MS1's in turmoil: Stressed. Confused. Depressed. Buyer's remorse..The experiences/thoughts of a MS2.

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notbobtrustme said:
SDN is awful for neurotic average/below average students because it's skewed so high here. I mean, go look at the Step 1 2013-2014 thread. Every other person scored >250 when in reality a 250 is in the 90th+ percentile.
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I visited that forum many times before... Yeah, most of these people destroy step 1...
 
notbobtrustme said:
SDN is awful for neurotic average/below average students because it's skewed so high here. I mean, go look at the Step 1 2013-2014 thread. Every other person scored >250 when in reality a 250 is in the 90th+ percentile.
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It's like that for everything on SDN, I imagine. Everyone in the MCAT thread was scoring mid 30s, back when I took the MCAT.
 
notbobtrustme said:
SDN is awful for neurotic average/below average students because it's skewed so high here. I mean, go look at the Step 1 2013-2014 thread. Every other person scored >250 when in reality a 250 is in the 90th+ percentile.
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Exactly.

SDN is a great resource, but if you're an average student its pretty easy to become disillusioned and depressed about your grades/board scores after reading the forums for a few hours.
 
circulus vitios said:
It's like that for everything on SDN, I imagine. Everyone in the MCAT thread was scoring mid 30s, back when I took the MCAT.
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Heh.

Every pre-med who hasn't taken the MCAT yet thinks they can get a 34+ if they study hard enough.
 
W19 said:
She wants me to see the school psychologist... I am not going. Nothing is wrong with me! This is a competitive environment...
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For the love of God, no one said anything is wrong with you (well, that whole diary and entitled thing, but whatever that's not what we're talking about here). You're obviously anxious. If you're that concerned, see a psychologist/psychiatrist OUTSIDE of the school. Whatever you do - DON'T ignore it and relegate it to med school being competitive to rationalize it.
 
W19 said:
My school mandates everyone below 70 to get tutoring ASAP... and it's being enforced... I heard students received email that they have to attend these tutoring sessions, it would be a shame if I was in that list...
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And that's a good thing. Med students are NOTORIOUS for not seeking help when they need it and not just in grades either, or they do it when it's way too late. You're absolutely (I can't even say it bc I would get banned) for thinking there is some type of shame, bc you went to tutoring. You are paying for that with your tuition dollars. I'll repeat it again: THERE IS NO SHAME WITH GOING TO TUTORING.
 
Maybe it's the competitive nature of people in SDN that get me worried like that... We will have a week break during thanksgiving and I think it will be a good time to relax physically and mentality. I will try to see a psychologist/psychiatrist when I travel back home on thanksgiving...
 
W19 said:
Maybe it's the competitive nature of people in SDN that get me worried like that... We will have a week break during thanksgiving and I think it will be a good time to relax physically and mentality. I will try to see a psychologist/psychiatrist when I travel back home on thanksgiving...
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Certainly plan to see someone, but consider the fact that people who are under treatment (either meds or therapy) have a longitudinal relationship with their providers. Having someone many miles away that you can't make appointments with is not going to help.
 
circulus vitios said:
Yeah, it's totally unfathomable that below-average performance could make someone second-guess themselves.
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That someone would seriously contemplate dropping out for getting slightly below the class average on one test?
 
southernIM said:
That someone would seriously contemplate dropping out for getting slightly below the class average on one test?
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With the assumption that the coursework will only become more demanding, and that below average now could turn into failing in MS2? Sure.
 
circulus vitios said:
With the assumption that the coursework will only become more demanding, and that below average now could turn into failing in MS2? Sure.
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Perhaps, but responding that way to a single test that someone didn't even fail seems like an overreaction to say the least.
 
W19 said:
Maybe it's the competitive nature of people in SDN that get me worried like that... We will have a week break during thanksgiving and I think it will be a good time to relax physically and mentality. I will try to see a psychologist/psychiatrist when I travel back home on thanksgiving...
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A psychologist/psychiatrist is someone you follow up with longitudinally over a period of time. It's not a person you go to once in a while every few months.
 
circulus vitios said:
With the assumption that the coursework will only become more demanding, and that below average now could turn into failing in MS2? Sure.
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It's one exam grade, in one course. To say that is somehow clairvoyance on future performance in M2 coursework is irresponsible on your part.
 
circulus vitios said:
Yeah, it's totally unfathomable that below-average performance could make someone second-guess themselves.
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No one is talking about second guessing. But to have a reaction to where you are ready to march to your Dean of Student Affairs and tell them you're withdrawing/quitting, over 1 exam score, is a HUGE overreaction.
 
southernIM said:
Obvious troll is getting more and more obvious
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southernIM said:
That someone would seriously contemplate dropping out for getting slightly below the class average on one test?
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There are some people who are that anal-retentive/anxious - if they aren't on top, then it's not worth going thru. They tend to be the very high strung people in class.
 
