Missing out on undergrad life

[drakkan2001]

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Does anyone feel that being premed means missing out on a lot in terms of their undergrad experience? I find myself studying 5-6 hours everyday just so that I can get an A/A- in my classes and it's really making me depressed 🙁 I don't know if going into medicine is really worth all the trouble of studying day after day just so that I can get my MD. Has anyone ever felt this way or am I alone?

 

[docjolly]

drakkan,

I after I graduated from Columbia, I felt exactly the same way. In sum, I had wasted all of my undergraduate experience studying for my premed. classes and neglecting the actual experience of being a college student...Although I was able to tackle my premed. classes sucessfully, I neglected to be happy and social...I personally lost many potential friendships and opportunities to learn more about myself and the people arouind me....I found myself suffering from loneliness and fatigue..

Not all premeds do this, however. One of my closest friends was premed. as well. She did exceedingly well in all of her science classes, but on any given night, you could find her at a concert, a coffee house, a party, a poetry reading, or some other student event...It amazes me how she did so well and didn't allow our premed. class to stress her out!

Don't let your premed. classes overwhelm you (easier said than done...I know..). Make sure you take some time (even if it's just an hr) every week for yourself, even if it's just to go to a movie...chat with a friend...go for a walk...It really makes a big difference...

 

[TTSD]

You do what makes you happy! If obtaining your goal/dreams is what makes you happy, then by all means.. study those 5/6 hours. If you feel the need to partake in the college life but still have fun.. then schedule one day in the week, like friday or saturday to cut loose.. and also make exception for unique/interesting events that you just have to attend and plan accordingly.

 

[SaltySqueegee]

I found that by destressing through my minimal social life as a premed, it allowed me to be more thoughtful and critical in my science courses, ultimately allowing me to maximize my study time.

Of course with everything, there is a necessary balance between social life and studying.

Too much study = burnt out early and a loss of drive towards the MD.

Too much play = bad grades.

Those are the extremes, your job is too find where you are in the middle somewhere.

 

[Cerberus]

i have had a good time in ugrad up to this point. Of course I have paid with my GPA but I think staying sane was worth it.

 

[finnpipette]

I dunno about you guys, but I just didn't sleep...I had a blast during my undergrad years and came out with the closest group of friends i've ever had.

 

[jjmack]

I had a fun time as an undergrad. I made a concious decision that I would try to have fun as an undergrad and get the A- instead of the A. I was also fortunately to go to wash u which has an art school and most of my good friends were art students. It is very important to get away from premed people when one is not in class. I only really had two pre-med friends and they are at the complete different ends of the spectrum one is a 2nd year MSTP at UT southwestern and the other is I believe Ross bound.

 

[Cerberus]

i have made friends, been an athelete, and had tons of fun while being premed. Who is going to bring more to medicine, the doctor who spent his entire ugrad years in a library or the doctor who had a life and had experiences outside of academia.

 

[jjmack]

I don't think it really matters whether or not you spent your undergrad years in the library or having great experiences. I think the most important thing is beng able to relate and actually listen to your paitient. So I guess someone who has not been just a bookworm would be better at this, but not necessarily.

 

[Bones2008]

I managed to do well and still get f*cked up fairly often. It's all about knowing when you can sluff off and when you have to buckle down.

 

[jlee9531]

my time at cal was the best 4 years of my life. no doubt. no contest.

i had fun, partied, did goofy things, did a lot of the things that i wanted to do for myself and with my friends.

dated, had long relationships that i will cherish forever.

met amazing people that have become an integral part of my life.

sure i had to earn a living, volunteer, and do other things that i felt that i had to do...

and of course school was included in that as well. yeah my grades suffered since im not the type that studies for hours on end. but the most important aspect of school was not grades at all. it was to enjoy my classes and learn. if the grades didnt turn out the way i wanted...oh well. at least i was enjoying everything else about school.

if you feel that getting that 3.7 to 4.0 is the #1 you have to do, then i guess you have to make sacrifices. you make the decisions. you gotta live with the results.

 

[Cerberus]

Originally posted by jlee9531
if you feel that getting that 3.7 to 4.0 is the #1 you have to do, then i guess you have to make sacrifices. you make the decisions. you gotta live with the results.

