Frustrated with Pre-meds

[tBw]

Quick rant - first class back last night. Full of pre-meds, all obviously very, very competitive. Every 30 seconds (I kid you not) one of them asks another question designed to make them look smart to the professor but completely irrelevant to the class. All of this is normal and I can deal with it, though it annoys me. What isn't normal - I finished lab before the others and stepped out to find the professor to hand my lab report in and when I came back someone had dumped a whole cup of coffee inside my bag, covering my textbook, notes, PDA, cellphone (turned off) etc. As the bag was buckled shut I fail to see how it could have been an accident, and when I asked the people around me about it they just smirked back at me but said nothing....!?!?!? What kind of freaks are these? The only time I ever doubt my committment to medicine is when I am dealing with pre-meds!

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[Coalboy]

I think it's time for you to kick some pre-med arse.

 

[penelope]

That's terrible!!! I've never heard something so overtly nasty. If the problem escalates, I suggest you talk to your lab instructor.

Don't get discouraged. This will pass. Just stay focused on your own dreams and goals. Most of those people will get weeded out along the way, which is exactly what they deserve.

By the time you get to med school, you will be a seasoned veteran in surviving competetive tactics...the gunners in your class won't bother you a bit because you'll have seen worse.

take care,
penelope

 

[BME All-Star]

You are not alone. I too, am a self-hating pre-med. But just remember, "don't hate the playa, hate the GAME".

peace.

 

[Scooby Doo]

Damn dude!

Mind telling us what school this is at??

I went to a super competitive gunner school but I don't think anything ever happened QUITE that bad. I remember on one occassion someone was studying in the library with all her notes and her books the night before the exam. She went to the bathroom real quick and when she went back all her stuff for that class was gone!

Are you sure that this incident was "premed" related?
Maybe you said something to piss one of them off and it wasn't a gunner incident?
just checking...ya never know...

 

[Lecular]

Man, that is HARSH!

In any field you're going to encounter anal students. I think you should kick their arse by scoring 100% on all of the exams! Emotional revenge not physical!

Did you tell them you were pre-med too?

In one of my labs, the TA went around to ask everyone what they planned to do with their lives...EVERYONE before me said "Medical School." However, when it was my turn (I was 2nd to the last person asked), I said "Malpractice lawyer because I find it thrilling to sue physicians" and there was a COMPLETE SILENCE. The TA laughed

Don't worry, in a few years, you won't have to deal with them again. They're probably the type that goes around telling people that they're a "Pre-med" major. Uh, haha there is NO PRE MED MAJOR. Sigh

Goodluck with the school year! Chin up. The best way to get back at your enemies is to BE HAPPY!

 

[tBw]

Originally posted by Go Raiders:
•
Are you sure that this incident was "premed" related?
Maybe you said something to piss one of them off and it wasn't a gunner incident?
just checking...ya never know...•••

Well, you have a point, maybe it wasn't pre-med related. However, it was the first class and I really hadn't had time to make people hate me yet (!) and even if I found someone objectionable I still wouldn't do anything like that to them. It wouldn't even occur to me.

My assumption that it was 'gunner related' was that it's not the first incident I have seen. Last semester in chem the pre-meds kept mixing "extra" chemicals into eachothers on-going experiments to make sure other people took longer/got the wrong results, class announcements placed on bulletin boards were removed in the night so that not everone got them, one girl had her lab book stolen, the professor even gave a quick talk before class one day saying she was tired of the pre-med antics...so while it may be a non-gunner, I would be prepared to lay good money that that's what it was...you would not believe the atmosphere of classes with these people, I feel like I am on the Ewing family ranch in Dallas sometimes...

 

[kafshar]

I have heard that many medical schools are pretty good at weeding those people out before medical school via interview. If not I think gunners consist of like 10% of the class and dont socialize with the 90% non-gunners too much. Also... most schools are pass/fail... so this crap wont happen later on.

 

[Tweetie_bird]

I have heard worse...people in our histology classes would change the pointers on the microscope durng the exam so people after them in line wouldn't know what the question was really pointing to...eg: the pointer would be changed to a striated cell instead of a smooth muscle cell within the same slide. Horrible stuff!

I personally had a similar problem a long time ago when others tried to claim I was cheating on a test and tried to kick me out of my program. I went through hell. Even the profs were telling me to "get new friends" since these people were from my study group. It's funny how my life changed once I didn't let them bother me anymore--I literally started 4.0'ing almost every class out of my spite for them. My suggestion is, channel that negative energy you have in you into something productive--KICK ASS on the exams!!

My best wishes to you.
Tweetie
PS: Another main advice to you guys. Please, save some trouble and DO NOT be in any "pre med" study group, at such schools. I personally started joining other study groups with people that wanted to do things other than medicine (PhD, teaching, etc etc)....they will not be out to get you, since they are in not in competition with you for med school, PLUS, you will have a diverse group of friends you will interact with, instead of immature premeds out to get you. Just my 2 cents.

 

[megkudos]

I'm really sorry about this experience you had.. EEKK what a way to start out the year!!

