Ms1 q&a

[911 Turbo]

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I remember in your mdapps you said you lost a lot of weight. Did you put it back on in ms1?

 

[MedPR]

We don't have syllabi. If you do, consider yourself lucky I guess. Yes, I used those during first year (Lippincott's throughout biochem as needed, HY prior to shelf, BRS phys before shelf and a little throughout)

I didn't realize they weren't universal... I guess I better look up if other schools have syllabi. One of my top 3 choices is the school my girlfriend currently attends (I'm applying this cycle, not matriculating).

 

[NightGod]

I remember in your mdapps you said you lost a lot of weight. Did you put it back on in ms1?

Stole my question. Just wanted to add that seeing that you lost ~100 pounds and got your black belt (really hope I'm thinking of the right person here) was a great motivator for me to get my fat butt to the gym and to return to the dojang. 50+ pounds (and 8 inches off my waist) later, I'm feeling better than I have in over a decade. That all said, I'm really curious how the battle with weight has gone since you hit med school and if you find regular time to go to the gym.

 

[Web MD]

Haven't been on here in awhile, good to see the 2015 guys survived the first year. I guess my only real concern is whether ~3-4 hours of studying/day is going to cut it at a P/F school? I usually crammed about 3-7 days before tests in undergrad depending on the class so the whole "keep up by studying a bit every day" is going to be a transition for me.

Also can't tell you how glad I am to hear everyone confirming that the tan I've been working on this summer is going to be infinitely more useful to me than pre-studying anatomy.

 

[MedPR]

Haven't been on here in awhile, good to see the 2015 guys survived the first year. I guess my only real concern is whether ~3-4 hours of studying/day is going to cut it at a P/F school? I usually crammed about 3-7 days before tests in undergrad depending on the class so the whole "keep up by studying a bit every day" is going to be a transition for me.

Also can't tell you how glad I am to hear everyone confirming that the tan I've been working on this summer is going to be infinitely more useful to me than pre-studying anatomy.

Ask them how much they studied during test weeks. 🙂

To get an A in undergrad you can party all semester except 1-2 days before tests. Based on my experience with my girlfriend, study 3-5 hours per day, and 8+/day the week of a test to pass.

 

[NickNaylor]

I remember in your mdapps you said you lost a lot of weight. Did you put it back on in ms1?

Haha, no, sadly the incredibly lazy last semester of college killed it for me. 😛 I gained some of it back but no where near all of it. I actually think I've bulked up a bit since med school started - since I never go to class, I made it a point to always go lift in the mornings before I started studying.

 

[NickNaylor]

I didn't realize they weren't universal... I guess I better look up if other schools have syllabi. One of my top 3 choices is the school my girlfriend currently attends (I'm applying this cycle, not matriculating).

I wouldn't trust other schools' syllabi for studying.

 

[NickNaylor]

Haven't been on here in awhile, good to see the 2015 guys survived the first year. I guess my only real concern is whether ~3-4 hours of studying/day is going to cut it at a P/F school? I usually crammed about 3-7 days before tests in undergrad depending on the class so the whole "keep up by studying a bit every day" is going to be a transition for me.

Also can't tell you how glad I am to hear everyone confirming that the tan I've been working on this summer is going to be infinitely more useful to me than pre-studying anatomy.

It will really vary from person to person. I know several people in my class that literally do very little to no work for most of the time and then cram like CRAZY the few days before the exam. They pass, so that actually works for them. On the other end of the spectrum, I have classmates that spend a LOT of time studying. It will depend largely on 1) your goals and 2) your efficiency. 3-4 hours a day is probably more than what I averaged for a typical day, but then again I really didn't care how I did on exams apart from passing them.

 

[RogueUnicorn]

Haven't been on here in awhile, good to see the 2015 guys survived the first year. I guess my only real concern is whether ~3-4 hours of studying/day is going to cut it at a P/F school? I usually crammed about 3-7 days before tests in undergrad depending on the class so the whole "keep up by studying a bit every day" is going to be a transition for me.

