Why My 4.0 at UC Berkeley Actually Hurt Me

[@DrAdnan]

A 4.0 as a Cal premed is next level. Big props 💪

[@thefenerbahcesk4156]

true

[@luceroarmas3804]

and 100th percentile MCAT

[@F.S420]

Bro I see your comments on Like every video I see, from med school stuff to silly stuff like cut. And you always get a lot of likes

[@laureniype9067]

BRUH I SEE UR COMMENT EVERYWHERE!!!

[@Sweetbunniez]

you are everywhere lmao It's so crazy that I even replied the same thing when I saw you in a different video comment section

[@DermBeautyMD]

can't relate...but this video explains that that's a good thing lol great video! :)

[@F.S420]

From personal experience, when I eased up on schooling my gpa actually increased because I was able to find a good balance between school and outside life and was able to get more quality studying rather than quantitative. Enjoy life but make sure your priories are set straight!

[@MrMiniPancakes]

faisal shurafa I noticed that it happened to me recently to

[@elizabethcordill5998]

agree !

[@Andreaagarciar]

As a pre med student I thank you for being a REAL and honest Medical student who can be address this dilema. Im definitely going to take things smoother. I currently have a 3.9 for an A- and in all honesty it just makes you wonder if all the stress and work is worth it. A 4.0 gpa should not be the cost of our mental sanity. Thank you for sharing your experience !

[@knzay]

Part of me wants to be like "BoO hOo iTs sO HaRd wHeN pPl ThInK yOuRe ToO SmArT", but I can empathize with the amount of pressure one must feel in having to maintain that standard and dealing with others' unrealistic and inaccurate expectations. With medicine in particular, there's also that thought of having "genius" doctors that lack the social experience and world view to truly connect with their patients because they were too busy studying.

[@VinsanityGaming]

Hey man, I completely feel where you're coming from. I had a 4.0 through 5 semesters at Georgetown. I decided to ease up a little and got an A- my second semester of junior year, and it was tough to accept at first, but then it did help me realize that working tirelessly towards an arbitrary number can be life-draining. I know that at this point graduating with a 3.95 or so will still really give me a good shot at med school, but I wished I looked up from the grind a little more over the past 3 years and enjoyed college more. EDIT: I just made a video about this on another channel, check it out if you care to: Search "Why My 4.0 at Georgetown was Actually Bad", Vin Miller.

[@sarahaly8173]

can you make a video about your extracurriculars, research, and employment experience during undergrad?

[@MedBros]

Yup will do in a future video!

[@mike112693]

honestly MANY people can study crazy hours, give up most of their social life, sleep and etc. and still not get a 4.0 regardless of what school they go to...I just wanted to comment that so people can at least partially understand how hard it is to get a 4.0

[@lchxo7945]

I think this is an important topic thats not talked about enough. Thank u for sharing and big huge props to you for all the hard work

[@fdizzlestudios2820]

Yeah, but now you're a Yale med student sooooo....probably worth ;)

[@MedBros]

Yup there's pros and cons for sure and getting into a great med school is amazing but I think I still might have been fine for med school with a 3.8 or 3.9 (which would be exponentially less stressful to achieve)

[@lchxo7945]

Students are so under appreciated

[@elizabethcordill5998]

The whole idea of a perfect gpa was something I struggled with. I’m a highschool student, and in the beginning of highschool I idolized having perfect grades. I didn’t even care about the actual class, I only cared about the number I got. I didn’t find out what I was interested in, I didn’t apply anything to real life. I just wanted perfect grades. Now I have more balance in my life, I’m an actual *person* beyond my frickin stats, and the funny thing is, my grades are better now.

[@Stephthegreatlion]

I think the issue with having a high GPA or being 'too smart' has nothing to do with how people treat you differently (though they do) . It's more so about your fear of failing and not meeting everyones expectations, including your own. That's where the pressure comes from. The fear of not being able to live up to your past accomplishments.

[@At-kc1rc]

It’s different for different people

[@benjiryujin]

Why My 2.0 At Berkeley Actually Hurt Me

[@adrienne2838]

I agree about the big difference in effort for a slight difference, I suck at chem, I got a B+ on my first chem class and an A- in my second class and I could safely say it took twice the effort for the A- and not a B+ and half a very small fraction of that effort for a B

[@artagz4507]

Hi could you please make a video on tips to reduce stress and time management in a high school IB program?

[@MedBros]

Yeah I have tons of thoughts on that and will do!