I agree, I wouldnt trade my ugrad experience for a 4.0 ever

 

[jlee9531]

Originally posted by Cerberus
I agree, I wouldnt trade my ugrad experience for a 4.0 ever

same here man...

 

[finnpipette]

but i gotta admit though...i'd feel a lot more badass going into the application cycle with a 4.0

 

[MedJoe]

If you didn't or are not currently having fun in undergrad, I truly feel for you. I suggest you take a major inventory of yourself. Undergrad is so important. Not the classes you take or the research you do, but the good, bad and ugly experiences you go through. Unless you are a trust fund kid or a worthless human being (ex. Paris Hilton), it's probably going to be the only time in your life when you are an adult and have almost zero responsibilities. No spouse, kids, mortgage, etc..(for most that is). Take your time in undergrad., have fun, get drunk, smoke it up, get your heart broken, etc. Overall, just experience anything and everything. This is probably going to tick a few people off, but if you are entering med school and you are under 23 years old, you are making an extremely detrimental mistake. No matter how smart you think you are, you just haven't grown enough as a person. This is why accelerated pre-med programs are such a tragedy. Help yourself before you enter into a career/life that is devoted to helping others.

 

[SaltySqueegee]

Originally posted by finnpipette
but i gotta admit though...i'd feel a lot more badass going into the application cycle with a 4.0

How 'bout a 3.994 GPA. Now that would be fricken hilarious.

 

[BerkeleyPremed]

I too find myself studying for hours on end and I don't necessarily get the A all the time because of how competitive the courses are. Is my Berkeley GPA pretty good? Yeah, I would think so. However, am I having as much fun as other undergraduates at this university? Nope...not at all. The last time I went to a "party" was in freshman year. Whenever I get vacations (winter, spring, summer), I always hang out with my friends from LA at their apartments near UCLA and I have fun then..but that doesn't really count because I'm not in school during those times.

When I'm at Berkeley, I have a daily routine of going to class, going to the library in between classes, going to the library after classes, and then repeating the following day. I run my own outreach organization on campus so that takes up many hours on the weekends as well as on the days of meetings (which occur about once/2 weeks...staff meetings are once/week...events are more staggered because so much preparation has to go into each event planned).

To avoid the monotony of studying everyday...I've noticed that varying things up...even little things...like WHERE you study can do WONDERS for your morale. When you're faced with multiple midterms to study for..hundreds of pages of reading to wade through...tons of notes to memorize..and others are depending on your to pull through for your ECs/research...you need to learn to manage time effectively. But to stay sane...here are some tips:

1) CHANGE the PLACE where you study. Studying at the same desk in the same library for weeks/months at a time will slowly drive you insane (a la Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over the ****oo's Nest). Study in cafes (get earplugs), different libraries, alone in your room, etc. The change of scenery will do you good because it will provide more stimulation for your mind and remind you that you're not in prison..confined to the same place(s) all the time.

2) Take a BREAK on Friday and/or Saturday night. Designate 1 night of the week just for you. Don't worry about the upcoming exam on Monday...or upcoming EC event on that day. Just spend that time with friends or doing something you enjoy (movies, leisure reading, etc).

3) Study in GROUPS. You'd be amazed at what you can learn from the people sitting next to you in your lecture hall. Even though they don't have PhDs like your professor, they can often provide different solutions for the same physics problem or helpful strategies in terms of what content to cover for the upcoming molecular bio exam. I try to avoid studying with friends just because the "studying" usually turns into socializing in the library.

4) Get PLENTY of sleep. Try to get at least 8 hours of sleep each night...especially nights before midterms, finals, etc. Pulling all-nighters to cover 300 pages of bio being tested on the midterm probably won't help you very much and you might find yourself kicking yourself in the butt for getting a B- in a class you would've gotten an A in had you just started studying earlier. I like to break the material up into bite-sized chunks and spread my studying out over weeks. If you find that pulling all-nighters actually WORKS for you and you still maintain good grades, by all means...do it and best of luck to you.

