Question about a worry....

[snowballz]

As I meet more pre medical students and pre-health professional students, I have begun to note something. Alot of these people have ego and competiveness complexes. (I try not to be this way, as I think it is a horrible way to be.) How did/do you guys stay away from this? I have decided not to join the PreMed Association at Indiana State for this reason. Is doing my own thing, with volunteer work that means something to me the way to go? Did EVERYONE here join a Pre medical organization? Probably not, but who knows...just a question.

Thanks for all your help.

Alicia

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[jargon124]

Personally, I have stayed away and continue to stay away from anything that has the term "Pre-med" in front of it. It will not affect your admiss chances. Pre-med organizations are generally BS and a waste of time...Get involved in things that MATTER to YOU...just my opinion though.

 

[lilninja]

I think you are definitely on the right track. Many pre-med organizations are just blanket groups with hundreds of passive members who need something to list on their resume. The one at my school was pretty blah - they didn't do anything particularly special - I found it easier to go directly to the volunteer organizations myself. I think that you should do what you want to do, volunteer where you want to (it doesn't have to be medically related either), and try to find some clinical experience somewhere where you won't have to listen to competitive pre-meds duke it out over who got what higer grade. Needless to say, I did not have any close friends in college who were pre-med (actually, no one in a science major), becuase I felt just like you. I think med schools know when applicants are trying to pad their resume vs. when they participate in meaningful activites.
I hope this helps.

 

[praying4MD]

Ditto. I have purposely stayed away from any premed organizations because I really didn't think they accomplish much at my school and the people in them certainly don't have the same goals as I do. In addition, this may sound mean, but I stay away from the general premed scene because of the competitive and anal atmosphere they encourage.

I did my own thing as far as volunteering and found it really rewarding to find unique volunteer ideas. Sometimes, those not medically related were more rewarding personally.

So, you're definitely not alone in this. Just find something you like, excel at it & most of all enjoy it. You should be fine.

 

[elle]

I would not worry about being in a pre-med club. If you're in one and you like it, that's great. If you find other activities that you enjoy more, that's great as well. I know it's cliche, but find what you love to do and I think that things will work out all right.

 

[Jameson]

I would definately concur with the post's above. At all cost I typically avoid anything that has the words "pre-med" before them as well. I am actually taking my MCAT at a different institution, far, far from the one I attend because I don't think I could sit down for 5+ hours with the pre-med students at my school. The vibes would be all wrong for such an important exam.

 

[snowballz]

Thanks guys..I just felt like I was supposed to join. I was under the impression that everyone did if they were a serious premed.

Alicia

 

[racergirl]

Originally posted by snowballz:
•Thanks guys..I just felt like I was supposed to join. I was under the impression that everyone did if they were a serious premed.

Alicia•

No way! Not everyone in a Pre Med society is nuts, but they sure seem to get more than their fare share of kooks. You know the type. They walk around in scrubs all the time (I used to wait tables, but as a general rule I didn't wear my apron to class), and at the first opportunity will ask you how you did on such or such exam. How rude! If you get a bad vibe from the society at you school, RUN, don't walk, in the other direction!

 

[kutastha]

I wasn't even in a pre-med major, I took one pre-med class (and that was filled with rabod bio majors) and certainly never joined a club. As you can tell from some of my posts, I even have a hard time reading some of the posts here!

Andrew

 

[none]

What adcoms would prefer to see over avoidance is leadership. Work on changing these clubs and their members, not avoiding them!

 

[praying4MD]

Or, you could actually accomplish something, change someone's life, & enjoy doing something unique, instead of battling narrow minded bureaucrats. I used to think I could change these clubs too-- no more.

 

[snowballz]

These clubs will never change. I sometimes feel discouraged because I may not be as intelligent or score a higher test grade than another premed. (I get stellar grades without the competitive spirit.) I have come to the conclusion, all we can really do in this process is be ourselves. I can do the things that mean something to me and get the grades I study hard to earn. I DO NOT want to be in a premed club...I do not wish to associate with many other premedders for this reason. Some overly competitive, sore losing demon rises up and I'm not Alicia anymore. I don't like that feeling at all. I also will not do something to pad my resume...joining a premed association would be doing just that, for me anyway.

Alicia

 

[MorningLight2100]

Alicia, I must say, I really do applaud you! With so much focus on numbers and stats and "getting in," it's easy to allow the craziness of the "premed mentality" to sweep you up. But you're really viewing the situation with an admirable sense of balance. "All we can really do in this process is be ourselves"...perfectly stated!

During my sophomore year, I found myself deeply disturbed by how greatly students focused on "getting in" and how little attention they paid to developing the social and intellectual skills that would help them to be GOOD DOCTORS. The two go hand in hand...but are not necessarily one & the same! Even worse, I realized that I had developed a similar state of mind. And I was miserable! Thankfully I stopped focusing on my GPA, tried to help some sick children, and left those awful days behind.

Please do not let the competitiveness drive you into the ground. Please keep doing things that you enjoy, simply for the sake of exploring exciting new areas....simply because you ENJOY THEM! And if this means staying away from a pre-medical organization of some sort...by all means, volunteer, go running, paint, play music...do what's closest to who you are...instead!

Have a lovely night.

 

[tidy_kiwi]

Please do not let the competitiveness drive you into the ground. Please keep doing things that you enjoy, simply for the sake of exploring exciting new areas....simply because you ENJOY THEM! And if this means staying away from a pre-medical organization of some sort...by all means, volunteer, go running, paint, play music...do what's closest to who you are...instead!

Perfectly stated. I agree whole heartedly.

 

[NE_Cornhusker1]

as corny as it sounds, just do the best you can. of all the hypercompetitve, pre-med, gunner types i started with not a single one is left in my upper level science/pre-med classes. it appears they killed each other. all the cool, "hey you wanna study together so we both do well" types are around. they often display that kind of i'm #1 attitude to get others down and worrying. they have done that to you. dont let them do that.

 

[Kazzar]

Deleted because I was young and stupid when I wrote this.