10/4/07: I submitted my Vanderbilt secondary around 2 in the morning sometime last week. I think there is a certain level of delusion you have to reach in order to write your autobiography. This kind of spiritual awareness is only obtainable when everybody else in the entire world is sleeping and you're not.
10/11/07: I showed up to my OU interview with dirty hair, no shower, and stinky breath. I was too nervous to relax the night before, so I got zero sleep. That's not an exaggeration. I found myself, again, delusional and with only the adrenaline from anticipation keeping me awake and aware. I smiled, looked at my interviewers, and answered their questions at a relaxed conversational pace. I think some of it was due to my pseudo-calm (sleepy). We had a few serious moments. We smiled. We laughed. We bonded. Then I tripped on my chair on the way out. Word has it we'll know the decision in 10 days. OU's really on it.
10/17/07: Today is my birthday and I got the best gift ever: My acceptance letter from OU!!! WHOOOO!!! Wow, I dunno if I should cry out of joy or out of fear...
10/24/07: I received my Brown invite today!! That was totally not expected. I was just goofing off with my applications and decided to throw in a lot of schools I didn't think I would have a shot at. I have to say that Vanderbilt and Brown are by far very pleasant surprises. At the same time I think that it would be harder to handle a rejection post-interview...
11/8/07: I got a letter today in the mail from University of Minnesota talking about how it's not too late to apply and stuff. So I decided to throw a couple applications their way. Their letter talked a lot about American Indian medical school students, so I hope that this is a good sign...
11/12/07: Today was a good day for I received an interview invite from Johns Hopkins SOM!!!! I was seriously just kidding around with this one. Crap. The pressure's on...
11/17/07: I just got back from Nashville today. The visit with my dad was great. I found the best chelo soltani ever. I loved the diversity of restaurants. Broadway was really cool. Vanderbilt's campus is very large and safe. After talking to the other interviewees yesterday, I don't understand why Vanderbilt ever invited me. The others seem like very strong, competitive applicants. I think I let myself be intimidated...
12/12/07: Holy moly! I got an interview invite from DARTMOUTH! Are all these schools on something when they're looking at my application? I don't feel spectacular. I'm pretty sure my luck will turn around very soon...
12/14/07: I got another interview invite! BU, what's wrong with you? :) So... I really love Baltimore! I felt happy about my interview, the tour, the faculty I met, the students I hung out with, and the other interviewees. I won't lie, I really enjoyed it. Tomorrow I'm going to travel around with my student host so I can get a better idea about the Baltimore area. I really like JH, let's hope they like me...
12/24/07: Word has it that Vanderbilt sent out some decisions today. I didn't even know mail was still delivered on Christmas Eve. So late this evening I checked my mailbox and found an envelope from Vanderbilt. It was of medium weight so I ran into my apartment and ripped it to shreds and found... an acceptance! WhoOOoOOoOOoOOoa!! I'm sleeping with it tonight so that I'll remember to wake up Christmas day to prepare a reply that goes something along the lines of, 'Hellz yeah, I want to come to your delightful school of the awesomely medically educated.' I might change the wording of that a little, though...
12/27/07: First, I had to change my interview date for Dartmouth from the 15th to the 10th because I have a genetics final on the 14th. My university had an ice storm which forced Monday's finals to be canceled with the option of taking them that Saturday (not possible for me due to JH's interview) or the first Monday of Spring semester (wtf!). Second, I received a phone call from Dr. Hill at Vanderbilt today! He kind of made me want to cry when he was talking about my application and the review. I was really touched about what he thought of my background. I am very glad I was able to speak with him regarding the diversity of Vanderbilt since this was not something I was able to see on the interview day. I was not expecting this phone call. I would be lying if I said he didn't make me want to go to Vanderbilt even more...
1/7/08: So I went to Providence last week. That place is really interesting. Everything is really close together (not like Baltimore) and damn cold (wind chill: -14F). The campus was barren b/c of holidays I think. The faculty was very enthusiastic and the other applicants were friendly and seemed pretty laid back. I like how adaptable the school is willing to be with the curriculum. I'm very nervous. I felt that my interviews went pretty well. But were they badass? Well, that's yet to be determined on Jan 24 or 25. For now I need to study for my genetics final and prepare for Dartmouth this week. Then no more interviews! Until Feb 4...
