white coat ceremonies

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Isoprop said:
My school actually fitted us for our white coats on interview day before we got accepted. It was a little odd.
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That sounds more like a marketing gimic than anything else. They weren't fitting you for a white coat; they were trying to sell you the school.

"O, look! We're already preparing you to practice medicine! If you accept, we'll have the coat ready for you!"

Seems a little heavy-hand, IMO.
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fiznat said:
People like to bash it but I bet, in private, most of you are secretly excited about it. Even if just a little. I'll admit that I am.

Don't pretend that you're all already grizzled and jaded veterans that have the perspective to see how little this means in the scheme of things. You aren't, that's the whole point. Take time to enjoy the steps along the way -- this is a long road and we should all appreciate the little boosts like this now and then.
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This. :thumbup:

I've noticed this jaded attitude in many of my peers. They act like they've already seen/done it all. God forbid if you get excited over something with meaning (although being ironically excited over trival events is acceptable). It is quite unbecoming and embarassing at times.

I wonder if it is a generational thing.
 
Heck, if I ever get my white coat that will be on my Facebook profile in seconds.

:smuggrin:
 
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I'm weirdly excited for my school's White Coat Ceremony. I just completed my graduate degree and haven't had a celebration with family and family friends yet... and the WCC at my school has unlimited seating, so I pretty much have invited everyone for a big celebration ALL ABOUT ME. We are having a big party in the afternoon too!

Hey-- get into med school is tough. I just want to celebrate the accomplishment of actually getting in. ahhhh!
 
I know getting into medical school was quite an accomplishment in an of itself, but I feel like I am congratulated wayyy to often when I haven't really "made it" yet. I finished undergrad 4 years ago. I applied 3 times to get into school before actually getting in. I know that there is a small but significant chance that I may not even make it out of medical school and so I'm over the patting myself on the back phase, and all I really want to do is continue the learning process.

However, I totally understand people (and their families) that do get into the hype surrounding the ceremony though. We have accomplished a lot just making it this far, and we should be proud of our accomplishments. If they want to give us a special day to celebrate our matriculation I will happily play along, and I'll even cheese it up for the group picture. :D
 
My grandparents even came into town for the ceremony. It was a big deal for them. Me? I was just a bit stressed out.
 
Why is it in 'poor taste'? You may think it's pointless but it's just a ceremony....
 
JokerMD said:
seriously. if you dont like getting a little bit of recognition of getting into med school, you are super lame

this is a damn tradition and i dont understand how anyone could question its awesomeness
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That's how I am. I don't find much excitement in ceremonies like this because of the reasons I stated. If I had gotten the coat after Medical School, I'd feel a bit better. A ceremony before starting is just... too "lol wut" for me.

People like to bash it but I bet, in private, most of you are secretly excited about it. Even if just a little. I'll admit that I am.
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Nope, I honestly feel this exact way. I'll definitely smile/whatever during the ceremony, but I find it more akin to a "send-off party" for the troops before D-Day in WWII... :smuggrin:
 
Yeah, as if everyone didn't have the real celebration the day they got their acceptance letter. And wake up with a huge headache afterwards.

White coat ceremonies in general just give an opportunity for the family to be proud, and it's also a measure to prevent people from dropping out by building obligation and responsibility points.
 
Yikes... I'm actually excited for my white coat ceremony. And it's more for me than for my parents, who haven't exactly been that supportive. I never went to my high school graduation because I didn't care about HS and I never actually put in any effort. But I went to my college graduation because I worked my butt off and it meant a lot to me. And I didn't exactly have the easiest time with the application cycle, so I'm very proud to have gotten in to medical school. What's wrong with that? I get that some people don't really care about these "silly" ceremonies, but they actually mean something to some people.

And I also get an iPad at my white coat ceremony ;).
 
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nygiants fan said:
Christ, you guys are a pessimistic bunch. It almost makes me feel bad that I decided to stop lurking and start contributing to SDN. You got into medical school and achieved what tens of thousands of applicants could not. Those same rejected applicants would kill to be in a position to whine and complain about white coat ceremony rubbish. Tell me, are most of you just mad at life in general because of your future (or current) med school debt or do you just hate yourselves enough to appreciate things like normal human beings?
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adaptation1 said:
When you received your first acceptance letter, did you go "Yes!" Or did you go listen to dashboard confessionals and throw a boo-boo party.
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JokerMD said:
seriously. if you dont like getting a little bit of recognition of getting into med school, you are super lame

this is a damn tradition and i dont understand how anyone could question its awesomeness
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:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
 
I'm not really sure what getting a white coat and being accepted to med school have in common. The former isn't a marker of achievement, in my opinion, and white coats are available for cheap all over the internet. I'm not denying that it's a fun production, but let's not pretend like this is some long-standing tradition that's an incredibly significant part of med school.
 
