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

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Matthew9Thirtyfive said:
Have you ever driven across the country 10 hours a day?
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No, but I have labored for 9 hours over night, I would kill to get to not have a manager yell at me every 15 minutes to go faster, and get to sit down at least an hour.
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Dr.Sticks said:
No, but I have labored for 9 hours over night, I would kill to get to not have a manager yell at me every 15 minutes to go faster, and get to sit down at least an hour.
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After you drive for 10 hours straight for even just a week, you'll give anything to stand up. It's all relative.
 
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bears1992 said:
Hey that sounds like me from 2 years ago except my GPA was worse!
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My GPA when I joined the military was a 2.9, and I had a few decent ECs (couple pubs and a lot of clinical experience), but no volunteering or anything to make me stand out). I graduated with a 3.6 and tons of stuff.

Of course you and I are definitely not the norm I think.
 
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I work at my schools tutoring center in a specific office aimed at helping students find research opportunities. You would not believe the sheer amount of students I get who when I ask them about their future plans, throw in a maybe towards medical school. The lack of passion is so apparent.

And then I get my juniors with a 2.9 who are like, "yeah I'm really thinking med school" but have done zero research on the topic. I'm not allowed to say anything about their gpas so I just refer them to advising. I always feel a little bit bad for them.
 
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tessellations said:
You would not believe the sheer amount of students I get who when I ask them about their future plans, throw in a maybe towards medical school. The lack of passion is so apparent.
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Many young people simply have not heard of many different career options, so they gravitate towards the familiar....doctor, lawyer, engineer, etc.
 
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PreMedMissteps said:
Many young people simply have not heard of many different career options, so they gravitate towards the familiar....doctor, lawyer, engineer, etc.
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Very true! This is one of the reasons I love my job, I've helped a few students discover new career paths. Last year I had a student who was really interested in both science and writing and had no idea that she could get a masters in science writing/journalism. When I told her about those programs she lit up! It's always fun to tell students that there is more out there!
 
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tessellations said:
Very true! This is one of the reasons I love my job, I've helped a few students discover new career paths. Last year I had a student who was really interested in both science and writing and had no idea that she could get a masters in science writing/journalism. When I told her about those programs she lit up! It's always fun to tell students that there is more out there!
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Are you telling me there could be more than five paragraphs in a written paper?
 
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solution.png
 
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sunshinefl said:
I don't even have to check that out (but I still did!). I'm a high school drop out and current medical student.

@PreMedMissteps only DO though so I guess I don't count :(
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Congrats. I graduated high school with a 1.9 gpa. I finished my freshman year of college with a 4.0, but quickly got distracted by other things and let my immaturity get the best of me, and when I dropped out of college to join the military, I had a 2.9 GPA. I finished my bachelors with a 3.6, and now I'm in a combined program where as long as I finish this MS, I'll be a med student.

It's definitely possible, but the reason we remember these stories and love them is because they are not the norm. Most people who do poorly in college just do poorly in college. They either are just average students or can't focus. Whatever the reason, they can't get their **** together.

So I really don't believe that everyone has the ability to excel if they just cared enough. As someone who has taught many people mathematics, caring sometimes just isn't enough.
 
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sunshinefl said:
I don't even have to check that out (but I still did!). I'm a high school drop out and current medical student.

@PreMedMissteps only DO though so I guess I don't count :(
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:)

Congrats!

Can you briefly describe your journey? How old were you when you returned to school. Did you do a CC first? How long was your undergrad process? Anything else to share?
 
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doopdewoo said:
A girl I knew found out I was studying for the MCAT and inexplicably decided she wanted to study alongside me even though she hadn't taken most of the prereqs.

Me: "Oh, are you premed?"
Her: "I just figured I should probably take it just in case I decide to be premed later."
Me: "Studying for the MCAT is a pretty terrible experience so I really wouldn't take it lightly."
Her: "Why are you so negative?"

She didn't end up taking it.
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..... sounds like maybe she wanted more than an mcat.
 
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PreMedMissteps said:
:)

Congrats!

Can you briefly describe your journey? How old were you when you returned to school. Did you do a CC first? How long was your undergrad process? Anything else to share?
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Thank you!

Short version-
Dropped out fall of my junior year of high school, got my GED a few months later, went to community college 9 years later when I was 26. After 3.5 years and 120 credits I earned an AA and an AS-Nursing, transferred to 4 year university and earned 90 more credits in 2 years. Graduated with a BS-Psychology. Now I am a 32 year old first year at NSU.

The thing I would say is that I might agree with @Matthew9Thirtyfive in that capacity does matter. People I knew who finished high school struggled in their remedial pre-college level placement classes where as I tested straight into college algebra after being out of school for 9 years and was fine. Not to sound like a jerk, because that's not much to brag about, just illustrating an example of his point. I always had the ability, but I didn't have the interest when I was young. It was only when I started taking continuing education classes for my job in corrections that I realized I was ready for, and even longed for, academics.
 
