Reverse rant: not gonna lie, I'm pretty bitter.

[The_KING]

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[KnuxNole]

So after snooping and browsing on these forums, I'm pretty bitter and upset at the whole general system.
So I want to be the best physician that I can be in the best environment that I can be in. That being said I'll be straight up honest, in addition to the state schools that I will be applying to, hell yeah I'm going to apply to the stereotypical names like Harvard or Yale. I'm also going to admit that I'm not like whatever folk I see with their 1000+ hours of volunteering or their research articles. I have one research project, and it wasn't published, and 100 hours of volunteering. Whether it's 100 or 1000, who gives a damn anyway? Doesn't counting the hours and the type of civil service really take away from the whole point of volunteering and civil service? Why are applicants so bent up on research? I understand scientific inquiry is an optimal trait to have as a medical professional, but publications and all that garbage is what a damn PhD in Cell Biology, Biochemistry, etc. etc. is for. Yeah, I sound bitter, and it's because I am. No, I'm not a gunner that got the chance to go to Yale. Hell, I even went to a CC for a year, but that doesn't matter considering I destroy every class I have with no margin of error. I have a high GPA, and I know damn well I'm going to get a high MCAT soon. I have more passion and commitment to doing what I do, and I do it with excellence. That being said, I read this one stupid thread about how the people that make it to Harvard are the "future professionals of society" and all have their own patents in "cancer fighting drugs", and they all have "JDs" or "MBAs" (Ironically the same poster will say that spending time to get another degree before applying to medical school makes you look old and not committed to medicine). Why do I have to have my own cancer fighting drug or go to Africa to talk to kids about preventative medicine? Why can't I be "elite" in the sense that I work hard? I'm sure I work harder than most people. I wake up at 5 in the morning to study, and help take care of 3 little sisters with a single mother while studying till midnight. I'm not the smartest person in the world. Hell, I'm not even intelligent, but I have work ethic like a mule, and I'm proud of it. Why can't that be the thing that gets me in an "elite" medical school? Harvard's mean MCAT is a 36. How are you averaging multiple questions wrong (too many in my opinion) in a physics/chemistry section, biology/organic chemistry, and a logical reasoning question and making cancer drugs? It doesn't make sense to be honest. You're telling me someone gets six questions wrong on alkenes but engineered their own drug?

EDIT: I *KNOW* I'm going to get into SOME medical school, though. I've had people tell me "no" to EVERYTHING in my life, and it's just more fuel. People where I'm from don't get to go to college, so college was a "no" for me. I'm graduating college soon. My HS Chem teacher told me to not pursue Chemistry at all in college because I wasn't fit for it because guess what? I failed HS Chemistry because I was a trouble maker. . I made Chemistry my ______ in college. I've had professors tell me "no" to me getting a good MCAT score because I "don't have critical thinking". Time to prove her wrong next month, too.

Do you want to be a DOCTOR or do you want to be ELITE?

Remember, doctors aren't supposed to be insanely intelligent, gods amongs men of people. They are simply average, run of the mill people too! Focus on being a physician, not trying to get into some ivy league school.

And coming from someone who is dumb as **** like me, if you work hard, do well on the MCAT, you will reach your goals with hard work. I know the feeling of peeps saying no to you. Hell, I say "no" to myself all the time, and try to prove myself wrong.

 

[NickNaylor]

I would reevaluate your post carefully. You're not coming across as "elitist." You're coming across as entitled. There's a difference.

 

[Psai]

OP, going to Yale does not make you a gunner. Getting a great MCAT score doesn't make you a genius. But good test taking skills are necessary because you'll probably be taking tests for the rest of your life to become board certified and maintain that board certification. Good past performance is a predictor for good future performance. I know how you feel and you think you work hard but so does everyone else. There are very few people in medical school that got there without being very gifted or extremely hard working. We all have our struggles and it's good that you're aiming high but don't be bitter against those who made it. You don't need to attend a top school to be a great doctor and you can overcome the inherent disadvantage of going to a lesser known school by working hard and doing well. The people at top schools probably work just as hard, if not harder than you and they all have their own unique talents.

Also, it's not how long you spend on your ECs but what you did, who you met and what you learned from them. People want to hear stories and learn about your personal growth; they don't care about the numbers next to a box on your AMCAS application.

 

[UlahSnackbar]

everyone defending the system is wrong. My "friend" lied on her AMCAS so she can attend one of these "elite" medical schools. The system is a joke if it allows liars through and apparently it does every single year. OP having 100 hours volunteering is better than 1000 if their 100 was all patient contact while the other applicant's 1000 was cleaning door handles.

 

[DermViser]

Why can't I be "elite" in the sense that I work hard?

Because by definition everyone works hard to get into medical school. You aren't special in that regard.

