An Island in the Sun
Well, it's official. I'm enrolling in the Vancouver Island Medical program. Got the acceptance package yesterday. (Also found out yesterday that I'm number 1 on the waitlist at Dalhousie, which is a far more impressive accomplishment than just getting in to UBC...Dal only accepts 9 out of province students, and 500 or so apply, and those 500 are those who think they have a good shot at it (the cream), so being in the top 10 out of 500 applicants was a bit of an ego boost as well. Not that I need an ego boost at this point.) What this means is, after spending the first 4 months in Vancouver (learning basic stuff with the entire class), I will move back to Victoria. Myself and the other 31 people accepted into the IMP will then spend the next year an a half studying at UVic. After that, we get into clerkships, and those happen pretty much anywhere I want them to.
I'm looking forward to this (except for it means I'll have to be away from Jon for a while again...sigh...boo). Med school is supposed to be very intense...lots of info to cram into your skull, shadowing docs, getting clinical experience, dissecting cadavers, researching for PBL assignments, etc etc etc...so my free time will be limited. But I'm just so damned excited about it all that I can't wait to get started and meet my new classmates. I'm sure we'll all evolve into a very large and dysfunctional family in a short time. So let's see...
IMP Pros:
- Small class sizes (big one, since I really HATE being a face in the crowd)...this goes hand in hand with getting to know classmates better, which I'm looking forward to
- More one-on-one time with profs
- Less competition for shadowing...can basically pick and choose from a ton of doctors who really want to help out with educating a med student
- Emphasis on rural/small town practices (I'm leaning towards practicing in a small-town environment...might even wind up back in Duncan when all this is over...lol)
- Lower cost of living in Vic (negligible, but still there)
- Close to family, so visiting for holidays is an option, also, my mom can bring me dinner when I'm stressed out (love you Mom!)
IMP Cons:
- Time apart from Jon (and Moe?)...this is the big issue I have with this...
- Fewer resources at UVic (UBC has a well-established med library and learning center...can UVic compete? Possibly irrelevant, as most resources will be available online)
- Some televised/beamed in lectures (this would happen at UBC too, but as they have a larger Med faculty, I assume it would happen less often in Vancouver than on the Island. We've been assured this does not impede classroom learning, and glitches in the system are statistically rare).
Both campuses teach the same curriculae and have identical requirements. Both facilities are brand new, state of the art. Is IMP the better choice for me? At this point, I think yes.
I'm looking forward to this (except for it means I'll have to be away from Jon for a while again...sigh...boo). Med school is supposed to be very intense...lots of info to cram into your skull, shadowing docs, getting clinical experience, dissecting cadavers, researching for PBL assignments, etc etc etc...so my free time will be limited. But I'm just so damned excited about it all that I can't wait to get started and meet my new classmates. I'm sure we'll all evolve into a very large and dysfunctional family in a short time. So let's see...
IMP Pros:
- Small class sizes (big one, since I really HATE being a face in the crowd)...this goes hand in hand with getting to know classmates better, which I'm looking forward to
- More one-on-one time with profs
- Less competition for shadowing...can basically pick and choose from a ton of doctors who really want to help out with educating a med student
- Emphasis on rural/small town practices (I'm leaning towards practicing in a small-town environment...might even wind up back in Duncan when all this is over...lol)
- Lower cost of living in Vic (negligible, but still there)
- Close to family, so visiting for holidays is an option, also, my mom can bring me dinner when I'm stressed out (love you Mom!)
IMP Cons:
- Time apart from Jon (and Moe?)...this is the big issue I have with this...
- Fewer resources at UVic (UBC has a well-established med library and learning center...can UVic compete? Possibly irrelevant, as most resources will be available online)
- Some televised/beamed in lectures (this would happen at UBC too, but as they have a larger Med faculty, I assume it would happen less often in Vancouver than on the Island. We've been assured this does not impede classroom learning, and glitches in the system are statistically rare).
Both campuses teach the same curriculae and have identical requirements. Both facilities are brand new, state of the art. Is IMP the better choice for me? At this point, I think yes.
posted by Keltok at 7:04 PM
5 Comments:
Haha! You're an IMP! Promise me you'll find some sticker of a small winged demon and wear it on your first day.
Awesome! Done and done! My classmates will be totally wierded out by me! Mwahahahahaaaa...
Hey! Well, as far as I'm concerned I think that's great - I will most likely be studying at Vic for the next two years, working at the mill again next summer (training tour guides is probably a bitch) and hopefully looking for a roomie when you get into town. Not that I want to turf out my old roomie, but she will leave before me and she might as well leave at a handy time. Of course, weeee shall seeee, but hey, it just got into the realm of possibility, right? . . . PS cats are allowed in my apartment.
Aha, and even if we just live withing visiting distance, you can introduce me to supposedly smart (or at least driven) guys. That would be a nice change . . . maybe some of them could even be interesting hot guys . . . Hah, my imagination churns faster and faster . . .
Hmmm...are you just keeping me around so you can meet eligible men? Heh. Anyways, if you're in the market for a roommate in Jan, that'd be cool. Save me the hassel of hunting for a place for four months. We'll chat on MSN and figure it out...
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