5) EXERCISE. Yes..you read correctly...exercise is great for maintaining proper physical AND mental health. Not only will it help keep you in great physical shape...but it will also help keep you mentally acute during the day. I think studies have already been done on this topic by physiologists and epidemiologists. Exercise is good for the mind and body.

Well...hope I've been of assistance. Best of luck to you guys.

 

[Gramsci]

Originally posted by BerkeleyPremed
I too find myself studying for hours on end and I don't necessarily get the A all the time because of how competitive the courses are. Is my Berkeley GPA pretty good? Yeah, I would think so. However, am I having as much fun as other undergraduates at this university? Nope...not at all. The last time I went to a "party" was in freshman year. Whenever I get vacations (winter, spring, summer), I always hang out with my friends from LA at their apartments near UCLA and I have fun then..but that doesn't really count because I'm not in school during those times.

When I'm at Berkeley, I have a daily routine of going to class, going to the library in between classes, going to the library after classes, and then repeating the following day. I run my own outreach organization on campus so that takes up many hours on the weekends as well as on the days of meetings (which occur about once/2 weeks...staff meetings are once/week...events are more staggered because so much preparation has to go into each event planned).

To avoid the monotony of studying everyday...I've noticed that varying things up...even little things...like WHERE you study can do WONDERS for your morale. When you're faced with multiple midterms to study for..hundreds of pages of reading to wade through...tons of notes to memorize..and others are depending on your to pull through for your ECs/research...you need to learn to manage time effectively. But to stay sane...here are some tips:

1) CHANGE the PLACE where you study. Studying at the same desk in the same library for weeks/months at a time will slowly drive you insane (a la Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over the ****oo's Nest). Study in cafes (get earplugs), different libraries, alone in your room, etc. The change of scenery will do you good because it will provide more stimulation for your mind and remind you that you're not in prison..confined to the same place(s) all the time.

2) Take a BREAK on Friday and/or Saturday night. Designate 1 night of the week just for you. Don't worry about the upcoming exam on Monday...or upcoming EC event on that day. Just spend that time with friends or doing something you enjoy (movies, leisure reading, etc).

3) Study in GROUPS. You'd be amazed at what you can learn from the people sitting next to you in your lecture hall. Even though they don't have PhDs like your professor, they can often provide different solutions for the same physics problem or helpful strategies in terms of what content to cover for the upcoming molecular bio exam. I try to avoid studying with friends just because the "studying" usually turns into socializing in the library.

4) Get PLENTY of sleep. Try to get at least 8 hours of sleep each night...especially nights before midterms, finals, etc. Pulling all-nighters to cover 300 pages of bio being tested on the midterm probably won't help you very much and you might find yourself kicking yourself in the butt for getting a B- in a class you would've gotten an A in had you just started studying earlier. I like to break the material up into bite-sized chunks and spread my studying out over weeks. If you find that pulling all-nighters actually WORKS for you and you still maintain good grades, by all means...do it and best of luck to you.

5) EXERCISE. Yes..you read correctly...exercise is great for maintaining proper physical AND mental health. Not only will it help keep you in great physical shape...but it will also help keep you mentally acute during the day. I think studies have already been done on this topic by physiologists and epidemiologists. Exercise is good for the mind and body.

Well...hope I've been of assistance. Best of luck to you guys.

Seems that you have being a loser down to a science

 

[Pre-Dent-David]

Lol @ previous poster.

 

[Spitting Camel]

Originally posted by jlee9531
if you feel that getting that 3.7 to 4.0 is the #1 you have to do, then i guess you have to make sacrifices. you make the decisions. you gotta live with the results.

I disagree a bit. I have had an amazing time in school these past four years and have managed to achieve that 3.7-4.0 gpa you guys are talking about. Could I have done better? Yes, but I don't feel regret at all. I don't think I sacrificed either, as I have wonderful friends who I go out with all of the time, and I am involved in things I love - NOT resume boosters. You can have both good grades and fun, as I feel i have. If anything, I feel I have sacrificed study for fun, not the other way around. I wouldn't trade my life or change anything about my college experience for anything. Learning how to balance your life is key.

