Last week I went to a meeting/conference/information session put on by my local medical school for pre-med students. I wasn't too keen on waking up at 6 am on a Saturday morning instead of going sailing, but I figured since I'm applying there in a year it'd be stupid not to go. So I went. And boy, was I glad I did!
Ever since I moved to this land-locked state, I've been wanting to get out. I grew up on the water, and the mountains and puddles they call reservoirs just don't do it for me. But now that I have residency here, it doesn't make sense not to apply to the state school, since I have the best chances of getting in here out of anywhere else in the States, and I need all the help I can get. I had resigned myself to spending four more years in a place I didn't want to be and was somewhat becoming ok with it.
And then Pre-Med Day came around. Wow, it changed my perspective on everything! It got me out of the rut I'd been in for a while and, more importantly, got me super excited to apply to this medical school. Staying here no longer seemed like a punishment and had turned into "I hope they let me in!"
The Dean of Admissions is a very personable fellow, a young pulmonologist who has the public speaking skills of a Southern preacher. His speech on becoming a doctor was amazing and I didn't want him to stop talking. They had a 2nd year medical student talk as well, and he seemed somewhat intense and gunner-like, but gave some good advice on the application process. The resident was very honest about his experiences working here and having gone elsewhere for med school, and gave us a good perspective on life after school but also how to pick a school. All in all, the speeches were very informative.
But the best part was going to the small group session geared towards non-traditional students. This school is all about giving people second chances, whether it's for reapplicants or old people like me. The camaraderie between first and second years, and the general sense of chillness was so refreshing to see and it's exactly what I expected of a professional school in this part of the country. The second years had a monstrous exam in a couple of days and they still took the time to answer our questions for a good two hours. They didn't seem stressed or boastful about the amount of work they had to do, which is exactly how I'd grown up and is the polar opposite of my undergraduate experience, which I don't want to experience again.
There are aspects of this school that I don't particularly like, but they are minor compared to what is very so unique to here. Reading other people's reviews of interactions with med students from other schools after interviews, it seems like everyone is happy and cooperative and not that competitive with their classmates, which is not always the case when you actually start studying there. But I really do believe that this school is unique. It's so characteristic of the region and the kind of people this place attracts, and I love it!
The chill attitude is characteristic of everyone around here to the point that it seems like no one actually works. They do, and they work hard, but you know they have a good head on their shoulders and can create as good of a work-life balance as possible given their career. And that extends to medical students, apparently. Cool.
From my last post, you might be getting the impression that I'm not 100% committed to medicine and going through all the training to be a doctor. I know it's something that I could be very happy doing, but I have concerns about devoting my life to it, and that's where the doubts creep in. I think it's pretty normal to have these feelings, but they've been a lot more intense lately.
This session at the med school helped alleviate most, if not all, of my fears. I got that same burning passion and excitement when I heard people talking about their medical education as I had when I decided to go back to school to make this doctor thing a reality.
I think my feelings of doubt came from me being completely burned out from summer organic chemistry. But now that I was reminded of where I want to be in the next couple of years, the determination, fire, and energy are slowly creeping back.
In short, Pre-Med Day was exactly what I needed and getting up that early was totally worth it. AND I got to go sailing the next day. All in all, not too shabby of a weekend after-all.
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