I feel inadequate around my classmates

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CodeRedDew said:
Pulm was the worst taught subject at my school as well, which saddens me because I think it's a really important subject. Is renal much harder than pulm, because that's what we're up against next.
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Renal is a love or hate subject from what I've gathered. Choose to love it from the start and you'll be golden. Someone on SDN turned me on to Vanders Renal Physiology and it is fantastic. Get started on it now 🙂
 
Renal is very logistical. If you try to brute force memorize Renal (or Pulm, or Cardiac), you're gonna have a bad time.

Once you get into the organ systems in pre-clinical years, there is quite a bit more of understanding. Besides like derm. That was memorization unless you knew Latin really well.
 
Arkangeloid said:
I know you are my elder and superior, but I disagree strongly. I went to one of the AOA Student Panels where they talk about study strategies. All of the people in the panel said different things, hell, one man said he likes to watch the lectures twice (when I did this I almost failed Histology). But what struck me the most is that one woman, who despite her very impressive memorization skills probably had the introspective ability of a rock, said "I just review the powerpoints."

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I went to the learning specialist who works with the medical students (because I wouldn't listen to anybody who didn't have experience working with med students), and she helped me put together a study plan that, while not making me an A student, has at least taken me from a failing student to a student who is passing his classes by a good margin. And perhaps that is all I'm capable of. So be it.
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By academic advisors, I'm usually talking about deans. HOW you learn is important. The reason different people say different things is because we all learn differently, bc learning takes place differently for all of us, bc we're wired differently. There is no formulaic equation to acing medical school.
 
dyspareunia said:
No, it's really not. Med school is about pattern recognition and conceptual understanding of normal physiology. Trying to memorize your entire course syllabus verbatim is impossible and dumb to spend your time trying.

How do I know this? My grades have stayed the same and I have spent less time studying and less time memorizing things. Meanwhile, my friends spend more and more time trying to memorize minutiae (because they think like you do) and their grades stay the same too.
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These are the same idiots who say all you need for USMLE Step 1 is First Aid. It's an understatement at the best, and utter bull**** at its worst.
 
Frazier said:
We are currently taking Micro at my school. In fact, it is the very last course offered in the "basic science" part of the curriculum...so no set rule that it needs to be one of the first classes.

Micro sucks.
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If you've had an undergraduate course, I think that makes medical school Micro MUCH easier. The review book and flash card options for Micro are excellent to get it down cold.
 
dyspareunia said:
Facepalm because you tried to justify your study technique by using that MS2. The MS2 did what you did and did bad during MS1.

Just FYI, how many people do you think write bacteriology questions for the NBME? Probably more than 1. You are expected to know everything.

Honestly, I would prefer if multiple people taught us the same topic. Why? Because they all write their own test questions and expect you to know different things. Thus, their questions will inherently require less integration of knowledge compared to someone who teaches you every single thing about a topic.
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For USMLE Step 1, Clinical Micro Made Ridiculously Simple is enough to do well on the Micro part.
 
lackey said:
I'm in my MS1 year and I have been doing okay so far, but I got a B+ in my first class ever this year, physiology. I haven't made a B since high school, so getting this grade has been a disappointment. I guess I thought I was better than what I am actually capable of. It's just frustrating because I feel like I could have done better in the class, but I got destroyed by the last test. I'm currently interested in ENT/plastics/ortho/ based on my exposure to the fields, and I feel like with this B+, I'm screwed in the future for AOA and getting into the specialty. I'm worried that this will somehow translate to a bad score on Step 1 and me being unable to do well during the MS3 year.

Yes, I know its early to decide on specialties, and I shouldn't freak out about grades, but I feel inadequate around my classmates. I'm not in the top quartile because there >25% of my class that regularly scores an A whereas I drift between As and Bs. Maybe I have some underlying ego issues, or maybe I'm just being the typical neurotic student, but I never really expected so many of my classmates to be so smart. It isn't a bad thing cause they'll make great colleagues in the future, but I wish I could hang with them at the level that they can perform at. I know that I could work harder, but even then I am worried that I will fall short.