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MilkmanAl said:
I'm not really sure what getting a white coat and being accepted to med school have in common. The former isn't a marker of achievement, in my opinion, and white coats are available for cheap all over the internet. I'm not denying that it's a fun production, but let's not pretend like this is some long-standing tradition that's an incredibly significant part of med school.
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I am pretty sure same can be said about the availability of clothes baring school colors like for ivy league schools, bumper stickers, etc. Nothing is stopping people from wearing a school's name that they do not even go to. But I am pretty sure that does not stop any feeling of achievement for people that actually do get into those schools and can wear said clothes with true "pride".

Heck, you can even order online military service badges and ranks. There was some story a while ago where some guy in the army got in trouble for parading around with a chest full of badges and ranks that he did not even legible earn in his service.

Basically, yes the white coat in itself is not all that unique. But I am pretty sure the fact of actually earning it is what puts actual value in said coat. I am pretty sure the coat that you get from your school holds a lot more meaning then one you would simply buy from the internet. Same with any other award.

Those trophies and awards that are given to kids for sports and stuff often times have the manufacturers information somewhere on the bottom. Basically a lot of awards you can simply buy. Yet, once again I am pretty sure there is a big difference in the sense of achievement between just buying said award and actually being awarded with it.

Essentially, it is not about the actual white coat, in physical sense, it is about the meaning behind it and what it stands for.
 
Oh for ****'s sake...if you think it's pointless, then it's pointless. Let other people enjoy it. It's a ceremony, it's supposed to symbolize something, and as with any symbol it has as much or as little meaning as you give it. I don't get all this nonsense about 'poor taste.' My parents are very proud that they worked 100 hours a week to give me opportunities that they never had. It's as much more for them then it is for me, in my case. If you don't like it, don't go. If you're forced to go, deal with it and it's going to be over in a few hours. It won't be the first or the last boring thing you have to sit through.

It means something to me. If it doesn't for you, right on.
 
Kaustikos said:
Nope, I honestly feel this exact way. I'll definitely smile/whatever during the ceremony, but I find it more akin to a "send-off party" for the troops before D-Day in WWII... :smuggrin:
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+1

"We are about to kick your ass in a way that most of you have never felt before. But here is a coat and some free food."

That is to say, they at least have the courtesy to give you a reach-around before they completely fcvk you in the arse. There won't be much to celebrate until the end of next year. I'll take what I can get.
 
cbrons said:
hey does anyone find these in poor taste? does anyone agree with me? discuss.

[4:37pm] <Kaus-Work> wow
[4:37pm] <Kaus-Work> Does that school do anything normal?
[4:37pm] <Kaus-Work> :p
[4:37pm] <@cb> white coat ceremonies seem kind of stupid and in poor taste IMO
[4:37pm] <@cb> they are for people
[4:38pm] <Kaus-Work> I'm not gonna argue against that
[4:38pm] <@cb> who wanna self congratulate themselves before they do anything worthy of commendation
[4:38pm] <Kaus-Work> it's for parents to show off their kiddos
[4:38pm] <@cb> thats pathetic
[4:38pm] <Kaus-Work> Yeah, I kinda wish I could call in sick...
[4:38pm] <@cb> seriously its kind of embarrassing
[4:38pm] <@cb> they are having a celebration
[4:38pm] <@cb> before U even do anything?????
[4:38pm] <@cb> LOL
[4:38pm] <@cb> before u even take 1 class???? before u even pickup a pencil?
[4:39pm] <@cb> hahahahaha
[4:39pm] <@cb> Ur money just barely arrived in their bank account and they already wanna throw u a party
[4:39pm] <@cb> hahahahahahahaha
[4:39pm] <@cb> LOL!!!!!
[4:49pm] <@cb> seriously tho
[4:49pm] <@cb> they wanna award you
[4:49pm] <@cb> for just showing up???
[4:49pm] <@cb> for doing nothing?
[4:49pm] <@cb> for putting your butt in a chair
[4:49pm] <@cb> ???
[4:49pm] <@cb> LOL
[4:49pm] <@cb> hahahahaha
[4:58pm] <@cb> h`ahahahahaha
[4:58pm] <@cb> white coat ceremony
[4:58pm] <@cb> seriously it cracks me up im sorry
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Honestly I wish I had stuck to my guns and not gone to my white coat, especially one at the beginning of med school. My family won over in the end.

