What do you think of your classmates?

[sacrament]

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[daisygirl]

I think my class make-up is similar to yours overall, however, I haven't met or seen too many attention-seeker types yet. Some of my class is very cliquish, but it is not overbearing because there are enough people who don't seem to be interested in being cliquish. Unfortunately my anatomy group (with the exception of one member) is composed of grade-A gunners. I definitely find them to be the most annoying .

 

[oldman]

i think my med school is similar though overall everyone is much nicer. everyone is very friendly, but there are definitely different personalities.

 

[Smoke This]

Originally posted by sacrament
I was a little concerned, going into medical school, that my peers would be made up of the same annoying type-A pre-meds that I really couldn't stand in college. Interestingly enough (to me anyway), the personality make-up of my class seems to be approximately the same as the average undergrad class... that is, a mix of normal folks, preppy frat/sorority types, attention-seekers, truly nice people, etc. It's also far more clique-y than I expected. How about the rest of you? What surprised you, or didn't, about your classmates?

It sort of seems that way for me too. The cliques are unfortunate, but I'm in a fairly large class (100+) so it is to be expected. However, that's not to say that the class can't come together and have fun as a group, which we do. Everyone interacts, everyone are friends, and even the people that I got a bad vibe from at first (which weren't many) are cool to me now that I'm getting to know them. I love the class.

 

[oldman]

i think i'm getting into that bad habit about talking about other students. i have to get out of this gossiping mentality

*slaps self*

 

[paean]

I really like my class. I'm sure that people are already starting to split off into smaller groups, but I don't feel like it is exclusionary at all. UCSF seems different from my undergrad (Berkeley). People are more friendly, which I think is the result of being in a class of 141 instead of thousands, and virtually everyone is a nerd (in the good sense of the word), and the class is more varied in age and background.

I was in histo lab last week, and ended up partnered with a very *cool* seeming person, and my Berkeley radar went up, "beep, beep, he's gonna think you're a dork when you go and get all excited about the slides." But instead, he got even more excited that I was. I love being around students who are excited about what they are studying. It makes me feel even more interested in everything.

 

[djjj08]

Originally posted by paean
I really like my class. I'm sure that people are already starting to split off into smaller groups, but I don't feel like it is exclusionary at all. UCSF seems different from my undergrad (Berkeley). People are more friendly, which I think is the result of being in a class of 141 instead of thousands, and virtually everyone is a nerd (in the good sense of the word), and the class is more varied in age and background.

I was in histo lab last week, and ended up partnered with a very *cool* seeming person, and my Berkeley radar went up, "beep, beep, he's gonna think you're a dork when you go and get all excited about the slides." But instead, he got even more excited that I was. I love being around students who are excited about what they are studying. It makes me feel even more interested in everything.

nerd alert~

 

[paean]

Originally posted by djjj08
nerd alert~

Absolutely

 

[Fenrezz]

I don't know, I think I'm on the opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to those slides. I'm so sick of looking at them by now that I'm having nightmares about being chased by plasma cells.

Nothing wrong with being excited about the stuff you're studying. Certainly makes it easier to study. Now, if Playboy centerfolds were going to be on the next anatomy exam, I think I'd be excited about that. I mean....technically, it is anatomy.

 

[djjj08]

Dophins are goin down this wkend! lol

Dol's will always Lose against my mighty J E T S JETS JETS JETS~

 

[Fenrezz]

Originally posted by djjj08
Dophins are goin down this wkend! lol

Dol's will always Lose against my mighty J E T S JETS JETS JETS~

Oooooooooooooooooooh I can't wait. After the fins kick their ass all over the field, I'm gonna walk out of that sports bar foaming at the mouth! I don't care if the dolphins go 2-14 as long as those 2 wins are against the jets. wooooooooooooooohooooooooo!!!


heheheh

 

[paean]

Fenrezz, for me, looking at slides beats listening to 90% of the lectures we get. And we have lecturers ranging from good to great, I just don't learn effectively that way. Lab (and anatomy is better than histology) of any sort at least lets me get to know something through interaction.

Playboy centerfolds, huh, I think I might have trouble telling them apart, just like basophils form eosinophils. Otherwise, they might be okay.

