how do you know if you are gunner?

[IckeyShuffle]

Do gunners usually acknowledge the fact that they are gunners. I want to do well in medical school but not at the expense of others doing poorly. Sometimes i feel like i am slowly turning into one and I dont want to. How do you know when you are actually a gunner? Any thoughts on this?

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[Law2Doc]

Do gunners usually acknowledge the fact that they are gunners. I want to do well in medical school but not at the expense of others doing poorly. Sometimes i feel like i am slowly turning into one and I dont want to. How do you know when you are actually a gunner? Any thoughts on this?

You won't know it. If you are a gunner it is simply a part of your inherent personality. People don't wake up one morning and say, "you know what, I'm going to be a gunner". But if you have the natural tendency to sink other peoples' ships to enable your own, then that's telling.

 

[applyingsucks]

Hey dont worry, your just an undercover gunner. There are two types of gunners. The gunner that has the big mouth, acts all cocky and pompous, and loves seeing other ppl **** up (i.e. they are the ones always asking what you got on you last exam, and then saying "oh thats really good", but in their heart they know they just rocked you, they always sit in the front, they answer every question, even when they dont know what theyre talking about.) Thats the first type of gunner.

The second type of gunner is more what you are (or I am). We really want to do well, we find ourseleves doing fuked up things just to get ahead like going to office hours, sitting in the front of the class, reading SDN like mindless hors, and the occasional pre-med backstab, i.e. not giving your notes out to slackers, making like you have more of a life than you really do. (i.e. you live at the library, yet you make it like you go out every weekend), this is the undercover gunner.

sorry for that rambling rant, i just got out of a biochem final.

 

[szhao]

i am a gunner, a machine gunner, favorite character in TFC

 

[IckeyShuffle]

You won't know it. If you are a gunner it is simply a part of your inherent personality. People don't wake up one morning and say, "you know what, I'm going to be a gunner". But if you have the natural tendency to sink other peoples' ships to enable your own, then that's telling.

I am a competitive person and like to do well. I played collegiate baseball and basketball and naturally like to win. Part of this translate in my studies and sometimes i have a hard time separating out the competiveness. This being said, i dont want other people to fail at my expense, on the field yes, but in the classroom no. I think there is too much to be gained from people working together. This being said, i still like to do the best. does this make me a gunner?

 

[KaraKiz]

So if you really want to do well academically in med school and you are a nasty malicious player-hater, you are a gunner.

And if you are more interested in your anatomy lab partner than in anatomy lab, you're a slacker.

And if you really want to do well academically in med school and you are nice and willing to help others along the way, you're exactly the same as what you were in college - a nerd.

Got it.

 

[applyingsucks]

allenh you are an undercover gunner, its ok, everyone on SDN is an undercover gunner.

 

[IckeyShuffle]

allenh you are an undercover gunner, its ok, everyone on SDN is an undercover gunner.

good point. there really is nothing wrong with wanting to do well. I guess it is better than rubbing it in peoples faces.

 

[CptCrunch]

i am a gunner, a machine gunner, favorite character in TFC

That's crap, soldier was so much better.

 

[IckeyShuffle]

That's crap, soldier was so much better.

haha i have no idea what you guys are talking about. thanks for nothing

 

[hp540]

That's crap, soldier was so much better.

rocket jump babyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

engineer is the best. lol...i'm a pro at hiding the machine gun.

 

[szhao]

rocket jump babyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

engineer is the best. lol...i'm a pro at hiding the machine gun.

lol remember TFC special, like with the special mods, where you get more items and weapons, OMG i miss playing that so much. thinking about getting TFC2 hehe.

 

[braluk]

Dont forget, that there are also snipers. Snipers are non-gunners on the outside, and then stealthily destroy you in your weakest moment. Kinda like Scar from Lion King, he was a straight up sniper.

 

[DrZeke]

double post

 

[DrZeke]

I am a competitive person and like to do well. I played collegiate baseball and basketball and naturally like to win. Part of this translate in my studies and sometimes i have a hard time separating out the competiveness. This being said, i dont want other people to fail at my expense, on the field yes, but in the classroom no. I think there is too much to be gained from people working together. This being said, i still like to do the best. does this make me a gunner?

My dear, you don't sound like a gunner to me, but if you are asking then perhaps you are one. If you aren't backstabbing people, and asking for their grades and then jumping for joy when they fail (secretely or in their face) and aren't sitting in the front row then you aren't a gunner.

