Owner: One Student Doctor's Thoughts URL:http://www.onestudentdoctorsthoughts.blogspot.com Join Date: Tue, 27 Feb 2007 01:08:07 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: A student doctor's perspective: A place for me to share some of the things that are on my mind...and a nice diversion when I need a quick break from one of my all night, super-caffeinated, I'll-sleep-when-I'm-dead study marathons.
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Daddy's Girl 1970-01-01 00:59:59 While preparing for D-day (which was, in case you're curious, June 5, 2006: the first day AMCAS accepted applications for the entering class of 2007), I spent a great deal of time in the operating room (this looked great on my application, but that ended up being just a fringe benefit...I really actually learned a lot). I racked up hundreds of hours of time shadowing surgeons and, eventually, even assisting with a few surgeries ("Hey, want to learn how to scrub in?" Hell yes!) Given all of this time I really thought I had a working understanding of the entire process of surgery on at least a general level, and I did have that...from the professional side. As I mentioned before, however, my father had surgery this Friday. Through this, I really got some education about the process of surgery from the patient's point of view. I played it very cool for the month and a half leading up to dad's surgery. I knew he was going to be fine and that he was going to be better off because of this Read more:Daddy
Ouch...Thank You! 1970-01-01 00:59:59 This week, I received rejections from two of the more "prestigious" medical schools on my AMCAS list. (Although, at this level of education, I'm not sure what "more prestigious" means besides "more expensive"...if anything. I've heard over and over that getting into any medical school in America is a huge accomplishment and, after having went through the entire application process, I'm now quite inclined to believe that's true. Anyway.) Even though I have been accepted to other schools, these rejections still stung. So, just in case you currently find yourself holding a rejection from one or more of these schools, (or in case you will sometime in the future) here are some statistics that I hope will make you (and me) feel much better:According to the current US News and World Report, this year's top 10 United States medical schools are the following:1. Harvard University2. Johns Hopkins University3. Washington University in St. Louis4. Duke University5. University of Pennsylvania Read more:Thank
Senioritis 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Well, well. The time which I never thought would come is actually upon me: my last semester of undergraduate study is in full swing. After speaking with a lot of other students in my position, I've decided to say a few words on an affliction which is clearly affecting many of us heavily: senioritis. This disease is tricky. It will sneak up on even the most hardcore of studiers before he or she knows what hit her or him. In an effort to help you diagnose yourself--or someone you love--I'll list a few of the more common symptoms below, using myself as an example (who else am I going to use...?)Symptom 1: Drastic change of scholastic habits. Example: For years, I used to come home from hours of lecture and re-write every word of notes from that day, heavily accompanying my notes with outside references and clarifying supplements, etc...(I know, I know, you're thinking, "What a nerd"...well, be that as it may, this was a habit which contributed largely to my very nice GPA. So, admitted
My Best Feature 1970-01-01 00:59:59 I would like to take this opportunity to brag a bit about my best feature. No, no, it's not my MCAT score or my GPA. It's not my grasp of Organic Chemistry or my ability to memorize a ridiculous amount of information in a short period of time. It's also not my bright blue eyes or my really big...lips... (wink, wink). No. My hands down, definite best feature by far is: my husband. (OK, all together now: "Awwwwwww!" That's right.)He's the kind of man that is the implied subject of phrases like, "They just don't make them like that anymore." He's the kind of man that makes you want to become a better person--just because you know him. He's my home, my best friend, and my hero. He worked two jobs (filled with ridiculous people and terrible environments) for years so that I could focus completely on school. He puts up with me--a wife that cannot offer him all the attention he deserves because she has to study a great deal--and he does so without complaint. He believes in me and, on
