What to Pack for Medical School

[MarshMedic]

Thanks for the link!

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[evooo8]

For all of you considering the spiral/handwritten note thing, it may interest you to check out one of the threads I started. There is some good discussion happening there.
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/surface-pro-3-vs-macbook-for-med-school.1123009/

Keep in mind that the Macbook prices are very likely to drop in June/July.

Also keep in mind that the Surface pro 4 is rumored to come out in July and apparently there will be a 14 inch version which turns it into a real contender.

Also also keep in mind (lolz) that windows 10 is coming out in October and is supposedly dramatically better and easier to use than windows 8.

@kafratta , @Azmah , @AlteredScale , @AM508 , @exacto , @Desired Member , @MedNation907

I just bought a 13' MBP Retina two months ago! 🙁 Kinda wishing I would have waited a bit longer to get the new Macbook, especially the black one! But not too sure if I like that they removed the magnetic charger and all the USB ports. I basically just like that is is newer and that it is in black. Oh and the 256gb SSD, I only have 128gb.

Also anyone who is not uprooting a whole family, what are you guys packing with you? Are you driving to your new school or flying?

 

[Awesome Sauceome]

I just bought a 13' MBP Retina two months ago! 🙁 Kinda wishing I would have waited a bit longer to get the new Macbook, especially the black one! But not too sure if I like that they removed the magnetic charger and all the USB ports. I basically just like that is is newer and that it is in black. Oh and the 256gb SSD, I only have 128gb.

Also anyone who is not uprooting a whole family, what are you guys packing with you? Are you driving to your new school or flying?

Nah you are so much better off with the pro. It's dramatically faster, doesn't have the M processor, it's slightly bigger. I think you went with the right choice. Even for how slick the new MacBook is, I would 100% pick the pro over it if we are talking about getting a legit machine to last you through med school.

 

[Dr.Jekyll75]

I just bought a 13' MBP Retina two months ago! 🙁 Kinda wishing I would have waited a bit longer to get the new Macbook, especially the black one! But not too sure if I like that they removed the magnetic charger and all the USB ports. I basically just like that is is newer and that it is in black. Oh and the 256gb SSD, I only have 128gb.

Also anyone who is not uprooting a whole family, what are you guys packing with you? Are you driving to your new school or flying?

I'm packing clothes and my laptop. I'm ordering a futon, computer chair and desk, dinner table and cutlery so it's all there when I get there. It be pointless to really get anything more.

 

[polylux]

Also anyone who is not uprooting a whole family, what are you guys packing with you? Are you driving to your new school or flying?

I'm driving down the east coast about 12-13 hours. My SO is gonna fly up then drive down with me. I'm pretty much just packing my electronics and my clothes, and any books. And a rice cooker. I found a place that's already furnished so I'm saving a bunch of money there.

Shouldn't be a bad move. Looking forward to it, but I'm very used to moving.

 

[evooo8]

I'm going from California to Tennessee. I'm still deciding if I want to get a newer car here and make the drive to Tennessee. Or fly out there and buy a car there. The is easier and probably cheaper but it is a long drive.

 

[AM508]

I'm going from California to Tennessee. I'm still deciding if I want to get a newer car here and make the drive to Tennessee. Or fly out there and buy a car there. The is easier and probably cheaper but it is a long drive.

I hear you there. My move isn't quite as bad (about 1500 miles), but I am toying with the idea of using a mover and using their vehicle shipping service to also have my vehicle shipped along with my belongings then fly out. Since I have never towed anything before, I do not see myself being comfortable driving a sizable U-Haul and towing a mid-sized pickup truck behind it for 1500 miles.

 

[JimmyB123]

I hear you there. My move isn't quite as bad (about 1500 miles), but I am toying with the idea of using a mover and using their vehicle shipping service to also have my vehicle shipped along with my belongings then fly out. Since I have never towed anything before, I do not see myself being comfortable driving a sizable U-Haul and towing a mid-sized pickup truck behind it for 1500 miles.

How much would that cost?

 

[AM508]

How much would that cost?

I am estimating in the vicinity of $2500-$3000. I haven't picked a mover and gotten all the details yet as I am still waiting for a firm move-in date.

 

[polylux]

I am estimating in the vicinity of $2500-$3000. I haven't picked a mover and gotten all the details yet as I am still waiting for a firm move-in date.

I got my car shipped from LA to Boston for $900.

 

[AM508]

I got my car shipped from LA to Boston for $900.

I had $750 figured into my $2500-3000 total estimate, so its good to know i'm not too far off🙂. Did you use a big mover like United or Allied or something else for the actual vehicle shipping?

 

[polylux]

I had $750 figured into my $2500-3000 total estimate, so its good to know i'm not too far off🙂. Did you use a big mover like United or Allied or something else for the actual vehicle shipping?

No I used s small shipping company.

I also put stuff into the trunk of the car even though you're not supposed to. Then I flew with everything else. I didn't have to move much though. I think for big moves it's more cost effective to sell furniture and then rebut from Craigslist and such once you're at the new place.

My estimated moving costs for med school are about $300-400. Including a one way ticket for my SO to help me drive.

 

[cliquesh]

Just throw all of your **** away. I do that every time I move. It makes your life easier.

 

[AlteredScale]

Just throw all of your **** away. I do that every time I move. It makes your life easier.

I will do this!

 

[Seth Joo]

I would say the two most valuable things would be a reliable car and a good laptop computer. I tend to prefer Macbooks over PCs for a number of reasons, they are easier to use and tend to have less technical issues than PCs, fewer system crashes and viruses, which I think are important because you need a good trouble free computer as a student.