 

[stomper627]

Originally posted by MedJoe
If you didn't or are not currently having fun in undergrad, I truly feel for you. I suggest you take a major inventory of yourself. Undergrad is so important. Not the classes you take or the research you do, but the good, bad and ugly experiences you go through. Unless you are a trust fund kid or a worthless human being (ex. Paris Hilton), it's probably going to be the only time in your life when you are an adult and have almost zero responsibilities. No spouse, kids, mortgage, etc..(for most that is). Take your time in undergrad., have fun, get drunk, smoke it up, get your heart broken, etc. Overall, just experience anything and everything. This is probably going to tick a few people off, but if you are entering med school and you are under 23 years old, you are making an extremely detrimental mistake. No matter how smart you think you are, you just haven't grown enough as a person. This is why accelerated pre-med programs are such a tragedy. Help yourself before you enter into a career/life that is devoted to helping others.

Amen!!!!
I wouldnt have traded my undergrad for anything. That frat dick life was great.... nothing but chicks and beer, barely a 3.1 GPA....a couple of Bachelors, a year off of school, Post bac and Im still gonna be a physician before 30 (ok I graduate the month I turn 30). I pity those who have had no life. I have rotated with those students, and I can tell you, its obvious with the patient interaction that they do not know how to elicit information.
stomper

 

[OnMyWayThere]

Why do you have to surrender your life? So what if you study 4 hours a day? Go out at night, meet girls/guys, have drinks and do it all over again tomorrow. It's what you make it. I made mine so much fun, I consider it the most fun I've had. As a matter of fact, I have 18 units this semester and I'm about to take a shower and hit town. You gotta take it easy...

 

[OnMyWayThere]

Originally posted by stomper627
Amen!!!!
I wouldnt have traded my undergrad for anything. That frat dick life was great.... nothing but chicks and beer, barely a 3.1 GPA....a couple of Bachelors, a year off of school, Post bac and Im still gonna be a physician before 30 (ok I graduate the month I turn 30). I pity those who have had no life. I have rotated with those students, and I can tell you, its obvious with the patient interaction that they do not know how to elicit information.
stomper

I dig you.

 

[Gleevec]

The main problem with people who study all the time and feel they have sacrificed everything for undergrad, or that the most fun thing you can do is change the location that you study, is that academics become such a huge deal that it is the only source of self-worth for a lot of these individuals.

Unfortuntely, being a cocky gunner is all that can result from someone focused solely on academics and who has no fun ECs or hobbies... when academics is all you have, academics is all you will preach. Constantly comparing grades, showing off, and so on, since that is the only way to justify sacrificing fun to work hard.

So the moral of the story, well there isnt one. I dont think I should tell anyone how to prioritize their life versus their academics, but its definitely worthwhile to mix it up. You only live once ya know.

 

[BerkeleyPremed]

Originally posted by Gramsci
Seems that you have being a loser down to a science

Ah...I see we another Caribbean-school bound student here. So have you already completed your applications to Ross and/or St. George's? Don't forget to pack the suntan lotion along with a beachball. Note how my post actually tried to address the OPs post and offered constructive advice. Your post was basically aimed at just bashing another poster (namely...me). This is why you're headed off to the Caribbean...it's not because you didn't work hard enough..it's because you're just plain stupid. But I can't blame you for having the IQ of a gibbon though...it's not your fault you were born stupid.

 

[docmemi]

you can always take a year off if you feel you need more time and havent lived life as much as you wanted before starting med school.

 

[Gramsci]

Originally posted by BerkeleyPremed
Ah...I see we another Caribbean-school bound student here. So have you already completed your applications to Ross and/or St. George's? Don't forget to pack the suntan lotion along with a beachball. Note how my post actually tried to address the OPs post and offered constructive advice. Your post was basically aimed at just bashing another poster (namely...me). This is why you're headed off to the Caribbean...it's not because you didn't work hard enough..it's because you're just plain stupid. But I can't blame you for having the IQ of of a gibbon though...it's your fault you were born stupid.

If you must know I attended Harvard Med.

 

[hamhamfan]

Originally posted by Gramsci
Seems that you have being a loser down to a science

Hey don't be so mean to him. I really agree with his advice. Even if you don't care for for his advice, you don't need to resort to personal attacks.

