<p>Out of all reasons listed by OP, the only valid reason is lack of desire to work hard. No matter what is your plan, if you do not change in this area, nothing will work. You got to understand that others do work hard even if they are geniuses and they will have to continue to do so for many many years or they will fall out. And, yes, perfect 4.0 is very possible, but one needs to work very hard for it, there is no other way. Forget other reasons, importance of self confidence is blown out of proportions. One has REAL confidence only knowing that he has worked hard. Forget about motivation and all other superficial stuff and just do what needs to be done to be best prepared for each single class in your daily schedule.</p>
<p>OP, don’t your own posts bother you? Go back and read them. Kind of sounds to me like your attitude is the problem. You’re just whining and whining and not willing to consider alternative ways to achieve your goals. Going the route you’re going, you really may end up at a Pizza Hut or a McDonald’s placing pepperonis and/or flipping burgers the rest of your life, but it won’t be because you weren’t capable. It’ll be because of your own inability (or, more accurately, laziness and lack of desire to put forth the effort and/or change your attitude) to problem solve and take alternate routes. Right now, it’s like you’re trying repeatedly to open the locked door to your dorm after locking yourself out when your RA is down the hall. Yes, you could keep pounding on the door, kicking at it, yelling at it, shoving at it, whining about it, *****ing & moaning at it, etc., (and then deciding that instead of going into that room, you’ll just go sleep in a ditch nearby, since it’s “easier”…) but why? Move on. Figure out what it’ll take. Stop being lazy and go find another way in and/or get the help you need to succeed in the current route… Honestly, if you can’t figure this out now as a premed or be flexible enough to try different routes to the end goal b/c the one you like is, in your opinion, the most glamorous, what makes you think you’ll do any better as a physician? Not to be cruel, but inflexibility, laziness, and whininess are not good traits for a future physician to have.</p>
<p>As for the work others put in, even the smartest in the class put in significant amounts of work. Sure, it is significantly less than what some have to put in, but the fact is they keep working even when they don’t want to. Just like you, they get to a point near the end of every semester at which they say “screw this… I don’t care” but, unlike you, they’ve been anticipating this point all semester and many of them buffer their grades from the beginning for this time. The best students typically don’t have to study more than a few hrs per final to do well (i.e., 95+%) b/c they learned it the first time. That takes work throughout the semester – consistent, hard work. Once again, this is a reason why laziness simply does not fit into the equation. Realize, too, that with the direction you’re going, even if you do go Carib MD, you’ll probably be among the bottom half (50+%) of students that fail out of Carib MD programs (with massive $150-300k debts to repay) and even if you did graduate, you probably would not be among the 20% of Carib students (overall) that actually obtain a US residency (and virtually all of those have been PCP residencies, which will be going to more and more US students in the future as US med schools increase sizes and more US MD & DO institutions are established, further limiting your options as a Carib grad). You need to seriously consider where you are right now. What are your goals? How can you attain them?</p>
<p>apumic, i still have four semesters of university left, not to mention the prospect of taking an additional semester/summer semesters as well. I am not applying with a 2.73 yet.</p>
<p>My goal is (or was) to get into a U.S. med school (A top med school, but at this point i dont care). Emory, and USC were my top choices.</p>
<p>How am I going to reach that goal? Tell me if this works.</p>
<p>I go back to school next semester and not give a **** about how much ive ****** up my life. Instead of procrastinating on assignments to be with people, ill procrastinate on meeting with people instead of my assignments. Everyday is planned to the T. no partying, no t.v., no time for anything except my singular goal. And I continue this for the rest of college. I also try to ace the MCATs. </p>
<p>Ill look into smp, perhaps other programs after I graduate. If my gpa is high enough, maybe try for a fulbright scholarship because I would love to do research in Europe.</p>
<p>I know that this will take a lot of dedication and discipline, but im ready for it.</p>
<p>What is being an “MD”? So your degree says DO not MD, there is no unique experience of MDness that you can’t get as a DO. Apply MD and DO if you like, but definitely don’t go to the Caribbean without at least a couple shots at DO.</p>
<p>Also, no procrastination is not a realistic goal. Be true to your self and you failings. I’m in medical school and have my Renal exam tomorrow and I’m writing on CC instead of studying. This is why I do most of studying by paper, to avoid the distraction. I modified my behaviors to fit my strengths and weaknesses. You should rather than saying you aren’t going to procrastinate identify what things make you more like to do so.</p>
<p>
There is something oddly reassuring about this statement.</p>
<p>More importantly, I have secured two cups of yogurt.</p>