1/25/08: I couldn't wait until Feb 4 to stop interviewing. So I withdrew from Boston University. Call me crazy, but the cons outweighed the benefits of me going. Being poor was also a part of it. I tried to withdraw from University of Minnesota Duluth but I got an email back that encouraged me to not. I sent out my precommittee letter and my recommendation letter. And then that same day I was told my application was closed because of no action. I'm going to take this as a sign that I was right to withdraw to begin with. I won't contest it or anything. Is this my senioritis talking? Who knows. But I don't want to interview anymore. I just want to be done. On a more productive note Brown decisions came out today!! I'm really excited about visiting Providence again. :) Hopefully it won't be so cold this time...
1/28/08: Johns Hopkins called me to offer me an acceptance. After we hung up I eloquently said, 'OH, @#$%! OH, @#$%!' I forgot how to speak English, I guess. How does this HAPPEN?! I remember when I first applied, I threw away the information book thing because I thought, 'What a joke. I can't get into a place like that. Why did I even bother?' I did the same with the other schools, too, but Hopkins held a special place in my heart after my interview. Man, it's just one surprise after another...
2/7/08: I just received an acceptance letter from Dartmouth today. Woot! That place was cold, I won't lie. I need to think long and hard about this one. I'm thinking I'm going to withdraw from Emory and Tulane. There's no point in waiting for any more schools. I'm pretty good with what I got...
3/10/08: I received a letter from Vandy today dated 3/5. I didn't check my mail for a week b/c I didn't think I had anything more important than school updates and financial aid to worry about. Vandy made me an offer I can't refuse: A hefty scholarship. My issue is that JHU's Welcome Back Weekend is the same weekend as Vandy's second look. I just figured that since JHU was paying for everything I would go to the WBW. I think Vandy also pays for quite a bit, but the WBW sounds pretty awesome and more inclusive. I already booked the flight for JHU and I think the tickets are non-refundable. :( What am I going to do?!
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4/9/08: Quick update! I went to the OU second look on March 28. It was pretty cool. I recognized quite a few people from my undergrad, so I know I'll have some kind of familiarity with the student body should we all choose to attend OU. I believe that was OU's first second look. I got a pretty neat baseball hat. I frequently find myself never studying as much as I should. When that happens I wear my cap and don't shower for a couple days. The stench and the cap keep me incognito when I'm cramming. This new cap though says 'College of Medicine' on the back of it, so I feel like a tool for wearing it since I only do when I'm cramming/have no time for a shower.
I'm going to the Hopkins WBW tomorrow. I decided I won't be attending Brown or Dartmouth's second look because my school schedule won't allow me enough time to prepare for exams/finals while I'm away. After tomorrow I'll know better where I stand in terms of ranking but right now it's: OU, Hopkins, (Vandy Brown), and Dartmouth (I may just withdraw before the financial aid packages come in).
I'm working on financial aid stuff. I had everything turned in by April 1, but the problem is that I want to get back on the IHS scholarship for medical school. I have to have every school send in a curriculum verification sheet signed by a university official. You know, some schools (ahem, Hopkins) haven't been very helpful in getting this complete. I have to say that this will definitely help determine where I end up next year since it's such a large amount of money (bigger than the Vandy scholarship).
I have severe senioritis and I don't care about making straight As anymore. I just want to chill. Seriously, I'm only borderline A/B in one class. Do I care? No. Do schools care? No.
Do my parents? Yes. But since nobody takes care of me but me... I'm going to let myself off easy this semester:
'Anonymous OU student, if you want a B, get a B! If you want to chill/sleep/party/procrastinate/whatever this semester, then do it! By gosh, I love you no matter where you go to school, even if you choose your state school. You'll do great as long as you believe in yourself and stay focused. Don't forget that your personal happiness is just as important, if not more so, as your school decision. You live life once, so no regrets! Don't forget to smell the flowers! ...And don't forget to shower, either.'
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