Med School Friendships

[Doctor-S]

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When I was in school, the student from OOS who happened to sit right next to me (coincidentally on the first day of class) became my study-friend because we were both serious about doing well in school. Super-serious. We promptly agreed to start a study group, and invited several other students to join the study group. So, this study group was my closest "friendship group" in school. We celebrated with each other, and commiserated with each other.

It was challenging to make "really close" friends in school because there was so much work to complete, and there wasn't a lot of extra time to meet-and-socialize with other students. Instead, our lives were filled with classes, endless memorization, lots of note-taking, lots of test-taking, analyzing, more memorization, more note-taking, and then more analyzing and test-taking.

When I was in school, the faculty randomly called on students to answer questions - so you needed to be fully prepared and up-to-date. We were repeatedly and regularly grilled. There were no excuses for lack of preparation. Otherwise, you were a sitting duck, and ripe for plucking, and you never knew if you were going to be the hapless duck on that day. So, it's no surprise that many students formed study groups, and those study groups became our "friendship" groups in school.

To be honest ... I met my closest friends later, after completing all of my education, and after completing my PGYs. Thereafter ... I met my "super-closest friends" outside of my school days because my "super-closest" friends and I share common interests, and they are my "best friends" to this day.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I didn't say I wasn't civil to people I didn't like . Not sure where you're getting that from.

I got it from this:

being fake around people I dislike.

Not sure what you meant by that. If you meant pretending to like them and be their best friend, then you definitely won’t have to do that to make friends. If you meant just being nice to people even if you don’t like them (which is how a lot of people mean that), then that’s just part of being a nice person.

I’m guessing you meant it the first way, and unless your class is only like 20 people, you won’t have to fake being besties with anyone in order to make friends. There will be people with a huge variety of personalities and interests.

 

[altblue]

I got it from this:



Not sure what you meant by that. If you meant pretending to like them and be their best friend, then you definitely won’t have to do that to make friends. If you meant just being nice to people even if you don’t like them (which is how a lot of people mean that), then that’s just part of being a nice person.

I’m guessing you meant it the first way, and unless your class is only like 20 people, you won’t have to fake being besties with anyone in order to make friends. There will be people with a huge variety of personalities and interests.

this really depends on the program and even specific class

my class is nice, worldly and professional but also more intense, serious and reserved. doesn't seem to be case as much with the M1's and M3's

I've definitely had to be more accommodating in what I look for in a friendship in med school, lol, because I don't naturally fit in with a specific circle of classmates. which is fine but not quite ideal

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

this really depends on the program and even specific class

my class is nice, worldly and professional but also more intense, serious and reserved. doesn't seem to be case as much with the M1's and M3's

I've definitely had to be more accommodating in what I look for in a friendship in med school, lol, because I don't naturally fit in with a specific circle of classmates. which is fine but not quite ideal

Eh, I think it's unlikely that there are many med school classes where everyone is just the same cookie cutter version of each other. I bet there are plenty of people in those classes that have varying interests. They just aren't in your class, so you might not be as in tune with it. Or maybe your school is just like that, I dunno.

My school could be the odd one out. I've only ever gone to my school, so I don't know. But there are so many people in my class with incredible experiences and interests, it's humbling.

 

[altblue]

Eh, I think it's unlikely that there are many med school classes where everyone is just the same cookie cutter version of each other. I bet there are plenty of people in those classes that have varying interests. They just aren't in your class, so you might not be as in tune with it. Or maybe your school is just like that, I dunno.

My school could be the odd one out. I've only ever gone to my school, so I don't know. But there are so many people in my class with incredible experiences and interests, it's humbling.

There's certainly variation in interests, and people with incredible stories, but the nerdier, sportier and preppier crowds all converge with similar personalities (socially competent but introverted, serious, and altruistic - the last of which I def value). A lot of it is specific to my class though rather than the school, I agree

There's probably school variations too... like I'm sure the culture at a stat-focused school like WashU is muuuuch different from that at a service-focused one like Rush

 

[sunshinefl]

I’m temporarily staying at my med school bestie’s house right now. We’re in a study bubble together for a couple weeks.

 

[Dral]

Med school ended up being like undergrad for me. I had a few groups of friends (I guess mainly two). The one group all keeps in touch still over 10 years later. We met in NYC for a weekend a few years ago. We were planning a trip to New Orleans for a weekend this fall, but Covid ruined it.

I'm not sure exactly how I did things. One thing I did do is set up a facebook happy hour group for the people I met. I would post when any of us would go to our normal hang out place on Friday night. I guess that helped.

 

[Eye-eye]

When I was in school, the faculty randomly called on students to answer questions - so you needed to be fully prepared and up-to-date. We were repeatedly and regularly grilled. There were no excuses for lack of preparation. Otherwise, you were a sitting duck, and ripe for plucking, and you never knew if you were going to be the hapless duck on that day.

Geez, where did you go? That's almost as bad as letter grades in M1-2. I mean, probably good for making you study, but not for morale, I'd wager.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Geez, where did you go? That's almost as bad as letter grades in M1-2. I mean, probably good for making you study, but not for morale, I'd wager.

That’s literally every day in law school lol.

 

[altblue]

That’s literally every day in law school lol.

Yeah, and even at T14's the best jobs only go to the top 1/2-1/3 of the class grade-wise

Imagine ENT slots predicated on biochem/immuno minutiae for an in-house exam lol. That would be a fresh new hell

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Yeah, and even at T14's the best jobs only go to the top 1/2-1/3 of the class grade-wise

Imagine ENT slots predicated on biochem/immuno minutiae for an in-house exam lol. That would be a fresh new hell

Even worse. An essay exam where you have to list a differential with justification at the basic science level.

 

[slowthai]

That’s literally every day in law school lol.

Wow, horrendous.

Yeah, even at T14's the best jobs only go to the top 1/2-1/3 of the class grade-wise

Imagine ENT slots predicated on biochem/immuno minutiae for an in-house exam lol. That would be a fresh new hell

We'd be seeing a whole new level of gunnery

 

[slowthai]

Even worse. An essay exam where you have to list a differential with justification at the basic science level.

I just projectile vomited

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Wow, horrendous.

Yeah my dad said like literally every class is graded on a single written exam at the end of each semester.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I just projectile vomited

Incidentally so did my cat.

 

[altblue]

Even worse. An essay exam where you have to list a differential with justification at the basic science level.

I'd almost prefer that to multiple choice questions about interleukins or tiny-*** ligaments that'd almost never show up on step lol

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I'd almost prefer that to multiple choice questions about interleukins or tiny-*** ligaments that'd almost never show up on step lol

At least with multiple choice you know the right answer is there instead of writing 6 pages of bull**** you just made up.

 

[altblue]

At least with multiple choice you know the right answer is there instead of writing 6 pages of bull**** you just made up.

Fair fair

 

[Doctor-S]

... That's almost as bad as letter grades in M1-2. I mean, probably good for making you study, but not for morale, I'd wager.

Everyone seemed to be treated equally (because everyone was randomly questioned at one time or another), and we learned how to cope better under pressure, and we learned from our mistakes. It was okay ... no worries.