Just because you don't want to give someone your notes or REVIEW SHEETS, doesn't mean you are a gunner. It means you take pride in your work and don't need to be harrassed. If you see that someone makes an effort and misses a class here or there, sure give them your notes. But if it's one of those people that doesn't know you and you don't know them and they are always late on everything...are you going to give them your notes?! HELL NO!!! They might lose them, or whatever and you can't rely on them for responsibility with them. None of that stuff makes you a gunner, it makes you smart. There is being nice and then there is being a doormat.

You sound alright to me Allen.

 

[Law2Doc]

If you aren't backstabbing people, and asking for their grades and then jumping for joy when they fail (secretely or in their face) and aren't sitting in the front row then you aren't a gunner.

Agree with all but the last phrase. Folks who sit in the front row are rarely gunners. A gunner usually would rather be behind people so he can see what they are studying.

 

[BunnyMonkey]

I sit in the front row because I have visual and auditory problem. I can't see the little prints on the slides or on the blackboards and I'm too lazy to get glasses. Also I have trouble hearing, especially professors with thick accent so sitting in front makes it easier to read and hear.

Also, sitting in the front row is my strategy for not falling asleep in lecture because I would feel very embarrassed and guilty to fall asleep right in front of the professor and s/he can see me doing so. Therefore, it would motivate me to not fall asleep.

 

[sprinkibrio]

Just because you don't want to give someone your notes or REVIEW SHEETS, doesn't mean you are a gunner. It means you take pride in your work and don't need to be harrassed. If you see that someone makes an effort and misses a class here or there, sure give them your notes. But if it's one of those people that doesn't know you and you don't know them and they are always late on everything...are you going to give them your notes?! HELL NO!!! They might lose them, or whatever and you can't rely on them for responsibility with them. None of that stuff makes you a gunner, it makes you smart. There is being nice and then there is being a doormat.

How do I refuse to give someone my notes while still staying nice? I've never been able to do that... I'm a gunner wannabe.

 

[BeanerMD]

How do I refuse to give someone my notes while still staying nice? I've never been able to do that... I'm a gunner wannabe.

Easy, here's a scenario:

Slacker: Um, hi, I, um, missed another class.
You: *inaudible hmpf of, yeah, no kidding, I noticed*
Slacker: Well, would you, um, mind if, I, um, borrowed your notes or something?
You: Yes, I do. So, no. Sorry.

It's the sorry that does it for you- but without that, you're right, not nice.

 

[Law2Doc]

Easy, here's a scenario:

Slacker: Um, hi, I, um, missed another class.
You: *inaudible hmpf of, yeah, no kidding, I noticed*
Slacker: Well, would you, um, mind if, I, um, borrowed your notes or something?
You: Yes, I do. So, no. Sorry.

It's the sorry that does it for you- but without that, you're right, not nice.

Sorry doesn't cut it. You still come off bad in the slacker's eyes. Nudity would help though.

 

[BeanerMD]

Well, ya gotta do whatcha gotta do I guess

 

[KaraKiz]

If the slacker had any brains at all, he'd steal the nudity idea from the gunner, and use it on the professor....

 

[Mr. EUGENIC!]

I sit in the front row because I have visual and auditory problem. I can't see the little prints on the slides or on the blackboards and I'm too lazy to get glasses. Also I have trouble hearing, especially professors with thick accent so sitting in front makes it easier to read and hear.

Also, sitting in the front row is my strategy for not falling asleep in lecture because I would feel very embarrassed and guilty to fall asleep right in front of the professor and s/he can see me doing so. Therefore, it would motivate me to not fall asleep.

ahah. last quarter thats what i thought....15 min into lecture i was fast asleep in the middle of the front row! The professor then tried to talk loud (to wake me up) well i woke up then went back to sleep!

 

[mdvargas]

Hey dont worry, your just an undercover gunner. There are two types of gunners. The gunner that has the big mouth, acts all cocky and pompous, and loves seeing other ppl **** up (i.e. they are the ones always asking what you got on you last exam, and then saying "oh thats really good", but in their heart they know they just rocked you, they always sit in the front, they answer every question, even when they dont know what theyre talking about.) Thats the first type of gunner.

The second type of gunner is more what you are (or I am). We really want to do well, we find ourseleves doing fuked up things just to get ahead like going to office hours, sitting in the front of the class, reading SDN like mindless hors, and the occasional pre-med backstab, i.e. not giving your notes out to slackers, making like you have more of a life than you really do. (i.e. you live at the library, yet you make it like you go out every weekend), this is the undercover gunner.

The 1st type of gunner used to be this girl in my physics class nobody really liked; she would approach everyone after the Prof. hand out the corrected exams to see if anyone scored lower than she did. She would also make you feel like an idiot when we had to work in groups. One day I had enough and gave her a nasty look along with a smart ass comment. Thank goodness she transferred ever since.

