Stupid Pre Med myths you thought as a Freshman

[mwsapphire]

I used to think studying a couple of hours before class was enough. I also used to think a B was a good grade.

A few B's in the , especially just in the beginning , or in harder classes like orgo, are pretty normal....

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[Geo16]

1. You'd absolutely need calculus (well i'm taking one for major requirement)
2. Calculus based Physics WOWS adcom
3. You'd need to go to better university for a higher chances. (3.0 at Harvard > 4.0 at University of Whereisthatomglol)
4. Bio, Chem, BioChem, Pharm, Neuro, Physio, Microbio, Psych, PsychBio, Cognitiv, HumanBio, MolBio, DevBio, BioEng, ChemEng, MarineBio, Genetics, CellBio, Biotech, etc. Have significant chances than other majors
5. Sociology? History? Geography? Social Science majors have close to 0% chances.
6. If you take BioChem, Microbio, Anatomy, Physio, Neuro, Patho- you can skip them in med school.

 

[buckeyegal1129]

Lol I'm on the exec board of a pre-med club and every year we have an adviser come in and answer questions to freshmen and this girl this past year asked "Are they going to be easier on my GPA because I'm a biomedical engineering major versus someone who is an easy major like biochemistry"
a. In no way shape or form is a biochem major "easy" (lowest avg GPA at my school)
b. just no

The adviser and I started cracking up and she had to explain how no one gives a damn what your major is and this girl started arguing with her because she refused to believe this

 

[Mednight]

My Freshman Myths:

-Complete college in exactly four years more like five and a half years

-Have at a 3.7 -4.0 GPA more like a 3.4 GPA

-Get a bachelors degree in Biology or Chemistry to get into med school realized it would be better to major in something other than the sciences(COMPLETE AND TOTAL SHOCKER)

-If you get a C, you won't get into med school later realized its not the end of the world

-All you need to do is score high on the MCAT and you'll get into a lot of med schools WRONG, you need clinical experience, volunteer experience, research experience, high GPA, LORs, and the list goes on and on and on

-Study Abroad I hate how people make it seem as that you HAVE to go to a third world contry and help aide the people out in order to be accepted into medical school

 

[Astra]

I thought my premed advisor knew what she was talking about. Lol thank god for SDN

 

[Flirt]

That you had to be a demigod to get in. I got in - half the time I spend my days looking for the pen in my hand

My school also didn't have premed advisors; and when I asked the regular advisors why not, they said "students interested in medicine should be smart enough to figure out what needs to be done and the resources they need on their own, just as they would as doctors."

 

[Princeton Medical Student]

I definitely undervalued volunteering for admissions purposes. Fortunately I was still involved in volunteer work due to personal interest, but I thought research would be a way more important part of my app -- it turns out that volunteering ended up being the highlight of my application, while my research was almost a side note. I also thought that if my GPA dipped below a 3.7, my chance at admission to any medical school was basically zero and that I'd have to give up and find a new career. I even threw away my copy of Gray's Anatomy (the book) after one poor GPA semester, because I couldn't bear to look at it since I "knew" I'd never get into medical school. For awhile I was also convinced that applicants needed to be super talented at some unique, high-level, non-medical hobby (world-class musician, NCAA sport) in order to attract the attention of a top school. I have no idea what I was thinking back then.....

Im pretty sure most of pre allo thinks that. Idk, I know a good amount of med students and none of them were anywhere near anything like what Ive seen on here.

"Just be sure to shadow and youll be good" - 4th year medical student

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

I mean, isn't a gunner somebody who always wants to be on top?

Nah a gunner is someone who does stupid crap like put false info on Google docs and stuff. They are a malicious person. Ain't nothing wrong with just plain outworking every one.

Edit: sorry just saw someone already said this!

 

[mwsapphire]

Nah a gunner is someone who does stupid crap like put false info on Google docs and stuff. They are a malicious person. Ain't nothing wrong with just plain outworking every one.

Edit: sorry just saw someone already said this!

I already apologized as well ._.

