Nothing has every made me feel as insignificant

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Sartre79

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as the medical school application process. Nothing is ever good enough. :mad:

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Just wait! The USMLE and Residency Match is going to be EVEN MORE FUN than this! :)
 
Sartre79 said:
as the medical school application process. Nothing is ever good enough. :mad:

I feel ya, as if it's not bad enough, it lasts OVER a year... although you'll make it in steps along the way. ;) It's full of small joys and sometimes big dissappointments, but when you get that first acceptance it will all be worth it. :oops:

uggghhh... and if you happen to get waitlisted (I wouldn't wish this on even my worst enemy!!) ... forget it...the saga continues! :rolleyes: :(
 
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jackieMD2007 said:
Just wait! The USMLE and Residency Match is going to be EVEN MORE FUN than this! :)

at least at the point of the Match you are pretty much an MD and have some sort of actual backup that can happen should you not match (scramble). Also, the Match doesn't demand you to have demonstrated such selfless commitment to service as med school applications do. Answering questions like "what was the greatest thing you did for others" or "what is your greatest accomplishment" seem to drive me to two ends: I havent done enough things in my life compared to others OR I'm going to come across as some prideful prick! Medicine seems to lose much of its idealism after acceptance to med school.
 
Just wait, while filling out your primaries and secondaries, you feel like you are a complete loser. I can't tell you how many times I thought the other applicants had probably single-handedly found the cure for cancer. Anyways, I felt very inadequate while filling out the primaries and secondaries...but then when the interviews come and you are talking to the other applicants, you find out they are just like you and that you *are* adequate enough to become a physician. Trust me guys...the cycle gets better and then you just wait for school to start!

Good Luck!
 
McMD said:
Just wait, while filling out your primaries and secondaries, you feel like you are a complete loser. I can't tell you how many times I thought the other applicants had probably single-handedly found the cure for cancer. Anyways, I felt very inadequate while filling out the primaries and secondaries...but then when the interviews come and you are talking to the other applicants, you find out they are just like you and that you *are* adequate enough to become a physician. Trust me guys...the cycle gets better and then you just wait for school to start!

Good Luck!
Wait, you didn't find a cure for cancer?

sweet, one less guy to worry about. :laugh:

</gunner>
 
I feel the same way. In some ways I feel even worse than a loser.
My biggest problem is that I don't come from a privileged family. I have had to do everything on my own, including working for tuition. So subsequently I don't have much volunteering or any research.
I talk to docs in the hospital and all their children always seem to be at some mission in Guatemala or tutoring minorities but have never worked a day in their life and have no idea what real life is like.
I certainly hope that the mediocrity of the med school application ends one day.
 
Sartre79 said:
as the medical school application process. Nothing is ever good enough. :mad:
Try working in the corporate world for five or more years. AMCAS makes you feel positively special by comparison.
 
notdeadyet said:
Try working in the corporate world for five or more years. AMCAS makes you feel positively special by comparison.


I'm in my 2nd plus year of corp. america, so I can relate. The secondary apps are in no way tailored for non-trads (except Creighton), and LOR from some degrees, etc. are near impossible. :(
 
Sartre79 said:
I'm in my 2nd plus year of corp. america, so I can relate. The secondary apps are in no way tailored for non-trads (except Creighton), and LOR from some degrees, etc. are near impossible. :(
Though they're not tailored for nontrads, yours will read a lot more interesting for that fact. "What have you done since college graduation" is a lot more dull when you're answering it in July after finishing college than when you have a few years of experience under your belt.
 
onmywayRN said:
I feel the same way. In some ways I feel even worse than a loser.
My biggest problem is that I don't come from a privileged family. I have had to do everything on my own, including working for tuition. So subsequently I don't have much volunteering or any research.
I talk to docs in the hospital and all their children always seem to be at some mission in Guatemala or tutoring minorities but have never worked a day in their life and have no idea what real life is like.
I certainly hope that the mediocrity of the med school application ends one day.

I'm with you buddy. Everyone I know this summer is off to some third world country, "saving the world" one underprivileged kid at the time and learning obscure languages... and here I am busting my socks off. And the worst is, no matter how hard we work, we're still at a disadvantage :rolleyes:
 
There is the truth if ever it has been written. Working in a large corporation feels like being a complete zero. No one cares. No one listens. It feels like you are shouting into a vacuum. Try that for a few years. :thumbdown:


notdeadyet said:
Try working in the corporate world for five or more years. AMCAS makes you feel positively special by comparison.
 