Thank you for posting this. I like studying medicine but on exams I'm usually scoring a bit below the average. I haven't failed a class yet. It has started creating some self doubt.

I'm am content with my grades since I plan to go into primary care. My biggest fear right now is that even if I pass I might not become a great physician. I don't want to be the ***** who misses something obviously wrong with their patient.
 
I keep hearing second year will be worst; therefore, I was afraid. My MS2 roommate, by all account, is smart guy since he was a tutor for biochem and genetics; I also know he got an A in anatomy and he told me that he is struggling in micro and pharm now. I was scared because I did not want to be deep in debt and then fail... I am not a troll... My concerns were legitimate!
 
DermViser said:
There are some people who are that anal-retentive/anxious - if they aren't on top, then it's not worth going thru. They tend to be the very high strung people in class.
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To be honest, I was more concerned about being deep in debt... I am not an anal-retentive/anxious type...
 
chizledfrmstone said:
Thank you for posting this. I like studying medicine but on exams I'm usually scoring a bit below the average. I haven't failed a class yet. It has started creating some self doubt.

I'm am content with my grades since I plan to go into primary care. My biggest fear right now is that even if I pass I might not become a great physician. I don't want to be the ***** who misses something obviously wrong with their patient.
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Your worth as a physician is not proportional to your performance on a basic science multiple choice exam. There are many students who are aces at filling in scantron bubbles but I wouldn't want within 2 feet of me in a patient room when I am most vulnerable. Watch the movie Wit - it's an awesome movie - the resident in it is who I am talking about.
 
W19 said:
To be honest, I was more concerned about being deep in debt... I am not an anal-retentive/anxious type...
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Um, you are the anxious type -- you're keeping an anal-retentive diary.

If debt alone is that functionally incapacitating for you, then med school is the wrong decision. But you can't have a huge freakout "I'm quitting!" every time you have a set back in med school. You'll have a nervous breakdown.
 
W19 said:
I keep hearing second year will be worst; therefore, I was afraid. My MS2 roommate, by all account, is smart guy since he was a tutor for biochem and genetics; I also know he got an A in anatomy and he told me that he is struggling in micro and pharm now. I was scared because I did not want to be deep in debt and then fail... I am not a troll... My concerns were legitimate!
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Why are you worrying about MS2, when you're an MS1? One step at at time. If you're looking 50 feet ahead afraid of what will be there, you'll trip over your own feet.
 
NickNaylor said:
Our psych clerkship director, who advises us through the residency process and also is involved with residency selection, told us us that roughly a third of applicants that interview have failed a clerkship. Mind you, my home program is by no means a stellar program, but it's certainly a quality program at a big-name institution that will get you good training.

I don't know my ranking as it's not directly disclosed and I don't care enough to try and find it out, but I'm almost certainly in the bottom quartile of my class, got a mid 230s step 1, and have received more interviews than I know what to do with, including a few at very solid institutions. I did not "win" medical school. However, this all comes from the perspective of someone who has no interest in academia and is staying away from most "desirable" areas due to personal interest (e.g., NYC, Boston, LA, etc.).

A good buddy of mine scored in the 210s on step 1 and is probably overall an even weaker applicant than me and we've been largely interviewing at the same places.

I don't know about PM&R, but it's not difficult at all to get a quality psych position. Getting one of "the best" positions is another thing, but even then it's nothing like getting one of "the best" positions in derm, the surgical subspecialties, etc. etc..
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You're a 4th year?.....

Mother of god it took me a long time to get into medical school. I remember when you decided on U of C. Psych for you?

And W19? Sorry if this sounds harsh. But **** you for hijacking this thread (which had a great OP and potential) with your 4 points below anatomy->dropout bull ****. Either you're a troll or an insufferable person.

Edit: Nice post Frazier.
 
It was probably an overreaction in my part... I am going to give it the best shot I can, and try to not worry about the unknown...

Sorry for highjacking the thread... I won't talk about my problem anymore. This is my last post regarding that stuff...
 
jw3600 said:
You're a 4th year?.....

Mother of god it took me a long time to get into medical school. I remember when you decided on U of C. Psych for you?

And W19? Sorry if this sounds harsh. But **** you for hijacking this thread (which had a great OP and potential) with your 4 points below anatomy->dropout bull ****. Either you're a troll or an insufferable person.

Edit: Nice post Frazier.
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While I would normally agree with you, W19 is very much in line with what the OP is addressing. The level of self-doubt can be huge for medical students (no matter which medical school you go to - top tier, middle tier, or low tier), esp. if you're not from an affluent family and you're taking loans on everything . I might be naive believing him, but sometimes it is really difficult for an M1 to see perspective.
 
jw3600 said:
You're a 4th year?.....