Also can't tell you how glad I am to hear everyone confirming that the tan I've been working on this summer is going to be infinitely more useful to me than pre-studying anatomy.

i usually study ~0 hours a day normally and ~ 12 hours total before an exam

 

[tiedyeddog]

My usual study schedule:

I try to podcast everyday whatever lecture is given that day. We are on three-four week blocks, end of each block is a test.

So first week, maybe 1-3 hours a day. Second week, maybe 5-8 hours a day. Third week - 12 hours a dayish.

I could study less and pass, I could study more and be in the top 10% of my class. I am happy with what I get.

 

[startswithb]

Stole my question. Just wanted to add that seeing that you lost ~100 pounds and got your black belt (really hope I'm thinking of the right person here) was a great motivator for me to get my fat butt to the gym and to return to the dojang. 50+ pounds (and 8 inches off my waist) later, I'm feeling better than I have in over a decade. That all said, I'm really curious how the battle with weight has gone since you hit med school and if you find regular time to go to the gym.

Re: weight in first year. I am a girl for starters, but I did put on like 8 lbs from the beginning of the year through the Christmas holiday. Yikes! I had just stopped weighing myself and ate lots of "study snacks" and didn't work out more than once a week, maybe. Ughh. Then in January I started working out regularly (one hour 3 times a week at least) with a friend and we became not only bff but also workout buddies. I lost only about 4 lbs from exercise until I changed my diet more drastically and counted calories. I have been at my goal weight for months now. So, my recommendation is to weigh yourself regularly to know if you're packing on the lbs, be mindful of your eating, and make it a priority to exercise. You will have time to exercise if you just go to the gym and do it. One hour of exercise isn't going to make or break anyone's studies, and you'll probably do better from the 100000 benefits of exercise and improved time management. You may also have a bunch of lectures on the obesity epidemic and it should feel awkward if you are not using your able 20 something year old body to be healthy. That being said, plenty of the guys in particular in our class are getting fat.

 

[JABWS]

It will really vary from person to person. I know several people in my class that literally do very little to no work for most of the time and then cram like CRAZY the few days before the exam. They pass, so that actually works for them. On the other end of the spectrum, I have classmates that spend a LOT of time studying. It will depend largely on 1) your goals and 2) your efficiency. 3-4 hours a day is probably more than what I averaged for a typical day, but then again I really didn't care how I did on exams apart from passing them.

I've seen a recurring theme in several of your posts, namely that you're content being in the middle of the pack as far as grades are concerned. After looking at your mdapps, this mindset seems to contrast with what you did as an undergrad (nearly 4.0 gpa). Is this common for medical students who were nearly flawless as undergrads to pull back on the reins a bit? Granted, it may have been that you've taken the same approach at both levels, with undergrad simply being easier.

I had something to prove as an undergrad, and I don't know if this sentiment will intensify as a medical student, or be replaced with something more along the lines of, "I've made it, now I can take a deep breath." Obviously medical school is no cakewalk, but do you generally feel more or less pressure now from a purely academic (make the grade) standpoint?

Edit: And btw, thanks for all your great insight; I really enjoy reading your posts.

 

[NickNaylor]

I've seen a recurring theme in several of your posts, namely that you're content being in the middle of the pack as far as grades are concerned. After looking at your mdapps, this mindset seems to contrast with what you did as an undergrad (nearly 4.0 gpa). Is this common for medical students who were nearly flawless as undergrads to pull back on the reins a bit? Granted, it may have been that you've taken the same approach at both levels, with undergrad simply being easier.

I had something to prove as an undergrad, and I don't know if this sentiment will intensify as a medical student, or be replaced with something more along the lines of, "I've made it, now I can take a deep breath." Obviously medical school is no cakewalk, but do you generally feel more or less pressure now from a purely academic (make the grade) standpoint?

Edit: And btw, thanks for all your great insight; I really enjoy reading your posts.

I don't think it's common per se, but it definitely does happen. It's also important to look at what is actually important in the future and what isn't. For me, grades on exams aren't important. What IS important is that I learn the material necessary to do well on step 1, which is why I do my studying the way that I do (and which almost necessarily hurts my performance on exams). It's also hard because much of what is taught in first year is relatively low yield for step 1 (or so I've heard). I expect my habits to be pretty different for the upcoming year as second year material covers the majority of step 1 material.

