Is it just me...

BU Medical Sciences
This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Members do not see this ad.
I don't know, maybe it is just me, but I am impressed by all the high school students taking an active step towards their career. Props. I sure wish that I took my career more seriously in high school because I think it would make my life a lot easier at this point in my life (Ending college and applying to medical school). I think if I had a clearer understanding of what it really takes to enter medical school, I would have taken some classes more seriously and would have pursued volunteer and work experience activities in healthcare sooner. Everyone seems to feel that these determined, gunner, high school kids are going to "miss" some part of their life by being so focused, but in reality they are going to be the ones getting into really good medical schools. And as for the high school kids that burn out or change their minds in college, they couldn't be doing it at a better time while they are young and in school. It sure beats getting interested in medicine during college, then changing your mind while in medical school (by the way, I know about four people that have done this). A lot of these sdn'ers that are complaining about high school kids in the forums seem like they are hating on them because they wished that they were focused like these kids in high school. Stop hating...if you don't like their posts then don't read them or pay any attention to them.

So my advise to pre-med high schoolers, keep focused, work hard, and try and squeeze in some fun experiences during your time in college because it is important to work hard and play hard as well. Good Luck 👍
 
DjKanobi said:
So my advise to pre-med high schoolers, keep focused, work hard, and try and squeeze in some fun experiences during your time in college because it is important to work hard and play hard as well. Good Luck 👍
Click to expand...

and my advice: never take advise from anyone.
 
DjKanobi said:
I don't know, maybe it is just me, but I am impressed by all the high school students taking an active step towards their career. Props. I sure wish that I took my career more seriously in high school because I think it would make my life a lot easier at this point in my life (Ending college and applying to medical school). I think if I had a clearer understanding of what it really takes to enter medical school, I would have taken some classes more seriously and would have pursued volunteer and work experience activities in healthcare sooner. Everyone seems to feel that these determined, gunner, high school kids are going to "miss" some part of their life by being so focused, but in reality they are going to be the ones getting into really good medical schools. And as for the high school kids that burn out or change their minds in college, they couldn't be doing it at a better time while they are young and in school. It sure beats getting interested in medicine during college, then changing your mind while in medical school (by the way, I know about four people that have done this). A lot of these sdn'ers that are complaining about high school kids in the forums seem like they are hating on them because they wished that they were focused like these kids in high school. Stop hating...if you don't like their posts then don't read them or pay any attention to them.

So my advise to pre-med high schoolers, keep focused, work hard, and try and squeeze in some fun experiences during your time in college because it is important to work hard and play hard as well. Good Luck 👍
Click to expand...

😱 Are you kidding me? I have nothing to be jealous about. I've played around with the idea of med school since high school... but just because I didn't obsess over every little detail BEFORE going to college does not mean I can't get into a really good medical school. Nobody is hating on them... jeez... they're not my competition... other COLLEGE students will be.

My whole point was to complain abt the HSers (some... not all) who are basing their decisions about what colleges to get into, and what majors to pick based on what would look good to ADCOMS (Ive seen a couple of these threads). College is not about that, it's about finding out what you like by trying different things. If these HSers (some... not all) want to be focused and narrowed minded then hey...it's their life. I find it unfair that these HSers are posting on this forum about things they can either read in other posts or learn just by lurking and researching on the net, when people who are applying this year have genuine questions pertaining to getting into/applying to MEDICAL SCHOOL... not college.

It's always good to be focused, and to be interested in going to med school, but I think that a pre-college forum should be started.
 
furthermore, let's not forget that these kids have never lived away from their parents, (probably) have never tasted alcohol, and have never experienced communal living. Questions about "what will look good for Adcoms?" are a big distraction to what these soon to be college freshmen need to be focusing on, and that's how to make basic life adjustments. Unfortunately, such questions as "is it a good idea to get plastered 4 days a week?" and "How do I deal with homesickness?" are a bit beyond the scope of SDN.

again for all the HSers out there I suggest this:

http://discuss.princetonreview.com/tt.asp?forumid=1&listing=&LTID=
 
trichomoniasis said:
I'm fairly certain it's ALL the pre-meds that are killing SDN
Click to expand...
hey look...I'm not a typical undergrad (28 yr old non-trad) that seriously was/is in need of more direction. I do talk to my pre-med adviser and I read just about everything I can get my hands on, but in my opinion there is just nothing compared to getting advice from actual medical students. It's "golden"...and you that are medical students should want to help us pre-meds just as I'm sure you wanted help when you were a pre-med. We only want to do things right...

geesh...lighten up already.
 
