Guest ihatethelsat Posted March 14, 2004 Report Share Posted March 14, 2004 Although I am not a pre-med student, I recently came across this forum (I am a pre-law student who will be going to UT Law next year; I am from Sask)... I would like to pose a question/situation to all you pre-meddies. I have found most of the people/posters on this board highly intelligent and well researched. In fact, I have found most pre-law, pre-med students to be quite bright and well spoken. Almost everyone seems VERY serious and dedicated. However, I recently met this one gal who drives me up the wall (she is from my university and I tutor with her) - she has been given interviews by UA, UBC, and UC Med and has fairly high marks/MCAT - but her level of knowledge is outrageously lacking. She is the most immature, naive and basically stupid person I have ever met. She has not done any research into anything medicine related and has no idea what's what. She doesnt know how to write her own resume, can barely use the English language properly; not to mention that she acts and speaks like a 12 year old. For example: when discussing financial aid, she said she would take her student loan money and buy a car because if she used the loan money up the med schools would give her more scholarships. She also said that she would apply to all the schools for scholarships (even if she was attending just UC) - and when I questioned how that was possible, she told me she had no idea and she would just do it anyways. Also, she is so ignorant to the fact that you actually have to plan things ahead of time; instead of just moving your whole life to another city on Sept. 1st 2004. Now, I know Im being anal, but I honestly feel that if one is dedicated to going to med/law school, one should research their career paths and know atleast a little of what they are talking about. Do people like her ACTUALLY get into med school? I want to slap her upside the head - she makes me so angry when she treats her med school admission like its no big deal, when so many other people are diligently working their way into med school. So I guess my thoughts are, are there many people like her - and do they actually get into med school? And how would you suggest I deal with this person...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kirsteen Posted March 14, 2004 Report Share Posted March 14, 2004 Hi there, I can address this part of your post at least: She has not done any research into anything medicine related and has no idea what's what. If that is true, then she may find that the interview stage of the medical school admissions process may be her Achilles heel. Many medical schools seemingly use the interview as an opportunity to filter out those who really don't know what medicine is all about nor why they're applying to enter the profession. Additionally, for many medical schools, maturity is a characteristic that they list as being searched for during interviews. If your colleague displays herself as you've described, she may sail up to the interviews, but not through them. :rolleyes Cheers, Kirsteen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lorae Posted March 14, 2004 Report Share Posted March 14, 2004 I agree with Kirsteen. Most likely the interviews will "weed her out". Perhaps the person you're speaking of will make a fine doctor - after some years of maturing. I would think that getting rejected post interview would make me reevaluate myself and work to better myself. I've known a few residents who fully admit to having applied to medicine on a whim: "My grades were so high my friends and I decided to see if we could get into med school." They had no idea what they were getting themselves into... and they find they are stuck. Immaturity and ill-preparation for entry to medicine should be caught by the interview, unfortunately, the process is not perfect. We've all met physicians or surgeons who we would deem to be "poor doctors". Just like in any profession, some idiots get through Hopefully the girl you're speaking of finds her true calling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest terminalprep Posted March 14, 2004 Report Share Posted March 14, 2004 It was great to read your post and realize I'm not the only one who gets frustrated by people like that. Up until about a week ago a was dating a nice enough guy who we'll call Nick. Nick's father was a doctor, his mom a nurse. Nick was 26, and he was nothing. Granted, he did graduate with a BBA three years ago, but he had absolutely no desire to work and was unemployed the entire time I knew him. At one point, maybe two months ago, he mentioned that he may try to write the LSAT and go to law school. I told him I thought that was great... I was referring more to the fact that he was considering doing ANYTHING, not particularly the fact that he thought he might want to consider law. Anyhow, that was the last I had heard about the LSAT until last week, when he went out with some of his old friends who are currently in law school, or who had just passed the bar, or something, and who were home for the Spring break. I thought that was a good time to mention his previous indication of interest in any sort of future without sounding to naggy, so I asked him if he