I definitely feel much less pressure from an academic standpoint, though it was a bit of a shock to be used to doing very well in undergrad and then not do so well in med school despite putting more hours in. I'll be honest, it still bothers me to some extent, but in the end I think I'm much happier working less and enjoying my life than working non-stop just to do better on pointless exams.

 

[solitarius]

Hey Nick,

Great thread. I've been meaning to start a thread to ask if pre-med is worse than medical school, and I wanted to get your opinion on this. Specifically, in what areas do you think medical school is worse, and in what areas do you think pre-med is worse?

 

[JABWS]

I don't think it's common per se, but it definitely does happen. It's also important to look at what is actually important in the future and what isn't. For me, grades on exams aren't important. What IS important is that I learn the material necessary to do well on step 1, which is why I do my studying the way that I do (and which almost necessarily hurts my performance on exams). It's also hard because much of what is taught in first year is relatively low yield for step 1 (or so I've heard). I expect my habits to be pretty different for the upcoming year as second year material covers the majority of step 1 material.

I definitely feel much less pressure from an academic standpoint, though it was a bit of a shock to be used to doing very well in undergrad and then not do so well in med school despite putting more hours in. I'll be honest, it still bothers me to some extent, but in the end I think I'm much happier working less and enjoying my life than working non-stop just to do better on pointless exams.

I heard this stated in one way or another from current medical students at many of my interviews. Do you think in most cases it's due to a potential ceiling, or is it usually a matter of how much time one is willing to invest based upon how highly they value the end result? In other words, do you feel like in general, those who score in the top percentile on exams are just putting in more work to do so?

It would be very disconcerting to start medical school, only to realize that acing every exam like undergrad is not a realistic possibility. But if I could attribute my average performance to a desire to have a social life etc... then I don't think it would be near as discouraging.

 

[tiedyeddog]

I heard this stated in one way or another from current medical students at many of my interviews. Do you think in most cases it's due to a potential ceiling, or is it usually a matter of how much time one is willing to invest based upon how highly they value the end result? In other words, do you feel like in general, those who score in the top percentile on exams are just putting in more work to do so?

It would be very disconcerting to start medical school, only to realize that acing every exam like undergrad is not a realistic possibility. But if I could attribute my average performance to a desire to have a social life etc... then I don't think it would be near as discouraging.

There is for sure a law of diminishing returns after awhile. Using imaginary numbers, you might study 10 hours and get an 80, 20 and get a 90. 30 and get a 93, 40 and get a 95, 50 and get a 96.

At some point it depends on how much you're willing to study for 1 percentage point. Is it worth it to you to kill yourself over it?

At some point you're memorizing random, pointless minutiae that will have zero bearing on how well you do on the steps or how you practice as a physician.

 

[drizzt3117]

I think some people will never be in a position to be at the top of their class no matter how hard they work, while others will have a different experience. Most people figure this out pretty quickly.

 

[NightGod]

Re: weight in first year. I am a girl for starters, but I did put on like 8 lbs from the beginning of the year through the Christmas holiday. Yikes! I had just stopped weighing myself and ate lots of "study snacks" and didn't work out more than once a week, maybe. Ughh. Then in January I started working out regularly (one hour 3 times a week at least) with a friend and we became not only bff but also workout buddies. I lost only about 4 lbs from exercise until I changed my diet more drastically and counted calories. I have been at my goal weight for months now. So, my recommendation is to weigh yourself regularly to know if you're packing on the lbs, be mindful of your eating, and make it a priority to exercise. You will have time to exercise if you just go to the gym and do it. One hour of exercise isn't going to make or break anyone's studies, and you'll probably do better from the 100000 benefits of exercise and improved time management. You may also have a bunch of lectures on the obesity epidemic and it should feel awkward if you are not using your able 20 something year old body to be healthy. That being said, plenty of the guys in particular in our class are getting fat.

