it's about time
for an update on my life.
So my junior year in college has come to a close, which is a bizarre thought. And has, in fact, made me much more terrified about the impending future. I've been thinking more and more about taking a year or a few off before med school. Not just if I don't get it, but for that sake of my sanity. Yeah, it'll take me longer until I make a decent amount of money, but that time will help me decide where I'm actually going in life post-medical school, post-residency, into adulthood.
Birmingham is going alright. The program is somewhat lame, but not as bad as I was expecting. And it is pretty nice not to be at home for the summer. I just feel like I've outgrown living with the parents, and even though I still enjoy visiting them (montgomery is much better when you're only there for a day or two at a time) I prefer to be more on my own than that would allow. However, if I had the ideal situation, I would have my own room here. Sharing feels very freshman year. But that's ok, it's probably better for my social life that way.
Research blows. In case anyone is planning on doing this for the rest of their life, just don't do it. It takes a special type of anti-social personality to thrive on conducting experiments on your own day after day, month after month, pipetting tube after tube, creating bacteria plate after bacteria plate. Needless to say, it's not for me. The lab is NOTHING like a college lab where you conduct research with one of your professors and have a decent time. People really resent that I'm in their lab messing with their things. They talk like I'm not there. Graduate students make me do their bitch work. NO ONE speaks english. If only I knew Chinese...
There is another undergrad in my lab, which is actually very large, maybe 35 people work there. And this kid is so fucking cocky. But the best part is that he isn't that smart. He just memorizes alot of useless biology shit. I can't wait until we get those MCAT scores back, I bet he'll have to eat some of his words then. But the good news is that my mentor in the lab doesn't like him, and me and James, the post doc who supervises us, just make fun of him all the time. So that's an improving situation I suppose.
The SIBS kids are decent. I really enjoy 3 of the boys and my roommate. Me and the boys stayed up last night and had a heart-to-heart, it was touching. But it is weird being the oldest person in the program. I have to buy them beer tonight. Ridiculous. We still don't have tv, which is worse than one would think. And no one really knows anywhere to go in Bham, but we're working on that. We've been spending alot of time at the rec center because they have televisions. Last night I walked on the treadmill for an hour to watch a baseball game. I am really LAME.
I had dinner with Maurine the other night and that was good. I wish I was better at keeping up with her. Hopefully after she moves back here in July, we can hang out. John Paul took me to see dios (malos) and the starlight mints at the nick on tuesday, and that was incredibly great. I'm obsessed with the drummer from dios (malos), he was amazing. And I think I'll be spending most of Saturday with John Paul as well. I like not feeling obligated to see him everyday. It feels like a better situation now. It is nice having people to hang out with in bham if I need a break from the SIBS squad. However, it's going to be really great getting trashed with them tonight and forgetting our shitty weeks.
In conclusion, this summer could be better, but it definitely could be worse. I wish I knew of anything cool to do in birmingham.
So my junior year in college has come to a close, which is a bizarre thought. And has, in fact, made me much more terrified about the impending future. I've been thinking more and more about taking a year or a few off before med school. Not just if I don't get it, but for that sake of my sanity. Yeah, it'll take me longer until I make a decent amount of money, but that time will help me decide where I'm actually going in life post-medical school, post-residency, into adulthood.
Birmingham is going alright. The program is somewhat lame, but not as bad as I was expecting. And it is pretty nice not to be at home for the summer. I just feel like I've outgrown living with the parents, and even though I still enjoy visiting them (montgomery is much better when you're only there for a day or two at a time) I prefer to be more on my own than that would allow. However, if I had the ideal situation, I would have my own room here. Sharing feels very freshman year. But that's ok, it's probably better for my social life that way.
Research blows. In case anyone is planning on doing this for the rest of their life, just don't do it. It takes a special type of anti-social personality to thrive on conducting experiments on your own day after day, month after month, pipetting tube after tube, creating bacteria plate after bacteria plate. Needless to say, it's not for me. The lab is NOTHING like a college lab where you conduct research with one of your professors and have a decent time. People really resent that I'm in their lab messing with their things. They talk like I'm not there. Graduate students make me do their bitch work. NO ONE speaks english. If only I knew Chinese...
There is another undergrad in my lab, which is actually very large, maybe 35 people work there. And this kid is so fucking cocky. But the best part is that he isn't that smart. He just memorizes alot of useless biology shit. I can't wait until we get those MCAT scores back, I bet he'll have to eat some of his words then. But the good news is that my mentor in the lab doesn't like him, and me and James, the post doc who supervises us, just make fun of him all the time. So that's an improving situation I suppose.
The SIBS kids are decent. I really enjoy 3 of the boys and my roommate. Me and the boys stayed up last night and had a heart-to-heart, it was touching. But it is weird being the oldest person in the program. I have to buy them beer tonight. Ridiculous. We still don't have tv, which is worse than one would think. And no one really knows anywhere to go in Bham, but we're working on that. We've been spending alot of time at the rec center because they have televisions. Last night I walked on the treadmill for an hour to watch a baseball game. I am really LAME.
I had dinner with Maurine the other night and that was good. I wish I was better at keeping up with her. Hopefully after she moves back here in July, we can hang out. John Paul took me to see dios (malos) and the starlight mints at the nick on tuesday, and that was incredibly great. I'm obsessed with the drummer from dios (malos), he was amazing. And I think I'll be spending most of Saturday with John Paul as well. I like not feeling obligated to see him everyday. It feels like a better situation now. It is nice having people to hang out with in bham if I need a break from the SIBS squad. However, it's going to be really great getting trashed with them tonight and forgetting our shitty weeks.
In conclusion, this summer could be better, but it definitely could be worse. I wish I knew of anything cool to do in birmingham.