2 times the fun

To begin, I have not posted in over a week and a half now. Why you may ask?? Well because I am lazy, and probably the more reasonable reason being that I have been going out a lot more in the recent weeks and when I get home its too late to make a post since all I want to do is go to sleep.

Another reason is that I have not posted is because I have not heard anything from medical schools in a while. So, the question is, why I am posting today? Is it because I finally have a minute or 2 to myself and wanted to share it with you all? Or is it because I finally heard something from a medical school? The title doesn't help you either because obviously I have been having some fun, but at the same time it could be a sarcastic referring to the fact that I have heard rejections from 2 medical schools.

The impetus for the post is the latter reason (while both are true). Way back in the fall I was notified by Albany that I was in the "Hold" category and on April 25th, my status "has been changed to 'no interview' " (directly from the letter). I also recieved a letter from Temple University saying that my application has been withdrawn from further consideration considering that they received over 8400 applications for 180 spots.

The first school I can kind of understand - I have no real tie to the state of NY. I am not even sure if I would want to be in Albany NY for a few years. I really don't know much about the school. The second one I do not understand completely. And for that matter, I just don't understand this process as a whole... I was interviewed at EVMS, Temple, NYMC and Maryland last year. Not one of those schools has offered me an interview this year and while 2 of them have not officially rejected me (NYMC and MD), I am pretty confident that I will not be receiving an interview. So I guess I just do not understand how this all works. Last year I was good enough for these places (MD is a top 25 school I think... and schools like NYMC, Temple and EVMS are not in the same strata) but this year I am not even though I did complete my Master's and have gotten clinical experience which admittedly is (was?) my weakest area of my application.

Instead of dwelling on the past, however, I definitely need to continue looking to the future and the prospects that are still in front of me. First and foremost, it has now been 5 and a half weeks since I interviewed at Penn State and during the interview, they indicated that it normally takes 6-8 weeks to hear a decision, however due to the time of year it may be a little bit sooner (ie: any day now). I also am waiting patiently on the waitlists at both GW and WVU, where May 15 is a very important date with waitlists. I just did a quick check on whether or not I have said why May 15 is an important date and I don't think I have so... May 15 is important because it is the date that everyone who has been accepted to medical school can hold a seat at only one medical school. So for those who are very smart and have been accepted to multiple schools (ie: not me) they have to tell all but one school "no" by this date. Therefore, there are a lot of schools that get said no to and thus spots open up for those of us holding out on waitlists.

So being that tomorrow is the end of April, I should be hearing some things in May and it could be a pretty big month (either way) Or it could be that I will just wait away another month, especially if Penn State sticks me on their waitlist, which is what I expect.

I will try and post a little more frequently. I know all 3 of you reading this have missed my wittiness.

still waiting,
-wait

SLU

Today I got rejected from Saint Louis University School of Medicine. No worries, I'm not that concerned really. Rejections hurt yes, but SLU is one of those schools that I just sorta kinda threw in at the last minute. I have kept the wall updated with my post its but haven't posted that lately so I will do that now.

I also wanted to give my take on the Duke lacrosse scandal. But I don't feel like doing that right now, maybe I will in the next couple days. It's something I feel pretty strong about and I have become very annoyed with what has happened.

Golf, Memorial, Baseball, and Easter

As I said last week, I headed home this weekend and the weekend turned into something where I didn't really stop running from the time I got home. Ian and I left work a little early (3) and headed up good ole 95 towards Baltimore. The drive went really well until the DC beltway. Then it took us 1.5 hours to go 5 miles on the beltway. We ended up not getting to Baltimore until a little after 7, and we headed to a lit driving range because we needed to do something after spending over 4 hours in the car. Amazingly, I was hitting the ball really well, and had more good shots than bad ones (which is a rarity). We then went and saw an amazing movie - Thank you for Smoking. I completely suggest this movie if you are even thinking about it. I thought it was superbly done, and definitely shows how if the right spin is put on it, anything is believable.

Saturday morning I headed to the memorial service for Mr. Seigman. Admittedly, this was a lot harder than expected. About 7 people talked during the service, and all but two were obviously choked up in what they had to say. It was no more than 2 weeks ago that Mr. Seigman was walking the halls of McDonogh laughing and joking, and now that is his eternal resting place (not the halls, but the columbarium on campus). Definitely a moving morning - I'm still not sure I believe that he is gone. As I was leaving, I walked up to his classroom and while things have changed in the 7 years since I graced his classroom with my presence, not much has changed and I still felt his presence.

To let out some frustration I headed back to the driving range and got some more good hits out. After that it was off to Camden Yards to watch a pretty good game between the Orioles and Angels. Eric Bedard is going to be something truly magical if he can stay healthy. I believed in him a lot last year as his ERA for the first month and a half was hovering around 2, but then he got injured and the Orioles started their slide down after he went on the DL. Overall though, the game went really well, and of course that is probably because the Orioles won.

