Where I Stand

I figured it might be worth mentioning a little more background information about me. I think it has something to do with my scientific training - we are taught to be skeptics, to resist accepting information without knowing the source (unfortunately, a number of quack drug companies take advantage of the fact that not everyone follows this rule).

As I mentioned before I was recently accepted to medical school and, to boot, graduate school as well. More specifically, I was accepted into a Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP), which means that I will be going to medical school for a MD as well as graduate school for a PhD (also known as a MD/PhD program). I'll be starting school at the end of next summer (MSTP students typically start earlier than thier MD-only counterparts to begin exploring their research options before the onslaught of medical school). It typically takes 6-8 years to complete the program. Moreover, we are actually paid to go to school, that is, our tuition is paid for and we receive a stipend for living expenses. I'll comment more on the rationale behind this in a later post, but for now you'd be right to assume that I am becoming a professional student (somewhat of an oxymoron, I know).

Before I get talking about med/grad school, let me tell you a little bit about where I am coming from. Right now, I'm finishing up after spending some time out of school. Taking "time off" is a common strategy taken by pre-meds these days as it confers a number of benefits on the applicant and medical schools really like the maturity "non-traditional" (not straight from undergrad) incoming students have.

So, beginning about May of this year, I started getting my application ready for applying to medical schools through AMCAS (the centralized application service used by most medical schools). I'll post more later about the hellish process that it takes to get into medical school. For now, just keep in mind that applying in 2006 is for entry into school in 2007. I designated that I wanted to apply to MD/PhD programs, wrote the necessary essays, and hit Submit while praying that I hadn't overlooked a glaring mistake that would cause schools to laugh at my application before throwing it in the trash bin (there is NO going back once an application is submitted). Submitting that primary application with your personal statement is one of the many Rites of Passage for pre-meds. I happened to get an interview relatively early on (October) at an MSTP program and three weeks later, I got a phone call telling me that I had been unanimously decided on by the committee members (one of the happiest moments of my life).

After a deep sigh of relief and tears of joy being shed by a number of family members and friends (myself included), I realized that I was no longer a "pre-med" and could therefore abandon the incessant anxiety that has lingers at the back of the minds of premeds since the moment they decide on a career in medicine. This meant that I could stop religiously checking my email every 5 minutes for some kind of word from medical schools. This newfound time presents to me the opportunity to direct my efforts toward something like this blog.

During this time, I'll be posting on here alot about the things that got me up to this point, trying not to be repetitive with the wealth of information already available (of which I will refer to often), providing my personal perspective and insight on school, research, and health care/science. It is only natural for a scientist to be analytical and the methodology behind the process of becoming a doctor offers many areas for scrutiny. From then on, I'll keep the interested reason along for the ride hoping not to lose you or myself along the way.