sensazn Posted September 2, 2009 Report Share Posted September 2, 2009 tt uu jj kk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayven Posted September 2, 2009 Report Share Posted September 2, 2009 So you're giving into peer pressure? You're admitting this is just like high school all over again (which I think a lot of us can relate to). But you've set goals for yourself and your friends are basically saying you're not cool if you go through with it... Well, up to you on what you decide to do. Honestly though, if you're friends don't understand you then maybe they're not really you're friends? Using a professional degree for premed is a pretty popular topic here. Personally I think it's great if you can get a high GPA in a professional degree in order to apply to meds. People will whine about how you "stole" someone's spot. I think of it as you "giving" another premed a BSc in Life Sci or BA in Psych spot. Statistically speaking, you won't get into meds anyways. lol Which brings me to my last point... if you really hate this profession and you can't see yourself doing it as a career choice then you really have to think about why you chose this profession over another professional degree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supafield Posted September 2, 2009 Report Share Posted September 2, 2009 Are there any competitive scholarships/internships/post grad programs associated with profession X? You can tell them the truth because it is your decision to make. People make mistakes and if they don't get that.... well screw em ... right? haha but in reality even if you're entitled to put your friends in their place.... no one wants to ostracize themselves from their friends. So if you're looking for a way out... I would imagine every program has some sort of competitive process which you could say you're trying to achieve whether it be scholarship, awards, competitive placements etc. Best of luck either way you decide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a41 Posted September 2, 2009 Report Share Posted September 2, 2009 So you're giving into peer pressure? You're admitting this is just like high school all over again (which I think a lot of us can relate to). But you've set goals for yourself and your friends are basically saying you're not cool if you go through with it... This is a pretty important thing to note. You need to be able to ignore peer pressure, or else you will not survive in medicine. Med school is pretty much like high school in so many ways (cliquey bs, people sleeping with each other and the entire class finding out). But first and foremost, not everyone in med school is headed in the same direction and you need to be strong enough to separate yourself from the goals and aspirations of others. There are people who say that dermatology is a waste of a degree, or that family medicine is for dumb people....stupid comments like these will get in the way of you figuring out where your career is headed if you pay too much attention to them. It's obvious that the people you hang out with don't want to go into medicine...who cares? If you do, then do whatever you need to do. If you're embarassed about studying, you will never make it through med school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted September 2, 2009 Report Share Posted September 2, 2009 Since you create your own reality, only you can decide how it looks or where it goes! Okay, that might sound fluffy…. Seriously, do what you want to do. Take time to figure out what that is. And, if it is med school, aim for the stars and get a great GPA/MCAT score and ECs to match. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lactic Folly Posted September 2, 2009 Report Share Posted September 2, 2009 You need to clarify what you potentially have to gain or lose from going either route. Imagine it is 5 years later.. do you see yourself trying to enjoy profession X? Are your former classmates still your friends? Or, regardless of whether you are in medicine at this point, are you satisfied that you made your best attempt, perhaps in the process finding a more suitable field? Are you now surrounded by people who have similar goals? It is uncomfortable to be the outsider from day to day, but like junior high or high school, once that phase is over it no longer matters. People go their separate ways and follow their own paths.. find new people who they have more in common with. How much is worth sacrificing for these school friends if they are not supportive of your goals? How strong will the relationships be once school has ended? Are you sure you are the only one aiming for med? Can you study in a less visible area? How will being the "med keener" affect your groupwork - people might be less social with you but I'd imagine that most would appreciate someone who is willing to work on the project to the best of their ability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreamer Posted September 2, 2009 Report Share Posted September 2, 2009 I was pretty much feeling the same thoughts as you when I first was considering what I would be taking in undergrad: life science or engineering. All my friends were on one side, and we saw pre-meds and the like as a bunch of keeners too focused on one goal. When I was in engineering, the thoughts were similar and my goals gravitated to exactly what you said: get your degree and go work. I saw medicine as an option, if I could crank out the grades I would go for it, if I didn't work out I would have a useful degree. But that didn't exactly work out for me when I graduated, especially when I saw that my career goals were changing. My point is, if you have your heart set out on one goal, you must do everything in your power to achieve it. This may involve a complete change of what you are used to Medicine may or may not be the career for you, but if it is, something must be changed in your situation or you will not succeed. The most practical thing I can say to achieve your goal is that you must discover for yourself that it is the one and only thing that will make you the most happy. I think you have to truly understand how great the profession