<p>While I definitely appreciate that you are coming up with a plan, I, like mmmcdowe, suspect the extremity to which your plan goes (i.e., “no tv,” “procrastinate on meeting people” but never assignments, etc.) will lead to a quick burnout. It’s simply not sustainable. Go out. Enjoy life. There is a healthy balance and you’re going to have to find it. Like mmmcdowe stated, you need to model this plan to fit your own strengths. Nobody is healthy studying 12 hrs/day everyday, not even med students. And certainly as an UG, you shouldn’t be studying more than a couple hrs/day max on average. I can’t imagine averaging 30-40 hrs/wk studying outside of class (as a UG, I think I averaged a couple of hours/wk but I do know many people who study a good 5-10x as much as I do). If you have the focus for that, kudos, but to me that kind of tedious work just seems like it would be impossible to maintain.</p>
<p>Everybody is pursuing different interests in their life. However, if one does not understand his priorities, then dissapointments follow. It is much easier to prevent than correct. That is the only rule I am aware of to follow with the rest of your life, no matter what the goal is. And living life of hermit is not most people’s goal. Try, explore, participate, get involved, make mistakes,… but never ever forget your priority list.</p>
<p>@ mmmcdowe: most people who end up DO are there because they couldn’t make it as MDs. Sure there are people who are inherently attracted to being a DO, but there are a lot of people who are there just because they couldn’t make the cut for MD. I don’t want to be one of those people. I would feel guilty for not being able to make the cut to be the best for the rest of my life if I did a DO.</p>
<p>I guess what Im trying to say is that if I follow this plan (not saying no socializing, but much less of it, and giving priorities to my grades first), where I actually stuck to the schedules that I made, do you think this could work? That somehow by doing all of this, I could get into an MD school?</p>
<p>After not having a good social life in high school, I found myself with a good one in college. I didnt really pay attention to classes first sem, an my grandpa got a heart attack in India causing more stress. I got a 2.3 first sem because of that stress, and getting carried away by people. I have never really been able to recover from that, and saw myself as a failure inside since. I couldn’t get into my many colleges i applied too out of high school so that also brought my spirit down going into college. My second sem was 3.0, 3rd was 2.8, 4th was a 2.7. bringing the cgpa to a 2.73</p>
<p>Im not posting this to whine, but this is what my mentality was and this is what brought me down. looking at that trend. even a 4.0 for semesters 5,6,7, and 8 will only bring it up to 3.3 (and im realisitc about maintaining a for 4.0 so it could be even lower). even if i did summer classes, maybe a 3.4 at best.</p>
<p>Point is that, looking back, thats a lot of failures. Like a lifetime of them in about 2 years. And its killing me that I put myself in this situation. Im not sure what to do anymore. Do I follow my plan and apply MD? Is it even worth it anymore? or do I just call it quits?</p>
<p>It’s always amusing to listen to pre-meds bash DOs as being failed MDs when statistically they won’t be competitive enough for them either. ANY US medical school is a great achievement. Some of the best doctors in the World are DOs, to think yourself a failure because you apply into a group of medical schools that is more forgiving (for example they allow you to replace retaken courses completely) is ego only. It’s like beating yourself for not getting into an Ivy League for undergrad. That doesn’t mean you can end up at Harvard for medical school. The real question you have to ask yourself is do you want to practice medicine or do you want to impress people and yourself with an MD degree? If it is the former, you shouldn’t rule at DO as a legitimate and respectable means to that end because quite honestly it is going to be very difficult to get into an MD schools without time off.</p>
<p>As a side point, you can do an MD residency as a DO, something like 40% do.</p>
<p>I mean, the even more ridiculous thing is that the OP is willing to go to a Caribbean MD. It’s like:</p>
<p>“I got rejected from Cornell (Ithaca, NY) so I’d rather go to Cornell College (Iowa) than Dartmouth!” It’s like… seriously?</p>
<p>im not saying that a DO isn’t a doctor, or that all DO’s are failures, or that DO’s are stupid. I respect people who choose to do a DO, if thats what they want to do then good for them. Not me because I don’t think there’s anything wrong with wanting to practice medicine, and wanting an MD degree. So instead of bashing me for hating on DO’s, it would be great to see what I could do to reconcile this situation.</p>
<p>Im probably going to take summer classes, maybe do an additional semester, and definitely take some time off. The thing is, im willing to do an SMP, is there any thing else that I should do in addition to that? Im thinking that if I get my gpa high enough, and I have a good enough research proposal, Im gonna try for a fulbright scholarship. Of course the chances of me getting that are pretty slim, so any other suggestions?</p>
<p>
The problem here isn’t just “your situation”, it’s your attitude. You don’t want to become a doctor, you simply want to have an MD.</p>
<p>^Exactly.</p>
<p>tompi, you need to change your attitude and then work on your basics. You seem to be all about glitz and glamor. You keep digging your hole deeper with your posts (paraphrased):
-“DO<MD”
-“I’d rather have an MD I can’t use than a DO I can.”
