MS1 - Ask me Anything

[FindMeOnTheLinks]

I've heard about audition burnout. The point of auditions is to bring your A+++ game. One can only sustain that for so long. If a student plans on during 3 back to back to back ortho aways and impressing the staff by showing up 100+ hours a week, yeah, by the end of their first away they'll be exhausted and possibly risk looking bad at the subsequent two aways. It's all about careful planning and organization. I don't have a plan yet, but I'll figure it out when I have to!

it is hard, but you get through it. you just have to, because there is so much at stake. i never experienced burnout in medical school until i was nearing the end of my 2nd away rotation (which was my third straight rotation in the specialty i'm going into). thankfully my schedule afterward was essentially vacation for 3 months

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[Dr. Stalker]

it is hard, but you get through it. you just have to, because there is so much at stake. i never experienced burnout in medical school until i was nearing the end of my 2nd away rotation (which was my third straight rotation in the specialty i'm going into). thankfully my schedule afterward was essentially vacation for 3 months

SO there is light at the end of the tunnel???? There better be after the debt I've dug myself into lmfao

 

[lagbydesign]

Do they ever. Standard in ortho these days is 3 away months. Most other surgical subspecialties are 2, maybe 1.

They're not necessary in the less competitive specialties, and conventional wisdom is that they can do more harm than good in some fields.

Killing me. The hill just gets steeper and steeper. Come fourth year, it'll be 4 aways on top of a sub-i and a research year (already becoming all too common) or two. Next thing they'll be asking for patents.

 

[Dr. Stalker]

Killing me. The hill just gets steeper and steeper. Come fourth year, it'll be 4 aways on top of a sub-i and a research year (already becoming all too common) or two. Next thing they'll be asking for patents.

As well as you offering them your first born!

 

[PreMedStudent55555]

You mentioned that you’re doing clinical research for the sake of getting into ortho surgery but you also mentioned that basic research is better than clinical research so I’m confused on whether to do clinical or basic science research?

 

[Dr. Stalker]

You mentioned that you’re doing clinical research for the sake of getting into ortho surgery but you also mentioned that basic research is better than clinical research so I’m confused on whether to do clinical or basic science research?

I'm doing a mixture. One long-term basic science project I'm involved in that will take a few years to get data before we can publish. In the downtime I'm pursuing clinical and translational because its not only quicker and helpful for the career, its also the type of research that's done in medicine.

Few physicians care about gene manipulation and how mouse models can be used for it. They do care about patient outcome type studies or pharma research. It's also helpful for me to learn about this for my future career.

 

[puahate]

You mentioned that you’re doing clinical research for the sake of getting into ortho surgery but you also mentioned that basic research is better than clinical research so I’m confused on whether to do clinical or basic science research?

Consensus is basic is valued more but clinical allows you to pump out more papers since it is easier.

Do not just do basic because you are lucky if you get 1 paper out in 4 years.

 

[Dr. Stalker]

ALSO, got a DM, will post answers:

1. Hulu or Netflix? Netflix all the way bruh
2. Fav show(s) above? Breaking Bad, Friends, Stranger Things
3. If you didn't get into medicine what would you be doing? Probably getting a PhD in basic science and going for the academic professorship track.
4. Blondes, redheads, or brunettes? Brunettes all the way dude.
5. Fav movie? I'm a millennial, so probably Shrek cause I saw it when I was a kid and its just a fact, its the greatest movie of all time
6. Max bench? I'm a shrimpy kid lol, I'm working on it, but as of now I'm proud with my 135, finally hit the two 45 plates on the 45 lb bar. I know, I gotta up it for ortho
7. Fav hobby in med school? Playing fortnite with my friends - there's a ton of us in our class. In fact, I did a clinical rotation in pediatrics (it was mandatory) and the doctors found it quite amusing/impressive I could relate to 10 year olds and make them feel comfortable in the clinic asking them about their favorite spot to land in fortnite (Tilted Towers, all about those early game kills bruh)
8. What would I have done differently to avoid multiple cycles? Realize your first MCAT holds a ton of weight, and despite my improvements, that first score caused me a lot of grief. Just don't take the test if you aren't ready, bite the bullet and take ONE gap year. Or else you end up like me, with several. Although, in my defense, I rushed my MCAT cause I didn't want to take the new one. If the exam was going to stay the same for another year, I would've just chilled out and got my **** together.
9. If you can't match ortho, then what? My plan is to match ortho, but if you mean by what other fields I'm interested in, IM+Rheumatology. Love the field. So much badass science in rheumatology.
10. Favorite snack? DONUTS. I love donuts. I'm going to have a huge conflict of interest when treatment planning for patients that shouldn't eat donuts...I don't know if I'll have the heart to tell them to lay off that chewy, delicious, fresh baked goodness. Oh well.