is, and only then you will be able to work to your fullest extent. You and your friends will eventually have differing values, but that's okay, because you'll find plenty of new ones with the same values. When you understand that you really want it badly, you will bust your butt for it no matter what. The school year is starting soon, and it may be too late to change things for this coming year. In the future, you may wish to consider going to a "non-professional" degree program or something where you truly feel you can excel at. But for now, you have to realize that you will work very hard, so hard that you are blue in the face to pursue your goals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeAndU Posted September 2, 2009 Report Share Posted September 2, 2009 Tell them you're going into something that has a future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayven Posted September 2, 2009 Report Share Posted September 2, 2009 Technically, profession X has a future too... >_> I'm curious, what did you do, dreamer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sensazn Posted September 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2009 aa gg hh ff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayven Posted September 2, 2009 Report Share Posted September 2, 2009 Despite all the nastiness, haughtiness, greater-than-thou attitude that premed101.com has to offer.. it does have its redeeming moments. I've always found it hard to find other serious premeds to talk to and this site really does help provide that.. forum... >_- But here's something to ponder... you say that you need to stay in your degree for profession X in order to literally save your parents by giving at least ONE of them an early retirement. However, should you get accepted into medicine that's another 6-10 years away before you graduate and start bringing in the money. Are you fine with that? And.... who do you save? Your mom or your dad? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeAndU Posted September 2, 2009 Report Share Posted September 2, 2009 I think you need to stop and get your priorities straight... So you're spending your career (and your life) to please your parents and other people? I'm not saying you should alienate your parents, but you should talk to them about what you really want. It's about YOU, not them. Your own life (i.e. career choice) should be a priority to you, and it should not be influcned by what your parent's priorities are. If you hate this career? why would you go into it??? To select a career you need to not only consider the financial reward, and acceptance from your parents, but you should also consider whether you will enjoy the career. If you hate career X and would never want to do it, why study it? Why not do something you will enjoy more, i.e. physio, kin, or other things close to medicine if you really like medicine. And there is nothing we can say that will get the pressure of your classmates off of you, it's something you'll have to face yourself. It will be hard, and I can guarantee you'll have to make sacrifices if you are to improve your marls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musume Posted September 2, 2009 Report Share Posted September 2, 2009 I think you need to stop and get your priorities straight... So you're spending your career (and your life) to please your parents and other people? I'm not saying you should alienate your parents, but you should talk to them about what you really want. It's about YOU, not them. Your own life (i.e. career choice) should be a priority to you, and it should not be influcned by what your parent's priorities are. If you hate this career? why would you go into it??? To select a career you need to not only consider the financial reward, and acceptance from your parents, but you should also consider whether you will enjoy the career. If you hate career X and would never want to do it, why study it? Why not do something you will enjoy more, i.e. physio, kin, or other things close to medicine if you really like medicine. And there is nothing we can say that will get the pressure of your classmates off of you, it's something you'll have to face yourself. It will be hard, and I can guarantee you'll have to make sacrifices if you are to improve your marls. Maybe the OP thinks differently? I know personally I would sacrifice many things if it could give my parents a chance at a comfortable retirement. Also, it looks like profession X is pharmacy and if that's the case maybe you can pretend that you're gunning for a PharmD and not medicine? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewfieMike Posted September 2, 2009 Report Share Posted September 2, 2009 it's not pharmacy, it's engineering. The OP said it's non-health related. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewfieMike Posted September 2, 2009 Report Share Posted September 2, 2009 People will whine about how you "stole" someone's spot. I think of it as you "giving" another premed a BSc in Life Sci or BA in Psych spot. yeah but the problem with that is that there are always limited spots in professional programs, while they'll take anyone who has the minimums in to a BSc or a BA. So you're not "giving someone else" a BSc or a BA when they would be able to enroll anyway. And the part about the seat being 'stolen'... the person who gets the spot was awarded it fair and square. But it is true about taking a spot when there was someone else who wanted it/would use it to join the workforce in that profession. Our pharmacy school takes 40 students a year. If 5 of them are premed gunners and get in, there will only be 35 pharmacists joining the work force that year. And.... who do you save? Your mom or your dad? are you serious? