med school cliquish?

[Catalina]

a friend of mine says that his social experience of first year meds so far has been that it's quite a cliquish environment, almost like high school. and many big egos.

 

i'm curious about what others' views are in this regard?

[Comeon]

I accept this view. Some of the biggest egos you will ever experience.

 

a friend of mine says that his social experience of first year meds so far has been that it's quite a cliquish environment, almost like high school. and many big egos.

 

i'm curious about what others' views are in this regard?

[Savac]

I accept this view. Some of the biggest egos you will ever experience.

 

Wow this is surprising. If anything, the application process has crushed my ego.

[Lactic Folly]

I don't remember about the egos. But you put the same group of young people in the same room for hours each day, some similarities with the junior high milieu are going to surface - not that cliques don't happen in workplaces with older people, mind you... part of human nature to seek safety in group affiliation...

[Comeon]

That is a good thing. Do not let it resurface. You are bound to connect with some people better than others.

 

Wow this is surprising. If anything, the application process has crushed my ego.

[thehumanmacbook]

I accept this view. Some of the biggest egos you will ever experience.

 

How have you learned to deal with the egos?

 

I'm actually really not looking forward to this. My UG was a pandemic of megalomania. I don't want to suffer through a recourse of the ninth circle of hell.

[Comeon]

Reflect on why you entered medicine in the first place and fulfill those goals. At Mac, it is rare to see people aside from in small groups and you may not see them at all for the two clerkship years - they become easy to ignore. I have been impressed by many in my small groups and have become good friends with some of them. The other side of the coin is that on a few occasions, I have also been pissed off by some individuals and try to avoid them once groups switch. The environment may not be as cut-throat as undergrad programs, but gunners cannot be stopped, people cannot be pushed off high horses and silver spoons are sometimes far too deeply lodged in people's bums to be removed without drama.

 

How have you learned to deal with the egos?

 

I'm actually really not looking forward to this. My UG was a pandemic of megalomania. I don't want to suffer through a recourse of the ninth circle of hell.

[MarshMellow]

This doesn't mean anything significant.

 

Egos aren't exclusive to medicine.

 

Egos are everywhere. Sports, business, music...On the flip side, there are amazing people everywhere as well.

 

Egos have less to do with the profession and more with the individual.

 

Med classes come and go each with their unique flavour of different personalities. Over the course of time, sure, one class may seem to have more egotistical people.

 

Perception of ego is important as well. What one person identifies as a huge ego, I might say "meh" he/she is a normal person!

[Comeon]

I agree with this. Do not let these sort of things worry you.

 

This doesn't mean anything significant.

 

Egos aren't exclusive to medicine.

 

Egos are everywhere. Sports, business, music...On the flip side, there are amazing people everywhere as well.

 

Egos have less to do with the profession and more with the individual.

 

Med classes come and go each with their unique flavour of different personalities. Over the course of time, sure, one class may seem to have more egotistical people.

 

Perception of ego is important as well. What one person identifies as a huge ego, I might say "meh" he/she is a normal person!

[future_doc]

In med school, I have not run into any ego type problems. We all get along with each other, help each other out, no competition and we are a good cohesive group. It is a pleasure and a positive experience. I have not found it a cliquish environment. I am a loner anyhow, so I would be the last person to notice. I am friendly but aside from special events in which I particpate, I do not really socialize, I don't have the time and regularly go home to visit.

[holiday1001]

Reflect on why you entered medicine in the first place and fulfill those goals. At Mac, it is rare to see people aside from in small groups and you may not see them at all for the two clerkship years - they become easy to ignore. I have been impressed by many in my small groups and have become good friends with some of them. The other side of the coin is that on a few occasions, I have also been pissed off by some individuals and try to avoid them once groups switch. The environment may not be as cut-throat as undergrad programs, but gunners cannot be stopped, people cannot be pushed off high horses and silver spoons are sometimes far too deeply lodged in people's bums to be removed without drama.

brave of you to say that

[thehumanmacbook]

Reflect on why you entered medicine in the first place and fulfill those goals. At Mac, it is rare to see people aside from in small groups and you may not see them at all for the two clerkship years - they become easy to ignore. I have been impressed by many in my small groups and have become good friends with some of them. The other side of the coin is that on a few occasions, I have also been pissed off by some individuals and try to avoid them once groups switch. The environment may not be as cut-throat as undergrad programs, but gunners cannot be stopped, people cannot be pushed off high horses and silver spoons are sometimes far too deeply lodged in people's bums to be removed without drama.

