"Funny quotes from 'less informed' pre-meds," On-Topic Edition

[NeuResurgens]

A girl I met at an interview...

"Yeah, I'm from Texas, but I don't really feel Texan, you know? I didn't apply to any of the Texas schools. I was going to apply to Southwestern as a backup, but then I realized I would have to fill out another application, so I decided not to."

She also was wearing a sleeveless dress, no jacket.

She's from Texas, but doesn't identify as Texan

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[WhittyPsyche]

She's from Texas, but doesn't identify as Texan

She also said she is an immigrant so it is understandable. Dumb nonetheless to not apply there, though. We don't expect people to identify as Connecticutan/ Rhode Islandnese/ Utah-an or whatever else in order to apply to their state schools, that is just idiotic.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Apparently. She said she "felt" like she was more part of her home country. Okay, so go to medical school there...?

Got scooped. That makes sense. I guess if you've never lived in a foreign country, it's hard to understand.

 

[NeuResurgens]

She also said she is an immigrant so it is understandable. Dumb nonetheless to not apply there, though. We don't expect people to identify as Connecticutan/ Rhode Islandnese/ Utah-an or whatever else in order to apply to their state schools, that is just idiotic.

I guess TMDSAS was the kicker then. In her defense, it was a pain to fill out two applications when I did TMDSAS. And I only ended up interviewing at one TMDSAS school haha

 

[WhittyPsyche]

Got scooped. That makes sense. I guess if you've never lived in a foreign country, it's hard to understand.

I'm an immigrant that came here for college and my SO is an immigrant that came here when he was 6 and we have a completely different perceptions of our countries, people, and identity it makes for interesting conversations. The immigrant experience is really fascinating.

 

[WhittyPsyche]

I guess TMDSAS was the kicker then. In her defense, it was a pain to fill out two applications when I did TMDSAS. And I only ended up interviewing at one TMDSAS school haha

Lol I can imagine. I didn't apply to any school whose secondary made me sigh, a whole other app probably would not have gone well.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I'm an immigrant that came here for college and my SO is an immigrant that came here when he was 6 and we have a completely different perceptions of our countries, people, and identity it makes for interesting conversations. The immigrant experience is really fascinating.

I quoted you but wasn't responding to you specifically. Just making a general statement. But yeah, living in a foreign country is certainly interesting.

 

[Skittsie13]

Got scooped. That makes sense. I guess if you've never lived in a foreign country, it's hard to understand.

I immigrated to the US in elementary school (and my parents were immigrants themselves to my home country). So I do understand where she's coming from, but a) going with the theme of "less informed" premeds, you have to be pretty uninformed not to apply to TX schools as an instate applicant, no matter how annoying 2 separate applicants are and b) if she didn't feel Texan but identified more with her home country, why did she bother applying to the school I met her at (which is in TX, just not on TMDSAS) or even to American schools at all?

Also if you're doing AMCAS + secondaries, TMDSAS is really not that difficult. The PS is the same, the activity descriptions are way shorter, and all you have to do is recycle your diversity essay. A good chunk of TX schools either don't have secondaries or have ones with essays that you've probably written for other secondaries.

 

[sullen-burger]

Someone once asked if he could write about how his parents once donated to charities and made the cover of a newspaper article as proof of his service and volunteering to the community.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I immigrated to the US in elementary school (and my parents were immigrants themselves to my home country). So I do understand where she's coming from, but a) going with the theme of "less informed" premeds, you have to be pretty uninformed not to apply to TX schools as an instate applicant, no matter how annoying 2 separate applicants are and b) if she didn't feel Texan but identified more with her home country, why did she bother applying to the school I met her at (which is in TX, just not on TMDSAS) or even to American schools at all?

Also if you're doing AMCAS + secondaries, TMDSAS is really not that difficult. The PS is the same, the activity descriptions are way shorter, and all you have to do is recycle your diversity essay. A good chunk of TX schools either don't have secondaries or have ones with essays that you've probably written for other secondaries.

Great points!

 

[Blessthefall]

"I don't really feel the need to study for the MCAT."
"No, I haven't taken a practice test."
"I'm banking on a 520, easy."


Result: "Reapplying next cycle."


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[dwgrubbs1s]

"I wanna do ortho surgery because I just really enjoy being around sports and played them growing up."



One of the greatest head scratchers for me, like I literally have a minor brain hemorrhage whenever this happens, is when people ask what I am going to school for and I say "I'm heading to medical school next fall" the next thing out of their mouth is "so what will you be when you get out? " And they don't mean what kind of doctor, they mean what will my job description be.