 

[chemdoctor]

It’s about pa$$ion

I see what you did there

 

[Dr. Stalker]

Had another great DM

Q: What's the best part of med school?
A: The people. My class is fantastic. Yes, its true, it's similar to HS. There's cliques. There's the cool kids. Then there's the jocks. Then there's the nerds. Then the gunners, etc. But we are a super conducive group; I think the best part is simply meeting new people and chilling. You'll find people who have similar hobbies as you and then boom, you'll have made friends. And yes, there's downtime to hangout with them too.

 

[chemdoctor]

Had another great DM

Q: What's the best part of med school?
A: The people. My class is fantastic. Yes, its true, it's similar to HS. There's cliques. There's the cool kids. Then there's the jocks. Then there's the nerds. Then the gunners, etc. But we are a super conducive group; I think the best part is simply meeting new people and chilling. You'll find people who have similar hobbies as you and then boom, you'll have made friends. And yes, there's downtime to hangout with them too.

Idk if you mentioned it, but how many times did you apply? I’ll be applying within a year and am really nervous. What do you think made you “stand out” on your app?

 

[Dr. Stalker]

Idk if you mentioned it, but how many times did you apply? I’ll be applying within a year and am really nervous. What do you think made you “stand out” on your app?

3x.

First cycle I foolishly thought I'd make the cut. On the old MCAT, there was more or less a cutoff score you needed for MD schools; I missed it by a point. SDN encouraged me to apply, and admittedly I didn't want gap years, so I went ahead and applied to 20 schools. 3 interviews, 3 waitlists, 3 rejections. 2/3 of the schools kindly offered my advice and said my MCAT blocked me from really getting in.

Second cycle: applied to those 3 schools again with a NEW mcat score (identical percentile as my first score). 3 rejections

Third cycle: Got a more competitive MCAT score and was getting a master's degree in the downtime. Ended up with tons of II and multiple acceptances.

What made me "stand out" was a tolerable MCAT score. Anyone can do research, volunteer, get phenomenal experience, and GPAs can be easily manipulated. The MCAT is the deal breaker. Inb4 people chew me up on that comment.

 

[puahate]

Are there get togethers or occasional parties? Obviously not every week but once in a while.

 

[Dr. Stalker]

Are there get togethers or occasional parties? Obviously not every week but once in a while.

End of every single class we have a party. After we complete a block (you'll learn what that means) we have an insane "block party." I group in the suburbs, and that was the coolest gig at the end of the summer, and in medical school we party hard.

As for get-togethers, all the time. Lots of random potluck dinners. We're having at least 6 or 7 different people host super bowl parties this weekend. Lots of film fans in my school, we get together and either reserve a lecture hall every other week to have a movie airing or just hit up the local theatre! My city also caters to medical students/hospital faculty, with our student ID we cop SICK discounts.

There's lots of fun to be had. In fact, at parties, sometimes I'll look around and see people completely wasted and chuckle knowing that that dude is somehow or another, going to become a doctor. Probably not the healthiest habit, but students rationalize that the "Stress" is so much, you need to go nuts. You don't. I don't drink or enjoy recreational drugs, but I manage to have a good time. There's always a good vibe, good music, crappy pizza, etc. In fact, our last party was doggo themed, and about 30-40 classmates brought their dogs, what a nice party!

 

[chemdoctor]

3x.

