Apartment checklist for incoming med students?

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MomJeansandDadJorts

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I know there have been posts here and there about useful items to purchase for school and life as a Med student a little bit easier. Besides stuff like a nice bed, crockpot, etc. what are some things that people found useful for their apartment that you wish you knew about at the beginning of school?
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not sure if its for just med students but for anybody living in your own the instapot is amazing, i found a wall calendar is great since i am a visual person so it gives me a mental picture of things i have coming up. a nice reading lamp/bedside table lamp
 
A comfortable bed
Instant Pot is life
Crock Pot
Rice Cookers have their place
Desk with a good chair and lamp
 
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A kuerig coffee maker. Not only can you make coffee, the water is hot enough for cup of noodle, oatmeal, apple cider etc.
 
Definitely a food processor, it saves time on chopping, crying over onions, and the reduces risk of chopping off a finger.
 
i agree i love my instant pot. i also love my airfryer since i can make the best french fries from it though that's more of a luxury appliance than necessity
 
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EasyEveryoneWouldDoIt said:
i agree i love my instant pot. i also love my airfryer since i can make the best french fries from it though that's more of a luxury appliance than necessity
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I just got one and havent used it yet. Need to.
 
Surprised no one has said this but get an external monitor. Honestly get two. Maybe 3 lololol. The additional screen space will enable you to put a ton onto your workflow. I recommend at least a 27" monitor, a bluetooth speaker, an an ergonomic chair to really settle you in. This is an investment

Also: Bose QC35 IIs. Or if you wanna drop the money on the new Bose 700s you can get those as well.

I have a french press for the coffee. Super relaxing to just make it myself. I also recommend you get a costco membership or split it with a few students.

obviously get Anki. I don't really think an iPad is super necessary, but it depends on how you work. I like the convenience of having several windows up on a monitor with a full size keyboard. So I've just been using my 15" MacBook Pro and it's been legit. 7 years and it's solid. Again, these things are investments.
 
TexasSurgeon said:
Surprised no one has said this but get an external monitor. Honestly get two. Maybe 3 lololol. The additional screen space will enable you to put a ton onto your workflow. I recommend at least a 27" monitor, a bluetooth speaker, an an ergonomic chair to really settle you in. This is an investment

Also: Bose QC35 IIs. Or if you wanna drop the money on the new Bose 700s you can get those as well.

I have a french press for the coffee. Super relaxing to just make it myself. I also recommend you get a costco membership or split it with a few students.

obviously get Anki. I don't really think an iPad is super necessary, but it depends on how you work. I like the convenience of having several windows up on a monitor with a full size keyboard. So I've just been using my 15" MacBook Pro and it's been legit. 7 years and it's solid. Again, these things are investments.
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Go big or go home.

265699
 
MemeLord said:
Go big or go home.

View attachment 265699
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lol man I'm in love. I ended up using my 1080p from college but I would love one of these. Makes me wonder what I will end up doing with all the obsolete electronic crap in my house that I own
Schwifty said:
Bet
View attachment 265700
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lol man I have been dying to play civilization since med school but I don't have the willpower to play for 18 hours only to get invaded and nuked by Gandhi #civilizationreferences
 
TexasSurgeon said:
lol man I'm in love. I ended up using my 1080p from college but I would love one of these. Makes me wonder what I will end up doing with all the obsolete electronic crap in my house that I own

lol man I have been dying to play civilization since med school but I don't have the willpower to play for 18 hours only to get invaded and nuked by Gandhi #civilizationreferences
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Rise of nations > civilization
 
MemeLord said:
Rise of nations > civilization
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how dare you

in all honesty i feel like Civ has become way too complicated with too many things to manaage in my head. Thats the biggest reason why I haven't felt like playing it since med school began. I'm already super tired from studying. I don't wanna think when Im playing video games lol
 
What is insta pot ?

Also , someone mentioned anki. Are they better than firecracker ? (I am planning to start from first semester if it matters).
 
M&L said:
What is insta pot ?

Also , someone mentioned anki. Are they better than firecracker ? (I am planning to start from first semester if it matters).
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Did you use either for MCAT study? I used Anki during my MCAT prep and noticed a world of difference after a month or so of using it. Never touched firecracker though!

To keep on subject:
Not a med student yet, but have been living on my own for 5+ years while juggling all the pre-med stuff.

- A stick vacuum. I know, it sounds super lame, but it has honestly changed my cleaning life and made vacuuming 1000% less of a pain. I got a Shark model during black friday for maybe... $70? It's lightweight and I can do stairs, under beds/sofas/up high and all those annoying places really easily. Even as a med student you gotta clean some time!
- Steamer. I have a cheap one from amazon that takes less an a minute to get going. Great for mornings when I know I've been too lazy to fold things and need to get some wrinkles out quickly.
- I second the Bose QC35s! Worth every penny.
 
