A parent posts that their kid suffers from severe test anxiety I don’t ask them if they’ve seen a specialist to confirm a diagnosis of anxiety or suggest the kid get medicated. I take it at faith. But I will occasionally push back if that parent says that as a result of their kid’s condition, kid wants to become a psychiatrist to help others. I will try to inform that parent that psychiatry is NOT the touchy-feely profession folks think it is.
Starting with the MCAT’s all the way through board certification… lots and lots of high stakes tests. And FIRST you become an MD learning how to deliver babies, suture, get vomited on (a lot), etc.
That’s the role of parents on here- to help educate.
I don’t second guess a medical diagnosis on the internet, nor suggest that Cleveland Clinic is every bit as good as MGH or Brigham or whichever Boston hospital a poster is connected to. Not our place IMHO.
Might I remind members of the forum rules: “Our forum is expected to be a friendly and welcoming place, and one in which members can post without their motives, intelligence, or other personal characteristics being questioned by others."
musing I leave them alone for a few hours- facepalms
And to everyone else disappointed parent look c’mon, guys. please. This village sticks together, it shouldn’t tear each other down. /chidingly, lighthearted
here’s a cutesy little reminder that this process may be over, but I didn’t say it was easy. I’ll tell you, kids in my school have been wearing sweaters of where they’re going to/committed to, and it’s basically the talk of the senior class. The majority of my classmates are attending top LACs + Ivies, and many people expect me to be going to a “top” school (see here: my background + life training) and when I say “most likely UMass”, many are surprised. /sighing
*life training meaning I started going to STEM conferences at the age of 4 + started working towards my career at the age of 6 through exposure, conferences, etc.
I’m working on falling in love with the school- (aided by my family friend who adores the school and has been continuously asking me when I can come up so she can give me a tour) and I know the journey’s just beginning, but not every story has a happy ending with no bumps in the road- and I wanted to remind you guys of that. I am excited for UMass, but falling in love with it is definitely taking time, and that’s okay. /reflective, tiny bit sad but mostly hopeful and genuinely excited too
I’m sure in a year from now, I’ll be thanking myself or even shaking my head fondly at these posts. I just gotta see where the road takes me. /reflective, thoughtfully
also if you’re reading into this thinking, “is this his way of revealing where he’s going?” no. not yet. i will be very loud (and hopefully proud) about it. hold your horses. even if it’s a “most likely” situation, i wanna reveal it officially once I’m committed. /chuckling a bit
Update: Northeastern is still dodging around the whole transfer, but we’re pushing and fighting hard for it. There’s a good chance they will grant the transfer, as some promising things are happening. /sighing
Also!! grades!!! very stressful. 0/10. I regret taking precalc for this semester. (my grade is a B currently but our tests/quizzes are 60% of our grade so God help me) /yeah no i should’ve taken an art class instead
The pre calc will help with whatever is to come in your math journey in college.
Figuring out where your learning gaps are now will help you be ahead of the game in college.
I think Jo Boaler’s work with developing a Mathematical mindset may resonate with you. /encouraging
Mathematics is a very broad and multidimensional subject that requires reasoning, creativity, connection making, and interpretation of methods; it is a set of ideas that helps illuminate the world; and it is constantly changing.
I dont understand. Your grade in precalc is a B, but youve gotten zeroes on the quizzes?
In any event, if you are planning on science and research, youre gonna need calculus and stats. If youre having a lot of trouble with precalc, maybe you could reach out for some peer tutoring at school?
Oh, no! I’m not getting zeros on the quizzes! Sorry! My catchphrase is usually like “ugh, this is a 0/10.” If something isn’t fun. Sorry for the confusion!!! /apologetically
I usually get B’s on the quizzes (or C+s…) but I’m not failing my quizzes, I promise! Sorry for the confusion. /sheepishly
As I understand it, 0/10 is slang for a “fail”… not literally failing a test but but not doing as well as you’d like or being satisfied with a result. My kid texts that and it is used tongue in cheek. “0/10. I’m failing at life. Girl flying too close to the sun… etc etc”… in a dramatic voice.
@premed_equestrian I hope you don’t mind my “mom interpretation” of your comment.
That’s fair. I’m more worried about my midterm grade (which we just took last week and is 30% of my grade), but if I can keep my grade decent, I’m hoping I’ll be fine. I think the schools said something about anything less than a C is bad? Not that I’m aiming for that but I’m notoriously bad in math. (Dyscalculia go brrrr) Just hoping to get out of the class with a B or higher, honestly. /thoughtful, sighing
Yeah, got the midterm grade back. My grade’s an 81 now overall so I need to keep it higher so that I can keep it in the B to A- range. /well I’m just gonna work smarter and study better
If you have dyscalculia, then I would also do additional research and talk with the pre-med and accommodations office at your college about how that works for math class, MCAT, etc. In doing a quick internet search there are examples of people with dyscalulia who’ve gotten into med school (and through it), but it sounds like a particularly challenging road…even moreso than regular med school. Your positive attitude can definitely get you far, but I think that there can definitely be some bigger road blocks ahead for you than those on the regular premed path. Whatever techniques and strategies that you’ve been taught to help with your diagnosis, I would try and use those to help prep for your college math courses over the summer (perhaps Khan Academy or another resource?). Since your undergraduate GPA is so important for med school acceptance, you’re going to want to try and keep your math grades as high as possible.
Also, you probably have this, but make sure that your IEP or eval is less than 3 years old. Many college accommodations office will require this as part of the documentation in order to receive assistance.
Even people with superior math ability can and do hit the wall at a certain level of math. You have a very understandable career interest. If you want to be a research MD, you’re gonna need stats and some calculus. It might be a good idea for you to take calculus this summer at a nearby community college or 4 yr state college. If you’re having trouble with precalc, it is possible that you will have trouble with calculus, too, so a double exposure, by taking it this summer and again in the fall, might do the trick.
Yeah, I understand all of that. I am on a 504 plan and the dyscalculia is part of my NVLD. I’ve struggled in math pretty much all my life but I am planning to do calc and stats over the summer through khan academy and maybe an online college class so that I’m ready by the time the fall comes. I know it’s bigger obstacles ahead, but I also know that I can and will face them and come out of it stronger and better as a person. Thank you for your concern, it means a lot. /warmly, thoughtful
Wishing you well! Lots of people love Khan academy – and you could also hire a tutor (online or in-person) to meet with on a regular basis if that would help you retain the information you are learning.
Update: We went to Northeastern’s campus yesterday after school and spoke to an AO who said they would speed up the process with the transfer status and help us figure out what the next steps are. They’ll give us a decision before May 1st on the transfer status, but can’t predict when. That’s all we got so far, but at least it’s something. /softly, sighing