LOL, I so can relate to the 2nd type of gunner, especially pretending to go out every weekend when you're either at the library or home studying helplessly. Gosh, how pathetic

 

[jbrice1639]

Do gunners usually acknowledge the fact that they are gunners. I want to do well in medical school but not at the expense of others doing poorly. Sometimes i feel like i am slowly turning into one and I dont want to. How do you know when you are actually a gunner? Any thoughts on this?

the dirty little secret about pre-meds and med students is that we're all gunners. we're all grade-obsessed type a crazy people. the only real difference is that some people learn to cooperate with others because they realize that their grades will actually improve by not being a huge dickhead, while others maintain their "doesn't play well with others" tag from kindergarten.

 

[Law2Doc]

the dirty little secret about pre-meds and med students is that we're all gunners. we're all grade-obsessed type a crazy people. the only real difference is that some people learn to cooperate with others because they realize that their grades will actually improve by not being a huge dickhead, while others maintain their "doesn't play well with others" tag from kindergarten.

Someone who cooperates without a direct benefit to him/herself is by definition not a gunner. You can be grade obsessed without being a gunner-- someone who merely works hard and does well is not a gunner. It is that step over to the darkside of actually changing the balance, of doing something disadvantaging others to your own presumed benefit, that makes you a gunner.

 

[thirdunity]

I've been accused of being a gunner, but that depends upon what you define as a gunner.

I study up on subjects before I actually take the class, and someone on SDN accused me of being a gunner for that.

But here is my viewpoint. I'm not into competition at the personal level, and here's why.

For this, I'll use a fictitious competitor, who I'll call Gunner Susie.

I don't see the point to the competition at the personal level. The competition is NOT going to be on your apps. This isn't a reality show where you and Susie are going to be on TV and one of you will get fired or voted off.

Your interviewer will never even know you knew each other. You will never get an interview at Susie's expense and Susie will never get an interview at yours. Just because you actually let Susie see your notes, doesn't mean she'll get in and you won't, or that she'll get in at all. Last I checked there are plenty of "perfect students" who aren't getting into med school for various reasons.

There is nothing personal about the process. You and Susie may not even be applying to the same school. I want to go osteopathic; it's my first choice. So why would Gunner Susie even be competing with me to begin with, especially if she wants to go to a totally different school? I will be going for my osteopathic interview and she will be going for her interview at wherever she's going. If SHE is the gunner, then she's going to want to go to an MD school like all the other gunners, and that's going to be one less competitor for me, anyway

And for every college sophomore you knock out of the pre-med game, there is going to be one more person more qualified than EITHER of you who may get the slot.

Realistically, the person in class with me may not even be applying to the same school... so how do I give a damn if they get the A and I get the A-? It's about how much I studied... not whether I got there "first".

Of course. I'm that other kind of student... the kind who isn't intimidated by gunners in the least...

I am THE OLDER STUDENT.

 

[Dr. MightyMouse]

They way I understood the situation was as follows:

If a gunner is beaten on an exam, his/her first thought is of revenge against the student who dared beat him/her on said exam.

If someone who is competitive (but NOT a gunner) gets beaten, his/her first thought is of the extra work its going to take to make sure he/she never gets beaten again.

I think you can be competitive without being a gunner. However I do agree that there are a whole bunch of different interpretations of the term "gunner."

 

[Law2Doc]

They way I understood the situation was as follows:

If a gunner is beaten on an exam, his/her first thought is of revenge against the student who dared beat him/her on said exam.

No that's not right. It's not about revenge after the fact. It's about gaining advantage before the fact.

 

[jbrice1639]

Of course. I'm that other kind of student... the kind who isn't intimidated by gunners in the least...

I am THE OLDER STUDENT.

 

[baylormed]

How do I refuse to give someone my notes while still staying nice? I've never been able to do that... I'm a gunner wannabe.

You just say you don't usually lend your notes to other people (don't include the "other people who are slackers/never show up to class" part).

You don't have to always be nice.

 

[szhao]

You just say you don't usually lend your notes to other people (don't include the "other people who are slackers/never show up to class" part).

You don't have to always be nice.

what happen if you don't take notes

 

[baylormed]

what happen if you don't take notes

Then you just tell them so. End of story.

 

[Law2Doc]

what happen if you don't take notes

What always used to work for me was taking notes in a unique proprietary shorthand and horrible penmanship that no one else would have a prayer of decyphering. Then you can happilly offer up your notes and after one attempt they will never ask you again.

 

[baylormed]

What always used to work for me was taking notes in a unique proprietary shorthand and horrible penmanship that no one else would have a prayer of decyphering. Then you can happilly offer up your notes and after one attempt they will never ask you again.

