- Joined
- Jul 20, 2007
- Messages
- 49
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Those were some of my dat scores from 08. I was in the 99th %ile for both chem and ochem. My aa was in the 95th %. I had a ****ty overall gpa as i ****ed around my first few yrs of undergrad. I finished with 2 years at another school where i had a 3.8 gpa. I thought i was a shoo in with my dats and recent gpa upturn but was flat rejected from 34 schools which cost like a few grand to apply i think. I was devastated and went into a 2.5 yr episode of suicidal depression/drug binge. After rehab i recovered long enough to take the gre and shoot out an app for a masters program in biotech. Had i not been accepted i definitely would be dead. I am now into my second semester and couldnt be happier. I got full tuition plus stipend so im basically getting paid to research and learn. I spend the majority of my time working with viruses for gene therapy in a lab under the florida sunshine at uf. I park my 2007 kawasaki supersport bike, which i can ride year round, in a gated lot on campus then crank up the heavy metal from 'suicide silence' on my naked iphone4 (no case) for the two minute walk to the building where my lab/office is. I usually start my mornings with a early power yoga class at the rec center which consists of me and 7+ gorgeous female college students contorting together on the floor in a closed dark room with ambient techno softly lulling us in the background. It sounds sexier than it is although its pretty damn hot. its definitely the best way to start a morning as well as casual sexual relationships with limber, liberal, attractive, and educated 20 year old chicks. After yoga i usually grab a quad soy no whip grande white mocha from the starbucks which is 1.5 minutes from my lab then get to work. I love what i do so i dont treat it like work. I put in my headphones, crank the metal, and start solving scientific puzzles. I take a few classes but in grad school, at least here, we get freedom to learn on our own which is great. Im either reading papers on my ipad or attending lectures from professors and medical drs as my building is connected to the hospital so i get exposed to clinical science as well. My father is a dentist and i grew up comfortably and still am very comfortable, financially at least. Dentistry provided me a great life and i thought i would pursue this life in my fathers footsteps. From freshman year of highschool, i believed my destiny was to go to college, then d school, then start my own practice like dad, make a quarter mill/yr on my own schedule as the boss and basically be financially able to engineer my ideal life. I grew up around dentistry. Some of my earliest memories are of watching my father at work at his private practice. I spent years watching learning and reading about dentistry as my mom would bring us there after school because she managed the practice. I figured i would pursue dentistry because i knew it, i had my fathers practice, and i was good at math and science. It seemed like an easy life with lots of money so i really wanted to be a dentist. When i got rejected i lost all hope for the future and felt directionless. It was horrible. The ironic thing is that i now have no idea where my life is directed but its enlivening, exhilirating, exciting, and terrifying. I love it. I feel confident because im not a ****ing idiot and im not just book smart either. I was good at working as a construction site supervisor and also as a business manager. I was good at selling drugs but not at doing them responsibly. As a result of my inability to control my recreational narcotic use i did dumb things and got to spend a few nights in jail on a few occasions. What i mean to say is that ive been through both the academic and reality ringers and have come out alright. I used to think i wanted to be a dentist more than anything and that being a dentist was the only way i was going to achieve some semblance of happiness or contentment. I now feel if i had become a dentist that i would have committed a cliche dentist suicide. I realize im not a 'professional'. I dont live life to the standards expected of a health pro nor do i want to. I also feel that dentistry is a bit too stable for me. It really hasnt fundamentally changed for... ever basically. I couldnt do the same procedures over again every day like a factory worker. I understand though why dentistry is attractive, for the same reasons i dont like it. Its safe, stable, and predictable and possibly lucrative. Im not going to be a dentist and for the first time in my life im ok with that. Im going into biotech which is new, unsure, and possibly not the highest paying. But it is new and exciting and yeah i could end up with like 50k/yr but i could also become a millionaire. Its up to me and how much i want it and i ****ing want it bad. Well thats my story. I always thought i wanted to be a dentist but a rejection letter and an odyssey of self realization revealed my true calling was not to be in the field of oral health. I dont know where im going or when ill get there but i got my abilities, my mind, and my trust fund to fall back on. I guess good luck to all of you pursuing dentistry, it can be a great thing. And to the many of you who will be rejected, let it go. If u come back to it then it is yours, if not, find your passion. I firmly believe and have experienced that those who pursue their passion, whatever it may be, will find some success/fulfillment/happiness. And thats all that really matters. Well, if youre still reading, thanks for sticking around and i hope you were able to derive something of value out of the time u have invested in my mind. Well its friday so back to my sushi, bong, and the office on my dvr. **** you and thank you to all the admissions directors who rejected my ass.
