Hey everyone,
Congrats on your acceptances. I am in the Class of 2004 with Pilot and Homonculus. They are right on the money with their advice (as usual :wink: ). A few more tips I thought of:
1. Relax this summer. DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT STUDYING ANYTHING! Use this time to unwind and prepare for the upcoming endeavor. Take a trip or something. My fiance' and I took a trip to Cancun the summer before I started OSU-COM. It doesn't have to be anything elaborate or expensive, just something relaxing and fun.
2. Find other activities outside of school as stress relief. My first semester of first year was the hardest for me only because I thought I should spend every waking hour reading school books. I later discovered that you absolutely NEED other activities to stay sane. Someone before mentioned the bike trails by the river which are great for a relaxing ride. There are also several gyms fairly close to the school and the downtown YMCA offers financial aid which medical students qualify for. I ended up paying $10/month for a membership there and, depending on need, some students pay as little as $5/month! These are just a couple of suggestions but you get the point.
3. Regarding Westport Apartments: I live there and they are nice but you can find nicer apartments for cheaper. I personally think the location is worth the extra $$. You can leave your apartment 5 minutes before class starts and still make it on time. You also save gas and mileage on your car. There is some problem with crime as with about any apartment complex but the criminals tend to be opportunistic. Keep your car locked with the windows up at night, your apartment doors and windows closed and locked, and other common sense theft prevention measures and you should be fine. The biggest problem I have seen from Westport is bike theft. There are some neighborhood kids that steal bikes from Westport. If you have a bike, try to keep it inside or keep it secured to your balcony railing with one of those U locks that are boltcutter-proof. They have on numerous occasions climbed up to second and third story balconies at night to steal bikes. This has been a problem for the past few years and continues to resurface especially during the summer months.
4. Lastly, BOARD EXAMS! As Homonculus and Pilot have alluded, we took boards last week. I feel we were VERY well prepared for them, especially in Pathology which is a large chunk of the test. I'm not saying I aced them by any means but I feel very secure in my education and preparation. You are in good hands!! I know it will be a couple of years before you take them but rest assured you will be ready. The Pathology professor you will have second year, Dr. Goljan, gives board reviews around the country and he will give you high-yield board review notes and an intensive review the week before the boards. He also models his questions after board questions to get you in the board-taking mindset.
That's all I can think of right offhand. Again, congratulations to all of you. I remember how nervous I was two years ago but you will be fine. You have passed the hardest part: getting here. It's all downhill from here. If you have any ?s for me, feel free to e-mail me at
[email protected] anytime.
