No More Backpacks! :(

[Lactic Folly]

Actually, the backpack is quite fitting for the clinical years, as it marks one as a medical student.

[Mr_Obvious]

I think that the most arrogant people here are the ones here who absolutely wouldn't wear the bag even if they needed a new one, and are calling down the others that would or do. You're the ones assuming you're going to be blowing the 'normal' students minds everywhere you go with it with the impressiveness of your med student status. If the only reason you can come up with for why someone might use a free piece of clothing that identifies them as part of a group they are very happy to be a part of is that they are a douche trying to impress people, then maybe that says more about your way of thinking than theirs.

[Renin]

Actually, the backpack is quite fitting for the clinical years, as it marks one as a medical student.

 

The wide-eyed "OH **** I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO" is a better mark for a medical student.

[thatonekid]

How are we to locate our herd?

lol.

 

My thought as well.

[Erk]

You're the ones assuming you're going to be blowing the 'normal' students minds everywhere you go with it with the impressiveness of your med student status. If the only reason you can come up with for why someone might use a free piece of clothing that identifies them as part of a group they are very happy to be a part of is that they are a douche trying to impress people, then maybe that says more about your way of thinking than theirs.

 

Actually, I'm assuming other people are going to be like my colleagues, and judge someone wearing the backpack as someone who feels they have something to flaunt and can't get by without flaunting it... whether this is a right or wrong assumption is irrelevant, they are still generally referred to as douchey, and I think as a result they contribute to a bad impression of med students. It has nothing to do with an assumption about 'blowing minds', I'm calling it from experience.

 

And macbook: I'm with you on the free stuff thing. My old college backpack is worn down to unusability and the bag I've used for grad school probably can't hold enough for med. I'll deal with this dilemma when I get to it I guess.

[Lactic Folly]

If the backpacks have MD emblazoned conspicuously on them (ours didn't).. just iron or stitch on some decals over the parts that make you feel self-conscious.

[thatonekid]

Thinking about it a bit more, I'm not surprised that the backpacks are no longer (if this is truely the case). Ottawa (and Toronto?) didn't have sponsored backpacks this year.

[octals]

I think that the most arrogant people here are the ones here who absolutely wouldn't wear the bag even if they needed a new one, and are calling down the others that would or do. You're the ones assuming you're going to be blowing the 'normal' students minds everywhere you go with it with the impressiveness of your med student status. If the only reason you can come up with for why someone might use a free piece of clothing that identifies them as part of a group they are very happy to be a part of is that they are a douche trying to impress people, then maybe that says more about your way of thinking than theirs.

 

Totally, you're right. 150 people with 150-200k lines of credit wear a beastly bright red MD backpack because it they don't want to buy a new one.

 

Maybe it does speak to how I think around the issue . . . but many others think the same. But like I said - humility>>>>>>status.

[Mr_Obvious]

Totally, you're right. 150 people with 150-200k lines of credit wear a beastly bright red MD backpack because it they don't want to buy a new one.

 

Maybe it does speak to how I think around the issue . . . but many others think the same. But like I said - humility>>>>>>status.

 

Well, when you get in you can decide not to wear it so you can feel superior to your douche-y colleagues because you know how much more humility than them you have. Maybe some people who use the bags do have the LOC and don't mind making needless purchases with it, but still don't bother to because they already have a perfectly good bag and don't really care about others' negative judgment of them. Haters gonna hate no matter what.

[ihatechem]

this whole backpack deal is RIDICULOUS - honestly, as a premed, I had not the slightest clue that med students even got backpacks. now, as a med student, i highly doubt my classmates wear the backpack just to 'flaunt it' or because they have no humility. in fact, i'm pretty sure most med students have the following logic for using the MD financial backpack:

1) they have a laptop and/or books

2) said books/laptop needs to be transported from home to school and back

3) in order to accomplish #2, they need a bag.

4) they were given a bag

5) said bag was damn near perfect for accomplishing #2 - thus, it is used

 

notice how nowhere in that 5-step process did, 'man, i really want to stick it to some premeds and 'flaunt' my status as a lowly medical student' come into the equation. although i can't say this is true for all medical students, i think it's a bit of a stretch to say that we're all a bunch of egotistical narcissists with self-esteem issues and complexes.

