im scared of the smart ppl at uni...is it that bad?

I was just looking at the people going to study medicine with me and holy s**t they are all freaking geniuses!!! 😭 The eu and international students with their perfect IB scores from the best international schools and all the Duxes with multiple offers. And then there's me... Good old hard working me who got one good lucky offer. I'm not dumb don't get me wrong... I'm just normal and hard working and passionate but these people are something else!!! Ahhh I'm gonna drown there!!!

Has anyone got any wise words of wisdom for me? What is it like meeting people just as smart if not so much smarter than you?

Remember that if you're the smartest person in the room, you're in the wrong room.

Words of wisdom? Remember that if you're the smartest person in the room, you're in the wrong room.

I'm not a medical student, but I'm on a course with A*A*A + entrance exam requirements and I wondered about this before going, but tbh everyone is fairly normal and it doesn't tend to be discomforting. If anything it's quite nice to be amongst people who are around your level, whether they're slightly above, pretty much equal, or slightly below. The fact is that if you get in you deserve to be there and you're probably smarter than you give yourself credit for.

trust me when I say you are not the only one, this is a very common feeling when starting university and particularly when starting medicine. I always remember school as being top of the class, I was the girl that everyone came to when they needed help and I got the top grades in my school etc. but coming to medical school everyone is like that, everyone was the top of their class and everyone is intelligent, but trust me when I say that doesnt mean you will feel like your drowning.

Everyone at medical school feels like they are not smart enough when they compare themselves to their peers, but you have to remember everyone works differently and at different paces, so just do things the way that works best for you. During the first few months I had nights where I would sit in my room and get upset because I felt everyone was miles ahead of me, when in reality they are just much quicker at taking in the information and read a lot more than I did around the subject.

The key thing as said by the poster above is that you should never be the smartest person in the room at med school, because then you will have nothing to learn and you will not improve, so dont worry if so many people know more than you do, take the opportunity to learn the information they are telling you and it will help you improve your knowledge.

Just to put it into perspective, I always would consider myself as not being as smart as the majority of my year group at med school, but my passion, determination and hard work has meant I finished year 1 with a % score which was above the average for my year in the exams, that really drove home how comparing myself to others was useless. Dont dwell on it honestly, just do you and you will be fine!

Best of luck.

Amazing advice above! Also, from having friends doing Medicine and a flatmate doing Dentistry - I've not met people on any other courses that stress as much about not being good enough/as smart as coursemates as they do! Yet they pass exams and the next semester again stress, and say that they think it was a fluke, so you're definitely not alone.

Tldr..just because people don't outwardly express how they feel (ie: not smart), doesn't mean they don't share your feelings. Don't put yourself down - you got onto probably the most difficult Uni course for a good reason!

I was just looking at the people going to study medicine with me and holy s**t they are all freaking geniuses!!! 😭 The eu and international students with their perfect IB scores from the best international schools and all the Duxes with multiple offers. And then there's me... Good old hard working me who got one good lucky offer. I'm not dumb don't get me wrong... I'm just normal and hard working and passionate but these people are something else!!! Ahhh I'm gonna drown there!!!

Has anyone got any wise words of wisdom for me? What is it like meeting people just as smart if not so much smarter than you?

Thank you! You've made me feel a bit better! At least i'm not alone in this. I suppose people like us tend to be really harsh on ourselves and underestimate what we are able to achieve but what you managed to do in first year just goes to show that hard work pays off. I'll try to be more positive...hopefully after a little while once I get to know people they will seem less intimidating!

Off topic but did you go out a lot and party the first week or so? I'm pretty social but not a big drinker so idk if I should bother or is this the key time to bond over med bar crawls and that sorta stuff?

Exactly as you said, be more positive and try your hardest not to compare yourself, your the one sitting the exams in the end not everyone else.

I dont drink but i did go to a few freshers events including the medics school disco and just drank soft drinks. I am quite confident and dont really care what people think about me so its fine for me, but it doesnt suit everyone. I would try and bond with flatmates and go with the flow, but set your boundaries and dont step over them.


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No way?! With the whole image of freshers I thought I would look weird if I didn't drink! But I think I'm sort of like you...I love a party and am confident but tend not to drink (don't feel I need it for a good time). I'll stick to my boundaries then. Thanks so much you have answered my two biggest questions I was worried about

This is how 99% of medical students feel at least once during the 4 or 5 or 6 years at medical school.

I felt the same way in my first year and beginning of second year. But I realised that I'm still good enough if I keep passing. I try not to compare myself because I'll always lose but I dont care. You're in so be happy.

My girlfriend's sister sailed through the IB and had never had to try at school. She got an unconditional offer for medicine.

Now she's at medical school it's been a massive adjustment for her. She is finding that intelligence isn't a substitute for hours in the library, and has found that difficult to deal with.*

Don't worry too much, you may be better prepared than you think.

I really hope I am....and if not I'll just have to put in the hours. You're right though..talent only gets you so far...