My own personal experience with Macs is from buying a refurbished model that turned out to be better than a new Windows machine. I would not recommend this for everyone, but I found it to be an example of the quality of Macs as compared to PCs. I used to be an avid PC user myself, I switched after Microsoft introduced Windows Vista 8 years ago.

A reliable car is necessary because many schools tend to be in small towns or rural areas with little public transportation. As far as what type of car, that is up to your own personal preference.

 

[evooo8]

I would say the two most valuable things would be a reliable car and a good laptop computer. I tend to prefer Macbooks over PCs for a number of reasons, they are easier to use and tend to have less technical issues than PCs, fewer system crashes and viruses, which I think are important because you need a good trouble free computer as a student.

My own personal experience with Macs is from buying a refurbished model that turned out to be better than a new Windows machine. I would not recommend this for everyone, but I found it to be an example of the quality of Macs as compared to PCs. I used to be an avid PC user myself, I switched after Microsoft introduced Windows Vista 8 years ago.

A reliable car is necessary because many schools tend to be in small towns or rural areas with little public transportation. As far as what type of car, that is up to your own personal preference.

Laptop - check (just bought a 13" MBP Retina)
Car - still deciding what to get

 

[Seth Joo]

Laptop - check (just bought a 13" MBP Retina)
Car - still deciding what to get

Well the type of automobile are a matter of personal preference more so than computers. That being said it depends where in the country you are going for medical school. If you are in a large city with great public transportation, a car is not a requirement, but most Osteopathic schools are in suburbs of major cities or in rural areas, so you need a car to get to school.

I live in Arizona, the weather here is warmer, I currently own a used Prius, which has excellent fuel economy, I do a fair bit of driving and it saves me money on gas, its not the most exciting car on Earth, but it does its job which gets me from one place to another. Saving money is really important when you are on a limited fixed income from student loans.

Windows based machines have become increasingly more frustrating to use since Windows Vista was released, I have not been impressed with Win 7 and Windows 8. They are not the most user friendly operating systems.

 

[AM508]

Windows based machines have become increasingly more frustrating to use since Windows Vista was released, I have not been impressed with Win 7 and Windows 8. They are not the most user friendly operating systems.

To be fair...that is all just a matter of personal preference and personal perspective. As far as my usage of computers goes, Mac operating systems are much LESS user friendly because they are so locked down. I am constantly modifying hardware and software settings, BIOS settings, and turning features of operating systems on and off, and Mac's don't allow that sort of freedom to modify and customize. I will give you that Vista was weak, and 8 is terrible, but 7 has been a real solid OS to work with. It is rock solid stable and easy to modify to suit ones needs. I am still putting Windows 7 Pro on even my newest personal builds. So in short, I don't think its fair to say that Windows has been a lousy OS since Vista (If you want to talk frustrating you should have been working with Windows 3.1 back in the mid '90's...now that was a chore😛). It really depends on what you like to do on your computer as one size does not fit all. For some folks, Windows or Linux is the only way to go.

 

[Seth Joo]

To be fair...that is all just a matter of personal preference and personal perspective. As far as my usage of computers goes, Mac operating systems are much LESS user friendly because they are so locked down. I am constantly modifying hardware and software settings, BIOS settings, and turning features of operating systems on and off, and Mac's don't allow that sort of freedom to modify and customize. I will give you that Vista was weak, and 8 is terrible, but 7 has been a real solid OS to work with. It is rock solid stable and easy to modify to suit ones needs. I am still putting Windows 7 Pro on even my newest personal builds. So in short, I don't think its fair to say that Windows has been a lousy OS since Vista (If you want to talk frustrating you should have been working with Windows 3.1 back in the mid '90's...now that was a chore😛). It really depends on what you like to do on your computer as one size does not fit all. For some folks, Windows or Linux is the only way to go.

Most people are not good at dealing with the technical issues of a computer, that is why I believe Macs are better than PCs is their ease of use and the reputation for quality and customer service. I had a friend who had a Mac that was a few days off its warranty and something broke, he took it to the Apple store and they repaired it no questions asked even though the warranty expired. Apple makes products for non-techie people, that is one major advantage of Apple, their customer service is well above any PC vendor.

The only advantage PCs have is with gaming, I used to love PCs because of the massive number of games available, but these days I use a computer for school work and other academic activities, for me the Mac is just more reliable. That being said old school role playing and adventure games on PCs were a lot of fun, I had a lot of fond memories of playing different graphic adventures during long winter nights, those were the good old days.

As I said a computer is up to one's personal preference and as you said their own perspective.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

As much as you possibly can.

 

[Postictal Raiden]

As much as you possibly can.

So much truth in this post

 

[seahorsemuseum]

i've gotta agree with the whiteboard comments. i got one for cheap at an office supply store and used it ALL the time last year. would draw out huge pathways or make giant lists of test materials/subjects. plan on doing the same in med school.

i've also got a small, 7-day whiteboard i keep above my desk. i would always just write in what subject/chapter i was going to study on a particular day... helped eliminate some stress if i could cram everything for the week in there somewhere and know where it'd fit in.

also plan on a major desk upgrade once i move.

 

[D4C]

Buy what you need when you arrive, other than that...

 

[polylux]

I am obviously naive here but why would you need anal lube for med school? 😕

edit: LOL.. on a second note, I understand the metaphor. I thought..well.. it was meant in literal terms.

Rectal exams.