I'm ranting a bit and maybe I need advice or just somewhere to vent. Has anyone else felt like this? Is there anything I can do to get over this?
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Don't stress out so much. Realize that as you've gone from elementary school to medical school, the people you're surrounded by have only become more and more talented, ambitious, and harder working. This is the nature of the journey. As you go into residency, fellowship, perhaps even academic rat race, it only becomes more and more competitive. You don't have to be the best...and realize there will always be someone better than you. Also, I'd recommend trying to get some perspective and remember why you're doing medicine. Are you doing it to be the best and get the best scores? or are you doing it to take care of patients? Yes, the former requires that you get the best scores (talk about stressful). The former requires that your heart be in patient care, which doesn't require the best scores, it just requires that you care (and obviously work hard so that you provide standard-level care 🙂
 
Anastomoses said:
I know how you feel and most people on here will mock you for it. You have to be very careful when you express to other students that you're unhappy with what some perceive to be "high scores" that really aren't. All the logic in the world won't make you feel better when you underperform. The reality, however, is that you must either regroup and figure out a game plan or give up. Not a lot of choices in that. The bad feeling coursing your body after underscoring goes away in a few days and you'll probably mellow a little in time.
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Genius, getting a B+ in a preclinical course is damn good. It's like a High Pass with the highest grade being Honors (or an A in that OP's case). It's the complete blowing out of proportion which is the issue.
 
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DermViser said:
Genius, getting a B+ in a preclinical course is damn good. It's like a High Pass with the highest grade being Honors (or an A in that OP's case). It's the complete blowing out of proportion which is the issue, genius.
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Double genius, what does it meannnnnnnnnnn?

For some (probably higher percentage in medical school), getting a high-pass/B+ isn't acceptable. It took me a couple months of MS1 to realize that getting 80s on exams was OK, and I've been happier since. Since OP said he could work harder, I stand by what I said earlier: Try studying harder for the next class. See what happens. If you get an A and are happy, then good. If you study harder and still dont get an A (or conversely, are unhappy at how much you are studying) then welcome to B+ land.
 
DermViser said:
If you've had an undergraduate course, I think that makes medical school Micro MUCH easier. The review book and flash card options for Micro are excellent to get it down cold.
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I def believe it.

Here? Non-sci major -- no micro in undergrad.

That said, times have not been good this past month.
 
Lol in first year I kept skirting the 89-90 division and ended up barely above it most of the time. Now I'm in second year and I'm barely below it. Not really sweating it either way although it was nice to beat the cutoff.
 
DermViser said:
For USMLE Step 1, Clinical Micro Made Ridiculously Simple is enough to do well on the Micro part.
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Yeah I have it on the bookshelf waiting for next year. Not looking forward to knowing micro in the detail necessary to do well in class.
 
Are people that freakout over B+ mentally stable?
 
EMDO2018 said:
Are people that freakout over B+ mentally stable?
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Someone who freaks out over getting 1 B+ in a preclinical course, when you still have other preclinical blocks, Step 1, clinical grades, Step 2 CK, Step 2 CS left to do, is someone who is being unnecessarily anal-retentive to the point of their own detriment. The goal is to match into the specialty of choice, not masturbate over your lovely looking transcript.
 
DermViser said:
The goal is to match into the specialty of choice, not masturbate over your lovely looking transcript.
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Some would like to do both, if it's all the same to you.

Besides, I don't think anyone actually chooses to feel like dirt after getting an 88. It's a result of perhaps unrealistic expectations and feeling a little hurt that you're short of what you thought you could do. I get why other people think it's farcical but for the individual, it's kinda not.
 
Anastomoses said:
Some would like to do both, if it's all the same to you.

Besides, I don't think anyone actually chooses to feel like dirt after getting an 88. It's a result of perhaps unrealistic expectations and feeling a little hurt that you're short of what you thought you could do. I get why other people think it's farcical but for the individual, it's kinda not.
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Sorry, but by the time you match in your MS-4 year and graduate, the very LAST thing you will care about are the letters on your transcript. This isn't high school or college. You must be an MS-1.
 
