$hit.

Sometimes things hit you in waves, no? That's why there's that saying "When it rains, it pours". We know that's not entirely true as there as misty days, light rain days, rainy days, and "holy shit did I miss the news about a hurricane?!?" days. But there still so much truth to that statement.

It's not really one of those times, but I can feel a wave coming. Dark clouds are approaching but I hope some warm/cold front comes in to scare those storm clouds away.

In this past hour, I've come to the realization that I haven't been as smart about money as I should have. Yes, JUST NOW. Oops. Well I did just pay off all my credit card debt, but knowing that I have some 40K out there in loans is sick. And now I've just realized that I only had 15 cents in my internet banking savings account for the last year - and 85 cents more would have been enough to collect interest. Instead my 15 cents is still only 15 cents...but at least now it's got some more friends to play with. And make babies with. AKA grow in compound interest...

Ah shit, I should have known this and put more money in there to grow interest.
"But A, why is there only 15 cents in there to begin with?", you ask.

Because I took it out to put into my Roth IRA and then forgot about it. The entire thing is online, there's no real paperwork or cards that define the account, so it's almost not real. I almost forgot where the account even was (HSBC? ING? who knows?!) and had to search my emails...ah well, lesson learned.

I'm only on this kick because I found poormd.com which scared the $hit out of me. Helpful, but scary.

As HDuff so eloquently sang, "Let the rain fall..."

NEW New Year's Resolution

2009: live life to its fullest potential. say yes. smile, laugh, give, love. eat well. enjoy the present. because i am giving a day of my life for it...also because the next 7 years of my life are going to suuuuuck.

I went to DC for the Inaugural events, stood/crouched outside in the cold for hours with millions of people to watch live events happen on a huge tv screen. The past few weeks, I've had really amazing (expensive) food at some of the greatest restaurants in Philadelphia.

Last week I bought my tickets to Vietnam (April 16 - June 29!!!!) and am officially enrolled in Vietnamese language classes at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ho Chi Minh City. I have made lots of new facebook "friends" in my quest to start a Viet/English speaking circle.

And today I had this urge/daydream/hallucination about signing up for a marathon. Okay, not really a marathon, more like a 5K run, but com'on - I don't run! I joined the swim team in high school so that I didn't have to run! Why this crazy urge to do something I've never thought about before???

Maybe I'm having a quarter life crisis, and instead of going out and buying a Porsche, I sign up for 5k, skydiving, and plane tickets.

But really, I think it is the impending medical school that has me thinking about how I want to live the next few months of my life. My new Touro-NV facebook "friend" is Class of 2009 and wrote a note about the 101 things that he wished he knew before he started medical school:

91. The best time of your entire medical school career is between the times when you first get your acceptance letter and when you start school.

...well now I know! And 2009 is going to be my YES YEAR!

six letters changed my life.

One month ago:

It was a really bad week, the last week of October 2008. I'd bombed a quiz, gotten two post-secondary rejections, one post-interview rejection (The chances of this happening are slim so it is really personal and so you worry - they must have really not liked me?? What did I say? Where I did go wrong?), and generally felt crappy.

So I prayed for a great next week, the first week of November. I prayed for awesome election results for the presidential campaigns, as well as some congressional campaigns and ballot issues. I prayed for a medical school acceptance - and then I talked about it, visualized it, wrote it out, gave thanks, did everything as if it were coming true.

And two days after the election of Barack Hussein Obama as the 44th President, I received this glorious email from Roger, the Dean of Admissions at Touro-NV:

Anna – The decision of the DO Admissions Committee on your application is: ACCEPT! Congratulations! I will mail your letter today. Thank you and have a nice day.

There it was. Instead of saying "Waitlist" like the previous emails from other schools, this one said "ACCEPT" - Six letters that changed my life. My heart skipped a beat, tears came to my eyes, and I knew I had to call everyone, send out emails, and give thanks again.

I'm going to be a doctor! AIAIAIAI!!!!

And suddenly will.i.am's song about Obama's election became very meaningful to me:

Yea I woke up this morning
Feeling brand new
'Cause the dreams that I've been dreaming
Has finally came true...
It's a New Day!!!

applying to medical school

The application process to medical school is long, hard, and very expensive. They tell you to treat it like a marathon: don't get too caught up in the early moments and you'll need stamina to survive the long haul. Well having been accepted at this point, I can go back and reflect upon this process:

First time applying: 2006
Times taken the MCAT: 2
MCAT score: (nice try Henry...)
Times taken MCAT Reivew Course: 2 (both on paper)
Schools applied to: too many to count, it's sick (From Boston to Nebraska and everywhere in between)
Secondaries completed: a lot
Interviews: 0
Total approx cost = $2000

Second time applying: 2008
Times taken the MCAT: 3 (the two previous times, then once on the computer)
Transcripts ordered: 2
Schools applied to: 20 (From Maine to Pomona, CA)
Secondaries completed: 18, I think
Interviews: 4, plus turned down 1
Acceptances thus far: 1
Waitlisted: 2
Rejected post-interview: 1 (I think it was mutual??)
Post-secondary rejections: 2
Time spent on SDN: countless...can probably be measured in weeks
Total approx cost = $5000, not including post-bacc program

The most unreasonably expensive cost? Renting a car in Phoenix, AZ for 4 days cost over $300 because I am under the age of 25 and had to pay a fee per day. Bitches.

A snapshot at my most recent application:

- Lots of healthcare experiences, volunteering, leadership roles, research; emphasis in public health, psychology, children
- Any C's? Yes, quite a few but I retook many classes in the post-bacc program
- Fail? Blurg, I did not pass the MCAT class, spring semester of 2008, due to their attendance policy. It's a glaring U on my transcript that turns into a "Non Pass"/"Fail" on the AACOMAS application. Urgh. But it didn't ruin me!!

Things I've learned:
- Apply early, as soon AMCAS/AACOMAS accepts applications is when you should turn it in
- Research schools and apply broadly: if you do not apply to a school, you will not get in
- Resources: Keep in touch with professors, advisors, mentors, supervisors, friends/family in med schools - you never know when you might need a LOR, support/guidance, or a place to sleep while visiting schools
- Know yourself and your application: especially your reasons for applying to medical school. It's easier said than done, the personal statement can take up to 3 months to write, edit, and perfect.
- Contact with the schools or any admissions people there: always treat them with respect because everyone there can judge you and make a statment about your application. Visiting schools, attending an open house, having an email conversation about your application are great ways to stay visible in the eyes of the admissions committee.
- When I wasn't successful the first time, I asked how to make my application stronger and worked hard to become a better applicant. Keep the faith!