was still contemplating writing the test. He said something like, "Yeah, maybe. You know... someday." His indifference caught me off guard. I went on to ask what area of law his friends were interested in pursuing, and he replied, "I'm not sure. I didn't ask." Now, if I had a chance to sit down with a med student or a resident or even a physician-- ANYONE in the field of Medicine-- I'm sure I would have dozens of questions just off the top of my head. If there were somebody in my immediate circle of friends who fell into that category, you can bet that I would be all over that. By that point, his indifference just made me angry, because there's little doubt that if he wanted to write the LSAT, pass, and go on to law school, he would be able to. Then there's me... I could tell myself that I've planned on medicine for years and did everything possible to direct my future in that direction, but I really can't say if I will be in Med School in four years because I don't know. It frustrates me that somebody who speaks so offish about his future can still do whatever he chooses if he wants to... But someone who dedicates years of time and effort still doesn't know where they might be when the time comes. Anyhow, I'm not seeing him anymore-- The lack of ambition was just one of the many things that annoyed me about him, but that just really got on my last nerve. -Tiff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ADOMNIAPARATUS Posted March 14, 2004 Report Share Posted March 14, 2004 like the posts mentioned above, the med schools people will REALLY know what they're dealing with come interview time (if they're smart enough). remember, she only got an interview right now... it's not like she's been given ADMISSION to the med school! but really... although i know most people here actually WANT to go to med school... i also know there are some here who just want med school because they have the grades and that it "sounds good on them". the status it brings, the pride it gives... i guess they don't realize that being a doctor takes much more than a good GPA and great MCAT results. Being a doctor is not about giving YOURSELF satisfaction, it's about compassion and placing OTHERS' need before your own. I bet if the prestige of being an MD is taken away, half the people on this forum wont even be here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest codloghorn Posted March 14, 2004 Report Share Posted March 14, 2004 it's simple: if she is such a dumbass she won't get through the interview process, and if she does, her teachers at med school will realize how stupid she is and she won't get into any residence program. :lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Whitbourne Posted March 14, 2004 Report Share Posted March 14, 2004 Just to play devil's advocate, there's also the possibility that you don't know the whole story and she may actually be able to handle medical school. How well do you know her? From what you describe, she sounds pretty clueless - but that doesn't necessarily mean that she is. It's entirely possible that she may do well in an interview, and if she does, that doesn't mean that the whole process is flawed and that shell just be a disaster in school. There are people in my class who haven't been wanting to be doctors for years and years. Some of them aren't the best conversationalists, some of them may not be among the brightest or the most foresighted individuals. But I can think of a few flaws in my own character and i still got in necause someone figured there was something there worthy of taking a gamble on. The bottom line is that instead of getting frustrated about other applicants, it's better to make sure our focus is on strengthening our own applications and character. Judging others as "worthy" or "unworthy" is not only harsh, but also pointless, since we have no idea if she has strengths of a skill set that we just can't see. If it's there, it'll come out in the interview. Us snickering about it beforehand just strikes me as sort of petty - and occasionally, fearful because we're unsure of our own merits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest aneliz Posted March 14, 2004 Report Share Posted March 14, 2004 If she really is as you describe her, she will likely be weeded out at interview time...if she cannot come up with a coherent answer to questions and sound intelligent, that isn't going to be beneficial to her application. Being a good physician is much more that 'succeeding' at med school...med school is not the end 'goal' of the application process...and being able to succeed as a med student does not mean that you will succeed as a good physician. Med school ad comm's are trying to pick out the people that will be good physicians...not just people that would be able to be a good med student (ie pass the academic courses). Being able to reason and communicate are fairly big things that they are looking for....so if she is asked a question, gives an outrageously uninformed and poorly thought out answer and then when challenged on it says "I don't know, because I just would...." she is not going to score well and may even get the dreaded 'not acceptable' box checked off....which means and automatic rejection letter...no matter how good her grades and MCAT scores are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest marbledust Posted March 14, 2004 Report Share Posted March 14, 2004 Well said Whitbourne, All medical school applicants come into the pocess with different backgounds, skills, personality quirks, etc. In a sense, most, if not all, offers of admission are somewhat of a gamble for admissions committes because there is no 100% sure method of predicting who will become a "good" doctor. There are just too many variables. I agree that it does no good to worry about other people in the applicant pool - it's time and energy that could be better spent elsewhere. Does it really matter who gets interviews or acceptances? You have absolutely no control over it, so don't worry... