MCW Class of 2010, Part 3

[Franimal]

Any tennis players here? And, I'm not that familiar with the area; are there courts or clubs nearby? I'm hoping to bring my racquets and do a lot of hitting before orientation and in any free time I may have.

You would probably work me if we played tennis.... but I do like to try. I have a rackett, but I have only played about 15 times. My girlfriend taught me a couple years ago... I atleast got good enough that I was woopin on her!! HAHA, maybe I will play you sometime. It should be a good way to boost your confidence!!!! PS.... Interesting pictures!!!

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[Agent Splat]

Oh yeah, so how "big" is this white coat ceromony. Do most people have their parents come. Would I feel left out if mine weren't there? My roomate said his parents are definitely going to his. But I don't know much about it. I guess I will will invite my parents to fly out, but I am not sure if it is such a big deal that they should.

The White Coat ceremony seemed like a fairly big deal. I'd say a majority of the class had family there. The ceremony itself isn't really all that great...ours was pretty dull, actually. One of the major people on stage was obviously having trouble staying awake during the keynote speaker. Which isn't suprising, since I wasn't having much luck keeping my eyes open either. But yeah, definitely a big deal.

 

[scotttennis]

You would probably work me if we played tennis.... but I do like to try. I have a rackett, but I have only played about 15 times. My girlfriend taught me a couple years ago... I atleast got good enough that I was woopin on her!! HAHA, maybe I will play you sometime. It should be a good way to boost your confidence!!!! PS.... Interesting pictures!!!

And, if you'd want, I could give you or anyone else some lessons. I teach tennis at a camp during the summer. ;-)

 

[opmed]

Any tennis players here? And, I'm not that familiar with the area; are there courts or clubs nearby? I'm hoping to bring my racquets and do a lot of hitting before orientation and in any free time I may have.

There are actually a few public access outdoor tennis courts within a mile of the school along with some sand volleyball courts and a decent bike trail.

 

[indo]

I'm in on the hoops too. Does anyone here rock climb? I'm not good at it but it is fun and addictive. Do they have any indoor walls with low priced memberships?

Also, since it seems like all 4th years want to do is run marathons, should I start training today?

 

[Gimlet]

I'm in on the hoops too. Does anyone here rock climb? I'm not good at it but it is fun and addictive. Do they have any indoor walls with low priced memberships?

Also, since it seems like all 4th years want to do is run marathons, should I start training today?

No idea about indoor walls, but the Wilderness Medicine Society went on a rock climbing trip to Devil's Lake State Park last fall. The people who went said it was a lot of fun. Me, I'm not big on heights, so rock climbing doesn't sound like much fun.

 

[indo]

No idea about indoor walls, but the Wilderness Medicine Society went on a rock climbing trip to Devil's Lake State Park last fall. The people who went said it was a lot of fun. Me, I'm not big on heights, so rock climbing doesn't sound like much fun.

I'm scared of heights too but when I can control whether or not I fall to my death I do okay. I don't know about climbing 3000 feet up a canyon wall though... I might be a better climber by next summer though.

 

[Franimal]

Just a reminder to "Keep the contact info coming"... so far I only have a couple of people's info. A 'couple' meaning 2 and one of those is me. Quite a pathetic list so far. PM me your names, e-mails, and whatever info you think may be useful. I am stuffed...
Do any of you current med students know why you get so tired when you eat too much. Man, I am stuffed and I just really want to fall asleep. It seems to happen to me a lot!!! HAH I didn't even eat any turkey either.

 

[Gimlet]

Just a reminder to "Keep the contact info coming"... so far I only have a couple of people's info. A 'couple' meaning 2 and one of those is me. Quite a pathetic list so far. PM me your names, e-mails, and whatever info you think may be useful. I am stuffed...
Do any of you current med students know why you get so tired when you eat too much. Man, I am stuffed and I just really want to fall asleep. It seems to happen to me a lot!!! HAH I didn't even eat any turkey either.