Ian and I went to church this morning and we were really surprised at going in there as they were taking tickets. Tickets to church. And we didn't have them. The guy was nice enough to let us in - but I was thinking about it today - what if he hadn't? Would they really turn someone away from going to church? Ok ok, I understand the need to have some sort of crowd control on Easter sunday - there are lots of people who go to church on Christmas and Easter, and every church only has so many seats. And considering the church already has enough people to seat 5 services on a weekend, the extra people showing up on Easter may cause some sort of unmanageable influx, but is it really necessary to have tickets to attend church? Isn't there a better way than this? I'm not upset at this, it just raised a few questions.

We then headed off to a gathering of my extended family (parents in florida) and I got to see my sister, all the cousins, second cousins (I think thats what they are to me... my cousins kids) aunts, uncles and my grandmother. There is never a dull moment when we get together and today was no different. Finally, after a mere 2 hours and 20 minutes in the car, we made it back to Richmond.

So there's the play by play of the weekend. In case you wanted to know.

still waiting,
-wait

Georgetown and home

I got home and found 2 different emails in my inbox, both from the admission office at Georgetown. I was in fact rejected from Georgetown in early January, so to see email from them was somewhat surprising. What shocked me was the subject of the first email which read "Information for Accepted Applicants". And then the second email had the subject "Email message error..." so I knew something was up. These emails were sent about an hour apart, and therefore, had I been getting email at work, I would have seen the first email about being accepted and probably would have been very confused, and really wondering and hoping. I have grown immune to a lot that goes on in this process and when things don't go my way, it's not like I don't get upset, but I definitely try not to get bitter. But it is situations like these where schools need to be a little bit more concerned with applicants and the way they are treated in this process. We have all worked so hard to even make it this far, giving schools all that we can, with lots and lots of respect (well most of us). I do realize this is a mistake, and they are just as human as you and me, so maybe I shouldn't be so cynical; it's just been a long 3 years.

I definitely won't be posting over the next few days - I am headed home tomorrow for a multitude of reasons, not the least of which is Easter. Last year I was in Florida with my parents for Easter, but that is the last time I really remember being with family for Easter. So going home for that will be kind of cool. For those of the Christian and Jewish faiths, this marks one of the holiest weeks of the year. This week is Passover for the Jewish people, and for the Christian people it is the week where the prophesy of Jesus was fulfilled. I have always found these next few days in the Christian calendar in such opposition - Good Friday is the day Jesus was killed, and Easter Sunday is the most joyous day in the Christian calendar.

Now if I only knew how the Easter bunny fit in to the whole scheme.

Happy Easter!

Still waiting,
-wait

Gettin' Siggy with it

You know, it's funny. There are times in my life (and I am sure yours) where one event shakes your life and makes you realize there is a lot more than going to work, hitting some golf balls, eating dinner and going to bed. Unfortunately for me, this event usually is someone dying. And, if you couldn't figure it out, this happened today with one of my mentors from high school passing away. My AP Bio teacher, Mr. Seigman, passed away this morning of a heart attack, and this is something that is effecting me a little bit more than expected. He had been at McDonogh for about 37 years and he will be sorely missed by everyone there.

This man is someone who got me really excited about science, and is one of my influences for entering medicine - though he wasn't a doctor, he is someone who taught me so much in the world of science and to truly what being a scientist means. He taught me how to be a better studier and a better person in general. He is someone who was strong in his faith, and taught me much about how someone can really reconcile faith with modern science and evolution.

As one of my influences to go into medicine, I was really excited to be able to tell him that I was going to be a doctor, and now I won't have that chance.

So no longer we will be gettin' Siggy with it. Rest in peace.

Here's the site from my school (sorry for the copied image)

Tulane and CrossOver

This makes 4 days in a row (not including Sunday) and 5 out of 6 that I have heard stuff from medical schools. When it rains it pours, I guess. Speaking of raining, we had a really sweet thunderstorm tonight. One of my absolute loves is (are?) thunderstorms. The power they have, the bolts of lightning, claps of thunder, and the intense rains is just amazing. I would take good thunderstorm anyday. I was driving home from work and I just watched the storm roll in; one part of the sky was clear as day, the other half was black. And on the leading edge of the clouds, there was this line of white clouds that really just added even more mystery to the storm.

But back to the medical schools. After running in from the rain, I found an evelope from Tulane. Being that it is April 3rd, anything except a rejection would be a complete surprise from any school. However, Tulane is a little different. If you have been a consistent reader, you might remember that I mailed my application to Tulane on August 26th, and even if you haven't been a consistent reader, you might remember a storm named Katrina that tore the city apart. Needless to say, the application I mailed found it's way to some mailroom for a number of months when I assumed it was lost at sea. Using that assumption, I mailed a second application to the school, where the promptly cashed my check - then in late November, the first application I sent finally made it's way to the admissions office, and that check was also cashed. (These checks were $95 a piece).