 

[anamarylee]

The people in my class have already formed cliques. It's very annoying because everyone who participated in a summer program (40 out of 115 students) were selling this idea that we were gonna be a great class, like a family. They aren't. They are more like our real families, the ones who stab you in the back, borrow your stuff without returning it, take over the bathroom in the mornings, that type of stuff. See, I'm not doing well at all in my classes. In fact I'm having a lot of trouble, and my classmates are all so wrapped up in their own lives and grades, GOD forbid they stop for a minute and ask someone "How are you? Can I help you out somehow?". Heck no! It's more like "ME ME ME, I don't care about anyone next to me". This is what is bumming me out the most, not the grades per se, but the attitudes and vibes from the people around me. It's not what I was expecting med school to be like. The atmosphere and vibe these people put out have turned my dream of being here in med school into a nightmare.

Sorry for the venting, but it's just frustrating being day in and day out with people who are not the best humanity has to offer. It's irritating to sacrifice time with my family and friends to have to spend it with a bunch of mediocre human beings.

Done venting. Let the flamming beging.

 

[paean]

Anamarylee, I'm sorry you are having a hard time.

Have you tried reaching out and asking for help? I know it sometimes sounds odd, but a lot of people don't inquire because they don't want to make you feel as if they think something is wrong (the idea is to keep you from losing face) unless they know that you are open to that kind of thing. Also, sometimes when things arent going well for us, it can seem like everyine else is having an easy time, when there may be others in your class who feel like they are in the same position as you, and would love if you reached out to them. Sometimes an easy way to do it is to ask people who seem less involved in a group or who are quieter if they want to join the study group you are forming.

Of course, this may all be totally useless, because I'm reacting to the way I read your post, which doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the reality you are experiencing.

Best of luck anyway.

 

[Fenrezz]

Originally posted by anamarylee
The people in my class have already formed cliques. It's very annoying because everyone who participated in a summer program (40 out of 115 students) were selling this idea that we were gonna be a great class, like a family. They aren't. They are more like our real families, the ones who stab you in the back, borrow your stuff without returning it, take over the bathroom in the mornings, that type of stuff. See, I'm not doing well at all in my classes. In fact I'm having a lot of trouble, and my classmates are all so wrapped up in their own lives and grades, GOD forbid they stop for a minute and ask someone "How are you? Can I help you out somehow?". Heck no! It's more like "ME ME ME, I don't care about anyone next to me". This is what is bumming me out the most, not the grades per se, but the attitudes and vibes from the people around me. It's not what I was expecting med school to be like. The atmosphere and vibe these people put out have turned my dream of being here in med school into a nightmare.

Sorry for the venting, but it's just frustrating being day in and day out with people who are not the best humanity has to offer. It's irritating to sacrifice time with my family and friends to have to spend it with a bunch of mediocre human beings.

Done venting. Let the flamming beging.

I agree with Paen. I'm always willing to help anyone in whatever subject that I know fairly well. However in med school everyone is pretty smart, so for me to go up to people and ask them if they need help can be insulting to some.

What some of the students do here is send out a mass email and set up a date and time for a study session. Then one person is picked who knows the material well and goes over it, and the others all chime in and ask questions. I'm sure most med schools do the same thing.

Try mass emailing everyone and announce a study session. See what happens. I'm sure there are people willing to help, you just have to find them.

 

[anamarylee]

Thank you for your replies. I do know of other people (2 actually) who are just as frustrated with this as I am. I think they might be even more pissed because they have done work for the class (elected positions) and have gotten the cold shoulder from their groups.

I think the mass call to the study group is a good idea. The only problem is that I've tried to be around study groups, but the people become so chatty that on average for every hour of study, 15 minutes are spent wasting time. I would be open to a discussion group, get together on a saturday and just go over everything from the week.

Thank you all for the advice, for taking the time to read and reply. I really appreciate it.

 

[djjj08]

Originally posted by Fenrezz
Oooooooooooooooooooh I can't wait. After the fins kick their ass all over the field, I'm gonna walk out of that sports bar foaming at the mouth! I don't care if the dolphins go 2-14 as long as those 2 wins are against the jets. wooooooooooooooohooooooooo!!!


heheheh

"as long as those 2 wins are against..."
Yep, that's original buddy.... You and I both know Dol's are cursed when it's time to play the J-E-T-S... deep inside, you know its comin~ keep laughing now buddy, may be it'll compensate for your infinite saddness after this weekend

As for studying...stop bichin and whining about forming group or gunners or group studies or whateva.... You all probably went tru college to figure out what works best for you(individually)...habits don't change... stop bitchin and do what you gotta do to get an "A"!

 

[anamarylee]

Originally posted by djjj08
As for studying...stop bichin and whining about forming group or gunners or group studies or whateva.... You all probably went tru college to figure out what works best for you(individually)...habits don't change... stop bitchin and do what you gotta do to get an "A"!

