Question about residency

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
O

otacon88

Full Member
10+ Year Member
15+ Year Member
Joined
Mar 30, 2006
Messages
158
Reaction score
4
Members don't see this ad.
Hello everyone. I'm currently a Year 1 med student in the UMKC 6 year medical program. I was wondering how joining a fraternity will look when I'm trying to match for residencies. If I maintain good grades, will they see that I have good time management, and know how to enjoy life while studying and staying on top of things? Will it help or hurt my acceptance? Thanks in advance.
 
otacon88 said:
Hello everyone. I'm currently a Year 1 med student in the UMKC 6 year medical program. I was wondering how joining a fraternity will look when I'm trying to match for residencies. If I maintain good grades, will they see that I have good time management, and know how to enjoy life while studying and staying on top of things? Will it help or hurt my acceptance? Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

YOu could run the risk that some will see it as frivolous but as long as you keep your grades up, it probably won't matter. Like most ECs, the relevance to your matching is very small.
 
otacon88 said:
Hello everyone. I'm currently a Year 1 med student in the UMKC 6 year medical program. I was wondering how joining a fraternity will look when I'm trying to match for residencies. If I maintain good grades, will they see that I have good time management, and know how to enjoy life while studying and staying on top of things? Will it help or hurt my acceptance? Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

Won't help ya, but could hurt ya.
 
You don't need to necessarily list it on your application when it comes time - after all, most programs only care about ECs with a medical or altruistic event. Leaving a fraternity off wouldn't seem scandalous to me (I don't recall if I left my sorority affiliation off, but certainly didn't mention I was Sweetheart of Fraternity X).
 
Well, my frat doesn't party all the time. We do brotherhood events, like community service and other stuff. I'm also planning on join AMA; will that look good on my app?
 
otacon88 said:
Well, my frat doesn't party all the time. We do brotherhood events, like community service and other stuff. I'm also planning on join AMA; will that look good on my app?
Click to expand...

Again, I don't think it will make a significant difference one way or another. Most programs will base their decision whether or not to interview you on your USMLE scores, gpa and maybe a tinge of your LORs or personal statement. The decision to rank you is based on the above and your interview. ECs as a factor in the decision are WAY down on the list. Joining the AMA will neither help nor hurt; that is, if anyone even notices it on your ERAS application. Applying for residency is different than for medical school; your ECs aren't really as relevant or noticed.

As far as your "frat" (are you sure you're joining one? I've never heard a Greek brother or sister refer to a fraternal organization as "frat") goes..it doesn't really matter if they do lots of community service and "other stuff", all houses do - its required, at least for national organizations. Besides, unless you contribute in a significant way toward these events and they are medically related , most faculty members aren't going to even take note.

The most important things now are to worry about your grades and USMLE test scores; not your ECs.
 
thanks for the replies! i appreciate it. and yes, most people do call fraternities frats for short.
 
I don't think it makes any difference. It's not like the residency program is going to look at your application and say "yup he was in a fraternity, so he must have good organizational skill" NOT. or they might say (alternate universe) "yup he was in a fraternity, so all he did was party and then party some more".

The most important thing is that you don't do too much of the "party party". You are in medical school, you do need to learn the material.
 
otacon88 said:
thanks for the replies! i appreciate it. and yes, most people do call fraternities frats for short.
Click to expand...

most people who weren't in one - at least that's been my experience.

do what you like/love. it's easy to party too much without being in a fraternity also.
 
otacon88 said:
thanks for the replies! i appreciate it. and yes, most people do call fraternities frats for short.
Click to expand...


Hmmm...perhaps most people who weren't actually in one.

In the Greek system, at least in the dark ages when I was a member, calling a fraternity a "frat" was a sin punishable by "deactivation"!:laugh:

The old quote was always, "you don't call your country a *&*(, do you?" (I'll let you figure out what the curse word is there!).
 
hold on a sec.

I think this kid is being misunderstood here.

The way I read it, he's in a 6 yr program in his first year--so, he's actually a college freshman, not a medical student yet. Right? I mean, I don't think the UMKC 6 yr med program is actually 6 years of med school. (?)

After all, no one joins a frat during med school--at least at my university, grad students can't rush Greek.

To the OP: if you're a true freshman, go ahead and join the frat--it would have zero bearing on residency applications. Nearly half of my med school class had been in frats/sororities during their college years.
 