 

Could you expand on the not seeing people outside of class? Is it because at Mac people tend to go off and do their own thing more often than others?

 

Thanks so much for this reply it gives me assurance that their might be some form of escape.

[Comeon]

There is a lot of free time to see others. A lot of people are extremely social and meet very frequently with their classmates. Others spend their time studying, doing horizontal electives, or filling in the gaps with regards to what they feel they are missing from the program. I am happy with my group of 6 or so close confidants and we all rely on each other. You can be as social as you wish.

 

Could you expand on the not seeing people outside of class? Is it because at Mac people tend to go off and do their own thing more often than others?

 

Thanks so much for this reply it gives me assurance that their might be some form of escape.

[PhoenixFlare500]

Everyone in med probably has an ego of some sort once they get in, you just feel so special when you're finally accepted. Then med school happens and it can do a pretty good job of crushing it right way. For the most part people are pretty friendly, at least on the outside. There will always be a couple of people who are just stuck up, there's not much you can do about them but it's not the majority.

 

As for cliques, it's bound to happen in any setting.

[rmorelan]

Everyone in med probably has an ego of some sort once they get in, you just feel so special when you're finally accepted. Then med school happens and it can do a pretty good job of crushing it right way. For the most part people are pretty friendly, at least on the outside. There will always be a couple of people who are just stuck up, there's not much you can do about them but it's not the majority.

 

As for cliques, it's bound to happen in any setting.

 

Classes are also quite large often - I mean if there are 150-250 people of course there are going to be groups of people with similar interests in any group with that many. That doesn't mean everyone is isolated into protective shells etc

[future_doc]

Classes are also quite large often - I mean if there are 150-250 people of course there are going to be groups of people with similar interests in any group with that many. That doesn't mean everyone is isolated into protective shells etc

 

On the other hand, satellites will have a class of about 40, plus or minus, and everybody can get to know each other much better.

[rmorelan]

On the other hand, satellites will have a class of about 40, plus or minus, and everybody can get to know each other much better.

 

well certainly there is a different feel at those - very tight knit

 

I don't think I ever had any issues crossing between these various groups anyway - they aren't exactly exclusionary.

[future_doc]

They definitely are not exclusionary.

[WtsupDoc?]

How have you learned to deal with the egos?

 

I'm actually really not looking forward to this. My UG was a pandemic of megalomania. I don't want to suffer through a recourse of the ninth circle of hell.

 

Talking about dreading big egos and using "big" words out of context within the same sentence is funny.

[A-Stark]

It varies class to class, even within the same school. My class was never that cliquish, though it's fair to say that people branched off into groups over time. At the beginning things were pretty much wide open. There may have been a few big egos, but for the most part everyone was nice and laid-back.

 

The class below mine was much more... tightly wound.

[Fresh fry]

Hugely clickish

 

There are:

The Gyne-Girls (also includes other surgical or competitive specialties)

The Jocks (emerge FTW)

The Bro's (surgeons in waiting)

Gunners row (plastics or optho)

The Great Wall (armed with tupperware container full of foul smelling rice)

Calcutta Connection (rads)

Salt Lake Syndicate (you don't have to be a mormon, but it helps)

The Old People/Council of Elders (they have old man balls)

Spare Parts (just here for the education)

[future_doc]

.........

[Catalina]

have you made friends that you would continue to be close friends with after meds?

[Hockeynut]

Hugely clickish

 

There are:

The Gyne-Girls (also includes other surgical or competitive specialties)

The Jocks (emerge FTW)

The Bro's (surgeons in waiting)

Gunners row (plastics or optho)

The Great Wall (armed with tupperware container full of foul smelling rice)

Calcutta Connection (rads)

Salt Lake Syndicate (you don't have to be a mormon, but it helps)

The Old People/Council of Elders (they have old man balls)

Spare Parts (just here for the education)

 

hahaha 10char

[future_doc]

have you made friends that you would continue to be close friends with after meds?

 

The majority of us will be moving on in our careers to other cities, so close friends after meds would be a bit of a stretch, but certainly friendly, lifelong colleagues happy to encounter each other as our paths cross, based upon congeniality during med school.