First cycle I foolishly thought I'd make the cut. On the old MCAT, there was more or less a cutoff score you needed for MD schools; I missed it by a point. SDN encouraged me to apply, and admittedly I didn't want gap years, so I went ahead and applied to 20 schools. 3 interviews, 3 waitlists, 3 rejections. 2/3 of the schools kindly offered my advice and said my MCAT blocked me from really getting in.

Second cycle: applied to those 3 schools again with a NEW mcat score (identical percentile as my first score). 3 rejections

Third cycle: Got a more competitive MCAT score and was getting a master's degree in the downtime. Ended up with tons of II and multiple acceptances.

What made me "stand out" was a tolerable MCAT score. Anyone can do research, volunteer, get phenomenal experience, and GPAs can be easily manipulated. The MCAT is the deal breaker. Inb4 people chew me up on that comment.

Are you one of those 516+ scorers lol

 

[Dr. Stalker]

Are you one of those 516+ scorers lol

lmfao god no. nowhere close, I'm really far south of that.

 

[alyxxs]

What are some criteria we should be using when choosing a school? Other than the typical cost, location, match list, etc.

 

[chemdoctor]

lmfao god no. nowhere close, I'm really far south of that.

Nice. There’s hope for me. What were your cGPA sand sGPA breakdowns? I can DM you if you want. Just wondering Bc I’m the process of trying to recover from a poor semezter

 

[Dr. Stalker]

What are some criteria we should be using when choosing a school? Other than the typical cost, location, match list, etc.

Support System: Are family/best friends nearby? Medical school is hard, and you will need it. Its best not to have to fly/drive 2+ hours.

Not necessarily match list, but what is the school's philosophy and your end career goals? You will, more than likely, switch your specialty interest after getting into medical school, so don't think "I need to go to X school because they match a ton of students into Y residency, which is what I'm definitely going to do." Instead, see if the school routinely matches people into competitive specialties or things you're interested in. If they are a primary care specialty focused school, is that something you're interested in, etc.

Finally, best fit. If you're fortunate to have several interviews and acceptances, where did the medical students seem the most happy? I interviewed at one of the one of the famous medical schools in Manhattan, and I've never seen more depressed medical students. When I asked them what the deal was, they said they only came here because of the name. They legitimately were not happy. That was a huge red flag.

 

[Dr. Stalker]

Nice. There’s hope for me. What were your cGPA sand sGPA breakdowns? I can DM you if you want. Just wondering Bc I’m the process of trying to recover from a poor semezter

sGPA 3.98, cGPA 3.99
Masters 4.0

 

[chemdoctor]

sGPA 3.98, cGPA 3.99
Masters 4.0

Jeez... never mind

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Jeez... never mind

Lol. You do NOT need that high of a gpa to get into med school.

 

[chemdoctor]

Lol. You do NOT need that high of a gpa to get into med school.

Oh definitely not. But @Dr. Stalker made it seem like he was a weak applicant. He’s too polite. He was a damn good applicant with that GPA

 

[Dr. Stalker]

Oh definitely not. But @Dr. Stalker made it seem like he was a weak applicant. He’s too polite. He was a damn good applicant with that GPA

That GPA coupled with the 70th percentile old mcat, day 1 complete , finished all secondaries to my state schools and all the famous "low tier" (drexel caliber) --> did not get admitted anywhere.

MCAT >>>>>>>>>>>>>> GPA lol.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

That GPA coupled with the 70th percentile old mcat, day 1 complete , finished all secondaries to my state schools and all the famous "low tier" (drexel caliber) --> did not get admitted anywhere.

MCAT >>>>>>>>>>>>>> GPA lol.

Disagree. I had a very high mcat and a mediocre gpa and did not do as well as people predicted based on my MCAT and ECs. And I saw some of my interview evals, so it definitely wasn’t that. It really is the whole package. A killer mcat will not always make up for a subpar gpa.

 

[Dr. Stalker]

Disagree. I had a very high mcat and a mediocre gpa and did not do as well as people predicted based on my MCAT and ECs. And I saw some of my interview evals, so it definitely wasn’t that. It really is the whole package. A killer mcat will not always make up for a subpar gpa.

