Would you consider an acceptance your greatest achievement?

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Would you consider an acceptance your greatest achievement?

  • Yes

    Votes: 130 53.5%

  • No

    Votes: 112 46.1%
  • Total voters
    243
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NoktorNoL

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I just randomly thought about this in the shower. I guess I would personally consider it my greatest achievement because it would be a combination of smaller achievements along the way. But I'm still relatively young and can see how someone might consider something else more important. I was just wondering what the general consensus is?

I should clarify - I mean up to this date, not necessarily forever.
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Ha...not bloody likely. More than pre-med I am, more than an MS0 will I be.
 
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Sadly, getting into med school is currently the most difficult thing I have done thus far. I guess it is my greatest achievement to this date. 🙁
 
NoktorNoL said:
I just randomly thought about this in the shower. I guess I would personally consider it my greatest achievement because it would be a combination of smaller achievements along the way. But I'm still relatively young and can see how someone might consider something else more important. I was just wondering what the general consensus is?

I should clarify - I mean up to this date, not necessarily forever.
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Graduating would by my greatest achievement.
 
DoC cLoCk said:
It would be my greatest (hardest) achievement......for now. But I dont think getting accepted is such a big deal. It is just kind of matter of fact in my books, another rung up my ladder of success!
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Ok everybody together now: Wow.

I tend to agree with the first responder, however I have some distinctions to make:

1. It depends which school is offering the acceptance. If it was a reach school, it would be a bigger achievement than if it was a school already in your league because the bar would be higher, and you cleared it.

2. I've done a lot of things for reasons other than impressing adcoms at my school of choice. These activities went on my application and may have bearing on my acceptance even though they don't count as "things I did to get into medical school". So, an acceptance could, in part, be credited to these efforts, which don't necessarily count as "work" toward that acceptance.

3. Lastly, I tend to think achievements should be measured by how far you've come during the challenge rather than the actual place you end up at. So, if you decided to pursue medicine when you had a low gpa, worked a full-time job to pay for classes, and busted your a$$ to get in, it's more admirable than coasting through college and into medical school on your parents' trust fund.

So, for me, I'm not sure if it would be my greatest achievement. 😕 I always reserved that honor for busting my a$$ to go from sucky to decent at swimming one summer, given I that have no genes for athleticism. 😀

But, nevertheless, getting into medical school should be a high achievement for anyone. 👍
 
For now it is. Having and raising children will someday eclipse both the acceptance and completion of medical school.
 
Right now...a resounding YES. After four years....that's almost 1/5 of my life.
 
Yeah, so far it would probably be my greatest achievement so far. But I'll probably also have greater achievements in the future.
 
Law2Doc said:
But using that rationale, that fraction is only going to get smaller and smaller each year. Not exactly an achievement that will stand the steps of time.:laugh:
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Dang it, let me have my figurative moment in the sun. You lawyers and your fancy math. 😛
 
Getting through Medical School and matching into something you want to do for the rest of your life. I would probably consider the above as one of few greatest achievements in life. But I think your greatest achievement changes as you age and gain more experience in life.

I thought losing my virginity was my greatest achievement when I was in high school. 😀
 
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It was mine too--until I did it again. Then, the second time was my greatest achievement.
 
Ive done plenty Im very proud of and that have been more difficult than this process. I will be very proud IF I get accepted, though.
 
Not at all.

It will be a great accomplishment (top of the list probably), but not my greatest success.

I haven't let this process become such a big part of my life, because after all, there are more important things in life. 😍
 
No way.

As cheesy as it might sound, I'm much prouder of having found the person I want to spend the rest of my life with. If I do match into the residency I want, that will definitely come in as #2, since my first 2 months of med school have already made my pre-med years, the MCAT, and applying/interviewing look like cake.
 
NoktorNoL said:
I just randomly thought about this in the shower. I guess I would personally consider it my greatest achievement because it would be a combination of smaller achievements along the way. But I'm still relatively young and can see how someone might consider something else more important. I was just wondering what the general consensus is?

