So I was actually gonna scrap this whole blog thing…I'm just not used to doing anything like this and it was kind of weird. But I've always been about stepping outside of my comfort zone and getting comfortable being uncomfortable, especially since I'm gonna have to learn how to get comfortable with the insanity of medical school…so here I am. I guess I'll just use this as a way to clear my head and to reflect on my experiences. Who knows, maybe someone will actually take a thing or two from my experiences and use them to better their own life in some way…
But the fact that I finally get to start Anatomy tomorrow…it's pretty wild. I technically started school three weeks ago, but here at Wake they had us go through this three-week transition program called LAUNCH. It stands for:
(Learning strategies, Acclimation to medical school & medical profession, Understanding oneself & others, New ideas, words & concepts, Careers in medicine, Healthy living).
I thought that it was a pretty cool concept and I got to learn a hell of a lot from not only my new classmates, but from faculty that came to talk to us about their careers and how to stay healthy throughout medical school while getting adjusted to my new home in country-ass Winston-Salem. It sure as hell ain't no Miami…but it's all good, I'm getting used to it. The beach may be four hours away, but its only an hour or so drive to the good ol' mountains. You probably won't see my ass out there though. My class is also more diverse than I thought it was going to be, which is always a good thing. I've also already had two patient interactions since I got my white coat! I don't know a damn thing though so I was just in there smiling and nodding and asking real vague questions, but it was still cool to talk with patients and all. LAUNCH was a pretty cool experience and although some of my classmates may think otherwise, I feel like we'll appreciate what we learned as time goes on.
LAUNCH also gave me time to mentally prepare for anatomy and the craziness of medical school that I've been hearing so much about. Mannn as a matter of fact, people have been talking about being scared and all about it, but I'm just here like “Bring it! It ain't nothing but some bones and meat…Like, I know my damn body!” Sure I may be a little delusional but I feel like it's better to be confident than to be nervous and timid…because either way, anatomy ain't going anywhere. I gotta deal with it if I'm tryna earn my M.D. Like I said in my last post, I plan on kicking some ass in anatomy and in medical school in general soooooo that's what I'm gonna do. It's not gonna be easy, but if it was, everyone would be a doctor right?
– Black Man, M.D.
How do you like WF? I’ve visited “the warehouse” once. I actually live in GSO, doing my pre med post bac at UNCG — I plan on applying to Wake this cycle, any advice you can share?
Hey, thanks for checking out my website! I like Wake a lot because it’s definitely a student-centered institution that gives us a great medical education and works to prepare us for whatever route we end up taking in medicine. I’ve felt really comfortable here and the faculty here are always more than willing to support me and the other students here. In regards to advice, the most important thing that you can do is to complete your application and turn it in early! Have a strong and interesting personal statement that would make the admissions committee want to get to know more about you, have a select number of people review your personal statement before you turn it in, and get letters of recommendation from people that you feel can write strongly on your behalf. After getting your apps sent in, be sure to follow up with the schools at some point in the future from time to time to let them know that you’re still very interested in attending, especially if you haven’t heard back from them in a while. I hope that information was useful!