Waiting around

Sunday, August 21, 2005

Richmond and Wake Forest

Prologue: I just saw the "Title" box at the top of the page. That is pretty cool because I can actually title my posts and make it look all cool and formal. Not that I am formal by any stretch of the imagination. But it makes it look better. At least in my opinion.

Well the 2004-2005 application season is officially over for me. EVMS started classes last Monday and they wait one week to make sure their class is full. And Maryland... well who knows, but it is August 21 so if I was still hanging on, I should have my head examined.

So begins my down year. I don't have to study, which is a very good thing. I do have to earn some money, which kinda stinks, but this is the first year that I actually am earning some money instead of spending it. All things considered, I am not sure where I will be earning this money, but it will come.

One thing I am sure of is that I am moving to Richmond. I searched Thursday and Friday of last week to find a place and saw a couple REALLY nice places, a couple pretty cool places, and 1 horrible place. After showing Clements the pictures, we headed back to the place that was "pretty cool" and decided on that. The price was right, location wasn't bad, and it just seemed to fit. For those of you familiar with Richmond, it is about 2 blocks from Willow Lawn Shopping Center. (Just inside the city line). I move sometime next week. I haven't determined when yet as there are a lot of things that I need to put together before I leave Baltimore (again). I knew it'd be temporary move. Oh, and for those of you curious, I am living with Mike and Ian [last names omitted for privacy concerns]. It's gonna be super sweetalicous.

As for applications, as a refresher: I have submitted my primary application ("AMCAS") and am currently awaiting/working on secondary applications as they come in. I have been fortunate enough to turn the applications around in a timely manner (I spend no more than 2 days on them). Currently 9 have been turned in, 2 are in my hands, I just need to complete them, and I still have not heard from 7 schools.

And then there is 1 school left, which is Wake Forest. Apparently they are really cutting people out pre-secondary this year and I was on the unfortunate end of yet another rejection letter. The first one of this application cycle. Yeah it hurts, but again, I am used to it. I have trouble telling my parents because my mom gets so upset with the situation because she doesn't realize a lot about the process. So in telling her, she basically gets all pissy making me feel awesome. Really awesome. (please note sarcasm. heh).

But life goes on and I know there are more rejection letters coming my way. In fact, I'm happy that they rejected me before hand because that saved me from writing their essays again and sending them more money. Now I just hope that I don't get 18 more of them... 17 more would be ok, because that means I got in somewhere.

Friday, August 12, 2005

AMCAS woes and Niels Bohr (and pornography).

For those of you unfamiliar, AMCAS stands for "American Medical College Application Service" and serves as the initial application for medical school. It officially opens on May 1 of the year preceeding the year you want to enter medical school and you can submit as early as June 1 of that same year. (It does take a loooong time to fill out). I got around to submitting my AMCAS on July 28 of this year, still relatively early by many standards but I was not all gung-ho if you will. After submission, the people at AMCAS, who remain a mystery to all of us, process your application.

My application was finally processed this afternoon and in comparing my transcripts to what I entered on AMCAS they verified everything. But the problem here is that they neglected to account for every single flat A that I recieved at UR. Now seeing as this is my 3rd time applying, there are admittedly not 800 A's on my transcript, but there are enough to lower my GPA by over 0.1 points on a 4.0 scale. A tenth of a point may not seem like much, but really, it is. Not only did they not account for all my A's, but they also do not recognize all the credits that I had saying I only had 98 credits when I graduated college.

I found all of this out at around 5:10 and since the office was closed, I hopped on the internet (ok, the neighbors internet.... which I was already on) and emailed the office. Hopefully I will receive a response and the situation will be rectified in the morning.

On another note, I found a job opening in Fredericksburg, VA for the exact position I want. But the problem is that I want to live in Richmond. Alas, the search goes on.

My mom asked me today to show her exactly what I do while looking for jobs since that is apparently all I do now. What does anyone do? They go through the classifieds and for me, that is online. She really has yet to figure out what is on the internet.

Which reminds me of a story from high school... I had to do a research project on Niels Bohr (a Danish Physicist) for some class -- probably something for Mr. Blue as it was on the atomic bomb. And I remember I was researching on the internet and I was reading a webpage that had "Niels Bohr" across the top with a picture of him. My mom walks in and asks me what I was doing, and then gets all accusing-like. She says sternly "Are you looking at stuff you shouldn't be looking at?" I was like, "MOM! It is Niels Bohr, a Danish physicist. Do you REALLY think I would be looking at porn at this time of day??" Makes me laugh to this day.

Okay, well I will update more once I have something more to update.

Wednesday, August 10, 2005

Hunting for jobs sucks.

That is all.

Thursday, August 04, 2005

Another rejection brings out the continued notion that I won't be going to medical school this year, an idea that I have ascribed myself to over the last few days. This time it is Temple. Which is cool and all, but the letter they sent me was the same exact letter they sent to every other rejectee from their school this year. At least they could have the decency to send me a different form letter, one to the tune of "We did really like you as indicated by our decision to keep you on the wait-list, but we don't have space for you". But no. They give me the song and dance about having over 7000 applications and then the kicker "Unfortunately the tyranny of numbers requires us to reject many who have the potential to become physicians"

First of all, what exactly comes to mind when you hear "tyranny." This is how dictionary.com describes it:
  1. A government in which a single ruler is vested with absolute power.
  2. The office, authority, or jurisdiction of an absolute ruler.
  3. Absolute power, especially when exercised unjustly or cruelly: “I have sworn... eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man” (Thomas Jefferson).
    1. Use of absolute power.
    2. A tyrannical act.
  4. Extreme harshness or severity; rigor.

I think dictatorship, a la Hitler, Lenin, etc. etc. etc. So are they saying they have a dictatorship? Well isn't that cool. Last time I checked, Temple is in North Philadelphia and as Chris (my roommate from Georgetown) put it, "If you go to Temple, you will be robbed at least 1 time per year". The last thing they have is a dictatorship over the medical school applicants and that is based alone on the location, not to mention other stuff with the school like the accredidation problems they were having last year and having 8 (yes 8) people per cadaver -- 4 on each side.

Now don't get me wrong and misinterpret my rantings and ravings. If they had accepted me, I would have been there in a heart beat as opposed to applying to med school for a third time. It is just the little annoying things that get me and am frustrated at yet another rejection. I have all the letters from both years in a folder in my room.

When I get into medical school (notice how I don't say if :) ) I am going to do something with them... and no, it won't be burn them. I will probably make a collage out of them (yah, kinda girly) but I can post it on my wall to serve as a constant reminder that not everything in this world is given to us. These past two and a half years have served as a humbling experience for me; it's an experience that I, though feel somewhat brusied and broken from, wouldn't trade for anything in the world. I am sure some poet or literary-type figure said something to the effect of it's not the destination that is most important, but the journey.

And the journey, my friends, is what makes it all worth it. We can't have the good times if we don't know the bad. It is the people that join you on the journey, whether it is for 1 hour, or 3 years, that make the journey worthwhile. It is the places you go, both literally and figuratively, that make the journey worthwhile. So I hope you look around (I'll refrain from that stupid saying with flowers) and realize the journey you are on, and recognize that it probably isn't that bad, all things considered. Things will work out along your path one day, probably when you least expect it. Everything may suck now, but remember this time so that one day you can look back and laugh.

-waiter