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Mr Kenobi

Mr Kenobi

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I am on spring break and bored. As the cycle is coming to a close I have yet to see the old ask me anything threads start popping up. It was recommended to me that old Kenobi may have some valuable insight on matters such as things to expect during your first year, Marian, being a Jedi or the Force in general? Wanna know something? Well then, go ahead. Ask.
 
How much do you study? What about everyone else? I know I'm going to have to change my study habits from undergrad. I also know it completely varies person to person, as well as what school you go to and the curriculum.

The school I will be attending has class 8-12, and then labs 1-5 most weeks. I think most people probably study a few hours on top of class as well as studying a full day during the weekend.
 
Hi, thanks for the thread Kenobi.

How are you liking OMM?
 
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MIZ SEC said:
How much do you study? What about everyone else? I know I'm going to have to change my study habits from undergrad. I also know it completely varies person to person, as well as what school you go to and the curriculum.

The school I will be attending has class 8-12, and then labs 1-5 most weeks. I think most people probably study a few hours on top of class as well as studying a full day during the weekend.
Click to expand...

Personally I study a little every day. The amount intensifies significantly as an exam approaches. This also has to do with the fact that I no longer go to lecture (besides mandatory labs/small groups/etc). Lectures are recorded at my school and I save a ton of time not driving to campus and being able to listen to lectures at my own pace (fast forward/rewind/pause) then I do sitting in class. I also feel like I absorb the material better this way. I still find myself at school meeting with study groups so I am on campus quite a bit, but like I said, my group and I schedule that in for times that work best for us. Besides, I think I'd get burnt out sitting in class all day and then going home and studying afterwards. I am a huge proponent of having no attendance policy. It gives you the flexibility to study the way that works best for you...and you are correct, the way you study in undergrad is quite different from med school.

Of course there are some days I do a little less and hang out with my wife etc, but whenever you put stuff off you need to be aware that it doesn't just go away and will add to what you have to get through the next day. I believe that the amount that other folks study is really dependent on their personal situation. The 22 year old kids that have no significant other and live alone probably tend to study a lot more than the 30 something year old married person with children. You have to prioritize what is important for you and make time for those things. If being #1 in your class during preclinical years is important to you, then by all means purchase a Keurig and say adios to friends and family. If you would like to enjoy the experience, it is possible to find balance, albeit difficult at times.

You'll figure out what works best for you through trial and error during your first year. Don't be discouraged it you falter in the beginning--Know that you need to adapt, figure out what you are doing wrong and fix it. Takes some people longer than others, but you will get there.
 
WhiteCoatSyndrome said:
How often do you go out/hang out with friends?
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Well my wife is my best friend, so every night! That's right ladies, Kenobi is a romantic.


Seriously tho...One of the nice things about my situation was that I moved away from my home city for school. This really eliminates distractions by pulling you away from all your "real" friends. This also immediately places you in a situation where all of your new friends are also medical students. So when we get a minute to breath it isn't too hard to schedule some fun because we are all basically on the same schedule. There IS time to go out if you want to!
 
AlbinoHawk DO said:
Why did you fail Anakin Skywalker?
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The prophecy was he would bring balance to the force. Hundreds of Jedis, two sith. Jedis always were really bad at ratios.

hCFF1F229.jpg
 
Hello Mr. Kenobi, thank you for doing this.

What has been your favorite class so far?

What has been your toughest?

What hobbies did you have prior and what do you still maintain?

Which Jedi mind trick would help the most before first day of class?
 
NontradCA said:
Hi, thanks for the thread Kenobi.

How are you liking OMM?
Click to expand...

I have a love/hate relationship with OMM. I come from a sports medicine background so naturally I love some of the MSK components of OMM--the muscle energies, the counter strains etc. Some of these very techniques are used in rehabilitation and I was already familiar with them. I'd at least respect the cranial, sacral, celiac ganglia (etc) stuff if I could just get a decent reply from professors when I ask about it...but I never do. At least not enough to quench my curiosity. My feelings towards OMM are also augmented by individual faculty. There are a few professors that make me want to learn and utilize OMM while others just make it unbearable and tedious. Will I use OMM? Guess that depends on the rest of my experiences with it and what field I end up going in to.
 
1) can you teach me the ways of the force

2) what's the best way to deal with a gunner

3) do your med school friends know your SDN identity?

4) has the jesus come up at Marian at all?
 
NuttyEngDude said:
Hello Mr. Kenobi, thank you for doing this.

What has been your favorite class so far?