[@chenia8017]

I really really appreciate your advice. I’m going to UF next year and I feel so lost on grades right now. Thank you!

[@Branman345]

Go gators!!

[@lilianignatius]

This is exactly true from my own experience too. If we have a group discussion and I sincerely say "oh I don't know this", the response is "yeah right." I get mostly excluded from vital information or explanations because there's the consensus that "she must know all about this, no need to include her." This hurts!

[@ilovejuicyxx]

I feel so bad tbh....I worked so hard to get a 4.0 in college and my medical school application was pretty good...I applied to 35 school but only got two interviews (one top school one UC school) and got rejected from the top school and waitlisted into the UC school. Straight up I feel you in regards to only getting a relatively low number of interview offers. A 4.0 is NOT worth it. The stress to get the 4.0 is honestly not worth it. All of my friends got into medical school and I didn't. And I feel like an absolute failure.

[@jayrollo1352]

What was your major?

[@jasreenkmultani3608]

But that got you to Yale... soooo

[@tracy_cakkes]

I loved your view on this and your video. It’s a nice reminder that a grade doesn’t define you and shouldn’t control your life thanks ❤️👍

[@piyam5733]

Your Berkeley experience sounds exactly like my experience in high school as an IB student...no social life, hardly any breaks, stereotypes, information that is not useful, difficult courses, etc.

[@rheaahluwalia1698]

I feel you (ib too) but I am a undergrad student in japan now and that makes ib look harmless

[@crsbladee6065]

Talk about your high school days. Sat gpa and other things

[@MedBros]

I'm on it!

[@MalacheeBrown]

I wish having a 4.0 was my problem 😩 really nice video though!

[@karanbhela2590]

It’s so tough when your priority is school. You can only have 2 things at a time: school, sleep, or social life.

[@rollcornn8931]

Weird flex but OK

[@quantumcrash7266]

I think the reason "why" those sacrifices were made is the most important question we can ask. If we're making choices with as much self honesty as we can, I thiink we're on the right track...which is a great, great gift. That's why I watch your videos-- to capture some of what you have!

[@rebeccajia688]

As a below average student at cal, I want to say that ur videos are helpful and inspirational❤️

[@bennguyen2974]

How did you make time for research and other pre medical activities needed for med school

[@MedBros]

It was really difficult but I'm planning on making a video about time management in the near future which should go over this!

[@HeavyProfessor]

Doing really well at one and half-assing the rest

[@robjohnston366]

If you wouldn't mind addressing the feasibility of an MD aspirant majoring in something other than a life science and still taking the core (premed) requirements to qualify for med school, perhaps this could help reduce the stress, in addition to having a fallback in case said aspirant doesn't get accepted into med school -- let's say beyond attending a grad bio program and reapplying later, which according to the aamc.org website is about a 1/4 of all applicants. (I was going for a paragraph-long sentence which is a trait of a lot of history majors, sorry.) I remember a decent number of engineering majors from CE to EE and BME (the most natural of all E majors) who went to M-school, but I remember an economics major who also did. I think the topper was a music major who went to UCLA M from undergrad. Perhaps this is where the quarter system of UCLA and the others within UC besides Berk was helpful.

[@theratinthehat5524]

using this to comfort myself as i'm afraid of how my grades are gonna turn out this semester

[@Emily-um2jg]

Aw I feel so bad you had to experience this. People who put you in a box are honestly jealous.

[@rsp1239]

You gotta me kidding me , obviously the benefits of 4.0 far outweigh the "negatives" . Come on man, GPA is literally the key to being a good pre med :/

[@judepayton]

rsp 123 in the end your personal happiness and mental health is what matters the most. I had a 4.0 the first few semesters of college and was mentally miserable. Now I still have a good GPA, it isn’t perfect, but I am so much happier and more social. A 3.9 or even 3.8 will give you so many opportunities for med school or any grad school.

[@Sohiawrites]

A 3.8 isn’t gonna stop you as much as a 4.0! GPA isn’t everything as a premed

[@MedBros]

Yup there's tons of positives that can't be discounted but I really do think having a 4.0 every semester for 4 years at a difficult school takes a toll on you that people don't really consider enough. A low GPA is definitely not a better way to go but like I mentioned in the video I think a high enough GPA like a 3.8 or 3.9 has many of the benefits with much less of the negatives!

[@rsp1239]

MedBros . I guess you have a point , great video btw. Didn't mean to sound mean or anything

[@charlotteleroux4690]

Interesting and good food for thought! Thanks for sharing! Love all ur videos!

