Recent content by paean

Arthur, I'm going to take your bait, although I can't but help feeling like you were mostly writing just to express your own opinions about how much you would dislike urology as you perceive it. 1. Very little of the average urologists day is spent looking at their patient's penises. In...

Few (if any) of us go to medical school for the thrill of trying to memorize all the tiny details that we are introduced to in the first 2 years of medical school. I thought MS1 and MS2 was like the worst part of undergrad, except that I was somewhat more interested in the material than I was in...

If the program loses it's accreditation, they will help you find another program. I met several residents on the interview trail who had changed programs, some due to programs closing, some for other reasons. The ones who leave for other reasons leave spots that can only be filled by someone who...

If you love surgery, you should look hard at the schedule of residency training for OB vs urology (or any other surgical specialty, for that matter). The number of cases the average OB resident does by the time they complete residency is far, far less than that of other surgical fields. They...

My class at UCSF has around 10% of the students in their 30s, and a considerable chunk in mid and late 20s. And 20% out of state are accepted on average each year.

If you like poetry (I usually don't, but once in a while some poet catches me up and spirits me away), look for William Carlos Williams. His "day job" was being a pediatrician, and some of his pieces are brilliant insights into the life of a doctor earlier in the 1900s. Kitchen Table Wisdom...

If you are holding multiple acceptances, some schools will drop you from their waiting lists. I remember a few that had that on as a possibility listed on their website when I went through the process last year.

Suey, Many students doing undergrad research start in unpaid positions, and only are able to get paid research positions after they have experience. I did know a few students who went the paid route: wash test tubes and eventually get to participate in pipetting and other bench work, but most...

Continuing students got their preliminary offer letters about a week ago, so they should be working on yours now. As I'm sure most of you know, the Regent's haven't set the tuition and fees for next year yet, so the FAO is in somewhat of a bind. Not only do they not know how much they have to...

When we had to get TB screenings at UCSF, we were told that most people vaccinated with BCG as children who were not revaccinated as adults lose their skin reaction. We were also told that annual chest x-rays were common at many hospitals until the 1970s. I don't know what the situation is...

My advice, written in the 2nd person, because I'm still trying to tell myself to do it. Give up SDN, and other distractions. (Obviously, I am procrastinating and that statement is something I'm far from accomplishing). Do a consistant amount every day, so that you stay on top of the work...

No idea about the contract, except if the military says it's binding, I would assume it is. Have you tried calling the schools you would rather be at and explain your situation. That way maybe they can give you an idea of "you're at the top of the waitlist, almost sure to get in" or "you're not...

Good for you for going in and asking for advice, even if it is a miserable experience. Depending on where you want to be, you sound like a competetive applicant, and I'm sorry you haven't had much luck thus far. Easiest thing to work on is your personal statement and secondary essays, and...

I like planning, so I focused on planning non med school stuff. (If only I had had friends getting married then instead of during my first year of med school. That was a lot of planning.) And I read escapist novels when I had free time. Sometimes, I even practiced deep breathing, and I would...

Do you really think that it's bad to try to live your life without aiming to hurt other people? I'm not perfect, but I try to act in a way that does the least harm to the people around me. I'm also pretty blunt, and don't tend to sugar coat stuff. But acting mean isn't in my, or anyone else's...