QofQuimica
Seriously, dude, I think you're overreacting....
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I've never advised a student not to go into medicine for this exact reason. There are a lot of reasons why someone might do poorly that have nothing to do with aptitude, from not putting in enough time studying, to not studying the right way, to adjusting to being in college in general. My physics I professor my first semester of freshman year told me that I did not have any aptitude for math/physics because I failed my first exam in his class. Turns out that I did fine in his class thereafter once I knew what kinds of tests he gave. In fact, I did well enough in physics II that my physics II prof tried to convince me to continue on in physics, and I scored 790 on the math section of the GRE, got As in all four p. chem courses I took in grad school, earned a PhD in chemistry, and scored a 14 on the PS section of the MCAT. I guess I have some aptitude for math/physics after all. But he absolutely just crushed me when he said that; I left his office that day totally bawling. That is one prof I will never forget, and not one of my better college memories. I would never want to be "that TA" either, having been on the receiving end of it myself.coriannegirl said:Thank God. I was beginning to think I was the meanest person in the world. As a personal ancedote, in the first science class I took (exactly 1 year ago) I got a D on a lab report. Not only that, but the TA decided to write on it, "Are you kidding me? Do you even care? Good LUCK getting into med school." It turned out that my lab report was fine, I destroyed the class and ended up taking the TA position after she was fired because every single person she taught complained about her. As I was reading through the posts I thought, "Oh no. I've turned into a terrible human being."
I think the suggestions people have given about stating the facts and letting the student figure it out himself are right on. I will tell people what minimum stats they need (our state schools require a minimum 24 on the MCAT and 3.0 GPA), and that they should not take the MCAT until they can achieve that kind of score on their practice tests or apply to med school if their GPA isn't above a 3.0. I think that says all that needs to be said. Either the student will do the work necessary to get their stats up to par, or they won't. I don't believe that most college students are INCAPABLE of achieving these stats, but many of them will CHOOSE not to do the work needed to get there.