Personality types and abilities of people in medical school?

[TheCruelOne]

This is kind of a really silly, odd question. I'm currently taking part in a post-baccalaureate program at an Ivy League university (I've taken all my core science classes in undergrad. I'm just doing this so that I can improve my GPA before I apply to medical schools), so I guess I'm technically smart and capable, but I honestly honestly honestly don't feel as though my overall knowledge and ability to understand new material even compares to that of other people I know in this program. Everyone seems like they surpass me intellectually in each and every way, and I guess because of that, I'm really afraid to become friends with any of them. I feel as though I would never be able to hold an intelligent conversation with anyone and they'll all realize that I'm nowhere near as smart as they are, so I don't really go out of my way to talk to people. Not to mention, I'm a pretty shy/quiet/keep to myself kind of person.

So I guess I've recently been thinking about medical school and what the students in medical school will be like if I'm only in a post-bacc right now and people already seem so much more intelligent than I am. I guess I'm wondering if anyone's met people in medical school who don't seem like the typical over-achieving medical student or if you've met people who are quiet and keep to themselves. I'm kind of worried about how I'll ever manage to fit in if I do get into medical school if everyone else is going to be so different from me. I'm honestly not as big of an overachiever (not that overachieving is bad in any way) as a lot of people that I seem to come across here. It would be nice to know that there are people who are more laid back or maybe even a little awkward that I could potentially become friends with should I get into medical school. Thank you to anyone who's taken the time to read and respond to this.

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[Winged Scapula]

Get used to the feeling that everyone is smarter than you. As the "pool" gets smaller, you will realize that there will always be a bigger, smarter fish than you. Your frame of reference has shifted.

However, there will be people in medical school who are laid-back, quiet, shy, and certainly some who are "even a little awkward". Not everyone is the stereotypical aggressive gunner you see portrayed here. There's also a lot of posing that goes on in post-bac and pre-med programs where everyone feels they must present a certain image which may not truly represent themselves.

Finally, not sure where you meant to post this, but it seems appropriate in the Pre Med forum IMHO.

 

[Just kiss me]

Some people just like to show off but if you dig deeply they probably prepare a lot just to come off as they do. I honestly don't care who is smarter, I just want to get to my destination. You are not alone OP, I'm also the very laid back type and I like people who are down to earth. When you are confident about your capabilities you really don't need to show off, it just reveals insecurities.

 

[TheCruelOne]

Thank you guys so much. I'm perfectly fine with mentally accepting that I'm not as smart as a lot of the other pre-meds around here, it's just really intimidating for me to actually have to interact with all these super smart people. I enjoyed undergrad because most, if not nearly all, of my friends weren't science majors and I never felt the need to compare myself to them so I was just never intimidated by them. I can't thank thank you both enough for these answers. They made me feel infinitely better.

 

[torshi]

There are few who are very laid back, as I was, during my undergraduate years. Laid back as in knowing that a few bad grades means it's not over, accepting the fact that mistakes happen and moving on etc. I noticed most to be extremely awkward - socially and neurotic.

 

[Narmerguy]

When you learn to accept that you're not the smartest, and that others will either appear to be smarter than you or actually are smarter, you relieve a lot of pressure and can just enjoy yourself. Medicine is full of a lot of very competitive people, and it causes them to behave in intense ways because there's this cauldron of insecurity and pride bubbling all at the same time. It seems you've already accepted that you won't be the smartest person in the room, so now you just have to get used to working alongside people who haven't made that realization and are desperately fighting for their perception.

 

[cryhavoc]

I already know I'm not the smartest person anymore.

But I'm not sure my top priority once I reach med school would be "fitting in" nor do I think I would care about it.

If I make friends, cool, great. If not, I'm there to become a doctor, not make friends.

 

[Calcasieu]

One of the biggest obstacles I had to overcome in my pre-med studies was comparing myself to other people. It's a trap that's very easy to fall into, and honestly it was one that held me back for a long time. Eventually, I learned to appreciate and trust in my own talents and abilities since they have gotten me where I am today.

