Ok, ok...one last time...who is going to be attending ChicagoCOM in 4 weeks? i am getting excited about meeting all new people and starting classes (remind me of that enthusiasm when i am complaining about anatomy; ok?) where is everyone living (on or off campus) and is anyone else going to be in the LLC? to any of the MS-II or above, what else should we bring for the rooms? i mean how much space are we going to have in the dorms? enough to bring a TV and VCR (or should that stay at home?) microwaves, small fridges, etc..... take care and congradulations to everyone for "making the cut"
Greetings fellow CCOM MS1! I, too, share your enthusiasm about starting classes soon! I have an apartment off-campus, about 3 miles from school. I considered the LLC however I didn't think I would do well in a dorm setting. I'm looking forward to orientation! I can't believe it is almost here! Drop me a line at [email protected] if you'd like- it'll be nice knowing someone at orientation!
As far as a fridge and what not goes... Most people on campus have a small fridge. You're not actually allowed to use a microwave, hot-pot, hotplate etc. in your room! However, there is a common kitchen on each floor in the LLC where there is a bigger fridge and microwave as well as one washer and one dryer. As far as a TV/VCR a lot of students had them. It's really your call. You should have space for them Danny PS-I am a second year who lived, and will be living in the LLC. I'll be happy to help out with anything else
I'll be going to ccom this fall!!!!!!!! Actually, i'm a ms-2 like danny. What's crazy is that at the same time last year, danny and i were posting on this forum and like you guys couldn't wait to start school. FYI, it actually turned out that several of our classmates frequently visited this site as well. In regards to dorming, I had the displeasure of living in the ghetto dorms (aka. traditional residence hall) last year while danny was living in the plush estates of the LLC. This year i have an apt off campus with a fellow classmate. As far as what to have, i had both a frig and a t.v. (and a lot of people had a microwave even though it's against the rules) I tried living w/o a tv for the first quarter and i went insane. Cable is free in the dorms so that's pretty nice. We get all the basic channels plus tbs, tnt, and espn1&2. A frig is a nice perk b/c it's nice to have some snacks and drinks easily accessible (especially when you study late and get the munchies). I'm actually selling my mini frig if anyone's interested. I got it last year for the dorm-life so it's only a year old. It's not the cube shaped kind but the bigger rectangular type. It's about 3 ft. tall and 1.5ft wide. Something else to bring is a shower caddy since you'll be sharing the showers in either dorms. An iron would be nice. A stereo and just stuff to decorate your room so that it doesn't resemble a minimal security jail cell. You'll be surprised how important it is to come home to a place that does look like a home. You guys will have a great time next year. Sure, the exam schedule sucks... i mean it really sucks at times but you guys can do it. Just one exam at a time. The schedule is gruelling but it'll pay off in the long run. And gross anatomy is quite an experience. It's pretty tough if you've never taken a class. Wait till you guys me Dr. Edgar Allan, M.D. He's quite a character. Let's just say that nobody who graduated from ccom for the last several years forgot about him. He pretty much epitomizes your gross anatomy experience. Orientation week and the first week of school will be the most carefree time you'll have in your first year so take advantage of it. My advice is to party and meet as many people as possible during this time period before you get bogged down with exams. I had a blast and i met so many cool people and made a lot of new friends. I'll be at orientation so if you have any questions come by and ask. You can e-mail me as well but i'll be in europe in the month of august so i might not be able to respond immediately. -tom [email protected]
I'll be going to ccom this fall!!!!!!!! Actually, i'm a ms-2 like danny. What's crazy is that at the same time last year, danny and i were posting on this forum and like you guys couldn't wait to start school. FYI, it actually turned out that several of our classmates frequently visited this site as well. In regards to dorming, I had the displeasure of living in the ghetto dorms (aka. traditional residence hall) last year while danny was living in the plush estates of the LLC. This year i have an apt off campus with a fellow classmate. As far as what to have, i had both a frig and a t.v. (and a lot of people had a microwave even though it's against the rules) I tried living w/o a tv for the first quarter and i went insane. Cable is free in the dorms so that's pretty nice. We get all the basic channels plus tbs, tnt, and espn1&2. A frig is a nice perk b/c it's nice to have some snacks and drinks easily accessible (especially when you study late and get the munchies). I'm actually selling my mini frig if anyone's interested. I got it last year for the dorm-life so it's only a year old. It's not the cube shaped kind but the bigger rectangular type. It's about 3 ft. tall and 1.5ft wide. Something else to bring is a shower caddy since you'll be sharing the showers in either dorms. An iron would be nice. A stereo and just stuff to decorate your room so that it doesn't resemble a minimal security jail cell. You'll be surprised how important it is to come home to a place that does look like a home. You guys will have a great time next year. Sure, the exam schedule sucks... i mean it really sucks at times but you guys can do it. Just one exam at a time. The schedule is gruelling but it'll pay off in the long run. And gross anatomy is quite an experience. It's pretty tough if you've never taken a class. Wait till you guys me Dr. Edgar Allan, M.D. He's quite a character. Let's just say that nobody who graduated from ccom for the last several years forgot about him. He pretty much epitomizes your gross anatomy experience. Orientation week and the first week of school will be the most carefree time you'll have in your first year so take advantage of it. My advice is to party and meet as many people as possible during this time period before you get bogged down with exams. I had a blast and i met so many cool people and made a lot of new friends. I'll be at orientation so if you have any questions come by and ask. You can e-mail me as well but i'll be in europe in the month of august so i might not be able to respond immediately. -tom [email protected]