Did anyone see the post. Someone is really mad at the nurse anesthesist for bad mouthing the anesthesiologist. 🙁

I didnt think they would even notice. When I did my anesthesiology rotation in medical school, they fell asleep half way through the procedure. I always wondered how someone could sleep sitting in a chair.

Although, I learned to sleep standing up in my surgical trauma rotation.
😴 🙂

PS. My "frat" (sorry Kimberly) just really cared that you could drink lots during the parties. I remember something about drinking out of boot.
 
otacon88 said:
Hello everyone. I'm currently a Year 1 med student in the UMKC 6 year medical program. I was wondering how joining a fraternity will look when I'm trying to match for residencies. If I maintain good grades, will they see that I have good time management, and know how to enjoy life while studying and staying on top of things? Will it help or hurt my acceptance? Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

Is it like a hot frat, or a nerd frat? If it's a hot frat, it might help your skills if you, say, want to do rads or skin. But it could also F* up your grades something fierce. I was really into the Greek thing, but I probably could have done better without three parties a weekend for three years. (Senior year I sobered up and took alum status.)

If you really are in a 6 year program, I would just focus on the grades. Find out what the frat's overall gpa is, and if it is like 3.4 or better, you're probably safe. and it's probably a nerd frat.

If, say, several members are on academic probation, the floor is sticky, it reeks of beer always and there are lots of hot girls sneaking out of the frat house wearing baseball caps and sweatshirts at 10 am on Sunday morning, then you probably want to stay away. :laugh:
 
erichaj said:
PS. My "frat" (sorry Kimberly) just really cared that you could drink lots during the parties. I remember something about drinking out of boot.
Click to expand...

Better to drink out of boot than to drink and boot.:barf:
 
I agree, although the boot often made you boot.
 
Stop using the term "Frat"; it just not PC (or maybe its ok in Kansas)!😀

BTW, I don't think we misunderstood him; I think we understood that he was a freshman and not in medical school yet and that he was concerned about how residency programs would view his membership in a Fraternal Organization.
 
Kimberli Cox already beat me to the quote about not calling your country the "C-word" :laugh:
 
otacon88 said:
most people do call fraternities frats for short.
Click to expand...

I can almost guarantee that "most" people who use that nasty little four letter word (frat) fit into the following categories: 😉

1. your favorite outfit includes a tight ribbed v-neck
2. you are from the midwest
3. hair gel is vital to your daily existence
4. you have been to Panama City Beach on more than one occasion
5. some combination of the above
 
Kimberli Cox said:
Stop using the term "Frat"; it just not PC (or maybe its ok in Kansas)!😀

BTW, I don't think we misunderstood him; I think we understood that he was a freshman and not in medical school yet and that he was concerned about how residency programs would view his membership in a Fraternal Organization.
Click to expand...

Is this an inside joke? What's wrong with the word "frat" (short for "fraternity")?
 
Pox in a box said:
Is this an inside joke? What's wrong with the word "frat" (short for "fraternity")?
Click to expand...

Not really an inside joke. The OP and others referred to a fraternity as a "frat". I was honestly trying to offer some advice and let the OP know that, in my considerable experience as a sorority member, alumni advisor and fraternity sweetheart and little sister, the term fraternity was NEVER shortened to "frat". It just wasn't done and was taken as EVIDENCE that the person speaking was not in a fraternity or sorority.

In essence, its akin to something thinking its cool to call San Francisco, "Frisco" (which grates on the last nerve of us Californians).
 
Pox in a box said:
Is this an inside joke? What's wrong with the word "frat" (short for "fraternity")?
Click to expand...

The way I had it explained to me by a fraternity brother is that it is a derogatory phrase. He said, "Well, if you call my fraternity a frat, then would you call your country a ____?" I ceased and desisted, biting my tongue rather than explaining the semantic differences to him 🙂.

Haha...just read the whole thread and saw Kimberli's answer. Great minds think alike, no?
 
Heres my take...

1. If you were not in a fraternity and you call it a frat you likely just dont know better.

2. If you were in a fraternity and call it a "frat" you are likely a turd.

3. If you were in a fraternity and are truly offended by someone calling it a frat you are also likely a turd. The "country" saying is fun to say but no one REALLY loses sleep over it.