To be fair, it's been a long time since I had an able 20 something year old body 😉 Though I'm a lot more able these days than a lot of 20 year olds that I know, so there's that! But it's good to know that fitting in time at the gym is very realistic-I've come to look forward to my time in the gym and can definitely see the 100000 benefits when it comes to studying (and just enjoying life in general). It does sadden me a bit to realize that a large chunk of your fellow students are...well...turning into large chunks. But at least I know it's very avoidable.

 

[NickNaylor]

Hey Nick,

Great thread. I've been meaning to start a thread to ask if pre-med is worse than medical school, and I wanted to get your opinion on this. Specifically, in what areas do you think medical school is worse, and in what areas do you think pre-med is worse?

I think pre-med is worse. You have to do all of this silliness with ECs, which can be a HUGE time sink. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed all of my activities in undergrad, so I guess in that sense this curse is a blessing. But I love having very little to do during school except for... well, school. There are people that continue to be involved in tons of ECs here, but it's no longer important, and you really have time to do what you WANT to do. Though I enjoyed what I did in undergrad, I never felt like it was what I would want to do if I had the ability to do anything. Then again there are people that are able to do just that, so I guess I just never found my "passion."

Med school is worse in the sense that it's generally more stressful, especially for exams. They just don't quite compare to undergrad. In all other ways, though, I think med school is superior.

 

[NickNaylor]

I heard this stated in one way or another from current medical students at many of my interviews. Do you think in most cases it's due to a potential ceiling, or is it usually a matter of how much time one is willing to invest based upon how highly they value the end result? In other words, do you feel like in general, those who score in the top percentile on exams are just putting in more work to do so?

It would be very disconcerting to start medical school, only to realize that acing every exam like undergrad is not a realistic possibility. But if I could attribute my average performance to a desire to have a social life etc... then I don't think it would be near as discouraging.

I agree with drizzt to some extent, but at least in my class I very much think test performance is strictly based on how much time you put into studying. Though there are people that are flat-out brilliant, I'm confident that a majority of my classmates could absolutely crush exams if they really wanted to. I just don't think most people care enough to do so. As tiedy mentioned, there's definitely diminishing returns; I could probably study a total of 15-20 hours and pass an exam (i.e., go from 0 to 65), but if I were to put in another 15-20 hours, I would probably only see a bump of maybe 15 points or so (say, 65 to 80). Going from a great grade (85-90) to even better grade (95+) takes an extraordinary amount of time. Most people have no interest in doing that because they want to do things that, you know, they enjoy doing.

The difficulty of med school lies less in the concepts and more in the volume - nothing I've seen thus far is really all that "hard" in the sense that you simply can't understand it. As an example, memorizing names and phone numbers from a phone book isn't itself a difficult task. Memorizing a phone book full of names and numbers, on the other hand, is pretty insane. Med school is similar.

 

[Verum]

I agree with drizzt to some extent, but at least in my class I very much think test performance is strictly based on how much time you put into studying. Though there are people that are flat-out brilliant, I'm confident that a majority of my classmates could absolutely crush exams if they really wanted to. I just don't think most people care enough to do so. As tiedy mentioned, there's definitely diminishing returns; I could probably study a total of 15-20 hours and pass an exam (i.e., go from 0 to 65), but if I were to put in another 15-20 hours, I would probably only see a bump of maybe 15 points or so (say, 65 to 80). Going from a great grade (85-90) to even better grade (95+) takes an extraordinary amount of time. Most people have no interest in doing that because they want to do things that, you know, they enjoy doing.

The difficulty of med school lies less in the concepts and more in the volume - nothing I've seen thus far is really all that "hard" in the sense that you simply can't understand it. As an example, memorizing names and phone numbers from a phone book isn't itself a difficult task. Memorizing a phone book full of names and numbers, on the other hand, is pretty insane. Med school is similar.

Are you planning on going into a competitive residency like surg at a top hospital? If so how much does the attitude of Just Passing affect those prospects?

 

[NickNaylor]

Are you planning on going into a competitive residency like surg at a top hospital? If so how much does the attitude of Just Passing affect those prospects?

