Today I saw my family doctor for a minor issue, and during the appointment I told him I wanted to apply to medical school next summer and I asked him if he thought I would be able to handle the rigors of medical school. I just wanted to inquire about where he thought I was at with everything. I routinely bring him my transcripts to show him my grades every semester, and he and I are very close. He even delivered me at the local hospital when I was born. I started bringing him my transcripts right around the time I started my blog, as that is when I started to find success in university. Well, his response really disheartened me. He said that he was not concerned about the intellectual challenges, but rather the physical challenges. His main concern was me handling the lack of sleep during residency, particularly, a 36 hour shift. I don't have any negative feelings towards my family doctor because of what he said because I know he is just looking out for me and he is just on the conservative side of managing my care to make sure I don't have a psychotic episode or any other psychiatric symptoms.
I totally understand his concerns. If I had myself as a patient I would probably be equally as cautious. But what my doctor doesn't know is that I want to go into medicine so badly. If I couldn't do medicine, I honestly would lose ALL of my motivation and while I wouldn't commit suicide, I definitely would not want to be living. It sounds drastic and dramatic, but I am absolutely devoting my life to medicine. I want to eat, sleep, and breathe science and medicine. I want to help other human beings. If I couldn't do medicine, I would be so unbelievably bitter that I wouldn't want to do anything else. The main thing for me is that I want to do meaningful work. And for me, medicine is the perfect choice. And doing meaningful work is my primary motivator is to become a surgeon.
To me it seems that my fixation on becoming a surgeon is unusual. But I don't think I'm a regular person. I think I am different because of my abilities and my ambitions. I sometimes feel at odds with how the general population thinks. I really do believe I can accomplish great things, but I really want my doctor's approval. I know that he can't stop me from applying to medicine and doing a demanding residency, but I would like to develop a plan of attack in conjunction with my doctor once I get my acceptance letter. It is one more thing to worry about, but I'm willing to take some risks in order to chase my dreams.
Tuesday 22 September 2015
Friday 18 September 2015
New-to-me, underwater branch of science
So I ended up registering in 3 UBC online courses this semester. The courses consist of two oceanography courses and one health psychology course. All the courses are upper level. I'm also finishing my two TRU online courses which are abnormal psychology and the 2nd semester of 1st year chemistry.
I'm actually optimistic about the oceanography courses because I like science in general, so it will be good to branch out into new fields. And all of the other courses are nothing new to me. It's funny how a couple years ago I probably would've avoided oceanography courses because I was so focused on the applications of health science that I hated doing courses on other material. I guess I saw it as a waste of time because I won't need to know it for medicine or for the MCAT and that sort of thing. Now I am very open to learning about new topics that are outside the traditional boundaries of medicine and science. It's going to sound ridiculous, but I think part of what changed my perspective was watching the Fox show, House MD. The reason is that House had such a broad knowledge of all different fields and used every bit of information possible to come to a diagnose and save lives. At the time I was watching this, it was also around the time of the news of the new 2015 MCAT, which of course is expanded and now includes psychology and sociology, which were once not essential preparation for medical school. Both House and the AAMC's changes in the 2015 MCAT are what kind of made me open my eyes so that I can expand my horizons. And yes I am aware that House is not real, but I think the scenarios are creative and shows what could happen and then also shows what a difference can be made if someone has knowledge. I think that's what House is all about. It's one of my favorite shows despite the predictable story arc. But I think it's all about knowledge. I mean Greg House knows everything. And who's to say situations like that, or similar ones, couldn't possibly pop up?
I'm actually optimistic about the oceanography courses because I like science in general, so it will be good to branch out into new fields. And all of the other courses are nothing new to me. It's funny how a couple years ago I probably would've avoided oceanography courses because I was so focused on the applications of health science that I hated doing courses on other material. I guess I saw it as a waste of time because I won't need to know it for medicine or for the MCAT and that sort of thing. Now I am very open to learning about new topics that are outside the traditional boundaries of medicine and science. It's going to sound ridiculous, but I think part of what changed my perspective was watching the Fox show, House MD. The reason is that House had such a broad knowledge of all different fields and used every bit of information possible to come to a diagnose and save lives. At the time I was watching this, it was also around the time of the news of the new 2015 MCAT, which of course is expanded and now includes psychology and sociology, which were once not essential preparation for medical school. Both House and the AAMC's changes in the 2015 MCAT are what kind of made me open my eyes so that I can expand my horizons. And yes I am aware that House is not real, but I think the scenarios are creative and shows what could happen and then also shows what a difference can be made if someone has knowledge. I think that's what House is all about. It's one of my favorite shows despite the predictable story arc. But I think it's all about knowledge. I mean Greg House knows everything. And who's to say situations like that, or similar ones, couldn't possibly pop up?
Friday 4 September 2015
RESP Payment and Banking
So I've been checking my online banking account every day for the past two weeks, and I am happy to say that my RESP payment was deposited today! I'm extremely happy about this because I wasn't sure if I was going to get it or not (because of my failed courses and withdrawn semesters). But everything got processed and the money is in my account now, so I suppose it's all a done deal now. And what's even better is that it's about $1100 more than I was expecting too which is awesome!
I'm just about to head to the bank in a few minutes to move the money to a different bank (because some of my other money is in a different account at a different bank). So now, I'm wondering, what should I do with this money? Since I'm living at home free of charge, I figured I could put this money in some sort of high interest savings account or GIC or a possible investment. My RESP was about $7800, and I have about $5400 from a different source, and I may be getting a monthly income of $400 per month. So I'm just posting a message out in cyberspace to anyone with a possible financial background, or maybe not a background but has the knowledge on this sort of financial stuff. If anyone has any ideas or advice on financial products or general advice they'd be willing to help out with, if you could let me know, feel free to leave a comment, or you can email me at premedpostfailure@gmail.com. Thanks everyone!
I'm just about to head to the bank in a few minutes to move the money to a different bank (because some of my other money is in a different account at a different bank). So now, I'm wondering, what should I do with this money? Since I'm living at home free of charge, I figured I could put this money in some sort of high interest savings account or GIC or a possible investment. My RESP was about $7800, and I have about $5400 from a different source, and I may be getting a monthly income of $400 per month. So I'm just posting a message out in cyberspace to anyone with a possible financial background, or maybe not a background but has the knowledge on this sort of financial stuff. If anyone has any ideas or advice on financial products or general advice they'd be willing to help out with, if you could let me know, feel free to leave a comment, or you can email me at premedpostfailure@gmail.com. Thanks everyone!
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