Education Bubble???

          I thought this was an interesting article that dealt with some ideas I have been toying with lately.  It in part deals with the idea of there being an education bubble in our country.  I'm sure many of you have heard the phrase or even joked to others that a college degree is the new high school degree (thus making a masters or higher degree the new college degree).  While we may joke about it, I tend to think that's actually becoming a reality.

          This evidence is definitely anecdotal, but a lot of the kids that went to my high school and went on to get a college degree are currently unemployed or at jobs you would consider to be far below their educational level (ex cashier at Borders with no other plans on the horizon).  Many of them are going back to school for masters degrees they don't particularly need or want.  Friends of mine have confirmed seeing similar results in their acquaintances.

Reflecting on the New iPad

          The new iPad has been here for a while now, so maybe this review is a little old.  I got mine on the first day of deliveries.  It arrived early, at 10 AM, but when the doorbell rang, I knew it could be nothing else.  I was still asleep (no, I wasn't working that Friday, and yes, I have been a bit of a bum this year), but I was so excited I lept out of bed and answered the door in my boxers.

          Yes, that happened.  The mail guy was actually pretty cool about it.

It's Here

          As I mentioned way back in this post, I have to determined, without any question, that I not only want an iPad... I need an iPad.

          Sure.  Maybe my reasoning was a little thin.  Maybe I made a few leaps of logic in a rather difficult attempt to justify a near $1000 luxury purchase... but I think I still managed to get there.  It's worth it.  I think.  Humor aside though, I do think I can make a convincing argument that an iPad will be very helpful in medical school.  I'm just not quite sure if it's a 700 dollar argument.

Application Update - Two More Interviews

It's all about finding your fit.

          In the last month, I had two more interviews.  These were an interesting set, because they closely followed each other, and my feelings toward them were so different.

          Part of what has been interesting about this whole process is going to different schools and seeing what does and doesn't work for me.  Honestly, my way of thinking about schools has undergone a massive evolution over the course of this application cycle.  Now, I usually don't even bother asking about the things that were important to me at the first school or two I interviewed at, while I have discovered that a couple other key questions - that I originally never put much thought into - are extremely important.

Application Update - Late Interview Offer

I just thought this was hilarious.

          In the last week I was offered another interview, this one at a school that is right on the cusp between the mid and upper tier.  If I were to be blunt and honest, I would say a mid/upper tier school would be the best fit for me from an admissions standpoint, with a low GPA coming from a relatively prestigious school balanced by a very strong MCAT.

          I think a school of that tier might also be the best fit for me in terms of how I would fare at the school.  As I explained in this post, I have some misgivings about going to a top school.  Even as I am excited by the potentially better access to stellar teachers, facilities, research, and equipment, I am worried about the potential for a highly competitive atmosphere.

Links - A Few More Good Ones

Welbourne is a big, big human being.

1.) Talk To Me Johnnie
          This is a blog that's written by former NFL offensive lineman John Welbourne.  He played in the NFL for 10 years and has dedicated his life to strength and conditioning training, both as a coach and a player.  The guy really knows his stuff and writes a lot about training and life as a pro athlete.  I also like the tough guy mentality (coffee must be black, weights must be heavy, you must know your drink, etc).

          His blog probably would have made my list of the "Go To's," but he only updates it about once a week.  He is a busy guy.  Still, it's worth checking out.  If you're interested, he is also the mind behind CrossFit Football, a football specific version of CrossFit that is much more intelligently designed than mainstream CrossFit.

Application Update - Another Interview

          I was just called for another interview, this one from a mid-tier school out in the midwest.  I'm pretty excited about this one.  From a direct analysis, I am probably more excited about the school I have already been accepted to, but that is before having visited this midwest school.  That analysis also doesn't include the out of state price tag I'll be paying at the accepted school.  That changes things a bit.  Overall, I am very hopeful that I head out there and love it.

          I'm also excited because one of my best friends (since second grade!) lives and works out there now that he has graduated.  I don't get to see him often, and I can't just fly out there without an excuse, so I'm glad to get this opportunity to visit him for a productive reason.  Right now, my plan is to head into town the day before the interview, maybe grap dinner with him, and prep for the interview that night.  After the interview, I'll head over to his place, and hopefully he'll be down to show me just how fun the city can be.

Application Update - Interview at a Top School

No.  It wasn't actually Harvard.  That would just be silly.