[@mike112693]

I think the last part of the vid is important and people dont really acknowledge... i.e. it might take 3 hours to study for a test and get a 'B', but to get an 'A', it'll take an additional 7 hours

[@Ale-bh6lu]

What was your major at Berkeley?

[@violetg7315]

Obviously, Yale Medical School liked you. I know someone had a 4.0 GPA from UCSD and got into Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine. And, he is an Anesthesia resident at UCLA Hospital now. He is not hurting by be a 4.0 nerd either. It is a tough academic journey and it will be paid off when you become a physician.

[@TechVHD]

Is Washington univ St. Louis good?

[@kman7681]

How do you even get a 4.0 at cal I literally have a c- in high school math

[@yeehawtomahawk]

I love this video. Thank you for being real

[@laurab9394]

I have a question I was wondering about. Does it matter where you get your pre-med degree when it comes to applying to medical schools? For example, would I have a shot at getting accepted into an Ivy med school if I didn’t go to a very prestigious school for undergrad?

[@seraphinemoncada5371]

Yes

[@MrBjorn6]

It doesn't matter where you undergrad to get into an ivy league med school. If your GPA and MCAT are together you can get into any Medical school. Shit if you're grades, MCAT and research are together, you can get into any MD PHD program which are much more competitive than Med schools, and they don't care what undergrad you came from either.

[@yizzlephysiq1250]

The first A- was the greatest thing that happened to me

[@WrathOfAthena]

I can’t wait until it happens to me because I’m losing my mind keeping my grades so high

[@LucasDimoveo]

What was your major?

[@MrBjorn6]

He was a premed major.

[@CoKiEsAnDcReAm07]

Michael Walker premed is not a major it’s a track.

[@sams517]

Lucas Dimoveo probably biology

[@hamedsmoshrefful]

I saw your calcentral screenshot as the thumbnail and hyperventilated immediately. A dream sis- you’ve done it.. you’ve done the impossible. I didn’t have a social life either but damn cal... I’m thinking of making a video like this to inform students who want to go into medicine

[@dilpreetsekhon8219]

Well, good news is that life isn't over and now you can apply these concepts to medical school when it comes to easing up and having fun once in a while. Or even better you can apply it for residency and pick one that will be most optimal for you to have a balanced life while still maintaining a decent salary, which at the very least will still be more than most people, so pick one you love and don't be greedy. Good luck on your life goals, you are doing great. All of the med kids like us have some regret, one or another, but the best thing is that at the end we will get there or die trying. I guess that is also the worst thing too but what can yuh do 😊.

[@squiggs1002]

Having very high gpa and mcats can hurt you at lower tier school applications especially if you are from a prestigious college. A lot of them just assume you are not going to go there even if they accept you so they don't even bother. But seriously as a college student just don't tell other students your gpa, nobody can force you to tell them. Just give them vague answers and change the topic.

[@leoyang5408]

Awesome post. All the expectations and the amount of work needed to meet them being a premed numb me as a human being. Life is short; gotta make the most out of it

[@cloroxdetergent8853]

When he talked about academics being constantly discussed in conversations, I felt that

[@mariaahmed1664]

I can relate ! Wish I were surrounded with more people like you !

[@LoyaFrostwind]

I barely scraped through (2.0), and got my BA in Integrative Bio with a minor in French. Yes, I could have studied more. But also, I felt that no matter how hard I studied, I just wasn't as smart as a lot of people in my class. I was a big fish in a small pond in my high school, and got 4.0+. At Cal, almost EVERYONE had 4.0+ in high school. I decided to try and enjoy my classes and my college life where possible.

[@sams517]

Loya Frostwind you went to Berkeley?

[@LoyaFrostwind]

@@sams517, yes (class of '96). I had graduated from San Rafael High, a small Division IV school that was good, but limited in the amount of challenging AP classes available (Spanish, English and Calculus AB). I was very well prepared in English and French due to my awesome teachers and passed out of most requirements due to my AP test scores. I even ended up minoring in French at Cal. The science classes at Cal bowled me over though. SOOOOO competitive! I love science, but had to repeat several OChem, bio and physics classes, before I could get to my fun upper division IB classes. I guess the science at my high school was college prep level, but not up to Berkeley-level.

[@HeavyProfessor]

I've never used calculus on the floors, thankfully 🤣😂

[@eyeluxea2817]

Thank you!!

