premeds

[hnbui]

I jsut recently started undergrad and well i've noticed something... that's been really annoying me.....

Half the people who say that they are premed are making grades that are subpar. I mean just recently i had a chem test and the class average was a 60 %. The test wasn't hard. (Trust me, i really suck in chem. Plus i transferred into this chem class right before the test. I transferred in thursday and the test was next tuesday.) It just that why be premed if you aren't willing to put in the hours studying?

Alot of the kids i know who are premed party out everynight and then show up to class and say that the test or quiz was hard, even though they "studied" the whole night. I mean tulane is a party hard, study even harder kind of school.


Another issue that's been really ticking me off. Sometimes when you ask people what's they're major they say premed. Now ofcourse premed isn't a major..... so when i ask them what their realy major is again... they give me a weird look like i'm stupid or something..... I'm not the only who notices this. Alot of my friends has too.

I mean do these kids really expect to become doctors when they don't want to put in the effort or when they don't even know that premed isn't a major?


I don't know i guess i'm just venting right now. Hope that didn't sound condescending.

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[Dr. Chiquita]

Dude, if they party all night and fail, then they won't get in to med school in the end. However, I personally think if you can pull off good grades and still have fun, that shows your time management skills.

Just focus on yourself. I find that to be the best way to get through being a premed.

 

[drsungoddess]

you better get used to it because there are tons of pre-meds out there who obviosly are never going to make it. You will learn to recognize them and then laugh at them when they do stupid stuff. Of corse, the more people you know who do bad and attempt to get into med school the better your chance of getting in. Just remember, after undergrad it is nothing but hard work, long hours and little time to sqeaze in fun, so try to have some fun. oh, study study study for the MCAT when it comes your way, even if you always do well on tests, it is the bitch of all tests and will kick your butt if you do not prepare well for it. Best of luck

 

[UseUrHeadFred]

This tails off as you get closer and closer to the process.

The competition level increases in O-Chem, so some get weeded out by then. After that the MCAT is usually the "ending factor".

Only around 50% of applicants make it in to medical school. You have to figure that a whole lot more than that have already been weeded out by the time the application period rolls around.

 

[drguy22]

this is wat i heard....dont know bout the truth of it...


for every 100 pre-med beginners.....40 drop out by the 1st or 2nd year.....and of the 60 left...30 make it to medical school.

 

[MD_Strategery]

I jsut recently started undergrad and well i've noticed something... that's been really annoying me.....

Half the people who say that they are premed are making grades that are subpar. I mean just recently i had a chem test and the class average was a 60 %. The test wasn't hard. (Trust me, i really suck in chem. Plus i transferred into this chem class right before the test. I transferred in thursday and the test was next tuesday.) It just that why be premed if you aren't willing to put in the hours studying?

Alot of the kids i know who are premed party out everynight and then show up to class and say that the test or quiz was hard, even though they "studied" the whole night. I mean tulane is a party hard, study even harder kind of school.


Another issue that's been really ticking me off. Sometimes when you ask people what's they're major they say premed. Now ofcourse premed isn't a major..... so when i ask them what their realy major is again... they give me a weird look like i'm stupid or something..... I'm not the only who notices this. Alot of my friends has too.

I mean do these kids really expect to become doctors when they don't want to put in the effort or when they don't even know that premed isn't a major?


I don't know i guess i'm just venting right now. Hope that didn't sound condescending.

The reason they may look at you a little funny when you ask them their major could be due to the fact that they aren't past their sophmore yr yet and as a pre-med student you aren't required to have a "major" until the end of your sophmore year. At my school Auburn they won't allow first year pre-med students declare a major, they just tell you to follow the pre-reqs for the curriculum..

 

[DrYo12]

Don't worry so much about what everyone else is doing and focus on your own efforts. If you spend your time looking at the grass on the other side of the hill, you won't realise that the four (or five) years of undergrad are over and you spent your time worrying about the fact that everyone else seems to be having fun while you're working your tail off.

Besides, we're pre-med...what do pre-meds do? They do everything they can to make you think that they haven't even picked up a book until 15 minutes before the exam and then somehow scored 25 points above the mean. Don't let them fool you. I thought that everyone was out having fun when they said they were and it turned out that they were studying their ass off when I wasn't looking!

Keep looking ahead, but don't have tunnel vision!

 

[EMTLizzy]

Even though I was a Biology major and pre-med was just a course concentration, I found that friends of mine came to me for all medical questions they had. Anyone else encounter this? Ask me about cell biology. Ask me about genetics. Ask me about the Citric Acid Cycle. But for the love of God and all that is holy please don't ask me about the drug your grandmother's doctor just put her on for irritable bowel syndrome!

