Which is better Hope or Reality?

[kiahs]

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Time and time again I have run into this question especially when it comes to the mcat. I know people who solely rely on hope. meaning they got in the mid twenties on their practice exams and took the real thing and are hoping to get at least a twenty-eight. Then there are those people who have no hope at all and even though they study ten hours a day for three months and are getting tens in everything but verbal are scared to death they won't make it into med school. I find myself somewhere inbetween. Not completely hopeless and not so drawn into hope that I'm out of touch with reality. Like I was thinking of signing back up for Kaplan and beginning to study again on Monday. I dunno I just feel like it's not going to work out but I hope it will yet still I have to prepare. Does that make me psyco? What do you all think about the topic and where you find yourself?

 

[bigdan]

OP-
Reality is, well, more realistic...and thus, IMHO, a better thing from which to plan for the future.
That being said, I'm a "hope guy". I hit a 26 or 27 and then a 28 on my last two AAMC PT before the actual MCAT. I *hope* I got a 28 or higher...but I'm not sure that I'm capable of much better than that given the conditions under which I took the exam.
If the rumor is true - you can tell generally how you'll do on the real deal from the PTs - then reality is the only way, not just the better way. But, statistically, it is a multiple choice test, so you can hope for the best...

dc

 

[duck2005]

lots of ppl overshoot--and undershoot--their practice results. there really is no such thing as "reality" when it comes to whats possible. anything is possible. some things are more possible than others, but there is always a chance. its hard to tell how we did, but id say anything in the +/- 10 pts is possible. most likely, itll be a +/- 2 pts type of thing. before you take it, reality should be the focus--i.e, when determining whether or not to take the test. afterwards, hope/indifference seems the best. i find it essential to hold on to that shred of hope that i got what i wanted. it makes the wait less agonizing. and im finding indifference to serve a similar psychological role: if i approach the mcat with the "i've-taken-it-hopefully-it-went-ok-but-i-cant-tell-now/either-way-my-life-will-work-out" mentality, i can keep myself from thinking i did well, i did okay, or i did poorly. and forgetting is so key in this endless wait

 

[Premedtomed]

Be real. remember you are planning on becoming a doctor! Be as realistic as possible. It's like playing a sport . Don't underestimate your opponent - MCAT. Making predictions is good, do it and forget about it!
On the other hand, you never know how far you will get unless you try.
Keep your fingers crossed. If you feel that you really bombed the MCAT and then think one month ahead. What do you see yourself doing one month from now?
If you are dead serious about Medical school then slowly start studying again on your own without any worries. Don't even think that you have taken the test already- it will make you feel tired.
Just Do It - NIKE 😉

 

[TXsongdoc08]

Hope is reality... There is a common misconception in defining hope and optimism. Hope involves accepting reality, whereas optimism is just a blind positive outlook. You might be interested in an npr interview by Diane Rhem of Dr. Jerome Groopman who wrote, "The Anatomy of Hope". Listen to this at: http://www.wamu.org/dr/2004/drarc_040223.html#monday

This isn't that related to your post, but I think its an awesome idea and anyone interested in the philosophical aspects of medicine should enjoy the interview!
_________________________________________

"The leg you wash tonight could be amputated tomorrow. (But at least the surgeon will say, what a clean leg!)"

 

[daelroy]

Reality is the best tool. I came on these messageboards and would get inspired when someone said they only did examkrackers for 3 weeks and got a 30+ score. I doubt that is true but even if it is true, it doesn't matter. Know Thyself. Know what type of learner you are and accept that. Don't feel dumb because it takes you longer to learn something than others. Hardwork pays off more in the end. Whether it takes you 4 or 14 hours per day; do whatever it takes to learn the material. Don't worry about others. Do whatever it take for you to learn and follow that. If you are a slow reader; that means you will have to read more and practice passages. If you are bad at O-chem, that may mean that you need to study O-chem for 10 weeks. Whatever it takes. No one else can tell you how much or how little you have to study to succeed on the MCAT.

Hope in my opinion is stupid. Hope is a consolation prize for those who didn't work hard in the first place and need something to fill the void.

 

[farleyisgod]

hope is the denial of reality

 

[Cerberus]

I find that simply not thinking about it is a good course of action.

 

[UseUrHeadFred]

I find that simply not thinking about it is a good course of action.

Not thinking about what?

 

[MrTee]

Not thinking about what?

Since this is an mcat discussion forum, you can probably assume safely he's talking about the recent mcat.

 

[kiahs]

I think I agree with a lot of what is being said. I think now though, is that first it is important to expend all your energy to working towards doing well and then all you can do is hope because at that point you've given it everything you have. When putting up this post I think I wanted to discuss have no hope at all. Thus, my example of the people who are doing fairly well but honestly have no hope at all and just are expecting failure. So my question now is, is it better to expect to fail or success? Does it make a difference? Whatta ya think?

 

[acwynn]

I'm going to go with blind optimism until I'm forced to face reality in June. 🙂

 

[Wahooali]

So my question now is, is it better to expect to fail or success? Does it make a difference? Whatta ya think?

I think whatever helps you get by is best. Whatever keeps you sane and pushing yourself towards your goals (in this case the goal of becoming a doctor). It helps some people soften the blow by expecting the worst...so if that happens they are prepared for it, but if they succeed then they are pleasantly surprised. But for others it helps to think/hope for the best and deal with reality as it comes. However you personally prefer to deal with problems is the best way to approach it, either looking ahead realisticly, or deal with reality as it comes to you.

Another thing is the place at which you are at. As someone else who was not showing the MCAT who's boss on practice exams as well, we have nothing to lose and everything the gain, so all we can really do is hope that we had a great day and that we performed the our full potential, a potential that is not yet fully realized. On the other hand, people who were rocking it out on practice exams have proven to themselves that they are definitely capable of performing well, but there is that fear that they did not perform to the potential that they have found is there somewhere. So I think the question of hope and reality varies on what you have to gain or lose, and what helps you stay sane in the midst of going after what you want. My 2 cents.

P.S. Good luck Kiahs, I think I will be right there taking it with you in Aug. if you are forced to do it as well (I pretty much bombed it).