Last edited:
M&L said:
What is insta pot ?

Also , someone mentioned anki. Are they better than firecracker ? (I am planning to start from first semester if it matters).
Click to expand...
Don't get Firecracker, imo. Costs a lot. Anki is free and you can get a question bank subscription and you basically have your own version of Firecracker
 
TexasSurgeon said:
Don't get Firecracker, imo. Costs a lot. Anki is free and you can get a question bank subscription and you basically have your own version of Firecracker
Click to expand...
The thing is that i hate making my own cards, it would never workout for me.... I did the 1 week free trial for Firecracker, and i actually sort of liked the setup, and i saw you can buy a full version for 4 years for only 400 dollars (including all steps, and clinical stuff too), so it seems like a good deal. My only concern is how inclusive the content is. I was thinking about maybe getting FC, and supplementing it with already made Anki decks (i downloaded a few), but using primarily FC from day 1 of classes.... what do you think?
 
M&L said:
The thing is that i hate making my own cards, it would never workout for me.... I did the 1 week free trial for Firecracker, and i actually sort of liked the setup, and i saw you can buy a full version for 4 years for only 400 dollars (including all steps, and clinical stuff too), so it seems like a good deal. My only concern is how inclusive the content is. I was thinking about maybe getting FC, and supplementing it with already made Anki decks (i downloaded a few), but using primarily FC from day 1 of classes.... what do you think?
Click to expand...
Opinion piece of comparison:

 
M&L said:
The thing is that i hate making my own cards, it would never workout for me.... I did the 1 week free trial for Firecracker, and i actually sort of liked the setup, and i saw you can buy a full version for 4 years for only 400 dollars (including all steps, and clinical stuff too), so it seems like a good deal. My only concern is how inclusive the content is. I was thinking about maybe getting FC, and supplementing it with already made Anki decks (i downloaded a few), but using primarily FC from day 1 of classes.... what do you think?
Click to expand...

Anki is good because there's a strong freeware culture around it that means medical decks are constantly being updated and offered free of charge. If I were you I would play around with Anki and try to use that, and then move back to Firecracker within 1-2 months at school if you're truly unhappy. $400 isn't much for 4 years but it is a lot if you don't end up using it much.

Instant Pot is an appliance I first doubted that I now worship. Basically it is a pressure cooker and slow cooker that can make yogurt and steam things and cook rice and maybe cure cancer (when used for sterilization in lab work???). The major advantage being that it saves time, there are a lot of recipes standardized for it, and it saves space since it has a few valuable functions. Good for bulk meals.

This thread is reminding me that I want a Costco membership even though I'll be in a new dense city without my car... I can't tell if that even makes sense, because riding in an Uber or taxi on the way back from the store would be the only way to buy frozen stuff. Can't decide!
 
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teatimepanda said:
Anki is good because there's a strong freeware culture around it that means medical decks are constantly being updated and offered free of charge. If I were you I would play around with Anki and try to use that, and then move back to Firecracker within 1-2 months at school if you're truly unhappy. $400 isn't much for 4 years but it is a lot if you don't end up using it much.

Instant Pot is an appliance I first doubted that I now worship. Basically it is a pressure cooker and slow cooker that can make yogurt and steam things and cook rice and maybe cure cancer (when used for sterilization in lab work???). The major advantage being that it saves time, there are a lot of recipes standardized for it, and it saves space since it has a few valuable functions. Good for bulk meals.

This thread is reminding me that I want a Costco membership even though I'll be in a new dense city without my car... I can't tell if that even makes sense, because riding in an Uber or taxi on the way back from the store would be the only way to buy frozen stuff. Can't decide!
Click to expand...
Im in the same situation. I live in a car friendly city rn and am not taking a car to the new city. Debating on a wholesale membership because I will probably have a couple of roommates so idk how much room Ill have. Also thinking of getting an instant but I make about 5-6 lbs of chicken at a time so I like my crock pot but could always just meal prep 2x a week instead of 1x.
 
M&L said:
The thing is that i hate making my own cards, it would never workout for me.... I did the 1 week free trial for Firecracker, and i actually sort of liked the setup, and i saw you can buy a full version for 4 years for only 400 dollars (including all steps, and clinical stuff too), so it seems like a good deal. My only concern is how inclusive the content is. I was thinking about maybe getting FC, and supplementing it with already made Anki decks (i downloaded a few), but using primarily FC from day 1 of classes.... what do you think?
Click to expand...
MemeLord said:
Opinion piece of comparison:

Click to expand...
teatimepanda said:
Anki is good because there's a strong freeware culture around it that means medical decks are constantly being updated and offered free of charge. If I were you I would play around with Anki and try to use that, and then move back to Firecracker within 1-2 months at school if you're truly unhappy. $400 isn't much for 4 years but it is a lot if you don't end up using it much.

