hey soon to be m1s,
some random feedback to address the past few posts...
orientation schedule:
i can't remember the specifics of it anymore, but it goes somewhat like this: from approx. 8:30 am - 1pm, wednesday-friday. you'll spend the mornings listening to a speech by nearly every person on the OSUCOMPH payroll. even like an hour long presentation by IT services. you'll be hit with a huge amount of information, and i think that after 3 days, all i got out of it was finally not confusing the acronyms IP and ISP anymore. don't worry if you don't remember most of this info...it's all pretty much administrative, and helps just to give you a general idea of what you will be seeing throughout the year. whenever it comes time to actually start any of the programs (i.e. senior partners), there will be a more in-depth orientation lecture to address it. after that, they'll feed you a pretty decent lunch, all 3 days. dress casual during orientation, but you might want to bring a sweatshirt (they like to kick up the A/C full blast in meiling hall)... there were a few people in suits that first day who probably felt a little awkward after seeing everyone else in flip-flops. then, all 3 nights, there will be social activities, which are completely optional, but are a great way to start meeting your (large) class. there should be free appetizers and free/cheap drinks. the first two nights were at restaurants or bars and were reserved for only us... they were low-key and many peoples' guards seemed to come down (i'm sure the alcohol didn't hurt, either)... i remember the class acting much different on the 2nd morning compared to the first; the 3rd night was at some greasy undergrad bar that was simultaneously hosting a frat party (panini's for you columbusans), hopefully we'll choose a better one this year.
they will also give you a long list of chores you need to do, like activating the special hospital email, going to take pictures for both your buckID and hospital badge, probably getting a security background check, etc etc.
i think you're free to go home after lunch, but they hold events for a couple hours afterwards such as: a fair with booths set up by college clubs, nearby gyms, insurance people, banks...basically alot of things to help you get acclimated to life in columbus; there is also a presentation for out-of-staters on how to get residency and thus lower tuition (which is REALLY easy to do, btw); office hours with IT people where you try to set up the software to access campus wireless, and they'll be walking around if you can't figure it out on your own...stuff like that. i just remember there was ALOT of administrative stuff to take care of that first week and i would end up being done around 2 pm or so.
also a tip for out-of-staters who realize that their old bank doesn't have a branch in columbus. fifth/third (
www.53.com) has been serving me well so far...they have free checking, a branch in the hospital (which is right across from the med school building), and a good number of atms all over columbus.
and after all that, the weekend will be all yours and will be MORE than sufficient to study the first couple days' material.
white coat ceremony:
this will take place on Wednesday the 17th at like 5 or 6 pm (there was definitely enough time between orientation and the ceremony if you're worrying about having time to change). it's been in different locations the last couple years, but last year it was at the ohio union, which is like 10 minutes walking distance from the Meiling Hall (the medical building). dress up for this event; this means slacks, a dress shirt and tie for the guys and dress pants/skirt/dress for the girls. don't wear a suit jacket. it lasts about 1 hr and is proceeded by an ice cream sundae buffet put on by some popular ice cream chain around here that i really can't remember the name of.
support groups:
so it looks like you guys are receiving the emails from your support group leaders by now. just to clarify real quick, someone mentioned that they seemed really generic. basically the coordinators told us to write our own letters to you... every one is different, and if it seems generic, i guess it unfortunately means that less effort was put into the letter. however, many of the leaders are busy in india, africa, etc so they might not have had all the time in the world to write a very informative one. hopefully my post and others will help you guys out.
anyways, this is basically what happens: you'll be broken up into groups of six and will sit together on the first 2 days of "lecture." after lecture is over, we'll come grab you guys in the lecture hall (each group has two med 2 leaders) and have lunch with you, answer any and all questions, help you with admin chores, and then hang out that night if you feel like coming to the social thing. also, the more upperclassmen you talk to, the more educated opinion you can probably draw from whether to choose IP or ISP. the next day will be similar and that thursday night we'll plan some sort of dinner activity and perhaps ask another group or two to join us (bbq, restaurant, etc). the third day, you'll sit with your anatomy group instead (again, 6 people) and have a different med 2 give you a little tour and take you to buy notes for the first block.
some other randoms:
-don't worry about forgetting a document or something. the staff here is incredibly understanding and works hard to help you get through anything. they've probably judged everyone accepted under a magnifying glass and if there was something big missing (like a pre-req class you didn't take), you probably wouldn't have an acceptance. and for anything else (like a document), they should give you more than ample time to get it in.
-www.craigslist.org is also a nice place to find used furniture.
www.allheart.com is a cheap site for scrubs.
-don't be worried about the size of the school. every building you will need to get to is literally right next door to each other, all on the south side of campus. if you have no desire, then there will be no need to explore the other 90% of campus. the only place you might need to walk to that is far away is lincoln tower, to pick up alternative loan checks.
-you'll probably get your first 6 week schedule on the first morning of orientation (you usually get your schedule in 6 week blocks, which goes online about 2 weeks before that respective block starts)
eeeek that was long, i hope it helps though
I also want to know if you sign up for the payment plan if they add it to your fees so it can come out of your FA refund. If you don't use the payment plan, you have to pay for your parking permit by cash, check or credit card.
at the amount of info we have to memorize. 
OK, OK, maybe I'm not freaking out that much...yet.
