What item helped you most through years 1 and 2?

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angryamygdala

angryamygdala

Angryamygdala
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A long story short, I have a little extra cash and an amazon gift card that I would like to apply towards benefitting me next year, rather than buying some crap I don't really need. 😀

I was debating a serious audio recorder but that seems outdated with classroom recording technology these days. Any other suggestions?

How would you endulge my poor spending habits?
 
Just ordered the book, I think it's actually been recommended to me before.

Thanks!
 
BRS physiology if you want someone for med school. Otherwise, save the cash. You can spend it on booze after your first set of exams 🙂

Survivor DO
 
Anything that will help you relax and make your time more enjoyable.
 
Anyway, I second not buying anything. You would be really foolish to spend money on an audio recorder, as most programs will record the lectures for you! As for books, buy them once you land at school and start to figure out how you are going to learn!

In the mean time take the money and put it towards a great desk, printer, pens, highlighters, and a really comfy chair to study in. Seriously, make yourself a little posh office to study in, and you'll feel much less depressed when October comes.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
fahimaz7 said:
lol. someone is about to get banned.

Anyway, I second not buying anything. You would be really foolish to spend money on an audio recorder, as most programs will record the lectures for you! As for books, buy them once you land at school and start to figure out how you are going to learn!

In the mean time take the money and put it towards a great desk, printer, pens, highlighters, and a really comfy chair to study in. Seriously, make yourself a little posh office to study in, and you'll feel much less depressed when October comes.
Click to expand...

I had a crappy chair all thru first year... I didn't realize how crappy until my parents got me a good chair for Christmas this year (second year). I may not have had it for the first year and a half, but at least I have it for boards studying lol. But seriously, spend the money on a good one, you'll be sitting a lot and it def makes a difference!
 
Dual monitor graphics card for your computer. This is the best investment I've made so far.

Or a good chair - second best investment.
 
angryamygdala said:
A long story short, I have a little extra cash and an amazon gift card that I would like to apply towards benefitting me next year, rather than buying some crap I don't really need. 😀

I was debating a serious audio recorder but that seems outdated with classroom recording technology these days. Any other suggestions?

How would you endulge my poor spending habits?
Click to expand...

Bose noise canceling headphones... improves my concentration and blocks out the panic of the M1's at my school when they have exams coming up.
 
Coffee machine for k cups if you have some money to burn. A lot of people spend tons of money at places like starbucks but you can save money by just making your own. Or a water boiler with some instant coffee or tea.
 
angryamygdala said:
A long story short, I have a little extra cash and an amazon gift card that I would like to apply towards benefitting me next year, rather than buying some crap I don't really need. 😀

I was debating a serious audio recorder but that seems outdated with classroom recording technology these days. Any other suggestions?

How would you endulge my poor spending habits?
Click to expand...

Exercise or health stuff. Feel better, look better, perform better, live better.
 
Save your money for a bit; there will definitely be something unnecessary that pops up during the year that you really want. Indulging those occasionally keeps you sane - I bought Krav Maga lessons and a super high end manual burr grinder for whole bean coffee during M1 and those kept me happy throughout the year.
 
LUCPM said:
Dual monitor graphics card for your computer. This is the best investment I've made so far.

Or a good chair - second best investment.
Click to expand...

Yes. I finished my triple monitor setup this summer and I'm also in the market for a nice chair. What's sad is, aside from the gaming allure, I'm actually really excited to use my display for studying. There is nothing better than extra desktop real estate when you want to study efficiently.
 
second the post on dual monitor. game changer. life will never be the same
 
MilkIsGood said:
second the post on dual monitor. game changer. life will never be the same
Click to expand...

Lol didn't see that. I've rode with a dual before. It's fun but not mobile. It's nice to be able to study anywhere (I.e. Not at home). But I agree It's Awesome.
 
I currently use my macbook through my tele when Im home. However, I have to admit, I really do feel I study better using paper and books than monitors and tablets.

So far this is what I have taken away from this thread:

BRS review series works, I actually used the physio and histo editions during my masters so Im all set here. I also used a small guide to Robbins path that some of you may find helpful.

Good headphones, I have a set of over the ear sennheisers, and a set of beats-audio ear buds which both are pretty good at isolating me from the environment.

The House of God by Samuel Shem. I just picked it up (only $10) and it does look interesting. Even if it's a complete dud, it turns out I was in need of something new to read anyway.

Comfortable work space items. Okay so here I have a problem. currently I have a cheapo chair and a desk not designed to hold many open books (not to mention the 10g aquarium). I am going to move into my own apartment near the college probably by July, I suppose Ill have to make a trip to Ikea in that time.


Thanks for the advice everyone!
 
Pons Asinorum said:
Swing by a few big box stores and see what they have on the open box sale table. I scored two 21"ers for the low. Changed my life. Don't even bring up the amount of real estate I can see when rolling through Diablo III at high resolution.
Click to expand...

don't trust this guy, he still plays diablo III
 
new computer with fast processor > iPad / old computer
comfortable furniture > cheap apt and schlepping to library
caffeine / coffee > adderall / strattera / ADHD black market pills
nutritious food and unlimited fresh drinking water > junk food and sodas/energy drinks

money for airfares back home > staying at med school during breaks
 
FIREitUP said:
don't trust this guy, he still plays diablo III
Click to expand...