Instant Pot is an appliance I first doubted that I now worship. Basically it is a pressure cooker and slow cooker that can make yogurt and steam things and cook rice and maybe cure cancer (when used for sterilization in lab work???). The major advantage being that it saves time, there are a lot of recipes standardized for it, and it saves space since it has a few valuable functions. Good for bulk meals.

This thread is reminding me that I want a Costco membership even though I'll be in a new dense city without my car... I can't tell if that even makes sense, because riding in an Uber or taxi on the way back from the store would be the only way to buy frozen stuff. Can't decide!
Click to expand...

www.medschoolanki.com
 
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yeah, /r/medicalschoolanki is clutch too

-- wild-type forum browser who enjoys SDN and reddit equally :banana: 😵
 
teatimepanda said:
Anki is good because there's a strong freeware culture around it that means medical decks are constantly being updated and offered free of charge. If I were you I would play around with Anki and try to use that, and then move back to Firecracker within 1-2 months at school if you're truly unhappy. $400 isn't much for 4 years but it is a lot if you don't end up using it much.

Instant Pot is an appliance I first doubted that I now worship. Basically it is a pressure cooker and slow cooker that can make yogurt and steam things and cook rice and maybe cure cancer (when used for sterilization in lab work???). The major advantage being that it saves time, there are a lot of recipes standardized for it, and it saves space since it has a few valuable functions. Good for bulk meals.

This thread is reminding me that I want a Costco membership even though I'll be in a new dense city without my car... I can't tell if that even makes sense, because riding in an Uber or taxi on the way back from the store would be the only way to buy frozen stuff. Can't decide!
Click to expand...

I currently live in NYC and have had a Costco membership even when I didn’t have a car; I have a car now. Most people here usually get a zip car to make Costco trips. Also, keep in mind that Costco delivers some items and for fresh and frozen items they deliver through instacart. Not sure where you are moving to but you can buy Whole Foods groceries from Amazon prime now. I prefer the quality of Whole Foods and usually buy what they have on sale.
 
Sweet! I'm moving to NYC so I'll keep zipcars / delivery in mind. I'm going to Columbia so I'm mostly trying to think through whether it'd be nice to get bulk ingredients and household goods every once in a while, as a supplement to the small or ethnic supermarkets up in Washington Heights. I'm wary of getting burned by normal-looking markets that have surprisingly high prices.

Overthinking this stuff is my new part-time hobby because I didn't really think I would get in and suddenly I'll be living in Manhattan, haha.

Another apartment thing I plan to do: get large whiteboard material stickers for a wall in my room, space-allowing, and decompress by making high-detail diagrams of study concepts. I loooooooove working with a rainbow of fancy whiteboard pens on a huge surface and find that it helps me lock in details.
 
teatimepanda said:
Sweet! I'm moving to NYC so I'll keep zipcars / delivery in mind. I'm going to Columbia so I'm mostly trying to think through whether it'd be nice to get bulk ingredients and household goods every once in a while, as a supplement to the small or ethnic supermarkets up in Washington Heights. I'm wary of getting burned by normal-looking markets that have surprisingly high prices.

Overthinking this stuff is my new part-time hobby because I didn't really think I would get in and suddenly I'll be living in Manhattan, haha.

Another apartment thing I plan to do: get large whiteboard material stickers for a wall in my room, space-allowing, and decompress by making high-detail diagrams of study concepts. I loooooooove working with a rainbow of fancy whiteboard pens on a huge surface and find that it helps me lock in details.
Click to expand...

I grew up in Manhattan and from my experience the small stores and ethnic stores tend to overcharge. The only ethnic shops I frequent are Asian supermarkets. I buy organic meats at Costco or Whole Foods whenever they’re on sale, and also have an extra freezer in my apartment. Essentials like toilet paper and paper towels I also buy in bulk at Costco.
 
Hass_Love_Fitness said:
I currently live in NYC and have had a Costco membership even when I didn’t have a car; I have a car now. Most people here usually get a zip car to make Costco trips. Also, keep in mind that Costco delivers some items and for fresh and frozen items they deliver through instacart. Not sure where you are moving to but you can buy Whole Foods groceries from Amazon prime now. I prefer the quality of Whole Foods and usually buy what they have on sale.
Click to expand...
What is a zip car? Is it like a fancy Uber?
 
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