What are you looking forward to in medical school?

[begoood95]

Last thread about this was 2 years ago, and amidst this nail-biting, neurotically-infused app season, I thought it'd be nice to get our minds off II's and whatnot.

So, positive thoughts! What are you most looking forward to in medical school? A specific topic? A new city? New friends?

For me, I'm most excited to be surrounded by people just as interested in science in medicine as I am. My undergraduate school is absolutely overrun by Greek life (nothing against it) and I've only met a few people that share this passion. I had my first experience with "like-minded" people on my medical mission trip abroad; it's humbling really. These people were incredible, both academically and personally. I can't wait for it!

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[YouEverHadOurSausages?]

A new experience, making new friends, learning things that will help me in my career, and just the relief of being set on the path to becoming a doctor.

 

[aaronrodgers]

Honestly, I look forward to mentoring undergrads when...if...I become MS1! I want to see others succeed too

 

[SpoiledMilk]

Can't self-jinx. To be continued after offer-in-hand...

 

[begoood95]

A new experience, making new friends, learning things that will help me in my career, and just the relief of being set on the path to becoming a doctor.

Right? That last part is a big one for me too. A lot of us have had this dream of wanting to be a doctor since we were like 8, and man...I can't imagine the relief you feel when you get that first acceptance. I'll definitely cry. When I was a little kid, I remember telling my grandma, "When I become a doctor, you won't have to pay for anything because I'm gonna take care of you for free!" Sadly she passed away before I ever got to that point, but I definitely think about her every time I think about my future as a physician.

The new friends is another thing that I, personally, am looking forward to. Having just got out of a 5+ year relationship, with our friend-groups heavily intertwined, it'll be nice to start meeting new people. It's sad, of course, leaving long-time friends, but knowing that there are some great friends to be made in medical school helps for sure.

Honestly, I look forward to mentoring undergrads when...if...I become MS1! I want to see others succeed too

Yeah! All our pre-health majors have to take a sort of "exploratory" one-hour course, where different medical personnel come in and give talks about their professions, how they got there, and etc. You're also assigned to "mentor," of whom help you throughout your freshman year with any questions you may have; I signed up for the mentor position, and it was definitely a great experience. That, plus my time tutoring, has really cemented the idea that I want to continue teaching in some way shape or form in the future.

 

[AttemptingScholar]

It's a ways off for me, but I've been looking at fun elective rotations. Apparently, if you get into them, things like cruise ship medicine, ski medicine, diving medicine are all things you can rotate in your last two years! If I'm in a position with that kind of freedom I would definitely love to do that.

 

[Pagan FutureDoc]

Graduation

 

[DBC03]

It's a ways off for me, but I've been looking at fun elective rotations. Apparently, if you get into them, things like cruise ship medicine, ski medicine, diving medicine are all things you can rotate in your last two years! If I'm in a position with that kind of freedom I would definitely love to do that.

I shadowed an orthopedic surgeon who was with the Women's US Olympic Ski Team for a few seasons.

I'm interested in aeronautic medicine - might be a fun rotation!

 

[begoood95]

It's a ways off for me, but I've been looking at fun elective rotations. Apparently, if you get into them, things like cruise ship medicine, ski medicine, diving medicine are all things you can rotate in your last two years! If I'm in a position with that kind of freedom I would definitely love to do that.

I shadowed an orthopedic surgeon who was with the Women's US Olympic Ski Team for a few seasons.

I'm interested in aeronautic medicine - might be a fun rotation!

I always forget about these little niches in medicine...I'm sure it's not all fun and games, but I wouldn't mind a rotation on a cruise ship, or in a place I could ski!

 

[AttemptingScholar]

A list of cool stuff. I have no clue how the process of choosing a rotation sign not just assigned to you by the school works, but I guess it does:
Wilderness medicine (does it count if it's not in the US? I'd do the Montana one of the Cornell one, definitely)
This list includes international stuff, cruises, prison, and NASA
I've also heard about ones that look into the efficacy of alternative medicine, history of medicine rotations, stuff where you visit crime scenes.

No clue how many you get to pick, but I'd like to do at least one!

 

[tessellations]

I think I'm looking forward to the having a sense of purpose in terms of actually beginning my training for the career that I want. I feel like I'm currently in this limbo period where I know what I want do and I'm sort of working towards it, but I'm not yet really entrenched in it.

I'm also looking forward to making some new and like minded friends. And maybe this is a bit shallow, but I wouldn't mind finding some fellow med students to date

 

[SpoiledMilk]

I wouldn't mind finding some fellow med students to date

 

[Professional Student]

I look forward to making school the number one priority. I feel like with all of various volunteering, research, shadowing, campus involvement, work, etc. school has never gotten the attention I have always wanted to dedicate to it. I look forward to seeing how much I can learn when essentially my only responsibility is to learn.