Considering we are neither ranked nor graded, I'm not too worried about it.

(sent from my phone - please forgive typos)

 

[drizzt3117]

I was referring to all of med school, not just the preclinicals. That being said, there were people in my class that spent every waking moment studying and weren't near the top of our class.

I agree with drizzt to some extent, but at least in my class I very much think test performance is strictly based on how much time you put into studying. Though there are people that are flat-out brilliant, I'm confident that a majority of my classmates could absolutely crush exams if they really wanted to. I just don't think most people care enough to do so. As tiedy mentioned, there's definitely diminishing returns; I could probably study a total of 15-20 hours and pass an exam (i.e., go from 0 to 65), but if I were to put in another 15-20 hours, I would probably only see a bump of maybe 15 points or so (say, 65 to 80). Going from a great grade (85-90) to even better grade (95+) takes an extraordinary amount of time. Most people have no interest in doing that because they want to do things that, you know, they enjoy doing.

The difficulty of med school lies less in the concepts and more in the volume - nothing I've seen thus far is really all that "hard" in the sense that you simply can't understand it. As an example, memorizing names and phone numbers from a phone book isn't itself a difficult task. Memorizing a phone book full of names and numbers, on the other hand, is pretty insane. Med school is similar.

 

[JABWS]

Considering we are neither ranked nor graded, I'm not too worried about it.

(sent from my phone - please forgive typos)

Do you have AOA? I'm matriculating at UTSW, which, needless to say, is a little bit different.

 

[NickNaylor]

Do you have AOA? I'm matriculating at UTSW, which, needless to say, is a little bit different.

Yes, we do - I have no idea how the selection for it goes, though (I'm assuming clinical grades + step 1).

Hah, yeah UTSW is quite different. If I didn't live/grow up 20 minutes away from the campus I probably would've gone there. My best friend is a rising MS2 there as well.

 

[drizzt3117]

I believe there's also a qualitative component that goes into it. One of my friends at u of c failed to get AOA for political reasons. Ironically she got it as a pgy-1 (at u of c) for teaching, haha.

Yes, we do - I have no idea how the selection for it goes, though (I'm assuming clinical grades + step 1).

Hah, yeah UTSW is quite different. If I didn't live/grow up 20 minutes away from the campus I probably would've gone there. My best friend is a rising MS2 there as well.

 

[Verum]

Hey nick, once again thank you for this wonderful opportunity and i hope you do this every year until you get board certified.

question: What was your favorite thing about medical? Least favorite? Do you wish you had done something different? Seeing as you have passed your first year, are you satisfied with the work that you have done?

 

[Remedies]

This was slightly touched upon earlier, but is it common for people to do research while going to school? I usually try to put in at least 10 hours per week towards my project during school, and I'll be cranking it up even more next year. Obviously this might change once med school starts, but I'm slightly curious.

Thanks for all the help! Great thread.

 

[tiedyeddog]

I was referring to all of med school, not just the preclinicals. That being said, there were people in my class that spent every waking moment studying and weren't near the top of our class.

Really? I personally don't know anyone like that. They have to be pretty far and in between, I would guess.

 

[drizzt3117]

Really? I personally don't know anyone like that. They have to be pretty far and in between, I would guess.

Any of the fobbed out Indian or Asian ppl could potentially fit the bill.

 

[NickNaylor]

This was slightly touched upon earlier, but is it common for people to do research while going to school? I usually try to put in at least 10 hours per week towards my project during school, and I'll be cranking it up even more next year. Obviously this might change once med school starts, but I'm slightly curious.

Thanks for all the help! Great thread.

As mentioned previously, I knew a couple of classmates that did research during the school year. That was the exception rather than the rule as far as I know, though.

 

[tiedyeddog]

This was slightly touched upon earlier, but is it common for people to do research while going to school? I usually try to put in at least 10 hours per week towards my project during school, and I'll be cranking it up even more next year. Obviously this might change once med school starts, but I'm slightly curious.

Thanks for all the help! Great thread.

