If you HAD to have a "speedbump" on your premed road, which would you rather...

Getting into Med School is Hard? Not with BeMo.
This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
L

liverfingers

holla back girl
10+ Year Member
15+ Year Member
Joined
Jul 16, 2008
Messages
131
Reaction score
0
The recent thread on the "friend" caught cheating thread made me think-- there have been a number of similar threads in the past, but this one was the first where I've seen an almost universal "she's screwed" response.

So most of us who haven't lived in a box during our undergrad years have done some pretty questionable things... maybe even things that have crossed the line of legality or academic honesty...

If you HAD to have one of the following "speedbumps" on your way to medical school, which would you rather have and why? Basically, which one is the least damning in your opinion?

- Underage alcohol possession, misdemeanor
- Providing alcohol to minors
- DUI, or DWI
- Cheating, academic record, failed course
- Getting pregnant
- Getting significant other pregnant
- Getting random girl pregnant
- Aggravated assault
- Petty Theft
- Fraud
- Rape


Also, if someone could please make this into a poll, it would be appreciated

For me, I think underage alcohol possession is the most innocuous, and the worst would be cheating :p
Members don't see this ad.
 
Last edited:
I'd take pregnant!.. because that's the easiest to solve.
 
I think some of these are beyond the realm of speedbumps. How many murderers/rapists are doctors?

Anyway, I would also go with being pregnant. As a man, I'm pretty sure it would get me URM status.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
I'd rather have a cheater as my doctor than a rapist.
 
At first I was thinking "how could rape be damning?" but then I realized you probably don't mean from the victim's point of view but rather if one was accused of it.

I would probably take a failed course. You can retake it, and there may be significant reasons (not excuses, just context) as to why.
 
Underage alcohol possession by a long shot. I think this is the most easily explained and can be chalked up to "immaturity."

You think cheating would be worse than rape? :p
 
This is tough... I think it would be most probable for someone to be caught cheating, but I think underage possession would be the least problematic.
 
silverhorse84 said:
At first I was thinking "how could rape be damning?" but then I realized you probably don't mean from the victim's point of view but rather if one was accused of it.

I would probably take a failed course. You can retake it, and there may be significant reasons (not excuses, just context) as to why.
Click to expand...

Haha, I was thinking the same thing.

It's especially weird to be a guy and get raped by a girl. I wonder if that would even be called rape...? And I don't mean a 32-year old teacher raping her 15 year old male student. I'm talking like same age adults here.
 
Twiigg said:
Haha, I was thinking the same thing.

It's especially weird to be a guy and get raped by a girl. I wonder if that would even be called rape...? And I don't mean a 32-year old teacher raping her 15 year old male student. I'm talking like same age adults here.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I never understood what was wrong with that, besides the fact that the teacher must be a little creepy (but there's nothing wrong with having a little strange fetish). Hell, if I were 15, I'd love to hook up with my teacher. Our society is ridiculous at (many) times...
 
I would take underage possession, as others have mentioned, it is not that large of a barrier and is rather easily explained, turning the experience into an event that "helped you turn yourself around" and "reach maturity" etc. etc. etc.

But getting your sig other preggers would affect your app the least. Certainly the schools won't know anything about it, and thus won't affect your chances, but obviously it complicates your personal life and perhaps your ability to go to school. So, I guess I'd still take the underage. That and I don't think I'm particularly ready for a strange alien creation that is a baby to inhabit my domain.
 
gatorsbball said:
Yeah, I never understood what was wrong with that, besides the fact that the teacher must be a little creepy (but there's nothing wrong with having a little strange fetish). Hell, if I were 15, I'd love to hook up with my teacher. Our society is ridiculous at (many) times...
Click to expand...

Basically, it's the same reason it's not cool for a 32 year old male teacher to have sex with a 15 year old female student. That's equality for you.
 
Twiigg said:
Haha, I was thinking the same thing.

It's especially weird to be a guy and get raped by a girl. I wonder if that would even be called rape...? And I don't mean a 32-year old teacher raping her 15 year old male student. I'm talking like same age adults here.
Click to expand...

We had a case around here a while back that I think we could all agree was rape.

A woman found out her boyfriend (obviously ex- after this story) was molesting her child, so she chained him to the wall. She then proceeded to take a broken glass bottle and rape him with it.

As far as what I would choose, failing a class would be the most obvious choice as far as making amends. Getting SO pregnant isn't too bad...but it's a major financial and time constraint, depending on what your SO plans on doing.
 
Crazyday said:
We had a case around here a while back that I think we could all agree was rape.

