Sdn
physiciandentist:
Ok, some people have asked why I have such a harsh attitude about sdn. Yes, I think it is an evil evil place for premeds and sometimes medstuds.
First of all, the people who actively talk on sdn and answer your questions and stuff are usually gunner premeds who actually don’t know shit in the first place. Why would a premed take advice from other premeds or people who haven’t been to med school?! That’s insane. So premeds go on there, and then they read stuff like you have to have a 34 on the mcat to have a shot blah blah blah. Everything anyone ever said on there ended up being complete bullshit. I got into a LOT if med schools, DO and MD. I had options. My secret? Trust yourself. I made C’s in college… I had a low science gpa due to those C’s. Now, I had a little bit of a reason for a crappy semester, but it happened nonetheless. I also studied two weeks for the mcat. I didn’t do anything spectacular. But let me tell you something. I gave my friend who was one year behind me all my stuff for the mcat. He worked on it a whole year, and went from a 26 to a 38. So that 38 looked nice with his 4.0 national merit scholarship full-ride in college, and he kept that 4.0 all the way through graduation. So he’s competitive, right? He applied to WashU and Northwestern (2 super competitive schools). Got rejected at both, ended up at the same school that I was accepted into. So what’s the trick?
Early application —> more interviews —> more chances —> more acceptances
So apply on the first day. Don’t put it off a month to try to get a better mcat. The mcat is a worthless crap exam that you won’t even remember later. Sure, it seems like a big deal now, but it’s so stupid. So are boards :p
So get interviews and then ROCK your interviews. This is how you separate yourself. Not grades. Everyone has above average grades. Everyone took the mcat. But can you convince these people in 10 minutes that you’re ready to become a passionate physician who they wouldn’t mind sending their loved on to? That’s the secret. The interview. This is the only good thing about sdn is the interview page where people post questions they got.
Also, I want to make a short pitch about DO’s. Going DO is not a backup these days, it’s just as hard and if the averages haven’t already equaled out, they will soon. You have to want to be a DO and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. It’s so awesome. If you have more questions ask, because people live in the dark about this subject… and why? Why shouldn’t premeds educate themselves about their options?
Some points:
1) Really? EVERYTHING that EVERYONE has said on SDN during its 10+ years in existence has been bullshit? Have you read all the posts? If all you ever do is gawk at the Pre-Allo thread expecting salient advice where the majority are, as you’ve pointed out yourself, just Pre-Meds, you’re setting yourself up for extreme disappointment. It’s like walking into Five Guys and wondering why it doesn’t taste like Morimoto. It’s just expectation meeting reality. Granted, there are great, seasoned members who give very sage advice (LizzyM, Catalystik (sp?), and quite often, many of those with the “Physician” badge) there—you just have to sift through the rest of the speculation from neurotic pre-meds who, tbh, have the right to be neurotic. Is it obnoxious? Yes. Is this just the internet, where such a quality would be expected, though? Also yes.
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