Roadtrip update: from Duarte, CA

Today's inane image of the day:

We had a fireplace in our room at the Colony Palms Hotel.

It's sad that I have a fear of fire because just looking at a fireplace really has a calming effect on me. There was this cute little fireplace in our room as well as a cozy sitting area near a fireplace to dry off from the pool -- both of which were really relaxing to sit in front of. Mmm, I'm already missing my resort time!

Currently I'm sitting in Mike's new apartment in Duarte, California [the city is about 15 minutes from Pasadena]. Sadly, this is my last full day here [CA weather has not disappointed and neither has spending endless hours with Mike] so we've planned an adventure out to see the blocky Hollywood letters [I'm a tourist... what can I say?!] then to relax and walk around in Beverly Hills. I'll be back to visit Mike during the Labor Day weekend, so hopefully I'll get to slowly chip away at seeing various sites in L.A. during my future visits [and maybe even spotting my favorite reality TV star, Lauren Conrad].

In the meantime, I feel like there's a huge dark cloud of tasks that I need to complete before starting orientation on Monday [I seriously cannot believe that I'm only 5 days away from being a real medical student!]. Unfortunately, my vaccination forms are taking longer than they should to complete and I've been neglecting the various tasks that I had planned to do during trip downtime [finishing my lab data analysis, making a lab presentation, looking into the Anatomy primer, doing the online orientation, filling out various other forms... the list goes on!]. Hopefully when I return tomorrow, I'll be ridiculously efficient with my time and get a ton of things done.

Anyway, time to get moving -- Mike's making us a tasty breakfast of french toast and eggs... mmm I'm excited.

Double header: road trip and OUWB admitted student updates

Today's [awesome] inane images of the day:

Isn't the Grand Canyon lovely?

This has to be the best photo of Mike and I...almost ever.

The rain was kind of scary when it passed over us.

The view at the top of the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway.

Trip Update
We have had quite an adventure these past two days -- after Flagstaff, we decided to visit the Hoover Dam, then take a ride down the Las Vegas Boulevard (also known as "The Strip"). Unfortunately, we got caught in the I-15 traffic between Vegas and L.A. and ended up sitting in traffic for over 2 hours! No fun.

This morning we went to a cute place for brunch called the Escena Lounge and Grill -- we shared a tasty breakfast burrito and double cinnamon french toast. There was also an awesome deal on the Yelp iPhone app where if you write a review, you can get a free glass of the house wine. Turns out that their wine is really strong.

Afterwards, we went to the Desert Hills Outlets then the tram up the mountain. There was a good evening-hours deal that included the tram ride up and a very large dinner alongside a beautiful view.

Right now we are enjoying a pleasant stay at the Colony Palms Hotel.

OUWB Admitted Student Update
I was extremely excited to receive this update since it was packed with great updates including:

• Big sib/little sib program: apparently OUWB set up a program where we can be paired up with a current Beaumont resident to get all of our burning questions answered. I am super excited especially since there were a bunch of questions about preferences for the type of resident I wished to be paired up with.
• Anatomy primer: unlike many of my peers, I never took a formal Anatomy course, so Dr. Bee's awesome primer will most definitely come in handy! I'm kind of excited to cram in some studying before we start orientation.
• Improv comedy night: they set up an improv comedy night for us to enjoy on the first evening of orientation.
• Online orientation: apparently we need to be oriented online too...

This update was by far the most interesting one.

I really cannot believe that I'm starting my medical journey in just under a week from this moment. It really feels rather surreal and fantasy-esque. I really hope I'm prepared to take on a new level of retaining information!

Until next time... adios!

Roadtrip update: from Flagstaff, AZ

Today's inane image of the day:

Mike and I decided to go for something not in the "fast food" category and settled on this cute place called Criollo Latin Kitchen -- it was very tasty!

I'm going to save the OUWB Admitted Student Update post for later tonight when we get to Palm Springs -- look out for it!

