and grateful (on the whole) to be in med school, rather than stressed out, pissed, depressed, and erratic.

So: what undergrad experiences - clinical volunteering, a job, academic coursework - gave the best picture of what medical school and medical education in general would be like?
Click to expand...

We addressed this to some extent in the first video, but my advice would be not to buy into the hype of medical school being like trying to get to Mt. Doom. Yes, medical school is difficult. You will work hard. At times, you will probably come close to melting down. But on the whole, it is a very enjoyable experience if you work hard to maintain a good work/life balance and make sacrifices academically to keep time to yourself. You will also likely enjoy it if you're honest with yourself about whether you actually truly want to be a physician. Don't fool yourself into thinking you'll like it if you know in your core that you probably won't. That's a sure-fire way to be miserable and/or drop out.

SDN also presents a very biased look at med school - the people that come here regularly are, in very broad terms, very concerned about their future success and giving themselves the best opportunities in the future. That's not bad, but it presents a very one-sided view of medical training and what is necessary to do well to succeed. It is not necessary to sacrifice everything to become a good physician. People that say that present a false choice.

We can perhaps try and discuss how to relate the medical school experience to undergrad terms, but the truth is that it's very hard to do. Medical training seems to be one of those things that you don't truly "get" until you have been through it. I don't know about other people, but that's definitely been my experience.

Like I said, though, I understand your question and we can try and touch on it. Thanks for the clarification.
 
Is the video no longer working for anyone else or is it just me?
 
MusicJunkie said:
Is the video no longer working for anyone else or is it just me?
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Just got a wall of text right now.

brb Inception is occurring as we speak
brb The Matrix is live
brb brb
 
Fivo said:
Just got a wall of text right now.

brb Inception is occurring as we speak
brb The Matrix is live
brb brb
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Lol

Sent from my SGH-T999 using SDN Mobile
 
Bump

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NickNaylor said:
Haven't forgotten about this, have no fear! We have out first exam in our pathophys class this week, so we've been a bit busy. 😉 Keep posting questions though!

(sent from my phone)
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No fireplace in chat video? 🙁
 
loved the video.. if i had known about this, i wouldn't have made so many threads!!!

quick question guys,,, I am trying to decide between two schools. i think they will both make me content. but one of the school makes you do these rural rotation during the 4th year that has potential to interrupt your audition rotation which can be crucial when applying to aoa residencies. the other school does not, but instead has sub I (med & surg) during the 4th year.

should this play into which school i choose?

also with the former school, i will have to do long long distance with my s/o whereas with the later school, we will get to live together for the first time in our 5 years long relationship. i am just afraid that i might get really cranky when i am stressed.

thanks, any advice will be really appreciated.
 
Agent B said:
No fireplace in chat video? 🙁
Click to expand...

Who said that?!

zoner said:
loved the video.. if i had known about this, i wouldn't have made so many threads!!!

quick question guys,,, I am trying to decide between two schools. i think they will both make me content. but one of the school makes you do these rural rotation during the 4th year that has potential to interrupt your audition rotation which can be crucial when applying to aoa residencies. the other school does not, but instead has sub I (med & surg) during the 4th year.

should this play into which school i choose?

also with the former school, i will have to do long long distance with my s/o whereas with the later school, we will get to live together for the first time in our 5 years long relationship. i am just afraid that i might get really cranky when i am stressed.

thanks, any advice will be really appreciated.
Click to expand...

Questions like this aren't really what we're going for since it's so specific. Most schools will allow you to move your rotations around to some extent if you really need to do aways. This is something you should e-mail the school about or talk to a student about. It seems like a pretty minor thing, really. If you liked everything else about a school and this is the only drawback, I wouldn't not attend the school.
 
did you experience any negative reactions from family/friends/whathaveyou for going the DO route?
 
I'm still not used to thinking of Bacchus as a male. :what:

Sent from my SGH-T999 using SDN Mobile
 
MedPR said:
I'm still not used to thinking of Bacchus as a male. :what:

Sent from my SGH-T999 using SDN Mobile
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Yeah. Unfortunately, I thought Bacchus was a woman. 😳

Anyhow, please join in the chat Bacchus! Your insight will help a lot, and will crush the infamous premed misconception that MD > DO.
 
Agent B said:
Yeah. Unfortunately, I thought Bacchus was a woman. 😳

Anyhow, please join in the chat Bacchus! Your insight will help a lot, and will crush the infamous premed misconception that MD > DO.
Click to expand...

Yes please do.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using SDN Mobile
 
MedPR said:
Yeah I'd be interested to hear if students at less-prestigious schools share the same "go to a school that makes you happy, don't worry about rank" attitude as those at top schools.
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it matters a lot more than anyone on SDN admits. i wouldn't put too much stock into someone who goes to a top 10 school telling you to go where you're happy. that advice is great if you're choosing between 3 schools that are all top 10 but if you are choosing between schools with disparate reputations you should, almost always, go with the school that has a better reputation even if it doesn't make you feel warm and fuzzy. In general you should never willingly close any doors or make things more difficult for yourself.

Agent B said:
Yeah. Unfortunately, I thought Bacchus was a woman. 😳

Anyhow, please join in the chat Bacchus! Your insight will help a lot, and will crush the infamous premed misconception that MD > DO.
Click to expand...

the actual misconception is that DOs have equal opportunities and are viewed equally when it comes to the match. it's simply not true. even in "less competitive specialties" DOs are not even considered at all top tier and most upper mid-tier programs.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Agent B said:
Yeah. Unfortunately, I thought Bacchus was a woman. 😳

Anyhow, please join in the chat Bacchus! Your insight will help a lot, and will crush the infamous premed misconception that MD > DO.
Click to expand...

Impossibru brah. Everyone knows MD > DO > Podiatry
 
skinMD said:
it matters a lot more than anyone on SDN admits. i wouldn't put too much stock into someone who goes to a top 10 school telling you to go where you're happy. that advice is great if you're choosing between 3 schools that are all top 10 but if you are choosing between schools with disparate reputations you should, almost always, go with the school that has a better reputation even if it doesn't make you feel warm and fuzzy. In general you should never willingly close any doors or make things more difficult for yourself.



the actual misconception is that DOs have equal opportunities and are viewed equally when it comes to the match. it's simply not true. even in "less competitive specialties" DOs are not even considered at all top tier and most upper mid-tier programs.
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That's what I figured, but even if I do get into the higher ranked school that I'm waiting to hear from I don't know if I can justify the almost $100k difference in coa over 4 years.

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MedPR said:
That's what I figured, but even if I do get into the higher ranked school that I'm waiting to hear from I don't know if I can justify the almost $100k difference in coa over 4 years.

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it depends on the difference. if we're talking about #40 vs #30 then it's not worth the money but if we're talking about a school in the top 20 vs a school outside of the top 50 then it's worth it
 
skinMD said:
it depends on the difference. if we're talking about #40 vs #30 then it's not worth the money but if we're talking about a school in the top 20 vs a school outside of the top 50 then it's worth it
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We're talking about BU and an unranked school.

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MedPR said:
We're talking about BU and an unranked school.

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that's a tough one. one thing to consider is regional bias. PM me the name of the other school if you want some more specific advice.
 
Also, will mmmcdowe be in the next chat? I wasn't sure as I thought he would be busy with step 2, residencies and other fun stuff.
 
Forgive me if this was already addressed. If you guys could go back in time to day 1 of MS1, what would you have done differently? Also, what resources (tech, books, stress management strategies, etc.) do you consider to be an absolutely essential part of your routine?

Thanks so much for deciding to do another one of these.
 
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