Is the med school application process turning anyone else into a cynic?

[Freesia88]

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It is for me, sadly. Between the necessary and unecessary hoops we all have to jump through, I hope I make it with my sense of humor and faith in human goodness intact.🙂

 

[BrianK0220]

Yep, I remind myself to just put in the work and see what happens. I'll apply for the fourth time this year, US MD, US DO, or Caribbean is fine. I just want to be a physician. DO or Caribbean MD is not a step down from US MD, it's a step up from research technician. Realistic expectations are key.

 

[Rumalum]

there are very few hoops to jump through if you've worked hard, are a good person, and are otherwise qualified to enter medicine

or if your parents are rich

 

[circulus vitios]

there are very few hoops to jump through if you've worked hard, are a good person, and are otherwise qualified to enter medicine

or if your parents are rich

Few people would spend hundreds of hours volunteering if volunteering wasn't an unwritten requirement. Not volunteering and being a good person are mutually exclusive.

I was a cynic before the process. I'm still a cynic, just worse.

 

[Praefectus]

You'd be surprised at how money-hungry some schools are for your application fee.

 

[Rumalum]

Few people would spend hundreds of hours volunteering if volunteering wasn't an unwritten requirement. Not volunteering and being a good person are mutually exclusive.

I was a cynic before the process. I'm still a cynic, just worse.

yea but i wouldn't call 3 hours a week a hoop and a major obstacle. Oh no I can't procrastinate watching 3 hours of netflix in the library that day, my life sucks!

and I did some volunteering before even considering med school (it was overseas, so it was awesome)

You'd be surprised at how money-hungry some schools are for your application fee.

I'm looking at you, Mayo. I've never received a rejection for anything so quickly after giving up a hundred bucks

 

[markyb03]

My favorite is summarizing my activities for the 2012-2013 school year... "I plan to continue all of my activities and to take all of the classes labeled as future coursework."

 

[wolfie77]

My favorite is summarizing my activities for the 2012-2013 school year... "I plan to continue all of my activities and to take all of the classes labeled as future coursework."

Waaaa... there are premeds at DePaul? that's news to me.

edit: and ones with great numbers on top of that....waaaaa

 

[BiopsychStudent]

Yep, I remind myself to just put in the work and see what happens. I'll apply for the fourth time this year, US MD, US DO, or Caribbean is fine. I just want to be a physician. DO or Caribbean MD is not a step down from US MD, it's a step up from research technician. Realistic expectations are key.

"Dr." just means a pile of debt if your degree doesn't let you work; be careful.

 

[solitarius]

there are very few hoops to jump through if you've worked hard, are a good person, and are otherwise qualified to enter medicine

bull****.

 

[Praefectus]

I'm looking at you, Mayo. I've never received a rejection for anything so quickly after giving up a hundred bucks

I made it a point to apply to schools with an acceptance rate higher than 2% to avoid antics like that.

 

[circulus vitios]

yea but i wouldn't call 3 hours a week a hoop and a major obstacle. Oh no I can't procrastinate watching 3 hours of netflix in the library that day, my life sucks!

and I did some volunteering before even considering med school (it was overseas, so it was awesome)



I'm looking at you, Mayo. I've never received a rejection for anything so quickly after giving up a hundred bucks

I'd rather work and make money than drive 45 minutes round trip so I can deliver food for 3 hours and lie about my 'eye-opening volunteering experiences' in my secondary essays and interviews.

 

[Rumalum]

I'd rather work and make money than drive 45 minutes round trip so I can deliver food for 3 hours and lie about my 'eye-opening volunteering experiences' in my secondary essays and interviews.

you should find something closer or join a group from your college that does more local activities. a lot of schools have service learning classes that you can take for credit. Volunteering doesn't have to be soup kitchen or hospital grunt work

 

[markyb03]

Waaaa... there are premeds at DePaul? that's news to me.

edit: and ones with great numbers on top of that....waaaaa

Its pretty lonely as a premed at DePaul, but thank god for sdn 😀

They're actually trying to really grow the science programs at DePaul and are building a pretty good relationship with Rosalind Franklin University, since they don't have any undergraduate programs.

 

[wolfie77]

Its pretty lonely as a premed at DePaul, but thank god for sdn 😀

They're actually trying to really grow the science programs at DePaul and are building a pretty good relationship with Rosalind Franklin University, since they don't have any undergraduate programs.

Good to hear. I went to the CAURS conference you guys had a couple of years back. Your science facilities were very nice from what I saw.

 

[lobo.solo]

I am trying to keep my principles intact as going through this process.

 

[markyb03]

Good to hear. I went to the CAURS conference you guys had a couple of years back. Your science facilities were very nice from what I saw.

One thing DePaul definitely isn't lacking is money 😀

 

[kami333]

Nope, already been one for years.

 

[Galatasaray]

I'm definitely starting to hate everything about this process and think most hoops are bs

 

[chillaxbro]

Yes. I'd bet you 99% of people wouldn't volunteer if it wasn't essentially a requirement

 

[markyb03]

Yes. I'd bet you 99% of people wouldn't volunteer if it wasn't essentially a requirement

False. I did weekly volunteering even before I knew I wanted to go to med school. Or perhaps you were just showing off your newfound cynicism..