PreMedMommy said:
I am definitely not trying to sound mean when I say this, and as a disclaimer, I was probably guilty of this too after I graduated high school, but in high school, you DO have parents to help guide you, and the transition from always having someone to answer to, to having to make important decsicion on your own, is difficult, but you don't have to come to SDN and have other people make the decision for you on what college to go to, what classes to take, and what clubs to join. Only you know that. And frankly, for me, I wouldn't trust a pack of well-meaning strangers to make those decision for me. Only I know what I interested in and what my capabilities are.
Click to expand...


I understand where you're coming from and I agree it is a fair, valid stance. However, I feel like many of you are making assumptions about the hsers that post here. I have read from some not to just believe everything that I read here for full value because no one here is on admissions boards or things of that nature. Many also state to stop obsessing and just live life, enjoy other things. Some have hinted that we'll have no real outside experience because our entire lives have been focused towards getting to med school.

I find these assumptions are very ill-founded. Because I asked about some good majors or possibly when to take classes, does not mean I intended to tally up the most common responses and plot off my future accordingly. Like many of you here, despite being a high school student, I also can produce some ideas of my own. When I was asking, I was seeing what some other potentials were because you all are more exposed to the medical/pre med world so you may know something special.

The issue on majors did not even bother that much. It was more the general impression that hsers are cheesy superficial achievers who care nothing about life except what their parents and society have programmed them to desire, that being a nice cushy title with a good pay check and a snotty attitude. I believe someone even said that when we interviewed we would reveal our lack of experience outside of science. I cannot speak for all hsers, but I actually have a life. I'm told to enjoy life, not to worry at this stage. Do not worry, I'm enjoying my life. I play 3 sports at my school, play video games a lot, and just mess around with friends. However, there is a time for play and a time for work, and when I come to these forums I'm trying to learn information. Simply because I'm trying to learn early doesn't mean I lack any other interests in life.

I find that many of you are quick to make assumptions purely based upon the fact that we are hsers, granted, I'm not entirely sure what all other hsers are like. I can see where you come from, but I still feel many of you are off-base.
 
powerful_squib said:
😱 Are you kidding me? I have nothing to be jealous about. I've played around with the idea of med school since high school... but just because I didn't obsess over every little detail BEFORE going to college does not mean I can't get into a really good medical school. Nobody is hating on them... jeez... they're not my competition... other COLLEGE students will be.

My whole point was to complain abt the HSers (some... not all) who are basing their decisions about what colleges to get into, and what majors to pick based on what would look good to ADCOMS (Ive seen a couple of these threads). College is not about that, it's about finding out what you like by trying different things. If these HSers (some... not all) want to be focused and narrowed minded then hey...it's their life. I find it unfair that these HSers are posting on this forum about things they can either read in other posts or learn just by lurking and researching on the net, when people who are applying this year have genuine questions pertaining to getting into/applying to MEDICAL SCHOOL... not college.

It's always good to be focused, and to be interested in going to med school, but I think that a pre-college forum should be started.
Click to expand...

all THAT from someone with a Harry Potter avatar :laugh:
 
maestro1625 said:
and my advice: never take advise from anyone.
Click to expand...

Really? I can honestly say that getting good advice throughout my life has helped me in making some great decisions. But to each his own🙂
 
DjKanobi said:
Really? I can honestly say that getting good advice throughout my life has helped me in making some great decisions. But to each his own🙂
Click to expand...

getting advice is ok... getting advise is a lot more shady.
 
ok, now I'm confused.

either way, AdviCe = noun; to AdviSe = infinitive.
 
It goes both ways...where I go, the vast majority of Freshman pre-meds never make it out of the first year, or dig themselves into a giant hole. And I'd say a solid 75% are probably capable of doing the work, they just have no clue as to what the expectations are. One good thing about this forum for a high schooler is that it lets you know what your target in terms of GPA should be, and also gives you some insight into the mistakes and mis-steps of others. A lot of people have no idea what to expect upon entering college; check the drop-out rates at almost any state school if you don't believe me.

To summarize...college>>>high school.
 
I think it's really horrendous for people on this forum to be discouraging asking questions and seeking of advice as early as possible. I was one of the overanxious high school students set on medicine and chose my college based on which school would maximize my options and opportunities for getting into the profession I decided I wanted to do. A lot of the advice I got on here helped me a ton and have put me in a really good position for where I am now as a rising junior.

