At Johns Hopkins University, any sufficiently driven student pursuing a degree in biomedical engineering is called a throat, short for cutthroat. Because JHU's BME (aka pre-med) program is consistently ranked as one of the best ways to get into medical school, many Type A people strive to get into the Hopkins program. Because these people are driven (by neurotic parents, usually) to be the absolute fucking best at everything they do, they tend to get very cranky when they get to college, and resort to things like laboratory sabotage, cheating on exams, giving "friends" the wrong homework assignment, reserving several study rooms simultaneously the night before an exam, and so forth.
Their aggressive focus on throating other BMEs tends to rub non-BMEs the wrong way in large classes like calculus and physics. Because they have a goal very sharply in focus, they often get angry about being told they aren't allowed to do something that's in their plan. One example: as a junior, getting locked out of a senior-level class that has a size limit may happen, but it "doesn't happen to me!"
Not necessarily spods, because they usually pursue extracurricular activities with a bold ferocity that causes other non-BME members to resign and find new hobbies. These so-called students are resume stuffers: by foundng a new club and getting themselves elected president or treasurer, they gain one more point of well-rounded-ness. Most BMEs have an intrinsic charisma and an infectious optimism that makes them a natural leader. If a club already exists that a band of throats want to add to their resumes, they join, shrink the membership with ill will and Robert's Rules, then install a puppet regime. Once they get take the MCATs, the club is disbanded or its wreckage is handed back to the peasants.
Disclaimer: Not all pre-meds are throats! I have known many nice BMEs. However, the traits that make an ambitious, capable, talented student a good friend and a great leader are the same ones that, in the absence of ethics, make that person into a cutthroat.