Block 2 dun dun duuuun

We didn't understand how easy we had it block 1.
Well, duh, of course we did, we only had class two days a week and had gobs of time to study a class the med students mostly ignored in favor of anatomy. I guess we just couldn't appreciate how much worse it was going to get.

Biochem and physio are hard. They're cool, and so far the lectures have been much better than histo's, but there is a lot more information and a LOT more thinking. Our first midterms were last Thursday/Friday, and until that week I had seriously never locked myself in a room and crammed for 12 hours.

The tests went well, and my preparations would have been easier if I hadn't spent three class days at Emory, so these classes aren't impossible. I just don't think I'm going to be slipping off to NYC much in the next 3 months.

Also: because I had to memorize Krebs cycle intermediates I had to dump some early 90s cartoon theme songs from my memory. Sorry, Darkwing Duck.

Hotlanta: not as hot as advertised

NYMC has totally stepped up its game.

But first: Emory! Their interview process is super laid-back, the admissions people are hilarious, and the panel interview was not as intimidating as I anticipated.
I stayed with a friend from undergrad so I got an especially good look at student life, and even got roped into performing at a Kwanzaa celebration the night after my interviews (not me, I don't danz).

The students are SUPER HAPPY. Like, weirdly happy. Like, we're all actually dead, aren't we? happy. I'd still rather be in/near NYC but I'd be psyched to go to Emory.

Unfortunately, spending 3 days in Atlanta put in an awkward stance with regards to Block 2...

P.S. Atlanta in December can be just as cold as Valhalla.

Emory Interview

I leave for Emory tomorrow morning. When I get back I can tell you all about my first panel interview (eek!) and what our new biochem/physio classes are like.

Dharma Initiative Spotted at NYMC!

Just because this drain in the ladies' room has an oddly familiar shape:



We'll have to wait until 01/2009 to learn its significance.

Time Off for Good Behavior

There are three weeks between our histo final and the beginning of physio/biochem. Three delicious weeks where our only responsibility is a two-hour biostat class once a week.

The first weekend I visited my college and saw a show put on by my old juggling club.
Silly silly folk.

I also went to my first Knicks game! I've always been a Spurs fan, but it doesn't hurt to show some regional pride.


Of course there's still lots to do-med school apps to finish (still! how?!), a research paper to write, and our master's thesis to begin. The thesis is basically a literature review, and the popular choice seems to be to write it on some subject you've researched in the past. Which suggests that I should read up on diabetic retinopathy.

The End of Histo

Nov. 4th was our third midterm for histo. Luckily it finished in plenty of time for me to drive around and find my sketchy sketchy polling station.

What's worse is my station was at an address completely different from the one on my voter registration card. Conspiracy theorists ENGAGE!

As I said, the next morning I received my acceptance email from UTSA (now in my 326th hour of celebration). The only downside of that email was that it made it almost impossible to study for the histo final, which we took just three days after the midterm.

The final for histo is the histology mini-board. These are small (2.5 hours, ~120 questions) standardized tests on one subject. It's very difficult to study for, because you have a ton of material and you (and your instructors) have no idea what the test will focus on. Last year's solitary AMP student said that those who studied and those that didn't performed basically the same. I wound up just perusing my notes from throughout the trimester and going through my PreTest. We haven't received our grades yet, and the AMPs are getting nervous.

More Project Sunshine

The weekend before Halloween Project Sunshine organized a party for some children outpatients of Westchester Children's Hospital.

It was incredibly fun. There were ~15 kids in their sweet costumes, Indiana Joneses were dueling with their whips, and the littler kids were just running around yelling and playing with the decorations. We had set up arts and crafts, musical chairs with spooky music, and a toilet paper mummy race. SO MUCH FUN. There were lots of yummy treats, and since the party was for kids with PKU they were all protein-free. Cookies sans protein are surprisingly good.

Next month Project Sunshine will be visiting children while they're receiving chemo, which can take all day. There'll be books to read to them but I'm hoping I can sneak my laptop in. Maybe someone will want to watch a movie or catch up on 30 Rock.