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@Elewynne are things any better now?
Finally heard back from one of the several physicians I contacted about shadowing. Rejected. *sigh* Not looking like I'll ever get anywhere near the 100 hours of shadowing my school's review board requires. I've been really worried about how I'm going to magically produce LORs today, if I can't meet my review board's requirements, can't get any physicians to give me the time of day, can't figure out how to pull off this whole "getting to know your professors" thing, am not hearing back from any volunteer organizations, and can't even find a job.
Also, blah blah money blah blah feeling stuck in life blah blah being alone over Spring Break sucks.
I hope to go MD, but a doctor is a doctor even though people sometimes speak of shadowing MDs and DOs as if they're two radically different experiences (my pre-med advisor is forever making the distinction between shadowing the two, saying things like, "If you're not sure where you want to go, make sure you shadow both MDs and DOs so you can apply to either.") I'll check out the physicians association thing as well.
And back down the slide again. Got word today from the physicians that based on the traumatic brain injury he sustained from falling during his cardiac arrest, my father in law is unlikely to make a 100% functional recovery; and because of that he is also unlikely to be able to return to his job. We will have to see where his recovery takes us, but it is pretty devastating news and opens a lot of uncertainty into our lives.
So sorry to hear this newsAnd back down the slide again. Got word today from the physicians that based on the traumatic brain injury he sustained from falling during his cardiac arrest, my father in law is unlikely to make a 100% functional recovery; and because of that he is also unlikely to be able to return to his job. We will have to see where his recovery takes us, but it is pretty devastating news and opens a lot of uncertainty into our lives.
Sorry, that sucks. I have been skirting with the minimum credits possible for the last few quarters, doing things like taking the 3 credit biochem instead of the 4 just to save some money. It will get better, eventually.Crunched numbers, and basically, unless if I magically come up with $4,000 within the next month and a half, I won't be able to take classes this summer. That's going to effectively push my application back a year. Pretty bummed.
Thanks, sorry to hear about your situation too. If I could get away with taking Gen Chem II without the lab, I could probably make at least that class work, but unfortunately I can't. That single extra credit doubles my tuition, which is insane.Sorry, that sucks. I have been skirting with the minimum credits possible for the last few quarters, doing things like taking the 3 credit biochem instead of the 4 just to save some money. It will get better, eventually.
Thanks. Things did not work out for me this cycle, so at least I'll have a gap year to work and straighten up my finances a bit. When are you applying? You know that you don't need to have everything by the time you apply - just by the time you matriculate? You probably know it, of course, but I thought I'd ask.Thanks, sorry to hear about your situation too. If I could get away with taking Gen Chem II without the lab, I could probably make at least that class work, but unfortunately I can't. That single extra credit doubles my tuition, which is insane.
Bummer. Hopefully you'll be able to make excellent use of that gap year. I was bummed about having to take one myself, but now I'm hoping I'll be able to use it to do something cool...if I have money by then haha.Thanks. Things did not work out for me this cycle, so at least I'll have a gap year to work and straighten up my finances a bit. When are you applying? You know that you don't need to have everything by the time you apply - just by the time you matriculate? You probably know it, of course, but I thought I'd ask.
That's a lot of self teaching, I agree that it's wise to take the courses and not rush things. It might seem as if it is taking forever but trust me, applying when you are 'almost ready' is even worse. I'm pretty sure that I would not have done as well on the MCAT if I had not been done with the basic physics/bio/chem/o.chem by the time I took it. Don't kick yourself, it could have been worse - I did not figure out that I needed an undergraduate degree until my mid 30s. Talk about a system not designed for me. Good luck with the job hunt - you never know how and when you'll get lucky!Bummer. Hopefully you'll be able to make excellent use of that gap year. I was bummed about having to take one myself, but now I'm hoping I'll be able to use it to do something cool...if I have money by then haha.
I was hoping to apply for the 2016-2017 school year, but I guess I probably won't be able to now. I do know you don't have to have everything done when you apply, but the thing is, I imagine you should have at least taken the courses covered on the MCAT before you take it. As is, I was planning on self-teaching biochem so that I could take the MCAT before completing the course. If I can't take Gen Chem II this summer, then I would have to teach myself O Chem II AND Biochem if I wanted to take the MCAT at the same time, and that would be on top of working full time if I ever find a job and working on extracurriculars.
Just seems like there's no way I can win at this point. I'm really kicking myself for not having the sense to be pre-med as an undergraduate student when my tuition was covered by a scholarship. Everything is harder as a non-trad. The system just isn't designed for non-trads.