Just noticed the class of 2023 under your avatar! Congrats @Matthew9Thirtyfive . Hate to spoil it...but there's no math in med school. Except for cardio-renal. I don't even consider that math, its just multiplication and division lol.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Just noticed the class of 2023 under your avatar! Congrats @Matthew9Thirtyfive . Hate to spoil it...but there's no math in med school. Except for cardio-renal. I don't even consider that math, its just multiplication and division lol.

I’m okay with that. I got enough math getting my degree. I satisfy the occasional urge now by watching fun videos and writing the occasional paper lol.

 

[Dr. Stalker]

DM:

Q: What's something you would've changed about your MS1 experience so far?

A: From my end: One thing I definitely should have changed was relying on a support system. I remember vividly having a panic attack about 6 weeks into medical school and was genuinely concerned I was going to fail a huge exam which would have warranted remediating the class during summer. Thankfully, a med student friend of mine reached out to me. I should not have been trying to fly solo - its okay to ask for help, and its healthy to do so. It wasn't so much a pride thing ("I don't need help") but more-so embarrassment/fear/not knowing who to trust. My undergrad really and truly was filled with gunners everywhere. I was so jaded I assumed incorrectly every medical student (especially at a T20) would be out gunning. Not even close. I'm forever grateful to this friend, he's gotten me through some tough times, and I've helped him. Had he not contacted me, I likely would've failed, and while its awesome he reached out, I should've sought help/assistance.

 

[TelemarketingEnigma]

Just noticed the class of 2023 under your avatar! Congrats @Matthew9Thirtyfive . Hate to spoil it...but there's no math in med school. Except for cardio-renal. I don't even consider that math, its just multiplication and division lol.

we've had math in genetics, pharm, and epi as well, albeit very very simple math.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

we've had math in genetics, pharm, and epi as well, albeit very very simple math.

I think he was just razzing me because I have a math degree lol.

 

[Dr. Stalker]

we've had math in genetics, pharm, and epi as well, albeit very very simple math.

*in a pretentious voice* I would not consider hardy-weinberg to be mathematics

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

*in a pretentious voice* I would not consider hardy-weinberg to be mathematics

We used binomial distribution in genetics, which is most certainly mathematics lol. Also, in solving HW problems you’re using algebra, which was one of the first fields of mathematics.

 

[Dr. Stalker]

We used binomial distribution in genetics, which is most certainly mathematics lol. Also, in solving HW problems you’re using algebra, which was one of the first fields of mathematics.

pssh, you know what I mean...p+q = 1...p is .2...q is therefore...8013247-08erf08q23yu5087230945

 

[Walter Raleigh]

Did/do you have any kind of unusual/standout ECs like publications or Peace Corps?

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

pssh, you know what I mean...p+q = 1...p is .2...q is therefore...8013247-08erf08q23yu5087230945

That’s a l g e b r a.

 

[Dr. Stalker]

Did/do you have any kind of unusual/standout ECs like publications or Peace Corps?

Nah, run of the mill stuff, in a nut shell:
-several PAPERS PUBLISHED (no not an abstract at some silly college "conference" where everyone submits...I'm talking real journals) --> That was probably the the most "Exceptional" thing I had, it wasn't based out of the NIH or anything either
-400+ volunteer hours clinical
-200+ non-clinical volunteer hours
-Leadership in 4 different clubs in college
-TA for several classes that helped obtain "strong" letters of rec. I use quotation marks because all letters of rec are strong, they're supposed to recommend you lol. But, there's always a risk of getting a bad one, its better if the author politely tells you no vs. writing a bad one

EDIT: I'm an idiot and typed the wrong word

 

[Dr. Stalker]

That’s a l g e b r a.

My classmates needed a calculator for simple calculations. As in squaring decimals lol!

 

[Walter Raleigh]

Nah, run of the mill stuff, in a nut shell:
-several PAPERS PUBLISHED (no not an abstract at some silly college "conference" where everyone submits...I'm talking real journals) --> That was probably the the most "Exceptional" thing I had, it wasn't based out of the NIH or anything either
-400+ volunteer hours clinical
-200+ non-clinical volunteer hours
-Leadership in 4 different clubs in college
-TA for several classes that helped obtain "strong" letters of rec. I use quotation marks because all letters of rec are strong, they're supposed to recommend you lol. But, there's always a risk of getting a bad one, its better if the author politely tells you know vs. writing a bad one

The journals: were they Nature/Science/Cell tier? Were you first author? A first-author Nature paper as an undergrad is jaw-droppingly impressive and quite rare even by Harvard standards.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

My classmates needed a calculator for simple calculations. As in squaring decimals lol!

