Walking around campus with textbook

[RogueUnicorn]

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Why not just get a rolling bag? That is what I use and I was able to fit my Ochem book, laptop, and all my notebooks, etc in it. And to one of the above posters, not just pre meds care about a high GPA. You DO know it is harder to get into vet school and many, many graduate programs than it is to get into med school, right?

rolling bags are up there with pocket protectors.

way to nitpick an obvious generalization, but i'd add it's not quantity, it's quality. just because the acceptance rate is low doesn't mean the applicants are necessarily more qualified than another set with higher acceptance rates. so that argument in particular doesn't have much impact imo.

 

[schrizto]

Rolling bags make you look like a dork.

 

[Practitioner]

At some point I feel they would switch from "Wow, that's taking some initiative!" to "Goddamn, 4 years and he's still working on it? What grade level does that idiot read on?"

Well, you could always alternate between that, The God Delusion, and Guns, Germs, and Steel.

I was being sarcastic, of course, but a lot of my instructors and I ended up starting a relationship with a discussion on some book either of us was reading. Usually academic ones, but also on Dune, Narnia, and other fiction.

 

[getright]

I would rather die than walk around campus with a rolling backpack.

 

[Tiktaalik]

Rolling bag = social suicide.

Well, you could always alternate between that, The God Delusion, and Guns, Germs, and Steel.

I was being sarcastic, of course, but a lot of my instructors and I ended up starting a relationship with a discussion on some book either of us was reading. Usually academic ones, but also on Dune, Narnia, and other fiction.

I found that The Ancestor's Tale made an excellent and far more readable replacement for my textbook in Organismal Biology.

 

[FlowRate]

Rolling bags make you look like a dork.

As does (carrying) an Organic Chemistry textbook.

 

[Iso4ane]

Why are the textbooks I see people walking around with always organic chemistry, physics, anatomy & physiology etc. Can't you guys just keep it in your bag?

Well, for most "pre-meds" who do that sort of thing their bag is already full with all their other textbooks. So if they're carrying an Ochem book, the Physic book, biohem book and anatomy & physio books are already in their bag. There is just no more room for that Ochem book.

 

[UnlonelyRoad]

Seconded. I'm inclined to give the benefit of the doubt and assume pragmatism over pretension until proven otherwise.

It's actually a form of protection. The wild Pre-Med is a timid creature and worried that other Pre-Meds will steal it's textbook in order to disrupt it's education and reduce competition for medical school.

 

[rxlea]

rolling bags are up there with pocket protectors.

way to nitpick an obvious generalization, but i'd add it's not quantity, it's quality. just because the acceptance rate is low doesn't mean the applicants are necessarily more qualified than another set with higher acceptance rates. so that argument in particular doesn't have much impact imo.

You make an excellent point. In most instances, it is like comparing apples to oranges considering applicants have to meet different criteria to get into their respective programs. Honestly, I just wanted to point out the arrogance than many (not all) pre-meds have considering many will not even get accepted to medical school...But, that is better left for another discussion. I WILL admit, however, that the MCAT is far more difficult than other admissions tests (GRE, PCAT, etc.) so that is a difficult hoop to jump through and I certainly give props to those that manage to score exceptionally well. It must be hard work.

EDIT: And as far as the rolling bag, it doesn't matter when you get older. It is so high school to criticize/make fun of people because they have a rolling bag. Besides, if people are judging you by your method of carrying your book, why would you want to associate with such superficial pricks anyway? lol

 

[boaz]

Rolling bag = social suicide.

For a long time I thought people with rolling bags on campus were just on their way to/from the airport.

It's actually a form of protection. The wild Pre-Med is a timid creature and worried that other Pre-Meds will steal it's textbook in order to disrupt it's education and reduce competition for medical school.

😱 At least by the time med school starts there's nothing to show; everyone has the same fat textbooks (if any).

 

[Tiktaalik]

And as far as the rolling bag, it doesn't matter when you get older. It is so high school to criticize/make fun of people to their faces because they have a rolling bag.

Fix'd.

It shouldn't matter, but many (if not most) people maintain high school attitudes hidden by adult rules for their entire lives.

