How do you deal with uncertainty?

[Hemorrage]

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I'm currently a second semester sophomore so i'm pretty well seasoned in the process of premed- I've survived the successive pruning that take place in general chemistry, general bio, organic and a few upper level science courses. As i get older and closer to junior year i wonder more and more if i will "make" the cut into medical school. SDN seems to be filled with superstars (just look at the MDApps compilation thread). I dedicate almost 85% of my waking time doing things related to getting into medical school, whether its an EC i don't really like, studying (depends on the subject) or doing research. Yet i always find myself coming here and wondering whether my efforts are futile (AKA people getting 4.0's, 35's on the MCAT, etc). How do you, my fellow undergrads deal with the uncertainty? Advice from matriculated students would be great as well.

 

[EphemeralRose3]

I am in the same boat as you, and I feel that there isn't enough time to do anything!

 

[blub1212]

I'm currently a second semester sophomore so i'm pretty well seasoned in the process of premed- I've survived the successive pruning that take place in general chemistry, general bio, organic and a few upper level science courses. As i get older and closer to junior year i wonder more and more if i will "make" the cut into medical school. SDN seems to be filled with superstars (just look at the MDApps compilation thread). I dedicate almost 85% of my waking time doing things related to getting into medical school, whether its an EC i don't really like, studying (depends on the subject) or doing research. Yet i always find myself coming here and wondering whether my efforts are futile (AKA people getting 4.0's, 35's on the MCAT, etc). How do you, my fellow undergrads deal with the uncertainty? Advice from matriculated students would be great as well.

I am currently a senior, with multiple acceptances. My stats are not all that great, 3.83 (3.7s) and 28 MCAT, but I have very good ECs and LORs. I think there are a couple things to remember, SDN is not representative of the entire applicant pool, and most people that post their stats on here do so because they are proud of them (that is, they are good stats). Secondly, make sure you do your research, and apply to schools that are within your reach. I spent hours and hours and hours researching various medical schools, to make sure that I didn't waste my time and money applying to schools that I would never get into. I only applied to two "reach" schools (didn't even get interviews from them) and got accepted to every other medical school I applied to, mainly because I spent a ton of time on their websites doing research. I tailored all secondaries to make sure that they lined up with the school's stated mission. Through my research, I knew exactly what/who they were looking for, and made sure to apply to schools where I fit. If you do that, a lot of the uncertainty will go away.

As far as not enough time to do everything....... Make sure you don't spread yourself out too much. Adcoms would rather see that you did a couple quality things very well than a whole bunch of stuff only kinda well.

 

[CoolWhipp]

I drink, duh!

 

[sliceofbread136]

You take the partial derivative with respect to a single variable, multiply it by that variables error. Do that for every variable and add them all up.

 

[upright]

I drink.

 

[EBTrailRunner]

I hold a beer in my hand, give it a long, hard stare and say to it, in no uncertain terms, "By Newton, when I turn you upside down, your cold, delicious nectar will flow into my mouth until, alas, you are no more!" And that's exactly what happens.

Edit: The preceding chain of events is not necessary for subsequent beers consumed.

 

[MT Headed]

I'm noticing a strong correlation between people who post on SDN and people who say they don't have enough time.

 

[candav]

You surround yourself with friends who are not pre-meds.

 

[Cinclus]

I recommend imagining you're not a premed. I didn't plan to go to med school as an undergrad bio major, therefore such thoughts didn't plague me. I was studying for classes that interested me (I know you have to take some unsavory classes for prereqs or for a degree, but there's a lot of flexibility with electives), doing volunteer work with friends for the enjoyment of it (much of it outdoors and non-clinical), and doing ECs that interested me. This stuff helped make my application pretty good, and I was genuinely enthusiastic when I talked about this stuff at interviews.

 

[MIAYO]

If thousands of people do it every year, so can you!

The same motto helps me. If so many others can do it then why can't I?

 

[MossyFiber]

You surround yourself with friends who are not pre-meds.

Pretty much the only thing that helps me. If they're living their lives so happily and they aren't even TRYING to get into med school, it makes me feel like I'll be fine. Apparently there's life beyond wanting to be a doctor. Go figure.

 

[Hotshy]

You surround yourself with friends who are not pre-meds.

This helps a lot. 👍

Just continue to push yourself everyday. If you're involved in all the right ECs and research, and carry a strong GPA, there isn't much to worry about. I know how you feel OP, once I got my MCAT score back and found out that I did well a lot of that anxiety went away. I just had to continue doing what I was already doing. Once you have all your ECs lined up and have gotten the hang of college coursework, you just have to go with the flow, and once you have that MCAT score you really know where you stand.

I would recommend taking the MCAT after your sophomore year if you have gotten all your Pre-reqs done. I did that and did well, if I had done badly I would have had plenty of time to study for a re-take. Also who knows, I did well enough where I was able to submit an application late in this cycle and get accepted to my state school, and now I'm graduating a year early! Just keep pushing forward OP, I know it's stressful and it's on your mind a lot, but if you're thinking about it this often, I bet you are one of strong upcoming applicants.

 

[Hemorrage]

I am currently a senior, with multiple acceptances. My stats are not all that great, 3.83 (3.7s) and 28 MCAT, but I have very good ECs and LORs. I think there are a couple things to remember, SDN is not representative of the entire applicant pool, and most people that post their stats on here do so because they are proud of them (that is, they are good stats). Secondly, make sure you do your research, and apply to schools that are within your reach. I spent hours and hours and hours researching various medical schools, to make sure that I didn't waste my time and money applying to schools that I would never get into. I only applied to two "reach" schools (didn't even get interviews from them) and got accepted to every other medical school I applied to, mainly because I spent a ton of time on their websites doing research. I tailored all secondaries to make sure that they lined up with the school's stated mission. Through my research, I knew exactly what/who they were looking for, and made sure to apply to schools where I fit. If you do that, a lot of the uncertainty will go away.

As far as not enough time to do everything....... Make sure you don't spread yourself out too much. Adcoms would rather see that you did a couple quality things very well than a whole bunch of stuff only kinda well.

Wow thats an impressive GPA! I wish i was close to that. I'm edging around a 3.48-3.5 at the moment, and thanks for the advice i will make sure to investigate my schools thoroughly before applying.

This helps a lot. 👍

Just continue to push yourself everyday. If you're involved in all the right ECs and research, and carry a strong GPA, there isn't much to worry about. I know how you feel OP, once I got my MCAT score back and found out that I did well a lot of that anxiety went away. I just had to continue doing what I was already doing. Once you have all your ECs lined up and have gotten the hang of college coursework, you just have to go with the flow, and once you have that MCAT score you really know where you stand.

I would recommend taking the MCAT after your sophomore year if you have gotten all your Pre-reqs done. I did that and did well, if I had done badly I would have had plenty of time to study for a re-take. Also who knows, I did well enough where I was able to submit an application late in this cycle and get accepted to my state school, and now I'm graduating a year early! Just keep pushing forward OP, I know it's stressful and it's on your mind a lot, but if you're thinking about it this often, I bet you are one of strong upcoming applicants.

I wish i could take it sophomore year but unfortunately i haven't taken physics so i think it might be a really foolish idea... thanks for the push, i tell myself these things every day as i spend hours and hours studying, i suppose its the fact that i never really know how i will do GPA wise by the time i apply that bothers me the most.

 

[IlDestriero]

Instead of doing many ECs that you have , little or no interest in, find one or two things that you are passionate about. Commit to these things and excell, make a real contribution over years. You'll actually be a better applicant.