dealing with panic attacks/stress

[axialpac]

____________

[Lunasly]

Not to long ago I made a very similar post asking the same sort of questions. I got some good advice, but the most important piece of advice that I got was to

stop being a lil' b*t*ch and man up. I was in your exact same spot, except I had a B instead of a B+ and instead of an A+ I had an A. I know those aren't the words you want to hear, but they are the words that I got when I began to get worried about my first year.

 

You are in your first year and you finished your first semester with a 3.88.

You don't need a 4.00 to get into medical school.

You still have plenty of time to work on your GPA.

You are in a better position then most people.

 

Good luck.

[Curi0user]

Not to long ago I made a very similar post asking the same sort of questions. I got some good advice, but the most important piece of advice that I got was to

stop being a lil' b*t*ch and man up. I was in your exact same spot, except I had a B instead of a B+ and instead of an A+ I had an A. I know those aren't the words you want to hear, but they are the words that I got when I began to get worried about my first year.

 

You are in your first year and you finished your first semester with a 3.88.

You don't need a 4.00 to get into medical school.

You still have plenty of time to work on your GPA.

You are in a better position then most people.

 

Good luck.

 

Seriously. I'm sorry but crying over a 3.88 seems a little ridiculous to me. You can do better if you want but you're not doing bad. not even close to bad. So I think you need to reevaluate some things.

[Lunasly]

According to the OMSAS scale, you have a 3.88. That is a GOOD GPA. I wouldn't worry about how your GPA converts at your school (unless it has a medical school) as most medical schools have their own conversion scale.

[Outlaw]

I don't have a 3.88. I WISH!! I would not have any problem with that grade. My GPA right now is 3.73/4.0 and 4.0/4.5.

 

1 4.0

2 3.8

1 3.3

= 14.9/4 = 3.73

 

Whatever, it doesn't matter. This thread is ridiculous. Ruined your year? How do I deal with this? What a joke. I don't mean to be a ****, but how could you have posted this thread and genuinely expected positive feedback? A lot of people in this world have a tough life and have to struggle to survive. Yet here you are getting depressed and complaining about your life being over because you're only getting a 3.73 or 3.88 or whatever. You need to put things in perspective and get a clue.

[Curi0user]

Its your first semester of your first year. This should typically be when most people do their worst. Have faith in yourself and you capabilities and maybe you'll get a 4.0 this sem. More importantly, look at the bigger picture.. if this is your entire life, somethings wrong.

[Holzie.89]

In line with what Outlaw and Cruiouser have already said, you don't need to dwell on your first semester's GPA so much as it's only a mere fraction of your overall GPA for when you do apply to med school. Instead, focus on the bigger picture (i.e. getting involved in various ECs, building relationships with profs, research, etc) to make yourself a well-rounded applicant.

[futurepediatric]

Hey, you're probably feeling like that b/c you're comparing yourself to the most/more competitive applicants on here, so to speak

This is a great forum, but I don't think constantly comparing yourself to the most competitive is that helpful if it's going to stress you out

 

The reason why someone said this thread is ridiculous is prob b/c there may be a lot of people that may have much worse stats or conditions than you (like 2.0 first year GPA + health problems) and reading this thread is probably frustrating for them

 

The best thing to keep this off your mind, in my opinion, is to have other priorities, literally- if getting into med is all you think about and the thought of not getting in is equal to life being over, then yeah it's going get to you- but if you have other priorities/interests, or whatever, it will really keep your mind off the bad things or atleast help you realize it's not as big of a deal as you may think it is right now

 

I think you still have a pretty good GPA though- maybe it's stressing you out b/c you said before you want to apply for 3rd year?- you still have a chance I think, if you do really good this sem and next year

Good luck

[Leon]

Why does getting into medical school have to be stressful?

 

You want something that several thousand others want but only a few hundred will get each year.

Hence.......it will be stressful. (and this isn't even close to stressful yet).

 

I would be more concerned over why you have 4 courses instead of 5 since that can be dangerous. You're not qualified for UT's weighing with only 4 courses.

[imawannabe]

You need to look at the big picture. First of all, 3.73 is a fine semester. Next, it is only one semester out of how many at the end? 6? 8? Of course right now each grade will make such a big difference to your gpa, you only have 4 marks. But by the time you apply, you'll have 30-40 marks and that one little B won't make much of a difference.

[future_doc]

Get a grip on yourself if you intend to seriously embark on this voyage. It is a long haul and you have taken only a tiny first step. And you are doing better than most at this stage, certainly better than I at the end of my first semester.

 

All you need do is the best of which you are capable, so you have no regrets. Worry and anxiety is counterproductive. All students live under a cloud of uncertainty and all of us screw up somewhere along our path, this is part of life.

 

The transition to undergrad is brutal and you are doing well. Stress managment is absolutely essential in this game and in life. If you are unable to cope then you are out of the game no matter how intelligent you may be. You are accountable and responsible to yourself for all your decisions and how you do. Man up and carry on.

[holiday1001]

Very well put. I think a lot of pre-meds would benefit from reading that post. (edit: to futurepediatric)

[KMMD]

An A is a 3.9 not a 3.8 (according to OMSAS)

[lostintime]

There are some helpful suggestions, others who have gone through similar situations if you check the FAQ on people who are worried because they got a bad mark (very similar idea).

 

I know this topic comes up a lot, but I don't think there is a lot of value either in belittling people's anxiety/worries. There are always going to be bigger/more important issues that we should care about, whether it's the well-being of loved ones suffering from disease, or stereotypical examples such as starving children in developing countries in the world, it doesn't mean other people don't have a right to feel upset about things that may seem trivial to you. Some people haven't been visiting the forum for a long time and see these topics posted repeatedly.

