doc w/ Pen

journalist + medical student + artist

Tag: graduation

May 24, 2012

No Rest For The Wicked

Well, I don’t know that I’m “wicked,” per se … I hope not, at least! But there has definitely been no rest for me lately. Which is why I haven’t posted in ages. (And for that I apologize to my readers.)

Here is what has been going on …

grad_imageSaturday, May 5, I graduated with my second bachelor’s degree, a Bachelor of Medical Science, from Dominican University. I walked in the graduation ceremony; I felt like that would make the whole two-year post-bac experience – and graduating – more “real,” if that makes sense. My parents and my boyfriend came to the ceremony, so that was nice.

Yes, you read that right … I have a boyfriend! We’ve been dating for about six weeks now, and things are going very well on that front. The whole online dating thing really DOES work!

But back to school. I finished out my program with a 3.95 cumulative GPA, for which I am quite proud. Not quite the 4.0 I was hoping for, but not too shabby. I wound up with an A- in both Biochemistry and Organic Chemistry II, definitely the two hardest classes I’ve taken in my program. And quite difficult by reputation, as well. Given that I got divorced in March, and that my grandma became very ill in April, I am satisfied with my performance. Along with my 3.94 GPA from my initial Journalism undergrad at UIUC, I’m at the top of the hill, for the most part, in terms of grades. Which is good, considering how competitive MD/PhD programs are.

I apply to medical school next month, which is a trial in itself. The application process is incredibly arduous, in terms of entering all your coursework and grades, biographical information, arranging for transcripts, getting your letter of recommendation writers to submit their letters on time, polishing your essays and extracurricular activities blurbs … it’s like a full-time job. And given everything else that’s on my plate right now, I’m a little stressed about it. Because in addition to the application, I’m taking the MCAT on June 21, and need to continue to prep for that.

Also, I’m moving. Which is always fun, right?! I’m moving in with my mom, which I mentioned in a previous post as a possibility. And it’s come to fruition. It’s not ideal; obviously I’d rather keep my own place. But I simply can’t afford it, given the expense of applying to medical school (several thousand dollars, literally), future interview expenses (hopefully!), etc.

Not to mention that I currently don’t have any income, since all I keep getting from my job application efforts are rejections, and my school loan money has almost run out. Thankfully, I do have a tentative part-time job opportunity at the UIC lab where I worked that last two summers. I met with the PI there a couple of weeks ago, and when I asked him for suggestions on where to apply for lab jobs, he said he would be willing to hire me part time, assuming he could scrape together the money. He is talking with the grants administration people, and hopefully getting back to me soon on that. What’s nice about working there, with a boss who would be completely supportive of my goals, is that it would be no problem for me to take a few days off for med school interviews now and again. That was one of the things I was really worried about in finding a job, given that most places don’t give you any vacation time until after you’ve worked there for some months, maybe even a year. And I couldn’t exactly keep calling in sick … I’d eventually get fired, definitely. So this is a best case scenario, in terms of logistics.

In summary, MCAT, moving, and job hunt … all of these things are definitely keeping me on my toes. Thankfully, we journalists are trained to deal with high-stress situations, so I’m handling things pretty well, and staying on task.

Well, I better get back to it. I move on Monday (Memorial Day … a day to remember for sure!), and I haven’t packed a single thing. At least I’ve bought the boxes. Although they’re still in my car. I better change that, and soon.

Wish me luck!

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January 9, 2012

Another Diploma …

When I started my post-baccalaureate program at Dominican University, it was a certificate-granting program. That’s not the reason I chose Dominican, though (a certificate is certainly not necessary for applying to med school). I don’t even think I would have completed the certificate because it required you to take classes I just didn’t have time for. But thanks to the hard work of our program director, Dr. Louis Scannicchio, as well as Dr. Hughes (she teaches Clinical Behavioral Medicine in the program), I now have the opportunity to earn not a certificate but an actual second degree.

It’s called a “Bachelor’s of Medical Science,” or BMS for short. As with the certificate program, there are some specific course requirements, but because I’m a second-year student and already have my courses set, Dr. Scannicchio has agreed to waive a couple of those requirements for me (and other current students, depending on GPA and other considerations such as additional courses you have taken). I met with Dr. Scannicchio this morning, filled out my paperwork, and submitted it to the registrar. The only major decision I had to make was how I wanted my name to appear on my diploma, which I will receive when I graduate in May of this year. I decided that because I’m a big fan of all three of my names, I’d display them all: Lorien Elisa Menhennett. Other than that, all I had to do was sign on about a dozen lines and hand the papers in.

So what will this degree do for me? Well, as with the certificate, it isn’t a make-or-break thing for applying to medical school. That said, having a second degree with both the words “medical” and “science” in it can’t hurt, and might give me a leg up in terms of applying for MD/PhD, given that most of those applicants have hard science degrees such as biology or chemistry. I’m also hoping that this degree will give me additional credibility when I apply for jobs during my “gap” year.

lab workerI am applying to medical school in June, and will (hopefully) have interviews during the fall and winter in order to matriculate in the fall of 2013. That leaves me with an empty year, which we in the non-traditional pre-medical community refer to as a “gap” or “glide” year. Some people take classes, some people work. I can’t really afford to take more classes, and I have rent to pay, so a job it is. Given that there are less than zero writing/editing jobs out there, and that’s the field I’m exiting, I’ve decided I want to work in a lab. I have looked on job search sites (mainly Indeed.com, which is my favorite, and seems to be the most comprehensive), and have found quite a few. Of course, I won’t be able to apply for jobs until the spring, but it’s nice knowing they seem to exist. I don’t need to make a lot of money; just enough to pay for my rent, car, insurance, groceries, and the various and sundry other items that come along. But with the economy the way it is, I’m guessing those jobs are pretty competitive to get. So having this “science” degree will, hopefully, lend some credence to my claims that I know my way around a pipette and PCR machine.

It’s kind of nice, really, to be “getting” something out of the two years (and tens of thousands of dollars) I’ll have spent at Dominican, something that aims to help me get into medical school and get a job. I know Dr. Scannicchio and Dr. Hughes put their hearts and souls into making this happen. So here is a shout-out “thank you!” to them.

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