 

[deleted781806]

Nah a gunner is someone who does stupid crap like put false info on Google docs and stuff. They are a malicious person. Ain't nothing wrong with just plain outworking every one.

Nah, efle was right in the definition they gave, a "gunner" is anyone who is selfishly competitive, that they pretty much put their entire self-value into getting higher scores than other people, and if you ever tried to approach them for help or advice they would refuse completely (while also feeling validated, probably). No one likes a gunner. They don't have to be malicious, but they are definitely still not liked because they are only out for themselves and don't empathize with their classmates. What you've described is honestly someone who should be dismissed, but malicious tampering isn't a requirement for a gunner.

"Gunner" is a negative term that describes someone ruthlessly, selfishly competitive. Won't help others, always wants to compare scores to make sure they beat you, that kind of thing. You can be hard working, enjoy a challenge, want to do great things etc without being a gunner.

 

[787593]

As a premed i believed babies came from storks.

Is this not true?!?

 

[libertyyne]

Is this not true?!?

Babies don't come from storks, they just deliver them.

 

[787593]

Babies don't come from storks, they just deliver them.

Ahhh clearly

 

[Dagrimsta1]

A few B's in the , especially just in the beginning , or in harder classes like orgo, are pretty normal....

My Bs were in bull**** classes like English and calc. I was forced to ramp that **** up by the time Orgo came around. By senior year, I was a straight A student. Talk about turnaround

 

[holdthemayo]

Babies don't come from storks, they just deliver them.

Let me know when you figure it out. If I can find out where they come from then maybe I'll stop having so many of them.

 

[libertyyne]

Let me know when you figure it out. If I can find out where they come from then maybe I'll stop having so many of them.

I was pretty surprised to learn that plan b clips the wings of the storks and abortions are when doctors shoot the storks down, no wonder PETA and the Catholic Church are against them.

 

[flip_08]

I thought if I maintained my 3.9+ GPA I could walk into any medical school in the country and they would be begging me to go there...regardless of my ECs.

To be fair the pre med advisor at my school was a GPA queen. She told anyone with less than a 3.7 to change their major immediately.

 

[Hospitalized]

Sophomore -Bio major-Female- White Pakistani- Trying very hard

You serious with that signature?

 

[mwsapphire]

You serious with that signature?

......

 

[Jalby]

Nobody cares what your major is or how hard the classes you take are. You should take the easiest classes and get the highest GPA.

 

[flapjack3d]

A)
Nobody cares what your major is or how hard the classes you take are.

B)
You should take the easiest classes and get the highest GPA.

B doesn't necessarily follow from A. My pre-med myth was that college is just a hoop to jump through and that the only thing I could get out of it was an acceptance letter to med school! I wish I would have branched out more and challenged myself even if it meant a 0.2 reduction in GPA

 

[Hospitalized]

B doesn't necessarily follow from A. My pre-med myth was that college is just a hoop to jump through and that the only thing I could get out of it was an acceptance letter to med school! I wish I would have branched out more and challenged myself even if it meant a 0.2 reduction in GPA

Easy to say in retrospect

 

[Jalby]

B doesn't necessarily follow from A. My pre-med myth was that college is just a hoop to jump through and that the only thing I could get out of it was an acceptance letter to med school! I wish I would have branched out more and challenged myself even if it meant a 0.2 reduction in GPA

What do mean B doesn't come from A??? Take the easiest classes and get the highest GPA. That is the easiest and best way to get into the best medical school. If you want to sacrifice .2 gpa and the $1-2 million it will cost you in lifetime earnings, then go ahead.

 

[Dr.Sticks]

I like volunteering in general, but anyways I figured that if I had less than a thousand volunteers hours I would be screwed.
I think I have 500 now as a 2nd year student..
I should have probably 2000 or over 2000 by the time I apply. (Plan to pick up a couple new gigs too)

 

[Dr.Sticks]

Nobody cares what your major is or how hard the classes you take are. You should take the easiest classes and get the highest GPA.