If you just ate a meal with a high glycemic index, it could be a hypoglycemic dip in your blood sugar as a result of insulin overshooting in response to your meal. That, or the little gnomes inside your body are taking a break to feast on the nutrients you've provided. What, you didn't know about the gnomes? Wait until you get to anatomy.

 

[DoctorFunk]

If you just ate a meal with a high glycemic index, it could be a hypoglycemic dip in your blood sugar as a result of insulin overshooting in response to your meal. That, or the little gnomes inside your body are taking a break to feast on the nutrients you've provided. What, you didn't know about the gnomes? Wait until you get to anatomy.

It also could be that his blood flow has redistributed from skeletal muscle to the splanchnic circulation, in which case the skeletal muscle has less oxygen with which to metabolize.

Then again, Franimal could just be a lazy-ass bastard who needs to shape up or ship out once he gets to the great ship HMS MCW!

 

[Franimal]

Then again, Franimal could just be a lazy-ass bastard who needs to shape up or ship out once he gets to the great ship HMS MCW!

I seriously doubt that this is the case!! Being a speedo model and all, i have to keep in good shape and maintain my sexy lean figure!!!

 

[Franimal]

Just to let you guys know... I am not really a speedo model. So don't get scared. HAHA

 

[Gimlet]

Just to let you guys know... I am not really a speedo model. So don't get scared. HAHA

Franimal, speaking as a professional swimwear model, I feel the need to correct your terminology...in the business we're known as "banana hammock models."

 

[Franimal]

Franimal, speaking as a professional swimwear model, I feel the need to correct your terminology...in the business we're known as "banana hammock models."

Being close to the CA-Mexico Border over here... we refer to them as "grape smugglers". But I like the banana hammock thing

 

[Agent Splat]

Being close to the CA-Mexico Border over here... we refer to them as "grape smugglers". But I like the banana hammock thing

Being a normal person, I refer to all of you as whackjobs.

 

[akpete]

Being a normal person, I refer to all of you as whackjobs.

 

[Agent Splat]

Not you again. Who are you???

 

[Jwax]

Woohoo, I have an interview! Ok, so it is for the alternate list, but it is still an interview. See ya'll March 31!

 

[SlowToLearn]

Out with the old (me)...in with the new (Class of 2010)...

Anywho, I'm an M4 looking to get sell some furniture (specifically, a futon, small computer desk, and small bookshelf) for cheap. Let me know if you'd be interested. I'd like to ultimately get rid of them by the time I fly outta here in late May...let me know.

-Slow

 

[scalpel179]

Greetings.

I continue to get ready for my trek eastward. In fact, I just purchased a warm, down coat to brave the cold. I am also excited to begin to meet each of you and get on with this whole process.

We will definitely need to get some intramural sports going. I just started playing raquetball, it is a great way to relieve stress take out frustration.

I wanted to ask you first years if a laptop is helpful and what types of programs are needed. I am thinking of making the transition to an apple powerbook, or ibook and need to know if there are any particular programs that you need that are only availiable for windows? Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

 

[Agent Splat]

I wanted to ask you first years if a laptop is helpful and what types of programs are needed. I am thinking of making the transition to an apple powerbook, or ibook and need to know if there are any particular programs that you need that are only availiable for windows? Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

You can definitely survive med school without owning your own computer. Depending on what you plan on using it for, it can be sometimes mroe distracting to have it around. You won't need anything they don't provide in the library/computer labs.

 

[Franimal]

Where is the closest COSTCO to Milwaukee.... I am pretty much moving out there with not much more than my clothes, TV and computer. SO I was hoping to make a COSTCO trip the first day and just load up on food, and kitchen stuff... maybe even a bed. I think I saw that there is one in Chicago, which may be worth the trip with my Bro for the day, just to go check out the city. But is there one closer or maybe a similar place to load up on the good stuff!!!!
As for "Slow", I would be interested in buying furniture, but I don't move out there till the end of July. Maybe some other newcomers will be moving out there earlier... good luck!!!