That said, if a rolly bag works for ya, meh. Just say you're dragging it ironically. So deck.

 

[apumic]

This. In what other field is a 3.7 gpa only considered average? lol pre meds are the only ones who care enough for the most part

Clinical psych for one (avg 3.7; avg acceptance rate is 9.5% w/ many schools accepting <5%). Match is also far more crucial than it is for med school admissions.

Why are the textbooks I see people walking around with always organic chemistry, physics, anatomy & physiology etc. Can't you guys just keep it in your bag?

Sometimes it's also more convenient to bring a laptop case only and just carry the textbook you need -- I mean, why carry multiple bags? (Backpack "sleeves" often don't work very well at keeping laptops in good condition.)

Honestly, OP, I'm a little curious why you even care. I never would have even noticed. Are you that uncomfortable with your own abilities or that lacking in self-confidence that you need to pick apart other people's ways of carrying their books? I mean...come on.

Btw... as for book sizes, my primary music history text was 1000 pages (required every class) and that did not include the associated anthology (includes scores of each piece of music) we had to bring to every class, which was 1200 pages. Science texts can be big, but they're really no bigger than what you see in many other subject areas.

 

[MegaSpectacular]

Clinical psych for one (avg 3.7; avg acceptance rate is 9.5% w/ many schools accepting <5%). Match is also far more crucial than it is for med school admissions.



Sometimes it's also more convenient to bring a laptop case only and just carry the textbook you need -- I mean, why carry multiple bags? (Backpack "sleeves" often don't work very well at keeping laptops in good condition.)

Honestly, OP, I'm a little curious why you even care. I never would have even noticed. Are you that uncomfortable with your own abilities or that lacking in self-confidence that you need to pick apart other people's ways of carrying their books? I mean...come on.

Btw... as for book sizes, my primary music history text was 1000 pages (required every class) and that did not include the associated anthology (includes scores of each piece of music) we had to bring to every class, which was 1200 pages. Science texts can be big, but they're really no bigger than what you see in many other subject areas.

Psychology classes are easy.

People need to learn the textbook chop up trick. Cut it into 3 books or binders.

 

[boaz]

Honestly, OP, I'm a little curious why you even care. I never would have even noticed. Are you that uncomfortable with your own abilities or that lacking in self-confidence that you need to pick apart other people's ways of carrying their books? I mean...come on.

I don't really care how people carry textbooks. It has no effect on me. Same way I don't care if someone walks around with a t-shirt saying something crazy and provocative. But it is amusing to me and thought I might share it with others. 🙂

 

[rxlea]

What if you're carrying around an MCAT Kaplan study book? 🤣

 

[roseglass6370]

What if you're carrying around an MCAT Kaplan study book? 🤣

Or the MSAR... 😛

 

[rxlea]

Psychology classes are easy.

People need to learn the textbook chop up trick. Cut it into 3 books or binders.

Not all psych classes are easy...how many upper division psych classes have you taken? Sure, psychology 101 and stats and research methods might be easy but what about neuroanatomy, psychopharmacology, physiological psychology, health psychology, clinical psychology, etc ? Not to mention that in grad psych programs, you have to do a dissertation and "comps", the latter which you need to basically prove to a committee that you have actually retained everything you learned in your program. Then there is research, conferences, blahblahblah. Like I said above, it is like comparing apples and oranges.

 

[rxlea]

Or the MSAR... 😛

lmfao

 

[boaz]

What if you're carrying around an MCAT Kaplan study book? 🤣

Kaplan MCAT Advanced ("Your Only Guide to a 45") definitely qualifies.

 

[roseglass6370]

Kaplan MCAT Advanced ("You're Only Guide to a 45") definitely qualifies.

This made me chuckle.

 

[Hurricane95]

In 5 years or so since I registered for SDN, I thought I had seen everything. This has got be be one of the dumbest threads I have ever seen. Seriously? Who gives a s*it what people do with their books or how they carry them? If you find yourself overly concerned with this issue, then YOU, yourself, are probably one of THOSE premeds everyone on this site is always railing against and hates.