Learning Anger 1970-01-01 00:59:59 During this time period of my life--when I'm getting used to the knowledge that I will be a doctor--I've noticed that the role of physician keeps changing in my mind. It keeps growing, morphing into something that sometimes surprises me. For example, until yesterday, I never thought of it as the physician's job to get angry (I guess I thought this role was reserved for over-reactive parents and stubborn people who think they know better than the doctor because they read WebMD...). But, I realize now that sometimes it's completely necessary for a good doctor to get pissed.My father had surgery on Friday. A little while after the surgery, my father was ready to be released, however, he could not leave because no one had delivered this particular piece of equipment that he needed for his recovery. The surgeon got on the phone, called the equipment provider, and screamed at the driver for being late--the delivery was made very shortly afterward. While giving my parents their equipment, Read more:Learning
Gripe Fest 2007 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Here's the deal. I've had several very frustrating and/or unfair and/or completely ridiculous situations arise lately. And, rather then make them all separate posts, I've decided to compile them all into one big rant (that way, I will hopefully not seem like I complain ALL THE TIME...but, rather, just some of the time, which is healthy, right? Hello?).Gripe
Number 1: Boring, unnecessary lectures.If you've ever gone to any school, you know what this situation is all about and you get how badly it sucks. For example, as a future doctor, can anyone please explain to me why my university felt it necessary for me to spend a semester of my undergraduate life learning the reproductive cycles of conifers? Please.Gripe Number 2: I just wanted my friggin' transcript. Morons.Basically, I found out about a very large scholarship two days before the deadline to apply. So, since I definitely don't have the cash to just pay for medical school, I spent one whole day (and night) writing the amazi
Not-So-Idol Obsession 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Ok. That last post was pretty introspective...and so now for something lighter. I think that the time has come that I completely admit to and accept the fact that I am a total reality TV nerd. However, it is not every reality TV show that holds my attention, no, no...I am faithful to The One Show above all other shows. That's right...I'm an American Idol Freak. Shut up, you know you are, too...and now, thanks to my bravery, you can admit it! Here are some examples of just how deep this Idol nerdhood is encoded into my DNA:1. I actually felt sick to my stomach when Chris Daughtry was voted off of Idol...I know, that one still hurts... Though he has to feel vindicated by the fact that his album has already gone platinum while Taylor Hicks' album is propping up the short leg on wobbly dining room tables across the land... (As an aside: have you heard Daughtry's debut album? It's all I've listened to since it was released. One word: amazing! He's absolutely incredible. And have you Read more:Obsession
Thank You! 1970-01-01 00:59:59 This post is dedicated to family members of pre-medical students. I would like to say, "thank you" for what you do for us on a regular basis. I know that we (I) sometimes act strangely and I'd like to explain some of our (my) odd and seemingly off-the-wall-behavior.When we come home from school and don't want to talk about it, it's not that anything devastating happened that day. It's also not that we don't want you to know what's going on in our academic lives. It's just that school completely occupies our minds day-in and day-out and, sometimes, we just want a couple of minutes in which we don't have to speak of/think about/acknowledge the existence of our universities. When we are outraged over a B or (God forbid) a C on an exam, and we get aggravated because you tell us about how most people would love to just pass, we're not trying to be hateful. We simply know this. However, this thought is not comforting to us because we've made it as far as we have by not behaving lik Read more:Thank
Endurance 1970-01-01 00:59:59 If you are reading this pre-med/medical school blog (thanks!), then you probably fall into one of a small number of categories (I know, this is a gross generalization, but please hang with me for a moment). And to you, whomever you are, I would like to send encouragement based upon the category in which you find yourself.Perhaps you are in high school, dreaming of (or maybe just considering) a career in medicine. Well, the best advice I can give you is to develop very thick skin. Lots of people are going to tell you that you are out of your league, no matter who you are, because the goal seems so lofty that many people dismiss it automatically; they think that's just something students say. I am proof, however, that it can be done...and I come from no long heritage of doctors (I'm the first in my family to go to college) and have never had any sort of great wealth. The point I'm trying to make is this: you set your mind and keep it set--work (work hard), begin volunteering and accum Read more:Endurance
