pre-pre-pre-pre...pre-med

[BrieTC]

So...I'm only a sophomore, at this point, which probably is making you all snicker with contempt (or maybe jealousy, judging by the looks of the waitlist threads, I don't know) but I'm one of those neurotics who likes to plan life out 20 years at a time, and I had some questions I was hoping you guys could help me out with.

I just know some of these are going to be repeats, but they seem like such odd questions to me that I'm not sure how to even search for past threads on them. Please don't throw anything rotten. ...on second thought, rotten would be softer. Hmm. Enough blabber!

As I said earlier, I'm a sophomore at the moment. (More accurately, I will be a sophomore at the end of the second summer semester. :-/) The thing that's scaring me the most is how...clueless I am. I somehow managed to get through high school without ever having taken chemistry, and I don't have my first chemistry class until Summer 1. I am, by all means, VERY far behind. I'm well grounded in Biology, but chem is unknown territory for me. Is that a ridiculous situation to be in? I read all these journals and websites just to keep myself immersed in the language I'm going to be speaking for the rest of my life, and it irritates and scares me that I can't grasp 100% of it. I find it utterly unfathomable that I can go from summer 2005 to spring 2008 and have gathered enough information to survive med school. Please, someone tell me this is normal.

The other thing that worries me is my utter inability to manage my time. High school was too easy for me, in terms of the level of work we were doing, so I just...didn't do the work. I skated by on good test scores. College level is different, though, and I'm finding it absolutely insanely difficult to structure myself adequately to get all my homework and studying done. Did anyone else have this problem? How did you solve it? There's like some...mental roadblock preventing me from not procrastinating, and I know enough about pre-med tracks and med school to know that I will never make it if I can't snap out of this.

*insecure* But hopefully some of you happen to remember what it was like 3 or 4 years ago and will be willing to give me some advice.

Good luck to all of you!

-Brie

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[vikaskoth]

calm down, take some valium, not having taken chem in highschool is not a big deal. Chem I starts out pretty easy, nothing to wild to comprehend.

The whole reading journals for language seems a bit unnecessary and rather neuroti

 

[BrieTC]

*chuckles* Well, I *did* say I was neurotic.

I read journals more because I find them interesting than for language, but every little bit counts, you know? It keeps me psyched about going down this road towards being a doctor, and I really need to be psyched. It's a lot of work.

Thanks for the reassurance, though.

 

[veridisquo]

Professors usually teach under the assumption that you have never been introduced to chemistry before. Everything you need to know, or will be tested on, will be taught.

In HS, I never took biology or chemistry, and I did just fine.

 

[abcxyz0123]

youre crazy

 

[Hoberto]

The other thing that worries me is my utter inability to manage my time. High school was too easy for me, in terms of the level of work we were doing, so I just...didn't do the work. I skated by on good test scores. College level is different, though, and I'm finding it absolutely insanely difficult to structure myself adequately to get all my homework and studying done. Did anyone else have this problem? How did you solve it? There's like some...mental roadblock preventing me from not procrastinating, and I know enough about pre-med tracks and med school to know that I will never make it if I can't snap out of this.

-Brie

Wahhhahhahahah..I still haven't figured this out and I am in graduate school!

Sometimes it helps if you can deprive yourself of something until you get that paper or project or whatever done. Like, I'm not eating this cookie until I finish these problems. Usually, I tell myself that if I work for at least an hour on something then I can watch a little TV.

 

[velo]

*chuckles* Well, I *did* say I was neurotic.

I read journals more because I find them interesting than for language, but every little bit counts, you know? It keeps me psyched about going down this road towards being a doctor, and I really need to be psyched. It's a lot of work.

Thanks for the reassurance, though.

you'll read plenty of journal articles once you get to med school and beyond...don't worry about it, it gets easier. Its good that you are already familiarizing yourself with it though.

Biggest piece of advice: Get good grades, rock the MCAT, try to get a position in a research lab, and keep up your hobbies and social life to stay well-rounded.

best of luck.

 

[SitraAchra]

I was like you, don't worry just calm down. I think you need to drop the "plan my life 20 years ahead" schtick though. If you don't focus on things one day at a time you'll never make it out alive.

I had problems adjusting to the rigors of college, and I think almost everyone here had relatively no difficulty doing fine in highschool. I played too many video games and watched too much tv. Solution: no video games or tv for the past three years. Just re-evaluate how you're spending your free time. We all goof off, but you have to limit it when crunch time comes along.