Mother of god it took me a long time to get into medical school. I remember when you decided on U of C. Psych for you?

And W19? Sorry if this sounds harsh. But **** you for hijacking this thread (which had a great OP and potential) with your 4 points below anatomy->dropout bull ****. Either you're a troll or an insufferable person.

Edit: Nice post Frazier.
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i thought one the OP was meant to support preclinical students with concerns similar to that of W19? I do not see how his albeit neurotic post detracts from the OP. In fact, I think it validates the points that the OP is trying to espouse.
 
W19 said:
It was probably an overreaction in my part... I am going to give it the best shot I can, and try to not worry about the unknown...
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Ya think? There are people in your class who failed the exam and they are still there, and you were ready to quit after 1 exam.
 
I get it. But this wasn't a "come one, come all! lays your woes upon us!" thread. This was a general PSA/summary of the difficulties of MS1/MS2. Whiney McWhinerson can start his own damn thread.
 
man i cant wait to go to med school. the non trad forums are never this interesting
 
newnerd said:
man i cant wait to go to med school. the non trad forums are never this interesting
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I guess medical students tearing their hair out and being anal retentive over multiple choice exam questions is always interesting to the layman audience in the Coliseum.
 
fancymylotus said:
my ovaries need to stfu
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They'll be quaking for sure during 5 years. I had a friend whose wife wanted a baby early during his residency (he wanted to start when he was an attending). She pretty much withheld sex from him for like 3 months. Needless to say they had a baby - now 2 kids, and while it made things a little bit more busy, he was glad he had children when he did.
 
DermViser said:
While I would normally agree with you, W19 is very much in line with what the OP is addressing. The level of self-doubt can be huge for medical students (no matter which medical school you go to - top tier, middle tier, or low tier), esp. if you're not from an affluent family and you're taking loans on everything . I might be naive believing him, but sometimes it is really difficult for an M1 to see perspective.
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Can vouch for this. Did ****ty on first set of exams (>1 SD below average), freaked out, had tremendous self-doubt and thought about quitting, went to tutoring and counseling, things got better. The important part is how I reached out for help. Seriously, seek tutoring and counseling. It can help tremendously (academically and personally) and put things in perspective.
 
DermViser said:
They'll be quaking for sure during 5 years. I had a friend whose wife wanted a baby early during his residency (he wanted to start when he was an attending). She pretty much withheld sex from him for like 3 months. Needless to say they had a baby - now 2 kids, and while it made things a little bit more busy, he was glad he had children when he did.
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I don't think I have to withhold sex to bribe him into wanting kids, lol
 
MedWonk said:
Can vouch for this. Did ****ty on first set of exams (>1 SD below average), freaked out, had tremendous self-doubt and thought about quitting, went to tutoring and counseling, things got better. The important part is how I reached out for help. Seriously, seek tutoring and counseling. It can help tremendously (academically and personally) and put things in perspective.
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Medical school should be a time in which your ego should be the last thing you're worried about. I think many things mitigate that self doubt: a good support system - family and friends, going to counseling (psychiatrist or psychologist), going to tutoring sessions no matter what quartile you're in, studying in groups to where everyone hold everyone accountable to get the information down (this builds friendships like no other, esp. if you have someone who loves to make charts and study guides, etc.).

Too frequently, med students isolate themselves which is the worst thing they can do - and are highly lacking in overall perspective mainly bc they've never had to confront adversity before.
 
Kahreek said:
damn right son, you'll have the time of your life, or you'll have the time of your life discovering you aren´t having the time of your life.
probably the later
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definitely no disillusionment here. I have done so much research trying to just decide if I want to make the commitment that the initial excitement is long gone my friend. Pair that along with statements like yours that I see too often to ignore, has given me a very realistic perspective (as realistic as it can be without having been in it yet :cigar:). DON'T question my emoji!
 
Oh boy! what a thread! I could see where w19 is coming from. I was kind of like that at the beginning. It was very intimidating to be among these big guns who keep getting As while you are getting Bs and Cs... Now, I am not that neurotic anymore. I certainly will give it my best... Cs don't bother me anymore.
 
fancymylotus said:
That's coz I don't hang out in non trad, of course. Heh
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hey me neither as you can see.
DermViser said:
I guess medical students tearing their hair out and being anal retentive over multiple choice exam questions is always interesting to the layman audience in the Coliseum.
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I cant help it sometimes I'm like :corny:. Especially you and W19 lol
 
newnerd said:
definitely no disillusionment here. I have done so much research trying to just decide if I want to make the commitment that the initial excitement is long gone my friend. Pair that along with statements like yours that I see too often to ignore, has given me a very realistic perspective (as realistic as it can be without having been in it yet :cigar:). DON'T question my emoji!
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Your Emoji reminds me of Bill Clinton.
 
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