 

[tessellations]

I look forward to making school the number one priority. I feel like with all of various volunteering, research, shadowing, campus involvement, work, etc. school has never gotten the attention I have always wanted to dedicate to it. I look forward to seeing how much I can learn when essentially my only responsibility is to learn.

I completely feel the same way. I feel like I am constantly being pulled into doing other things and there's never as much time for studying as I would like. Work, being in a research lab, volunteering, and etc. really take up a lot of my spare time.

 

[787593]

Last thread about this was 2 years ago, and amidst this nail-biting, neurotically-infused app season, I thought it'd be nice to get our minds off II's and whatnot.

So, positive thoughts! What are you most looking forward to in medical school? A specific topic? A new city? New friends?

For me, I'm most excited to be surrounded by people just as interested in science in medicine as I am. My undergraduate school is absolutely overrun by Greek life (nothing against it) and I've only met a few people that share this passion. I had my first experience with "like-minded" people on my medical mission trip abroad; it's humbling really. These people were incredible, both academically and personally. I can't wait for it!

Getting to wear a white coat!

 

[Professional Student]

I completely feel the same way. I feel like I am constantly being pulled into doing other things and there's never as much time for studying as I would like. Work, being in a research lab, volunteering, and etc. really take up a lot of my spare time.

Exactly. I added it up during one of my busiest semesters and I was spending a consistent 30-40 hours a week on ECs. So essentially a full time job, plus school, plus studying. I think this is why the gap year has become so popular.

 

[Lannister]

Getting to wear a white coat!

Haha that excitement wore off after like two weeks for me.

 

[efle]

Using brain again

 

[Skydive Fox]

Learning because it could possibly save someone's life, not because I need the best possible GPA and MCAT score.

 

[Neguya]

The real college experience, new friends, new setting, first time being by myself, and most importantly, the legendary white coat ceremony.

 

[pseud0]

Getting to wear a white coat!

be any social worker/counselor, pharmacist, nurse, etc. hell the janitors are gunna start wearing them soon

 

[787593]

be any social worker/counselor, pharmacist, nurse, etc. hell the janitors are gunna start wearing them soon

Those don't count

 

[lolpremed22]

Graduation

lmfao this killed me

 

[freak7]

Talking with ridiculously smart people. That was my absolute favorite thing from the interview trail. After one I went out for drinks with a few other interviewees and had some of the best conversation I've had in a long time.

 

[DBC03]

Talking with ridiculously smart people. That was my absolute favorite thing from the interview trail. After one I went out for drinks with a few other interviewees and had some of the best conversation I've had in a long time.

Yes. I graduated almost 15 years ago and I miss the conversations we had in undergrad. I hope I get to experience that again in med school, but I fear that may depend on where I go.


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[SadAsian]

Aside from what's been mentioned above:
Independent study.

Lol, that's so anti-social, but it's refreshing to have the option of videotaped classes so you can learn at home and on your own time. I wish I could have stayed at home and worn pj's while getting my undergrad education.

 

[mwsapphire]

I look forward to making school the number one priority. I feel like with all of various volunteering, research, shadowing, campus involvement, work, etc. school has never gotten the attention I have always wanted to dedicate to it. I look forward to seeing how much I can learn when essentially my only responsibility is to learn.

Exactly. I added it up during one of my busiest semesters and I was spending a consistent 30-40 hours a week on ECs. So essentially a full time job, plus school, plus studying. I think this is why the gap year has become so popular.

That's quit a lot of EC's though , all at once , even by pre med standards. I'd say you have even less time for studying than the typical pre med.
I think for me I'd just want the assurance that I can be a doctor, that I'm set on the path, rather than just floundering around, being stressed about getting accepted all the time.
I want to find like-minded, bright individuals who share the same goals as me as well.
I also second what @tessellations said...tehehehehe.

 

[GrumpyMS]

Those don't count

Sounds like someone who would wear that thing in a bar to get all the attention.

 

[CyrilFiggis]

I don't get the whole "like-minded" "ridiculously smart" thread in all this.

 

[mwsapphire]

I don't get the whole "like-minded" "ridiculously smart" thread in all this.

Realizing I might regret asking this, why is that? Celebrating your future classmates' talents and goals matching up to your's sounds like a good things to me.

 

[tessellations]

I don't get the whole "like-minded" "ridiculously smart" thread in all this.

I think this has to do with background. I go to a state school where a lot of students aren't very motivated. I mainly came here for cost reasons. I have a nice group of friends, but I'm not really close to any other premed students - we all have our own social circles. Plus the general premed population and the medical student population is going to be different simply because of admission statistics. It'll just be nice to be surrounded by people who have the same basic goal as you and have a similar work ethic. I meet premed students who seem to party an awful lot and then complain when they pull straight Cs.