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ihatethelsat Posted March 15, 2004 Report Share Posted March 15, 2004 to clarify: i dont worry about her because there is no conflict, i am already accepted to law, and she is planning on med... im just angry because she may VERY WELL just get accepted, but i cant understand how that would be possible - and how that would be fair for all the other hard working people out there trying to get into med school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest moo Posted March 15, 2004 Report Share Posted March 15, 2004 im just angry because she may VERY WELL just get accepted, but i cant understand how that would be possible - and how that would be fair for all the other hard working people out there trying to get into med school. The answer to that is quite simple. The admissions process isn't perfect. Ever hear of complaints of horrible doctors with bad personalities? Yep, hear about it every day. How did they get to become doctors in the first place? Easy, the admissions process failed. It's not hard to fake being nice in a 45 minute interview. Hardly anything in life is fair. I know of a girl who just decided to apply to med school on a whim, didn't know anything about medicine (good grades but wasn't ever committed to medicine... she retook the MCAT when she got a 36) and she got multiple acceptances, while others who really wanted in tried for so many years without success. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest marbledust Posted March 16, 2004 Report Share Posted March 16, 2004 im just angry because she may VERY WELL just get accepted, but i cant understand how that would be possible - and how that would be fair for all the other hard working people out there trying to get into med school. Seems kind of silly to worry about it when: 1. You are going into law and it will have absolutely no effect on you whatsoever if she is accepted. An acceptance to law is a great thing! Focus on that. 2. If she has met the qualifications (gpa, pre-reqs, mcat scores, etc) she has just as much right to be interviewed/accepted as any other applicant. Fair? Yes. That's the way the system works. She may get "weeded out" during the interview or she may dazzle the interviewers. 3. Something to ponder: if somebody spent more effort and time than you did in applying to law school would that make them a more worthy candidate? Would it make you a less worthy applicant? I would hope the answer would be no. There was a comment once on SDN that medicine is a job not a cult. I'm not picking on the person who started this thread -but sometimes people tend to forget that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest UWOMED2005 Posted March 16, 2004 Report Share Posted March 16, 2004 Also. . . I hate to sound like a jerk, but just because you don't approve of this person doesn't mean other people won't! You're right, the stories as you tell them suggest this person would make a pretty piss-poor med student. But perception is the key to pretty much everything, and I might perceive this person differently in class. . . but especially in an interview. I won't lie to you - there are (few) people in my class who I've got to wonder how they got into med school (particularly since I have a very capable friend who was denied). But then again, I'm sure other classmates (and admin + interviewers + patients) would think these same people will be excellent doctors. I'm sure the same can be said of a lot of people in our class. . . heck, I wouldn't be surprised if there were some classmates who wondered how I got into meds! (Of course there are others who wouldn't question that all as well! ) The point is, the app system is NOT perfect because everyone involved is human and therefore fallible. And there will always be calls made that you, I, or the guy sitting beside me are going to question. But since we don't have some sort of infallible demi-god running meds admissions,* there's going to be decisions someone will question. *I'd still argue someone would find fault with some of the decisions then!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TimmyMax Posted March 16, 2004 Report Share Posted March 16, 2004 Hey, heck, I wouldn't be surprised if there were some classmates who wondered how I got into meds! With a username like UWOMED2005, how could the adcom not admit you??? :rollin Timmy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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