 

FURTHERMORE, if the backpacks bother you so much, WHAT EXACTLY SHOULD MED STUDENTS DO WITH THE BACKPACKS? surely, the whole point of giving out the backpack is so that they will be used (+/- clever advertising on the part of MD financial) - although I can't guarantee it, I'm pretty sure MD financial wasn't sitting around thinking about how they could best screw over premeds, and then coming up with the brilliant idea to give out backpacks to med students

 

as for a previous comment about all med students having 150k LOCs and being so cheap as to not go out and buy another bag, i must be missing something. i certainly don't have 150k lying around. Most of my friends who do have LOCs are using it for much less important things...like paying the bills and the rent, and buying groceries. of course, they are the same cocky, douchey med students only concerned about their 'status' (as the lowliest of the of the low on the health care totem pole) who are obviously dangerously confused - why spend your LOC on trivial things like feeding yourself and having a roof over your head when you should be more concerned about getting a new backpack (DESPITE BEING GIVEN A NEW ONE) so that you don't hurt someone elses ego?

 

Bottom line is that it probably does speak to the way some think about the issue - is it so hard to accept that some med students just NEED a freakin backpack, they were given a free one, and they decided to use it

 

alternatively, a VERY VERY VERY RARE POSSIBILITY is that some premeds are jealous that they aren't in the same position and thus, make themselves feel better by deciding that the carrier of the backpack is obviously a douche. again, i stress that this is an extremely UNLIKELY scenario - i mean, how many jealous, uptight, overanalyzing premeds do you know?

 

and now...one of the mods is probably going to ban me...

[Mourning Cloak]

Every college wears their colours - I came from the west and the red Engineering sea is legendary. (Usually crimson clothing, but nothing but skin + red body paint is also considered acceptable). It's fun to wave your flag, to belong to a group.

 

I'll miss the backpacks.

 

Asides the point, the best clothing ever comes from microbiology. "Where Streaking Is Mandatory"

[thehumanmacbook]

Totally, you're right. 150 people with 150-200k lines of credit wear a beastly bright red MD backpack because it they don't want to buy a new one.

 

Maybe it does speak to how I think around the issue . . . but many others think the same. But like I said - humility>>>>>>status.

 

doesn't that 150-200k go straight into paying off student debt though?

 

Free stuff is free, and the backpack works better as a utility to carry stuff than an advertising board for the medical profession. On asking my friend at Mac Med why he wears his backpack:

 

"because its free, and I can use that money to buying textbooks."

 

And again, not many people notice. The stitching in the latest grey one is tiny; it's hard to even see the "MD" labels. The only people who do are usually 1) medical students 2) pre-meds 3) faculty.

[thehumanmacbook]

this whole backpack deal is RIDICULOUS - honestly, as a premed, I had not the slightest clue that med students even got backpacks. now, as a med student, i highly doubt my classmates wear the backpack just to 'flaunt it' or because they have no humility. in fact, i'm pretty sure most med students have the following logic for using the MD financial backpack:

1) they have a laptop and/or books

2) said books/laptop needs to be transported from home to school and back

3) in order to accomplish #2, they need a bag.

4) they were given a bag

5) said bag was damn near perfect for accomplishing #2 - thus, it is used

 

notice how nowhere in that 5-step process did, 'man, i really want to stick it to some premeds and 'flaunt' my status as a lowly medical student' come into the equation. although i can't say this is true for all medical students, i think it's a bit of a stretch to say that we're all a bunch of egotistical narcissists with self-esteem issues and complexes.

 

FURTHERMORE, if the backpacks bother you so much, WHAT EXACTLY SHOULD MED STUDENTS DO WITH THE BACKPACKS? surely, the whole point of giving out the backpack is so that they will be used (+/- clever advertising on the part of MD financial) - although I can't guarantee it, I'm pretty sure MD financial wasn't sitting around thinking about how they could best screw over premeds, and then coming up with the brilliant idea to give out backpacks to med students

 

as for a previous comment about all med students having 150k LOCs and being so cheap as to not go out and buy another bag, i must be missing something. i certainly don't have 150k lying around. Most of my friends who do have LOCs are using it for much less important things...like paying the bills and the rent, and buying groceries. of course, they are the same cocky, douchey med students only concerned about their 'status' (as the lowliest of the of the low on the health care totem pole) who are obviously dangerously confused - why spend your LOC on trivial things like feeding yourself and having a roof over your head when you should be more concerned about getting a new backpack (DESPITE BEING GIVEN A NEW ONE) so that you don't hurt someone elses ego?