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayven Posted September 2, 2009 Report Share Posted September 2, 2009 yeah but the problem with that is that there are always limited spots in professional programs, while they'll take anyone who has the minimums in to a BSc or a BA. So you're not "giving someone else" a BSc or a BA when they would be able to enroll anyway. And the part about the seat being 'stolen'... the person who gets the spot was awarded it fair and square. But it is true about taking a spot when there was someone else who wanted it/would use it to join the workforce in that profession. Our pharmacy school takes 40 students a year. If 5 of them are premed gunners and get in, there will only be 35 pharmacists joining the work force that year. I agree there's less spots for professional degree programs but even BSc or BA programs have limited seats as well. You can check around July/August and the ever so popular BA in Psych is usually waitlisted at best. Besides though, you said it yourself that this is probably not pharmacy and more like engineering which also happens to accept a lot of students. A lot more than 40 anyways. But it's a valid point. are you serious? Omg yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewfieMike Posted September 2, 2009 Report Share Posted September 2, 2009 Omg yes. haha I assumed you were kidding... but you never know... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreamer Posted September 2, 2009 Report Share Posted September 2, 2009 Technically, profession X has a future too... >_> I'm curious, what did you do, dreamer? I did engineering and I'm doing a second degree in science. I must say, there is a HUGE difference in grades between the two. In engineering, you will meet some of the brightest people out in the working world, but even they will find it difficult to crank the grades required for medicine. sensazn, is this a second degree? you can PM if you have any more questions and I may be able to help... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamP Posted September 2, 2009 Report Share Posted September 2, 2009 yeah i totally think it's engineering too. lol if it is no one is going to ostracize you for wanting to pursue medicine. actually most people want a keener buddy to help with assignments and all that jazz anyways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayven Posted September 2, 2009 Report Share Posted September 2, 2009 Pharmacy is non-med health? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NLengr Posted September 2, 2009 Report Share Posted September 2, 2009 Personally, having done engineering and than gone into medicine, I can't imagine anyone in engineering caring about: 1. Your work ethic (unless it's in a group project or something) 2. Wanting to do medicine later on. The only thing anyone in my entire graduating class ever said to me was "6+ more years are school? You're insane". Engineering is probably one of the professions with the best opinion of medicine. Also, nobody in engineering would say that everyone was going to graduate (unless you are in the last term or something). It's more likely a discussion of how many people from the original class will be left to graduate (my year it was <50%). It's brutal from failing people out. Finally, nobody in engineering would be looking at you weird for being in the library/school on the weekends/late at night. Everyone (even the people scrapping through) have to work their butts off. It wasn't uncommon for my class to have most of us in school after classes on Friday evening till 6-7. Go out that night. Have most people in for Saturday afternoon again. Go out again. Have most people in for Sunday afternoon/night. Same deal with asking profs questions. Everyone did it, both after class and outside of class hours (engineering profs hardly ever go home I think). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Microbiodude Posted September 3, 2009 Report Share Posted September 3, 2009 Pharmacy is non-med health? yes its a health profession that is not medicine...though I think that applies to every health profession. I don't think nursing, physio or OT fall under medicine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayven Posted September 3, 2009 Report Share Posted September 3, 2009 yes its a health profession that is not medicine...though I think that applies to every health profession. I don't think nursing, physio or OT fall under medicine. Yeah.. my follow up was going to be what health profession actually is "med health" that isn't medicine itself... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sensazn Posted September 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2009 yes its a health profession that is not medicine...though I think that applies to every health profession. I don't think nursing, physio or OT fall under medicine. Sorry guys!! I should've been more clearer. Of course, all health professions deal with medicine... When I said "non-med" I just meant non-medschool-MD-doctor... ie. nursing, physio, OT, pharmacy, optometry, dentistry, SLP, etc... (good guesses!) but it doesn't really matter to me haha. That's why I called it X... my problem has more to do with the peer pressure, which i think I'm okay with now. The comments so far have been great, thanks guys. There is no doubt that `Profession X` is pharmacy for sure. I know the OP personally. And it`s true, you get a lot of problems with your classmates if you`re a med keener in pharmacy mostly because half the class was gunning for meds even before pharmacy school.... I don't want to play the elimination game but I don't think you have the right person... But thanks for the info, I guess some pharmacy kids might feel the same way. Although I would think if "half the class was gunning for meds", then why would anti-med-ism exist? Can't they apply while in a professional degree too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
takashi Posted September 3, 2009 Report Share Posted September 3, 2009 I was about to guess pharmacy too. You know what, who cares what they think. Why should it matter you have dreams to get into med? If they were really your friends, they should be encouraging you! I totally understand how you feel though, as a life sci undergrad, I often do feel ashamed when someone asks me what I want to do with my life. When I respond with med school, most people give me this look "O, you are one of them". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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