A couple of points to consider:
1) to begin with, being "premed" means nothing and is nothing to brag about. Any ***** can give himself that title. There are no prereqs to being premed...remember, statistically a greater portion of them will not make it into medical school compared to those who will.

2) by the same token, carrying textbooks for ochem, physio, etc. is NOT a bragging factor/tool, and does not make you cool. If anything, it is a clear signal that you spend a greater portion of your time in the library that out being social/getting laid/having fun, etc.

3) many times, I agree with those you say you have a lot of crap to carry in your backpack. Rather than carry a laptop, notebooks, and 3 massive textbooks in your bag (essentially it's like walking around with a 35 pound dumbbell on your back at all times) it's sometimes more convenient to carry a book in hand. Who cares? Again this doesnt prove/serve as bragging rights to anyone. Anyone who is "impressed" by an ochem book is a *****.

4) who do you only see science books? for the most part, because the only students who carry large heavy books around ARE science people, engineering students and law students. Actually law students probably take the cake because every one of their law bibles as I call them is a freaking 15 pound 2000 page tome, and they usually take 5 classes or so at a time. You often see law students with a full backpack, and one under each arm. They're also the group where i've seen the largest number of rolling bags i guess for that reason. Most other majors get by with printouts, thin books and a 2 pocket folder full of handouts.

Once you get to med school, everyone is on the same page, there really are no books, and there is nothing to differentiate you all. It's like elementary school all over again. So there.

 

[jboz]

in closing...

 

[boaz]

in closing...

Yup. I seem to have hit a sensitive nerve with some of the posters here. Others find it just as funny as I do.


😆

 

[Zera]

Usually I wheel around a library shelf.

 

[JokerMD]

Others find it just as funny as I do.

yea i do too. but that's cause i know some *****s that carry their massive biochem book around just to make a point....however, the majority of premeds at my school are NOT like this

 

[schrizto]

4) who do you only see science books? for the most part, because the only students who carry large heavy books around ARE science people, engineering students and law students. Actually law students probably take the cake because every one of their law bibles as I call them is a freaking 15 pound 2000 page tome, and they usually take 5 classes or so at a time. You often see law students with a full backpack, and one under each arm. They're also the group where i've seen the largest number of rolling bags i guess for that reason.

But law students don't have to commit massive amounts of information to memory like in the health sciences or work over many problem sets like engineers, which would require bringing books everywhere, right? I always thought law books were mostly in the library for reference since I've never seen anyone carrying law books, though I do not know that many law students.

yeah, and I know this thread is like 2 weeks old. shameless bump.

 

[rawman]

Back in high school, the kids with the rolling bags would trip everyone up. It was worse when class got out and everyone was trying to squeeze through a narrow hallway to get to class. The rolling bags would ram into unsuspecting feet.

I rarely saw people with them in college though. Thank God.

 

[marble30]

Now Art History textbooks are whole other matter - have you seen the sizes of those books?? They're huge!

 

[rxlea]

Back in high school, the kids with the rolling bags would trip everyone up. It was worse when class got out and everyone was trying to squeeze through a narrow hallway to get to class. The rolling bags would ram into unsuspecting feet.

I rarely saw people with them in college though. Thank God.

Skateboards are far worse than rolling bags will ever be!

 

[apumic]

But law students don't have to commit massive amounts of information to memory like in the health sciences or work over many problem sets like engineers, which would require bringing books everywhere, right? I always thought law books were mostly in the library for reference since I've never seen anyone carrying law books, though I do not know that many law students.

yeah, and I know this thread is like 2 weeks old. shameless bump.

lol... you're kidding right?

Sure, there is plenty of reference literature but to be a good lawyer requires knowing the legal literature of your field extensively and as a law student that means knowing the core cases of every specialty.

In general, though, science texts may be large but there are many fields with much larger tomes to know. It just so happens that an awful lot of premeds haven't bothered to walk outside the line that connects the science bldg and their dorm.

 

[plsfoldthx]

I'm surprised someone actually noticed this and thought it was pretentious. Instead of lugging the 4 textbooks in my backpack around school all day why not just take out the stuff I need, leave my backpack in the car, and walk to class? I actually don't even take my textbook to class... just my notebook, but if I did... seriously wtf? Hating on someone cause they don't keep their textbook in a bag? Nazi Germany?