I thought medical school was a universal term for the education of physicians

Have had this happen SO many times with coworkers, patients, and patients families.

This right here. I used to feel arrogant for correcting people who would ask "So like a nurse practitioner? Or??" but now I have just been blunt and to the point in replying "No, I am going to be a doctor." My favorite is when people have a daughter in law (or some other relative) that is going to medical school also, and when they get out of school, they will work as a lab tech (or even had someone tell me they had a cousin who was in medical school, and after they graduated they would work as a nurse for a few years and then go to school to be a veterinarian).

 

[WhittyPsyche]

It's weird how common the "medical school" misconception is.

I was watching one of those tv court room shows a couple years ago (think it was Judge Mathis, don't ask me why -_-) and these two girls were being sued for stealing a friends stuff and damaging her apt or something and he asked them what do they do. One said she just started medical school, he responds with surprise saying how commendable it was, the other added "so am I, we both go to school together". He goes on a rant about how they are wonderful role models bla bla bla and then asks what kind of doctors they wanted to be. The girls responds, "no, not a doctor, we are going to be medical assistants, we graduate in a few months". His face was priceless.

I laughed for a good ten minutes. Who said that reality court couldn't be quality television

 

[Gurby]

Lol I can imagine. I didn't apply to any school whose secondary made me sigh, a whole other app probably would not have gone well.

Same, I pretty much based my application around which schools had easy secondaries...

 

[WhittyPsyche]

Same, I pretty much based my application around which schools had easy secondaries...

No shame in our game Gurby, no shame.

 

[Gurby]

No shame in our game Gurby, no shame.

Duke's and Hopkins' loss, really.

 

[WhittyPsyche]

Duke's and Hopkins' loss, really.

Haha I actually didn't even bother to read Duke's prompts I just saw people complaining in the thread and said nahhhhh

 

[NeuResurgens]

Haha I actually didn't even bother to read Duke's prompts I just saw people complaining in the thread and said nahhhhh

I'm just pissed that I actually put effort into that stupid thing and they're gonna just reject me pre-II anyway. I think writing that secondary with anything resembling an effort should be given an automatic II, lol

 

[wb100]

A fellow board member in my undergrad Pre-med club said under no circumstance would she apply to DO school and would rather go into another field in science. I just felt that it was shallow to completely cross it off as if it's beneath her. And no, she isn't interested in research where she would do a PhD instead. Kinda mind boggling and made me want to ask why she's even wanting to apply to medical school and be a doc... it's one thing to say you're applying just to MD your first cycle and then add in DO if you reapply but saying it's inferior and you would never apply is totally another thing. Guess the name is that important for her.


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[Dr. Death]

This right here. I used to feel arrogant for correcting people who would ask "So like a nurse practitioner? Or??" but now I have just been blunt and to the point in replying "No, I am going to be a doctor." My favorite is when people have a daughter in law (or some other relative) that is going to medical school also, and when they get out of school, they will work as a lab tech (or even had someone tell me they had a cousin who was in medical school, and after they graduated they would work as a nurse for a few years and then go to school to be a veterinarian).

When people asked what I was going to be after medical school I started telling them I was going to be a hospital janitor.

 

[TrachCareIsFun]

This right here. I used to feel arrogant for correcting people who would ask "So like a nurse practitioner? Or??" but now I have just been blunt and to the point in replying "No, I am going to be a doctor." My favorite is when people have a daughter in law (or some other relative) that is going to medical school also, and when they get out of school, they will work as a lab tech (or even had someone tell me they had a cousin who was in medical school, and after they graduated they would work as a nurse for a few years and then go to school to be a veterinarian).

I get "You're going to be a nurse right?" a lot from other students at my school. It wouldn't be so weird if I WASNT ALREADY A NURSE (almost every person who has said this to me knows this). And this school doesn't even have a nursing program.

 

[Princeton Medical Student]

A fellow board member in my undergrad Pre-med club said under no circumstance would she apply to DO school and would rather go into another field in science. I just felt that it was shallow to completely cross it off as if it's beneath her. And no, she isn't interested in research where she would do a PhD instead. Kinda mind boggling and made me want to ask why she's even wanting to apply to medical school and be a doc... it's one thing to say you're applying just to MD your first cycle and then add in DO if you reapply but saying it's inferior and you would never apply is totally another thing. Guess the name is that important for her.


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These people want to be an M.D. and couldn't care less about being a physician.

 

[doctorbob23]

These people want to be an M.D. and couldn't care less about being a physician.