IMHO, will be fine dedicating themselves to study. Their "justification" is entrance into med school (or whatever). Why would people need to "experience" all of these things? A lot of my classmates do illegal things, and it seems pretty unproductive to me. I really really don't understand the point of getting drunk or doing drugs. It's not even good for your health.

 

[Gramsci]

Originally posted by hamhamfan
Hey don't be so mean to him. I really agree with his advice. Even if you don't care for for his advice, you don't need to resort to personal attacks.

IMHO, will be fine dedicating themselves to study. Their "justification" is entrance into med school (or whatever). Why would people need to "experience" all of these things? A lot of my classmates do illegal things, and it seems pretty unproductive to me. I really really don't understand the point of getting drunk or doing drugs. It's not even good for your health.

Well friend, the fact of the matter is that you probably dont understand much of anything. Real life is not about sitting in a library studying and it annoys me to no end that so many of my collegues have led such sheltered lives.

Further, life isnt nice, life is very very mean. If I come across as a jerk it is because that is how real life is - something I dont expect a naive undergraduate such as yourself to know. The sooner you realize that not everything in life is nice and pbs sanitized the better. I recomend you develope some thicker skin because eventually you are gonna have someone like me as your resident and you arent going to like it.

 

[docmemi]

gram, you are right, people are mean in the real world!

but, the point of SDN is for people to help others out to get into med school.

its not about you bashing others and roughing them up to prep them for real life. maybe thats why you are not well liked by the op's.

anyway, im not trying to pick a fight with you so dont come say stupid **** back to me and be jerky.

 

[calcrew14]

Originally posted by Gleevec

So the moral of the story, well there isnt one. I dont think I should tell anyone how to prioritize their life versus their academics, but its definitely worthwhile to mix it up. You only live once ya know.

👍

Someone told me that by the time people die, preferably of their natural death, most of them will have encountered everything possible for any human life. What could one possibly miss in any college life? Friendships, love and sex affairs, alcohols, gamblings, sports including golf and fishings, moveies, musics, vidio games and other entertainments or celebrities, some "trollish" activities and *please donate vocabularies here* ......etc. There are always chances for these beyond colleges, but late bloomers of all trades would prefer absolute privacy because the stakes are much higher then. For the better or the worse, people do change.
And the best story of them all may have never been told.

 

[BerkeleyPremed]

Originally posted by Gramsci
If you must know I attended Harvard Med.

LOL. Sure...you attended Harvard Med. Did you bash people there just like you bash people here? Why are you even posting your drivel in this thread. The POINT of this board is to HELP other premeds in the medical school admissions process. This forum serves as a place to share information and support the premed community. If you want to get bashed...just ask one of your Ross professors why you ended up at Ross and he'll be more than happy to tell you why. Really...you make an autistic, 12 year old look like a Rhodes Scholar.

Your whole bit about, "Hey...life isn't nice. Life is very mean..so it's ok for me to mean...you might have someone like me as a resident some day!" is just downright dumb. Go back to the mainpage and look at why this website exists.

 

[xlithiumx]

Ok guys,

Here's the thing. Regardless of your undergrad school...there always is time. You may have to choose to make time, but it's there. Pre-med courses do not require tons more than regular courses do in terms of time commitment. I have finished up my pre-med coursework at a top tier liberal arts school in the midwest, and it's just not that huge of a deal.

I have had the opportunity to participate in 4 different school music ensembles, take private trumpet lessons, write for the school paper, have a radio show, work as a writing advisor for the english department, have my own rock band that tours the midwest, film a full length documentary, and still have enough time to nurture a fun social life.

And, you don't have to sacrifice your academic life to do it. My cumulative GPA is 3.77 right now, and and my BCPM GPA is about 3.72.

This can be done, you just have to choose to do it. I believe that many people who say that they have had to sacrifice their social lives for their academics merely haven't made the effort to maintain a social life. I say, it's your life, so take control of it and live on purpose. Get what you want out of it.

Dave

 

[Cerberus]

Originally posted by dbaldes
Ok guys,

Here's the thing. Regardless of your undergrad school...there always is time. You may have to choose to make time, but it's there. Pre-med courses do not require tons more than regular courses do in terms of time commitment. I have finished up my pre-med coursework at a top tier liberal arts school in the midwest, and it's just not that huge of a deal.