          Recently, I interviewed at a top med school.  We are talking top 10 or 15 depending which ranking system you're looking at.  As I described in this article, I am not a stellar applicant.  I have a wildly mediocre GPA only partially balanced by a good MCAT.  Typically these top schools interview kids with great GPAs and great MCATs who have been published and done other spectacular things.  So yeah, I was surprised when I got the invite.  In all honesty, I thought this school in particular was the one I had the least shot at of all 25 on my list.

          I went into town a few days early, because I actually have friends who go/went there for undergrad.  I met up with them for coffee and to watch some football and all the usual things.  The funny thing is that I knew most of these kids from way back in high school or summer vacations.  What does that mean?  Well, when they heard I got an interview there, they had with some shock assumed I had turned myself into a top notch med school applicant who gave up his undergrad experience for perfect grades, when they know me more as the decent student and frat boy.  I was quick to reassure them that things had changed... but not that much.

It's Not About the Money... But Damn I Want the Money

Yuppie

          I spent New Year's Eve partying it up in New York City with some friends from Cornell who are all employed people who have started "real life."  It's an odd feeling for me talking to them about work and life and everything, because I don't really feel like I have started "real life" yet.

          This gap year I'm taking is a weird limbo; I'm kind of working, but it's not full time and not at a long-term job, and I choose my own hours.  What's more, I have no idea where I'll be for the next four years, so I'm not really settling my roots in anywhere.  Plus, I'm staying at Cornell living close to campus.  Honestly, my life hasn't changed that much from how it was as an undergrad, except that schoolwork has been traded out for some work work.

Book Review: In Stitches

          I got In Stitches by Anthony Youn for Christmas.  Up until now, any reading I have done related to medical school has been aimed at getting in.  Now that I have an acceptance, I want to get an idea of what the hell I'm getting myself into.

          In that regard, I actually feel like I am well behind most other pre-meds.  It seems like all other pre-meds either have a parent who is a doctor or a long line of relatives who are doctors, and these students have some idea of what the whole process is like.  In my family, it'll just be me, and I have no idea what the hell is coming next.

          I have mixed feelings about the book.  I thought the first half was pretty disappointing.  Literally the first hundred pages were concerned with his troubles with girls, and I have to say... I just didn't care.  Also, his thoughts on his jaw surgery were remarkably brief, which was disappointing.  As a doctor who would go on to become a plastic surgeon, I had hoped he would share more thoughts on his own time under the knife.

Week's Reflections - 12/31/11

          Unfortunately, this week's reflections are a little light on interesting news or articles I've read.  I've been pretty distracted with the holiday season.  I'll be back on form first thing in the New Year.

1.) HAPPY NEW YEAR!

          Happy New Year to everyone!  I hope the last year was great and the next year is better.

          The new year is always a good time to look at the big moments of the past year and your hopes for the next year.  If I had to label a most important event of the last year, it was definitely getting into medical school.  I try to avoid being too focused on academics - a trap I think too many premeds fall into - but the fact is that I worked incredibly hard for the acceptance, and if I hadn't gotten it I wouldn't be able to follow my dreams.  So I'll definitely be doing a cheers and draining a shot for that tonight.  Other big things are becoming ever closer to my girlfriend, graduating from college, and settling into a post-grad lifestyle.

          For the coming year, I suspect one of the biggest events will be moving to a new location and starting medical school.  One of the biggest events?  Yeah, that looms like Mount Everest on the horizon.  I am so excited, though.

          How about you?  What were the big events of your last year, and what does the next year have in store for you?

MCAT Tips and Tricks... or, How I Studied for the MCAT

WE HAVE MOVED TO: A Theory of Living  

  As I mentioned in this article, I earned a very high score on the MCAT (R).  I took a very active role in managing my own MCAT prep, and I think some of the strategies I employed could be very helpful for others.  The MCAT is one of the most feared and dreaded parts of the entire medical school application process, so, I thought I would write a guide about how I prepared so others could benefit from it.

          I definitely recommend you take a prep course.  For most people the techniques and strategies they teach you are helpful.  Also, the review of the basic sciences in the courses is critical.  Many students haven't looked back at gen chem or bio 101 in three or even four years... some even longer.  It is important to have a knowledgeable person review those subjects with you.  These reviews are also helpful, because they tell you what is NOT going to be tested on the MCAT.  Guess what?  75% of the crap you drilled into your skull during organic chemistry won't be tested on the MCAT.