 

It's not all that surprising that this type of "annoyance" shows up in clinical practice as well. You see emerg nurses and docs or even those in less acute settings start to belittle patients for their concerns because they have seen too many of those "functional" cases where investigations have turned out negative or they think are unworthy of a visit. Sure, their arguments may have some validity, i.e. patient is overreacting, hypochondriac, and needs to take a chill pill. But honestly, who hasn't ever stressed over something slightly trivial? Who hasn't gotten into the moment and been worried? I would hope that people could show a bit of empathy rather than being all preachy, at least if I was a patient and from speaking to patients, that's the impression I get too. No one appreciates it when you're treated like the nth annoying functional person they've seen, because guess what? Maybe their concerns are real to them and all they wanted was some reassurance and support, not someone preaching to them to take a chill pill and that there's more to life than x concern. That's my rant of the day lol.

[questforstarfish]

 

I don't think there is a lot of value either in belittling people's anxiety/worries. There are always going to be bigger/more important issues that we should care about, whether it's the well-being of loved ones suffering from disease, or stereotypical examples such as starving children in developing countries in the world, it doesn't mean other people don't have a right to feel upset about things that may seem trivial to you. Some people haven't been visiting the forum for a long time and see these topics posted repeatedly.

 

I was thinking that too- it was pretty clear to me from the start that the OP wasn't complaining about his/her grades, but rather asking about anxiety.

 

OP: I'm in the same boat right now too. I did well enough in first semester but there's always anxiety about each upcoming assignment, exam, semester...I think it's part of wanting to do well. We need to put pressure on ourselves to do well but it ends up being too much sometimes! My only advice is to look at your past accomplishments. If you could do so well in the transition year from high school/work to university, you can handle whatever else comes up. I've been making appointments with each teacher this semester regarding the first assignment (I do it, then bring it in to see if it's what they're looking for), that eases my stress level about not knowing exactly what's expected from me with each different prof. Stay on top of assignments, don't let yourself be lazy or procrastinate until you fall behind. Make to-do lists once or twice a week if you like, I find that helps me visually see exactly everything I need to do, and usually it's less than I think.

 

Also, if you can squeeze in an hour or two of exercise just a couple of times a week, it will do wonders for stress! I took up karate this semester and look forward to it every day. Being in a place that requires such focus, but having it be something OTHER than studying, makes me forget about school for an hour. Then when I come out, I feel much more clear-headed. Keep the main focus on school, but don't neglect the other areas of your life! You're still a human who needs to enjoy life and feel good

[PhoenixFlare500]

My advice for this is to realize that a couple bad marks aren't going to ruin your life. Of course they might lower your chances of getting an interview at some places but it doesn't help to dwell on the negative. Try to focus on how you can improve your GPA, e.g. study habits, groups, etc. You can ask your profs for clarification if needed. If you can really find a way to get the material into your head and understand it, then you'll feel more confident going into a test.

 

It's also important to not spend all your waking hours on school. You need to do things that will help you relax and actually enjoy life. For me that was friends and video games, music occasionally. If you spend too much time on school you'll also be taking time away from those extracurriculars that you don't really care about but are just doing to get into medicine (That was only half sarcastic, hopefully doesn't apply to you). I recommend choosing extracurricular activities that you actually want to do, 'cause it's a lot better doing stuff you actually enjoy than doing it 'cause you have to.

 

Lastly, if you think your anxiety's overwhelming you to the point where you can't really function well, you might want to see a psychiatrist/psychologist/counselor/whatever to see if they can help you through it.

[apache]

Cognitive reframing 101: outcomes...

 

Q1) Do you care where you get in, do you like the rocky mountains?

 

A1) If no, and yes, then you can always spend a year partying, skiing and working in Banff (or doing research at U of A or U of C, depending on lifestyle preferences). Then, you apply to both schools IP (and your GPA will be insanely higher since we have an easier conversion scale), probably get interviewed at both, and have a very good chance (70ish percent) of getting off the waitlist at at least one of the two schools (I calculated this with a bud while we were listening to the old boring U of A dean, the U of C guys a lot more fun )... plus, you can still apply everywhere in Ontario... sounds like a win to me. Cognition>anxiety again, take that, brain, lol!

 

For my school (type 9) it's a 3.8, since we don't have minus grades (i.e A-, B-, C-)

[medaholic]

One of the best books I stumbled upon during undergrad was titled "How to Stop Worrying and Start Living" by Dale Carnegie published in 1948. Though the title may sound gimmicky, there was a lot of valuable lessons to be learned.

 

In the book, an exercise you can do whenever you get stressed is to imagine the worst possible outcome that can happen. Once you get that clear picture of the worst case scenario, you realize that it probably isn't as bad as you thought. And then you don't get paralyzed with anxiety or stress.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Stop_Worrying_and_Start_Living

[phosgenic]

Cognitive reframing 101: outcomes...

 

Q1) Do you care where you get in, do you like the rocky mountains?

 

A1) If no, and yes, then you can always spend a year partying, skiing and working in Banff (or doing research at U of A or U of C, depending on lifestyle preferences). Then, you apply to both schools IP (and your GPA will be insanely higher since we have an easier conversion scale), probably get interviewed at both, and have a very good chance (70ish percent) of getting off the waitlist at at least one of the two schools (I calculated this with a bud while we were listening to the old boring U of A dean, the U of C guys a lot more fun )... plus, you can still apply everywhere in Ontario... sounds like a win to me. Cognition>anxiety again, take that, brain, lol!

 

man, you make it sound so sweet, lol, i think im going to do this if i dont get in my first time just because of this post

[ditde]

Meh. I ended up with a 3.26 in the first semester of my second year so I'm always having mini panic attacks nowadays every time I remember.