... ouch :laugh:
fahimaz7 said:
I'd like to see the PC that's running diablo III in 1920xX on 2 screens in the highest quality.
Click to expand...

D3 isn't all that graphically intensive. I played it on an i3 laptop with a Radeon 5730M (2010 tech) at 1920x1080 on ~medium details and maintained a pretty consistent 30FPS. I'd imagine a full on PC with tech from the past couple years should run a dual monitor setup with D3 without much difficulty. This is assuming there hasn't been some big graphics patch after August 2012 which was roughly around the time I stopped playing.
 
Could one of you guys point me to a good article on setting up a dual monitor situation for macbook pros? I've tried to read up on it before but I'm really incompetent regarding most everything computer-wise
 
Physio Doc 2 Be said:
Beer brewing supplies.
Click to expand...

Been brewing 5gal small batch since high school.. But good thinking, I wasn't planning on where to do this in a new apartment.

To anyone suggesting coffee... well I have that covered as well: http://i.imgur.com/GT1IAYV.jpg Not sure if its visible in that shot, but theres a siphon brewer, an aeropress, french press, mypressi, etc in the background. Oh yeah, and a dual boiler commercial espresso machine with two commercial grinders right up front... BTW, for anyone looking for coffee related advice, coffeegeek.com is a good resource. Though you should know that "true," espresso can become an investment rather quickly.

I think I can safely put it to rest then, that in terms of material needs I am well situated as a result of my masters studies.

I have found the gym and physical health reccomendations more helpful .​
Judging by the reccomendations for a good chair and dual monitor set-ups, I can guess that most of you share my.. sedentary life style. How do you plan your work outs around a year 1-2 schedule? Ive never been all that active and in the past year I've gone from naturally skinny, to just under overweight.
 
There's always free time...

It just means you might have to not spend 3 hours cooking and watching Friends that night.

Or you might have to skip the Biostats lecture.
 
jowen88 said:
Could one of you guys point me to a good article on setting up a dual monitor situation for macbook pros? I've tried to read up on it before but I'm really incompetent regarding most everything computer-wise
Click to expand...

What year is your macbook pro?

Apple>About this Mac>More Info...

you should see a dialogue like this: http://i.imgur.com/qvJ0z80.png

If it is an early 2011 version or greater, your best bet is a thunderbolt->HDMI converter. This will plug into your mac, and allow you to use any HDMI compatible TV as a second monitor. You can also get adaptors for typical VGA and other screen-only formats.

Another option: if you have an apple TV, you can wirelessly mirror over your wifi.👍
 
angryamygdala said:
How do you plan your work outs around a year 1-2 schedule? Ive never been all that active and in the past year I've gone from naturally skinny, to just under overweight.
Click to expand...

Wake at 4:30 AM, Training at local gym 5 AM, out of the gym by 6 AM, in bed again by 6:30 AM for half an hour, cook breakfast by 7 AM, in school lecture by 8 AM. Eat small portions of meals q 3 hours, drink plenty of water throughout the day.....in bed sleeping by 10 PM

repeat 3x/week. Cardio on days you do not train in the gym for weights.
That is essentially my routine. Prior to med school, I was in the gym 5-6 x week, and teaching Spinning as well.

gym is not a matter of fun or whether you "can" do it.
You find the time for the bathroom, for showering, for brushing teeth, for eating.
Gym is a non-negotiable, just like everything else you choose in your lifestyle.

When you get older you understand these things. My LDL is 89, my triglycerides are 69, my bodyfat is about 15%, and I am loving being statin/ace-inhibitor free......naturally. Not bad for an old fart like me.

see you in the gym
 
that apple tv option looks really enticing; mines early 2011, so my only question is do I just look at the monitor/s and see what they have, vga vs hdmi inputs? is one preferred? also, in the interest of grandiosity, can you hook it up to 2 different monitors? i imagine you just need some splitter of some sort and then it might run slower etc
 
jowen88 said:
that apple tv option looks really enticing; mines early 2011, so my only question is do I just look at the monitor/s and see what they have, vga vs hdmi inputs? is one preferred? also, in the interest of grandiosity, can you hook it up to 2 different monitors? i imagine you just need some splitter of some sort and then it might run slower etc
Click to expand...

Thunderbolt port is pretty fast, I run mine into a 39in LED television which is way more than enough for me. Typically you'd only see hdmi on systems that include audio... Most dedicated computer monitors do not . Mirroring on the Apple TV can have some lag depending on how your network is set up but if you're using it for videos you can get to them without mirroring through the Apple TV's native software without lag.

Sent from my PG86100 using SDN Mobile
 
Pons Asinorum said:
Swing by a few big box stores and see what they have on the open box sale table. I scored two 21"ers for the low. Changed my life. Don't even bring up the amount of real estate I can see when rolling through Diablo III at high resolution.
Click to expand...

I Black Fridayd 3x 23" asus monitors for 99 each, and upgraded to GTX670 card to run it all. It is money well spent on both the gaming and studying fronts.
 
survivordo said:
BRS physiology if you want someone for med school. Otherwise, save the cash. You can spend it on booze after your first set of exams 🙂

Survivor DO
Click to expand...







blub1212 said:
Anything that will help you relax and make your time more enjoyable.
Click to expand...

That's 2 votes for alcohol. Consider this a 3rd vote.
 
just to clarify, if i were to run it into my tv (i believe is lcd) i would still need the thunderbolt-->hdmi converter+hdmi cables right?
 
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