Well said! I guess now it is a FUD for the initial FUD! 
After a short absence from OPMs, I found this most interesting thread! Some observations from the other side of the fence: the undergrad professor’s view of medical students is a little outdated. The whole paradigm of medical education is changing as a result of nationwide physician shortages. Sure, it’s competitive to get in, but once you’re there, it’s the responsibility of the school to see that you get a quality education which will facilitate your entry into a good residency program, and ultimately transition you into the workforce, prepared and enthusiastic about your chosen profession. If you check the statistics, medical school attrition rates are actually very low. Secondly, while the ability to think on your feet and make sound, sometimes quick judgement calls, are skills that every physician should have, the idea of the autocratic, physician-as-final-author ity is also outdated. The work we do is so complex, and the decisions we make on a day-to-day basis have such potential impact, that nothing less than a team approach is acceptable. Good intuition and the ability to function as part of a team are important pieces of the toolbox, certainly more so than the ability to memorize and regurgitate facts on a first-year exam. So the thought that a medical student/resident/physicia n needs to be hypercompetitive is probably a hangover from undergrad, and really has no place in medical practice. I completely agree with above: if you don’t go for it because you fear the competition, you’re cheating yourself out of an attainable and worthwhile goal.