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Sartre79 said:
as the medical school application process. Nothing is ever good enough. :mad:

welcome to life.
 
Residency match sounds like it might be less time consuming and painful than med school apps.
 
sentrosi said:
Residency match sounds like it might be less time consuming and painful than med school apps.

I don't know. I think it is still very stressful for people, especially if they don't match to their specialty or preferred geographical location (factor in family, kids, everything else).

The further you get in education, the stupider you feel. :eek:
 
quantummechanic said:
at least at the point of the Match you are pretty much an MD and have some sort of actual backup that can happen should you not match (scramble). Also, the Match doesn't demand you to have demonstrated such selfless commitment to service as med school applications do. Answering questions like "what was the greatest thing you did for others" or "what is your greatest accomplishment" seem to drive me to two ends: I havent done enough things in my life compared to others OR I'm going to come across as some prideful prick! Medicine seems to lose much of its idealism after acceptance to med school.


Whoa. Not matching into something you wanted and having to scramble into something else blows. Big time. I scambled into Family Medicine last year after not matching into Emergency Medicine and pretty much hated it, life, and the medical profession until I finally matched into EM this year. I was going to quit and go back to engineering rather than stay in Family Medicine.

P. Bear, MD
Emergency Medicine Resident
In a Happy Place
 
jackieMD2007 said:
I don't know. I think it is still very stressful for people, especially if they don't match to their specialty or preferred geographical location (factor in family, kids, everything else).

The further you get in education, the stupider you feel. :eek:

Logistically, the residency match is a lot easier because ERAS is more organized and simpler than the AMCAS. Other than writing another personal statement (thank God I never have to do that again) all you really have to do is point and click. Just wait and see.

But you still have to go on interviews...which are less stressful than medical school interviews, at least for me. Most people match somewhere in the specialty they apply for.
 
Sartre79 said:
as the medical school application process. Nothing is ever good enough. :mad:

pull your pants up and walk like a ball player.

Take everything day by day
 
EazyE said:
welcome to life.

I'm 27 and am fully independent...pay my own way. So I think I have a good grasp on life. I've never before felt the way this process has made me feel.
 
Sartre79 said:
I'm 27 and am fully independent...pay my own way. So I think I have a good grasp on life. I've never before felt the way this process has made me feel.

In all seriousness, Sartre, I feel you. I sit here at my job, thinking that if I don't get in this cycle, WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?!? I can only stand being here because I have a plan. Knowing that this whole apps process is a crapshoot hurts. Having no reassurance hurts. We are in this together. :thumbup:
 
onmywayRN said:
I feel the same way. In some ways I feel even worse than a loser.
My biggest problem is that I don't come from a privileged family. I have had to do everything on my own, including working for tuition. So subsequently I don't have much volunteering or any research.
I talk to docs in the hospital and all their children always seem to be at some mission in Guatemala or tutoring minorities but have never worked a day in their life and have no idea what real life is like.
I certainly hope that the mediocrity of the med school application ends one day.

Have you applied already last year? I understand how you feel but I think you will be surprised by the process. Adcoms can probably put your application in the context of your life if your PS/secondary essays are informative and open enough.
 
Sartre79 said:
I'm 27 and am fully independent...pay my own way. So I think I have a good grasp on life. I've never before felt the way this process has made me feel.

I can definitely relate. I've worked in corporate America, worked clinically, gotten graduate degrees, restarted hearts, taught hundreds of chemistry and philosophy students, and going through all of this makes me feel lucky when I spell my name correctly 2 times out of 3.
 
At least if I don't get in, I still have a job that lets me basically act like a surgeon. If I don't get in though, I'll definitely be severely depressed.
 
Sartre79 said:
I'm 27 and am fully independent...pay my own way. So I think I have a good grasp on life. I've never before felt the way this process has made me feel.

well i think the emotions you are feeling now will be minor compared to medical school and the stresses that it causes. life is tough, only more difficult challenges lie ahead. take it with a grain of salt. it will all work out in the end
 
Apparition said:
Have you applied already last year? I understand how you feel but I think you will be surprised by the process. Adcoms can probably put your application in the context of your life if your PS/secondary essays are informative and open enough.