What has been your toughest?

What hobbies did you have prior and what do you still maintain?

Which Jedi mind trick would help the most before first day of class?
Click to expand...

Favorite class:
toss up between "skeletal muscle" systems course, Anatomy and our clinical medicine course where you actually learn "doctor stuff"

Toughest class:
toss up between Neuro mainly due to the scheduling of the course and also a course we have called "Scientific foundations of Medicine" which was the first class we had first semester and was taken at the same time we were in Anatomy. Basically encompassed all of the sciences (biochem, micro, genetics, immuno, basic pharm principles, cell bio etc etc) all rolled into one big course. Cardio (which we are currently in) is sneaking up there now haha.

I still have a lot of courses to go, so this could all change!

Hobbies:
muay thai, boxing, brazilian jiu jitsu. Don't have time to train like I used to...so did the next best thing--Running a muay thai boxing club at the COM. Just started up. Really fun, allows peeps to blow off steam and get a great work out. People seem to love it.

Jedi Mind Trick:

"This is the motivation you're looking for"
Star-Wars-These-Arent-the-Droids.gif


there will undoubtably be times when you question why you did this to yourself. Just remember how pumped you are now and grind through it! Good luck.
 
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touchpause13 said:
1) can you teach me the ways of the force

2) what's the best way to deal with a gunner

3) do your med school friends know your SDN identity?

4) has the jesus come up at Marian at all?
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1) yes
2) simple fact of life is that gunners gunna gun. I've personally found trolling gunners in real life to be quite entertaining. Either way it takes skill to properly troll a gunner and should be attempted with caution, because they are likely to be the people who tell the administration everything as well. As hard as it may be sometimes, just do you and try to ignore them.
3)some
4)no. Well, outside of the COM itself I have heard this jesus fella mentioned once or twice. For instance there have been special events that are held by the University in general where they have religious leaders of the school talk. You aren't required to participate or attend any of this stuff. The school is a catholic university so this is expected. But like I said there is no mention of this in the day to day operations of the COM, classes or anything else COM related whatsoever.
 
Thanks buddy. I was just curious. How is the relationship Btwn the COM and the undergrad campus?
 
SLC said:
How awesome is Dr. Gardner? We sure miss him at my school!
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Yeah, Gardner is amazing! Apparently Marian has gotten quite a few well respected professors. However-Personally I'd say he is one of (if not) THE best system/basic science profs at our school. Dude sure knows how to run a medical school class.
 
touchpause13 said:
Thanks buddy. I was just curious. How is the relationship Btwn the COM and the undergrad campus?
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Meh, the COM and undergrad campus relationship is ok. There have been a couple things that have come up, but I think any issues are mainly due to the fact that having the medical school and medical students is so new to the university. I assume any issues will resolve themselves with time.
 
What's your typical day like? On average, how many days a week are you required to be on campus?
 
Mr Kenobi said:
I am on spring break and bored. As the cycle is coming to a close I have yet to see the old ask me anything threads start popping up. It was recommended to me that old Kenobi may have some valuable insight on matters such as things to expect during your first year, Marian, being a Jedi or the Force in general? Wanna know something? Well then, go ahead. Ask.
Click to expand...
Why didn't most of the dead Jedi in episodes I-III disappear, but you and Yoda do when you die?
 
1.) What are some considerations you didn't think about until school started? Location? Professors? Financially?

2.) I'm planning on having $5k in the bank as a emergency fund. Should it be more or less?
 
What are you suggestion or tips for the new trainees coming in this fall?
And is there a princess Leia? 😛

Sent from my SGH-T889V using Tapatalk
 
How did you discover immortality, and did you reunite with your old friend Qui Gon Jinn in the world beyond?
 
NontradCA said:
What's your typical day like? On average, how many days a week are you required to be on campus?
Click to expand...

Typical day is waking up in the morning and listening to the lectures that were/are being recorded for that day. When I finish them, I begin to concentrate on the assigned lecture(s) that my group divvied up and begin outlining those. We split up the lectures between the members of my study group and then present them to each other when we get together at the end of the week. If I have to be at class for lab and such, then I go and then resume where I left off afterwards.

This semester it is generally 2 days a week that we are absolutely required to be on campus. Monday afternoons we have OMM lab and Tuesday afternoons we have ICM (intro to clinical medicine). Of course it seems as though we have an exam of some sort almost every week, so have to be there for that...and also last semester we had anatomy lab as well so that was 3-4 days a week we were required to be there as well.
 