It's funny, though. People think that because you're "pre-med" you immediately learn all things medical. As if Day 1 of college for a pre-med is learning how to wrap an ace bandage and by graduation you know it all.

 

[The Remix]

Premed is just one of those things that tend to be a default thing for undergrads. Prelaw is another one. Those on either extreme (party too hard or do-nothing-but-study) types aren't going to make it. You'll see people drop off as the years go by--esp once you get to Orgo. Do you and find a group of like minded peeps to study with.

 

[USAF_Dentman]

I jsut recently started undergrad and well i've noticed something... that's been really annoying me.....

Half the people who say that they are premed are making grades that are subpar. I mean just recently i had a chem test and the class average was a 60 %. The test wasn't hard. (Trust me, i really suck in chem. Plus i transferred into this chem class right before the test. I transferred in thursday and the test was next tuesday.) It just that why be premed if you aren't willing to put in the hours studying?

Alot of the kids i know who are premed party out everynight and then show up to class and say that the test or quiz was hard, even though they "studied" the whole night. I mean tulane is a party hard, study even harder kind of school.


Another issue that's been really ticking me off. Sometimes when you ask people what's they're major they say premed. Now ofcourse premed isn't a major..... so when i ask them what their realy major is again... they give me a weird look like i'm stupid or something..... I'm not the only who notices this. Alot of my friends has too.

I mean do these kids really expect to become doctors when they don't want to put in the effort or when they don't even know that premed isn't a major?


I don't know i guess i'm just venting right now. Hope that didn't sound condescending.

I know a girl who says she's a "pre-med". We just had a bio test last week, she scored a 53%, I got a 94% ( the test was one of the easiest test i have had since i started college!). All she says is "well, there's more to medical school than just grades" I nearly laughed my ass off...

 

[The Remix]

I know a girl who says she's a "pre-med". We just had a bio test last week, she scored a 53%, I got a 94% ( the test was one of the easiest test i have had since i started college!). All she says is "well, there's more to medical school than just grades" I nearly laughed my ass off...

She may be the daughter of a senator like kerry's daughter at Harvard, she won't have to worry about anything then!

 

[NERDY]

Don't worry about others. Just work hard and stick to your plan. Sooner or later all those poor grades will catch up.

 

[CoverMe]

I teach general bio labs... just for S's and G's I ask all my students at the beginning of the semester "Who's premed?" "Who's pre-dent?" "Who's pre-vet?" (obviously these are not major designations, but rather a statement of intent). I usually get about 25% saying they're "premed"... by the end of the semester it's down to less than 10%... and that's just among those who haven't dropped.

Medicine, it seems to me, is a career cloaked in a lot of mystique and prestige. When the cold hard reality of what it takes just to get to the point of actually applying (much less get accepted) settles in, the numbers thin considerably.

Also, I think people say "premed" because they feel it infers something, that they're "better" than others because of it. Just chalk all these things up to youth and lack of understanding. They'll get over it.

 

[viciousstreak]

Hahahah. Yeah, I think you get a lot of that at any school, especially within the first 2 years.

Freshman year, first semester, one of my really good friends was in my gen chem lecture with me. After the second week, things went downhill for her. She'd sleep during lecture, wouldn't bother reading, etc. She'd only show up every now and then and only because apparently she didn't want to seem like an "idiot" in front of me... hmm. For our hardest exam of the course that semester, she didn't read AT ALL until 2 hours before the exam, and even then it wasn't reading. it was looking over a few problems that she copied down during lecture. She got a SIX PERCENT on the exam. 6%!! What is more ridiculous it that she was "pre-med...." yeah. She later bitched at me, telling me she wasn't a "science person" and "chemistry isn't fun" and that she "studied so hard for the exam." I asked her how long, already knowing the answer to my question. I remember her response perfectly. "Like, three hours!" She has since changed her major to music, fortunately and unsurprisingly.

What I'm trying to say is that it's easy to say your pre-med, in the beginning. A lot easier said than done. Things get progressively more difficult, and the numbers of premeds dwindles, leaving only those serious and dedicated enough. The best you can do is stay focused on your own stuff, but don't forget that it's okay to take a break every now and then and have some fun.

 

[fairy]

pre-meds who don't study will remain just that - pre-meds. i mean you only get what you put in right?

 

[Blake]

this is wat i heard....dont know bout the truth of it...


for every 100 pre-med beginners.....40 drop out by the 1st or 2nd year.....and of the 60 left...30 make it to medical school.

That's way off, at least where I live. Out of the roughly 250 pre-meds in my year, only 21 made it to med school.

