Interview

I believe that the interviews went well. Lee helped me assemble a show file, which is just a folder with transparencies that includes my CV, application information and publications. It is a quick, effective way to demonstrate what I have done. I also learned there is such a thing as resume paper.

Pros - UIC was terrific. The research facilities dwarf all the other medical schools I have seen. The location is awesome: 2nd largest medical district in the country, convenient public transportation. Because it is the largest medical school in the country, there are more research and specialization study opportunities than other medical school. Med Students seemed much happier there than average. License exam pass rates and residency match rates are far above average.
Cons - It can be easy to get lost in the shuffle, you have to make additional effort to stand out. You have to standout to improve your odds of getting into a top residency. The class rooms are rather old. There are 4 campuses and a lottery system determines where you go. I will probably have to file a petition to stay in Chicago.

Unfortunate news - I had always heard that you need to apply early. The due date for applications was 11/15. I submitted everything in late August/early September, which is the earliest possible date I could submit everything. (In a perfect world you make the decision to go to medical school AT LEAST two years before you attempted to go.) At this point, medical schools are required to have sent at least as many offer letters as they have spots available. What it means is that I cleared the GPA and MCAT score requirements for all the schools, but they might fill up all their available positions before even looking at my application. Passive rejection.

Due to schedule conflicts, I may not hear about whether or not I made it in until the beginning of April. This is such an incredulously long process.

I am going to call the schools to see if I cannot get some kind of feedback about whether or not I might be invited for an interview.

Please continue to pray for me. Thank you so much for all of your prayers and support.

Love,
JohnMark

Pray for me

This time tomorrow I should be wrapping up my first med school interview at the University of Illinois Chicago. I am very nervous, because it is almost March and I have not heard from anyone else. I applied later in the cycle than most, because I took my MCAT in August. Plus, I only have a few options since I am trying to stay in Chicago with Lee. This one has to count. I have a 1 in 2.3 chance of getting in at this point as an instate resident, which by med school numbers is admittedly high...

Please say a little prayer for me.

JohnMark

Pandora

When I am feeling a little rundown I like to listen to music while doing more menial tasks. Yesterday, I discovered Pandora. (Yes, I am aware this would appear behind the times for many of you.) Pandora is an online radio station that tailors itself to your musical interests based on tonality, key configuration, vocal inflections and a host of other quantifiable aspects of your musical "taste." All you have to do is pick a song or group you especially like and let the magic happen. I used to think that I had very eclectic taste in music, and most would agree. I am not so sure anymore. It is also an interesting way to discover likable music you've probably never heard before. Enjoy.
Lee and I are still trying to figure out ways of infusing more rest in our schedules...something is going to have to give. We need something more sustainable.

-JohnMark

Valentine's Day!

Lee and I celebrated our first Valentine's Day as a married couple. It has already been 42 days, but it only feels like 33. Really it's our first Valentine's Day. I always used to hate Valentine's Day, it just seemed like a large reminder to feel bad about yourself if you were single. Consequently, I chose not to celebrate it even when I was not single......I have been informed that I have changed my mind. So, we went out to eat at Adobo and then watched a show at Second City. If you were wondering "didn't you just go to Second City?" the answer would be yes. However, we went to an amateur show the first time, which just left us with the desire to see a show with one of the signature groups. We saw "Brother, Can You Spare Some Change?". Among other things, it was a hilarious take on our financial and political systems and the unrealistic expectations of what Obama may be able to accomplish:
Is it true he's going to turn Guantanamo Bay into an amusement park?
Is it true he is going to turn subprime mortgages into gumdrops? etc etc

Beyond that we have just stayed home, cooked together several times and worked on our various projects. It may sound odd, but it is a lot easier to work on all of our various projects if the other one is in the room. I enjoy our time together, even if it is semi-apart.

Just some Tuesday

This morning I found it difficult to head into work. I have days where I just don't feel like getting up, but today I struggled to go into work...and I am a workaholic. Instead, I spent time at the computer researching terrible movies for a friend's competition.

The University of Chicago Medical Center has been a sea of negativity lately:
1) Yesterday it was anounced that the hospital was going to lay off 450 people with more to follow. Large swafts of the hospital were already falling into a state of disrepair and since service workers are the first to go, it will get much worse.
2) Chicago was revealed to be #3 on the most miserable city list. I think poverty stricken areas, like the area that surrounds the Hospital, are usually the areas most likely to feel the deepest misery. When I am with Lee or in the loop it feels like a magically wondrous place.
3) My research has been going very poorly. Often, I don't feel like I do anything, but it is because I am waiting on something all the time. The truth is we don't have the money in the lab to conduct high-level research. The Primary Ivestigator is an incredibly brilliant guy and he is working tirelessly on grants, but there just aren't any to be had...although that is supposed to change with the stimulus package.
4) Tuesdays and Thursday I am slated to leave and return >15 hours later...just in time for bed.

I think all of this might be getting to me a little bit. I am very glad that I worked here , if for no other reason than to recognize that it is not where I want to go to medical school. It was my first choice.
At this point I am just planning on eeking out the next few months in the hopes that I will begin medical school and move on to something more intellectually challenging and less emotionally taxing.

-JohnMark

Superbowl and other

Man, I have been slacking on the blogz lately.

Lee and I are trying to settle into our rather busy new routine. In a time when so many are looking for work, it seems odd that we both have multiple jobs. Consequently, we have to be more diligent about making time for one another. It is possible for us to accidentally misschedule projects such that we only spend a few hours together every week. We do what we can with the time we have.

Last weekend, we went to a superbowl party held by some friends from church. It was very odd not hosting a party... I became critical of things that would have been different had I thrown a party. For example, there were plenty of chips and dips at the party, but no hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, etc. Nothing one would confuse with a meal anyways. I only seemed to able to let it go after the Superbowl.

Tonight, we are going to Second City to watch an amateur improv show based on an audience members ipod.

Lee's Father has an intentionally long layover in Chicago tomorrow. I don't think that ther is a plan yet, but it will be nice to see him. Maybe we can introduce him to Chicago-style pizza.

We are so close to renting our Oklahoma City house....it just keeps getting pushed back for inane reasons like inspections. I am saying "this week it should be rented" but I also said that last week. Meanwhile, our prospective renter has been semi-homeless. We hope to post remodeling pictures soon.

I have my first med school interview in a little over two weeks. This one will be at UIC. Pray for me.

Lastly, I read an interesting article about the nature of the problems with the scientific job model. The article aptly compares it to a pyramid scheme. Until it changes, do your loved ones a favor and dissuade them from pursuing the sciences. Friends don't let friends become scientists.

-JohnMark

Safety Suit

I went to an extremely musically gifted school. I did not go to Juliard or an art school of any type, but the median student could sing, play the piano, play the guitar and dance. As someone with negative amounts of musical ability, it never failed to amaze me. The most important annual event was the battle of the bands tournament leading up to homecoming week. The winner won a "gig" at homecoming. In 2002, some of my friends won the battle of the bands. Their band was named Crew. I went bowling with a guy named Doug (guitarist and lead singer) and I logged a lot of racquetball hours with a guy named (Tate). Flash forward to 2009, they renamed the band Safety Suit. One of their singles, "Someone Like You," was as high as 11th on the VH1 countdown and it is currently available for free on iTunes. I would suggest giving them a listen before iTunes resets its free tunes for the week.