I don't like competition.

[With38401]

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I can sense that most of my classmates want to see me fail. I always try to help other classmates, but they don't help me in return because they only care about their success. They all act like hypocrites. I can't seem to make best friends who I can really trust. I need classmates that can help each other to reach our goals. I feel like I am slowly slipping into depression. ow did you deal with the people who secretly wished your failure? Did you avoid them? ignore them?

I don't like competition anymore.

 

[narulyn]

My advice would just be to ignore them. Don't completely cut them off, just let them deal with themselves. Maybe they'll figure out their jealousy problems later on. Continue to help those whom you trust will help you in return, and don't blindly offer help to those who won't value it. Don't let it get to you because later on you'll look back at this and laugh about how big of a deal this seemed. You'll make through this! Make room for more positivity and less room for stress from those who don't matter. 🙂

 

[2TH MVR]

Competition is part of life. Wait till you get into private practice. You'll be competing directly or indirectly with all the dental practices around you. Business is all about competition. Who can provide a quality product at a reasonable cost conveniently.

Embrace competition instead of avoiding it. Look at professional and amateur sports. Without friendly competition ... why would we watch or participate in these events.

Embrace it.

 

[Incis0r]

I can sense that most of my classmates want to see me fail. I always try to help other classmates, but they don't help me in return because they only care about their success. They all act like hypocrites. I can't seem to make best friends who I can really trust. I need classmates that can help each other to reach our goals. I feel like I am slowly slipping into depression. ow did you deal with the people who secretly wished your failure? Did you avoid them? ignore them?

I don't like competition anymore.

I agree with narulyn: don’t let this get to you. It’s not worth destroying your peace of mind over other peoples’ behavior.

My advice? Keep your distance and just work hard. Can’t figure something out? Ask a professor or upperclassman for help. Do you have a big? Can you get tutors through your school?

Do not worry about making best friends. Just focus on being a good student, and, if you have extra time, help anyone who asks you (but not at the cost of neglecting your own work). That’s all.

Also, if you need any help with study strategies or general stuff, feel free to reach out to me.

 

[JohnDoeJR]

I used to have the same thoughts you are having a few years back. I had just switched from engineering to finance so I could pursue dental and while sitting in orgo 1, some kid sitting next to me asked how I was doing and then he asked what my stats are. That threw me off, who cares what my stats are, why should this kid care? As you've obviously experienced, the pre-health path is very competitive. Is it justified? Maybe, but just don't let it get to you (as stated previously). Do your best and be confident. There is a big difference between competition and drive. Sometimes they can fuel each other, but I would like to think I have a lot of drive without being overly competitive. Life is short, do your best to be a good student and then get into dental school and be an awesome dentist to your patients. There will always be competition, just hold your head up high and be confident in yourself. I know it's hard to do, just try to look at the bigger picture. Maybe try going to the gym in your free time, it's a great way to blow some steam off and bring yourself to focus on something else.

 

[weaselodeath]

I can sense that most of my classmates want to see me fail. I always try to help other classmates, but they don't help me in return because they only care about their success. They all act like hypocrites. I can't seem to make best friends who I can really trust. I need classmates that can help each other to reach our goals. I feel like I am slowly slipping into depression. ow did you deal with the people who secretly wished your failure? Did you avoid them? ignore them?

I don't like competition anymore.

If you want to see a positive side to it, then the truth is that when you help others you often also help yourself. If someone is close to your level, then you can gain true mastery of the material by helping others with it.

I don’t know your situation, but I would say that you could probably feel a lot better about your situation if you stop keeping score. Personal favors are not strictly transactional unless you’re The Godfather or something. Fixating on imbalances is only going to make you unhappy. You could also maybe treat it like lending money to friends: only give what you don’t mind not eventually getting back.

 

[redhotchiligochu]

I can sense that most of my classmates want to see me fail. I always try to help other classmates, but they don't help me in return because they only care about their success. They all act like hypocrites. I can't seem to make best friends who I can really trust. I need classmates that can help each other to reach our goals. I feel like I am slowly slipping into depression. ow did you deal with the people who secretly wished your failure? Did you avoid them? ignore them?

I don't like competition anymore.

It gets worse in dental school. Think about those d-bags in your undergrad class? Well imagine 50% of them going to dental school. And you see them from 8 am to 5 pm Mon-Fri. And maybe one d-bag will sit to your left and the other to your right, because preclinical is usually assigned alphabetically, and you’ll have to deal with them for 1-2 years.

How to deal with them? Ignore them, make friends who are actually supportive of each other, and focus on your own thing e.g. hobbies. Easier said than done ofc, but trust me, a lot of them have zero life skills and will have their asses handed to them once they get out in the real world, because all they knew since 1st grade is flexing about grades lol

I’ve worked in Los Angeles for 5 years and the real world is nothing like the petty BS that goes on in dental school. That’s why I sit in the back of the lecture hall, with older, more mature classmates, where we sit back and laugh amongst ourselves about how classmates XYZs foolishly thinks he/she’s the hot stuff

Lastly, don’t hesitate to find mental help. I actually did during the beginning of dental school and it’s one of the best decisions I’ve made thus far.

Learn to look after yourself, and count yourself blessed if you find one or 2 people that you can 100% trust. In my dental school, I can only count with one hand who I can 100% trust. Good luck

 

[Medin2017]

It gets worse in dental school if you let it.

You are truly competing with yourself. How high of a GPA can I make? Why would I care about what my classmates are making? How much can I contribute to research or volunteering during my time off during the summer? Why would another student's summer plan affect me in the "competition" sense? How close can I get to faculty to have great mentors or obtain a good recommendation letter if I want to specialize? I went with this mentality and it's been working wonders.

If you do the above steps, no matter what your peers are doing, you probably have opened as many opportunities for yourself. Think of it as a race. It may be competition, but Usain Bolt getting faster on his own is an independent variable. Don't think his opponents getting faster affected him.