 

[45408]

Don't worry about everyone else. They aren't hurting you. They will definitely get weeded out though - someone barely squeezing through gen chem won't clear the first round of organic. They'll catch on eventually.

Just don't get a big head about it - you're not in yet - you might not make it.

 

[45408]

That's way off, at least where I live. Out of the roughly 250 pre-meds in my year, only 21 made it to med school.

That sounds a little TOO extreme, but my gen chem class started with 250 people in it - and only 80 people took the organic 2 final (and a lot of them failed). Obviously not everyone was pre-med, but it's an example of how it drops down.

 

[fairy]

also, ever thought that people may have simply changed their minds because they didn't want to be a doctor anymore. it isn't always about marks.

 

[Blake]

That sounds a little TOO extreme, but my gen chem class started with 250 people in it - and only 80 people took the organic 2 final (and a lot of them failed). Obviously not everyone was pre-med, but it's an example of how it drops down.

Well, it was a pre-med program, with 250 people. Sure, some of them didn't want to enter medicine, and their first choices were pharmacy or getting a degree in chemistry once in university, but most people wanted to enter med school. I'm being serious here, Med school in Canada is insanely competitive. Hell, the way my province works, well, you basically need to have like 20 points over the provincial mean for every single course, otherwise your '' R ranking '' will be low, and you won't get in. It's not surprising that out of these 21 who entered, something like 25 of them had interviews. Once you have an interview, you're almost automatically in. But to get an interview, well, you'd better own the class all the time. I wouldn't be surprised if the college average in my class was above 90 %, for every single course. To give you an idea, one semester, I ended up with 92 in Calculus 2. The average was 69. My '' R ranking '' for that clas was only 35. Med schools here don't accept anything under 34. Highest R ranking I ever heard of was 40, and the kid was a genius, and his class average was like 50 % all the time.

 

[Blake]

also, ever thought that people may have simply changed their minds because they didn't want to be a doctor anymore. it isn't always about marks.

Sure, but from what I've witnessed, it was after getting bad grades that people felt they didn't want to be doctors. I only knew 3 folks in my college, who had the stats to enter med school, but who chose another career. One went into nuclear phsyics, one in law school, and the other chose geography. The medical admission process is totally different from the american one and the canadian one ( french canada likes being special, I suppose ). Considering 70 % of M1s are 19, well, there is little chance of entering med school when you're an university graduate. It's almost like a train. Once you missed the first chance, you can almost kiss it goodbye. Sucks for some, rocks for some. That's life.

 

[fairy]

i'm a total believer that motivation and high grades go hand in hand, you can't have one without the other. if the person truly wanted to a doctor he/she would be more motivated to get better grades.

 

[lizbjrddnr]

Another issue that's been really ticking me off. Sometimes when you ask people what's they're major they say premed. Now ofcourse premed isn't a major..... so when i ask them what their realy major is again... they give me a weird look like i'm stupid or something..... I'm not the only who notices this. Alot of my friends has too.

I mean do these kids really expect to become doctors when they don't want to put in the effort or when they don't even know that premed isn't a major?

Actually, pre-med IS a major at some schools (i.e. Notre Dame).

 

[Blake]

Actually, pre-med IS a major at some schools (i.e. Notre Dame).

Same here.

 

[fairy]

The medical admission process is totally different from the american one and the canadian one ( french canada likes being special, I suppose ). Considering 70 % of M1s are 19, well, there is little chance of entering med school when you're an university graduate. It's almost like a train. Once you missed the first chance, you can almost kiss it goodbye. Sucks for some, rocks for some. That's life.

19?! is quebec really that diff. from ontario?

 

[rambo]

Don't worry about everyone else.

The smartest statement in this thread. It does seem that these "musings" that are being posted are merely anectodal affirmations of superiority. Some people make mistakes, I don't really understand why it's such a big deal. So what if some girl you knew couldn't hack chemistry? What effect did that have on you and YOUR career?

I smell gunpowder.

 

[youngin]

"I smell gunpowder." Tru dat.

One word: chill.

The world isn't gonna be all dandy like you want it to be so you take it with a grain of salt that everything is for the better.

 

[fairy]

gunners will be gunners. and most pre-meds are gunners, lets face it.

 

[firebody]

She may be the daughter of a senator like kerry's daughter at Harvard, she won't have to worry about anything then!

well i think her qualifications of graduating summa cum laude (3.98) from Yale with a molecular biology degree helped....on top of her taking two years off to work at a financial firm in england and volunteering abroad for relief efforts in africa might have swayed the votes too.....and the fact that she takes full advantage of her fathers status by speaking to world committees on public health policies and youth summits all before she matriculated into Harvard Med.....so yeah, you can make the case that her name helped, but you really can't discredit the fact that most schools would want her just for those accomplishments. i'd assume she's no dummy at all.