I have found a couple of premeds that I like and have become good friends with (it took me about 4 years of undergrad to find them!!) For the most part though I totally feel your pain....It's absolutely ridiculous.......

I have found it's better to interact with other premeds in club situations than academic ones....that way you don't even have to talk about academic crap if you don't want to...

But as far as this sabotage it's pretty bad cuz there's really no way to escape it besides always looking over your shoulder!! What a way to have to live....

 

[Cerberus]

I tend to like the pre PT, Dent, and Opt people more than the premeds. There are some really cool premeds at my school but I think many of those that aren't doing as well tend to focus their anger on those of us that are doing well. It is very childish and I hope none of these people make it into medicine but it sorta comes with the territory so I accept it. My advice is to just do better than them. There is no sweeter revenge than outdoing those childish little people that can't beat you accademically and resort to sabotage.

 

[LizardKing]

Don't worry man, most of these people waste so much energy trying to screw other people over that they soon burn out. I've seen it happen so many times.

Just play off whatever they do and act like you're not a threat to them. These characters tend to antagonize those they think are dedicated, smart, etc. I'm sure that's why they targeted you.

 

[penelope]

Jeeeeez!!! Tweetie, that is totally heinous about your histology class...and about your own friends accusing you of cheating. What a nightmare. The ironic thing is, it's people like that who ARE cheating their asses off to get ahead. I saw so much cheating in undergrad it was unbelievable.

During our anatomy practicals, every room was manned by a prof or TA to make sure no one moved the pins. Until they announced that they were doing that, it had never occurred to me to worry about such things!

 

[Medical123]

Hopefully, those "gunner type" people will either mature a little bit or change their career goals. There is no room in medicine for people who have such little respect for their peers.

 

[Scooby Doo]

Originally posted by Medical123:
•There is no room in medicine for people who have such little respect for their peers.•••

HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAH


Oh sorry....that made me laugh...

I have worked with one doctor who everyone either loved or hated. This woman I was talking with spit mad $hit at this doc and said he was an incompetent fool who only talks about his conquests of who he has banged. Then he went on to rip on her as well. Doctors don't all get along. This is the real world where personalities will clash. I tend to try to be friendly with most people but there are still people who get on my nerves.

This will NEVER lead me to do anything to sabotage someone though.

As one doctor was speaking to our class one day he said, "There was this resident who didn't care about keeping things sterile. He would drop scissors and everything on the floor and never maintain his clean area. When I confronted him about it, he just shrugged and said it didn't matter. My only regret to this day is that I didn't pick up those scissors and thrust them through his skull."
I don't know if that story fits..but it's funny and disturbing...cuz these guys could be working on you.

 

[spanky]

Sorry to hear about your problems. I think most schools have premeds who are just a little too viscious. I'm fortunate to be older than the rest of my classmates and don't have to put up with their immature pranks. Unfortunately, I've had more than one person accuse teachers of spending more time with me or giving me better grades because I'm older and can relate to the teachers better. I've learned to ignore the comments, because as I've found out in the last two years, if you're on top, somebody is always going to try to make excuses for not being there themselves. Hope the rest of your semester is better!!

 

[FSUMED]

Just wanted to comment...I go to FSU as you may notice from the name and I have never met anybody who was as bad as you all talk about. I have gotten through every pre-req, all the way through physics and organic 2 and have found most of my classmates to be nothing but helpful. There are a few "gunners" but nobody diabolical. Just nerdy people always trying ask extra questions. I have to wonder if some of these things are just in your heads...or if everybody as FSU is just friendly.

 

[Skye04]

WOW, are premeds really that competitive at other schools?! I have thankfully not encountered any of that at all. In fact, I feel like there is a lot of support among fellow premeds, the premed society is really low-key, and they don't even elect officers. Actually, I would also say that the history courses I have taken have far more people trying to show each other up in front of the prof than in science courses.

 

[Mystique]

OUCH!! That bites. But ya know what, you won't have to deal with that type of immaturity when you're in med school (or at least I hope not). For some strange reason your post reminded me of a Beastie Boys song...

These *****s don't last all four years....so take coalboy's advice and kick some premed gluteus maximus,medius, and minimus (i think that about covers it all).

 

[brandonite]

Originally posted by Skye04:
•WOW, are premeds really that competitive at other schools?! I have thankfully not encountered any of that at all. In fact, I feel like there is a lot of support among fellow premeds, the premed society is really low-key, and they don't even elect officers. Actually, I would also say that the history courses I have taken have far more people trying to show each other up in front of the prof than in science courses.•••

Me too. The premeds at my school are a great bunch of people. It probably helps that there's no med school on campus, and there are only maybe a couple dozen premeds, so we know each other pretty well. On the other hand, I've got a couple physics classes with some people who like to ask questions of profs that they know the answer to, just so they can correct him later. It's very annoying...

 

[brickmanli]

Wow, you must go to a very high calibre school. Where I'm at, we're all slackers, and they resort to a less threatening but equally efficient way to make me fail: they get me high.

 

[Kadyra]

I stayed away from most of the pre-meds at my school, but the ones I do know are all nice people. I cannot imagine the stupid crap some of you guys have to endure. This makes me wonder what these people will try to pull if and when they actually go to med school.