That's stupid
You know why? I coasted through HS half asleep and I lost all work ethic and had to basically work my butt of to develop an ethic to actually be successful again in college..
You coast through college you might have a tough time in med school..
If I took all easy classes I would probably come home and watch YouTube videos
I don't, so instead I spend like 8 hours a week minimum at the library instead...
That helps me be a better student, and be someone who could potentially be able to tackle something as difficult as medical school.
Maybe it is different for you, but that is how I see it..

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

That would be a stupid plan for me.

FTFY.

As you said at the end of your post, it might be different for someone else. Ultimately, your GPA matters much, much, much more than your major or the difficulty of your courses.

 

[libertyyne]

That's stupid
You know why? I coasted through HS half asleep and I lost all work ethic and had to basically work my butt of to develop an ethic to actually be successful again in college..
You coast through college you might have a tough time in med school..
If I took all easy classes I would probably come home and watch YouTube videos
I don't, so instead I spend like 8 hours a week minimum at the library instead...
That helps me be a better student, and be someone who could potentially be able to tackle something as difficult as medical school.
Maybe it is different for you, but that is how I see it..

Listen to jalby. Take easy classes get easy As. If you are boning for intellectual growth do it outside the class.you don't need to go to class to learn a subject or engage with intellectually stimulating info.

 

[flapjack3d]

Listen to jalby. Take easy classes get easy As. If you are boning for intellectual growth do it outside the class.you don't need to go to class to learn a subject or engage with intellectually stimulating info.

you don't see any difference in the the intellectual opportunities afforded by taking classes in a subject compared to sitting alone in the library? Havent you ever participated in class discussions? Clearly there's a reason university courses exist beyond takin my tuition money...

 

[libertyyne]

you don't see any difference in the the intellectual opportunities afforded by taking classes in a subject compared to sitting alone in the library? Havent you ever participated in class discussions? Clearly there's a reason university courses exist beyond takin my tuition money...

There are online communities where this can be accomplished. You could literally take a MOOC and have people learning the material next to you that you can have meaningful discussions surrounding this. You are telling me people are having discussions about orgo that are beneficial ?

 

[Lucca]

The discussion about easiest classes or not is moot. In the most cold and calculating sense, taking the fewest and easiest classes possible is absolutely the best way to get into medical school because GPA will be way more important than anything else other than the MCAT.

That being said, we are all human beings. Unless you are actually the most boring and miserable person on earth, you probably obtain satisfaction from things in life other than being accepted to medical school and, as a result, you might enjoy being challenged in a certain subject or exploring topics beyond the bare minimum requirement. I don't think medical school should make an undergraduate education pointless. There is a lot you can get out of an undergrad education that doesn't result in acceptance letters or money in the bank. Those two things aren't the most important things in life.

In any case, I'm a senior and I took 15-20 hours every semester, got two degrees in very different disciplines, and almost completed an additional chemistry degree because I've taken almost every chemistry class at this university for fun (except for the teaching labs, no one should subject themselves to such torture) and still have a >3.9 GPA so...haters gonna hate.

 

[libertyyne]

The discussion about easiest classes or not is moot. In the most cold and calculating sense, taking the fewest and easiest classes possible is absolutely the best way to get into medical school because GPA will be way more important than anything else other than the MCAT.

That being said, we are all human beings. Unless you are actually the most boring and miserable person on earth, you probably obtain satisfaction from things in life other than being accepted to medical school and, as a result, you might enjoy being challenged in a certain subject or exploring topics beyond the bare minimum requirement. I don't think medical school should make an undergraduate education pointless. There is a lot you can get out of an undergrad education that doesn't result in acceptance letters or money in the bank. Those two things aren't the most important things in life.

In any case, I'm a senior and I took 15-20 hours every semester, got two degrees in very different disciplines, and almost completed an additional chemistry degree because I've taken almost every chemistry class at this university for fun (except for the teaching labs, no one should subject themselves to such torture) and still have a >3.9 GPA so...haters gonna hate.