I should clarify - I mean up to this date, not necessarily forever.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't say getting accepted if you haven't actually been accepted yet. Plus, the simple act of getting accepted is insignificant next to the power of the force....I mean next to getting through medical school and becoming a "doctor." But after that you have to survive residency, and after that you have to spend every day of your life living with what you've worked so hard to obtain. It never ends. If I had to give something that I've already done, I would work along the same lines except I'd say that my greatest achievement thus far is being able to look back upon my life, my experience, my achievements, my grades, my friends, my decisions and say "I'm happy with my life." Taking that a step further, I think that even without an acceptance it's a great achievement to even be qualified enough to apply to medical school. Forget being accepted, you know whether you have the MCAT, the GPA, the personality, the determination, the academic excellence to make a good doctor. Thus, just reaching the point where you can apply to medical school and have a real chance is a great achievement. At some point along the way you decided high school wasn't enough, college wasn't enough, a full-time, decent-paying job wasn't enough. Each one of those decisions and your subsequent accomplishments are all great successes.

PS...I do my greatest thinking in the shower as well >).
 
best thinking is in the shower and on the toilet while doing #2.

and to answer the original question, seeing as how going into medicine is quite an uphill battle, getting in will be huge for me. i finally found what i love to do and have the strongest motivation to be the best (for the first time in my life). also having my family situation becoming better each day, i know now that everything in my life has been taken care of except for this getting into med school thing. hell, i'll be ecstatic whenever i finally get an interview invite.
 
ha, at this point, I'd say my greatest achievement up to this point will be dealing with my three year old daughter, who has been nearly impossible lately, while successfully completing my first block in med school. Honestly, I think preparing for the MCAT was the most difficult portion of preparing for/applying to med school. The acceptance was a blessing, but I don't feel it was an "accomplishment." I don't feel like it was something I deserved, or obtained, but rather, something I was given... So now the real work begins....
 
My greatest achievment would be having a great family. Placing too much importance in this "Becoming a Doctor" process is bad (I believe). Because what about after you've been accepted? Then will your greatest achievement be doing well on Step 1? Or will it be matching into a #1 ranked residency program? Or will it be being accepted for a extremely competitive fellowship? Or will it be developing a new surgical techinique that results in getting you published? When will the greatest achievements in the whole process finally be attained? I believe its better to try to achieve something that is more tangible and substantial than all that was listed above. So yeah, for me its family.
 
nope...it will be up there but not by far my greatest achievement.
 
It's not a greatest achievement by a long shot. Being a good father to my little girl is a far bigger achievement.
 
Nope, definitely not. It's my greatest academic achievement, but not my greatest achievement in life in general.

That honor goes to being a mom. 😀 It seems kind of silly considering most people do end up being a parent, but it really is amazing.
 
oxeye said:
Nope, definitely not. It's my greatest academic achievement, but not my greatest achievement in life in general.

That honor goes to being a mom. 😀 It seems kind of silly considering most people do end up being a parent, but it really is amazing.
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This and all the other posts about being a parent were what I was expecting from those who have children. I'm sure that will be my greatest achievement when the time comes, I can only imagine!
 
Aside from the greatest achievement question the one I've always struggled with is "Who do you most admire, aside from your parents?" It's not that I don't admire anyone, it's just that I can't pick a single person that's supposed to be my "role model." I just don't admire anyone THAT much.

"The only person I have to be better than is the person I am right now."
-Colonel Potter
 
The acceptance was a blessing, but I don't feel it was an "accomplishment." I don't feel like it was something I deserved, or obtained, but rather, something I was given... So now the real work begins....
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I'm with you. I wouldn't consider getting in a personal accomplishment. Like others have pointed out, it takes a lot of smaller accomplishments to get you an admission offer, but getting in doesn't just depend on you. It depends on others and the way they perceive you and your life on paper, and sometimes on whether your interviewer loves or hates the color of your shirt or god knows what else... So I would definitely consider it an honor and the greatest opportunity of my life so far, but I'll save the achievement title for goals I can meet through hard work and talent without the subjective human factors.
 
I was surprised to see how many people marked it as there greatest achievement. I am proud and happy that I was accepted to medical school. I think when I actually finish - that will be an accomplishment.

I consider among my greatest accomplishments is to have graduated high school and college considering that I came from an uneducated farming family. My entire family attended my high school graduation and then again at college. The day I felt the most pride would be the day that I found out that I graduated 3rd in my college. Finishing an honor's thesis worthy of publishing. If I were to pick just one thing - learning to love another human being more than myself is my greatest accomplishment.
 
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