 

[Elysium]

If these pre-med dorks are really pulling this crap with you (and I can believe it) then they must think you're a threat (which you could take as a compliment, to look on the bright side). If they are all doing juvenille stunts like this, they are obviously insecure and have to channel their energy in this manner. If they are truly like that, they are beneath you. I really think (hope) that these people will be caught in the med school drain. There will ultimately be justice!

 

[fourthwatch96822]

I am glad that I never had pre-meds like this when I was in college. In fact, I found that I wasn't limited to studying with pre-meds. The people that I have studied with were strong in the sciences, but did not care to study medicine or dentistry. Anytime I needed help with organic chem, the classmate I always asked was not a pre-med student. He was just so great with organic. He eventually got his master's in microbiology and joined the peace corp.

 

[UCLA2000]

Pre-Med at UCLA was a living hell (for me anyways..maybe ucla 2001 will have a different story).

Somebody dumped extra chemicals into my x girlfriends chem experiment (when you have half a beaker full....turn around...and have a full beaker when you come back...there's a problem).

I had somebody change the pointers around on my Vertebrate Biology exam (I was the one to notice because the questions didn't make sense with the structures being pointed to).

I had a girl sit there coughing on me during class..i finally turned around and said "can you please cover your mouth because you're coughing on me." She looked me straight in the face and said "you're smart. we've got an exam in a few days. I hope you get sick."

I've heard of people giving out fake class notes....

Yeah pre-meds suck. These are the same people that claim to want to be doctors because they want to "help people." Don't kid yourselves...these are the same people that you'll be with in med school. People who do nothing but study and have no social skills get good grades. Alot of med schools look at numbers. So go to a pass/fail school or suffer their wrath!

 

[Coalboy]

I actually have not run into anything like the kind of behavior we're talking about here. Nearly every pre-med I've dealt with in my educational travels has been fairly laid back. Even if they weren't, they certainly weren't malicious. All the same, I was once indirectly accused of cheating, which was more than a little bit annoying. Luckily, the professor knew the person was full of shi....ugar.

Where I'm at, we're all slackers, and they resort to a less threatening but equally efficient way to make me fail: they get me high. ••

I was gonna burn my neighbor's notes
but then I got high
I was gonna switch the pointers
but then I got high
was gonna mess with the curve
but then I got high
...
etc.

I think I remember someone on this board coming up with a whole set of pre-med lyrics to that song. Apologies if this seems derivative.

 

[tBw]

Originally posted by Coalboy:
•


I think I remember someone on this board coming up with a whole set of pre-med lyrics to that song. Apologies if this seems derivative. •••

OMG, you're copying!! Call the pre-med police!

 

[fourthwatch96822]

Again, pre-meds are not the only people that take these science courses. I studied with many people that were STRONG in science and did not pursue medicine. I remember the people who were majoring in physics loved the subject and were so confident that they did not have to do sick stuff to other people.

It was almost as if physics was their hobby. They got high marks and were NOT pre-med.

At the same time, I have seen pre-meds get good marks and still socialize alot. And they still went without sabatoging other people.

 

[Warren P. Cheswick]

Get use to it...well actually I'm not because all the pre-meds I know are quite helpful. The ones in the pre-med societies ar ethe sucky ones with the attitudes.

 

[styphon]

I think you need to realize these type of people are every where, not just premed..
In fact, my friend a physics major, would give death threats to the top student in hopes of scaring her into a lower grade.
I've been harassed when I was a computer science student for getting top test grades.
One person in my organic chemistry class who was interested in being a dentist would spread false rumours about a student who was getting higher grades then him.
These petty people who will do anything to be on top are EVERYWHERE..Business world, Highschool, premed, Computer science...

 

[fourthwatch96822]

Originally posted by styphon:
•I think you need to realize these type of people are every where, not just premed..
In fact, my friend a physics major, would give death threats to the top student in hopes of scaring her into a lower grade.
I've been harassed when I was a computer science student for getting top test grades.
One person in my organic chemistry class who was interested in being a dentist would spread false rumours about a student who was getting higher grades then him.
These petty people who will do anything to be on top are EVERYWHERE..Business world, Highschool, premed, Computer science...•••

This is sooo true! My friend was a Sociology major and got the highest final exam score in a statistics class of 300 people. A friend that she was studying with completed avoided her because she was the next person in rank. She wanted to be on top and couldn't handle the fact that her friend was. She wouldn't return her phone calls and would not acknowledge her in class. She brooded for many many months.

Today, they are both in graduate school and still not talking.

 

[Coalboy]

In fact, my friend a physics major, would give death threats to the top student in hopes of scaring her into a lower grade.
••

Death threats?
That a whole new level of evil.

 

[MD Dreams]

Let's not forget that there are a lot of good pre-meds out there, myself having been one of them

I believe the individuals who do such things would do it wether they were pre-med, pre-law, business, etc. After all, I don't think it's ones profession that determines their actions, it's their hearts.

I have to say that I never saw any of these things occuring when I was a pre-med. Perhaps, it depends on the institution one is in.