Another thing you will learn with time is how to anticipate the amount of studying necessary to earn the grades you want. Usually the first low test grade is a swift and sometimes brutal wakeup.

But most importantly, read my first sentence again.

 

[willthatsall]

I'm well grounded in Biology, but chem is unknown territory for me.

Impossible. As my professor would say, "Without chemistry, one cannot understand biology."

 

[DoctorV09]

yes it's overwhelming in the beginning...but such is college. of course you don't know everything you read in journals--i've already graduated from college and finished all my pre-reqs and still read some journals (only b/c i have to for my research, not because i choose to) and STILL don't understand some of the things they are talking about it. No, you will not know everything there is to medicine by 2008, but yes you will know what you need to know and what everyone else at your level knows. Believe me, you'll be amazed at how much you learn in the next 3 years. It's a lot, and you will suddenly feel much smarter and realize how much you have learned. and when you study for the MCAT and it all comes together, you will be even more shocked...but in a weird way, it made me feel good--like i had accomplished something.

a lot of premeds have the problem where they never had to work hard in high school and now all of a sudden they do. believe me, i did. but, for me, one day it just clicked--it was somewhere in the beginning of sophomore year, where i realized that i just needed to get my **** together and study. and you force yourself to do it. and you do. if you want to manage your time, start making "to-do" lists--those always helped me and it was comforting when you could check something off your list.

if the journals and stuff REALLY interest you, then good for you and keep reading them. but if not, really they are not necessary...in fact, i agree with vikaskoth that it is a bit neurotic. i mean, if you don't understand it and haven't even begun to learn the info, it is essentially useless. wait until you know the basics. read other stuff instead--like textbooks!!!! then you'll be learning what you should be learning.

okay and lastly (and i can't stress this enough) remember that college is supposed to be THE BEST TIME OF YOUR LIFE!!! so stop stressing out about how prepared you will be in 3 years from now--if you keep worrying about it, you're going to need some paxil! just study hard and do your best (and throw in some yoga or something), and remember that you are young and should be having fun. so go out and explore everything great that college has to offer! because believe me, college IS the best time of your life. Good luck!

 

[BrieTC]

*wanders over the the residency area and tries to cadge a scrip for valium*

Heh, ok, anything else?

I'm not really as nuts as I seem here. Really. I just really, really want to do well and be a doctor...I haven't considered any other options for my life. That's just...what I want to do. So it's easy to get uptight about it.

Thanks for your advice thus far. Mostly it's stuff I already knew (intellectually) but it's good to hear it again, since I'm obviously having trouble DOING it.

 

[SitraAchra]

I'm not really as nuts as I seem here. Really. I just really, really want to do well and be a doctor...I haven't considered any other options for my life. That's just...what I want to do. So it's easy to get uptight about it.

Pre-med Prototype: Version 1.0

 

[BrieTC]

Oh yeah, I know how I'm totally the only one ever who felt that way/said those words.

 

[Medikit]

I'm not really as nuts as I seem here. Really. I just really, really want to do well and be a doctor...I haven't considered any other options for my life. That's just...what I want to do. So it's easy to get uptight about it.

Yeah, no crap. I really got stressed out my sophomore year as well. I think that's the year when reality begins to take hold. Step back, take a breath, realize that if you really want to be a doctor you will probably be able to get into a foreign school, aim with a high goal such as getting into a US allopathic or osteopathic program, and then take it a day at a time. There's no reason to break your back trying to hold up the crushing weight of the unknown.

 

[toady]

Okay, so....if you're ALMOST a Sophomore, that makes you a Freshman. I think you're freaking out WAY too early. You are still fresh out of highschool, don't stress it, you'll get the time to take all of the classes that will prepare you for the MCAT and medical school. Sadly, that's a long ways off, and if you don't relax and enjoy life now (while classes are still easy) you will a) miss out on all the "life experiences" that college has to offer, and b) get severely stressed out, and end up depressed. An MD/PhD recruiter told me that "anybody can lock themselves in their room and get a good GPA. Schools are interested in applicants who can balance LIFE with school, and who will be involved in the community while balancing medschool."
Relax, have fun, and enjoy your undergrad years...I promise you, you'll regret missing out on all the fun

 

[HoodyHoo]

Professors usually teach under the assumption that you have never been introduced to chemistry before. Everything you need to know, or will be tested on, will be taught.