When I first saw that both checks had been cashed, I called the office (this was in November) and asked if I could get refunded for one of those, to which they said of course, it might just be a couple months. This is completely understandable seeing as everything that their school has undergone; I completely sympathize with their situation. Now like I said, I have been expecting a rejection letter, but I was hoping I would at least see the refund first. But no, the letter I received today was, in fact, a rejection letter. Maybe this is just me feeling bitter, but if they can find it in their hearts to send me a rejection, can't they find it in them to refund my money?

I mean, maybe I shouldn't be bitter because I am not sure I can really comprehend everything they lost, and that 95 is lost to me anyways -- it's been out of my bank account for a number of months, and I have made do without it for this long. But at the same time, why should I have to spend $190 to get rejected from a school?

(end rant)

I went to Crossover today and I this is one of those days where I feel like I actually felt like I helped someone. There are a lot of days in the office when I feel like I have done something good, and that usually comes when I talk to someone on the phone and try to ease their pain as they see that they might actually be able to get healthcare. But today was different. I was working on a project (side note: as I write this, I just remember that I left everything I was working on and didn't clean it up before I left... so there I left 3 piles of papers by a computer as I was trying to pull labs.... oh well, I don't think those papers really make the landscape too different)

So one of the PA's asks me if I can help her figure out the TTY system (for the hard of hearing) for a patient who is going to need some help as the patient had just had a laryngectomy (the larynx has been removed so she cannot talk). So I end up calling a group called Virginia relay which runs the service, and then to the VDDHH (Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing) and find out that this patient can get a free TTY phone and I give her directions to the place, and everything she needs to do in order to obtain her system. After we finished discussing (well after I finished talking) she just looked at me and mouthed the words thank you to me, and I could see that she was sincerely grateful for all that I had done. Thinking about it later, I realized that through 2 simple phone calls, I was going to help this lady lead a life that is somewhat normal in that she will be able to make phone calls. It is experiences like these that make my days at Crossover truly worthwhile. I feel like I am truly helping someone that is having so much trouble getting by (her yearly income was deporable... the monthly rent of my house last year in DC was more than she makes in a year).

As I write this, I can't help but think that this may come off as somewhat egotistical, but I really don't hope you all see it that way. It just made me feel good to help someone get back to some sort of normalcy; and it is this reason that I really want to enter medicine because I know that is what I want to do with my life. There have been many of these moments at Crossover, I just felt like talking about that one.

Also, if you are in the Richmond area, Crossover is putting on a 5k to help support them. If you want information on that, let me know. Also, if you aren't in Richmond and want to donate to an amazing cause, let me know and I can hook you up with some information.

still waiting,
-wait

10K and WVU

Before noon today, yes a Saturday, 2 things had happened. I guess what makes this weirder is the last 2 Saturdays I have woken up at 11:45 and didn't get out of bed until after noon. Anyways, 1 is that I ran the Monument Ave 10k here in Richmond and 2 is I received another letter from WVU regarding my waitlist status.

First, the 10k. I've run this race now 5 years in a row, and with regard to my previous post, my time did fall even further. The actual race results aren't posted yet, but according to my watch, I ran it in 58:10, which over 2 minutes slower than last year. That works out to be 9:23 mile pace. I am not too pleased with that, especially considering I know that I can do better. I guess overall I should be rather happy with it because I really didn't do any running leading up to the race, except a run every now and then. The race is a pretty fun race -- there were over 20,000 runners and people along the whole way cheering you along. It's basically and out and back run up Monument Ave, which is a street here in Richmond lined with southern Civil War heroes and Arthur Ashe. (Was tennis even a sport during the 1860's?)

My goal next year is to race it again -- and to actually head back into the 40's. Knocking over 8 minutes off a 10k time would be pretty sweet and if I get into medical school, I will be running more as a stress relief.

On arriving home, the mailman was walking around with our mail (delivering it, not just walking around aimlessly) and he dropped off a letter from WVU School of Medicine. This letter informed me that I am in a small group that is on the waitlist. The letter told me to contact them as well, and that there is a possibility that I can be taken off the waitlist anytime between now and when orientation starts in August. So this adds another dimension to this process by being in yet another small group that could possibly be accepted anytime betweeen now and orientation. Of course to add yet another dimension, I am still waiting to hear word from Penn State. The next few weeks will probably be pretty huge.

I am real tired now from the race, and Saturday is my day for sleeping in and since I didn't change my alarm from yesterday morning (6:50) it is obvious I haven't gotten the sleep that I need. Tonight is the semifinals for the tourney... I am rooting hardcore for GMU... there were a bunch of people at the race today who had GMU shirts on, and I would yell to them and they would get a huge smile on there face and yell back PATRIOTS!

I just need to get some sleep before I can muster the energy to go out watch the game.

still waiting,
-wait