Anastomoses said:
Some would like to do both, if it's all the same to you.

Besides, I don't think anyone actually chooses to feel like dirt after getting an 88. It's a result of perhaps unrealistic expectations and feeling a little hurt that you're short of what you thought you could do. I get why other people think it's farcical but for the individual, it's kinda not.
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I would feel like dirt if I got an 88.
 
Arkangeloid said:
But what struck me the most is that one woman, who despite her very impressive memorization skills probably had the introspective ability of a rock, said "I just review the powerpoints."
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There's a lot of people in med school who don't know jack but can memorize stuff really well. And depending on the school and quality of the exams (1 step reasoning, factoidal recall) they can do very well.
 
I know this is a knee jerk reaction, and I'm freaking out for no reason. I guess its just weird when I could score well before, and now I feel like I understand the material (when apparently I don't) and it doesn't translate to the exams. I need to just stop being so neurotic and lower my expectations I guess. This won't break me, and I need to just chill out. I'm being stupid for no reason.
 
DermViser said:
Someone who freaks out over getting 1 B+ in a preclinical course, when you still have other preclinical blocks, Step 1, clinical grades, Step 2 CK, Step 2 CS left to do, is someone who is being unnecessarily anal-retentive to the point of their own detriment. The goal is to match into the specialty of choice, not masturbate over your lovely looking transcript.
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I agree with the bolded, although those people usually cannot help that they are so anal-retentive. They still think they should be the best of the best. If they can pull it off, more power to them. I wouldn't call them mentally unstable, however.
 
evilbooyaa said:
I agree with the bolded, although those people usually cannot help that they are so anal-retentive. They still think they should be the best of the best. If they can pull it off, more power to them. I wouldn't call them mentally unstable, however.
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As one of those anal-retentive people you speak of I certainly feel mentally unstable when I step back and really think about my opinions about academic performance. I mean.. I'm crazy to believe all these things and even crazier to believe that anyone but me gives a damn about my preclinical grades. Alas, it's not something I can talk myself out of. I am who I am and the best I can do at this point is hope that I don't have a panic attack when I underperform.
 
If your biggest problem in life is getting a B+, life has been good to you. Once you hit the floors, you will see people who would give literally anything for that to be their biggest problem, people who are truly suffering.
So many of us (myself included) become some self involved during med school that we forget that there is a big world with people struggling thru situations that are unimaginable. And here we are, complaining about not getting an A.
So many of us (again, myself included) are VERY lucky and we forget it.
 
As long as you are doing fine, keep trucking along. Remember, medical school is not a competition, so don't try to overly compare yourselves to classmates. A B+ is a very good grade...I mean for almost all of my classes managing to get an 80 or higher is a cause for major celebration!

Passing in general caused for celebration 😛
 
JM26 said:
If your biggest problem in life is getting a B+, life has been good to you. Once you hit the floors, you will see people who would give literally anything for that to be their biggest problem, people who are truly suffering.
So many of us (myself included) become some self involved during med school that we forget that there is a big world with people struggling thru situations that are unimaginable. And here we are, complaining about not getting an A.
So many of us (again, myself included) are VERY lucky and we forget it.
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Please take this bs elsewhere. Realizing people are worse off than you is not a reason to avoid striving to be the best.
 
JM26 said:
If your biggest problem in life is getting a B+, life has been good to you. Once you hit the floors, you will see people who would give literally anything for that to be their biggest problem, people who are truly suffering.
So many of us (myself included) become some self involved during med school that we forget that there is a big world with people struggling thru situations that are unimaginable. And here we are, complaining about not getting an A.
So many of us (again, myself included) are VERY lucky and we forget it.
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THIS.
 
dyspareunia said:
As one of those anal-retentive people you speak of I certainly feel mentally unstable when I step back and really think about my opinions about academic performance. I mean.. I'm crazy to believe all these things and even crazier to believe that anyone but me gives a damn about my preclinical grades. Alas, it's not something I can talk myself out of. I am who I am and the best I can do at this point is hope that I don't have a panic attack when I underperform.
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Then you will have many panic attacks during your MS-3 year, when A LOT of your grade is out of your control. I can see a nervous breakdown in your future - from receiving a High Pass.
 