It makes more sense to have it at the end of preclinical years. The whole thing was awkward to me and I felt a bit out of place. Anywho.... hope my family enjoyed the pictures.... and the crying.....
 
If you're seriously excited about the white coat ceremony, well, then we all know which of the "12 types of medical students" you will be:

 
shaggy alfresco said:
Oh for ****'s sake...if you think it's pointless, then it's pointless. Let other people enjoy it. It's a ceremony, it's supposed to symbolize something, and as with any symbol it has as much or as little meaning as you give it. I don't get all this nonsense about 'poor taste.' My parents are very proud that they worked 100 hours a week to give me opportunities that they never had. It's as much more for them then it is for me, in my case. If you don't like it, don't go. If you're forced to go, deal with it and it's going to be over in a few hours. It won't be the first or the last boring thing you have to sit through.

It means something to me. If it doesn't for you, right on.
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You're asking people on the internet to stop b****ing about something. This in itself is futile ;)

I agree with the gist of this though.
 
I'm not going to the white coat ceremony because it's just not my style. I'm fine if other people go and have fun with their short white coats and their socializing and their ceremony, but it's just not me. On a scale of 0-10, how much of a douche will I look like to my peers? Not that it really matters, but I would prefer not to be that guy who's The Douche.
 
TheRunner said:
I'm not going to the white coat ceremony because it's just not my style. I'm fine if other people go and have fun with their short white coats and their socializing and their ceremony, but it's just not me. On a scale of 0-10, how much of a douche will I look like to my peers? Not that it really matters, but I would prefer not to be that guy who's The Douche.
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You sure it isn't required by your school?
 
shaggy alfresco said:
Oh for ****'s sake...if you think it's pointless, then it's pointless. Let other people enjoy it. It's a ceremony, it's supposed to symbolize something, and as with any symbol it has as much or as little meaning as you give it. I don't get all this nonsense about 'poor taste.' My parents are very proud that they worked 100 hours a week to give me opportunities that they never had. It's as much more for them then it is for me, in my case. If you don't like it, don't go. If you're forced to go, deal with it and it's going to be over in a few hours. It won't be the first or the last boring thing you have to sit through.

It means something to me. If it doesn't for you, right on.
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+ eleventy billion. Especially the bolded. :thumbup:
 
TheRunner said:
Oh, I didn't even think about that. I suppose if it is required then I will have to go.
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Kinda mandatory. If you wanna play it right, go there and swig some ipecac before meeting the Dean. That'll get you out quick.
 
demh23 said:
[8:37pm] <Kaus-Work> wow
[8:37pm] <Kaus-Work> did you see those losers on sdn
[8:37pm] <Kaus-Work> :p
[8:37pm] <@cb> who, the mods?
[8:37pm] <@cb> they do some useful stuff now and then
[8:38pm] <Kaus-Work> I'm not gonna argue against that. i was talking about you, cbronz, and me, dr.bowtie
[8:38pm] <@cb> PS i suck at life
[8:38pm] <Kaus-Work> LOL me 2
[8:38pm] <@cb> thats pathetic
[8:38pm] <Kaus-Work> Yeah, I kinda wish I could call in sick...
[8:38pm] <@cb> seriously its kind of embarrassing
[8:38pm] <@cb> they are having a celebration
[8:38pm] <@cb> and here i am wasting my life talking to you
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Haha long live demh.

While I'm not even close to applying or going to med school, I definitely see my self attending the ceremony.

I mean think about it, you don't really need the wedding ceremony and reception just to get married. You could just get a shotgun wedding with an Elvis Presley impersonator acting as the priest/witness. Is that what you are going to do cbrons?
 
Doc of the Walk said:
Haha long live demh.

While I'm not even close to applying or going to med school, I definitely see my self attending the ceremony.

I mean think about it, you don't really need the wedding ceremony and reception just to get married. You could just get a shotgun wedding with an Elvis Presley impersonator acting as the priest/witness. Is that what you are going to do cbrons?
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:)
 
Personally, I like the idea of the white coat ceremony, since it took a lot of hard work to get into medical school. But, I do understand where those of you against it are coming from. My friend in pharmacy school had her ceremony after the first semester, as a Congrats! You made it through the beginning of hell! Here is your white coat.

This is a good idea, except at my medical school, I believe we will have to wear our coats occasionally throughout the first semester, so it is appropriate to have the ceremony before the semester begins.
 
Isoprop said:
If you're seriously excited about the white coat ceremony, well, then we all know which of the "12 types of medical students" you will be:

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I'm not going to lie, that's exactly how I feel right now.


I'm pumped for my white coat ceremony. I don't care how long they have been around. To me, it symbolizes my journey and the acceptance of the responsibility I am preparing to take on in both my life and my future patients' lives. I am not usually one for ceremonies, but I am excited about this one.
 
