not sure if i would like a true pass/fail medical school

[boopitybop]

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i've been thinking about this for a while and i'm not sure i would like a curriculum graded by pure pass/fail. i know it is all personal, but i could see myself falling into a trap where i talked myself into stop studying after i thought i had mastered the material enough to merely pass, especially when its the middle of the night and you are exhausted. in college, there was an incentive not to just understand the material, but to work harder than everyone else and master the material. when you ronly concern is to pass a class you kind of lose that incentive and with it a certain motivation to continue to push yourself. has this worried anyone else?

full disclosure, i'm going to a traditionally graded school

 

[carnelian]

i've been thinking about this for a while and i'm not sure i would like a curriculum graded by pure pass/fail. i know it is all personal, but i could see myself falling into a trap where i talked myself into stop studying after i thought i had mastered the material enough to merely pass, especially when its the middle of the night and you are exhausted. in college, there was an incentive not to just understand the material, but to work harder than everyone else and master the material. when you ronly concern is to pass a class you kind of lose that incentive and with it a certain motivation to continue to push yourself. has this worried anyone else?

full disclosure, i'm going to a traditionally graded school

Umm, no? The incentive can be to do well on the USMLE and know the material to not make a fool of yourself as a physician. Plus, I'm sure you'll still see numeric scores on the actual test for most schools, even if there's not final letter grade for the transcript. The idea of seeing a below average grade - even if it doesn't count - is enough to scare some people into studying harder. But it's different for every person; that's why schools with different grading systems exist. 🙂

 

[circulus vitios]

You're going to study like crazy for Step 1 regardless of the curriculum or how well you think you know the material, so it's probably not an issue.

 

[Iso4ane]

It also depends on the school, if the school is filled with tons of very smart people (smart even among the already smart general applicant pool), the level you need to pass can still be kinda high. But, one nice thing is about pass/fail too (assuming you are not ranked) it can remove the need for people to screw others over.

 

[mcatdestroyer]

I for one embrace pass/fail

 

[Praefectus]

It also depends on the school, if the school is filled with tons of very smart people (smart even among the already smart general applicant pool), the level you need to pass can still be kinda high. But, one nice thing is about pass/fail too (assuming you are not ranked) it can remove the need for people to screw others over.

This is the reason why more schools should move towards pass/fail.

 

[Iso4ane]

This is the reason why more schools should move towards pass/fail.

Also for pass/fail you actually may work harder, cause you do not want to be the only one who fails, right?

 

[Slack3r]

I think noncurved H/P/F is better.

 

[calvnandhobbs68]

not sure if I would like you

 

[Slack3r]

not sure if I would like you

Your loss, I rule.

But I'd rather have the option to honor above say 90% rather than have a P/F with rankings that are reported in your Dean's letter anyway (I.e. what most P/F schools do). Just my opinion.

 

[calvnandhobbs68]

Your loss, I rule.

But I'd rather have the option to honor above say 90% rather than have a P/F with rankings that are reported in your Dean's letter anyway (I.e. what most P/F schools do). Just my opinion.

lol it was about the OP

 

[Josh7]

One of my main motivators right now in undergrad is to study more than the rest of the class because that will ALWAYS get you an A/B on a test. I guess I would enjoy the Pass/Fail system though because I could just move my motivation from direct competition with classmates to direct competition with everyone on Step1/2.

 

[ShenanigansMD]

I agree, I might get too lazy with P/F. That being said, it won't ultimately judge where I want to go.

 

[typicalindian]

Bring it on! The underachiever in me can't wait for a p/f system.

 

[SeminoleVesicle]

News flash: medical school isn't easy. You're not going to be making 90-100s in every subject and there's just too much material to feel like you've completely mastered everything for an exam. Pass/Fail takes a lot of pressure off.

 

[MonkeyDRuffy]

I don't really see the problem. A lot of getting into medical school is internal motivation. Even with the pass/fail system, if you really want to go to x specialty, you will work towards it. The Step 1 exam will require you to study your ass off anyways. To each their own.

 

[iforget2]

It also depends on the school, if the school is filled with tons of very smart people (smart even among the already smart general applicant pool), the level you need to pass can still be kinda high. But, one nice thing is about pass/fail too (assuming you are not ranked) it can remove the need for people to screw others over.

Excuse my ignorance, but is it common for students to screw other students over? And if so, in what manner do they do so?

 

[NewYorker9]

Umm, no? The incentive can be to do well on the USMLE and know the material to not make a fool of yourself as a physician. Plus, I'm sure you'll still see numeric scores on the actual test for most schools, even if there's not final letter grade for the transcript. The idea of seeing a below average grade - even if it doesn't count - is enough to scare some people into studying harder. But it's different for every person; that's why schools with different grading systems exist. 🙂

👍👍👍

 

[Iso4ane]

Excuse my ignorance, but is it common for students to screw other students over? And if so, in what manner do they do so?

Fine, maybe screw over is a little harsh. Let's, just say they have less incentive to help you out.

At my school (which is purely P/F first two years), many of the students collaborate and post their study guides for the REST of the class. And its not just one student either, its a good number of them. So, for each exam there are countless study guides floating around covering different areas of the exam.

 

[mmmcdowe]

If that is how you feel, then by all means do what you feel is best for you

 

[mvenus929]

News flash: medical school isn't easy. You're not going to be making 90-100s in every subject and there's just too much material to feel like you've completely mastered everything for an exam. Pass/Fail takes a lot of pressure off.

This. I'd much rather keep my sanity than stress about getting an A on every single exam. Course, I'm also not gunning for Derm.

 

[Leofet]

A medical student's quote in the Yale brochure put it quite aptly (paraphrased)... It's in our best interest to make sure our classmates are the best they can be for the sake of our patients. Anyway, I'm for P/F. Also, study hard for yourself and your ability to be a doctor, not for achievement.

 

[b-real]

Fine, maybe screw over is a little harsh. Let's, just say they have less incentive to help you out.

At my school (which is purely P/F first two years), many of the students collaborate and post their study guides for the REST of the class. And its not just one student either, its a good number of them. So, for each exam there are countless study guides floating around covering different areas of the exam.

This was the case for my school as well, which uses traditional grades. I think there is a great myth out there that graded schools are uniformly more cutthroat than P/F. Also, realize that few schools are P/F all 4 years. Once you hit clinicals, you are graded in one fashion or another. There are also very few schools that are completely unranked. For most schools, even P/F ones, you are ranked and it will be used in your MSPE (dean's letter).

 

[moneytree]

in college, there was an incentive not to just understand the material, but to work harder than everyone else

😎

 

[flatearth22]

A medical student's quote in the Yale brochure put it quite aptly (paraphrased)... It's in our best interest to make sure our classmates are the best they can be for the sake of our patients. Anyway, I'm for P/F. Also, study hard for yourself and your ability to be a doctor, not for achievement.

Too bad med school inherently selects for people like this:

 

[NonTraditional3]

😎

haha

 

[moneytree]

Too bad med school inherently selects for people like this:

Why you gotta put me on blast like that? 🙁

 

[Leofet]

Too bad med school inherently selects for people like this:

 

[Frazier]

Too bad med school inherently selects for people like this:

Asian. Did not matriculate or collect 200$.

 

[MedPR]

Bring it on! The underachiever in me can't wait for a p/f system.

 

[SeminoleVesicle]

When I was getting dick-slapped by cranial nerves, I was thankful for P/F.

 

[NonTraditional3]

When I was getting dick-slapped by cranial nerves, I was thankful for P/F.

okay, just....the comment....and the username to go with it....I'm dying over here haha