Where'd that damned rabbit go?

From GChat, on a social life:

"i'm trying to conjure it up... out of like... a pile of anatomy flash cards, some cheap malbec, and a spark of hope or something (*rolls eyes*)"

Hello, prospective student...

There is a large, naked man in the communal bathroom on the north hallway of Vanderbilt Hall, 3rd floor.

I walked into the bathroom for the most predictable of reasons, and to my surprise, some random guy was drying himself off in the middle of the bathroom--stark naked. This development was surprising given that both showers are designed with a curtained changing area so that users can have some semblance of privacy in either wrapping a towel around themselves or donning undergarments. Given that it's almost December and I'd never seen this fellow before, I can only assume that he was an interviewee who didn't want body odor to impede his marathon of a day tomorrow. Bizarre.

In related news, the guy did manage to brush and floss his teeth for an obscenely long period, so there's probably a 70% chance that he's a dental applicant.

Peck peck.

I'm writing this blog entry from the Augusta Regional Airport... with my new iPhone. This functionality is hardly "necessary" for me, but I may as well take advantage of it :). I'm still getting used to this keyboard, but I already like it better than texting. More later!

Remember the Daily Grind?

After returning to grad school/professional school following one year of work, my friends and I currently have the following GChat status messages:

B.: "dying one paper at a time..."
C.: "i am terrible at life."
D.: "delirium setting in..."
Me: "I'm a MAVRIK(tm). A doctor who doesn't know anatomy. Or geography."

The grass is always greener, perhaps. But I want some fuggin' Miracle-Gro.

Well...

A lot of time has passed since I last posted.

My absence can be primarily explained by the craze of medical school. Simply stated, I've never studied this much before, and I'm still studying less than many of my classmates! However, as in college, I've managed to make above-average grades--not that they matter here--even though my mastery of the knowledge is inferior to that of my peers. What I can't seem to shake, though, is the feeling that I don't know the material well enough to be a good doctor.

Obviously, the solution is to... blog!

To add insult to inadequacy, I've concluded over the past few weeks that Harvard Medical School may not be a good "fit" for me. This institution feels too impersonal, too rigid, and too pompous. And I'm not using these adjectives to describe my classmates, who are amazing people. They've done amazing things, and they'll continue to surprise me with their abilities, passions, and accomplishments. However, what's noticeably lacking is the institutional support that nurtures excellence. Harvard takes pride in (and credit for) the accomplishments of its students and alumni. However, based on my two months here, I've concluded that it doesn't deserve this credit.

Why? The majority of excellence here is pre-existing. Harvard manages to attract ambitious people who are already "tracked" to be change-makers. This institution gets to ride on the coattails of its students and professors, who come and stick around because critical mass does build excellence. (Everyone knows that it's "hard to turn down Harvard.") However, this wealthiest of institutions is surprisingly cheap in supporting its students. Harvard can get away with a lot of things:

• Not teaching the information that's tested on Board examinations for residency? No problem! The kids who end up coming to Harvard will study that material on their own. And based on their previous testing performance, they'll do well on Boards and get you that much-coveted match list, which you can show off to applicants.
  
• Not offering any opportunities to learn medical Spanish? No problem! Your students are so ambitious that they will fundraise and offer their own Spanish classes. (Seriously.) They'll even persist in lobbying you to offer Spanish education despite your denial that sufficient interest exists. This behavior is interesting considering that the two student-run classes are filled to capacity and were unable to accomodate everyone who was willing to pay a $100 deposit (myself included).
  
• Strangely out of money to fund summer opporunities? Don't sweat it! Your students will come up with their own solutions and somehow still manage to get publishable data. And then you can brag about their accomplishments in your next viewbook.
  

Dearest Harvard, you can continue to insist on behaving this way. However, don't expect that the ambitious individuals whom you've admitted will sit around and twiddle their thumbs. They will push you to change your seemingly set ways because you can--and should--do better. (Comma.)