I did research during the year. It's possible, just manage your time well. Don't commit to anything unreasonable and I wouldn't do any research until at least your first test, so you can gauge how much time you have free.

 

[deleted393595]

I did research during the year. It's possible, just manage your time well. Don't commit to anything unreasonable and I wouldn't do any research until at least your first test, so you can gauge how much time you have free.

tie, how many hours per week did you spend on research?

 

[grapepopsicle]

Are any of you taking on a substantial amount of debt ($175,000+)? How much do you think the monthly payments (once you become attendings) to pay this off will affect your quality of life? Will the debt influence your choice of specialty? NickNaylor, I'm really interested in your thoughts on this, since it looks like you turned down in-state school(s) to go private in a city with high COL.

 

[tiedyeddog]

tie, how many hours per week did you spend on research?

depends on the week, week after a test maybe 10-30 hours, week before a test, maybe 0-5 (lab meetings only).

 

[dally1025]

Are any of you taking on a substantial amount of debt ($175,000+)? How much do you think the monthly payments (once you become attendings) to pay this off will affect your quality of life? Will the debt influence your choice of specialty?

Salaries vary greatly as an attending depending on specialty, location, how much debt you took out, etc so it's hard to estimate how much it will affect your life in the future. Debt did not influence my choice of specialty and honestly I don't know many people it has specifically. Yes, some choose a certain specialty because it offers a better lifestyle but no one I know is specifically worried about being able to pay off their debt it's more about being able to work less and earn a higher salary. You have to do what you love and even the lowest paying specialties will afford you a decent lifestyle after paying off your debt and no one knows which specialties will be top earners in the future. No matter how much derm pays I could never spend all day looking at rashes or acne...

 

[JABWS]

Random question, but is there a dress code for attending class?

 

[Lexicon0]

How realistic are the COL estimates schools give out? Have you found it difficult to live within these estimates?

 

[mvenus929]

But really, it works out to about $1000 a month take home. That's pretty significant when otherwise I'm looking at $0 a month. But I hesitate cause I've always been under the impression that no one can work while in med school.

I have friends that managed to do 2, 12-hour shifts every week (visa requirements), others who did 8-12 hour shifts every week (even into rotations--it was with the rescue squad and they require a 2 year commitment).

So yeah, it's possible. And I would actually encourage you to do it from the beginning and quit if you feel it's hurting you. I've found it's much easier to adapt to the new requirements of studying for med school if you already have all your commitments in a line. If you try to add something later, it gets more difficult to juggle.

Haven't been on here in awhile, good to see the 2015 guys survived the first year. I guess my only real concern is whether ~3-4 hours of studying/day is going to cut it at a P/F school? I usually crammed about 3-7 days before tests in undergrad depending on the class so the whole "keep up by studying a bit every day" is going to be a transition for me.

Treat it like a full time job at first, and adjust accordingly. Some people aren't going to need 3-4 hours a day, and others will need more to keep their head above the water. You won't really know where you fall until you try it out first.

I've seen a recurring theme in several of your posts, namely that you're content being in the middle of the pack as far as grades are concerned. After looking at your mdapps, this mindset seems to contrast with what you did as an undergrad (nearly 4.0 gpa). Is this common for medical students who were nearly flawless as undergrads to pull back on the reins a bit?

I was the type of person who had to make the A in undergrad... I freaked out over my first A-. I spent two years away from school, and when I came back, I realized that grades didn't really matter anymore (least not the first two years, since it was P/F, so I didn't mind if I got a B or C on an exam. It wasn't as important as feeling as though I understood the material.

How realistic are the COL estimates schools give out? Have you found it difficult to live within these estimates?

I haven't found it difficult. If you budget well and don't have some monthly payment (like a car) that takes up a sizable portion of your monthly allowance (outside of rent), you should be fine.

 

[NickNaylor]

How realistic are the COL estimates schools give out? Have you found it difficult to live within these estimates?

I think this will vary among schools. However, the budget we were provided is EXTREMELY generous. I live a pretty nice lifestyle and still have a good chunk of money left over. That may or may not be true at other schools and/or if you live in a place with egregious COL.

