Here I am…

On working, MBA, pre-med postbacc, and eating cold grits…

Here goes.

I have a job now. 2 days a week mixing Starbucks drinks and asking people what they want for breakfast. I was not created for this hard labor… None the less, my brain is fried from being soooooo bored this summer.

FYI to all my Starbucks fiends out there- just about every espresso drink is made the same way. A Cafe Latte is the same as a Cappuccino. A Caramel Macchiato is a latte with VANILLA flavoring and caramel on top. So if you ask for a Macc with a little caramel, guess what? It’s a Vanilla Latte. Lol

I digress.

I totally got accepted into my school’s MBA program… But I’m pre-med- how does this happen????

Your girl here is out of undergrad fin aid. Because of this, I am unable to pay for my pre-reqs. So, lo and behold, a plan to work the system! I won’t go into much detail here for fear of being found out by said system, but I will say this: a refund check is a girl’s best friend.

I totally finished my first pre-med semester (Bio 1 and Chem 1) with a B+ and B, respectively. Waaaaaayyy wayyyyy better than I expected. Especially for Chem. While the gunners out there will laugh at my failures, I had a very celebratory final grade viewing party with myself and my cat.

With all this, I sit here at work on my break eating cold grits while my boss hounds me about a chalkboard. I will sit and drink my vanilla latte cappuccino macchiato and bask in the glory that is my summer.

Sarcasm sarcasm.

Question for Med students and beyond:
Is it necessary to keep your med school notes? How long do/ did you keep your notes for?

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My advice to myself.

It’s been a long while since I’ve posted! I am 2 courses and 7/8 semester into my DIY postbac (Bio 1 and Chem 1). It has definitely been hard. I have never taken a science lab before this term and my lab notebooks look like gibberish. I have my chem lab report due in 2 weeks, a bio lab presentation due this week, finals in 2 weeks and a lot of studying to do.

What I’ve learned thus far? To have a gunner mentality. I need to in order to push myself, otherwise I will procrastinate and put studying off.

Having no real science background proved to be a hinderance when when I started classes. So my advice if you’re in the same boat as I am (no science, been out of a classroom in years, science not really a favorite subject…), take a low level science class or an open campus online course (the ones you can watch lectures and “participate” in through UC Berkeley, MIT, etc…). It will help when you start school.

Other than that, I’m not failing! So that’s always a good thing!

Wish me luck on finals!

DIY Postbac

Apparently, I’m going this route… Not too happy with the situation, but beyond ecstatic to get started! Spring 2013 here I come!!

Question

So, here I am more than halfway through this semester and I am still thinking about going to school. If you have been keeping up with me, you would know that I didn’t start any postbac premed program for this year due to financial aid… None the less, I have counted my losses and am already getting the itch that says I should be in school right now.

I currently have a “gig”… Not really a “job” per se, but it pays my bills and have an interview coming up for a position that would require an actual time commitment and relocation. I’m excited for the opportunity and am confident I will be offered the position, but at the same time, I’m questioning myself.

If/when I get this new, fantastical job, its sole purpose would be for me to save enough money to start in one of the postbacs I have been accepted to for the next spring term (2014). Another option I have is to stay where I am, take an essentially free phlebotomy/ patient care technician course (4-6 weeks) and begin to actually work and gain experience in a clinical setting. All the while, still saving for Spring ’14 postbac. Orrrrrr, I could take what little federal financial aid I have left and begin a DIY postbac at a local university.

So, my question is, what should I do at this point? I hate having to push back my postbac start date so far because I have been beyond ready to begin and actually start focusing on what it is I want to do with the rest of my life. On the other hand, I can’t really do much until I get the money to go…

Decisions, decisions…

Super cool job that pays ($$$$$$$),

Training in healthcare and a job that pays ($$$),

Or, just do it. Now.

?

Help.

How I am spending my Sunday…

I’m in Barnes and Noble getting in some leisurely reading.

Med School Confidential by Robert H. Miller and Daniel M. Bissell, M.D.

MSAR: Getting Started – Medical School Admission Requirements from Association of American Medical Colleges

Field trip!

Tomorrow/ today I’ll be attending Tour4Diversity at Georgia State University. I’m pretty excited to possibly learn something/ do something productive with my year off. I’ll let you know how it goes!

-Elizabeth

UPDATE:

This experience was AWESOME! I learned an awful lot about the application and admissions process, MCAT tips and tricks, and got to speak with other postbacs, current premeds, different schools, and saw some osteopathic manipulations done!

While I couldn’t stay until the end, I definitely received a plethora of information.

If Tour 4 Diversity is coming to your city and you’re also in a “wandering” stage, or even if you’re a decided premed/ predent, I highly- read: “

HIGHLY

” recommend that you attend!

The mentors were awesome, the info was awesome, and the professionals were awesome! The information presented was no where near overwhelmingly too much, which was a huge plus for me. I was afraid they would throw all this info at us and I would be sitting there like a deer in headlights!

Overall, it was a great experience and I recieved all the info I wanted to receive, plus some.

Again, I am endorsing Tour 4 Diversity and hope you will make a conscious effort to connect with them when they are near you!

For more info:
www.tour4diversity.org

I’m officially in my “wandering” stage

Yes. It is true. I am officially a wanderer. While I have been accepted to 3 postbac premed programs, I have been unable to attend because of money. Now, with at least a year off before I may be able to get the funds for school, I literally, have nothing to do. I definitely need a job to save up to pay for school next year, but it’s been a HARD search because I have no idea what type of job to apply to (outside of something relating to the medical field). I am looking into finding doctors in my area to shadow, so I’ll have one day a week occupied.

But, for now, I am a floundering fish.

Do you have any tips on how I can go about finding doctors to shadow since I don’t have my own MD here? Also, what is a good length of time to shadow in a day?

Volunteering may not be a good option for me because I need to get a physical to volunteer and because I have no doctor, no insurance, and no money to pay, it’s almost impossible to get a physical done… I’ll still look into it though.

Let’s see how this goes….