 

[Gimlet]

Where is the closest COSTCO to Milwaukee.... I am pretty much moving out there with not much more than my clothes, TV and computer. SO I was hoping to make a COSTCO trip the first day and just load up on food, and kitchen stuff... maybe even a bed. I think I saw that there is one in Chicago, which may be worth the trip with my Bro for the day, just to go check out the city. But is there one closer or maybe a similar place to load up on the good stuff!!!!
As for "Slow", I would be interested in buying furniture, but I don't move out there till the end of July. Maybe some other newcomers will be moving out there earlier... good luck!!!

No COSTCO's in the Milwaukee area. I don't think they have hit it big in the Midwest yet. The "store locator" on the Costco website doesn't even kick back any results when you search the Milwaukee area because it doesn't look further than 50 miles. The closest thing we have to that around here is probably Sam's Club, which can be nice, but I've heard that COSTCO is way better.

 

[scalpel179]

Thanks for the info. I just finished my financial aid package and sent if off today. It is a scary feeling taking out all of these loans. I thought I was in the hole after applying to school. Just wait!

Good to know about the computer. I still want a laptop, even if it is only an excuse to waste some valuable time. A man must have his priorities straight and believe me, I do know how to procrastinate studying.

 

[scotttennis]

Greetings.

I continue to get ready for my trek eastward. In fact, I just purchased a warm, down coat to brave the cold. I am also excited to begin to meet each of you and get on with this whole process.

We will definitely need to get some intramural sports going. I just started playing raquetball, it is a great way to relieve stress take out frustration.

I wanted to ask you first years if a laptop is helpful and what types of programs are needed. I am thinking of making the transition to an apple powerbook, or ibook and need to know if there are any particular programs that you need that are only availiable for windows? Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

I'm definitely interested in some intramural sports. I'm up for raquetball (or squash), and does anyone play volleyball? I'm playing in a league here in Madison, and it is really a fun, team sport.

Also, I bought a Powerbook back in September when my Toshiba died and absolutely love it. (Though, I would get the new MacBook Pro instead of the Powerbook now.) I asked about Macs at all the interviews that I went to and everyone said that they are very well supported. I've always been a fan of the alternative (Linux, BeOS, etc.) operating systems so OSX is actually a jump to a more mainstream/popular OS for me.

 

[Agent Splat]

Just a cool thing I thought I'd mention. We have a computer program here called "SimBioSys"...simulated bio systems (or whatever.) At any rate, you can observe in realtime a simulated biological system and play around with it, the cardiac output, heart rhythms, circulatory control system, etc. You can infuse any number of drugs, simulate hemorrhages, and pretty much anything you can think of to alter human physiology (within reason, indo...within reason). I induced ventricular fibrillation and successfully defibrillated my simulated patient to a perfectly normal sinus rhythm. On the first try.

It's a lot of fun to play with, and very helpful, too.

That being said, we just had the M1 physiology dog lab this week, and that was also very interesting. Ethical issues aside (which I personally did have some trouble with), there's something to be said about holding a beating heart in your hands and to see with the naked eye how it responds to different changes. And also, this lab proved the SimBioSys very wrong, in that one shock is not gonna bring a patient back to a normal rhythm (usually).

MCW is definitely a good place to be. Congratulations to all of you for getting here.

One final note, perhaps the most important, they do have Choco-tacos in the cafeteria. That ALONE should make up any undecided minds.

 

[pratik7]

I'm definitely interested in some intramural sports. I'm up for raquetball (or squash), and does anyone play volleyball? I'm playing in a league here in Madison, and it is really a fun, team sport.
\.

There are intramural vollyball teams along with flag football, curling and baseballi think. The people involved seem to really enjoy it.

 

[Tiger26]

So what's the deal with this dog lab anyway? I've only heard vague references to it, so I'm kinda curious about what it's all about.

 

[Agent Splat]

So what's the deal with this dog lab anyway? I've only heard vague references to it, so I'm kinda curious about what it's all about.

The dog lab is a lab for the physiology class. You are basically observing different cardiovascular control mechanisms.