(sent from my phone - please forgive typos)

 

[MedPR]

I think this will vary among schools. However, the budget we were provided is EXTREMELY generous. I live a pretty nice lifestyle and still have a good chunk of money left over. That may or may not be true at other schools and/or if you live in a place with egregious COL.

(sent from my phone - please forgive typos)

Not many places have a greater COL than Chicago though.. right?

 

[kpcrew]

Are any of you taking on a substantial amount of debt ($175,000+)? How much do you think the monthly payments (once you become attendings) to pay this off will affect your quality of life? Will the debt influence your choice of specialty? NickNaylor, I'm really interested in your thoughts on this, since it looks like you turned down in-state school(s) to go private in a city with high COL.

I think he got a full tuition scholarship.

 

[NickNaylor]

Not many places have a greater COL than Chicago though.. right?

Hah, good point, though I'm from Texas, which has one of the lowest COLs. So everything seems high to me.

(sent from my phone - please forgive typos)

 

[MedPR]

Are any of you taking on a substantial amount of debt ($175,000+)? How much do you think the monthly payments (once you become attendings) to pay this off will affect your quality of life? Will the debt influence your choice of specialty? NickNaylor, I'm really interested in your thoughts on this, since it looks like you turned down in-state school(s) to go private in a city with high COL.

4/11 - Got bumped up to a full tuition scholarship at Pritzker after sending an e-mail -> MATRICULATING!

http://www.mdapplicants.com/profile.php?id=19291

I'm curious what you sent in that email, NickNaylor?

 

[NickNaylor]

Are any of you taking on a substantial amount of debt ($175,000+)? How much do you think the monthly payments (once you become attendings) to pay this off will affect your quality of life? Will the debt influence your choice of specialty? NickNaylor, I'm really interested in your thoughts on this, since it looks like you turned down in-state school(s) to go private in a city with high COL.

The scholarship I received at Pritzker made the cost similar to the cost at my state school. Since I really wanted to leave Texas for a bit, I didn't mind paying a bit more.

(sent from my phone - please forgive typos)

 

[grapepopsicle]

The scholarship I received at Pritzker made the cost similar to the cost at my state school. Since I really wanted to leave Texas for a bit, I didn't mind paying a bit more.

(sent from my phone - please forgive typos)

Ahh, I see. Without the scholarship would you still be in Texas then?

 

[Geekchick921]

Random question, but is there a dress code for attending class?

For attending lectures, not at my school. Jeans and shorts, sneakers and flip flops are all common place. Just don't dress like a slob or a ho. You will be expected to wear business casual clothing (along with your white coat) for patient or standardized patient settings, and for shadowing.

How realistic are the COL estimates schools give out? Have you found it difficult to live within these estimates?

I honestly think any single student living within their means would have have a problem with the CoL given (at least at my school). I have two small kids and I needed to take out a little more for the second semester this year (and will need to this coming year as well) because daycare bleeds me dry.

Regarding weight, I had some classmates gain and others lose. Most didn't seem to vary too much. I personally lost weight, but I cheated.

 

[235009]

Most of them seem to be doing more qualitative, less bench type of projects (e.g., ethics, clinical stuff, medical education, etc.).

the other peoples' research is also most likely quantitative...unless they're all doing case reports which i doubt. you don't get some sort of martyr badge for doing bench research. clinical research is easier to publish, more relevant to clinical practice and most likely what you'll be doing down the line in your career.

 

[NickNaylor]

the other peoples' research is also most likely quantitative...unless they're all doing case reports which i doubt. you don't get some sort of martyr badge for doing bench research. clinical research is easier to publish, more relevant to clinical practice and most likely what you'll be doing down the line in your career.

I don't think I said I get a special badge for doing bench work?

(sent from my phone - please forgive typos)

 

[NickNaylor]

Ahh, I see. Without the scholarship would you still be in Texas then?

Probably. As much as I would've liked to get outside of Texas, I'm also a pragmatist and unwilling to go into ridiculous levels of debt just to have a "neat experience."

(sent from my phone - please forgive typos)