MightyMoose said:
I'm not going to lie, that's exactly how I feel right now.


I'm pumped for my white coat ceremony. I don't care how long they have been around. To me, it symbolizes my journey and the acceptance of the responsibility I am preparing to take on in both my life and my future patients' lives. I am not usually one for ceremonies, but I am excited about this one.
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:thumbup:
 
free food + free drinks + good company....hmmm yeah that sounds terrible to me.

Some people in my class opted to skip it to study for the anatomy midterm (we had our ceremony a couple of months into the year for some reason)...they missed out on a good time.

Deflate your head and go to the ceremony so that your parents can be proud of their kid.
 
This really isn't about you. It's about the friends and family who have ostensibly supported you thus far, because without them you probably wouldn't be where you are. It's their chance to share the limelight a little, get dressed up, talked to by the deans, and feel appreciated and excited.

If you're an orphan or something, then enjoy the free food and meet some classmate's sisters or something. I don't see what the big deal is..
 
TheLesPaul said:
This really isn't about you. It's about the friends and family who have ostensibly supported you thus far, because without them you probably wouldn't be where you are. It's their chance to share the limelight a little, get dressed up, talked to by the deans, and feel appreciated and excited.

If you're an orphan or something, then enjoy the free food and meet some classmate's sisters or something. I don't see what the big deal is..
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You forget, everyone on SDN is someone who was emancipated at age 5, got a full-time job while taking 30 credit a semester courseloads, and they have nobody to thank but themselves. ;)
 
Isoprop said:
I could describe my grandmother's funeral and wake like that too.
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LOL. You had food at the actual funeral portion too? Pretty awesome. I def want finger sandwiches at mine. I can understand the issue with white coat ceremonies, but who can argue against finger sandwiches!?
 
fiznat said:
LOL. You had food at the actual funeral portion too? Pretty awesome. I def want finger sandwiches at mine. I can understand the issue with white coat ceremonies, but who can argue against finger sandwiches!?
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Glad to see that the funeral rites and customs of my family and our heritage is "awesome" to you. If you need more ideas for your funeral, we also served alcohol at ours, so you might want to consider that too.
 
Isoprop said:
Glad to see that the funeral rites and customs of my family and our heritage is "awesome" to you. If you need more ideas for your funeral, we also served alcohol at ours, so you might want to consider that too.
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Haha well you brought it up buddy. ...Or were you expecting to be taken seriously when you compared a white coat ceremony to your grandmother's funeral?

Alcohol sounds good but the finger sandwiches are really my first priority.
 
cbrons said:
I knew BowTie would agree with me... :thumbup:
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As the years have gone by and I have seen my friends go through med school and graduate, I've learned medicine--the former big boys club---created so many ceremonies that are not necessary.

Even match day to me is a bit excessive when you think about it. When you think about it, do we really need to read in front of the whole world where we are going? Create a party for such? Do we really need a white coat ceremony and at some schools a clinical ceremony right before you start 3rd year?? No its all unnecessary.

To me the only ceremony I think is worth it is graduation. But yes cbrons you aren't alone in noting the overly ceremonial nature of medical schools.
 
Kaustikos said:
That's how I am. I don't find much excitement in ceremonies like this because of the reasons I stated. If I had gotten the coat after Medical School, I'd feel a bit better. A ceremony before starting is just... too "lol wut" for me.



Nope, I honestly feel this exact way. I'll definitely smile/whatever during the ceremony, but I find it more akin to a "send-off party" for the troops before D-Day in WWII... :smuggrin:
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I agree with you. You also have to consider the fact that several people don't make it out of med school. Sure the attrition rates are low but not everyone makes it. The only significant ceremony to me is graduation. Even match day has always been kinda weird to me. I just don't see why we need to read out to the whole world where we are going, and now literally the whold world as it is publically broadcasted on videofeeds for anyone and everyone to see. So all those people who say don't leave names on match list are kinda dumb cuz if u get access to a match day video link its not that hard to watch it to see where someone matched. But seriously, if there is one thing I never understood, it is why med/dental school is so ceremonial compared to non health professions.

I guess it stems from some old traditions and no one wants to part with tradition.

Bza,

we are all proud of where we came from, but maybe being older and having seen a lot of stuff I guess I find myself agreeing with kaustikos and others that some of what I've seen in med schools is more excessive then is necessary.
 
congrats on your acceptance to med school guju!

I just want to celebrate at the white coat ceremony in the hopes of never having to apply again (going to work my bottom off to make sure I get good enough grades)
 
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