In my lifetime I have traveled to Chicago, New York City, Boston, middle-of-nowhere Massachusetts [read: Great Barrington], Costa Rica [for a wedding when I was pretty young], and China. While I went to Milwaukee for the MCW interview, I didn't get a chance to explore the city, so I'm not counting that. Anyway, the point of this is that I am by no means the most well-traveled person, so this trip is really exciting to me.

Recently, I conversed with someone about medical schools and the importance of location. I personally feel comfortable in the Midwest probably because I grew up here and know what to expect. She had lived in a number of cities and mentioned that her experience in Texas was a positive one -- she noted that the South seemed friendlier than Michigan. While I tried to defend my home-state, I could not say anything about the South because I had never experienced it before.

Although I haven't lived in the South, staying a night in Oklahoma and passing through Texas has given me something to work with. I did notice that people were a lot more hospitable. It's funny how I always had this horribly closed-minded idea of what life was like in the South, and now I realize how wrong it was. Some part of me wants to live somewhere down here for a couple of years [I could do without snow for a couple years!]. 

Anyway, time to hit the Grand Canyon!

Roadtrip update: from Tulsa, OK

Today's inane image of the day:

That's a pink elephant... on the side of the road in Southern Illinois. Teehee.

After at least 15 hours in the car and 5 states later [2 of which, I've never been in until today!], I am exhausted. Thus, this update will be slightly lame.

The good news is that once we finally get to Palm Springs, I'll have some time to provide a real update for everyone about my trip and the most recent OUWB Admitted Student Update [it was a jam packed one... with really exciting stuff!].

Time to pass out here in Tulsa... 

Application numbers, road tripping

Oh, hey, were you looking for the preview of the OUWB Fall 2011 Schedule? [either click the lazy person link to go straight to the entry, or just scroll down]

Since I'm sure that a number of people are curious about the "numbers" for OUWB's inaugural class, I thought I'd start by giving you a sample size of n=1 [and if you think about it, with a class of 50 people my numbers account for 2% -- how many people can say that about their medical school?!]. You could have already been really SDN savvy and found that one post that I listed them, but not everyone is a forum expert [trust me, you'll catch up real fast on that front]. Anyway, this post is going to be slightly more detailed.

Are you ready?

AMCAS overall GPA: 3.76; AMCAS science GPA: 3.75; MCAT: 31Q. But keep in mind that numbers really only get you so far.

How about another piece of information?

AMCAS verified: early September

How about one more?

The majority of schools that I received interviews from were the ones that I was complete the latest [in fact, I submitted OUWB's secondary a couple of days before the deadline].

Say what?!

A couple of things I'm trying to get at here:

1. A late application is not the end of the world [but more on that later]
2. Numbers are not the only factor that schools consider [however, I did not say they were unimportant]
3. Life experience matters.

I'd have to say that the medical school application process is one of my most humbling experiences. There is no such thing as a "shoe-in" for any medical school -- in the end, it is kind of a crapshoot. All of the schools that I expected interviews from, failed me. The schools that I finally did receive interviews from, surprised me. Some advice for any pre-med about to embark on this journey: learn breathing exercises [especially for that first interview!], be prepared to discover who your real support network consists of [the people who can handle your 24/7 talk about the application process for a year or more are the ones you really should keep around], understand that patience is truly a virtue [after you hit submit, it's all in the hands of the admissions committee -- have faith in their ability to spot the prospective physician in you], and be confident in yourself [because let's face it, if you don't believe in yourself, how can you expect others -- namely, patients -- to?].

As promised on SDN, when we have the final class numbers I'll be sure to disseminate the information [but don't hold your breath since like most medical schools, our class has not yet been finalized, and probably won't be until we start classes].

In other news... I'm going to be road-tripping to California! They say that the summer before you matriculate is your last chance to be free from the grips of medicine [okay, I don't really see medicine that negatively, but I'm a realist], so I've been yearning for an opportunity to do something fun and finally found it! More on that later.

Comments are much appreciated. Even anonymous ones. Help me, help you! [wow, that was cheesy... I apologize.]