 

[Ellie Arroway]

I am really profoundly tired of talking about myself in essays and I want to be spending my time doing useful work instead of talking about how important my diversity is.

 

[markyb03]

i am really profoundly tired of talking about myself in essays and i want to be spending my time doing useful work instead of talking about how important my diversity is.

+1

 

[HughMyron]

Yep, I remind myself to just put in the work and see what happens. I'll apply for the fourth time this year, US MD, US DO, or Caribbean is fine. I just want to be a physician. DO or Caribbean MD is not a step down from US MD, it's a step up from research technician. Realistic expectations are key.

From my multiple jobs as a lab intern, I can honestly say that I would rather kill myself than work as a research tech.

 

[TheMightySmiter]

Sounds like most of you people were born cynical and bitter.

 

[Freesia88]

Lol...I thought I was bad. Thanks for the chuckles people. It's nice to know I don't walk alone 🙂

 

[Barcu]

You guys got a long way to go.

Cheers👍

 

[kami333]

From my multiple jobs as a lab intern, I can honestly say that I would rather kill myself than work as a research tech.

It was fun for 5years but seeing all my friends in other professions get real raises and promotions got old.

 

[Freesia88]

You guys got a long way to go.

Cheers👍

This is actually the funny part for me. I am still applying and I am already getting jaded on the whole thing. I wonder what will happen if f I actually make it in, graduate, complete residency, fellowship and start practising.

 

[gyngyn]

Sounds like most of you people were born cynical and bitter.

I agree. If you think the admissions committee can't detect these traits, you are at least partly incorrect.

 

[Freesia88]

I agree. If you think the admissions committee can't detect these traits, you are at least partly incorrect.

I'm curious... Do you think admissions committee would rather have some one who is a total pollyanna abou medicine, or someone who is jaded but thinks it is still worth it all the same?

Serious question.

 

[Barcu]

This is actually the funny part for me. I am still applying and I am already getting jaded on the whole thing. I wonder what will happen if f I actually make it in, graduate, complete residency, fellowship and start practising.

Medicine is not unique for having hoops to jump through.

Is devoting some time toward volunteering really that big of an issue for all of you?

 

[wolfie77]

Medicine is not unique for having hoops to jump through.

Is devoting some time toward volunteering really that big of an issue for all of you?

Not for me. Volunteering has been some of the best non-inebriated timed I've had in college.

 

[gyngyn]

I'm curious... Do you think admissions committee would rather have some one who is a total pollyanna abou medicine, or someone who is jaded but thinks it is still worth it all the same?

Serious question.

It's not an either/or proposition. Cynicism, like entitlement is never an attractive quality.

 

[von Matterhorn]

$55 to submit this, $105 to submit that, don't forget to pay your $75 to finish this secondary...

Nah, I'm not cynical.

 

[kpcrew]

lol imagine if you actually get in?
the application season is chump change compared to tuition.

 

[Doctor Strange]

No, I just drink more.

 

[UrshumMurshum]

.

 

[HughMyron]

Not for me. Volunteering has been some of the best non-inebriated timed I've had in college.

Really depends on where you volunteer. I learned a lot of useful stuff at Habitat for Humanity. At the hospital, I really didn't do anything besides read magazines, because we hardly got any patients. I guess I learned a lot about world politics and economics.

 

[Reaction]

no, i just drink more.

+1

 

[Planes2Doc]

Few people would spend hundreds of hours volunteering if volunteering wasn't an unwritten requirement. Not volunteering and being a good person are mutually exclusive.

I was a cynic before the process. I'm still a cynic, just worse.

If anything, I find the whole volunteering process to be almost insulting. I don't think volunteering is bad. In fact, I think volunteering is a great thing! But when a majority of the pre-meds are putting on a song and dance to impress ADCOMs, things don't turn out very well.

An example of this is a former coworker from my last job. He is not pre-med by any means, and he volunteers through a few organizations such as Meals on Wheels. His volunteering would be considered "average" by SDN standards. At the workplace, however, people view him as a saint! I think it would be very insulting to tell him that my hospital volunteering experience is far superior to Meals on Wheels. It's like saying that your helping people is way more important than their helping people. I told a former coworker who is pre-med there, and he thought this was funny.

I don't know what goes on behind closed ADCOM doors. I want to be on the committee if I can. I'm only assuming they rank the experiences. But if they pick and choose who actually wanted to volunteer and who didn't by some arbitrary standards, then I find that insulting. It's not a good feeling when someone puts down the effort you took to help others.

I wouldn't say the process made me cynical, but more of a realist.

 

[BecksTriad]

i get really pissed off how some schools put u on pre-interview hold.

 

[wolfie77]

Really depends on where you volunteer. I learned a lot of useful stuff at Habitat for Humanity. At the hospital, I really didn't do anything besides read magazines, because we hardly got any patients. I guess I learned a lot about world politics and economics.

Sorry to hear that man. My volunteering involves pt. contact every single time and I get be in the room with the patients and the physicians and med students. Most of the time the physicians are really nice and try to teach me stuff.