How 1st year is going... (selfish thread)

[Spectreman]

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Hey all,

I have a few things on my mind and honestly nobody that I can go to. I don't have a medical or grad student family, I also don't have any kind of mentor. So yeah... I feel like this would be better for reddit or something, but I don't use that. Just SDN.

Bit about me: older student, married, kids, all that. Want to be a surgeon, not bent on a specific specialty (I love all things anatomy).

1. School is going "well", but I am feeling so much pressure to be doing better and it kind of sucks. My GPA is just above 90, I honestly don't know how good that is compared to my class... Also, I HATE feeling like I have to compare myself to everyone.
I have some stuff I could cut back on (leadership, shadowing a surgeon, research), but I'm afraid to since that stuff matters too. Is riding low 90's high 80's (couple high 90's, couple mid 80's) on everything good enough or should I cut back to try and push my grades up?

2. The school I'm at doesn't have good study spots and it is PISSING ME OFF. They have a brand new library, brand new study rooms, but the chairs are f**king awful. My kids make it impossible to study at home, so I meander from place to place trying to find spots where I can study standing up since a good office chair is apparently non-existent in this entire county. I. Hate. It... I'm not really asking for advice with that, I just needed to get it off my chest.

 

[deleted831695]

1. School is going "well", but I am feeling so much pressure to be doing better and it kind of sucks. My GPA is just above 90, I honestly don't know how good that is compared to my class... Also, I HATE feeling like I have to compare myself to everyone.
I have some stuff I could cut back on (leadership, shadowing a surgeon, research), but I'm afraid to since that stuff matters too. Is riding low 90's high 80's (couple high 90's, couple mid 80's) on everything good enough or should I cut back to try and push my grades up?

If you're burning yourself out trying to get those 90s, versus remaining sane getting 80s, I'd pick the latter. It's your boards that matter more anyway.

Don't compare yourself to others. There's going to be gunners who'll study all day all night to get perfect grades, and people like me who want to pass, learn, and still have somewhat of a life. As long as you are satisfied and happy with how things are going, it doesn't matter what your classmates are doing.

2. The school I'm at doesn't have good study spots and it is PISSING ME OFF. They have a brand new library, brand new study rooms, but the chairs are f**king awful. My kids make it impossible to study at home, so I meander from place to place trying to find spots where I can study standing up since a good office chair is apparently non-existent in this entire county. I. Hate. It... I'm not really asking for advice with that, I just needed to get it off my chest.

Maybe send a complaint/request to the school about uncomfortable chairs, especially if multiple members of your class feel that's the case.

 

[cryhavoc]

Do you have a nearby public library? People don’t respect the quiet zones at my school, so I prefer to study at the public library. Librarians are usually pretty good at keeping it down and libraries almost always have that random table back behind a shelf. Might have 1-2 people walk by every few hours. Free WiFi.

Only downside is you have to pack up to go use the restroom or people might steal your stuff.

Oh and make sure your back is to a wall for your computer, I think medical images aren’t allowed to be studied where other people can see them.

I could have made that up but seems like common sense not to have gross stuff on your computer in a public place visible.

 

[Scrubs101]

Keep doing what you want to be doing, if you enjoy leadership, shadowing, and doing research then it’s worth it. Don’t stress about your grades that much (some advice i need to take as well lol). All of those things will pay off much more in the long run than the difference between a 90 and a 95, especially if you enjoy those activites.

Also try picking up a pair of sound proof headphones and checking around town for good seating, coffee shops, panera, any place with wifi and a good chair lol. I feel your pain on there not being a single comfortable chair in existance to spend the amount of time we spend studying in lol i like moving around every few hours too

 

[Neopolymath]

Hey all,

I have a few things on my mind and honestly nobody that I can go to. I don't have a medical or grad student family, I also don't have any kind of mentor. So yeah... I feel like this would be better for reddit or something, but I don't use that. Just SDN.

Bit about me: older student, married, kids, all that. Want to be a surgeon, not bent on a specific specialty (I love all things anatomy).

1. School is going "well", but I am feeling so much pressure to be doing better and it kind of sucks. My GPA is just above 90, I honestly don't know how good that is compared to my class... Also, I HATE feeling like I have to compare myself to everyone.
I have some stuff I could cut back on (leadership, shadowing a surgeon, research), but I'm afraid to since that stuff matters too. Is riding low 90's high 80's (couple high 90's, couple mid 80's) on everything good enough or should I cut back to try and push my grades up?

