I'M ACCEPTED!!!!!!

So, here is the story.....

My mom calls me Monday, around noon (today is Wed)....i pick up the phone and say "Hi", and she says "why are you answering your phone at work?" BECAUSE I CAN!!!! (A four minute conversation ensues where I tell her that Dr. Hess doesn't mind me answering my phone at work). Anyway, in a very excited voice my mom says "a VERY HUGE packet has arrived from St. George's!!" So, i tell her to open it up, and read it to me. Now, my mom is a speed reader in disguise (she can plow through a book in a few hours), so I hear her open the envelope and within 5 seconds she says "Congratulations!!" and i say "you were supposed to read it to me!!" So she proceeds to read me the letter that says i am definitely accepted for Jan. 07, and waitlisted for Aug. 06. I felt like a huge weight lifted, as i have been waiting patiently for 6 weeks to hear my fate!!

I wanted to celebrate that night, unfortunately i had to work at the coffee shop, so last night I went out for some Korean food, and a large sake!!!! I'm positive that there will be more celebrating to come in the future as my friends and family learn of the good news!!!

My mom overnighted the package to me so i have to pick it up today. She did tell me that the letter gives me the option of remaining on the waitlist for Aug, or removing my name for August and starting in Jan 07. I have already decided to take my name off for Aug., and start in Jan. I feel 6 more months of paying down debt will help me financially when i'm in school.

I can't describe in words how i am feeling right now. It is so surreal. I have waited for this moment for a very long time, and now that it has arrived, i am in complete shock. The reality of being in medical school in 6 months is overwhelming. So, i'm trying hard not to think about it. Instead, I will be celebrating my acceptance!!! I think i deserve it.

I will post my acceptance letter as soon as i receive it. Until then....be safe, and have fun!!!

why King Moonraker??

Good afternoon!!!! I was just finishing up my day at work, and I decided to post a random blog; something NOT related to medicine!!

So, today, I was on the internet, and browsing along, and I came upon a location in a profile that read "Land of chocolate". I decided I wanted to change my location too, and the first thing that popped into my head was "Land of Misfit toys". A quick little detour....

I LOVE the xmas special Rudolph. I remember being a little kid and waiting for it to come on during the holiday season. I really did not like the singing of the snowman....I would have preferred to see more of Rudolph, The Bumble, and the misfit toys. You know "No one likes a Charlie in the Box"....and, "a train with square wheels"!!! Of couse my favorite was King Moonraker!! I am a huge cat fan...and I love big cats (tigers, lions, etc.) So, when I was young and first saw King Moonraker, I was in a total trance!!! Not only was he a beautiful lion....but he could FLY!!! That right there was all I needed....I was in love!!!

Moving on....So I quickly decided to explore the "ins and outs" of this blog site, and to change my location to "Land of Misfit Toys" from Rochester. Of course, since I was right there, I also decided to change my signature from "J" to "King Moonraker", the love of my life. I figure I will leave it up until I get bored with it, then move on to something different. But for today I AM KING MOONRAKER!!!! And I love it!!!

Here me roar!!!

Interview Aftermath

:)!!! Well, I had my interview Wed., and it went really, really well. I spent the morning driving down to NYC (it was a beautiful day!!). I arrived in the city around 3:30, I got a slice of NY style pizza (YUMMY!!), and I finished preparing mentally for the interview. I arrived at Roosevelt Hospital at 4:40 and at 4:50, Dr. F. came down to the lobby. The interview started with the essay. I had 10 minutes to write 250 words on one of three topics. I chose to write about an influential person in my life, and of course I picked my mom!!! Once the essay was complete, Dr. F. told me about himself, when he graduated, what he was doing now, what his future plans were. He then started the questioning with why I chose SGU? He followed that up with why I wanted to be a doctor? We discussed the past 10 years; why I had waited to go to school and what I had done during that time. He also questioned me on my thoughts of being out of school so long and whether I could handle the work load of medical school. I expected all of these questions and I was very prepared with my answers. We then discussed a medical ethics question. He debated me on the Terri Schiavo case. Of course he took the opposite opinion of my answer, and we spent about 10 solid minutes discussing. I really believe he wanted to see how I thought, and whether I would back down or stick to my opinion. After that, I asked a few more questions about the school, and then the interview was done. In all, it lasted a little over an hour. Dr. F. was very knowledgeable. He readily answered all my questions about SGU, clinical work, and residencies. He was a great interviewer!!