Your number one focus should be yourself. Your classmates are not taking your exams/MCAT, filling out your applications/secondaries, or interviewing for you. You are. The question you should ask yourself is if you did well in the end, not how long it took you to do so in comparison. However, that's not to say you should isolate yourself from others in your program. When I made friends with some of my classmates, I found a very supportive community that has made my post-bacc experience that much more enriching on an academic and social level.

Also, everyone has their difficulties from time to time, and some people are really good at hiding them. There's nothing wrong with having them, either. School is supposed to be challenging.

 

[Goro]

The only person you should be comparing yourself to is yourself.


I'm currently taking part in a post-baccalaureate program at an Ivy League university (I've taken all my core science classes in undergrad. I'm just doing this so that I can improve my GPA before I apply to medical schools), so I guess I'm technically smart and capable, but I honestly honestly honestly don't feel as though my overall knowledge and ability to understand new material even compares to that of other people I know in this program.

I have shy students, reserved and retiring students, and outgoing, happy gregarious students. I have glum students and happy students. Thus there will be a huge mix of people in med school. All of them will be smart. That is just one thing they bring to the table,.


So I guess I've recently been thinking about medical school and what the students in medical school will be like if I'm only in a post-bacc right now and people already seem so much more intelligent than I am. I guess I'm wondering if anyone's met people in medical school who don't seem like the typical over-achieving medical student or if you've met people who are quiet and keep to themselves. I'm kind of worried about how I'll ever manage to fit in if I do get into medical school if everyone else is going to be so different from me. I'm honestly not as big of an overachiever (not that overachieving is bad in any way) as a lot of people that I seem to come across here. It would be nice to know that there are people who are more laid back or maybe even a little awkward that I could potentially become friends with should I get into medical school. Thank you to anyone who's taken the time to read and respond to this.[/QUOTE]

 

[StayCoolIceCube]

"Other [people] who are killing it should motivate you, thrill you, challenge you, and inspire you rather than threaten you and make you feel like you're immediately being compared to them. The only thing I compare myself to is me, two years ago, or me one year ago."
-Who else but the amazing Taylor Swift. Or Goro.

 

[Lil Mick]

After graduate school in mathematics, I can tell you that you're not alone feeling this way. There are people I am convinced exist on a higher plane of intellect... That being said, even for people pursuing graduate level math degrees, most of them were pretty down to earth and nice, if somewhat awkward.

During medical school, there were some very smart students in my class (3 of us who started college courses extremely young), some very hard-working ones (studying most hours of the day), and the majority between the two (work hard, enjoy other parts of life). Some were laid-back, some neurotic, most a little less awkward than some of my math/computing friends.

PS. If you want to find some smart, fairly outgoing folks, try looking for MD/PhD students. Of everyone in medical school (while interviewing and attending), I've found the ones in my program and at other schools to be quite approachable and have lots of outside interests (marathons, video games, college football, writing...).

 

[altblue]

I feel like I'm going through that in undergrad right now. It kind of sucks in a way, especially the people who are smart and will let you know, but I feel like being in an area where I'm slightly above-average at best intellectually will deflate my enormous ego and encourage me to work smarter.

 

[helpabrotherout]

The only person you should be comparing yourself to is yourself.


I'm currently taking part in a post-baccalaureate program at an Ivy League university (I've taken all my core science classes in undergrad. I'm just doing this so that I can improve my GPA before I apply to medical schools), so I guess I'm technically smart and capable, but I honestly honestly honestly don't feel as though my overall knowledge and ability to understand new material even compares to that of other people I know in this program.

I have shy students, reserved and retiring students, and outgoing, happy gregarious students. I have glum students and happy students. Thus there will be a huge mix of people in med school. All of them will be smart. That is just one thing they bring to the table,.