Why was 6 afraid of 7? Because 7 ate 9.

Why did 7 eat 9? Because he heard you need to eat 3^2 meals per day.

 

[Dr. Stalker]

The journals: were they Nature/Science/Cell tier? Were you first author? A first-author Nature paper as an undergrad is jaw-droppingly impressive and quite rare even by Harvard standards.

All about that impact . 1 was first author, others were 2nd or 3rd. Most were in reputable journals, none of top-tier caliber though . Hopefully one day...

 

[Dr. Stalker]

Why was 6 afraid of 7? Because 7 ate 9.

Why did 7 eat 9? Because he heard you need to eat 3^2 meals per day.

This made me actually laugh out loud, congratulations!

 

[TelemarketingEnigma]

My classmates needed a calculator for simple calculations. As in squaring decimals lol!

I took pretty high level math in college (way more than required for med school). The further I got in math, the more I used a calculator for simple things... sometimes I'm not sure if I remember my times tables.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I took pretty high level math in college (way more than required for med school). The further I got in math, the more I used a calculator for simple things... sometimes I'm not sure if I remember my times tables.

Yeaaaah, I majored in math. We stopped using numbers after diffeq. So basically for 2 years I did a lot of complex math with no numbers (i.e., no arithmetic). Now when I try to multiply or divide, it takes me forever lol. You just don't do that stuff in higher level math. My classmates one time were expecting me to be able to do really complex multiplication and stuff in my head. I'm like, that's not mathematics, that's mathemagic. They were kind of disappointed, so I had to impress them (i.e., confuse them) by talking about real analysis and abstract algebra lol.

Sorry for derailing your thread with math lol.

 

[Unlimited Apps]

You get only one piece of advice that you can share with an incoming M1. What would it be and why?

 

[Dr. Stalker]

You get only one piece of advice that you can share with an incoming M1. What would it be and why?

Don't freak out, you'll pass the damn exam.

Everyone obsesses over passing the first block and goes bonkers. Its not that big of a deal lol. Only months later can I say this though!

 

[Dr. Stalker]

Got a DM:

Q: What's the best patient interaction you've had so far?
A: I don't have too much; as a first year, I spend most of my time studying lectures and notes preparing for exams. However, we have mandatory clinical obligations (essentially shadowing), and I had to do one in oncology. An elderly patient was receiving chemo, and her adult son often accompanies her. He couldn't make it so I just sat with her before, during, and after chemo. We spoke briefly (she was in a lot of pain), and later when her son did make it he profusely thanked me. He kept saying how much it meant that I could simply "be here [for mom]."

 

[Dr. Stalker]

UPDATE: Finished MS-1, so I can answer more questions now.

 

[MomJeansandDadJorts]

UPDATE: Finished MS-1, so I can answer more questions now.

Did you move to a new city? And if so, do you sometimes feel like its hard to feel "at home" there because you dont have much time to get to know the area you are in?

Also was there a lot of class drama besides people dating each other and having awkward breakups?

 

[Detailfanatic]

how do you study? like as in what resources did you use?

 

[Dr. Stalker]

Did you move to a new city? And if so, do you sometimes feel like its hard to feel "at home" there because you dont have much time to get to know the area you are in?

Yes, new city. Home is a bit of a distance away. It was certainly a little hard at the beginning of the year. I went to college locally and so this was a major change.

You have plenty of time to get to know a new city/town. Medical school isn't all studying 24/7. Especially at the very beginning of MS1. We had TONS of mixers and events for all incoming students to help us get oriented, find bars, restaurants, and other cool things to do.

Also was there a lot of class drama besides people dating each other and having awkward breakups?

Uh, we got rid of a kitkat vending machine that caused a bit of a situation; the deans smoothed it over by giving us kitkats on valentine's day iirc