A woman found out her boyfriend (obviously ex- after this story) was molesting her child, so she chained him to the wall. She then proceeded to take a broken glass bottle and rape him with it.

As far as what I would choose, failing a class would be the most obvious choice as far as making amends. Getting SO pregnant isn't too bad...but it's a major financial and time constraint, depending on what your SO plans on doing.
Click to expand...

Haha, wow. What ended up happening to the woman?
 
Members don't see this ad :)
I didn't see "fail a course" as an option?
 
I don't see how pregnancy is detrimental in anyway. And like HeatherMD said, it's a problem easily solved (for some people, anyway).

As someone who has had bumps in the form of failed classes prior to deciding to shoot for med-school, I'd say they are a pain and they are looming over me everyday. Even if you do retake them you have to report the failed class(es) to AMCAS still (as I recently found out ;_; ) and I think about them and go "why didn't I just pull my act together THEN instead of now?" I think they're more a mental speedbump probably than anything else, including the application process. They psych me out about what's going to happen when I do apply...

Pretty confident that rape would be the worst looking thing on an app off of that list, though.
 
Alcohol possession.
 
A rape charge is probably not a speedbump, it's probably more of a brick wall.
 
mmmcdowe said:
I'm surprised everyone doesn't agree on pregnancy. Pregnancy doesn't hurt your chances of getting in, just of you staying in!
Click to expand...


Well, for me I'd be the one who's pregnant, which means I not only have to deal with an infant during medical school, but I'd also have 9 months of my body going through hormone h*ll. :(

Just my $0.02 on that one :p
 
Yeah Heather wanted to abort her's!
 
GoldShadow said:
A rape charge is probably not a speedbump, it's probably more of a brick wall.
Click to expand...

I hope so.

And yeah, the pregnancy option's not so bad unless you're 8 months pregnant when you discover that you're pregnant. <-- That would be a problem.
 
pianola said:
And yeah, the pregnancy option's not so bad unless you're 8 months pregnant when you discover that you're pregnant. <-- That would be a problem.
Click to expand...

Wasn't there an episode of ER or some other medical show where a woman came into the ER and the doc said she was going into labor, but she denied and refused to believe she was pregnant? Yeah, that would be bad! :laugh:
 
silverhorse84 said:
Wasn't there an episode of ER or some other medical show where a woman came into the ER and the doc said she was going into labor, but she denied and refused to believe she was pregnant? Yeah, that would be bad! :laugh:
Click to expand...

Heh. That'd be really weird...
 
probably underage alcohol possession

Well, I guess I would take rape; shouldnt be too hard to explain that one in a sentence or two of my PS........
 
I'd definitely take getting pregnant or getting someone else pregnant any days of the week. There's no record of it (unless you tell the adcoms or they notice the obvious belly bump). Besides that, look at the risks and rewards. Anyone can get a DUI or possessions charges - all you have to do is be underage and buy booze or transport weed for your friend. But to get someone pregnant, you have to get laid first, and as we know, getting laid is infinitely more rewarding than using a fake ID card to buy booze.
 
TooMuchResearch said:
I think some of these are beyond the realm of speedbumps. How many murderers/rapists are doctors?

Anyway, I would also go with being pregnant. As a man, I'm pretty sure it would get me URM status.
Click to expand...

:laugh:
 
i'm going to have to go with "providing alcohol to the under aged" on this one :p

its illegal, but not necessarily bad - - - unless its the precursor to one of the other ones, like "rape" or "aggravated assault"
 
silverhorse84 said:
Wasn't there an episode of ER or some other medical show where a woman came into the ER and the doc said she was going into labor, but she denied and refused to believe she was pregnant? Yeah, that would be bad! :laugh:
Click to expand...
I know of someone who that happened to actually. She was very overweight to start with and had some condition where she either skipped her period a lot or, if I remember correctly, it was some thing where she still had her period while pregnant. Maybe both. anyway, she didn't know she was pregnant till she had the baby. Pretty stupid to not realize it if u ask me but whatever... SURPRISE! haha True story though.
I would pick underage drinking, or failing first, getting pregnant second. And I agree that rape is a bit of a brick wall... haha and I hope to goodness that there are no rapist docs out there...
 