 

Bottom line is that it probably does speak to the way some think about the issue - is it so hard to accept that some med students just NEED a freakin backpack, they were given a free one, and they decided to use it

 

alternatively, a VERY VERY VERY RARE POSSIBILITY is that some premeds are jealous that they aren't in the same position and thus, make themselves feel better by deciding that the carrier of the backpack is obviously a douche. again, i stress that this is an extremely UNLIKELY scenario - i mean, how many jealous, uptight, overanalyzing premeds do you know?

 

and now...one of the mods is probably going to ban me...

 

I pressed my imaginary "like" button. And no, you won't get banned...I think. Unless one of the mods absolutely HATES the bags.

[Corie]

Nice rant, ihatechem. I agree with you. This whole thing has been way over analyzed. It's just a freaking bag. Besides, I've never noticed these bags and the "MD" logo on it until reading this lol

 

Still hoping this whole thread is an aweful joke though... Be nice to get a free back pack next year.

[Erk]

Cheers ihatechem, that was quite a reasonable post for a rant and I find myself agreeing with most of it. Just two nitpicks:

this whole backpack deal is RIDICULOUS - honestly, as a premed, I had not the slightest clue that med students even got backpacks.

Did your school have med and non-med students on the same campus? Mine does, and it's generally hard to miss the matchy-matchy crews.

alternatively, a VERY VERY VERY RARE POSSIBILITY is that some premeds are jealous that they aren't in the same position and thus, make themselves feel better...

I do know a few people with a med-school goal who probably fall into this. I know as many or more who aren't interested in med school at all and just think they're a letter sweatery, show-offy kind of thing. Personally, I can understand why some people wear them [better now after reading your post] but as someone who went to school around the matchy-matchy packs before I ever decided to try for med school I gotta say... the perception is pretty common, and it is by far not limited to pre-meds.

 

The current grey packs are a lot better now that the MD is down way below eye level. The red ones with the MD up between the shoulder blades are probably the worst.

[<abstract>]

Is is bad that saw a guy with a UofO meds 2014 bag on the bus back in september and wanted to ask him how he got into med school..

 

P.S. He didn't look douchey to me, more like a regular student going to and from school. Besides, if I get in after years of sacrifice earning that elusive 4.0 and being committed to volunteering and ec's, having almost no social life, I would want to wear the bag not only for utility purposes (ie: my current backpack is 4 years old, but bythe time I'm in med (if i get in) it would be 7-8 years old) but also pride for my alma mater -> I guess I'm superficial.

 

,As for asking, I was pretty desperate at the time..

[Lactic Folly]

as someone who went to school around the matchy-matchy packs before I ever decided to try for med school I gotta say... the perception is pretty common, and it is by far not limited to pre-meds.

 

The current grey packs are a lot better now that the MD is down way below eye level. The red ones with the MD up between the shoulder blades are probably the worst.

 

None of the backpacks I've seen have had MD written conspicuously on them.. it's just been small CMA, provincial medical association, and MD mgmt logos at the bottom. I've seen dentistry backpacks with DENT in big letters on them, though. So I feel sorry for anyone who has a pack like the red ones you describe (I still coloured in those white logos).

 

Just the presence of matching backpacks won't draw too much attention if people don't know their significance - in high school, it seemed that everyone had a Eddie Bauer backpack. Even if your med students are on the same campus, do they venture out of their building in large groups often enough for it to be noticeable? As for envy of medical types - it is certainly not limited to those who wish to someday join their ranks.

[TheBoss]

Cheers ihatechem, that was quite a reasonable post for a rant and I find myself agreeing with most of it. Just two nitpicks:

Did your school have med and non-med students on the same campus? Mine does, and it's generally hard to miss the matchy-matchy crews.

I do know a few people with a med-school goal who probably fall into this. I know as many or more who aren't interested in med school at all and just think they're a letter sweatery, show-offy kind of thing. Personally, I can understand why some people wear them [better now after reading your post] but as someone who went to school around the matchy-matchy packs before I ever decided to try for med school I gotta say... the perception is pretty common, and it is by far not limited to pre-meds.

 

The current grey packs are a lot better now that the MD is down way below eye level. The red ones with the MD up between the shoulder blades are probably the worst.