 

[Blake]

19?! is quebec really that diff. from ontario?

Yes. Quebec is really different. Don't ask me why, they just like being different from the rest of Canada ( french genes ). As you guessed, I'm 19. Actually, in my class, I'd say 80 % of us are my age. The rest are university graduates, in programs like biochemistry, biology, psychology, neurosciences, etc...

 

[45408]

also, ever thought that people may have simply changed their minds because they didn't want to be a doctor anymore. it isn't always about marks.

Sure, that happens, but there's no way around the fact that a lot of pre-meds give up when they get low grades. I do have a friend who opted for pre-pharmacy after originally being pre-med because she wanted that lifestyle, and she's got a ~3.85.

 

[fairy]

Yes. Quebec is really different. Don't ask me why, they just like being different from the rest of Canada ( french genes ). As you guessed, I'm 19. Actually, in my class, I'd say 80 % of us are my age. The rest are university graduates, in programs like biochemistry, biology, psychology, neurosciences, etc...

so, you're a year older than me and already in med school? *shakes fist in jealousy* does that only apply to quebec undergrads or can ontario students apply that early. i know that hear you can apply in 3rd year but it's rare to get accepted even then.

 

[Blake]

so, you're a year older than me and already in med school? *shakes fist in jealousy* does that only apply to quebec undergrads or can ontario students apply that early. i know that hear you can apply in 3rd year but it's rare to get accepted even then.

I think it's only for quebec undergrads, well, unless you did 2 years of college in a pre-med program there. And I'm not even sure that would work, because our education system is different. We finish high school at 17, then 2 years of college, then it's off to university. How does it work in Ontario ?

Anyway, there are inconvenients to this. We're basically being owned by the university graduates so far, and studying like our lives depended on it thanks to our very limited background. I have no experience in research, and that's something I'd love to do to increase my chances at matching in the future, but when you've got to compete for the same research spot with a guy who did a ph.d in neurosciences, well that sucks. And the maturity isn't a strong point in our class ( but it creates fun parties )

 

[dr_know]

I jsut recently started undergrad and well i've noticed something... that's been really annoying me.....

Half the people who say that they are premed are making grades that are subpar. I mean just recently i had a chem test and the class average was a 60 %. The test wasn't hard. (Trust me, i really suck in chem. Plus i transferred into this chem class right before the test. I transferred in thursday and the test was next tuesday.) It just that why be premed if you aren't willing to put in the hours studying?

Alot of the kids i know who are premed party out everynight and then show up to class and say that the test or quiz was hard, even though they "studied" the whole night. I mean tulane is a party hard, study even harder kind of school.


Another issue that's been really ticking me off. Sometimes when you ask people what's they're major they say premed. Now ofcourse premed isn't a major..... so when i ask them what their realy major is again... they give me a weird look like i'm stupid or something..... I'm not the only who notices this. Alot of my friends has too.

I mean do these kids really expect to become doctors when they don't want to put in the effort or when they don't even know that premed isn't a major?


I don't know i guess i'm just venting right now. Hope that didn't sound condescending.

I think my IQ just dropped a tenth of a point.

 

[CMuRpHy]

i wouldnt worry about it, my principles of bio 1 and general chemistry classes freshman year started out with about 200 students (about 600 in my entire grad class). by the end of first semester the class was down to less than a 120 and at the end of freshman year less than 100. sophomore year weeded out at least 20 more of those kids. now i wont rip on all of them, i myself like to have fun, but its all about balancing, Im an RA, i work at a hosipital lab and i am in a fraternity, im a junior now and have really learned to balance out the fun and the work. however i feel sorry for those who refuse to leave their rooms except to go to the library, its a long road and med school wont allow for any fun. just let people weed themselves out and do your thing

 

[fairy]

How does it work in Ontario ?

Most students in Ontario finish up an undergrad degree then apply to med school. Some students apply before finishing their degree, but the earliest I've heard is after third year. I don't think we have specific pre-med programs like you guys have in Quebec which may be the reason why we usually do 3 or 4 years here - the programs aren't as concentrated.

 

[stoic]

Lots of people start off premed but don't end up premed. As for grades, concern yourself with yours, not somebody elses. I've bombed my fair share of tests, and chances are you'll screw up a couple before you're done with school.

As for studying instead of partying and all that, I say party on Garth. You only get to do this college thing once; make sure not to spend it all at the library.

