Pre-med "machines" - How do they do it?

[nygiants fan]

Are you one of those med students who tries to look tough by selling horror stories to other people? No one is impressed. Don't bother trying to speak for every med student, some of us, including me, enjoyed our first two years. You're not even in your second semester, what do you actually know about the final years of medical school? In my books, you're barely better than these pre-meds.

The only people who really had problems remotely close to yours were those who slide through undergraduate life without a care in the world.

The same way you knew about college while being in high school and how you knew about med school while being in college (or whatever graduate program you went to). Based on what other doctors and older med students have told me. Med school is difficult and unlike any schooling a person has received up till that point. It's kinda hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel when you are swamped in pre-clinicals. I know I will be given an MD in 3.5 years and I know that if I maintain my grades then I can eventually start thinking about AOA and prestigious residencies. But that feels like it's millions of miles away. Also if you are actually a med student, you know as well as I do that you go over material at a very fast clip. I came from a top 15 undergrad where I double majored in bio and english. I never had enough time in my schedule to add as many english classes as I would have liked during the semester because of sports obligations so I just took as many as I could during the summer class sessions. I know what it is to work hard so I would appreciate it if you didn't try to be an arse despite this being an online forum. It's great that you've finished your preclinicals (I think) and you are out of the suck but I just got out of a 3-week stay in microbio while maintaining grades in the 90s all semester long (and keeping my AOA hopes alive) and I can't help if I'm just a little bit tired and bitter. That doesn't mean I don't want to be a doctor. Just that at this exact point in time, I am tired and I feel that I am completely justified in it.

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[chronicidal]

The same way you knew about college while being in high school and how you knew about med school while being in college (or whatever graduate program you went to).

Every teacher in grades 4-6 tells you about how hard middle school is, how many more responsibilities you'll have, how you have to keep really good track of your time.

Every teacher in middle school tells you how hard high school is, how you can't be late for classes anymore, how you'll be expected to know more crap, etc.

Every teacher in high school warns you about how tough college will be. http://imgur.com/gallery/4Ei8Q

Tons of people like you warn premeds about how tough med school will be, how it's a grind and you lose all your relationships.

I refuse to believe it.

Tons of people at my college said to incoming freshmen, look, coming here is tough because you were probably in the top 10% of your high school class but now you're surrounded by so many other smart people. You'll have to get used to not being the best. The curve is going to hurt. Here, "superhero undergraduates do '3,000 things at 150 percent."

Tons of people at my high school said to incoming freshmen, look, coming here is tough because it's a magnet school and absolutely everyone is so hard working, takes on average 7 APs during their four years, manages to balance three clubs on the side, whereas you could be the big fish in a small pond at your normal high school. Here, it's "sleep, grades, friends; choose two."

Their view is your view:

It is just outside of the pre-med view to understand just how crushing and awful med school is. It doesn't matter who you are or what you did. You don't enjoy it and it's not fun

In other words, we cannot possibly understand how tough the next step is, and it is fundamentally different from all the previous times we've been told similar things yet we've excelled and managed to get by having fun too.

Med school isn't marines boot camp or navy seals hell week. It's another rung on the academic ladder that just involves more advanced knowledge than the previous rungs. Only in that way is it "unlike any school anyone has received up to that point." It's still school. you still study, go to class, take tests, take standardized exams, balance your time with activities, have friends and relationships. You don't have to learn everything in med school, just like you didn't have to do 100% of your readings in college. Stuff's pass/fail, there a time to buckle down to cram for boards, and then you move on to the fun stuff.

There will be people who have a tough time, but you can't generalize that to the experience of everyone. There exist well-balanced people who you might see as a 'machine', but in addition to being PBK, doing research, community work, also find time for 7 hours of sleep, a stable relationship, bars and dance parties every other weekend. They'll be fine in med school too. They'll be the ones who are married by the end of med school and AOA and couples matched at some top residency.

 

[ss123]

Every teacher in grades 4-6 tells you about how hard middle school is, how many more responsibilities you'll have, how you have to keep really good track of your time.

[...]

mr. 40/3.96/etc., you'll probably be fine. not everyone is as gifted.

 

[45408]

Every teacher in grades 4-6 tells you about how hard middle school is, how many more responsibilities you'll have, how you have to keep really good track of your time.

Every teacher in middle school tells you how hard high school is, how you can't be late for classes anymore, how you'll be expected to know more crap, etc.

Every teacher in high school warns you about how tough college will be.

Tons of people like you warn premeds about how tough med school will be, how it's a grind and you lose all your relationships.

I refuse to believe it.

It's worth noting that each stage actually is harder than the prior stage, and that from HS to college to med school, the "herd" is culled each time. For many on SDN, you'll move through all the phases, make the appropriate adjustments, and eventually become physicians. It's been progressively harder at each phase, but it's never been impossible to do. I'm not trying to suggest at all that it's impossible, or that you could never possibly even conceive of the horror and difficulty of it all.