I have 180 credits from UG. I understand the urge, but you never quite know if life might happen or if you end up chewing more than you can handle and end up screwing your gpa. It is a high risk no reward activity when it comes to applying to medical school if that is ultimately your goal.

 

[Dr.Sticks]

Listen to jalby. Take easy classes get easy As. If you are boning for intellectual growth do it outside the class.you don't need to go to class to learn a subject or engage with intellectually stimulating info.

I will agree to disagree; I am not going out of my way to make my life miserable though.. Ha
I am considering doing a History major with my Bio though, I like history and it will give me a fantastic GPA boost.

 

[mwsapphire]

The discussion about easiest classes or not is moot. In the most cold and calculating sense, taking the fewest and easiest classes possible is absolutely the best way to get into medical school because GPA will be way more important than anything else other than the MCAT.

That being said, we are all human beings. Unless you are actually the most boring and miserable person on earth, you probably obtain satisfaction from things in life other than being accepted to medical school and, as a result, you might enjoy being challenged in a certain subject or exploring topics beyond the bare minimum requirement. I don't think medical school should make an undergraduate education pointless. There is a lot you can get out of an undergrad education that doesn't result in acceptance letters or money in the bank. Those two things aren't the most important things in life.

In any case, I'm a senior and I took 15-20 hours every semester, got two degrees in very different disciplines, and almost completed an additional chemistry degree because I've taken almost every chemistry class at this university for fun (except for the teaching labs, no one should subject themselves to such torture) and still have a >3.9 GPA so...haters gonna hate.

Nice humble brag, bro.
jk jk that's impressive.

 

[floatingribs]

that nursing was a good pre med major (currently too late to turn back so suffering instead), that the people on these threads actually knew what they were talking about (honestly such an idiot lmao taking advice from other pre meds), and that pre-med advisers would actually help

 

[Dr.Sticks]

that nursing was a good pre med major (currently too late to turn back so suffering instead), that the people on these threads actually knew what they were talking about (honestly such an idiot lmao taking advice from other pre meds), and that pre-med advisers would actually help

Generally I would listen to an SDN pre-med vs some regular Joe at college
SDN has a good advice
The general consensus is 3.6-3.7 GPA, several hundred volunteer hours(clinical and non clinical), some research, some shadowing, and a 512+ MCAT
The above profile would be a solid foundation for applying to any mid tier

That is largely what I am going for..
I think what makes or breaks someone's application for an upper tier is the MCAT and research. (Correct me if I'm wrong anyone)
So I reckon someone with a 3.7 and a 520 MCAT would have a better chance at upper tier.

Personally I just want to get in, D.O or M.D I don't care!(would prefer M.D though so I don't have to learn OMM and take a COMLEX)

 

[Lucca]

I have 180 credits from UG. I understand the urge, but you never quite know if life might happen or if you end up chewing more than you can handle and end up screwing your gpa. It is a high risk no reward activity when it comes to applying to medical school if that is ultimately your goal.

No doubt, I'm just saying the argument doesn't matter because people will end up doing what they want in the end. Can't stop people from being interested in stuff or making strategic mistakes. You can do everything the most efficient and calculating way, but the people that actually work that way are few and far between (and nobody is really comfortable around them).

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

you don't see any difference in the the intellectual opportunities afforded by taking classes in a subject compared to sitting alone in the library?

My university didn't really offer an undergrad topology course, so I learned it on my own. It was great. I could go into more detail on what I was interested in at my own pace without having to think about whether I was wasting time that I could be using to do problem sets or prep for an exam that wouldn't have that material on it.

Haven't you ever participated in class discussions?

Yes. Most of them are boring and not stimulating. I have had like five really worthwhile classroom discussions.

Clearly there's a reason university courses exist beyond takin my tuition money...

Not from the university's perspective. There's a reason tuition has outpaced inflation for decades and is treated like criminal debt.

 

[Jalby]

I've posted many controversial things. I never thought take easy classes and get a high GPA would be one of them.