[@privatedeletebuttongooglei5221]

A box? Like 4 Bobby Dean Morris in McAlester state penitentiary?

[@samuelsmithmed214]

Do you think you would be as fulfilled if you didn't go to Yale? Maybe say you got into a mid-tier medical school and got had 3.8, would you go back in time and trade it for that?

[@MedBros]

That's a great question and I think it depends on the qualities of that school. The tier of the school matters less to me than factors like grading system, location, "culture" of the school, etc. If there was a mid-tier school that matched up well with my preferences like Yale does then I would be probably be as fulfilled!

[@samuelsmithmed214]

@@MedBros That would be a good idea for a video, how to choose a medical school and what to look for from a current medical student. Applying this upcoming cycle and other than knowing I want a school with pass/fail, I don't really know what to look for.

[@chethanagallage8978]

Thank you for sharing this Shaman! Do you think someone with a 3.5-3.6 GPA but has lots of extra-curricular experience still has a chance of getting into a medical school? (Top-tiers are out of the question, but middle-tier or lower at least)

[@NataliaGarzonC]

You should really consider listening to the Premed Podcast and joining the groups Facebook page. The mentality of thinking your gpa isn’t good enough for “top tier” schools is really toxic. Your GPA is GREAT. Please don’t think it’s not. There are people with 2.3 that get into med school!!!

[@chethanagallage8978]

@@NataliaGarzonC Thank you so much! I really appreciate your advice and will follow it!

[@Chelssums]

I’m really sorry to hear that Shaman :( I do feel that when premeds introduce premeds to each other, it’s all about academic accomplishment, major, what lab you work under, and who you work for. That’s why I often lie about my grades and goals for labs (publishings, projects, conferences, etc.) just to hold friendships and keep people from being friends with me just for the status. It’s toxic, I know but you gotta do what you gotta do! I’m not a med god or anything. I definitely don’t have a 4.0 but I can understand what it’s like. Also, my friend Klaudia is this 4.0 God and if I didn’t know her ups and downs in high school, I probably would view her as this robotic perfectionist. It’s sad to know that a lot of med schools perceive 4.0 students this way. But KZbin made you unique! I support you!!!!! edit: I don't LIE about things but I keep things vague and on the DL... lol

[@jorgesolis7897]

Be proud of your 4.0 GPA. Yes, you had to sacrifice, but choosing a career in medicine means you'll have to sacrifice a lot for a very long time! I'm only applying to state med schools, not to prestigious Ivy League schools, and I can tell you that they look at a 4.0 GPA as an automatic acceptance... If you didn't have time to do shadowing, extra curriculars, volunteering etc... because you were so busy studying to get that 4.0, you can always take a gap year to do those things you missed out on. A year later, you would have the perfect application for medical school! I wish I had the wisdom and the drive you had in college, I am now struggling to get accepted. Having a social life in college is extremely over rated. I would much rather be in your shoes! I would much rather have people call me a "nerd." Hope this helps!

[@mela3889]

Jorge Solis same man, social life is overrated. Wish I could go back and grind harder like he did

[@pablopan4940]

What do you call a doctor with a 2.0 GPA? A DOCTOR!

[@squiggs1002]

Problem is how many premeds with a 2.0 actually got into med school?

[@MegaRaja54321]

Did you and prerak both go to the same undergrad and go to the same medschool? That’s awesome lol

[@bxnyshit3416]

They have a video together on Peraks channel

[@MrBjorn6]

​@@bxnyshit3416looks like they never spoke again 🤔

[@StoryoftheEye]

Great content, I am the same way. It is intriguing how I encountered this video in alignment with me doing some deep self-reflection about this topic. Anyhow, I study so much that I have neglected all of my friends and I feel miserable about it, yet I still fixate all of my attention to school ]: I even missed out on a few of my birthday dinners. When I do attend an event (rarely), I calculate how much time it takes to do everything, too. Most of my days are spent with my head in the books--completely isolated from everyone. I do this to the point that when I immerse myself outside, again, I forget how to interact with humans. If anyone ever taught a class about how to not be so anti-social, I am certain that would be the class I would have failed, hah.

[@kennethbobu3989]

Totally agree with him. If you wanted to get As at Cal, it required an exponentially greater amount of work than for a lesser grade. Since everyone is already a superior student, what passes for exceptional elsewhere isn't even average here. But as a result, if you cruise on your brains and wits, you can be a C student. If you have greater aspirations, you're going to do at a minimum 5 times the work to move from C to B, and at least 20 times the work to move from C to A. If you go to Cal to enjoy a social life, forget about it. There is none if you intend to get top grades.