2. The school I'm at doesn't have good study spots and it is PISSING ME OFF. They have a brand new library, brand new study rooms, but the chairs are f**king awful. My kids make it impossible to study at home, so I meander from place to place trying to find spots where I can study standing up since a good office chair is apparently non-existent in this entire county. I. Hate. It... I'm not really asking for advice with that, I just needed to get it off my chest.

This has been mentioned ad nauseum on SDN, but here we go again. The pre-clinical years are about finding your groove and learning for long term retention without getting burnt out. The most important thing, by a huge margin, is doing well on boards. I'm sure you knew that... Doing well in class is loosely correlated with doing well on boards, but you will find few if any that will say that getting an 87 vs a 90 is going to change your chance at killing boards. There are many more important factors at play there than whether your random school gave you an 87 in immunology. There are plenty of resources to show you how to achieve a killer score and "all" you have to do is put in the work. At this point, it's not some secret method and anyone from any school can achieve it. Class rank is largely irrelevant as a direct assessment used by PDs to rank applicants (see NRMP data). Research is self-explanatory and it seems like you know what to do. Because you mentioned being a surgeon, I'm going to say that this is probably an important investment of time as long as it does not interfere with doing well on boards. You should absolutely do research if you want every opportunity to do a competitive specialty and it's easiest to do so now and taper off when 2nd year really gets moving. That said, if you hate it quit it. It will put you at a disadvantage, but doing poorly on boards will be a far greater blow and happiness is worth something.

Now for some more, uh, frank advice. Quit acting like an annoying premed. You are in medical school and you aren't annoying, right? You don't need to shadow all the time. You don't need to volunteer or god knows what else you think is important presumably just for the sake of competitiveness. If you really want to save the kids in Africa or whatever, great do it, but don't do that stupid **** because you think that is what you are supposed to do. You are a parent and what you should be saying after school and research (the only two things that matter academically) is that you want to see your wife and kids... and adult PDs who interview you are going to say, "yeah, this is a stable adult who has completely reasonable priorities." They aren't going to think poorly of you because you didn't shadow a surgeon once a week for 7 months first year. If you are feeling stretched too thin do not risk burn out. If you feel you could be happier do not risk burn out. This is a marathon not a sprint. You are a non-trad with kids so you should understand that spending time recharging every once in a while is important and it is also important to focus on your family to gain perspective on why you are busting your ass at school. I shouldn't have to say this to another adult, but you need to stop comparing yourself to everyone else at school beyond a couple peers to push you more. Who gives a flying **** if Susan is volunteering 16 hours a week and shadowing her favorite pediatrician once a week AND getting a 90 in class? If that makes Susan happy great.... BUT as an adult with kids not only do you have a built in excuse to not do it that everyone will take at face value, you have a legitimate reason not to do those dumb things that everyone gets caught up doing.

Sorry for being rude, but as a fellow non-trad, I cannot watch another normal guy get sucked into this absurd "do all the things" culture that isn't just stupid, but also completely useless when it comes to matching a competitive field. You do need to find a mentor though, but that's pretty hard at a lot of DO schools.

 

[Spectreman]

This has been mentioned ad nauseum on SDN, but here we go again. The pre-clinical years are about finding your groove and learning for long term retention without getting burnt out. The most important thing, by a huge margin, is doing well on boards. I'm sure you knew that... Doing well in class is loosely correlated with doing well on boards, but you will find few if any that will say that getting an 87 vs a 90 is going to change your chance at killing boards. There are many more important factors at play there than whether your random school gave you an 87 in immunology. There are plenty of resources to show you how to achieve a killer score and "all" you have to do is put in the work. At this point, it's not some secret method and anyone from any school can achieve it. Class rank is largely irrelevant as a direct assessment used by PDs to rank applicants (see NRMP data). Research is self-explanatory and it seems like you know what to do. Because you mentioned being a surgeon, I'm going to say that this is probably an important investment of time as long as it does not interfere with doing well on boards. You should absolutely do research if you want every opportunity to do a competitive specialty and it's easiest to do so now and taper off when 2nd year really gets moving. That said, if you hate it quit it. It will put you at a disadvantage, but doing poorly on boards will be a far greater blow and happiness is worth something.