Some people are like that. They're MD or Die

 

[Boogy'sChick15]

Going to bump this thread with my "funny quote from a less-informed pre-med" of the day.
Just had a fellow classmate who is a physics major like myself ask about my future, to which I responded with applying to medical school next year. He then informed me he was also planning on applying next year. I asked him if he was almost done with his pre-med classes, if he was preparing for the MCAT, etc.
Not only has he not taken any pre-med classes and was unaware that they were even required for applying, he claimed he was going to take the MCAT after he applies, and he also has absolutely no shadowing, volunteering, or EC's of any sort.

He was such a nice guy, I didn't have it in me to tell him that there is no way he will be able to apply next year.

 

[freak7]

Going to bump this thread with my "funny quote from a less-informed pre-med" of the day.
Just had a fellow classmate who is a physics major like myself ask about my future, to which I responded with applying to medical school next year. He then informed me he was also planning on applying next year. I asked him if he was almost done with his pre-med classes, if he was preparing for the MCAT, etc.
Not only has he not taken any pre-med classes and was unaware that they were even required for applying, he claimed he was going to take the MCAT after he applies, and he also has absolutely no shadowing, volunteering, or EC's of any sort.

He was such a nice guy, I didn't have it in me to tell him that there is no way he will be able to apply next year.

That's an "oh honey" moment if I've ever heard one.

 

[NeuResurgens]

Going to bump this thread with my "funny quote from a less-informed pre-med" of the day.
Just had a fellow classmate who is a physics major like myself ask about my future, to which I responded with applying to medical school next year. He then informed me he was also planning on applying next year. I asked him if he was almost done with his pre-med classes, if he was preparing for the MCAT, etc.
Not only has he not taken any pre-med classes and was unaware that they were even required for applying, he claimed he was going to take the MCAT after he applies, and he also has absolutely no shadowing, volunteering, or EC's of any sort.

He was such a nice guy, I didn't have it in me to tell him that there is no way he will be able to apply next year.

Sounds like he was trying to connect with you over something more than actually intending to go to med school. Bless the man for trying.

 

[Carmiche]

My school was having a preview day, and I was asked to help out/field questions during the Pre-Health presentation the Pre-Health advisors give to interested students.

In the middle of the presentation this girl gets out of her seat in the front row, walks up to me and says "hey.. so... um.. I'm actually interested in trauma surgery or general surgery. Where do I go to find out about that?"

 

[Carmiche]

Ah I have a second one. I was seeing a girl and I asked her what she'd like to major in. She replied, "well... i really like looking at teeth. I'm definitely going to major in dentistry"

Needless to say that ended fast.

 

[Saifa]

"Myth: PAs are the 'physician's assistant'"

bruh

 

[SydSing]

"Myth: PAs are the 'physician's assistant'"

bruh

I've seen something like that on FB and there was a looooong paragraph that started off saying it's Physician Assistant NOT Physician's... the doctor does not possess the PA. Then I stopped reading.


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[aalamruad]

"Myth: PAs are the 'physician's assistant'"

bruh

To be fair, PA's aren't really assistants in the colloquial use of the term

 

[Lucca]

To be fair, PA's aren't really assistants in the colloquial use of the term

Imo the term is still less ridiculous than "physician extenders". PAs are physician extenders in the same way middle management is an extension of the CEO. Makes it seem like the Physician is some kind of hive mind octopus that swings around all of these tentacle-controlled midlevels.

 

[PreMedStudent55555]

I was talking to a friend of mine who's currently had a 2.9 cGPA. Sophomore. I told her she needs to work harder and aim higher. She told me that "Not everyone is crazy about grades like you and besides I think everyone is over exaggerating how much med schools care about your GPA."

 

[Dr. Stalker]

Me and a friend of mine!

Me: So, how's the cycle going?
Her: Ehhhhhhhh I thought I'd have better luck *insert 100s of hours of volunteer, med trip abroad, ECs here* but I didn't get any interviews :/
Me: Dam, maybe the 493 holding you back? (She actually did score a 493)
Her: I actually got accepted somewhere!
Me: WHERE?!
Her: St. Georges! I'm actually going there, if I do good on the step 1 I'm a shoo-in for residency! All residencies care about is your grades, step 1, not where you went to med school

There's no hope for some, is there?
BTW, in the spirit of hoping this thread (and my post) doesn't get closed, I'm merely implying that foreign schools may not be the best option, and moreover, I can almost promise you, that "all med schools are the same and PDs just want a high step 1" is a load of bull!