A basic rundown: The experiment is performed on a medium to large sized dog which has been fully anesthetized before the students arrive. You cannulate both femoral arteries to measure pressure of the left ventricle and systemic pressure. You also cannulate a femoral vein for drug infusion. Also, the carotid arteries and vagus nerves are exposed in the neck. Finally, the chest is opened, and you can observe the heart beating and feel the force of it's contractions. Various experiements are performed with vagus nerve stimulation, occluding of venous return to the heart, and infusion of different drugs like atropine, norepinephrine, etc. Near the end you stimulate ventricular fibrillation (bad heart rhythm) and attempt to defibrillate. The dogs are ultimately sacrificed. Every effort is made to ensure the dogs remain under deep anesthesia the whole time. All in all you spend about 4-5 hours working on a dog.

MCW is one of the few schools that still performs this lab every year. The lab is optional, and your grades will not suffer for not showing up, but you are responsible for the concepts the lab covers on the exam. They provide time a few days before the lab to discuss ethical and moral issues and let us make up our own minds as to if we want to participate. They say that a live animal lab is still used because students continually rate it very highly, and that the variability you see in live subjects can't be reproduced by a computer simulation. They make it a point to mention that these dogs were already "scheduled" for euthanisia for one reason or another, and that they would be killed whether the lab was performed or not.

The lab itself, considering the implications of the use of dogs, is VERY well organized. Every single group (about 4 students) has a professor/faculty and a PhD or MD/PhD student with them at all times. You will always know what's going on and what to do next, unlike other labs I've had in undergrad and med school.

I have not yet heard any of my peers say the lab wasn't useful or very good. Personally I think it was very intersting, but beyond that I don't think it helped me learn the concepts any more than lecture or a computer simulation would. I won't lie that the surgical procedures we performed were very exciting, however. It's just something you have to think about for yourself. I'm still not exactly sure how I feel about what went on. It was a very interesting contrast to go from working with dead tissues last semester to living tissue this semester.

I'd be happy to answer any other questions about this lab either on here or via private messages.

 

[Tiger26]

thanks for the feedback. it sounds pretty informative, but I'm sure I'll be a little uneasy about it when I get there--unless, of course, I get real desensitized by anatomy

 

[akpete]

I just wanted to empasize some things about the dog lab.

The dogs come from a licensed dealer, subject to regulations and searches from the federal government. The dogs are a result from the massive pet overpopulation, and will be euthanized regardless.

The dog lab is EXTREMELY expensive for the school to put on. Not only for dogs and equipment, but for the manpower. Each group had 2 doctors - they are well-trained specifically for the dog lab. The ONLY reason for the lab is the high evaluations from students. A lot of schools have stopped doing the lab either due to cost or because there were cuts in personal teaching, for example 1 doctor per 20 students - you don't get as much out of it.

Marc did a great job explaining the lab, and I just really wanted to point those 2 things out. And of course, it's optional. Personally, I think it's a great way to transition our thinking from in terms of the cadaver to in terms of actual living beings.



Complete topic change: Intramural sports. I played in the softball league in the fall, and am playing in the volleyball league right now. Both of these are coed only, and there is also curling (coed) and flag-football (I know of both men and women playing, but I don't know if they were separate leagues or not). I'm pretty sure there's soccer in the spring. I'm not sure what else. There is a hockey team that I know some M1s play on, but it's not intramurals. It's a team of students, residents, and doctors that play in a league at the ice center down the road (the olympic training center if any of you watched the speed skating at all during the olympics). I think it's all men on that team, but I'm not sure, and I think it might be open to women.


Choco-tacos, huh.

 

[scalpel179]

All this talk of physiology lab and procedures is making me excited for med school. Yes, I am a little niave, but I had no idea that MCW offered such an experience. My university also has a dog lab that they sponser for flight nurses and paramedics. I have talked to people who have completed the training and they all said that the experience was was a tremendous help when it became necessary to do the real thing. If I wasn't sold on MCW already, this certainly makes the decision even easier.

Do you know if that SimBioSys"...simulated bio systems program works with Mac OS?