Mad Jack said:
Why didn't most of the dead Jedi in episodes I-III disappear, but you and Yoda do when you die?
Click to expand...

Bro, do you even Force ghost?

Force Ghost is a technique that Qui-Gon Jinn rediscovered with the assistance of a Shaman of Whills. The disappearance of the physical body is an evolved technique from me and Yoda, under Qui-Gon's guidance.
As for Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker, it's more complicated:
Darth Vader learned of this ability through Darth Sidious, and upon his death, the spirits of Yoda and myself completed his training by granting him the last step in becoming a spirit. Anakin's spirit appeared as that of his younger self, prior to his fall to the dark side. Finally, it is explicitly stated in Champions of the Force and the databank at the official site that the organic part of Anakin's body disappeared, and that Luke just burned his suit and mechanical parts for ritualistic purposes.
​
 
chizledfrmstone said:
1.) What are some considerations you didn't think about until school started? Location? Professors? Financially?

2.) I'm planning on having $5k in the bank as a emergency fund. Should it be more or less?
Click to expand...

1) Honestly I put a lot of thought into what I was getting myself in to. I have quite a few close friends that are physicians and really had a decent idea of what to expect from picking their brains. I won't lie, more than one told me not to do it! Moving to a new location was something that I wanted. I applied to zero schools in my home state. I was born and raised in the city that I moved from and my wife and I figured this was a great opportunity to get out and experience life in another US city. MU-COM did a great job of providing us with the information about professors and such--and as mentioned above, the school really pulled some great ones from other COMs. Also, IU school of medicine is in tight collaboration with us--their neuro department handled our entire neuroscience block and they also have a strong presence in our anatomy lab (although our core anatomy faculty is pretty rad). Financially, I was prepared to take out loans to cover tuition and my wife has a good job and is able to "fill in the gaps" with the $$ situation. I guess if I had to choose something I didn't think about until school started it would be the amount of work that it really takes to keep your head above water in medical school...its one of those "you'll never understand until you do it yourself" types of things.

2) This is really something only you can answer. It will depend on where you are going to be attending school (some locations are cheaper/more expensive than others) and the lifestyle you like to live. I don't know what types of scholarships you may be eligible for etc, but a rule of thumb is that your federal loans will cover your tuition. You will then be able to take out grad plus loans for expenses, and if this doesn't cut it you will have to resort to private loans. Again, how much for a good safety net really depends on the individual. Sorry I can't give you a more direct answer than that. Remember to think about the costs of relocating (if you even will be)--it ain't cheap.
 
Mr Kenobi said:
Well my wife is my best friend, so every night! That's right ladies, Kenobi is a romantic.
Click to expand...

I'm trying to see if it's manageable to have kids while in school, during residency, or fellowship. Do you plan on having kids during school/residency/fellowship, or if you already do, how manageable was it? Thanks in advance!
 
ChineseKid said:
What are you suggestion or tips for the new trainees coming in this fall?
And is there a princess Leia? 😛

Sent from my SGH-T889V using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Relax and enjoy your freedom while you still own it. Use the upperclassmen when you get here, we are working to make things as smooth as possible before you guys begin. Also remember the school is new and there may be some bumps in the road as you go. Be flexible but realize with a new school there are lots of opportunities you may not have had at an older school!
Sorry to break it to you dude...Princess Leia is a man.
 
alwaysastudent said:
I'm trying to see if it's manageable to have kids while in school, during residency, or fellowship. Do you plan on having kids during school/residency/fellowship, or if you already do, how manageable was it? Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
I'm not planning on it...but thats just me. Who knows what will happen though...Mrs. Kenobi finds me irresistible-- 😉

I know people who have done it, are doing it and are planning on it. I have always been told from other physicians to try and avoid having kids while in med school. From what I've observed, it looks like a lot of work and it definitely makes life harder. If you are a woman, then it will probably be a bit more difficult than if you are a man just due to all the physical/emotional stuff you have to go through. On that note, it is definitely possible...folks do it all the time!

Honestly it is strange seeing how the people in my class who already have kids cope. Some seem like they don't even have kids (at least to an outside observer)...looks like school is their #1 priority and everything else comes second. These are usually the people who are highly competitive and overly concerned with class rank/want to be surgeons and nothing else etc. I sure wouldn't be able to do that knowing my kids are at home. Others seem to be able to prioritize well and are able to balance passing classes with spending time with their families. These people are less concerned with being the greatest med student of all time and are more concentrated getting through school while not missing 4+ years of their kid's life...