Okay, Fine, I Want an iPad

          Fine.  I admit it.  I want an iPad.  In fact, I want one really badly, even though I know it's irrational.  If you know me, you'll know how hypocritical this sounds.  I have always thought iPads are useless.  I have an iPhone and a laptop - although wow this thing is old - so why the heck would I ever need an iPad?  Can't I use either my laptop or iPhone to do anything an iPad can do or more?  If that's the case, the iPad is a useless indulgence, a waste of close to a thousand dollars.

          Most people, when pressed, have to admit that their iPad is pretty unnecessary.  One of my closest friends worked really hard to justify his when I asked about it.  The final answer he came to is that he likes typing on it, because he doesn't like a traditional keyboard.  What?  Come on.  My own father has one for work, and I almost never see him use it.  To a man, though, everyone loves the darn thing.

The Heartburn Battle

          GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease), also known as acid reflux or heartburn, is the result of acid from your stomach washing up into your esophagus.  It is a chronic condition that can cause a burning sensation that is uncomfortable - heartburn - and it can actually erode the lining of your esophagus.  Unfortunately, the most serious complication that can result from this disease is the development of Barrett's esophagus, which is the precursor condition to esophageal cancer.  Cancer of the esophagus is an incredibly deadly form of cancer, with a mortality rate of 87%.  Christopher Hitchens, the writer, recently died of complications arising from this kind of cancer.

          I just painted a pretty bleak picture, and I did that because there can be serious consequences from this disease.  However, in most cases, cancer does not arise.  In fact, this condition can be treated pretty effectively by prescription drugs known as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) (prilosec, protonix, nexium, etc).  When taken, these can block the secretion of up to 90% of the acid in the stomach.  With the acidity reduced, the fluid that refluxes up into the esophagus is much less likely to burn the esophagus as much, reducing symptoms and the odds of developing more serious complications.

Week's Reflections - 12/24/11

          I feel like all of the big news I am including in here happened really early in this week.  I'm almost wondering if I should start posting these on Sundays instead.  Anyway, here goes.  As always, if you have seen or read anything interesting, post it in the comments.  Cheers.


1.) Cornell Wins Bid to Build NYC Tech Campus

          As a Cornell alum this is wildly exciting.  This campus in the city has the potential to be a game changer, and I have to admit that I am incredibly jealous of the future generations that will have an opportunity to study there.  I am also filled with intense pride that of all the schools that applied we won the competition; we beat out schools such as Stanford and Columbia to get there.  For those that don't know, this was a competition in which many universities entered proposals for a big NYC land grant and up to 100 million dollars held by Mayor Bloomberg.  It's worth reading about the buildings and plans if you're interested; it's going to be state of the art.

Anatomy 101

And then you make the first incision....

          A critical part of medical school for first year students is anatomy lab. Although the specifics of how the course is constructed may vary from school to school, one thing is the same: this is where medical students must dissect a cadaver. That's a dead human being.

          I cannot describe how excited I am for medical school. I will finally get to study the things I have been interested in for years. The waiting game will be over. I won't have to force myself to memorize the intricacies of general chemistry. Instead, I will finally learn human biochemistry, disease, and diagnosis. As excited as I am, though, I have to admit to having a lot of apprehension about dissecting a cadaver.  While I have to admit they make it look really cool - and somehow weirdly sexy - on NCIS, I don't think that's quite how it's going to be.

Links - The Go Tos

          Here are some of my favorite sites to visit.  There will be more links in future posts, but these are the ones I am most likely to visit on a given day.


1.) The Heart Scan Blog

          Dr. William Davis is a preventional cardiologist.  If you want nutritional advice to prevent heart disease, you cannot find a better source than this.  I actually enjoyed his blog so much, that shortly after discovering it, I read it in its entirety from back to front.  It was really interesting to watch his suggestions evolve and become refined over that time.  The nutritional guidelines begin with the elimination of wheat products and continue on to expected staples such as Vitamin D and fish oil, but he also has other suggestions specifically related to different lipoprotein patterns.  I also enjoy the fact that he attributes his thinking and reasoning to scientific studies and clinical experience rather than deduction from the paleo idea.  As a resource, his blog is phenomenal.