 

[deleted781806]

I've posted many controversial things. I never thought take easy classes and get a high GPA would be one of them.

While it's the most efficient and logical way to handle picking courses in undergrad, and will help you get the stats necessary for admission to med school, no one would really want to support this approach because it sounds too cold and because supporting it would undermine the time that we've all probably taken those unnecessary classes and gotten some hits to our GPA. Also it doesn't always leave the best taste in your mouth when the arguments seem to frequently stem from the perspective of increasing life-time earnings.

 

[YeaJeets2]

That med schools would be impressed with my undergrad school and would understand how grade-deflating our pre-med curriculum is. Actually had a professor freshman year who said that Duke would look at a GPA from our school and would add 0.5 points to it. I'm calling that bluff now with my 3.29 sGPA.

 

[SouthernGent]

SDN is a good cross-section of the premedical applicant body.

 

[Lucca]

SDN is a good cross-section of the premedical applicant body.

It's a good cross section of the right tail end of the distribution of premeds

 

[alcoholdehydrogenase69]

From my pre-med advisor "Med schools will add 0.3 to your GPA since your an engineering major"


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[Jalby]

While it's the most efficient and logical way to handle picking courses in undergrad, and will help you get the stats necessary for admission to med school, no one would really want to support this approach because it sounds too cold and because supporting it would undermine the time that we've all probably taken those unnecessary classes and gotten some hits to our GPA. Also it doesn't always leave the best taste in your mouth when the arguments seem to frequently stem from the perspective of increasing life-time earnings.

I support it. I graduated from UCLA with a Biochemistry major and Neuroscience Minor. They kicked me out for having to many units. Other people took physiology which was the easiest science major at UCLA. A lot of people I know ended up with a higher GPA than me even though I smoked them in the classes we had together. They also got better interviews and acceptances. So, if you want to get into a better medical school or in some cases even get into medical school, easy classes and high GPA is the way to go.

Also, with the easy classes you can find other things to enjoy in life outside of studying. I find it interesting that people are saying you will miss out in experiences if you don't take harder classes. There are PLENTY of other things to experience in college than difficult but possibly interesting classes. But if you really wanted to experience those, you can sit in them during all the free time you will have.

 

[mwsapphire]

From my pre-med advisor "Med schools will add 0.3 to your GPA since your an engineering major"


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

Isn't there a *slight* add on though? Like if you're chemical engineering you may get like a .1?

 

[deleted781806]

I support it. I graduated from UCLA with a Biochemistry major and Neuroscience Minor. They kicked me out for having to many units. Other people took physiology which was the easiest science major at UCLA. A lot of people I know ended up with a higher GPA than me even though I smoked them in the classes we had together. They also got better interviews and acceptances. So, if you want to get into a better medical school or in some cases even get into medical school, easy classes and high GPA is the way to go.

Thanks for taking a rhetorical device literally. I'm in almost exactly the same situation myself, I decided to take a Biology major (and French) while a majority of my classmates took the much less stringent Pre-Professional Studies major. They got by on easy classes while I had to struggle through some of mine, and reaching the same results as you saw when you applied. I'm not saying that doing whatever it takes to get a high GPA will not make you successful in the application process, I'm more-so just expressing some displeasure (and bitterness) that this is how the way things work even though it shouldn't be that way imo. Rewarding people for taking the easy way out shouldn't be how this all works.

 

[mwsapphire]

I thought Harvard med school was difficult to get into

Are you accepted to HMS?

 

[libertyyne]

Are you accepted to HMS?

He turned it down for a full ride at the king.

 

[alcoholdehydrogenase69]

Isn't there a *slight* add on though? Like if you're chemical engineering you may get like a .1?

Maybe. I think it varies from school to school and isn't nearly as significant as we would like it haha....unfortunately.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[tuco's revenge]

Are you accepted to HMS?

getting into harvard is a joke........a sick joke that nobody can accomplish. no, i did not get into harvard.

But I got a full-ride at yale.

ok, I'm joking about that too

I feel like crap about myself now, thanks a lot