So I guess I've recently been thinking about medical school and what the students in medical school will be like if I'm only in a post-bacc right now and people already seem so much more intelligent than I am. I guess I'm wondering if anyone's met people in medical school who don't seem like the typical over-achieving medical student or if you've met people who are quiet and keep to themselves. I'm kind of worried about how I'll ever manage to fit in if I do get into medical school if everyone else is going to be so different from me. I'm honestly not as big of an overachiever (not that overachieving is bad in any way) as a lot of people that I seem to come across here. It would be nice to know that there are people who are more laid back or maybe even a little awkward that I could potentially become friends with should I get into medical school. Thank you to anyone who's taken the time to read and respond to this.

[/QUOTE]


Do you see many people in med school with a "Type B" personality? Do they usually fit in?

 

[Goro]

Yes and yes. It seems that any of my Type A students are able to turn off the switch once they set foot on campus.

They do start to stress a lot around 2nd when when Board thoughts enter their heads.



Do you see many people in med school with a "Type B" personality? Do they usually fit in?[/QUOTE]

 

[helpabrotherout]

Yes and yes. It seems that any of my Type A students are able to turn off the switch once they set foot on campus.

They do start to stress a lot around 2nd when when Board thoughts enter their heads.




Do you see many people in med school with a "Type B" personality? Do they usually fit in?

[/QUOTE]


Thanks for replying!

 

[TheCruelOne]

I already know I'm not the smartest person anymore.

But I'm not sure my top priority once I reach med school would be "fitting in" nor do I think I would care about it.

If I make friends, cool, great. If not, I'm there to become a doctor, not make friends.

One of the biggest obstacles I had to overcome in my pre-med studies was comparing myself to other people. It's a trap that's very easy to fall into, and honestly it was one that held me back for a long time. Eventually, I learned to appreciate and trust in my own talents and abilities since they have gotten me where I am today.

Your number one focus should be yourself. Your classmates are not taking your exams/MCAT, filling out your applications/secondaries, or interviewing for you. You are. The question you should ask yourself is if you did well in the end, not how long it took you to do so in comparison. However, that's not to say you should isolate yourself from others in your program. When I made friends with some of my classmates, I found a very supportive community that has made my post-bacc experience that much more enriching on an academic and social level.

Also, everyone has their difficulties from time to time, and some people are really good at hiding them. There's nothing wrong with having them, either. School is supposed to be challenging.

Yeah, so I guess I'm currently at a point where I side with both of you guys. My parents live less than an hour away from the university where I'm doing my post-bacc, so I've just been commuting from home this semester. I plan to do the same next semester as well, just to save some money. But I guess not actually living on campus adds another level of difficulty when it comes to hanging out with people outside of class. I usually just take a train to the university to make it in time for class and just come straight home afterwards because I feel way too drained after class to try to even do anything social. My priority right now (and if/when I get into med school) definitely isn't to make friends. I just want to do the best that I can do to make becoming a doctor a reality. So yeah, I was never too too concerned about making friends.

But then again, to agree with what Calcasieu mentioned, I've found that the few friends I have made in this post-bacc have been EXTREMELY helpful to me as a support system and even when it comes to study material for my classes. I'm assuming that in medical school, having a good support system of friends who are going through the same thing you are would be beneficial to have. Thank you both.

"Other [people] who are killing it should motivate you, thrill you, challenge you, and inspire you rather than threaten you and make you feel like you're immediately being compared to them. The only thing I compare myself to is me, two years ago, or me one year ago."
-Who else but the amazing Taylor Swift. Or Goro.

Taylor Swift, my absolute idol! Not gonna lie, this was actually pretty motivating.

I feel like I'm going through that in undergrad right now. It kind of sucks in a way, especially the people who are smart and will let you know, but I feel like being in an area where I'm slightly above-average at best intellectually will deflate my enormous ego and encourage me to work smarter.

Ugh, yeah I've never been a fan of people who were smart and showed it off. I feel the same exact way as you. At best, I'm slightly above-average, while everyone else seems to be, like, 238402384920384 times above my level. You're right, though. We should just use this as motivation to work harder and do the absolute best that we can do.