 

[indo]

I checked out www.UHaul.com and they quote something like 1700 dollars to move from Oregon to Wisconsin. Sweet jweezus. I'm pretty sure I could mail all my stuff for, at most, 1/2 that price. Anyone else from Oregon going my way and wann share a truck or something?

 

[Agent Splat]

All this talk of physiology lab and procedures is making me excited for med school. Yes, I am a little niave, but I had no idea that MCW offered such an experience. My university also has a dog lab that they sponser for flight nurses and paramedics. I have talked to people who have completed the training and they all said that the experience was was a tremendous help when it became necessary to do the real thing. If I wasn't sold on MCW already, this certainly makes the decision even easier.

Do you know if that SimBioSys"...simulated bio systems program works with Mac OS?

I think they make a Mac version, as I saw a demo for it online somewhere. But it's on the PCs in the computer lab, so it's not really worth buying. Unless you're a huge nerd.

That being said, I considered buying it.

 

[Gimlet]

That being said, I considered buying it.

Ohhh, Marc. That would be pretty tragically nerdy. I actually tried to use the program on Sunday and didn't find it very useful when Dr. Greene wasn't running it for me.

Nice new avatar...it's kind of freaky in a soul-eating sort of way.

 

[Gimlet]

I checked out www.UHaul.com and they quote something like 1700 dollars to move from Oregon to Wisconsin. Sweet jweezus. I'm pretty sure I could mail all my stuff for, at most, 1/2 that price. Anyone else from Oregon going my way and wann share a truck or something?

I would HIGHLY recommend visiting pages like www.dontuseuhaul.com before you go any further with U-Haul. I have heard ridiculous horror stories. There is a thread on SDN somewhere with people's U-Haul stories on it, too. Other services like Ryder and Penske are generally cheaper, have better equipment, and are more trustworthy than U-Haul.

 

[DoctorFunk]

I agree with Andy, stay the heck away from UHaul. I had reservations with them months in advance of my move and was still given the run-around when I went to pick it up. I had relatives and a couple friends all set to help with loading the truck and seeing me off, but UHaul not only moved the pickup time back by about 4 hours (after I already visited their office at the scheduled time with no word from them), but had the nerve to tell me that they couldn't guarantee me a truck that day at all! Not exactly what you want to hear when you have an expiring lease and your entire apartment is packed up. Needless to say, the whole day was extremely stressful, and I will never use their company again.

Oh, forgot to mention this: they tried charging me an extra $200 for the truck when I got to the pickup station. I about strangled them before I used my superior negotiation skills (not to mention size/weight and large father) to force them to honor their online quote.

 

[Gimlet]

I agree with Andy, stay the heck away from UHaul. I had reservations with them months in advance of my move and was still given the run-around when I went to pick it up. I had relatives and a couple friends all set to help with loading the truck and seeing me off, but UHaul not only moved the pickup time back by about 4 hours (after I already visited their office at the scheduled time with no word from them), but had the nerve to tell me that they couldn't guarantee me a truck that day at all! Not exactly what you want to hear when you have an expiring lease and your entire apartment is packed up. Needless to say, the whole day was extremely stressful, and I will never use their company again.

Oh, forgot to mention this: they tried charging me an extra $200 for the truck when I got to the pickup station. I about strangled them before I used my superior negotiation skills (not to mention size/weight and large father) to force them to honor their online quote.

Sounds like par for the course for U-Haul.

 

[Agent Splat]

Sounds like par for the course for U-Haul.

I heard that UHaul sells drugs to little kids, and also uses the trucks they aren't renting out to transport slave children to Canada where they're forced to make maple syrup.

And one time, the CEO of UHaul punched a guy in the face just because he didn't say hello to him...even though he couldn't, because he was mute!

 

[DoctorFunk]

I heard that UHaul sells drugs to little kids, and also uses the trucks they aren't renting out to transport slave children to Canada where they're forced to make maple syrup.

That's why there were 13 small children huddled in the back of my UHaul when I finally got it back to the apartment!

That leads me to say one positive thing about UHaul then: they trade in some fine child slave labor. Those kids had my apartment loaded up in no time flat, and all I had to do was give them $.67 to split between the 13 of them for an ice-cream cone at the nearest DQ!