 

[Dr. Stalker]

ANOTHER favorite from the same friend in my earlier post! She's currently a research fellow at a top-tier NYC school

Her: Admissions commitees holistically review applications, and I've got LOTS of connections at several schools. My PI is actually on the admissions committee, and he said he'll pull some strings.
Me: True about holistic reviews...but...I think your scores might have hindered you a teeny bit
Her: Its all about ECs. Not just the MCAT.

Fast forward (that was from August), all 30 MD and DO programs she applied to rejected her.

 

[Dr. Stalker]

The SCC like out in Selden, LI? That SCC? No wonder you got the answer you did...it's the 13th grade!

There's a pretty dope bagel place around SCC, @Goro lemme know when ur visiting and we can chill

 

[Saifa]

To be fair, PA's aren't really assistants in the colloquial use of the term

True, it still comes off as a goofy "assistant regional manager" =/= "assistant to the regional manager" gag

 

[CavsFan2016]

This kid scored a 17 on the MCAT first attempt, 489 second attempt, and thinks that if he scores at least a 500 on his third attempt he'll be a "shoo-in" for every MD program in California. His total GPA is around a 3.2 too.

He's been told that by "upper end professors at his masters program".

Smh...


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[BKNbkn]

Stitch: "When I apply this summer, I'll start this September"
Me: "That's not how it works"

 

[CavsFan2016]

I also know another kid who scored a mid 490s on the MCAT and thought he was going to duke. He had an interview at Duke this cycle and is waiting to hear back so I guess the joke was on me...


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[Lucca]

I also had another kid who scored a 495 on the MCAT and thought he was going to duke. He had an interview at Duke this cycle and is waiting to hear back so I guess the joke was on me...


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Was in a similar situation with someone who got a 500 and was applying to a top MSTP. Thought they would get in for sure because they had done two summers of research there

 

[alcoholdehydrogenase69]

Really what many of these come down to is the fact that some people are awful at judging their own competency and their realistic chances at getting in. If you think your a special little flower no matter what you do, .......

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[sammiesings]

I also know another kid who scored a mid 490s on the MCAT and thought he was going to duke. He had an interview at Duke this cycle and is waiting to hear back so I guess the joke was on me...


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Hmmmm. That's actually an interesting one. Don't know if I would believe him- that's how ridiculous that sounds lol.

 

[mwsapphire]

I was talking to a friend of mine who's currently had a 2.9 cGPA. Sophomore. I told her she needs to work and aim harder. She told me that "Not everyone is crazy about grades like you and besides I think everyone is over exaggerating how much med schools care about your GPA."

You don't seem *that*neurotic, so I think she's just really relaxed. 2.9 gpa. She should apply DO unless she has some crazy upward trend

 

[mwsapphire]

ANOTHER favorite from the same friend in my earlier post! She's currently a research fellow at a top-tier NYC school

Her: Admissions commitees holistically review applications, and I've got LOTS of connections at several schools. My PI is actually on the admissions committee, and he said he'll pull some strings.
Me: True about holistic reviews...but...I think your scores might have hindered you a teeny bit
Her: Its all about ECs. Not just the MCAT.

Fast forward (that was from August), all 30 MD and DO programs she applied to rejected her.

What were her numbers, though? I'm suuuper curious now.

 

[mwsapphire]

Imo the term is still less ridiculous than "physician extenders". PAs are physician extenders in the same way middle management is an extension of the CEO. Makes it seem like the Physician is some kind of hive mind octopus that swings around all of these tentacle-controlled midlevels.

Hive mind octopus bahahaha

 

[Dr. Stalker]

What were her numbers, though? I'm suuuper curious now.

493 MCAT, 3.2sGPA, 3.3 graduate GPA (masters of science)

 

[freak7]

"hey.. so... um.. I'm actually interested in trauma surgery or general surgery. Where do I go to find out about that?"

"Medical school"

 

[Goro]

Maybe he told you that he had an interview at Duke, but that doesn't mean he had an interview at Duke.

TL;DR: people lie.

Either that, or he's got a nice donation check in his hand.

I also know another kid who scored a mid 490s on the MCAT and thought he was going to duke. He had an interview at Duke this cycle and is waiting to hear back so I guess the joke was on me...


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[cactusman]

A friend of mine is interested in research but I knew she was also sort of pre-med. I mentioned MD/PhD programs and then after I explained the MD/PhD timeline she told me she had thought you needed an MS and an MD before getting a PhD.

At least we're still freshmen and she has a couple years to work this out.