Preparation 1970-01-01 00:59:59 I found out just a few days ago that I have been accepted to medical school...and I still can't quite believe it. For so many years, I have spent every second either studying, shadowing, volunteering, or researching in order to make myself a good applicant...and now, it's over. It's a wonderful feeling that I wouldn't trade. But, under all this joy is the now inescapable apprehension that I suppose inevitably comes with increased responsibility. I used to be afraid that I would never be a doctor...and now I'm afraid because I WILL be a doctor. It's ironic and understandable, I guess. But I've suddenly shifted mentally from college kid (responsible for my chemistry midterm) to medical student (responsible for the lives of strangers). What an incredible opportunity...and a humbling responsibility. Before, I thought of presenting myself well to medical schools. Now, what clouds my mind mostly is the thought that (with my acceptances) I've suddenly become an example--to other pre-m
The Phantom Zone 2007-03-01 22:14:00 Well. I've been put on two waitlists in as many days...and one of these is from my first choice school. The waitlist. After waiting for two months (since the interviews in early January) this is what two schools have done to me. What cruel and unusual punishment.Let's just break down the waitlist a bit, shall we? With a waitlist, the medical school is saying, "Well, you're basically alright by us, but we like these 64 other people just a little bit better...we're going to try and rope them in first. If they don't choose to come here, though, you're totally welcome!" Nothing like being someone's 65th choice. Jeez.What am I supposed to do with this? I, like many people, have to move to go to medical school (you know, since no local schools have given me any attention at all...I'm not bitter or anything...) and what am I supposed to do while I'm on these freaking waitlists?! Wait! Just wait. That's all any of us in this position can do. I can't sell my house because of the terr Read more:Phantom
No More Spring Breaks...! 2007-03-12 02:34:00 Hmmmmm. Spring
break (my last one ever) is now over. Tomorrow, at 8 a.m., I'll be back in Immunology, struggling to stay awake because my professor thinks it's a wonderful idea to turn all of the lights off so that we can see the power point presentation better. Not a good idea. We can already see the presentation. And, did I mention this is at 8 a.m.? Thought so. Anyway.No more spring breaks. No more partying in Panama. No more getting ridiculously waisted mid-semester. No more flashing slobbering, overgrown boys in exchange for plastic beads that are worth about a cent. No more...wait, I never did any of that anyway. Moving on.In years past, I've been very sad when spring break was over (bye bye, sleep!). The feeling I have this year is strange, however...it's joy. No more spring breaks! I know, I know. You're all probably thinking I'm crazy. And you'd be right. But not because of this...stop judging me, please... I'm happy because college kids have spring break. And, the fa
This is Your Brain on AMCAS 2007-03-13 08:36:00 Recently, I got to go out with a few classmates, most of whom are, like me, still in the middle of the medical school application season (Hurray!). After spending (very little) time with these people, I realized this: we are obsessed. And not just normal-obsessed. We are, without a doubt, atrociously tormented, bedeviled, taken over, captivated, possessed, consumed, fixated, haunted (You get the idea, I hope) by this admission process. You see, on this relatively rare trip outside of school to just 'relax' together (Uh huh...), all we could talk about was applying. And, the truly sad thing is that while I was listening to everyone give their encouragement to everyone else ("Oh, you're certainly going to get in!" "Wow, what an MCAT score!" "With your personality, they're going to love you at your interviews!" "What fantastic extracurriculars!") it was painfully obvious that they were really thinking something entirely different ("I hate you." "I'm SO much more qualified than you!" Read more:Brain
Summa Cum What Now? 2007-03-17 04:29:00 So, right off the bat I must admit that I have grown quite accustomed to long-winded writing. However, today, I must get back to studying for a big Physiology exam I have this Monday. I really want to document this, though, because it's so funny (at least to me). So, I'll make this short and sweet. Last Tuesday, my university let me know that I would be graduating Summa Cum Laude [soom-uh koom lou-dey], which is a huge honor. However, someone I love very much, who shall remain nameless (you know who you are, babe!) has been telling everyone that I'm graduating "Some Come Loudly". And the truly funny part about this is that he has yet to realize the potentially pornographic undertones of his proud, mispronounced declaration. So, in other words, my husband (couldn't stop myself, honey) has been announcing to everyone that I--and everyone else in my university who has a GPA of 3.9 or higher--are...ummm...how should I say this?...superfluously vociferous in the boudoir... This is where