Now for some more, uh, frank advice. Quit acting like an annoying premed. You are in medical school and you aren't annoying, right? You don't need to shadow all the time. You don't need to volunteer or god knows what else you think is important presumably just for the sake of competitiveness. If you really want to save the kids in Africa or whatever, great do it, but don't do that stupid **** because you think that is what you are supposed to do. You are a parent and what you should be saying after school and research (the only two things that matter academically) is that you want to see your wife and kids... and adult PDs who interview you are going to say, "yeah, this is a stable adult who has completely reasonable priorities." They aren't going to think poorly of you because you didn't shadow a surgeon once a week for 7 months first year. If you are feeling stretched too thin do not risk burn out. If you feel you could be happier do not risk burn out. This is a marathon not a sprint. You are a non-trad with kids so you should understand that spending time recharging every once in a while is important and it is also important to focus on your family to gain perspective on why you are busting your ass at school. I shouldn't have to say this to another adult, but you need to stop comparing yourself to everyone else at school beyond a couple peers to push you more. Who gives a flying **** if Susan is volunteering 16 hours a week and shadowing her favorite pediatrician once a week AND getting a 90 in class? If that makes Susan happy great.... BUT as an adult with kids not only do you have a built in excuse to not do it that everyone will take at face value, you have a legitimate reason not to do those dumb things that everyone gets caught up doing.

Sorry for being rude, but as a fellow non-trad, I cannot watch another normal guy get sucked into this absurd "do all the things" culture that isn't just stupid, but also completely useless when it comes to matching a competitive field. You do need to find a mentor though, but that's pretty hard at a lot of DO schools.

All good, I'm all about the tough love. I like the leadership stuff only because I feel so insanely lucky to finally be in med school, I want to make this place the best it can be for future students. But yeah, there are a hundred billion clubs at my school and I didn't bother with that stuff because I don't need it to mature or become a better person. Same with the insane amount mission trips and stuff they have going on (where do all these kids get the money for this stuff!?). I guess being a non-trad who had to push through a truck load of junk to make it here has given me major FOMO. That said, the stress of feeling behind in school has been pretty brutal on me and my family. I would almost rather cut back on other stuff just to feel more caught up in my classes. Anyway, thanks for letting me rant a bit!

 

[IntheClouds4ever]

Psst.. bro..

Don’t get C’s, do research, and focus on boards. PDs aren’t going to care about the “fluff” you’re concerning yourself with. Do work then go spend time with your family. Good, mature student with strong family foundation and support says enough 😉

 

[Neopolymath]

All good, I'm all about the tough love. I like the leadership stuff only because I feel so insanely lucky to finally be in med school, I want to make this place the best it can be for future students. But yeah, there are a hundred billion clubs at my school and I didn't bother with that stuff because I don't need it to mature or become a better person. Same with the insane amount mission trips and stuff they have going on (where do all these kids get the money for this stuff!?). I guess being a non-trad who had to push through a truck load of junk to make it here has given me major FOMO. That said, the stress of feeling behind in school has been pretty brutal on me and my family. I would almost rather cut back on other stuff just to feel more caught up in my classes. Anyway, thanks for letting me rant a bit!

Those of us with some real perspective before school have to try to keep it. It's an advantage that you deserve to use. You got this!

 

[sab3156]

All that matters is research, boards, and who you know. Even GS is tough for DOs, and if you think your "leadership" and shadowing of surgeons is going to make PDs invite you for interviews, you are highly mistaken.

 

[68PGunner]

Hey all,

I have a few things on my mind and honestly nobody that I can go to. I don't have a medical or grad student family, I also don't have any kind of mentor. So yeah... I feel like this would be better for reddit or something, but I don't use that. Just SDN.

Bit about me: older student, married, kids, all that. Want to be a surgeon, not bent on a specific specialty (I love all things anatomy).

1. School is going "well", but I am feeling so much pressure to be doing better and it kind of sucks. My GPA is just above 90, I honestly don't know how good that is compared to my class... Also, I HATE feeling like I have to compare myself to everyone.
I have some stuff I could cut back on (leadership, shadowing a surgeon, research), but I'm afraid to since that stuff matters too. Is riding low 90's high 80's (couple high 90's, couple mid 80's) on everything good enough or should I cut back to try and push my grades up?

2. The school I'm at doesn't have good study spots and it is PISSING ME OFF. They have a brand new library, brand new study rooms, but the chairs are f**king awful. My kids make it impossible to study at home, so I meander from place to place trying to find spots where I can study standing up since a good office chair is apparently non-existent in this entire county. I. Hate. It... I'm not really asking for advice with that, I just needed to get it off my chest.

I’m going to repeat it again. The only things that matter in term of competitiveness are:

1) Step 1 + Step 2
2) Third year clinical grades
3) Research

Everything else is fake news. Forget all of these premed clubs or activities and focus your energy and soul on those three criterias. If you have free time still remaining, you need to put more time into one of those three categories or use those for me time.

 

[rg2o3]

Hey all,

I have a few things on my mind and honestly nobody that I can go to. I don't have a medical or grad student family, I also don't have any kind of mentor. So yeah... I feel like this would be better for reddit or something, but I don't use that. Just SDN.