 

[fpr85]

You people sicken me, so what if they did poorly on their first test -- people can change you know. I can't stand people who, having gotten an A on a test, go around the room asking everyone else what they got (especially people they know scored lower than them). Once the person tells them what they got they don't bother to mention their score until the other person asks "So, what did you get?" then the other person says "Oh, I got a 98%". To me it's like Ooooooooo I'm smarter than you, like you're rubbing it in their face.

pathetic.

EDIT: I Know that in some of my previous posts I have compared my test scores to the class averages, but I NEVER compare on an individual basis.

 

[fairy]

You people sicken me, so what if they did poorly on their first test -- people can change you know. I can't stand people who, having gotten an A on a test, go around the room asking everyone else what they got (especially people they know scored lower than them). Once the person tells them what they got they don't bother to mention their score until the other person asks "So, what did you get?" then the other person says "Oh, I got a 98%". To me it's like Ooooooooo I'm smarter than you, like you're rubbing it in their face.

pathetic.

EDIT: I Know that in some of my previous posts I have compared my test scores to the class averages, but I NEVER compare on an individual basis.

I absolutely hate when people do that. It was such a problem for me in high school, so bloody annoying. Since then I've made it a rule never to share test grades with others (unless they're close friends or family) it always leads to no good.

 

[DigitalFusion04]

I was never a motivated student in high school, and now that im a college freshman, and i enjoy most of the subjects, i can force myself to study the material and bring pretty good grades, the hard part is that there are the kids on campus who just want to have a good time, and for once in their life they are free, they have fun and everyone else sees it and wants to join in. Some people dont realize how much it really takes to get into medical school and some just loose thier focus into having fun without taking the time to study. I slacked off for about 2 weeks now and suddenly had a realization that i wasn't studying like i should... its all about doing more then what the normal people do, like someone said before "the normal people usually can't get into medical school"

Sacrifice now.. to have better later

 

[stoic]

I was never a motivated student in high school, and now that im a college freshman, and i enjoy most of the subjects, i can force myself to study the material and bring pretty good grades, the hard part is that there are the kids on campus who just want to have a good time, and for once in their life they are free, they have fun and everyone else sees it and wants to join in. Some people dont realize how much it really takes to get into medical school and some just loose thier focus into having fun without taking the time to study. I slacked off for about 2 weeks now and suddenly had a realization that i wasn't studying like i should... its all about doing more then what the normal people do, like someone said before "the normal people usually can't get into medical school"

Sacrifice now.. to have better later

Since you're a freshman, i'll be nice. Basically you need to chill out man. I got into med school in spite of my propensity for doing everything except studying. Figure out exactly how much you need to study in order to carry a 3.5 and then don't spend a second more than you have to studying.

You are correct about one thing, it is about doing things that other people don't. The thing is that everyone you apply with will have pretty good grades. Not everyone will have gotten the absolutely most out of college that they can. Go get involved with student groups, volunteering activites and generally explore your personal interests. That's what will set you apart, not spending every spare hour studying.

And don't forget to go get drunk on the weekends, of course. Just don't drive. Or use fake ID's. Because then you'll have to explain those problems on your applications

 

[45408]

Since you're a freshman, i'll be nice. Basically you need to chill out man. I got into med school in spite of my propensity for doing everything except studying. Figure out exactly how much you need to study in order to carry a 3.5 and then don't spend a second more than you have to studying.

Um, how about you not encourage the college freshman to do the least amount possible? A 3.5 certainly isn't bad, but it's only a slightly competitive GPA, as far as I'm concerned. Besides, most people would still need to study a reasonable amount for a 3.5. You may have done well in spite of your study habits, but most people only do well because of their study habits. He hardly sounds like a gunner yet.

 

[DigitalFusion04]

What exactly is a gunner?

 

[DigitalFusion04]

Im trying to graduate in 3 years. My major is psychology and my minor is chem. I still study a good amount but somtimes I find myself slipping here and there. I started a research project with my psych teacher. I have worked in a pharmacy for 3 years during high school as a pharmacy tech. I'm also a certified EMT from age 16, although i haven't been able to get on my first aid squad until this summer since i have just turned 18 and can now do a night shift. its all about staying motivated and AIM is a very large time consumer if your not paying attention... as well as your girl friend calling you too

 

[stoic]

What exactly is a gunner?

all study and no play makes jack a dull boy. and an arogent jerk.

that's a gunner.

 

[futuremsfdoc]

of my 15 or so dormmates freshman year who were premed, here's where they've gone after 3.5 years.

4 or so are left and will get in.
4 are still "premed" but probably won't get in this time around.
2 are now pre dental.
the rest dropped premed after the first year.

hnbui-don't worry about what people say, only what you do.