4. Any fraternity that accepts pledges that are in medical school is likely full of turds.

5. Fraternity affiliation is only gonna be positive if the person interviewing was gung ho greek, or in your particular fraternity. If it is viewed as a negative, then is that a place where you really wanna go?

this is littered with sweeping generalities, feel free to discuss. And the term turd is used in the most endearing least derogitory form.
 
Wow, two replies, very emphatic...ha ha
 
Kimberli Cox said:
Yes, just like the users are all about paranoid delusions and conspiracy theories.🙄
Click to expand...

Admit it - your inside joke (that cpw admitted to openly) that involved a BUNCH of people got busted.

And a delusion is, by definition, false - was it false about the mods making fun of that guy? Because I stick up for some "little guy" who may not be as sharp or as savvy or as mature, who is being made a fool of by the group of people that are supposed to be more professional and keep the site that way, that makes me delusional?
 
It was really only an inside joke if you lived under a rock during college, or if this is your first visit to our fine planet.
 
IF you join a fraternity and keep your grads up/do well in school, it will help you in many ways (my program director was in a Fraternity). If you let it interfere with your success, it will hinder you. Anything that demonstrates you can juggle many tasks at one time and succeed in all of them will only help you...
 
Apollyon said:
Admit it - your inside joke (that cpw admitted to openly) that involved a BUNCH of people got busted.

And a delusion is, by definition, false - was it false about the mods making fun of that guy? Because I stick up for some "little guy" who may not be as sharp or as savvy or as mature, who is being made a fool of by the group of people that are supposed to be more professional and keep the site that way, that makes me delusional?
Click to expand...


Your delusion is the assumption that cpw was speaking for me or any other of the Mods. You have no idea what my intention or actions were. Finding something amusing is not the same as "making fun of the little guy", but I'm sure he appreciates your concern.
 
Kimberli Cox said:
Your delusion is the assumption that cpw was speaking for me or any other of the Mods. You have no idea what my intention or actions were. Finding something amusing is not the same as "making fun of the little guy", but I'm sure he appreciates your concern.
Click to expand...

You're stuck on this delusion thing. I asked what was up with the "way rude and dictator", and cpw said "inside joke". Where do you get that she was speaking for you or any of the other mods (nice capital 'M', there) - or are you brazenly going to say that there WAS no 'inside joke'?

I don't need to know, nor do I care, what your intentions were. Your actions were evident - all I know (or needed to know) is what I saw.

And your observation that finding something amusing is not the same as "making fun of the little guy" is either obtuse or callous. If mocking someone's misspelling is not "making fun of", then what is?

The bottom line from the cheap seats where I'm sitting is that the mods took a position of privilege (being mods, and the control that that yields, such as editing other people's posts - KentW and aphistis come to mind - and the mods' private forum) and used it to make a joke of one of the members. If it wasn't a joke, where did all the 'way rude and dictator" or "buncha bullcrabs" go?
 
Apollyon said:
The bottom line from the cheap seats where I'm sitting is that the mods took a position of privilege (being mods, and the control that that yields, such as editing other people's posts - KentW and aphistis come to mind - and the mods' private forum) and used it to make a joke of one of the members.
Click to expand...

Hardly. It's much more entertaining to watch certain members make jokes of themselves. 🙄
 
As an objective observer of this argument.... Apollyon, you need to get a hobby.
 
Apollyon said:
Where do you get that she was speaking for you or any of the other mods (nice capital 'M', there) - or are you brazenly going to say that there WAS no 'inside joke'?
Click to expand...

...from your post above which states "YOUR inside joke" in reference to ME, thereby implying that the "inside joke" you were told of by cpw included me.

As far as delusions, your ability to see something where nothing exists (ie, implying that I meant something by capitalizing the word Mod. Like what? That perhaps I see the moderators as superior to everyone else, hence the use of capitalization? 🙄 ), seems evidence of a delusion to me. But then, I don't need to know what YOU really meant by that comment, I'll just make my assumptions without any basis in fact...just like you do.

I won't comment anymore because this is a ridiculous argument with no basis in fact, regardless of what you were or weren't told, and it appears to me that attempting to reason with you is fruitless.
 