So really it just depends on your personality and your priorities. It is definitely possible, but it may take some extra effort!
 
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Did Mrs. Kenobi find a job while you began school? How was the transition for her?
 
alwaysastudent said:
I'm trying to see if it's manageable to have kids while in school, during residency, or fellowship. Do you plan on having kids during school/residency/fellowship, or if you already do, how manageable was it? Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
I have kids so perhaps I'll chime in for Kenobi. Having kids is always going to be tough. There is no "convenient" time for it, but there are definitely inconvenient times. I'm told internship year--first year out of med school-- is one of those times. Is it worth it? Definitely. Does it require a lot of sacrifices and time management? You bet your sweet bippie it does.

My wife just had our 2nd child 2.5 weeks ago (right before a block exam-the school let me take it late). It put me a couple days behind but I'm almost entirely caught up now and trying to prepare for our block coming up on Friday. Luckily my mother-in-law came out for a week so my wife had help at the most crucial time and I was able to study, all day every day, to get caught up. I don't follow a very set schedule. I study when I can and I'm home helping when needed. Because most of our lectures aren't required, I'll usually wake up a little before my 18 month old daughter and get myself ready. She then wakes up and I usually feed her breakfast and play with her for a bit before waking up my wife and leaving for school. I come home at lunch most days and I always come home for dinner (usually about 2 hours unless we've got a test coming up soon. It's enough time to help with dinner, eat, bathe my daughter, and do bedtime (books, songs, prayers, milk)). Used to spend more time at home but our course load has picked up immensely. All my friends who have kids (which is most of my friends) find their own way to balance it all. Some get up really early, others stay up late - me. I know a third year (female) at my school that had her first baby two weeks into her first rotation this third year. Her docs she works with have been understanding with her needing to pump and her husband takes care of the baby.

In any case, you'll work it out. I love the time I get to be home, and I wish I got more time at home. There are just times that I know my wife has it under control, so I'm able to kick it into gear and spend more hours studying at the school. Don't let med school keep you from expanding your family if that's what you want. MANY of my classmates have kids, and many have had kids while in school... we're all making it through just fine. Good luck!
 
Dr Tony T. Chopper said:
Did Mrs. Kenobi find a job while you began school? How was the transition for her?
Click to expand...
Yep, she found a job a couple months after school began for me. She likes her job and the people she works with. We come from a warmer/temperate climate, so the jury is still out for her when it comes to the idea of winter (its been one of the worst in IN history our first year here lol). Hopefully the remaining winters will be more mild. Otherwise, Indy is a decent city and has pretty much everything here, so the adaptation hasn't been difficult. We didn't even have to change our gym memberships from home. Hardest part (for both of us) was leaving family and friends behind...however it makes it that much sweeter when I get a break and we get to go home to visit!
 
I was trying to figure out if it was a good idea to use the force or not... whats up
 
How old are you? what specialty are you interested in?
 
Why does it seem like everybody going to a DO school is married?
 
EMDO2018 said:
How old are you? what specialty are you interested in?
Click to expand...
EMDO2018 said:
Why does it seem like everybody going to a DO school is married?
Click to expand...
Dr Tony T. Chopper said:
Master jedi, what will you specialize in?
Click to expand...
Age:
-Lets say I am between 29 and 39 years old.

Married folks:
-I have no idea why people going to DO schools seem like they are all married. I don't know how much this means, but I have friends going to MD schools that are married as well..?

Specialty interests:
-As of right now I am an open book when it comes to what specialty I would like to practice in. My "canned" answer when people used to ask me what type of doc I wanted to be was sports medicine because of my history in the field. Of course this means I also have a natural draw towards orthopedics, but I feel like I am almost too old to be gunning for surgery (it takes so long). I am also not sure if I have the personality it takes to be successful in training for surgery...not sure who actually ends up making it into these spots now a days, but from my class demographic, I don't really mesh with a lot of the people who say they are interested in surgery. Could not imagine spending every waking moment around people like that--the type of people that have no issue ****ting on others to get ahead themselves and talk down to their classmates as if they are above them haha. Not sure how it is everywhere else...just what I have observed here. Its funny though, because the actual surgeons that I am personal friends with are all great... Who knows. Anyhow, I like my life and the people in it too much to give them up to perform surgery if the horror stories I have heard about the training are even partially true. And lets be honest, I'll let my board scores tell me if I would even have a shot at something like ortho(still doubt I'd be interested at this point even if I kill boards). Among some other specialties that I find myself having a strong interest in are PM&R, EM, Anesthesia ( holla at cha boy @cliquesh ) 😉
 
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Mr Kenobi said:
the type of people that have no issue ****ting on others to get ahead themselves and talk down to their classmates as if they are above them haha. Not sure how it is everywhere else...just what I have observed here.
Click to expand...
And this is why I feel like medical school interviews are a joke. Marian specifically said they weren't looking for this type of personality during my interview, yet, there they are.
 