[@alexwyler4570]

what was your major in?

[@eduardosantos-xp3iw]

So you were studying 5-8 hours a day

[@maryamel-ali5553]

Amazing perspective

[@johnathant6735]

Gotcha. So tank a class to get into that sweet spot. Thx MedBros!

[@jasonvan4370]

I wonder what his undergraduate major was. Anyone know?

[@AL-sr9bm]

prob bio

[@bxnyshit3416]

Is an A and A+ weighted the same? For example, if I have a 4.0 and A+'s but I get an A in one of my classes, will my gpa go down to a 3.9?

[@MedBros]

It depends on the school but for Berkeley an A and an A+ are both weighed the same!

[@kennethsims2565]

You do use those subjects. The education doesn’t lie in the memorization of mere facts, it lies in the thinking that the subjects produce. # Albert Einstein. Math helps with organizing your thoughts and logical thinking 💭.

[@MedBros]

Yeah thats a great point and definitely true! Though I do think there are ways to exercise the brain AND learn things that will be helpful in life!

[@micahcouncil13]

Great points

[@jasminesyan3505]

8:40 lol

[@coleweidenbach2063]

1:57 I relate everyday and it's kinda sad.

[@robfritz622]

Gets into Yale med- talks about how 4.0 wasn’t worth it

[@joshuakim7619]

That was an achievement you are probably proud of.

[@excuseme1543]

*OKAY WHO PISSED SHAMAN OFF? BECAUSE YOU GON' CATCH THESE HANDS*

[@Branman345]

😂😂😂😂

[@savannah4439]

I mean, it couldn’t have hurt you that badly if you’re currently at Yale 😂😂

[@At-kc1rc]

Savannah yeah right. Props to him for handling it so well but the pressure and mental stress is not sth to joke about.

[@nightelf4]

No one knows my grades I think they assume I’m “smart” because I can answer their questions but to say someone knows if I’m a 4.0 or not is wrong. People only know what u have unless you tell them, it’s my opinion that my grades are for my knowledge and your grades are for you. By knowing my grades how does that help you or affect your life. Vice versa knowing your grades does nothing for my improvement so why bother ask.

[@rsp1239]

Man fuck my life . Ur stressing about a 4.0, while I have a 2.69 in second year lol.

[@inbracedefeat]

...ok but you now go to Yale for Grad school. It obviously was well worth it js

[@poojachaudhari1331]

why were you so hell bent on getting a 4 ?

[@jayrollo1352]

A 4.0 is a great problem to have

[@claraspecht2231]

Very interesting video

[@jdenmark1287]

I think what most people here are missing about your post, is that at what cost is this striving for the perfect grade coming? You are obviously a brilliant student, and the fact that you bother to post such informative information in your "spare time" shows that you are socially adept and empathetic. So the question here, is why is the system we have in place, placing value on objectives that aren't pertinent to getting this young man where he needs to be? Yes, he achieved his objectives, but the fact remains he has had his quality of life sacrificed, just to suit the whims of people with authority but no responsibility. Just for clarification, physics, is and should be taught and used in medicine, however why is not being taught with such concrete applications in mind? That is a failing of physic departments everywhere that I have witnessed.

[@WrathOfAthena]

Trying to maintain my 4.0 made me suicidal.

[@nayanajain4412]

❤️

[@sdoootx6729]

🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🥵

[@sanjanachauhan8577]

I spend alomost 12 hrs in clg and traveling and i am soooo tired when i get home... How should i get rid of that and use the time to study?

[@MedBros]

That definitely sounds rough. If traveling there might be audio or other study resources you can use to effectively use that time! Also eating and sleeping at the right times depending on your schedule really helps (sometimes taking a short nap when you come home can recharge you to do some work)! Will make a detailed video in the future but for now hope that helps!

[@sanjanachauhan8577]

@@MedBros thankyouuu

[@Akirameowxp]

True, true, but like the pros are WAY better !!

[@sarahmarshall9787]

that sounds like a terrible way to live

[@VyTran-tk8jq]

go bears!

[@jayrollo1352]

Listen my nigga. A 4.0 is a terrific problem to have lol.

[@brownsugar5162]

I definitely hate you men hehehehe to getting just A+ !!! But in a good way

[@Phyziks0]

Too bad this wont help for Canadian Med schools haha

[@joannejones363]

Wtf