Graduating high school is scary and at the same time exciting. No one has answers and everything about going to college is confusing enough - regarding financial aid, housing, friends, greek systems, food - everything. Unfortunately, there aren't forums for those kinds of problems. There are to alleviate academic concerns through - one of them is SDN. Moving further into the real world brings obvious anxiety over professions, etc. It is hard to find advice from other peers who are more unsure of what they want. The friends I knew who kinda/sorta thought they wanted to be doctors are steps behind me and some need extra years of school to finish off their premed things after figuring things out later. Many of you echoed that college is for learning about life and exploring your soul and more of that liberal artsy fartsy talk. But in reality, college is a stepping stone from the protected high school environment to the real world of medical school and becoming a doctor. I don't pay $40K a year to learn how to live and deal with people -- I did that at every house party for free in high school or could have done that for free at other institutions that gave me full rides. College is there to best situate me for becoming a doctor.

Take for example a student wishing to do an MSTP. Starting research freshman year might not be something you think off right off the bat without advice, but imagine how MSTP applicants would feel if they had an extra year of research under their belt (in addition to any additional publications that would come from that). Starting earlier simply makes you more competitive. And it would be complete BS if you guys ridicule students becoming more competitive for their own future's sake. Also this thread is hypocritical considering you guys aren't exactly living out life everytime you log onto SDN. Living life comes easily just being in college and away from parents, and just because a HSer wants to secure their future dreams and goals as best as they can doesn't mean they don't learn about life as much as you - who may have had no idea what the hell to do coming out of high school. Most can keep academic life and social life separate, which indicates a level of maturity to me. The fact that you think that academically/professionally focused "gunners" won't be able to live a life in college reflects your immaturity. In the real world, you have to keep your professional and social lives separate - not doing so can keep you from your dreams.

I agree with a previous poster that I think these feelings stem from jealousy because you didn't seek this great resource out yourselves and could have been put at an advantage. I would support MORE high schoolers coming onto SDN in order to get quasi-mentored on how to start themselves on the right foot in the insanely long and hard process of being pre-med. Knowing all that is ahead of you makes it easier to plan and prepare for it. The HSers will figure out the rest of life on their own - whether it is from a fraternity brother, a role model upperclassman, a drunk chick from a neighboring school, a contentious roommate - they don't need you to remind them of that.

Also, it's easy not to respond to their posts if you're going to be that snobby about it.
 
Narmerguy said:
I understand where you're coming from and I agree it is a fair, valid stance. However, I feel like many of you are making assumptions about the hsers that post here. I have read from some not to just believe everything that I read here for full value because no one here is on admissions boards or things of that nature. Many also state to stop obsessing and just live life, enjoy other things. Some have hinted that we'll have no real outside experience because our entire lives have been focused towards getting to med school.

I find these assumptions are very ill-founded. Because I asked about some good majors or possibly when to take classes, does not mean I intended to tally up the most common responses and plot off my future accordingly. Like many of you here, despite being a high school student, I also can produce some ideas of my own. When I was asking, I was seeing what some other potentials were because you all are more exposed to the medical/pre med world so you may know something special.

The issue on majors did not even bother that much. It was more the general impression that hsers are cheesy superficial achievers who care nothing about life except what their parents and society have programmed them to desire, that being a nice cushy title with a good pay check and a snotty attitude. I believe someone even said that when we interviewed we would reveal our lack of experience outside of science. I cannot speak for all hsers, but I actually have a life. I'm told to enjoy life, not to worry at this stage. Do not worry, I'm enjoying my life. I play 3 sports at my school, play video games a lot, and just mess around with friends. However, there is a time for play and a time for work, and when I come to these forums I'm trying to learn information. Simply because I'm trying to learn early doesn't mean I lack any other interests in life.

I find that many of you are quick to make assumptions purely based upon the fact that we are hsers, granted, I'm not entirely sure what all other hsers are like. I can see where you come from, but I still feel many of you are off-base.
Click to expand...

Again, I offered the disclaimer that I was not talking about you specifically, so please do not take offense. But I have read thread after thread of hsers who do ask questions such as the ones I outlined in my previous post. I was not implying that you have no life, I was not even implying that you have no life outside of getting into med school. I was not meaning that you can't make any decisions on your own whatsoever, but that the transition of having someone to answer to to having to answer to yourself is difficult. If I was still in that transition, I probably would not understand what I was talking about either, but I have already gone through it, so this is coming from experience.

Basically, what I am trying to say is that I am not making rash assumptions on hsers, but I have actually been a hser before I am talking from past experience.