 

[el_duderino]

everyone defending the system is wrong. My "friend" lied on her AMCAS so she can attend one of these "elite" medical schools. The system is a joke if it allows liars through and apparently it does every single year. OP having 100 hours volunteering is better than 1000 if their 100 was all patient contact while the other applicant's 1000 was cleaning door handles.

Your friend just submitted her AMCAS. Has she already been accepted?

Impressive.

 

[Mad Jack]

Reverse...

 

[Mad Jack]

So after snooping and browsing on these forums, I'm pretty bitter and upset at the whole general system.
So I want to be the best physician that I can be in the best environment that I can be in. That being said I'll be straight up honest, in addition to the state schools that I will be applying to, hell yeah I'm going to apply to the stereotypical names like Harvard or Yale. I'm also going to admit that I'm not like whatever folk I see with their 1000+ hours of volunteering or their research articles. I have one research project, and it wasn't published, and 100 hours of volunteering. Whether it's 100 or 1000, who gives a damn anyway? Doesn't counting the hours and the type of civil service really take away from the whole point of volunteering and civil service? Why are applicants so bent up on research? I understand scientific inquiry is an optimal trait to have as a medical professional, but publications and all that garbage is what a damn PhD in Cell Biology, Biochemistry, etc. etc. is for. Yeah, I sound bitter, and it's because I am. No, I'm not a gunner that got the chance to go to Yale. Hell, I even went to a CC for a year, but that doesn't matter considering I destroy every class I have with no margin of error. I have a high GPA, and I know damn well I'm going to get a high MCAT soon. I have more passion and commitment to doing what I do, and I do it with excellence. That being said, I read this one stupid thread about how the people that make it to Harvard are the "future professionals of society" and all have their own patents in "cancer fighting drugs", and they all have "JDs" or "MBAs" (Ironically the same poster will say that spending time to get another degree before applying to medical school makes you look old and not committed to medicine). Why do I have to have my own cancer fighting drug or go to Africa to talk to kids about preventative medicine? Why can't I be "elite" in the sense that I work hard? I'm sure I work harder than most people. I wake up at 5 in the morning to study, and help take care of 3 little sisters with a single mother while studying till midnight. I'm not the smartest person in the world. Hell, I'm not even intelligent, but I have work ethic like a mule, and I'm proud of it. Why can't that be the thing that gets me in an "elite" medical school? Harvard's mean MCAT is a 36. How are you averaging multiple questions wrong (too many in my opinion) in a physics/chemistry section, biology/organic chemistry, and a logical reasoning question and making cancer drugs? It doesn't make sense to be honest. You're telling me someone gets six questions wrong on alkenes but engineered their own drug?

EDIT: I *KNOW* I'm going to get into SOME medical school, though. I've had people tell me "no" to EVERYTHING in my life, and it's just more fuel. People where I'm from don't get to go to college, so college was a "no" for me. I'm graduating college soon. My HS Chem teacher told me to not pursue Chemistry at all in college because I wasn't fit for it because guess what? I failed HS Chemistry because I was a trouble maker. . I made Chemistry my ______ in college. I've had professors tell me "no" to me getting a good MCAT score because I "don't have critical thinking". Time to prove her wrong next month, too.

Now to address your post... Elite schools have their pick of thousands of applicants. Why do you believe that you, who has less qualifications and simply "works hard," should be taken over a person who worked equally as hard and has more qualifications via research, extra volunteering, etc? It's like telling someone they should choose a Toyota when they can get a Lexus for the same price and with the same terms on financing.

You shouldn't be upset at adcoms, they're just doing the logical thing and picking the best of the best. What you should possibly be upset at is other premeds, who have set the bar ever-higher via their constant attempts at one-upmanship. Research used to be a plus, now for many schools it's a requirement. Clinical experience used to be optional. MCAT prep courses weren't something that every student shelled out for, so scores were lower. It's years of students trying to do new activity X to get ahead, then other students realizing that doing X provides an advantage and enough of them doing X that basically X becomes the norm that is the problem.

 

[el_duderino]

It's tough when you find out that even though you've been working hard other people have been working harder and producing better results.

 

[NickNaylor]

It's tough when you find out that even though you've been working hard other people have been working harder and producing better results.

Exactly. This will also become abundantly clear once people start medical school. It's hard being "the best" when you're among a group of people that have been pre-selected based on their "bestness."Being "the best" at your school means absolutely nothing, because there are almost certainly many other people that have accomplished more than you in less time while looking prettier and going to more parties. The sooner you accept that, the quicker you can get along with developing contentment in your life.

 

[neusu]

It's tough when you find out that even though you've been working hard other people have been working harder and producing better results.

Work ethic and passion in one's own mind are often embellished as an internal safety and positive reward to continue what one blindly believes is right. Much of growing up/maturing is realizing internal faults or failings, and making adjustments, based on a new reference frame which takes others' successes in to consideration.

 

[MaybeDr]

I don't think I've ever laughed so hard to a GIF.