You think we haven't been trying to do what it takes to get good grades? We are in the process of figuring out what works for us. As for me, I didn't study in college, I just reviewed for 1 hour if at all and crammed the weekend before. That doesn't work here. Like most people, I'm trying to figure out what works for me, but it's not an instant event, it takes a little time.

 

[neutropeniaboy]

At first, everybody was nice. Then I felt most of them were arrogant punks. Then the exams weeded them out. Then I downright disliked 90% of them. And in the end, I'll probably keep in touch with 3 or 4 people and forget the rest.

 

[fat_thrombosis]

funny how you mention playboy... the first-year anatomy prof here used to project slides of Penthouse centerfolds to, as they say, drive his point home. or so the story goes...

 

[oldman]

so what's happening with your grades? do you wish to study in groups and nobody wants to study with you? do you have letter grades at your school?

Originally posted by anamarylee
The people in my class have already formed cliques. It's very annoying because everyone who participated in a summer program (40 out of 115 students) were selling this idea that we were gonna be a great class, like a family. They aren't. They are more like our real families, the ones who stab you in the back, borrow your stuff without returning it, take over the bathroom in the mornings, that type of stuff. See, I'm not doing well at all in my classes. In fact I'm having a lot of trouble, and my classmates are all so wrapped up in their own lives and grades, GOD forbid they stop for a minute and ask someone "How are you? Can I help you out somehow?". Heck no! It's more like "ME ME ME, I don't care about anyone next to me". This is what is bumming me out the most, not the grades per se, but the attitudes and vibes from the people around me. It's not what I was expecting med school to be like. The atmosphere and vibe these people put out have turned my dream of being here in med school into a nightmare.

Sorry for the venting, but it's just frustrating being day in and day out with people who are not the best humanity has to offer. It's irritating to sacrifice time with my family and friends to have to spend it with a bunch of mediocre human beings.

Done venting. Let the flamming beging.

 

[Cochira]

Originally posted by neutropeniaboy
At first, everybody was nice. Then I felt most of them were arrogant punks. Then the exams weeded them out. Then I downright disliked 90% of them. And in the end, I'll probably keep in touch with 3 or 4 people and forget the rest.

wowsers - how long have you been in school with them?

 

[oldman]

Originally posted by Cochira
wowsers - how long have you been in school with them?

i think the person must be doing residency already.

 

[SomeFakeName]

Anamarylee, what you are experiencing as far as your classmates go is mere child's play compared to when you actually begin practicing medicine. For example, I've seen doctors being paid to be "expert" witnesses against other doctors in malpractice cases. Some doctors have all but given up practicing real medicine and instead act as "expert" witnesses for the prosecution for a significant price per court appearance against other doctors. Like yourself, I too learned early in medical school that most of my future "colleagues" would be useless when and if I truly needed them. Of course there are the few who will go to bat for you when you need them to, but most would sooner let you hang to dry. I've always found it hard to believe that in such a profession where doctors look out for their patients, they often do not give the slightest care for the well-being of other doctors. I can go on and on with examples that I've seen in med school and clinical practice where physicians have acted with malicious intent toward other doctors, but doing so could fill up an entire chapter in a book. However, I will give you one example to illustrate my point. A surgical resident who was going through significant personal problems took his own life, and if that wasn't tragic enough, it became even uglier. The same day that it was found out that he had died, the chief of surgery received a bunch of emails from preliminary surgical residents at the SAME institute where the resident had trained inquiring about whether they could have his categorical position since he was now dead! These people didn't call or write in their condolences, but rather immediately inquired whether they could have the oppourtunity to have a deceased man's job. Needless to say I was appalled when I found this out and my thoughts about medicine in general and the people who go into it sunk another notch. I'm not saying that all people who go into medicine are mean spirited and such, as I'm sure you know some who are genuinely good at heart. But I don't hesitate to say that medicine can and has often proven to be a cold profession, despite the premise that it is supposed to be a caring one.

 

[Clip]

I considered the overall campus atmosphere (overly competitive vs. more laidback) when choosing a school and have been very happy with my choice. Of course there are classmates who I enjoy more than others, but I try to remember that of the ones that I don't care for as much that I may only being seeing a limited view of what that person is truly like and that being very stressed and around the same people all day, every day, can bring out the worst of someone.
On the other hand, I'm far enough along in med school that I have found some of my classmates to be people that I would not want to be friends with and would be very hesitant about referring my patients to. Fortunately though that has been only a fraction of my class!