And finally, no this process does not mean you don't have a life, I have never claimed that it did. I got pregnant with my first kid while a Senior in HS, and had my second 2 years later. So I have gone through the entire process so far HAVING to have a life outside of applications and college. It can be done, it will be done, and it must be done.

You seem like a thoughtful, intellegent person, but don't wear yourself down stressing about all of this in HS, or you will have four very long years ahead of you. There is plenty of time to worry about this stuff later if you are still in HS.
 
I don't think people in particular are upset about the fact that high schoolers are asking questions. In fact, this entire forum is dedicated to asking questions, answering them, and discussing everything else in between. I think most of us are irritated because we keep seeing questions that can easily be answered with a little bit of research. If in high school you already are interested in medicine, that's great for you. But if you're really interested, is it really that tough at the beginning of your freshman year to go to your pre-med office and set up a meeting with someone who can actually discuss things in detail with you? Or, why not go to a library and look at the MSAR to see what classes you need to be taking instead of posting your schedule on SDN for everyone to approve? Step back and think logically for a second before rushing for help. Even if you dig around SDN for a while, you'll find that most of these questions have been answered--several times.

I genuinely think there is a difference between "I know I need to take this class, but I want to get an opinion on when I should take it. Did anyone do this, and what did you think about it?" and "I DON'T KNOW WHAT CLASSES TO TAKE!! IS THIS SCHEDULE OK?" I don't want to lump all high schoolers' posts into one category--everyone has seen both here, and not just from high schoolers. I think, ultimately, that the two questions reflect a different level of maturity. There is nothing wrong with asking for advice. No one here, however, wants to tell people exactly what they need to do to prepare themselves.

Just like med schools want informed applicants, we want to have discussions with informed pre-meds, whether they're fresh out of high school, or they've been out of undergrad for a while and are just turning to medicine. We want to have a forum with people who have at least done some of the thinking for themselves.

It's not a question of how obsessed/competitive high schoolers are and how they need to get lives these days. SDN is a self-selecting group of very, very driven people who have all at some point obsessed over something or another. And to be honest, high schoolers, it's great that some of you are thinking about things this early. If I had known when I started college that I wanted to be a doctor, I think my app would be a lot more balanced than it stands right now. But understand that as high school seniors, you don't need us to hold your hand through every step of the way. There is no set way to be a pre-med, and you should to know yourself well enough to form a plan that best suits you -- no one here can do that for you.

So after this reallly long-winded response, no, I don't think it's particularly irritating that there are a lot of high schoolers here; it's much more irritating that we have to answer really ridiculous questions. But for the valid questions, please remember that we are here to find help and give help. And just because someone is trying to be on top of his or her life is no reason to start flaming. =)
 
What irritates everyone on SDN is having information handed to you on a silver platter. No one really should do that for you. Simple as that. We're glad to help if you've done some information digging yourself or merely read a lot of threads. Other than that, there isn't anything else you need to do.
 
"it's much more irritating that we have to answer really ridiculous questions"

Who said you have to answer the ridiculous questions? Do what I do, go on to the next post.👍
 
i think high school kids should get the hell off these forums, half of them dont even know what they want yet, i guarentee you most of them percieve medicine as a glamour world and they really dont know anything about it since they havent even begun to scratch the academics behind it. i dunno, its just silly in my opinion for them being to be preoccupied with this so early, theyll get a rude awakening when push comes to shove in a few years for them.
 
DjKanobi said:
"it's much more irritating that we have to answer really ridiculous questions"

Who said you have to answer the ridiculous questions? Do what I do, go on to the next post.👍
Click to expand...

hey, some of us are just born helpful... perhaps rudely sarcastically helpful, but helpful none the less.
 
ocdp09 said:
i guarentee you most of them percieve medicine as a glamour world and they really dont know anything about it since they havent even begun to scratch the academics behind it.
Click to expand...

The academics aren't even CLOSE to being the least glamorous thing behind medicine.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

BlatantPlatitude
Is it over?
Replies
18
Views
3K
wysdoc
wysdoc
Wilted
Just how necessary is primary care experience?
Replies
10
Views
1K
AJS59
AJS59
O
How bad is it? Academic IA
Replies
5
Views
1K
Goro
Goro
M
TMDSAS: Is it ok for me to write the same experience in multiple sections for me? How to do hours?
Replies
10
Views
852
MedAndBio3983
M
E
Is it okay to quit my job?
Replies
4
Views
884
LunaOri
LunaOri
Top