Also, I imagine as a non trad student, you might be removed from an academically focused group of people before med school and it's probably nice to be able to return to that after some time.

 

[lolpremed22]

Aside from what's been mentioned above:
Independent study.

Lol, that's so anti-social, but it's refreshing to have the option of videotaped classes so you can learn at home and on your own time. I wish I could have stayed at home and worn pj's while getting my undergrad education.

Totally agree. Idk why but it's almost impossible for me to retain information in live lecture but when it's recorded I learn 5 million times better. The freedom of not leaving your room is also nice.

 

[TelemarketingEnigma]

I don't get the whole "like-minded" "ridiculously smart" thread in all this.

Same, also honestly a little bit worried about missing the diversity of thought/background that I was exposed to in undergrad/the world outside of medicine. Sometimes the best intellectual conversations happen when you get people together from really diverse fields, not just science and medicine.

Don't get me wrong, I'm looking forward to getting to geek out about science and medicine with future classmates too, but there are smart people outside of med school.

 

[DBC03]

Same, also honestly a little bit worried about missing the diversity of thought/background that I was exposed to in undergrad/the world outside of medicine. Sometimes the best intellectual conversations happen when you get people together from really diverse fields, not just science and medicine.

Don't get me wrong, I'm looking forward to getting to geek out about science and medicine with future classmates too, but there are smart people outside of med school.

This has me kind of worried as well. I was not premed during my undergrad years and I knew just a handful of people who were. And they basically never talked abut medicine. Now that I'm taking classes with pre-meds, I feel like the conversations always revolve around classes, applications, medicine, etc. I'm really hoping that once everyone is in, we can discuss other topics.

 

[Endoxifen]

Would "tauntauning a cadaver for safety" be an incorrect answer?

 

[Blanky]

1. Quiting my job
2. Learning

 

[freak7]

I don't get the whole "like-minded" "ridiculously smart" thread in all this.

Maybe I wasn't clear; I don't think I'm ridiculously smart, but I sure as hell thought the other people were. That was super cool to me.

 

[mydogmolly]

Would answering "tauntauning a cadaver for safety" be an incorrect answer?

And I thought.......

They smelled bad.......













On the outside....

 

[GrumpyMS]

I'm really hoping that once everyone is in, we can discuss other topics.

YOu should od that or else if you keep thinking about school, you would not make it past the first term.

 

[GrumpyMS]

Maybe I wasn't clear; I don't think I'm ridiculously smart, but I sure as hell thought the other people were. That was super cool to me.

Someone has to make up the bottom 25 percentile...

 

[all things possible]

Disassociating from the pre med culture and environment.

 

[GrumpyMS]

Disassociating from the pre med culture and environment.

Hate to break your bubble, but it gets worse in Med school.

 

[Stumpyman]

Hate to break your bubble, but it gets worse in Med school.

How so? And this must be VERY school dependent. Several schools seem to have a collaborative environment.

 

[CyrilFiggis]

Also, I imagine as a non trad student, you might be removed from an academically focused group of people before med school and it's probably nice to be able to return to that after some time.

I honestly don't know what you mean by this.

 

[GrumpyMS]

How so? And this must be VERY school dependent. Several schools seem to have a collaborative environment.

While you do find groups that are very collaborative, you still end up seeing the gunners in your class and the their toxic personalities.

 

[tessellations]

I honestly don't know what you mean by this.

The experience is going to be dependent on each person. But what I basically mean is that if you've been out of school for a bit and you aren't working at an academic center, I imagine that you are probably not as entrenched in the world of academia compared to someone who is still in college/grad school or who works in an academic lab, etc. I know that I would miss that.

 

[Lyoness]

I'm looking forward to not seeing anymore of the party animals/greeklife/ super involved on campus/but with 2.5 gpa premeds.


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[Jdoxis]

A clean slate

 

[freak7]

Someone has to make up the bottom 25 percentile...

LMAO

I'm one of those lucky <10th percentilers and suuuuper thankful.

 

[CyrilFiggis]

I'm looking forward to not seeing anymore of the party animals/greeklife/ super involved on campus/but with 2.5 gpa premeds.

What about the super involved, greek life, former social chairs, but with a higher GPA? Cause you'll see them, and one's responding right now.

The experience is going to be dependent on each person. But what I basically mean is that if you've been out of school for a bit and you aren't working at an academic center, I imagine that you are probably not as entrenched in the world of academia compared to someone who is still in college/grad school or who works in an academic lab, etc. I know that I would miss that.

You make it sound like if you don't work in acedemia, post-collegiate life is boring or unfulfilling.

The general air about this thread to which I was commenting and Lyoness so candidly posted is that of a certain snobbery or elitism of being in medical school. There have been criticisms of students going to a state school, being in greek life, etc. "How great it is to be away from the riff raff." We've all labored hard to get in to school, whether we were in the 10th or 90th percentile.