Sleepless 2007-03-22 02:34:00 I can't sleep. Throughout the night, I toss and turn...never quite finding comfort. You see, I just have so many burning questions in my mind that I can't shut down long enough to relax and actually fall asleep. I try to stop thinking about them, but they continue to keep me alert and in a state of quasi-panicked insomnia, no matter what I do.The burning, poignant questions I speak of include some that are centered around my personal life, as follows:"Have I done enough to prepare for medical school?""Will I get through the next 42 days without doing something stupid to mess up my own graduation?""Which medical school will I end up in?""Will my family end up happy when we move?""Am I smart enough to take on the USMLE Steps?""How can I ever repay my family for what they've done for me?""Am I strong enough to overcome my overwhelming fear of failure?""How will I ever pay for tuition?""If something happened to me, would my family be alright?"Beyond these self-centered questions are som
One of Those Moments 2007-03-28 21:40:00 I am a TA for a large organic chemistry class (157 students) at my university (I'll have to write about that someday. Basically, this means that I do all the work and the professor golfs...). Right now, I'm sitting in the Science Building, waiting for my class to arrive. They'll be here in about 15 minutes. This has been a really hard day. I had (literally) 1 hour of sleep last night, an 8 a.m. Immunology exam, a 12 p.m. Molecular Evolution exam, 3 lectures in between those tests, numerous calls and e-mails from my students (because they learned today that there will be a quiz Friday), research to complete in between all this, and I feel like I've not had a single moment to breathe. Looking forward, I get anxious when I realize that I have 5 exams, 7 lab reports, 10 quizzes, two term papers, six finals, and a senior capstone research project (with accompanying oral presentation to be given at my state's capital) to complete in the next month before I can graduate. God help me. But Read more:Moments
Now They Tell Me 2007-03-30 06:59:00 I wasn't planning on writing again today, but I found this site with a lot of quick little quizzes and I thought I'd share because they're fast and fun. Here's the link to the site in case you're interested--there are a ton more quizzes than what I've done here. Have fun!Here are my results to the quizzes I took (I answered every question completely honestly; some of these are pretty interesting and some are just hilarious):What should you study?I just thought I'd start with one that makes me all warm and fuzzy on the inside.Are you running on adrenaline? 82%? Not 100%? Geeeeeeeez...I'm pretty sure this quiz is flawed.Are you cutthroat? Um...next.How skeptical are you? Hmmmm...a skeptic and a cutthroat? Warm fuzzy feelings gone.What is the part of you that no one sees? Wow...this one is actually frighteningly accurate.And finally, for the greatest result of all (keep in mind I answered totally honestly), I give you:Are you a good student?Crap. It's a little late to find this o
Oh Yeah, It's Getting Hot in Here 2007-03-31 07:01:00 It's crunch time, so I put together a little graduation countdown. I'd like to include it here for memory's sake. From now until the end of my undergraduate life, here are the statistics:Number of research presentations I have to give at my state capital: 1Number of lab reports left to generate: 3Number of term papers to write that I have known about for months but which I have not yet started: 2 Number of panic attacks I'm sure I'll have regarding my aforementioned procrastination: 457102Number of planned quizzes to take: 7Number of pop quizzes to take: who knows? That's the nature of pop quizzes, silly!Number of tests to take: 8Number of organic chemistry classes to teach: 16Number of finals to endure: 6Number of days to graduation: 34Number of times I'll worry about accidentally screwing everything up: 17293608272637Excuse me...I feel one of those panic attacks coming on.
My Apologies... 2007-04-16 04:38:00 Hello everyone. I just want to write a quick note to apologize for not writing anything for a while. I have just got so much to do that I haven't had a change to post...but I will have something soon, I promise! Until then, all I have time to say is this: There are only 19 days until graduation! Whew!