Bit about me: older student, married, kids, all that. Want to be a surgeon, not bent on a specific specialty (I love all things anatomy).

1. School is going "well", but I am feeling so much pressure to be doing better and it kind of sucks. My GPA is just above 90, I honestly don't know how good that is compared to my class... Also, I HATE feeling like I have to compare myself to everyone.
I have some stuff I could cut back on (leadership, shadowing a surgeon, research), but I'm afraid to since that stuff matters too. Is riding low 90's high 80's (couple high 90's, couple mid 80's) on everything good enough or should I cut back to try and push my grades up?

2. The school I'm at doesn't have good study spots and it is PISSING ME OFF. They have a brand new library, brand new study rooms, but the chairs are f**king awful. My kids make it impossible to study at home, so I meander from place to place trying to find spots where I can study standing up since a good office chair is apparently non-existent in this entire county. I. Hate. It... I'm not really asking for advice with that, I just needed to get it off my chest.

Hey, as a previous poster mentioned, maybe check out a local library? I have had to do this in the past. Also, I am not sure which other universities/colleges are around your area, but I have used libraries at other institutions for similar reasons. If all else fails, check out local coffee shops and by local I mean the ones that don't pull in the same crowed as places like Starbucks.

 

[ciestar]

I have a similar issue with my school’s chairs in the library and other lounges. (I also have a chronic pain problem and anything too firm is problematic). I can study from home as the only thing that can bug me during the day are my cats.

Anyway, my friend at another school routinely studies at a local Starbucks. Noise-cancelling headphones are your friend. If a local library is around, try that. Just find a place that works for you.

You can also look on Amazon for seat cushions and other things with lumbar support and whatnot like they use in offices and see how that works!

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

I have some stuff I could cut back on (leadership, shadowing a surgeon, research), but I'm afraid to since that stuff matters too.

Is riding low 90's high 80's (couple high 90's, couple mid 80's) on everything good enough or should I cut back to try and push my grades up?

Things that matter:

1. Step 1+ Step 2 higher priority Step1
2. Research
3. Clinical grades
4. LORs (not from someone you shadowed)
5. Your sanity


Stop being neurotic, drop the leadership and shadowing, go see your wife and kids more, and stop worrying that your good grades are somehow inferior. No one cares.

 

[Mr. D.O.five]

Studying really hard, but feel like I should study more efficiently. Not really happy w/ rank (was top 15% at best, now prob hovering at top 30-35% lol), but whatever. I've been doing daily Zanki reviews to make sure I don't forget material though. Looking at maybe doing research over the summer, but my school is ridic and only gives us <6 wks for break smh

 

[Goro]

1. School is going "well", but I am feeling so much pressure to be doing better and it kind of sucks. My GPA is just above 90, I honestly don't know how good that is compared to my class... Also, I HATE feeling like I have to compare myself to everyone.

That's a great GPA

The only person you should be comparing yourself to is yourself.

I have some stuff I could cut back on (leadership, shadowing a surgeon, research), but I'm afraid to since that stuff matters too. Is riding low 90's high 80's (couple high 90's, couple mid 80's) on everything good enough or should I cut back to try and push my grades up?
You're accepted to med school. You can slack off now.

2. The school I'm at doesn't have good study spots and it is PISSING ME OFF. They have a brand new library, brand new study rooms, but the chairs are f**king awful. My kids make it impossible to study at home, so I meander from place to place trying to find spots where I can study standing up since a good office chair is apparently non-existent in this entire county. I. Hate. It... I'm not really asking for advice with that, I just needed to get it off my chest.

Public library? Churches? Your school's chapel (if they have one?) Starbucks?

 

[Mr. D.O.five]

All that matters is research, boards, and who you know. Even GS is tough for DOs, and if you think your "leadership" and shadowing of surgeons is going to make PDs invite you for interviews, you are highly mistaken.

Are you doing research? I've been emailing people around KC and it's pretty hard to find research around here

 

[sab3156]

Are you doing research? I've been emailing people around KC and it's pretty hard to find research around here

Not in KC. I worked hard to build connections in the field I am interested in prior to medical school. KC is absolutely horrible for research. I would be doomed right now without connections.

 

[Spectreman]

Very nice responses, thank you. Especially the infamous @Goro with the encouraging words. I wish I could break anonymity to tell more of my story, but man I went through hell to get here. So I feel a lot of pressure to not screw this up, especially for my kids and all that. Thanks again!

 

[austintr]

Very nice responses, thank you. Especially the infamous @Goro with the encouraging words. I wish I could break anonymity to tell more of my story, but man I went through hell to get here. So I feel a lot of pressure to not screw this up, especially for my kids and all that. Thanks again!