Thanks, I'm not sure if I'm going to stay on the medicine path if I have to push back my application another year, though. I do understand that plenty of people don't begin med school until much later than when I would be beginning, but in my mid-twenties, I'm also in a position where I'm under pressure to be getting on with my life and career already. I'm not really interested in sitting in limbo for an additional year, so oh well; we'll see. There are also a lot of other factors that come into play like the fact that I need a brain MRI, chest CT scan, and dental work, all of which I'm currently ignoring because I don't have the money for them. I'm just really overwhelmed, and it's making it difficult to figure out what decisions to make. I'm probably not even making sense right now, as my head has been throbbing for the past hour and making it difficult to think clearly, so I'm going to shut up.That's a lot of self teaching, I agree that it's wise to take the courses and not rush things. It might seem as if it is taking forever but trust me, applying when you are 'almost ready' is even worse. I'm pretty sure that I would not have done as well on the MCAT if I had not been done with the basic physics/bio/chem/o.chem by the time I took it. Don't kick yourself, it could have been worse - I did not figure out that I needed an undergraduate degree until my mid 30s. Talk about a system not designed for me. Good luck with the job hunt - you never know how and when you'll get lucky!
Ask the upperclassmen at your school what they used and go with that.Not so much crappy, but anxious. Anxious about starting med school. Really anxious about anatomy. And then I started reading threads about "best textbook for anatomy", except everyone uses something sort of different. So now I ragequit and I'm just going to wait for school to start.
Don't worry, no one understands QM. You can make peace with the math, accept that it gives you some eye popping results and happily forget about it when you're done with it.This is the third time I've tried to understand the quantum mechanics section of my chemistry book and given up. I feel like my brain has completely shut down, and I've never felt so stupid in my life. This is only Gen Chem I for goodness sake. :/
Best of luck! After four years of undergrad I have completely given up on the idea of being able to study in bed without falling asleep in an inappropriately short amount of time.Haha, this doesn't even involve much math, though, at the level we're learning it. It's just memorizing what each quantum number represents in terms of orbitals or...something. I don't understand it, so I can't articulate it. Just really worried about failing the exam at this point, and I have a genetics exam I need to study for too. Going to lock myself in my bedroom with the book tomorrow and see if I can eventually make sense of it.
I was going to say, I never understood quantum mechanics, but fortunately you don't have to understand it as long as you can manipulate matrices and solve the eigenvectors.Don't worry, no one understands QM. You can make peace with the math, accept that it gives you some eye popping results and happily forget about it when you're done with it.
Hey milski, so how did your meeting go today?And to stay on topic with the thread: my manager scheduled a one-on-one meeting with me for Friday. With the amount of internal re-orgs we've had recently, either he will be moving on somewhere else and I'll have a new boss, or I will be moved on and will be looking for another job soon. Yuck.
Eh, turned out to be nothing. There is a big re-org going on, so it was mostly just to tell me what's up. With only one rejection left, it is pretty clear that I'll be working one more year before heading to med school. This is a part-time job, which was nice for the flexibility it has during undergrad. Once I'm done with classes in June, it will be a time to say goodbye. It is still one thing less to worry about over the next couple of months, so I'm actually glad it turned out that way.Hey milski, so how did your meeting go today?
Glad to hear it was nothingEh, turned out to be nothing. There is a big re-org going on, so it was mostly just to tell me what's up. With only one rejection left, it is pretty clear that I'll be working one more year before heading to med school. This is a part-time job, which was nice for the flexibility it has during undergrad. Once I'm done with classes in June, it will be a time to say goodbye. It is still one thing less to worry about over the next couple of months, so I'm actually glad it turned out that way.
How are you doing, any movement on the waitlists? Or is it too early to ask?
Well, you can always complain that you are having a hard time choosing a school.Glad to hear it was nothing
Funny you should ask: I just literally seconds ago checked my application status and found I was accepted to Pitt! (Still on the waitlist at my pie in the sky school, but that one is highly unlikely and doesn't start moving till after May 15th.)
But I'm going off topic here
Right. I may not even be risking my life doing that considering it's the non-trad forum and not pre-alloWell, you can always complain that you are having a hard time choosing a school.
For all of the stories about how doctors just LOVE to mentor future doctors, I haven't seen it yet. Guess I can't really blame them for not wanting to be watched and followed around while they work. I wish there was a system in place to make it easier to find shadowing opportunities rather than this awkward, "Cold call and bug people" setup.
With only one rejection left, it is pretty clear that I'll be working one more year before heading to med school.
Most likely, back to being a software developer for a year. I have been thinking about getting some sort of entry level healthcare job (phlebotomist or something like that, I don't have any qualifications for something better) as a way to demonstrate commitment and interest but the difference in compensation makes it a rather irresponsible move. It also does not feel like a very useful thing to do from admissions point of view, although I am open to feedback.Hey! We're in the same boat. What kind of jobs are you looking at? I just got hired at the hospital. It is a relief to have things settled, in a way.
A prof outright lied to my face today. Unbelievable.Worst prof of my life standing between me and med school. That is IF I get the funds from financial aid. Won't find out until May. Kind of in limbo for now.
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How bout you call a cab?
Can't say it's the greatest idea to be riding buses in the middle of the night anyway, especially by yourself.
I've been having a bad semester in general, however, reading this thread has made me feel much better.
I have this dingus of a Bio Professor and he calls us idiots from time to time because some kid decides to pull out his cell phone during lecture :/
Your professor calls you that? That's not very professional. Is cell phone usage a huge problem in your classes? I guess intro bio is a course without as many super focused pre-meds as, say, Orgo II.
Hope your semester improves.