So, now I have to wait again....for about 4-6 weeks for the final answer!! The waiting is horrible!!! I will post with the good news because that is what I expect!! Have a very good day, and be safe!!

J

INTERVIEW!!!!!!

So, I FINALLY have my interview tomorrow for medical school!!!! Only one, but it is a start. As I said in an earlier post, the interview is for St. George's, which was no surprise to me; I have believed for a long time that SGU would be the place where I would make my dream a reality. I actually found out about the interview in february (see post entitled YES!!!). The interview coordinator had set my interview up with Dr. A (due to the rules, I can't use names without prior permission!!) in Albany. However, when I called her to schedule she informed me she was out on early maternity leave!!! So, SGU had to find me another interviewer. That took some time; almost 3 weeks. So tomorrow (3/29/06) I will be traveling to NYC for my interview with DR. F. From talking with him on the phone, he seems very polite and was very accomodating with my interview time.

It would be inhumane for me to say I am not nervous; I am, just not in an over the top "Oh my god I have an interview" way. I have spent the last week formulating my answers to the most popular questions (Why doctor?, why SGU?, etc) and have spent almost every waking hour mentally reviewing my answers. I feel prepared, and I am confident that this interview will go very smoothly. I have had no restless nights leading up to the interview, which for me is a very good sign (means I AM prepared!!) My only occassional "bad dreams" involve me not getting to Roosevelt Hospital on time, and missing my interview!! One dream was actually quite funny, I was trying to catch the subway; ACTUALLY trying to catch it. I was running down the track, jumping over rats like they were hurdles...it was all pretty humorous when i finally woke up!!!

I plan on posting my entire interview experience on Thursday; see you then!!

J

YES!!!!!!!

I RECEIVED MY FIRST INTERVIEW INVITE!!!!!! I'm actually so excited!!! I found out on Wed. by email, and then my mom called me and read the official letter over the phone. I think waiting for an interview is the most nerve-wracking experience. Everyday you check your email like a million times, and when there is nothing there, you get really bummed out....then you wake up the next morning and perform the same obsessive ritual, over and over again!!! Well, at least I have one now...that is all that matters!!

So, here is the quick scoop.....I have an interview with St. George's University. In the next week they will call with the place and time. NOW the preparation begins! I'll be spending my entire weekend in Barnes and Noble rehearsing answers to questions that may come my way (of course, not the whole weekend...SUPER BOWL ON SUNDAY!!!!)

That's it for now....be safe and have a great day!!

J

My first entry!!!!

So the question is....why did I decide to start my blog about medical school on Dec. 2, 2005???? Well, I really don't have a good answer for that one. All I can say is that during lunch at work I was reading Fitness magazine and saw an ad for free blogs on blogger.com. Over the past few weeks I have been reading blogs from medical students describing medical school (difficulties, successes, failures, etc.) I quickly decided I wanted to write one too!!! Today seemed like a great day to start it, since Dr. Hess left for a conference, and I really did not have much to do this afternoon since I finished everything assigned to me!!! So, I set up my blog, and now I'm at home writing my first entry!!!! Thank you.....thank you!!! You can stop applauding now

So why a medical school blog.....duh....i'm applying to medical school!!! And right now I am anxiously waiting word from the five schools I have applied to (Upstate, Albany, Buffalo, New York Medical College, and St. George's) and let me tell you, waiting is horrible. Everyday I check my email a hundred times looking for any sign of an interview. It is quite obsessive really, but all of the schools say that email is there primary contact with students, so I check ALL THE TIME!!! I'm really hoping to have an interview before Xmas and know of my acceptance before Feb. 1, 2006.

I believe I have the best shot of getting into St. George's in Grenada. And that leads to another reason why I started this blog. I will be thousands of miles away from home studying my crown rump off! I really want my family and friends to be able to see my progress without a dozen phone calls, im's, and emails a day. This blog gives them the luxury of seeing me....plus, I have a written record of my journey!!

Well, I have to get going....I am planning on driving home tonight (2 hour drive) to see my fam and my puppy!!! I will definitely post a pic of my puppy soon, he is so cute!!! Have a good night!!