The bad side is when your penmanship becomes so horrible that you can't even read your own notes. And I like my notes nice and clean.

 

[szhao]

What always used to work for me was taking notes in a unique proprietary shorthand and horrible penmanship that no one else would have a prayer of decyphering. Then you can happilly offer up your notes and after one attempt they will never ask you again.

lol, but i seriously dont' take notes, haha i don't believe in taking notes, but if i did i will gladly share, haha i even post all my homeworks just to spite the prof

 

[DrZeke]

Then you just tell them so. End of story.

about this notes thing...for me, it's just the issue that if I take notes I don't want to part with them a day before the test. I don't want to hunt someone down for them. A lot of times when you lend something to a slacker or an unreliable person you have to hunt them down. In my experience most of them tend to be users. I don't care if they do better than me.

I am one of those people that never goes to class if it's recorded. I will find a way to get notes by writing them down myself or use the book. I don't rely on others for my grades, and I can understand how people might not want to give me notes because I seem like a slacker or unreliable, also, I get a review out of writing my own notes. ALSO...people resent us people that don't go to class and still do well...it always happens..

 

[szhao]

about this notes thing...for me, it's just the issue that if I take notes I don't want to part with them a day before the test. I don't want to hunt someone down for them. A lot of times when you lend something to a slacker or an unreliable person you have to hunt them down. In my experience most of them tend to be users. I don't care if they do better than me.

I am one of those people that never goes to class if it's recorded. I will find a way to get notes by writing them down myself or use the book. I don't rely on others for my grades, and I can understand how people might not want to give me notes because I seem like a slacker or unreliable, also, I get a review out of writing my own notes. ALSO...people resent us people that don't go to class and still do well...it always happens..

hehe i guess my advise is always type it with a convertible tablet pc haha, i have really weak hands so i can't write for very long, so my solution is to type everything.

 

[Law2Doc]

about this notes thing...for me, it's just the issue that if I take notes I don't want to part with them a day before the test.

Surely there must be xerox machines where you go to school.

 

[DrZeke]

Surely there must be xerox machines where you go to school.

True. You'd be surprised how many people still want to "take" them tho, and then you still have to hunt them down. OR you have to follow them to the xerox machine and they can never do it at a good time. responsible people are cool, but the slackers are always a pain in the ass. I swear it.

 

[Non-TradTulsa]

If you're worried that you're a gunner, you might just be a gunner.

Let's modify the CAGE test:

1. Have you ever felt that you should Cut-down on your competitive behavior?
2. Do you feel Angry when people accuse you of being a gunner?
3. Do you ever feel Guilty about your behavior with classmates?
4. Have any of your classmates punched you as an Eye-opener?

1 "yes" answer, you're at risk. 2 "yes", and you're a gunner.

My definition of a gunner:

One of my classmates was outside our last test of Block 1. This person said, "I don't know why everyone's so stressed. I've been very relaxed all week." If I hadn't been so exhausted from staying up all night, I would have pressed my thumbs firmly between his cricoid and thyroid cartilages.

 

[albaniandoc]

and the occasional pre-med backstab, i.e. not giving your notes out to slackers, making like you have more of a life than you really do. (i.e. you live at the library, yet you make it like you go out every weekend), this is the undercover gunner.

sorry for that rambling rant, i just got out of a biochem final.

This is how gunners shoot themselves in the foot. This past semester I was taking Biophysics and was sitting in the hall before class. This girl had not done her homework and was looking to get it from someone. No one would give her the homework. I offered, she copied it and turned it.
The very final day a group of us were sitting in a study room studying for the final. We then decided to leave. One hour before the final as we are going to class I run into this girl and she tells me she has last year's final exam. She got it from a friend of hers. So I get it, make a copy and with a couple of other students we review it and learn it. As it turns out 70-80% of the exam was taken right out of the old one. I know I did really well just because of that. So next time you are being a jerk to your classmate because they missed class think about that coming back to bite you in the ass.

To me what's mine is yours. Notes, books, old tests, new tests, homework, everything. Think about it you are going to be in a profession where working with other people and sharing knowledge is imperative.
I gave all my MCAT prep books to classmates for free. Karma has a funny way of returning.

 

[GreyBlueEyes]

How do I refuse to give someone my notes while still staying nice? I've never been able to do that... I'm a gunner wannabe.

for those who have problems saying "no": keep a bunch of pages of completely illegible chicken scratch in your notebook to hand out to slackers who want to mooch off you. be sure to ask for them back later. they'll never ask for your notes again i have no problem giving notes to someone who works hard and missed one class, but i'm not doing the work for someone who refuses to.

edit: obviously, i posted before reading everything. sorry, Law2Doc