I haven't been on this forum that long, but during my time here it has been obvious that K. Cox spends a lot of time providing useful and pertinent information to people with legitimate queries. Is it that big of a deal if sometimes KC wants to inject some humor into the thread. If you can't have a sense of humor about yourself and others medicine isn't your bag. I have not seen KC make a meanspirited post, so get over it.
 
Rook16 said:
If you can't have a sense of humor about yourself and others medicine isn't your bag.
Click to expand...

I don't know if this is true, in that I've seen MANY successful doctors with, essentially, no personality - humor or not. Anyways, you can't gauge a person by a website.

There's more than one person on SDN that actually knows me in real life, and I don't lack.
 
Im not saying you cant be a successful doctor w/o a sense of humor. Im just saying you are guaranteed to be a successful turd w/o a sense of humor.
 
otacon88 said:
Hello everyone. I'm currently a Year 1 med student in the UMKC 6 year medical program. I was wondering how joining a fraternity will look when I'm trying to match for residencies. If I maintain good grades, will they see that I have good time management, and know how to enjoy life while studying and staying on top of things? Will it help or hurt my acceptance? Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

To the original poster, trust me, the last thing you need to worry about is whether your fraternity membership will affect your residency options. If anything, it's your medical school (UMKC) that will greatly affect your options. Yes, your board scores and your grades are important as well, but as a Year 1 you will just begin to learn about the problems the medical school has had with respect to board scores and applicants securing competitive residencies in the past. If you have questions, PM me.
 
Hey, didn't you decide to go to BU? What happened?
 
otacon88 said:
Well, my frat doesn't party all the time. We do brotherhood events, like community service and other stuff. I'm also planning on join AMA; will that look good on my app?
Click to expand...


Then, what are you worried about? Being an active member of a frat like that could even help you stand out in a good way to residency programs... or like others have said, it could mean nothing as ECs seem to hold much less weight at this juncture than they did for med school


...however, this brings me to my next question.... they have frats for grad sudents?!?
 
48 hours said:
Then, what are you worried about? Being an active member of a frat like that could even help you stand out in a good way to residency programs... or like others have said, it could mean nothing as ECs seem to hold much less weight at this juncture than they did for med school


...however, this brings me to my next question.... they have frats for grad sudents?!?
Click to expand...

It's a six year BA/MD program in which you essentially do 2 years of college and 4 years of medical school. The frats are on the undergrad campus in which students can join as a freshman. Don't know whether they can stay all 6 years though in the frat (I think after 4 u become alumni). Both the college and med school are with the same university. Here it is: http://www.umkc.edu/medicine
 
Joining a frat sounds like a bum deal if you are in a 6 year program. You get one year of hazing, one year of "good times", and then you are too busy to deal with it. But hey, nothing says friendship like paying to be humiliated and binge drink, so go ahead. 😉
 
otacon88 said:
Hello everyone. I'm currently a Year 1 med student in the UMKC 6 year medical program. I was wondering how joining a fraternity will look when I'm trying to match for residencies. If I maintain good grades, will they see that I have good time management, and know how to enjoy life while studying and staying on top of things? Will it help or hurt my acceptance? Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

I put my fraternity affiliation on my application. My fraternity was largely social but I did a lot in it. As the service chair I (largely single-handedly) organized a city wide program. I did other stuff that I think would be looked at kindly. At any extent, I mentioned it only in that context.

I don't see how that could hurt me, but I fee like it helped.

As far as what a PD thinks, it may speak to the culture of the program. Honestly though, I never thought about it, i.e. considered not mentioning it.
 
ironmaiden said:
If, say, several members are on academic probation, the floor is sticky, it reeks of beer always and there are lots of hot girls sneaking out of the frat house wearing baseball caps and sweatshirts at 10 am on Sunday morning, then you probably want to stay away. :laugh:
Click to expand...

If the floor doesn't reek of beer and the hot girls aren't walking out the back whats the point of joining?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

R
Termination from Residency
2
Replies
69
Views
7K
Bollinger_MD
Bollinger_MD
G
Residency Explorer Confusion
Replies
4
Views
904
gabbythecat
G
U
Switching residency
Replies
4
Views
3K
unicorn24
U
D
Question about ERAS fellowship application
Replies
3
Views
2K
gutonc
gutonc
D
Depression in residency
Replies
8
Views
2K
Entadus
Entadus
Top