 

[mcwstudent]

Quick question: I have recently been accepted to MCW. In my acceptance letter there is the caveat that I must maintain my current level of academic performance. I'll be sending MCW my final transcript when I graduate this May. I know this is primarily to verify that I actually graduated with a degree and have completed all required classes. However, I may get a few C's this semester. Is this bad or are C's okay? I don't want to learn that I will "lose" my acceptance this summer.

Thanks!

 

[akpete]

C's are fine. All schools give "provisional" acceptances. They just want to make sure you don't spend all your time f-ing up, and fail some classes.

At least I think all schools do that.

Marc, that avatar is really starting to freak me out a bit.

 

[indo]

I saw Jody from MCW on my local news last night. They are teaching med students time management and people skills now? crap.

 

[jmtanes]

Hey everybody - I was accepted to MCW back in October and I plan on moving up to West Allis sometime in early summer. I read a few posts about pre-orientation get togethers, and that sounds great, particularly the beer tour. Count me in.

-Jeff

 

[Gimlet]

I saw Jody from MCW on my local news last night. They are teaching med students time management and people skills now? crap.

What station was that story on? If you can find a link to it on the web, I would be interested in seeing it. I don't know about being taught time-management skills...if we were I definitely would have spent less time on SDN last weekend when I should have been studying Neuroscience.

(Welcome to the thread Jeff!)

 

[akpete]

I saw Jody from MCW on my local news last night. They are teaching med students time management and people skills now? crap.

Who's Jody? What's this all about?

Back to that Uhaul stuff, just a warning if you actually do use them, when you reserve a truck online, you're not really reserving it. They'll just attempt to have one in a 50 mile radius or so. Calling the specific place you want to get it from usually gives you better luck. I did that, and while I got the run-around for a while, I didn't call until like a week before moving cuz I didn't know where I was moving to yet, and once the reservation was made, it worked out fine.

Do Ryder and Penske have many locations, because I never see them either at a place to get the truck or even really driving down the road. But you see Uhauls everywhere, everyday. That's why I used them, even though I heard horror stories.

 

[indo]

Jody is apparently a med student at MCW. It was a story on my local Fox affiliate. I searched but I couldn't find the story on Portland or Milwaukee's Fox websites. I'm not 100 percent sure it was "Jody" either. Oh well.

I checked ups.com and I found that I could ship all of my stuff for 1/2 the price it would cost to drive it over there myself using UHaul

 

[jjzechlinski]

Hi all,

I'm an undecided MCW vs Madison class of 2010 student. Any advice out there deciding between the two?

Anyways, I've also started checking out some of the apartments in Wauwatosa. Any comments on the Reserve? Or other popular spots (the Overlook?)?

Keep up the active class thread! How many tennis players are out there?

-joe zechlinski

 

[Agent Splat]

Hi all,

I'm an undecided MCW vs Madison class of 2010 student. Any advice out there deciding between the two?

Anyways, I've also started checking out some of the apartments in Wauwatosa. Any comments on the Reserve? Or other popular spots (the Overlook?)?

Keep up the active class thread! How many tennis players are out there?

-joe zechlinski

I chose MCW over Madison for a few reasons...one was partially gut instinct that it was a better choice for getting into an emergency residency. When you get to 3rd and 4th year rotations, you won't end up running all over the state in UW's "statewide campus" or whatever they tout as being a good experience...seems like more of an inconvenience to me. So far I'm not regretting my decision at all. A major portion of it was also that I have no interest in living or dealing with Madison. That's all I can really think of right now, as I'm pretty tired. But if I think of anything else I'll post it here.

 

[Franimal]

Joe~ One of my professors was accepted to Madison a long time ago for Med school and ended up doing her PhD there. SHe kept in touch with people from MCW and Madison and she told me it seemed like her friends at MCW had better things to say about the school and that it was a more friendly learning environment. She said something about Madison being more of a competitive atmosphere. Anyhow, things could have changed since then, but I just wanted to share that with you. Good luck on your decision.