Poor grades = Poor MD?

[PoorMD]

What are your thoughts on this? I just failed an exam in Biochem/Phys, so I feel absolutely awesome right now ::sarcasm:: My exam average is still 81%, so I guess that's OK. but I am definately below the mid-range, as in I am in the bottom 50% of the class. Can I still do surg? Is anesthesiology out of reach for me all because I suck at biochemistry right now? ehh.

PoorMD

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[skiz knot]

You're done.

You are destined to be a lowly genetic counsellor.

What are your thoughts on this? I just failed an exam in Biochem/Phys, so I feel absolutely awesome right now ::sarcasm:: My exam average is still 81%, so I guess that's OK. but I am definately below the mid-range, as in I am in the bottom 50% of the class. Can I still do surg? Is anesthesiology out of reach for me all because I suck at biochemistry right now? ehh.

PoorMD

 

[mackie]

Ah . . . PoorMD, . . . you're leaping to some pretty broad conclusions. "I failed one Biochem exam and that means I will be a bad doctor." Just try to figure out what you didn't do well in preparing for this exam and try to do better next time. Seek help with the subject matter from your professor, a classmate, or someone who knows if you need it.

 

[monkey7247]

Believe me, I've been there. Now that I'm a fourth year, I'm realizing that all that worrying was for nothing. I'm currently ranked at the bottom third/middle third border in my class even though I never scored anything less than a "B" (grade inflation, anyone?). Anyways, I've honored very few rotations in my third year, but have still received plenty of interviews this year for ophthalmology. The grades may keep you out of the top programs, but honestly I don't think I'd be happy at a program that judged the worth of a person solely by their class rank. You are more than just your grades. Keep yourself well-rounded/balanced and you won't have any trouble with your future.

The best thing I can tell you is to keep on keepin' on. This race is a marathon, not a sprint. Good luck.

 

[PoorMD]

Believe me, I've been there. Now that I'm a fourth year, I'm realizing that all that worrying was for nothing. I'm currently ranked at the bottom third/middle third border in my class even though I never scored anything less than a "B" (grade inflation, anyone?). Anyways, I've honored very few rotations in my third year, but have still received plenty of interviews this year for ophthalmology. The grades may keep you out of the top programs, but honestly I don't think I'd be happy at a program that judged the worth of a person solely by their class rank. You are more than just your grades. Keep yourself well-rounded/balanced and you won't have any trouble with your future.

The best thing I can tell you is to keep on keepin' on. This race is a marathon, not a sprint. Good luck.

What is the difference between a top Surgery program and a more rural/community based residency in categorical general surgery? Would having bottom 50% of grades be OK for some surg programs? I will be working my tail off this week to get the grades back in the mid-80s.

PoorMD

 

[lattimer13]

poor grades just means poor MD $$

 

[UT_mikie]

An OB/GYN doctor gave a lecture today in Gross. He said he wasn't aware of any good/competent doctors who didn't do well in their pre-clinical years. So I guess that means that 1/2 the people in my class (120 people + me) who don't high pass/honor EVERY course are doomed to incompetence and litigation.

Seriously, if you f-ck up this semester, just ratchet it up next semester. People have too many conflicting opinions out there for you to mind too much. Just learn as much as you can as effectively as you can. And don't forget to take time out to enjoy yourself along the way.

 

[UT_mikie]

poor grades just means poor MD $$

Yea poor us, we'll be put in the top 2% of the economic bracket as opposed to the top 1%.

 

[monkey7247]

What is the difference between a top Surgery program and a more rural/community based residency in categorical general surgery? Would having bottom 50% of grades be OK for some surg programs? I will be working my tail off this week to get the grades back in the mid-80s.

PoorMD

If you're talking gen surg, you can easily match at an academic program while not being top third. There has been a surplus of positions over the last years.

 

[monkey7247]

An OB/GYN doctor gave a lecture today in Gross. He said he wasn't aware of any good/competent doctors who didn't do well in their pre-clinical years. So I guess that means that 1/2 the people in my class (120 people + me) who don't high pass/honor EVERY course are doomed to incompetence and litigation.

I guess the question would be, what is considered doing well? You can be low-ranked in your class and be performing well above what the school minimally requires. I think your doc was maybe referring to those students that repeat years/get by by the skin of their teeth. My class definitely has some of those and I would imagine all of the other schools do as well.

 

[PoorMD]

I guess the question would be, what is considered doing well? You can be low-ranked in your class and be performing well above what the school minimally requires. I think your doc was maybe referring to those students that repeat years/get by by the skin of their teeth. My class definitely has some of those and I would imagine all of the other schools do as well.

Thanks Monkey. It's not like I am failing (81% class average) but I did fail one test. It got me down a bit, and as they say I am down but not out. Fortunately I am dedicated to passing with a final score in the 80's so I know I can do it. The best thing about medical school, although trying, is the endless opportunities for redemption!

 

[blkkd]

Nah nukka it means you dumb...chin check





Its jokes...I have the same worries. Well i'm more worried about getting into top residency programs. My average last unit was 81% i am barely honoring my current unit with an 86...but who knows how long that will last.

 

[njbmd]

What are your thoughts on this? I just failed an exam in Biochem/Phys, so I feel absolutely awesome right now ::sarcasm:: My exam average is still 81%, so I guess that's OK. but I am definately below the mid-range, as in I am in the bottom 50% of the class. Can I still do surg? Is anesthesiology out of reach for me all because I suck at biochemistry right now? ehh.

PoorMD

Hi there,
First of all, you failed an exam. Some schools make you retake that material during the summer and some average all of your scores so that you may not end up failing the course. In any event, you get a second chance at Biochemistry when you review for the boards. You can tighten up any deficiencies at that point. Put this test behind you and move on to the next.