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sunshinefl said:
Thank you!

Short version-
Dropped out fall of my junior year of high school, got my GED a few months later, went to community college 9 years later when I was 26. After 3.5 years and 120 credits I earned an AA and an AS-Nursing, transferred to 4 year university and earned 90 more credits in 2 years. Graduated with a BS-Psychology. Now I am a 32 year old first year at NSU.

The thing I would say is that I might agree with @Matthew9Thirtyfive in that capacity does matter. People I knew who finished high school struggled in their remedial pre-college level placement classes where as I tested straight into college algebra after being out of school for 9 years and was fine. Not to sound like a jerk, because that's not much to brag about, just illustrating an example of his point. I always had the ability, but I didn't have the interest when I was young. It was only when I started taking continuing education classes for my job in corrections that I realized I was ready for, and even longed for, academics.
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Yeah. There are definitely people who do poorly because they are unfocused/immature/don't care/whatever. Obviously they exist, as I was one of them. But that doesn't mean that every student who does poorly just needs to care more or try harder. Some people are just average or below average at academics. It doesn't make them less of a person--academics just isn't their strength. I worked with some OR techs who hated math and did not do great in school, but made amazing OR techs. I don't think it's elitist or insulting to say that some people just can't hack it in university courses. Different strokes for different folks.
 
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doopdewoo said:
A girl I knew found out I was studying for the MCAT and inexplicably decided she wanted to study alongside me even though she hadn't taken most of the prereqs.

Me: "Oh, are you premed?"
Her: "I just figured I should probably take it just in case I decide to be premed later."
Me: "Studying for the MCAT is a pretty terrible experience so I really wouldn't take it lightly."
Her: "Why are you so negative?"

She didn't end up taking it.
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And on this day, @doopdewoo realized what said girl was getting at.
 
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Friend: I want to be a cardiothoracic surgeon
Me: Oh really? That's awesome why's that?
Friend: I will be rich and i just told a girl im doing it and she wants me now
Me: (Pause) Well good luck
 
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ODea said:
Friend: I want to be a cardiothoracic surgeon
Me: Oh really? That's awesome why's that?
Friend: I will be rich and i just told a girl im doing it and she wants me now
Me: (Pause) Well good luck
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Well, there you go. Who needs eHarmony when you can just use the "going to be a surgeon" pick-up line.
 
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PreMedMissteps said:
Do people like him have no idea what stats are generally needed and how competitive admissions are?
Or, if pressed, would you find out that his idea of med school is EMT training at the local CC?
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Many people know very little about medical education. I had an acquaintance on facebook who was in general studies at a local college post, 'So torn between being a dermatologist or real estate agent, I could see myself doing both!' That post was inundated with folks telling her she should be a dermatologist as if it were as simple as getting your real estate license.
 
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Our school held a small meeting with medical students that wanted to "give back." They agreed to give us any advice that they could, plus they were willing to look over our personal statements. Anyways, there was a kid that bragged about "knowing" someone on the admission board to a certain college and his MCAT was the only thing holding him back. Other than that, he told me his application was golden. This is the conversation between the medical student and the kid.

Kid: *hands over personal statement*
Med student: Hmmm... Isn't this your resume copy and pasted?
Kid: Well... I figured my personal statement wouldn't matter. Look, I know I am going to be a pediatric CT surgeon and I listed it on my PS. I should be good to go, right?
Me: Wut???
 
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DPTinthemaking15 said:
Well... I figured my personal statement wouldn't matter. Look, I know I am going to be a pediatric CT surgeon and I listed it on my PS. I should be good to go, right?
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I don't know if it's just me, but I feel like most pre-meds go through the "I'm going to be a heart surgeon someday" phase haha.
 
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deomnibusdubitandum said:
I don't know if it's just me, but I feel like most pre-meds go through the "I'm going to be a heart surgeon someday" phase haha.
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YES! Haha. I used to tell my mom "I promise I am going to become a neurosurgeon." Then I shadowed a few surgeons and realized neuro & CT have crazy lives. I'll stick with peds or internal medicine lol.
 
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In anatomy and phys lecture

Girl sitting next to me: "This is my third time taking a+p, so if you need any help let me know!"
Me: "thanks..."
 
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JMilo said:
In anatomy and phys lecture

Girl sitting next to me: "This is my third time taking a+p, so if you need any help let me know!"
Me: "thanks..."
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Any chance she took it a long time ago and did well, but needed to take it again? Long shot I know, but one can always hope.
 