I have had the opportunity to participate in 4 different school music ensembles, take private trumpet lessons, write for the school paper, have a radio show, work as a writing advisor for the english department, have my own rock band that tours the midwest, film a full length documentary, and still have enough time to nurture a fun social life.

And, you don't have to sacrifice your academic life to do it. My cumulative GPA is 3.77 right now, and and my BCPM GPA is about 3.72.

This can be done, you just have to choose to do it. I believe that many people who say that they have had to sacrifice their social lives for their academics merely haven't made the effort to maintain a social life. I say, it's your life, so take control of it and live on purpose. Get what you want out of it.

Dave

This man is 100% spot on! BerkelyPremed is such a ****ing douche that he will probably never realize how much of his life has been absolutely wasted for that extra .01 of a GPA percentage.

 

[Cerberus]

Originally posted by hamhamfan
Hey don't be so mean to him. I really agree with his advice. Even if you don't care for for his advice, you don't need to resort to personal attacks.

IMHO, will be fine dedicating themselves to study. Their "justification" is entrance into med school (or whatever). Why would people need to "experience" all of these things? A lot of my classmates do illegal things, and it seems pretty unproductive to me. I really really don't understand the point of getting drunk or doing drugs. It's not even good for your health.

future pediatrician
****ing goofballs

 

[BklynWill]

Originally posted by BerkeleyPremed
The POINT of this board is to HELP other premeds in the medical school admissions process. This forum serves as a place to share information and support the premed community.

Originally posted by BerkeleyPremed
If you want to get bashed...just ask one of your Ross professors why you ended up at Ross and he'll be more than happy to tell you why.

You sound somewhat hypocritical when you bash the Caribbean schools. I'm afraid to hear your opinion on why students go to osteopathic medical schools.
I'd take an acceptance to Ross over being an anxious undergrad not yet guaranteed an acceptance to any school.

 

[Goober]

Why do people keep having this idea that you can't have a social life and high grades during college? My college years were a lot more fun than med school. I had a blast. You don't even realize how much free time you have in college until you get to med school. I finished with above 3.9 gpa and I studied at maybe 2-3 hours a day unless exam was coming up.

 

[OnMyWayThere]

Originally posted by BerkeleyPremed
Ah...I see we another Caribbean-school bound student here. So have you already completed your applications to Ross and/or St. George's? Don't forget to pack the suntan lotion along with a beachball. Note how my post actually tried to address the OPs post and offered constructive advice. Your post was basically aimed at just bashing another poster (namely...me). This is why you're headed off to the Caribbean...it's not because you didn't work hard enough..it's because you're just plain stupid. But I can't blame you for having the IQ of a gibbon though...it's not your fault you were born stupid.

What's wrong with the Carribean? If he goes to St. George's, he'll still be a kick ass physician and might even steal your residency spot.

I do appreciate your earlier post about studying tips, that was nice of you and a lot of it make sense. Don't degrade yourself and put down other schools... based on where they're located or who goes there. That's just lame. Students and graduates that moved from the U.S. to study have my respect for going to the extent of moving to another country to pusue their dream. Now that's cool.

 

[Goober]

Originally posted by BklynWill

I'd take an acceptance to Ross over being an anxious undergrad not yet guaranteed an acceptance to any school.

Just out of curosity do people actually get rejected from Ross? Not a bash- but I never actually met somebody who got rejected from a Carribean school.

 

[BerkeleyPremed]

Originally posted by OnMyWayThere
What's wrong with the Carribean? If he goes to St. George's, he'll still be a kick ass physician and might even steal your residency spot.

I do appreciate your earlier post about studying tips, that was nice of you and a lot of it make sense. Don't degrade yourself and put down other schools... based on where they're located or who goes there. That's just lame. Students and graduates that moved from the U.S. to study have my respect for going to the extent of moving to another country to pusue their dream. Now that's cool.