In HS, I never took biology or chemistry, and I did just fine.

Like HS chem or bio even prepares u for $hit. I would assume HS is very easy for anyone that is bright enough to be a doctor.

 

[nishi]

as far as being behind...
just try to have orgo 2 and physics 2 done before the spring of ur junior year (when you take the MCAT). if you do so, please trust me on this, you are not behind.

this may be a crazy suggestion, but for time management, see if you can get a job that requires you to be up early. somehow the day seems so much longer if you're up by 7. i worked at starbucks one summer and opened for the store so i was up by 5AM. but its nice b/c after working a 4hrs shift, its only 9AM and you still have your entire day.

as far as procrastinating... overcoming this has been my new years resolution every year and it never works. i just think its very rare for someone not to procratinate. in my experiences, things don't have to be done early, just on time. who cares if you get it in 2 mintues before 5pm, as long as it gets in before the builiding is locked (of course this is not applicable to some things like submitting a med school app.)

there is a lot more to college than classes. you will grow as a person if you can find a nonacademic area to explore that deals with real world issues.

when you have free time, explore SDN and do searches for peoples opinions and experiences, (make sure to check out the general residency and allopathic forum).

 

[riceman04]

So...I'm only a sophomore, at this point, which probably is making you all snicker with contempt (or maybe jealousy, judging by the looks of the waitlist threads, I don't know) but I'm one of those neurotics who likes to plan life out 20 years at a time, and I had some questions I was hoping you guys could help me out with.

I just know some of these are going to be repeats, but they seem like such odd questions to me that I'm not sure how to even search for past threads on them. Please don't throw anything rotten. ...on second thought, rotten would be softer. Hmm. Enough blabber!

As I said earlier, I'm a sophomore at the moment. (More accurately, I will be a sophomore at the end of the second summer semester. :-/) The thing that's scaring me the most is how...clueless I am. I somehow managed to get through high school without ever having taken chemistry, and I don't have my first chemistry class until Summer 1. I am, by all means, VERY far behind. I'm well grounded in Biology, but chem is unknown territory for me. Is that a ridiculous situation to be in? I read all these journals and websites just to keep myself immersed in the language I'm going to be speaking for the rest of my life, and it irritates and scares me that I can't grasp 100% of it. I find it utterly unfathomable that I can go from summer 2005 to spring 2008 and have gathered enough information to survive med school. Please, someone tell me this is normal.

The other thing that worries me is my utter inability to manage my time. High school was too easy for me, in terms of the level of work we were doing, so I just...didn't do the work. I skated by on good test scores. College level is different, though, and I'm finding it absolutely insanely difficult to structure myself adequately to get all my homework and studying done. Did anyone else have this problem? How did you solve it? There's like some...mental roadblock preventing me from not procrastinating, and I know enough about pre-med tracks and med school to know that I will never make it if I can't snap out of this.

*insecure* But hopefully some of you happen to remember what it was like 3 or 4 years ago and will be willing to give me some advice.

Good luck to all of you!

-Brie

I hope you are not serious when you say you plan your life up to twenty yrs ahead. Just another time bomb waiting to explode on your ideal life............................................... BOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.....Uh oh, you now have to put the pieces back together using a new method that allows you to take things step by step instead of twenty years at a time.

 

[BrieTC]

Okay, so....if you're ALMOST a Sophomore, that makes you a Freshman. I think you're freaking out WAY too early. You are still fresh out of highschool, don't stress it, you'll get the time to take all of the classes that will prepare you for the MCAT and medical school.

Credit wise, I'm a sophomore. It's just in relation to the track I have to take to get back on a "normal" student schedule (most people start in fall, finish in spring, that kind of thing - essential when med schools require you to be done by July, see?) that I'm still a freshman.

And I graduated in 2000. I'm not fresh out of high school. I spend nearly 2 years training to be a programmer and working my butt off to make it happen and then...woops, I don't want to be a programmer. I want to be a doctor. Because some advisor in high school told me I couldn't go straight to college, because of spending a year in the hospital and cramming junior and senior years into one. Wee I've been working, trying to support myself and my family since then until now, and I have to make up for lost time somehow - I'll be older than the average med school applicant by 4 years or no matter what I do, and I'm all too aware of the inverse relationship between advancing age and energy level. I'm only 22, not 62, but there are other factors I have to consider.