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My lab partner in my chemistry class is this neurotic has-to-outdo-everyone pre-med. Just yesterday in lab, there were two individuals talking on the other side of the room about how long they were going to be in school- a few more years until finishing undergrad, 4 years medical school, and a residency. Anyways, my lab partner after hearing that decides to nearly shout across the room in disgust, "What? No fellowship??".
 
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Got a story, not a mis-informed pre med but a professor and MD.
Long story short, I tell both (separate occasions) I'm pre med and they tell me where they went to med school/taught at med school and proceed to say "Xcom...best med school in the nation"
Me: wut (neither of these are even top 40)
Things must have been waaaaay different back in the day.
 
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edit: ok, on second thought, one of them may be top 20, but still far from best in the nation
 
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Detective SnowBucket said:
Got a story, not a mis-informed pre med but a professor and MD.
Long story short, I tell both (separate occasions) I'm pre med and they tell me where they went to med school/taught at med school and proceed to say "Xcom...best med school in the nation"
Me: wut (neither of these are even top 40)
Things must have been waaaaay different back in the day.
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Methinks maybe you took them too literally. Unless they went to Harvard or Stanford, I doubt they literally meant that their school was number one.
 
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Detective SnowBucket said:
Got a story, not a mis-informed pre med but a professor and MD.
Long story short, I tell both (separate occasions) I'm pre med and they tell me where they went to med school/taught at med school and proceed to say "Xcom...best med school in the nation"
Me: wut (neither of these are even top 40)
Things must have been waaaaay different back in the day.
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more than likely that is them just remembering their alma mater fondly.
 
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Detective SnowBucket said:
No...like, both said "BeSt mEdIcAl ScHoOl In tHe NaTiOn"
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Yes, I can read. Are you telling me you’ve never heard someone refer to their school/state/company/etc as the best in the country? Most of the time that’s not a literal claim (eg, #1 on USNWR), but a subjective one.
 
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Matthew9Thirtyfive said:
Yes, I can read. Are you telling me you’ve never heard someone refer to their school/state/company/etc as the best in the country? Most of the time that’s not a literal claim (eg, #1 on USNWR), but a subjective one.
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Yea I can't count how many times I've met older people who say stuff like "Penn State baby best school in the country"
 
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Detective SnowBucket said:
Got a story, not a mis-informed pre med but a professor and MD.
Long story short, I tell both (separate occasions) I'm pre med and they tell me where they went to med school/taught at med school and proceed to say "Xcom...best med school in the nation"
Me: wut (neither of these are even top 40)
Things must have been waaaaay different back in the day.
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I mean, even if that is true... it's still not post worthy.
 
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True story in sophomore technical communication class. The class was doing a project in which we were separated by our major. I was a bio major with four other people including one pre-med girl.
*Somehow we start talking about pre-med stuff*
Me: "So what kind of doctor do you want to be?"
Her: "I want to be a 'heart surgeon' (I've grown to hate this name from the overuse of it by less-informed pre-meds)."
Me: "Wow that's pretty cool. Have you shadowed a heart surgeon or any surgeon in general?"
Her: "I don't know what that is (shadowing)."
*I continue by telling her that shadowing is when you observe a health care professional to see what they do*
Her: "I've never done any of that. I don't know I just like surgery."
*Facepalm*
At this point I'm thinking this girl watches too much Grey's Anatomy.
 
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Adrielm said:
True story in sophomore technical communication class. The class was doing a project in which we were separated by our major. I was a bio major with four other people including one pre-med girl.
*Somehow we start talking about pre-med stuff*
Me: "So what kind of doctor do you want to be?"
Her: "I want to be a 'heart surgeon' (I've grown to hate this name from the overuse of it by less-informed pre-meds)."
Me: "Wow that's pretty cool. Have you shadowed a heart surgeon or any surgeon in general?"
Her: "I don't know what that is (shadowing)."
*I continue by telling her that shadowing is when you observe a health care professional to see what they do*
Her: "I've never done any of that. I don't know I just like surgery."
*Facepalm*
At this point I'm thinking this girl watches too much Grey's Anatomy.
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Honestly though, I don't know how anyone knows (with 100% certainty) they want to do surgery. It's not something you get to try (surgery/cutting) until you're already surgeon. Observing=/=doing.
 
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BombsAway said:
Honestly though, I don't know how anyone knows (with 100% certainty) they want to do surgery. It's not something you get to try (surgery/cutting) until you're already surgeon. Observing=/=doing.
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As a private OR tech and first assist, I've probably been as close as you can get without actually being in residency. And there's still a gap that you just can't cross until you're doing it. So yeah. Someone who hasn't shadowed doesn't "just know" they like surgery.
 
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Adrielm said:
this girl watches too much Grey's Anatomy.
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I can't be the only person that hates this show with a burning passion. It's an unrealistic soap opera that has all the elements of a teen drama, and produces so many dumb premeds.
 
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