...I still don't get how rape/murder are not being claimed as the worst by everyone. There are different types of killing (this list may or may not include self-defense, which may or may not be illegal depending on the specific circumstances), and there are several different charges that may result:

  • Murder/homicide - The intentional killing of another human being without justification or excuse
  • Voluntary manslaughter - The killing of another person in the heat of passion without premeditation
  • Involuntary manslaughter - Negligently or reckless causing the death of another human being
  • Vehicular homicide - Negligently or recklessly causing the death of a human being while operating a motor vehicle
Now, I'm no expert, but I don't think you can become licensed after being convicted of murder. I say convicted because murder is a legal classification, so if you were not convicted, there would be reason to disclose it on an application.

As far as rape is concerned, again...I don't think you can become licensed.

Or am I completely wrong?
 
I'd go with the alcohol. Pregnancy is a close second, but there would be so much distractions and headaches that comes with it, the usual bickering and such. That could hurt your gpa almost as much as a failed class. Alcohol, as someone said earlier, could just be brushed off as "immaturity."
 
pianola said:
Heh. That'd be really weird...
Click to expand...
Yeah I saw the news report on it. She was extremely obese - width/height ratio around 1/2. So, she couldn't really notice anything in that regard.
 
ChairmanMao said:
But to get someone pregnant, you have to get laid first, and as we know, getting laid is infinitely more rewarding than using a fake ID card to buy booze.
Click to expand...

I smell a virgin...
 
HurricaneKatt said:
I know of someone who that happened to actually. She was very overweight to start with and had some condition where she either skipped her period a lot or, if I remember correctly, it was some thing where she still had her period while pregnant. Maybe both. anyway, she didn't know she was pregnant till she had the baby. Pretty stupid to not realize it if u ask me but whatever... SURPRISE! haha True story though.
I would pick underage drinking, or failing first, getting pregnant second. And I agree that rape is a bit of a brick wall... haha and I hope to goodness that there are no rapist docs out there...
Click to expand...

That would be soooo cool!

I'd want to be the doctor or nurse to tell her and see her reaction. It would finally be like something on a doctor show on TV!
 
What if you have three of those?
 
gatorsbball said:
Haha, wow. What ended up happening to the woman?
Click to expand...

I forget. I think she was charged with rape though.

Getting SO pregnant is pretty high up on my list, but if you're already struggling to make ends meet financial wise, then your spouse is also in MS/college, then a pregnancy is one of the last things you'd want.
 
whoa, I rescind my previous vote. I'm going with alcohol consumption instead. I didn't realize that was an option the first time around because... I was "partaking" at the time :p

but seriously, there are worse things than underage drinking :laugh:

rape, for instance. you shouldn't go to med school if you raped someone. You should go to JAIL - FOREVER :mad: - where an enormous tattooed fellow shows you a taste of your own medicine :smuggrin:
 
I can understand why one would go with the pregnancy 'speed bump', because if you get someone else pregnant then that is something pesonal; a medical school would never have to find out. But I just don't know if I, personally, could handle the guilt of getting someone pregant (unintentionally) over having a minor in possession charge on my record. So, I guess I'd have to go with minor in possession charge.
 
I think people need to change the point of view and ask which would the ADCOM pick. Clearly, DUI, MIP, raping someone, etc are going to hurt your chances with getting into medical school. Pregnancy and having a child are not factors. I'm pretty sure it goes against most schools anti-discrimination policies, but I may be wrong.
 
Pregnancy is not necessarily a bad thing.

Out of the others the minor in possession of alcohol wouldn't even be seen by the college.
 
pregnancy would seem like the easiest one...b/c medical schools have 0 chance off really ever finding out about it.....i'd consider it a bump in your life, but not really an academic speed bump.
 
I really dont think an adcom's opinion is the most important thing to consider here. Some things can completely change the course of your life. If you get/get someone else pregnant in college, life can get messy (assuming they keep it).

Yea, an admissions officer might not find out that you're a parent, but imagine going to medical school with an infant child out of wedlock - or in it for that matter - in you're early twenties.

Non-trads often have children, but they also tend to be in a more stable position than a college grad who made a drunken mistake or had too much faith in Trojan.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Next unread thread

Similar threads

C
"What would you like the committee to know about you that wasn't in your application?"
Replies
12
Views
883
SCG3212
SCG3212
TheOverthinkingPremed
In 3 research labs. Which would you quit?
Replies
5
Views
680
JAK2-STAT3
J
F
I have a not-so-good GPA and want to know if grad school would help my chances of med school
Replies
5
Views
382
Alejandro
A
P
Which schools have stopped sending Interviews?
Replies
3
Views
853
cranberrylimeade
cranberrylimeade
D
How do you deal with toxic premed advisors?
Replies
11
Views
794
DarkBluMage
D
Top