Lastly, I think I should clarify : when I said "planning my life 20 years in advance" I was using that cool new thing called sarcasm. I'm a planner and a lister, just like tons of you are, and what I'm actually doing is trying to figure out exactly which classes I have to take when, and even that's mostly to achieve the end of getting myself back on that "normal" student schedule I mentioned above. Like I said before, I'm not as crazy as I sound. I'm simply acutely aware that I'm already at a disadvantage.

I really, really appreciate the advice and reassurance. I go to a community college right now, for financial reasons, and there aren't any career counselors here, nor are there academic advisors who have any clue about either of my majors or any of the pre-med classes I have to take, since none of them are offered there. I'm sure when I transfer next Fall to UArizona things will be different, but for now I just need information. Thanks for helping me get it.

 

[SitraAchra]

You'll be applying to med school in your mid twenties - how exactly does this put you at a big disadvantage? Assuming you pull this off, how does supporting your family and handling your personal hardships set you back? These are all things that should elevate you above the 22yearolds fresh out of college that lack such a perspective.

Reading your post made me nervous because it was so fast-paced. I can only imagine what talking to you in real life is like. Less. Caffeine..

 

[BrieTC]

It's not my age so much as the RA and other physical bullcrap. I'm not at a disadvantage for any 1 reason. I assumed that most of you could give a crap and therefore I didn't list all the reasons.

I'm not like this in real life. I'm just trying not to waste your time, and therefore I figured it was best to be succinct. Better chance of getting helpful responses, or something. Try and lay off on the condescending "chill" messages before you know the whole story, for heaven's sakes. It's not like I shoved this post down your throat. You *could* ignore it.

 

[nishi]

Try and lay off on the condescending "chill" messages before you know the whole story, for heaven's sakes. It's not like I shoved this post down your throat. You *could* ignore it.

whoa, where did that come from? you definitely sound like you were 18 or somtething in your first post; now you sound like you 16. i think most pepole were being sincere and trying to help you.

 

[Arsenic]

youre crazy

I concur with your diagnosis seth

 

[BrieTC]

whoa, where did that come from? you definitely sound like you were 18 or somtething in your first post; now you sound like you 16. i think most pepole were being sincere and trying to help you.

Yes, I think most people were. To those who were, I was careful to express my profuse thanks. It's the people who weren't that prompted that last post. I can't tell you how much I appreciate asking sincere questions that are important to me and getting responses like "youre crazy." If I'm acting 18, and subsequently 16 by being intense, I cannot even begin to attach an age to the people who are just being creeps. What use, besides heckling, is there in responses like that?

 

[Without Wax]

*wanders over the the residency area and tries to cadge a scrip for valium*

Heh, ok, anything else?

I'm not really as nuts as I seem here. Really. I just really, really want to do well and be a doctor...I haven't considered any other options for my life. That's just...what I want to do. So it's easy to get uptight about it.

Thanks for your advice thus far. Mostly it's stuff I already knew (intellectually) but it's good to hear it again, since I'm obviously having trouble DOING it.

You sound like a really smart person, and usually overachievers worry too much so don't worry too much. Without a doubt, preparing to become a doctor is the most important thing that should be on your mind, but you are only a freshman. Do not let your grades drop but having a good college life is also important (only happens ONCE in your life)

Go out and date a girl/guy (I do not know what sex you are), go to parties and have fun.

You will be a doctor!

 

[fpr85]

It's not my age so much as the RA and other physical bullcrap. I'm not at a disadvantage for any 1 reason. I assumed that most of you could give a crap and therefore I didn't list all the reasons.

I'm not like this in real life. I'm just trying not to waste your time, and therefore I figured it was best to be succinct. Better chance of getting helpful responses, or something. Try and lay off on the condescending "chill" messages before you know the whole story, for heaven's sakes. It's not like I shoved this post down your throat. You *could* ignore it.

Welcome to the loving community of SDN, where people use the anonymity of the internet to their advantage


PS: What are these journals that you speak of and where can I find them?

 

[45408]

Like HS chem or bio even prepares u for $hit. I would assume HS is very easy for anyone that is bright enough to be a doctor.

I didn't learn jack about chem in high school. I barely ever understoond what molarity was. Five semesters of chem later, I've got a little better grip.