No I am just sending in secondaries for the first time.
I feel very frustrated though.
A few months back I made an appointment with and undergrad adviser. She told me that in order for the post-bach to be considered from med school I will have to take 15-18 credits a semester for two semesters and quit my job.
I am thinking to myself: You gotta be kidding ! I am 26, I work full time as a nurse, I have a career. I have a mortgage and a car payment. I can't just walk away from everything for a year that maybe just maybe med schools might take a look at my application.
You would think if you take 12 credits and a full time job (40hrs+) that should prove to med schools that you can deal with the med school curriculum.
I feel so much better after reading this thread. At least I am not alone.
 
onmywayRN said:
No I am just sending in secondaries for the first time.
I feel very frustrated though.
A few months back I made an appointment with and undergrad adviser. She told me that in order for the post-bach to be considered from med school I will have to take 15-18 credits a semester for two semesters and quit my job.
I am thinking to myself: You gotta be kidding ! I am 26, I work full time as a nurse, I have a career. I have a mortgage and a car payment. I can't just walk away from everything for a year that maybe just maybe med schools might take a look at my application.
You would think if you take 12 credits and a full time job (40hrs+) that should prove to med schools that you can deal with the med school curriculum.
I feel so much better after reading this thread. At least I am not alone.

It's really what you make out of any experience in your life. Some people may go to Africa and get absolutely nothing from the trip. While others just volunteer at a local hospital and get meaningful experience from that. And it's very important to convey this in your applications. You definitely do not need to quit your job. Your advisor's argument regarding credits may hold somewhat true for undergrads so she just tells you what she thinks she knows from her experience. In general, just use the advisor to compile recommendations. For actual advice, you have SDN :D
 
ugh, my family and friends are already assuming i'm a shoe-in. they don't realize what a worthless piece of scum i am compared to every other superhero/genius applicant wanting the same spot. boy, are they going to be suprised when i'm on 3 waitlists in june. :thumbdown:
 
asunshine said:
ugh, my family and friends are already assuming i'm a shoe-in. they don't realize what a worthless piece of scum i am compared to every other superhero/genius applicant wanting the same spot. boy, are they going to be suprised when i'm on 3 waitlists in june. :thumbdown:
I think the negativity, although a bit cathartic, can be unhealthy if it goes on too long. The vast majority of acceptances go to average everyday pre-meds. Chances are, that's what most of us are, no matter how exceptional our families think we are, or how insecure we may feel. Feeling confident and secure can come across well in interviews and essays as well.

And to agree with you, asunshine, it's going to be pretty emarassing if I don't get in... telling one friend I was applying eventually turned into everyone in a 50 mile radius believing I was already in Med schoool. And my family is already calling the GoodDoctor. :)
 
Everyone's parents think they are the best thing since sliced bread! I am sure our parents will love us no matter what. :)
 
Sartre79 said:
I'm 27 and am fully independent...pay my own way. So I think I have a good grasp on life. I've never before felt the way this process has made me feel.

HI Sartre,

I know what you mean and can empathize with exactly how you feel. I too am a non-traditional and have been paying my own way and have been working for the last 10 years or so of my life and I have never felt as low as I do now. Look on the bright side...at least you have a decent score to apply with. *****s like me have to take this damn MCAT again in a month's time AND go through this dreaded applications process. Keep your head up my friend. I'm sure you will have your acceptance in hand and will be getting ready to start MS1 this time next year.
 
onmywayRN said:
I feel the same way. In some ways I feel even worse than a loser.
My biggest problem is that I don't come from a privileged family. I have had to do everything on my own, including working for tuition. So subsequently I don't have much volunteering or any research.
I talk to docs in the hospital and all their children always seem to be at some mission in Guatemala or tutoring minorities but have never worked a day in their life and have no idea what real life is like.
I certainly hope that the mediocrity of the med school application ends one day.

True that. Does working at McDonald's and the KMart cafeteria to pay tutition count as "helping the underpriveleged"?
 
yeah, as unhealthy and fun as it would be, i won't let myself into that downward spiral quite yet, GD. people like us have too much going for ourselves :)

still gunning for that acceptance letter....
 
asunshine said:
ugh, my family and friends are already assuming i'm a shoe-in. they don't realize what a worthless piece of scum i am compared to every other superhero/genius applicant wanting the same spot. boy, are they going to be suprised when i'm on 3 waitlists in june. :thumbdown:

that's the worst
 
Panda Bear said:
Whoa. Not matching into something you wanted and having to scramble into something else blows. Big time. I scambled into Family Medicine last year after not matching into Emergency Medicine and pretty much hated it, life, and the medical profession until I finally matched into EM this year. I was going to quit and go back to engineering rather than stay in Family Medicine.