DermViser said:
Who talked about avoiding trying your best?
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It seems like that's what he was implying. Even if that's not what he meant to imply, does anyone actually think to themselves "well, there's some starving kid in Africa so I really shouldn't feel bad about my first world problems" and then actually feel better? I doubt it.

DermViser said:
Then you will have many panic attacks during your MS-3 year, when A LOT of your grade is out of your control. I can see a nervous breakdown in your future - from receiving a High Pass.
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All 4 years here are P/F 🙂
 
Then there should be no worries at all if you are doing well.....do your best, don't fail, and enjoy life 😀
 
dyspareunia said:
It seems like that's what he was implying. Even if that's not what he meant to imply, does anyone actually think to themselves "well, there's some starving kid in Africa so I really shouldn't feel bad about my first world problems" and then actually feel better? I doubt it.

All 4 years here are P/F 🙂
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I'm guessing you attend Stanford. All the more reason that you shouldn't have a panic attack over grades and should learn for the sake of learning and preparing for your Step exams.
 
dyspareunia said:
Facepalm because you tried to justify your study technique by using that MS2. The MS2 did what you did and did bad during MS1.

Just FYI, how many people do you think write bacteriology questions for the NBME? Probably more than 1. You are expected to know everything.

Honestly, I would prefer if multiple people taught us the same topic. Why? Because they all write their own test questions and expect you to know different things. Thus, their questions will inherently require less integration of knowledge compared to someone who teaches you every single thing about a topic.
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Yeah, except that USMLE Step 1 boards things requires integration of knowledge. Questions aren't discrete subjects like on your class exams.
 
We have multiple people teaching each topic with a few exceptions. I don't think it makes much difference. Your syllabus tells you what you need to know well, regardless of who teaches it.
 
Just realized I got dramatic in my comment. Sorry about that - had just seen a terminal 12 year old girl and my mind set was skewed...
 
JM26 said:
If your biggest problem in life is getting a B+, life has been good to you. Once you hit the floors, you will see people who would give literally anything for that to be their biggest problem, people who are truly suffering.
So many of us (myself included) become some self involved during med school that we forget that there is a big world with people struggling thru situations that are unimaginable. And here we are, complaining about not getting an A.
So many of us (again, myself included) are VERY lucky and we forget it.
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Perspective is good. I always remind myself of how lucky I am to be born in a modern era as a female in a country where I can drive and wear jeans; how lucky I am to be born into my household; lucky to be without a congenital disease;

None of this changes the drive to achieve or to learn or to be excellent or the irritation or sadness which comes with failure or coming up short. Is it strange to be able to compartmentalize these ideas?
 
Anastomoses said:
Perspective is good. I always remind myself of how lucky I am to be born in a modern era as a female in a country where I can drive and wear jeans; how lucky I am to be born into my household; lucky to be without a congenital disease;

None of this changes the drive to achieve or to learn or to be excellent or the irritation or sadness which comes with failure or coming up short. Is it strange to be able to compartmentalize these ideas?
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Why would you want to wear jeans lol, too tight and constricting. If I was a girl I would wear loose-fitting skirts all the time lol, and I would be free. 🙂

Anyways, my sadness comes from the following. Back in college, I was always a loner who didn't know how to do anything but study, but I was good at it! Now I'm still a loner, except I'm at the bottom of the class. So what am I good at, lol.
 
Arkangeloid said:
Why would you want to wear jeans lol, too tight and constricting. If I was a girl I would wear loose-fitting skirts all the time lol, and I would be free. 🙂

Anyways, my sadness comes from the following. Back in college, I was always a loner who didn't know how to do anything but study, but I was good at it! Now I'm still a loner, except I'm at the bottom of the class. So what am I good at, lol.
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Well, for one, you're in medical school, so you now have the license to pick on all the failed pre-meds.
 
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