 

[djjj08]

Originally posted by SomeFakeName
Anamarylee, what you are experiencing as far as your classmates go is mere child's play compared to when you actually begin practicing medicine. For example, I've seen doctors being paid to be "expert" witnesses against other doctors in malpractice cases. Some doctors have all but given up practicing real medicine and instead act as "expert" witnesses for the prosecution for a significant price per court appearance against other doctors. Like yourself, I too learned early in medical school that most of my future "colleagues" would be useless when and if I truly needed them. Of course there are the few who will go to bat for you when you need them to, but most would sooner let you hang to dry. I've always found it hard to believe that in such a profession where doctors look out for their patients, they often do not give the slightest care for the well-being of other doctors. I can go on and on with examples that I've seen in med school and clinical practice where physicians have acted with malicious intent toward other doctors, but doing so could fill up an entire chapter in a book. However, I will give you one example to illustrate my point. A surgical resident who was going through significant personal problems took his own life, and if that wasn't tragic enough, it became even uglier. The same day that it was found out that he had died, the chief of surgery received a bunch of emails from preliminary surgical residents at the SAME institute where the resident had trained inquiring about whether they could have his categorical position since he was now dead! These people didn't call or write in their condolences, but rather immediately inquired whether they could have the oppourtunity to have a deceased man's job. Needless to say I was appalled when I found this out and my thoughts about medicine in general and the people who go into it sunk another notch. I'm not saying that all people who go into medicine are mean spirited and such, as I'm sure you know some who are genuinely good at heart. But I don't hesitate to say that medicine can and has often proven to be a cold profession, despite the premise that it is supposed to be a caring one.

I feel ur post...
Unity among Dr's were hard to find in my hosp

is there something the new generation of Dr's can do? or is it merely a part of medical profession...?

 

[marikimo]

I have a great class of 170 people! My class seems to be alot of older (ie at least one year out of college having worked/done research, etc) students. I think this may be the reason why it tends to be a less "cliquey" group than others.

 

[Doctora Foxy]

my classmates rock!

 

[Acro Yali]

Ditto all of the above. I have a cynical view when it comes to the medical profession because of my experiences thus far. Don't get me wrong, there are decent people around but a lot of this process invovles seeing through the cr@p people would blatantly say or do to you so they can get a better grade or something. And sometimes, being a bigger person won't help. When that happens, you just have to do what you have to do.

 

[Fenrezz]

Originally posted by djjj08
"as long as those 2 wins are against..."
Yep, that's original buddy.... You and I both know Dol's are cursed when it's time to play the J-E-T-S... deep inside, you know its comin~ keep laughing now buddy, may be it'll compensate for your infinite saddness after this weekend

30 - 3. Infinite sadness never felt so good.




Oh, and to stay one topic..umm..my classmates are okay.

 

[djjj08]

finally broke the 8 game losing streak huh?
don't worry,,, u and I both know Dol and Jet won't make it to the big dance come january?(do u really believe in Fiedler?....I already gave up on Vinny the "int" Terstaverde...


life sux

 

[Thewonderer]

Agree with the cynical view expressed above.

There are many people I find to be aloof in the basic science years but turn out to be very nice people when I work with them on the wards. On the other hand, there are others who seem nice but turn out to be jerks on the wards.

Some of the stuff that happen in the hospital are pretty disgusting...

Student A sucks up by stating that he wants to be a neurologist when he is on neurology, a pediatrician when on pediatrics, a general surgeon when on surgery, etc. etc.

Student B tells another student, "Why are you staying on the ward later than everybody else? You are making me looked bad. Stop that!"

Student C anounces to the rest of the students on-call with him that he is only going to take care of his team's 3 pt's. Well then, I guess the 40 other pts on the general surgery floor will have to be covered by the other 2 students on call with him.

Student D shows up @ the door of the required rotation lectures, signs his name on the attendance sheet and promptly goes back to the floor to suck up to the residents while the rest of the students stay and listen to the lecturers.

Students E, F, G, H, I, J, etc. lied to their residents that they had either lectures or meetings with course directors, so they could go home early or take naps. And when they had other classmates on the same team, they pressured them to lie with them.

After a while, all these seem just like norms of life.... sigh....
No wonder, some rude attendings are still having their ways. Medicine is NOT good at self-policing. Honor code gets thrown into garbage when everyone is for him or herself on the wards. Heck, you don't even get enough sleep most of the time anyway!!!

 

[Thewonderer]

bump