P. Bear, MD
Emergency Medicine Resident
In a Happy Place

I wish more recent grads/residents would post on these boards. I guess after you graduate from medical school it is a pretty hectic time.
 
OnMyWayRN....you are a FL resident, so I know a little bit about the schools you are applying to (assuming you are applying to FL schools). 12 hours per semester + working full time is definitely enough coursework in a post-bacc. Plus, since you're working as a nurse, you are automatically getting experience and a lot to talk about in your interviews. If your pre-med advisor is anything like mine was-don't listen to him/her....my advisor told a 4.0 student with a stellar MCAT score, lots of volunteer work, that she wasn't getting in because she already had a child and med schools wouldn't accept her for that time-constraint. Needless to say, she got accepted at many schools. I wish advisors really knew what they were talking about sometimes and didn't just put down everyone for their individuality. Anyways, good luck to you!
 
asunshine said:
ugh, my family and friends are already assuming i'm a shoe-in. they don't realize what a worthless piece of scum i am compared to every other superhero/genius applicant wanting the same spot. boy, are they going to be suprised when i'm on 3 waitlists in june. :thumbdown:

My family was a bit more realistic, but man, my neighbors just couldn't grasp the fact that there are people WAY smarter than me out there. I mean, I know confidence helps and all, but jeez, I'm no Nobel laureate. One of the neighbors was actually more stressed about me being on wait-lists than I was, and was literally angry at the schools for not telling me what was going on. Needless to say, I did not enjoy being around her as the May15th deadline passed and progressed into June.
 
MiesVanDerMom said:
True that. Does working at McDonald's and the KMart cafeteria to pay tutition count as "helping the underpriveleged"?

cold, but funny :smuggrin: .
 
asunshine said:
ugh, my family and friends are already assuming i'm a shoe-in. they don't realize what a worthless piece of scum i am compared to every other superhero/genius applicant wanting the same spot. boy, are they going to be suprised when i'm on 3 waitlists in june. :thumbdown:

thats exactly how i feel. everyone at work thinks that i'm just guaranteed to get in. even postponed buying my dream townhouse. i can only hope that it is worth in the long run.
 
asunshine said:
ugh, my family and friends are already assuming i'm a shoe-in. they don't realize what a worthless piece of scum i am compared to every other superhero/genius applicant wanting the same spot. boy, are they going to be suprised when i'm on 3 waitlists in june. :thumbdown:

Amen!

I think this pretty much sums it up for a lot of us.
 
jackieMD2007 said:
Everyone's parents think they are the best thing since sliced bread! I am sure our parents will love us no matter what. :)

You mean the best thing since Chuck Norris.

On a related note:

Before sliced bread, people used to say "Thats the greatest thing since Chuck Norris". But Chuck Norris was displeased by this. So he roundhouse kicked a loaf of bread into slices.
 
I also get the vibe that a lot of pre med advisors know less about the process than some premeds at least sdn premeds.
 
onmywayRN said:
You mean the best thing since Chuck Norris.

On a related note:

Before sliced bread, people used to say "Thats the greatest thing since Chuck Norris". But Chuck Norris was displeased by this. So he roundhouse kicked a loaf of bread into slices.

Touche. :D
 
hey guys,
i'm one of the privileged pre-meds that some of you have referred to. i think it's awesome that some of you have been working so hard and wish you the best. i don't think i could have done it if i had to work to pay my way. i'm sure most admissions committees see your situation the same way.

good luck...i think you guys are awesome
 
How is it that every thread eventually comes to the topic of Chuck Norris? Coincidence? I think not :D
 
Billy Shears said:
At least if I don't get in, I still have a job that lets me basically act like a surgeon. If I don't get in though, I'll definitely be severely depressed.

What's your job?
 
I'm an FA in vascular/general surgery. The surgeon I work with basically treats me like a resident, since he knows I want to go to med school. It's great.
 
Billy Shears said:
I'm an FA in vascular/general surgery. The surgeon I work with basically treats me like a resident, since he knows I want to go to med school. It's great.


I am going to sound SO DUMB...but that's nothing new, so--what's an FA?
 
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