 

[schrizto]

lol... you're kidding right?

Sure, there is plenty of reference literature but to be a good lawyer requires knowing the legal literature of your field extensively and as a law student that means knowing the core cases of every specialty.

In general, though, science texts may be large but there are many fields with much larger tomes to know. It just so happens that an awful lot of premeds haven't bothered to walk outside the line that connects the science bldg and their dorm.

I've always thought knowing legal cases was easier to memorize than say mechanisms though. It's like history, which is like a story so you can commit it to memory even without a textbook... right? I don't really know that much about law yet tbh. But in science and math you need the text to work on problems in the book and I think that's why you see people carrying those subjects so often.

I'm surprised someone actually noticed this and thought it was pretentious. Instead of lugging the 4 textbooks in my backpack around school all day why not just take out the stuff I need, leave my backpack in the car, and walk to class? I actually don't even take my textbook to class... just my notebook, but if I did... seriously wtf? Hating on someone cause they don't keep their textbook in a bag? Nazi Germany?

Well what bothered the OP wasn't people carrying around four textbooks. It was carrying around _one_ textbook with the subject visible.

 

[plsfoldthx]

Well what bothered the OP wasn't people carrying around four textbooks. It was carrying around _one_ textbook with the subject visible.

That's what I'm talking about. Is the subject matter offensive or something? OMG he's carrying around a textbook he must be showing off!

 

[Ischemic]

why do we even care about this?

 

[Cyradis]

I can't say I particularly care if people carry their textbooks - around here it isn't a pre-med symbol or anything, it just means it's more comfortable....

However, I can say that I think it's pretty funny how pissed off people are about this.

 

[AbbyNormal]

I can't say carrying a textbook is that exciting. Now if it were The Joy of Sex that might be somebody I would like to meet. 😛

 

[Cyradis]

I can't say carrying a textbook is that exciting. Now if it were The Joy of Sex that might be somebody I would like to meet. 😛

What if he/she was abnormally repulsive? =P

 

[AbbyNormal]

What if he/she was abnormally repulsive? =P

Yeah that would be my luck. 🙁

 

[schrizto]

I can't say carrying a textbook is that exciting. Now if it were The Joy of Sex that might be somebody I would like to meet. 😛

I remember reading in Glamour how they had an article where this lady went around with sex guides (basically, near-pornography) in her bag and would pretend to drop her bag and have all the books spill out. Then when people went to help her pick her stuff up a photographer hiding somewhere snapped their reactions when they looked at the covers. Funny stuff.

 

[rxlea]

If somebody brought their textbook to a date, I would say GTFO!

 

[Elpenor]

When somebody brought up the rolling bag I thought they were trolling.

After re-reading I guess they were serious, what the hell man.

The only people allowed to use rolling bags are confused foreigners.

 

[familyaerospace]

vet school is definitely difficult to get into. what other ones are more difficult than med school?

I applied for graduate school for two rounds. The numbers that are constantly being thrown around academia is that there is less than 10% of PhD applicants will get into a PhD program. Here are a few schools that I know their rates for off the top of my head.

UTMB has a PhD program in Space Life Sciences that only takes one student a year on average. As someone who made it to the finals round, I am upset.

Emory's Anthropology PhD program usually has an incoming class of around 5 or so, they receive over 300 applications for those spots. Rutgers Anthropology has similar numbers as does Harvard.

UWash Biology, when I applied in 2007, had about 1000 applicants competing for less than 10 spots.

There are also several psychology programs that have a low acceptance rate, even places that I don't consider incredibly high ranked, such as the University of North Dakota (I shouldn't pick on them, I have a degree from there) have some competition for many of their PhDs.

It's sad but when I look at the acceptance rate for medical school being like 40%, I can't help but think "Wow, those are high numbers!" since I've been used to acceptance rates of only 10% for the past several years.

 

[deleted316655]

When somebody brought up the rolling bag I thought they were trolling.

After re-reading I guess they were serious, what the hell man.

The only people allowed to use rolling bags are confused foreigners.

lol. So true.