In Memoriam 2007-04-17 21:28:00 Virginia Tech is not my university, but after hearing the news of what has happened there and watching the convocation honoring the 32 innocent people who were killed yesterday, I feel such a connection with all of the students there and such overwhelming sympathy for the families directly impacted by these senseless killings that I want to offer my prayers and sincere wishes for as smooth a recovery as is possible after such an awful tragedy. I am sure that many students throughout the nation feel this connection by the very fact that we, too, are students. As a student at a university, I cannot imagine dealing with an illogical and unreasonable event like the one that has suddenly transformed your campus from a safe, beautiful home away from home to a horrible crime scene. I am so sorry that anyone is capable of such an act.To the students and faculty at Virginia Tech: Students all across the country are with you--in spirit if not in person--and I hope that this may offer some level
Hello Again! 2007-05-22 02:37:00 Hey everyone! I am sorry I've been gone for so long. It's been a really crazy time! But, I am so happy to say that I have graduated!!!! I am a biologist and I can't believe it! Graduation was a surreal and wonderful day which I will never forget. As I trudge through this summer, I am working to sell my house and choose a medical school. And I'm trying to deal with the fear I feel about my upcoming entrance into medical school. I promise to have something more in depth regarding graduation and entrance into medical school soon. As for now, I just wanted to say hello to everyone and let you all know that I have not left, I'm just selling my house and moving! I will keep up with this blog much better now. Thanks! Read more:Hello
, Again
Woo!!! 2007-05-26 01:45:00 I am so excited, I can't even express. Today (my birthday!!) I got a call from the top school on my AMCAS list, one which I have been wait listed on since January. The call was from the dean of the medical school and she told me that I have been accepted!! I can't even believe it! And she called on my birthday!! Man, I can't believe it. I am so happy that I don't have to settle for a little state school...this world-class school is a major metropolitan player. Now, I'm getting nervous about being in such an awesome environment... But it will be exciting. I can't believe I've been accepted there! Wooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Joy 2007-05-11 23:07:00 I graduated!!! Wooooooooooooo hoooooooooooooooo!!!!!!
A New Kind of Fear 2007-06-03 01:40:00 The initial thrill of being accepted to my first-choice school is now over and I'm left with one emoation: fear.I used to be afraid that I wouldn't get into medical school...now I'm afraid because I have gotten in! I know that probably seems really silly to anyone who's not gone through this, but it's true. I'm terrified. We're selling our home in order to move 6 hours away to a major metropolis. We've owned our home since we got married and now we're moving and going to rent a high rise apartment. That's a big change!The thing that scares me is this: I know all of this change is because of me. My husband and I are selling the home that we love. We are leaving everyone we've ever known. My husband is leaving a great job with great benefits. We're uprooting our whole lives...and it's my fault. My fear is that we'll do all this, disrupt our entire lives, and then I'll get to medical school and not be smart enough. What a catastrophe that would be. I am terrified that I'm
Sacrifice 2007-06-26 02:05:00 I have had a truly heartbreaking couple of days and need to get some rest because my head is pounding (generally, if I cry a great deal, my head hurts). I just wanted to check in really quickly.Let me just say this first of all: I thought that getting IN to medical school was the hard part (and it WAS hard) but in actuality, getting TO medical school is proving to be very taxing, too.As you may know, I'm moving 300 miles from home to go to school. I'm leaving everything...but I always thought I could take my pet...Four years ago, I rescued a German Shepard mix from the humane society and ever since then, I have loved him with my whole heart. He's smart and sweet and gentle and loyal...and he's so beautiful. He's strong when he has to be, too. He once protected me when a man was trying to break into my home--he scared him off! I found out this weekend, though, that I can't keep him. I'm now searching for a loving and safe home for him because he can no longer stay with me.He's d
Time Goes By 2008-02-09 23:40:00 I can't believe how long it's been since I've written. I am back! A lot has happened since I've written last, and I have a great deal of info to share with everyone. I'm now well into my first year of medical school--what a tremendous transition it is from undergrad!!! I have never been happier, though. It was tough at the beginning--something I'll find time to write about in more detail later. I have finally settled in to this wild new life of mine, so I will make time to write and share now. Sorry I've been gone so long....thanks for hanging around, though!I'll be back VERY SOON. :)
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