I didn't read ihatechem's post, but generally I'd agree with the statements you made here. Even if you're not trying to show off by using the bag, by my experience, a decent proportion of students will still consider it douchy, which I consider a deterrent to using the bags even regardless of your intentions.

 

Even if your med students are on the same campus, do they venture out of their building in large groups often enough for it to be noticeable?

I'd say it's at least often enough for a lot of non-med students to notice where the bags come from. Sometimes I eat lunch at a cafeteria in a building near the on-campus hospital, and occasionally a herd of med students will come in, all wearing the same backpack, which is hard to miss.

[octals]

Well, when you get in you can decide not to wear it

 

I did. I'm done med school. I'm LMCC studying and procrastinating, hence all the borderline trolling I'm doing haha.

[Link]

Man, I never get the obsession with the backpacks. No offense to current U of C med students, but everyone around the campus except med students (and some of them I understand) think they look kinda douchey... I mean really, being a med student is a prestigious and difficult path that carries massive emotional and personal rewards once you get into it. Flaunting it just seems unnecessary.

 

Maybe not all schools have "MD" in big letters on their packs, I dunno.

 

sounds likes somebodies jealous

[ubcMDhopeful]

My only goal in life was to study hard and volunteer to get into medschool in order to get the MD bags so I can have celebrity status.

There is no point in living anymore....

[apache]

i concur completely, lol!

 

those red backpacks are the worst, followed by the slightly less vibrant blue ones. the grey ones the first years have now are ok, as are the greenish ones the grad class have.

 

Totally, you're right. 150 people with 150-200k lines of credit wear a beastly bright red MD backpack because it they don't want to buy a new one.

 

Maybe it does speak to how I think around the issue . . . but many others think the same. But like I said - humility>>>>>>status.

[Erk]

Muse has your avatar always been t&s and I just didn't notice?

 

Anyway, as for when med school students leave the school, this is a nonbackpack story but: I was hanging out with some non-school friends in downtown Calgary two years ago (at this stage I hadn't really made the decision to try for med school, although I was mulling it over) and passed a bunch of med students wearing the UCalgary jersies down on 8th ave, a major pedestrian/restaurant/shopping area (the jersies emblazoned with ucalgary med school, class of whatever, etc). UCalgary med students, please don't wear your jersies downtown Some unpleasant words regarding the humility of med students were said by all. Note these are not only non-med school people, but non-university people. The bad impression was given to general townsfolk. I don't think that's good.

 

In retrospect they were quite possibly there as part of an orientation or group event, and if so it's unfortunate that they got judged so harshly (I would be speaking in their defense if it was me now seeing them). I'm sharing this because it's the time I can best remember the kind of bad impression I am trying to explain. The backpacks are less brightly coloured and emblazoned, but when fifteen people wearing identical ones head into a school place it can be pretty hard to miss sometimes.

 

sounds likes somebodies jealous

Ah, a well-reasoned post from someone who's read the rest of the discussion. Useful.

[MarathonRunner]

I have no problem with the backpacks. I mean, how is it different than people wearing their university jackets, or school shirts, etc? When I was in undergrad, TONS of people had their university jackets, with their program emblazoned on it. Some faculties even had their own, unique jackets, that were a different colour from the rest of the university.

 

Heck, I still have a t-shirt that has my undergrad university and my program on it, and I occasionally wear it. Not a big deal.

 

Same thing with the engineer's iron ring. Sure, it is smaller, and much harder to notice than a backpack or a jacket. However, if you know what you are looking for, you can very easily recognize someone who graduated from a Canadian engineering program (and who chose to attend the iron ring ceremony), just from the iron ring.

 

Sure, if there is a big group of medical students all together with the backpacks, they may stand out. But it's no different than a bunch of people from the same faculty, with their university jackets, all gathered together.

 

IMO, using, or not using, the backpack is no big deal. I certainly don't think it is "douchey" to use it, especially if you need a backpack, and I don't think it's necessarily saying "hey, look at me, I'm in med school." Sure, some people might be wearing it to "show off," but you can be proud of your program/university/whatever, without being a show off or jerk about it.

[thatonekid]

and now...one of the mods is probably going to ban me...

lol, nah. You actually had a well-reasoned argument and I agree.

 

 

To me, what the backpack represents can be replaced with an acceptance letter. Basically, it's "I made it into med school" not "I am a med student" and yes, there is a difference in those two statements. I need a new backpack, so that would be nice too, but it the backpacks aren't given this year, I won't be disappointed.