I also have kids and a wife and a hard time studying at home. My school usually has a spot or two available to study, but sometimes there's no such luck. Have you tried the lecture halls? I'll risk letting my secret study spot out to my classmates by telling you studying in a lecture hall after classes are over is where it's at for me. More space than anyone would ever need, the chairs aren't terrible, and no one walks by to distract you. This will be school specific of course, but it works well where I'm at. Keep your head up, OP. I want to do well in school, but I'm fine being right at 50th percentile if it means I get to see my kid and wife before bed more than 50% of nights.

 

[Giovanotto]

Do you have a nearby public library? People don’t respect the quiet zones at my school, so I prefer to study at the public library. Librarians are usually pretty good at keeping it down and libraries almost always have that random table back behind a shelf. Might have 1-2 people walk by every few hours. Free WiFi.

Only downside is you have to pack up to go use the restroom or people might steal your stuff.

Oh and make sure your back is to a wall for your computer, I think medical images aren’t allowed to be studied where other people can see them.

I could have made that up but seems like common sense not to have gross stuff on your computer in a public place visible.

I'll marry the first librarian I ever see actually enforcing quiet zones. My school librarians actively contribute to noise. What world do you live in?

 

[ortnakas]

1. School is going "well", but I am feeling so much pressure to be doing better and it kind of sucks. My GPA is just above 90, I honestly don't know how good that is compared to my class... Also, I HATE feeling like I have to compare myself to everyone.
I have some stuff I could cut back on (leadership, shadowing a surgeon, research), but I'm afraid to since that stuff matters too. Is riding low 90's high 80's (couple high 90's, couple mid 80's) on everything good enough or should I cut back to try and push my grades up?

--Your grades are awesome. Quit worrying about how everyone else is doing.
--Not that you need my permission, but it is 100% okay to prioritize your spouse and kids.
--Keeping some research is probably a good idea for your eventual residency application, but it's okay to drop the research if you're doing it because you think it'll matter for your app (also okay to keep it if you're getting some personal fulfillment out of it, but don't keep it just for ERAS). Shadowing is unnecessary as an extracurricular at this point; it might be fun to do every once in a while to explore specialties, but there's absolutely no need to make it an ongoing thing.
[QUOTE="Spectreman, post: 19753583, member: 768621”]
2. The school I'm at doesn't have good study spots and it is PISSING ME OFF. They have a brand new library, brand new study rooms, but the chairs are f**king awful. My kids make it impossible to study at home, so I meander from place to place trying to find spots where I can study standing up since a good office chair is apparently non-existent in this entire county. I. Hate. It... I'm not really asking for advice with that, I just needed to get it off my chest.[/QUOTE]
--If the chairs at school are really the limiting factor... I've been known to be the weirdo with a blanket. You could be the weirdo with a pillow. Weirdo, trendsetter, only person who's actually comfy, whatever.
--Starbucks, Panera, bookstores, local library, other college/universities' libraries might all be options.
--No chance you can make yourself some kid-free study cave at home? Might be good to have as a back-up plan for eventual snow days and the like, even if it's not your normal plan A (or just extra studying after the kiddos go to bed).

 

[IslandStyle808]

I also have kids and a wife and a hard time studying at home. My school usually has a spot or two available to study, but sometimes there's no such luck. Have you tried the lecture halls? I'll risk letting my secret study spot out to my classmates by telling you studying in a lecture hall after classes are over is where it's at for me. More space than anyone would ever need, the chairs aren't terrible, and no one walks by to distract you. This will be school specific of course, but it works well where I'm at. Keep your head up, OP. I want to do well in school, but I'm fine being right at 50th percentile if it means I get to see my kid and wife before bed more than 50% of nights.

Actually I study in the lecture hall from time to time. There's like barely 10 medical students there versus the small cramped library that has 30+ students. People don't study their probably because, it makes them cringe when they realize this is the place where the lectures are given and the nauseating feeling your are spending 10-12 hours of your day in school.

 

[Neopolymath]

The lecture hall is the best place to study by far if you must study at school. No weirdo library culture or turf wars. It feels very open and and there is usually a slight ambient noise that is nice if you don't need absolute quiet.

 

[pseud0]

just chiming in to say that your number average doesn't matter because it depends on the school/the questions they ask

at my school, test averages hover around 76 and they let us know where we are in relation to other students.

generally I think you're fine as long as your around the class avg.

 

[Blunt Dissection]

The answer to an uncomfortable chair - purple seat cushion I have one for my office chair, car, and when I have to be at school for longer than 2 hours lol.