Oh, don't worry...it's not the SCHOOL that I'm bashing (St. George's, Ross, etc)...it's the poster (Gramsci) who bashed me for absolutely no reason whatsoever. The OP had a legitimate dilemma in the original post...I addressed the issue at hand and offered some suggestions as to how the OP could attempt to maintain a high GPA while still living a healthy, balanced life. Personally, I don't really have anything against the Caribbean schools. I'd rather not go there for medical school...but I respect anyone with an MD...regardless of where that MD is from.

 

[fierce tiger]

life is too short, make time for fun

 

[tautomer]

We all have to remember that we are so different when it comes to our academic capabilites. Some of us (including myself) feel that we HAVE to sacrifice some personal free time to pull off the grades. I'm so busy all the time with extracurricular activites and such, that when it comes time to actually make a choice between studying or going out, I usually study, or futz around in the dorm watching TV because I'm too tired of working! It seems like if I'm not doing SOMETHING, then I don't want to be doing ANYTHING. It kinda sounds "loserish," but I know that if I didn't study as much as I did, I wouldn't get the grades I am getting. God knows my freshman year is a good comparison. So, we can't bash people who feel that studying is a large part of their lives. My friends say I don't get out enough, and I know many of you have said you wouldn't sacrifice your undergrad experience for a higher GPA, but unfortunately for some of use, we have to sacrifice our undergrad experience for a DECENT GPA. So just remember there are more "stupid" people out there like me who need to work ALOT to pull off the A/A-s.

 

[uclacrewdude]

just so you know, one B is not going to kill your entire application.

 

[LauraMac]

it's all about time management! you can accomplish sooooo much in one day it's not even funny.


and like another poster said, you can always just not sleep. like a lot of times i'll go out and party all night on weeknights but still wake up and go to my classes in the morning. eventually you have to sleep, but usually some free time comes around at some point so you can try and play catch up.

study hard, play hard!

 

[hamhamfan]

Originally posted by Gramsci
Well friend, the fact of the matter is that you probably dont understand much of anything. Real life is not about sitting in a library studying and it annoys me to no end that so many of my collegues have led such sheltered lives.

Further, life isnt nice, life is very very mean. If I come across as a jerk it is because that is how real life is - something I dont expect a naive undergraduate such as yourself to know. The sooner you realize that not everything in life is nice and pbs sanitized the better. I recomend you develope some thicker skin because eventually you are gonna have someone like me as your resident and you arent going to like it.

You say that you "attended" Harvard Med. If I attend medical school, I hope that mean people like you won't be my resident.

What do you mean by "sheltered?" Do I have to have some kind of military experience or live in in a thirld world slum to be considered experienced or what? I know what it is like to be treated badly. It hurts, but you have to do something about it.

What is this "real world" you speak of? I have worked, and I don't think it's exceptionally different or anything. It's kind of like volunteering or research, but with a paycheck.

 

[vaultdweller13]

I can't believe some of the comments and personal insults made on this forum. I swear sometimes I feel like I'm reading a Counter Strike board. What's unerving is that some of you are in med school but still have the mentality of a 16 year old. I can only hope that you encounter a ball breaking senior resident or attending who will bitch slap you so hard you'll think you're pre-med all over again. I truly hope your years as a resident will give you a healthy dose of humility because god knows you need it.


BerkeleyPreMed, I think you gave great advice. Good luck to you.

 

[Nike]

My freshman year in college was very stressful. I took on too much and felt like i never had time to go out. I was definitely not happy. THe last three years have been the best three years of my life so far. The experiences I've had and the friendships I've made will last a lifetime, and those are the memories I'll recall when I'm older, not sitting in a library. You must take time for yourself and for activities you enjoy doing. If you don't, you'll get burnt out.

If you feel like you're spending too much time studying and not enough time having fun, slow down a bit! Everyone learns at different rates. Take some classes over the summer or take an extra semester to graduate. I hate how everyone always "brags" about how busy they are . . . if you feel you can only handle 12 hours, then take 12 hours. Some people have an easier time learning Ochem, for example, or can go better with out sleep, well good for them, but don't compare yourself to others.

Plan a couple of things throughout the week to do for fun, tell your friends and make them drag you out if you start to change your mind. I always find that that helps 😉 . Also, when I know I'm going to go out at night, it makes me much more efficient during the day.

Good luck with everything and hang in there!