-“I’m gonna try for a Fulbright (w/ a <3.0 GPA and presumably limited research experience)” <– FYI, schools screen their Fulbright applicants and you have to have someone nominate you and with your lack of academic success I doubt any Fulbright Committee Member would place their name on your nomination.</p>
<p>Honestly, with your current attitude, you’re going to find the world a hard, cruel place. You’ve been given some great advice and people here have been pretty patient with you and your attitudes. I’d suggest you take the suggestions you’ve gotten and run with them. You keep proposing solutions that are unlikely to happen or help (e.g., getting a Fulbright…). You need to learn to take criticism and advice from people who’ve been there. You’ve gotten responses from a couple of med students on this thread as well as others with some “insider” knowledge. If you simply want someone to agree with your plan and give you a pat on your back, call your mom or ask your friends who know nothing of the process and will believe whatever you tell them.</p>
<p>Rant commences…(patience ends ;))</p>
<p>I’ll reconcile it for ya. Quit whining. Quit being a perfectionist. Quit making excuses. ( Not a good combo, btw. Guaranteed fail. )</p>
<p>Quit living in magical thinking land where with the snap of your fingers or the wave of your wand all things will come to you tomorrow. Work. Have a life. Do your best. Your 4.0 no-life strategy sucks. Perfect don’t exist. Perfect won’t last till lunch on Day One. </p>
<p>You are not as smart or as dumb as you think you are, and there are smarter and dumber people doing as well as you are, better than you are, and worse than you are. The difference is attitude and effort and both of yours suck. </p>
<p>When your UG career is over, look yourself in the mirror and be proud of what you did. If it’s good enough to apply, apply. If not, don’t. You’ll still be able to be proud of what you’ve accomplished and you’ll have more options for your life. </p>
<p>If you want someone to tell you that you’re a failure- O.K. you’re a failure. If you want someone to tell you that you have a chance. O.K… You have a chance. We are just random folks on the internet. We don’t know you. Hopefully you know yourself. Good luck. </p>
<p>End rant…;)</p>
<p>im sorry, but I really want to go to med school. I can never forgive myself for getting into this situation, but I have to do get into med school (as my friend Malcolm says) by any means necessary. If that means i have to be a little delusional, so what? I don’t want to do a DO. I know I can make the cut for an MD, I just need the right guidance. You can call me ignorant, naive, or just straight up stupid. I don’t care. </p>
<p>Point is, ive lost so much after high school when I didnt get into 6 out of 8 schools that I applied too. Your right, all of you are right. I need a change in my attitude, in that I need to be more confident with myself, I can’t fear failure, and I can’t keep looking in the past.</p>
<p>Thanks curmudgeon, I needed that. I gotta give it my 200% from now on, and Ill end up where I end up.</p>
<p>@ apumic: lol im the only person in my whole uni who is interested in the fulbright program, so i guess they would have to nominate me if I was interested. Its one of the advantages of not going to a brand name school, there are plenty of slackers like me. but your right in that I need to gear up, use my research experience to my advantage.</p>
<p>Thanks guys, a little burst out helps i guess.</p>
<p>You don’t seem to understand. There are three ways to be a doctor. The best way is a US MD. The second best way is a US DO. The third way is a Caribbean MD.</p>
<p>You have made option #3 into your second-favorite option because it happens to have a similar name. Of all the insanity on this thread, this should be the easiest to fix. You don’t pick an inferior option because it happens to have a similar name.</p>
<p>Would you buy a Rodex Watch over a Casio? No – that would be insane. And yet that’s exactly what you keep claiming you’ll do.</p>
<p>i want to be a US MD and i will be. no matter what. call me insane, crazy, or delusional, but im gonna make it happen.</p>
<p>Umm… as for Fulbright… no, no they don’t have to nominate you. I don’t think you understand the process for a Fulbright.</p>
<p>Anyway, that’s all irrelevant. I guess… good luck on your second choice. Don’t come back here crying when you fail the USMLE Step 1 the max # of times, failing out of the program with $150k of debt and nothing to show for it (as many, many Carib students do each year). The Rolex/Casio/Rodex analogy was right on the money.</p>
<p>I’d still suggest working toward US MD/DO, but you’re going to have to do A LOT more than just get your grades up to be competitive for either of those. Your “perfect” plan assumes all you need is the GPA, but you need other extracurricular activities, incl. research, community service, leadership, clinical experience, and shadowing. In other words, you need to be doing more than just academics.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>The way to get to medical school was to take the pre-med courses and then get good grades in them. You didn’t want to go to medical school enough to do that.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Such as…?</p>
<p>I mean, other than doing well in your prereqs, acing the MCAT, having great experiences to share at an interview, etc., I’m a little curious what you intend to do?</p>
<p>Make up volunteer and clinical experiences? Fabricate jobs for your resume?</p>
<p>Have other people take tests for you from now on? Hire somebody else to take the MCAT for you?</p>
<p>Blackmail the med school into accepting you?</p>
<p>Blackmail your LOR writers? Threaten your registrar? Hack into your school’s records system and change your recorded grades?</p>
<p>I mean…those are the kinds of things “our dear friend” Malcolm would have suggested!</p>