I'll be going to ccom this fall!!!!!!!! Actually, i'm a ms-2 like danny. What's crazy is that at the same time last year, danny and i were posting on this forum and like you guys couldn't wait to start school. FYI, it actually turned out that several of our classmates frequently visited this site as well. In regards to dorming, I had the displeasure of living in the ghetto dorms (aka. traditional residence hall) last year while danny was living in the plush estates of the LLC. This year i have an apt off campus with a fellow classmate. As far as what to have, i had both a frig and a t.v. (and a lot of people had a microwave even though it's against the rules) I tried living w/o a tv for the first quarter and i went insane. Cable is free in the dorms so that's pretty nice. We get all the basic channels plus tbs, tnt, and espn1&2. A frig is a nice perk b/c it's nice to have some snacks and drinks easily accessible (especially when you study late and get the munchies). Plus a lot of time the community frig is usually full b/c people leave their stuff there and forget. I'm actually selling my mini frig if anyone's interested. I got it last year for the dorm-life so it's only a year old. It's not the cube shaped kind but the bigger rectangular type. It's about 3 ft. tall and 1.5ft wide. It fitted nicely in my dorm room plus i was able to put my 13" t.v on top of it so it was pretty compact. Something else to bring is a shower caddy since you'll be sharing the showers in either dorms. An iron would be nice. A stereo and just stuff to decorate your room so that it doesn't resemble a minimal security jail cell. You'll be surprised how important it is to come home to a place that does look like a home. You guys will have a great time next year. Sure, the exam schedule sucks... i mean it really sucks at times but you guys can do it. Just one exam at a time. The schedule is gruelling but it'll pay off in the long run. And gross anatomy is quite an experience. It's pretty tough if you've never taken a class. Wait till you guys me Dr. Edgar Allan, M.D. He's quite a character. Let's just say that nobody who graduated from ccom for the last several years forgot about him. He pretty much epitomizes your gross anatomy experience. Orientation week and the first week of school will be the most carefree time you'll have in your first year so take advantage of it. My advice is to party and meet as many people as possible during this time period before you get bogged down with exams. I had a blast and i met so many cool people and made a lot of new friends. I'll be at orientation so if you have any questions come by and ask. You can e-mail me as well but i'll be in europe in the month of august so i might not be able to respond immediately. -tom [email protected]
I also will be starting out there in a few weeks. I will be moving out there from Texas a week before orientations starts. I will be living at the on-campus apartments. Any of the MS-II's out there that know anyone that wants to sell a couch or their carpet let me know. I am originally from IL, but have been living in warmer climates since 1992. Looking forward to finally getting started, but I am enjoying my summer by sitting out at the pool every chance I get. I hope all of you are doing the same. ------------------ Rachel Wankum
Hello, and congratulations to all of the incoming MSIs at CCOM. I can't give any advice as to what to bring for on-campus living, but I would guess shower shoes. You never know who your suitemate may be! I do agree with TP's advice...have fun for the first few weeks when you really can; remember that when you feel overworked, you will be busier the subsequent quarter, so MAKE FREE TIME FOR YOURSELF. You will be busy, but you should also have a great time leaarning, and meeting new people. After first year, you will be amazed at the level of knowledge you have gained. I'll be working orientation and hope to meet some of you. (I'll be at the EM Club booth) Enjoy the rest of summer! E-mail me with any questions. [email protected] By the way, TP...I knew who you were, just by way of the ghetto references. Drop me a line. Danny, rumor has it that you're in town and you don't own a telephone. Call me when you enter the 21st century.
To elaborate on SAK's comment about how subsequent quarters will be busier/harder. Each qtr is tough for different reasons. The first wasn't too bad in HINDSIGHT b/c had the least coursewrk/ exams. However, when you go thru the 1st qtr it's difficult b/c you're adjusting to med. schoool life. How to study, when to study, where to go to study, whether or not to go to class, which class is a must to go and which is a waste of time, how many hours of sleep do you have to have to function, group study or not, how to deal with limited free time, coping with the schedule. These were some of the many issues/ questions that i dealt with during my first qtr. In the 2nd qtr, the workload escalates but you're use to the grind so it's not too bad. However, you have to deal with the weather. For some it might not be a big thing but for a cali boy like myself it was definitely an issue. Also you have to deal with the fact that there will be days in which you won't see sunlight. There are many winter days in which you spend in gross lab whereby you will leave well pass sundown. In the 3rd qtr the weather improves and so it's naturally uplifting. Unfortunately, the workload also increases. There will be more exams than you thought imaginable for a qtr. This is when all of us looked back at 1st qtr and wished we had that schedule. I don't want to scare you but this is what several 2nd years told me last year. What i got from this bit of advice is solace that CCOM won't throw you immediately into the fire but instead gradually ease you into things which i thought was pretty cool. That's the big picture, but like i said before you should attack one exam at a time and you'll be fine. Don't get overwhelmed. Try to pace yourself and squeeze in play time so that you don't burn out. Remember it's a marathon not a sprint. All your class mates will be going thru the same thing and in doing so you'll develop a very special bond. Once you adjust to med school life you'll be ok. Sir arthur, I'll try to give you a call later this week so that we can plan something for next week when i'm in town. -TP PS. I'll try to post this only once. My cpu didn't cooperative with me for my last post. [This message has been edited by TP (edited 08-01-2000).]
