Bring on the stench! If I can stand working for 6 years in the oil and gas industry and the ever-present foul smells there, 4 months in the dungeon is going to be a piece of cake. Although my wife will probably still tell me to strip at the door...
No, your wife will be yelling at you for wearing your dissection scrubs in the car before she makes you strip-down at the door. Further bad news: I thought it was just 4 months, too - it isn't. You'll be going down to the dungeon second semester, too, for neuroscience. You'll only be playing with the brain, but you still have to experience the lovely ambience of the dissection lab. Neuro practicals, with 30 brains on cafeteria trays in a line like a scence from some bad 1950s horror film, are an experience not to be missed. I agree with DoctorBagel - the anatomy lab is probably the most early-1970's part of the building and has obviously never been touched. You'll quickly realize that dissection is really not a high-tech science and you'll stop noticing the sad surroundings - the smell is the real problem.
By the way, for the aspirings on the thread - yes, the facilities in the Basic Science Education Building are quite old, but they're functional. Important stuff, like network access - corded and wireless - has been added. The reason they haven't been remodeled is because OU can't expand its class size beyond the current 162 without blowing up the building interior and starting over - which is exactly what they're going to do when they figure out how to relocate everyone for 2 years. All plans for remodeling the current configuration have been cancelled.
As I'm sure you know, the formaldehyde/phenol smell isn't a noxious smell like some sulfurous petrochemical. It's a sickly sweet smell that is kinda benign, and kinda makes you want to lose your lunch at the same time. The reason we'll laugh at you is because your nose accomodates to the smell amazingly fast. You'll blanch the first few times you walk into lab, but when you're busy working, you'll hardly notice it at all. That's about the time the smell has permeated your hair, your clothes, and your skin. As WhoIsJohnGalt was saying (by the way, WIJG - hope you rocked Step I - congratulations!!), you will hardly notice yourself about the time you become maximally offensive.
Things you'll hear from other people that I ignored and learned the hard way... it's better if you keep your scrubs and an old lab coat (and a pair of bombed-out sneakers) in a locker (you can have one assigned to you in Room 100) - it's not worth smelling your car up to take them home to wash every time. The lab is quite cool so you rarely need to wash them for hygiene purposes unless you have a spill. I would also keep an old heavy T-shirt, ideally one with long sleeves that you can push-up to the elbow, as part of your gear. The lab is really cool and can become flat-out cold as Fall moves into winter.
Keep a few extra pairs of gloves stashed somewhere - in your lab coat pocket maybe. People are very polite about asking to borrow gloves when gloves are plentiful - but as the semester moves on and everyone runs out, they'll steal gloves from any box they can find - I know because I did it (after someone stole all of mine, so I felt morally somewhat justified).
By the way, speaking of warm clothes - you'll need a light jacket or sweatshirt at all times. You may feel silly carrying one in August, but you'll be glad you did (if you're organized, you can just leave it in your mod). For whatever reason, the lecture halls are both overheated and overcooled - and there will be 8am or 9am lectures when it's still 85 degrees outside that you'll freeze your buns off inside if you don't have a jacket. Keep your summer clothes for January - some days the lecture hall is quite hot.
Anatomy lab, here I come!