You can probably do surgery or anesthesiology (perhaps not at Hopkins) but you should strive to get the highest grades that you can get from here on out. It takes some time to adjust to the level of study for medical school. Topics in courses like Biochemistry keep getting repeated during second year in courses like pharm. You will see familiar topics during path too.

At this point in your career, you have more grades and exams ahead of you than behind you thus you cannot make an accurate assessment of where you are in your class. Put your failure out of your mind and try to stop labeling yourself as "sucking" at anything that has to do with medical school. Such labels have a way of being self-fufilling and perpetuating. Substitute things like "I have some extra work to do in Biochem" or "I need to do a bit more review in X subject" but other than that, leave the negativity behind. It only makes you feel worse and doesn't help you get what you need.

Figure out what you need to pass the next Biochem exam and get it done.

njbmd

 

[IlianaSedai]

I don't agree with anyone who claims "You're screeeeewed!" or even "You won't get into ophtho at Hopkins!" You can still match ophtho (or whatever), or more likely if you go the way of statistics you'll decide it's exceedingly boring and choose something else instead. You may see bits and pieces of pharmacology on the wards, but unless you're doing anesthesiology or something your PDA, MicroMedex or Sanford guide are all you need to look up dosing and administration.

I "barely" passed a good number of my first-year classes. Then I beat my Step 1 score goal, got honors in my specialty of choice (didn't honor anything else! but it's hard NOT to honor something that you really like and get the hang of), and got invited to interview to almost every place I applied to.

I did need some practice studying for the preclinical exams. But not all the class exams were well written. We had bu11$h!t anatomy questions like, "You are a red blood cell in the left great toe. Please describe your path through the circulation from the left great toe to the head and then to the right fifth digit." No wonder I didn't learn any anatomy. But sometimes board scores don't correlate with class exam scores. Read the advice shared by other people on this forum about how to study for Step 1 and plan accordingly.

Do your honest best, ask for help when you need it, tell the prof you need help if you need it (not all are positive OR helpful about this, as I found out afterward, but if you make the effort to communicate you'll generally get by), create a reasonable plan and achievable Step 1 goal, and you'll probably do fine.

 

[blkkd]

I joke around on this site...and I know this isn't my thread but you all are seriously supportive and its nice to hear things from such varied perspectives...

 

[Mephisto]

I just wanted to say that Im in a similar situation, but here's how I'm approaching med school. It's a complete attitude shift. I decided it's no longer a competition (even though med school curriculums out there undeniably make it so), but it's about me and my personal growth into a competent physician. We are first years. It's too damn early to worry about residencies, seriously. This is our time to learn the material that will make us doctors for the future.

We're no longer trying to get into the best undergrad school and then med school. We should no longer be feigning interest in things to boost our resume (to an extent, y'all know what i mean). Our grades are OUR GRADES. Our grades are not our peers' business, their grades are not our business. You do badly on one test, you find out what you did wrong, and relearn that material. Do some more practice questions from that material so you know it. In the end, it won't be your test scores, but what you know.

I firmly believe that if you worry too much about grades, you'll miss out on the big picture. Come on, think back to when you were a freshman in high school or college. First semester. Remember how much you worried about test scores and grades then? Seems silly now, doesn't it?

So dont fret. These next two years are about YOUR EDUCATION. You're now in medical school, beginning the process of learning the trade you will be doing for the rest of your life. You shouldn't be worrying about something three years down the road. It is your responsibility to know what you need to know right now. Worry about that and only that. Don't learn it cause it'll get you a residency. Learn it cause it's med school and that's what you need to learn right now.

I think if you do that, everything else will just fall into place.

 

[YouDontKnowJack]

Anyways, I've honored very few rotations in my third year, but have still received plenty of interviews this year for ophthalmology.

and in the end, you're still an ophthamologist........


really. who cares?! you're still gonna make good money right.

 

[tupac_don]

I just wanted to say that Im in a similar situation, but here's how I'm approaching med school. It's a complete attitude shift. I decided it's no longer a competition (even though med school curriculums out there undeniably make it so), but it's about me and my personal growth into a competent physician. We are first years. It's too damn early to worry about residencies, seriously. This is our time to learn the material that will make us doctors for the future.

We're no longer trying to get into the best undergrad school and then med school. We should no longer be feigning interest in things to boost our resume (to an extent, y'all know what i mean). Our grades are OUR GRADES. Our grades are not our peers' business, their grades are not our business. You do badly on one test, you find out what you did wrong, and relearn that material. Do some more practice questions from that material so you know it. In the end, it won't be your test scores, but what you know.

I firmly believe that if you worry too much about grades, you'll miss out on the big picture. Come on, think back to when you were a freshman in high school or college. First semester. Remember how much you worried about test scores and grades then? Seems silly now, doesn't it?

So dont fret. These next two years are about YOUR EDUCATION. You're now in medical school, beginning the process of learning the trade you will be doing for the rest of your life. You shouldn't be worrying about something three years down the road. It is your responsibility to know what you need to know right now. Worry about that and only that. Don't learn it cause it'll get you a residency. Learn it cause it's med school and that's what you need to learn right now.

I think if you do that, everything else will just fall into place.

I agree and disagree with you. Definetly, studying for just knowledge, versus studying for the test is different. On the other hand, most of the stuff that you will learn now in first year you will never ever use, unless you go to a specific specialty where you will know it like the back of your hand. So then the rationale becomes, yea school always asks BS nitpicky questions, so if you want the grade, learn em, strategize and honor if you can. If you can't that's ok too. It's not like these grades are gonna make you or brake you, unless maybe you want to be a plastic surgeon.