BUT, I've already done college, med school, and I'm a PGY-2 in surgery, and I'm trying to impart some perspective. This is a very long road, and the person I am now is very different than the person I was when I decided to start this (in junior high, no less).

You can't become a physician if you're lazy, and I don't want anyone to think I'm suggesting that people should be slacking off. I do want people to realize that you're not going through a short phase - during which you should suspend your normal life - and are going to come out and then start "living life." Life is happening now, and you should be living it. If you get true happiness from pounding through your day from 5am to 11pm, then that's fine, but don't fool yourself that you're going to be done soon. You don't "give up your twenties," but you will be spending most of them in school or at the hospital.

I would strongly recommend taking some easier semesters periodically, or even taking the 4.5 year program and then just working/pursuing hobbies for the last semester before med school. You could also defer a year after you've been accepted. I did take several easier semesters, and during one of them, I accomplished a lot of other goals (like winning a physical fitness challenge).

Med school isn't marines boot camp or navy seals hell week. It's another rung on the academic ladder that just involves more advanced knowledge than the previous rungs.

You're right. Boot camp is only 3 months, instead of 14 years, and they give you quite a bit of sleep and 3 square meals a day.

Only in that way is it "unlike any school anyone has received up to that point." It's still school. you still study, go to class, take tests, take standardized exams, balance your time with activities, have friends and relationships.

Only half of it is "still school."

 

[45408]

mr. 40/3.96/etc., you'll probably be fine. not everyone is as gifted.

That too.

 

[zeppelinpage4]

I myself am not a machine...I wish I was. BUT I have one or two friends who would fit your description and I honestly can say for myself that, that's just not where my priorities are right now.
I work really hard, and I generally do well, while doing a number of ECs which I enjoy. However, I also get distracted by friends, go to parties on a whim, and just flat out have do nothing days. It's not productive, but I like to just relax and enjoy myself. For me, it seems that it doesn't get any better or easier in medical school and residency, so I'd rather be a typical college student who wastes time with video games and alcohol on a Friday night, because these are the few years that I can actually afford to do that.

NOW, what I will say is this. One of my good friends, fits your description of a machine perfectly. She never goes to parties, and her entire day is either science or exercising. However, she absolutely LOVES what she does. She has a small group of friends, and is very family oriented, so for her going out just isn't fun. Instead, she is one of the most passionate people I met and I know she genuinely prefers to be doing research than going out on the weekend. Rather than parties, it's what makes her happy. I can appreciate that and so I think the only way to be a "machine" is to actually like it. Otherwise you'd go crazy. But that's just my two cents.

Everyone has different priorities and different enjoyments in life. It's not that one is more successful, or one has a social life. One is not better than the other, cause in the end you're both getting the same degree. It's just a matter of doing what you love and pursuing it.

 

[symmetry]

http://calnewport.com/blog/

This site helped me tremendously with my study habits.

 

[Shark7500]

Hey guys, I was going through some of my old posts on SDN and found this gem of a thread. I remember exactly who I was thinking of when I started this thread - and that person is doing pretty well for himself, though he's not in medical school. I'm sure he could've gotten in if he wanted to, though.

Anyway, as a third year medical student whose life is pretty much 5:30am to 11:00pm busy everyday, I can safely say that my lack of discipline during undergrad didn't really make much of a difference in the end. Things turned out okay. I never ended up becoming one of those 'machines' in undergrad, but I ended up getting accepted to medical school. We as human beings have a remarkable ability to live up to the challenge when the circumstances require us to do so. This paragraph from @45408 is gold:

You can't become a physician if you're lazy, and I don't want anyone to think I'm suggesting that people should be slacking off. I do want people to realize that you're not going through a short phase - during which you should suspend your normal life - and are going to come out and then start "living life." Life is happening now, and you should be living it. If you get true happiness from pounding through your day from 5am to 11pm, then that's fine, but don't fool yourself that you're going to be done soon. You don't "give up your twenties," but you will be spending most of them in school or at the hospital.

 

[applesaucey]

I've found that waking up early is one of the best things I could do to set myself up for success. It feels so good to get into the habit of getting up at 5am with no alarm and getting a workout in before the sun comes up. Then I can get most of my work done in the morning before I get tired out by classes or volunteering or whatever. I've kinda fallen off the wagon but I'm trying to get to bed a little earlier each night. Highly recommend it.

 

[Endoxifen]

I've found that waking up early is one of the best things I could do to set myself up for success. It feels so good to get into the habit of getting up at 5am with no alarm and getting a workout in before the sun comes up. Then I can get most of my work done in the morning before I get tired out by classes or volunteering or whatever. I've kinda fallen off the wagon but I'm trying to get to bed a little earlier each night. Highly recommend it.

Sounds like work... I'm going to continue bumming around coffee shops and bars with an MCAT book in hand.