Back 5 said:
And this is why I feel like medical school interviews are a joke. Marian specifically said they weren't looking for this type of personality during my interview, yet, there they are.
Click to expand...

Yep.

Something I've realized throughout the process thus far (and I am sure you will too) is that schools say lots of things--this doesn't just apply to Marian. It will be interesting to see what our next class looks like tho. I've heard admissions say that the incoming class has a completely different personality than our class. Since they seem to be pretty focused on stats this year, it will be interesting to see what that means.
 
Mr Kenobi said:
Age:
-Lets say I am between 29 and 39 years old.

Married folks:
-I have no idea why people going to DO schools seem like they are all married. I don't know how much this means, but I have friends going to MD schools that are married as well..?

Specialty interests:
-As of right now I am an open book when it comes to what specialty I would like to practice in. My "canned" answer when people used to ask me what type of doc I wanted to be was sports medicine because of my history in the field. Of course this means I also have a natural draw towards orthopedics, but I feel like I am almost too old to be gunning for surgery (it takes so long). I am also not sure if I have the personality it takes to be successful in training for surgery...not sure who actually ends up making it into these spots now a days, but from my class demographic, I don't really mesh with a lot of the people who say they are interested in surgery. Could not imagine spending every waking moment around people like that--the type of people that have no issue ****ting on others to get ahead themselves and talk down to their classmates as if they are above them haha. Not sure how it is everywhere else...just what I have observed here. Its funny though, because the actual surgeons that I am personal friends with are all great... Who knows. Anyhow, I like my life and the people in it too much to give them up to perform surgery if the horror stories I have heard about the training are even partially true. And lets be honest, I'll let my board scores tell me if I would even have a shot at something like ortho(still doubt I'd be interested at this point even if I kill boards). Among some other specialties that I find myself having a strong interest in are PM&R, EM, Anesthesia ( holla at cha boy @cliquesh ) 😉
Click to expand...
Coming from a degree in kinesiology , I almost went to PT school. I'm about to start med school. Sounds like PMR is a fantastic fit for you! And you can specialize after that. The residency has almost no call, so it's great when you have family. I don't think salary is very high but it's definitely not had at all.
 
Mr Kenobi said:
Yep.

Something I've realized throughout the process thus far (and I am sure you will too) is that schools say lots of things--this doesn't just apply to Marian. It will be interesting to see what our next class looks like tho. I've heard admissions say that the incoming class has a completely different personality than our class. Since they seem to be pretty focused on stats this year, it will be interesting to see what that means.
Click to expand...

Well as a member of the incoming class I hope that we have a good 'personality' lol. I will admit though, I hated Marian's interview. It was almost like they were trying too hard to downplay the importance of stats. I doubt that they are much different from a year ago though.
 
WhiteCoatSyndrome said:
Well as a member of the incoming class I hope that we have a good 'personality' lol. I will admit though, I hated Marian's interview. It was almost like they were trying too hard to downplay the importance of stats. I doubt that they are much different from a year ago though.
Click to expand...
Having a different personality from my class wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing! haha. I agree I wasn't a huge fan of their interview either compared to my interview experiences at other schools. From the impression I got among my classmates, I think I am in the small minority with that tho. Hmmm about the stats. Thats interesting they were doing that during your visit...I got a different impression from the talks I've had with admissions. But ya I agree that they probably won't be astronomically different from last year. We'll see...doesn't mean much to me personally...just interesting I suppose.
 
Mr Kenobi said:
Having a different personality from my class wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing! haha. I agree I wasn't a huge fan of their interview either compared to my interview experiences at other schools. From the impression I got among my classmates, I think I am in the small minority with that tho. Hmmm about the stats. Thats interesting they were doing that during your visit...I got a different impression from the talks I've had with admissions. But ya I agree that they probably won't be astronomically different from last year. We'll see...doesn't mean much to me personally...just interesting I suppose.
Click to expand...

I get ya. I don't put a whole lot of stock into stats but it's interesting how the schools I've visited have different views on such things. Anyway, I'm excited for school to start! Hopefully it's not too much of a shock to the system!
 
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