amy and i have reached the 11 month mark.* we celebrated last night by going out to an ethiopian restaurant whose name i have already forgotten (actually, i don't think i ever knew it). the food was delicious. we ate with our hands.my all-too-short stint with the wonderful people in the peds hem/onc clinic is coming to a close. only two more days. i'm really going to miss working with those people and those patients... i wonder if all peds hem/onc clinics are staffed with such folks, or if i just got lucky?
our advisors advised us to find a faculty mentor to help guide us through our final semesters of medical school so we might be able to attain our dream residencies (what's my dream residency? whichever NYC hospital that's affiliated with sloan-kettering.. why MSKCC? i don't know. it's just a dream... or whatever children's hospital is in the OC). problem is, i've enjoyed everyone i've worked with so much, i don't even know who to approach. as in, i can't decide. i get along with all of them wonderfully, some of them are more candid and informal than others. and some have more credentials and renown than others. our advisors also hinted that if we pick a "powerful" mentor, they may be able to call in favors for us at other hospitals. while that sounds tempting, it also sounds pretty unethical. besides, i'm going to be applying for a pediatrics residency. it's not like i'm trying to be a dermatologist or anything.
next on the menu: this friday, i am expecting one stv slv and zaid spreewell to descend upon this sleepy town. monday i move to milwaukee, with a trunk full of neckties and bags of books. this time, however, the department of family medicine will be loaning me a laptop (suh-weeet!) so i can use the dial-up modem pool (hello 1991!).
been listening to a lot of the new decemberists album. i commented to d that i kinda thought all their songs sounded the same. i still sort of believe that statement, but i'm liking that same song more and more. and i'm beginning to be able to tell the difference between songs now. so yay for me the discerning listener. also been listening to the new spoon (doesn't sound like the last one) and new mercury rev (reminds me of the flaming lips). the new out hud is a lot of fun. i've also re-discovered the feist album, which is nice and relaxing and good for studying to. and i've fallen back in love with shuffle mode on my ipod, although the volume of hip-hop albums on it can make for some interesting stretches of several badly-acted, funny-only-the-first-time skits in a row.*this is, hands down, the longest relationship i have ever been in ever. ever. i feel like i should take this as a sign of maturity, but i don't feel very matured. oh well.
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I'll be visiting my folks on the 5th. If you're in town, lets hang out [*]. Milrawke.
dropped by 
lol. ror. on 24 February, 2005 11:36 [*]
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My advisor was pretty useless, but a number of my classmates greatly increased their odds of matching well thanks to having renouned advisors. Your advisor serves 2 purposes:
1) To advise.
2) To go to bat for you come residency application time.
I think that the 2nd is far more important, since most of med school is already mapped out for you anyway. As someone with a father whose reputation could have secured him a good residency in ortho I totally sympathize with the ethics of string-pulling quandry, but I think that this advisor situation is an entity distinct from nepotism. EVERY student needs to get letters of rec, and almost every student gets an advisor. Why not get someone whose words about you will carry some weight? That being said, #1 above is of some value, and if you don't get along with your advisor he/she won't be able to write you a glowing LOR, so you'll want to pick someone you like. However, it's your advisor, not your drinking buddy, so I wouldn't worry too much about social compatability.
In short: I would try & find a balance between personal compatability & reputation in your advisor, but given the tremendous effect that an LOR from a well known doc can have I would place significantly more weight on their reputation than their music collectiom...just my $0.02
Also, I picked up this Austrian girl, Gustav's album. I think you would really like it. Expect a copy in the coming weeks.
dropped by The Metaphysician on 25 February, 2005 09:11 [*]
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drop some science: