Follow your dreams with a smile on your face.

Right now life seems to be heavier than normal. Hoping to clear some of the muck soon so I can once again skip freely on my path.

Wazzaaaaaap

It's been over three weeks since my interview and I have yet to hear back about my decision. My only consolation is the fact that no one on SDN has heard back yet either. Boy is this wait annoying. I've done my best to keep the stress at bay by keeping myself preoccupied with work, golf, friends, and fantasy basketball but the nagging and overbearing stress seems to find its way into my chest. Lately I've been conjuring up these scenarios inside my head of how I would react when I got the acceptance email and what kind of facebook status I'd write. So much is riding on this decision that it's practically all I can think about. Bahhh just gotta be patient.

Really really really hoping for the best. The news can come any day now.

Signing out from Pimentel Lab!

So my initial feeling after my interview at UTHSCSA was good. My first interview was with Dr. Lam, one of the pharmacology professors. He was an older guy maybe around 55-60 years old. His questions were very straight forward and I think mainly he was trying to get a feel of my character and my motivations to be a doctor. I felt like I answered his questions as honestly as I could, and overall I feel as though I did a good job. He didn't give me much feedback in terms of his reactions or facial expressions, so I can't fully gauge how well I did, but I have a feeling he liked me. My second interview was with Dr. Findley, a psychiatry resident. He was very mild mannered and had a softer demeanor. He also had a speech impediment that actually made me feel more at ease during the interview. My interview with him was a bit more conversational, contrasting with Dr. Lam's which was more one sided. We talked about why I wanted to come to TX, what qualities I thought were important for doctors, and a bit about my research. Overall I think he was very impressed with me. By the end of the interview he even stated that he thought I was a great candidate and that he thought I'd do very well at the school.

My impression of the school and its students was also very good. While it isn't a traditional university, it has a lot of things that make it a very attractive place to learn. The students there were very friendly and welcoming. I had the feeling that they really liked being students there both socially and academically. The social the night before the interview was especially fun. I got to meet several of the students including, Bill, Lauren, Aaron, and Alyssa. They were great. That night I got a taste of how life would be like as a med student in San Antonio.

Since my interview I've been trying not to think about the outcome so much, but it's difficult as UTHSCSA is the only shot I have so far at becoming a doctor. October 15th came and went and now I just have to wait. My decision can come any time between now and July, when the semester starts. Last night I also applied to two additional medical schools, UC Riverside and Quinnipiac, which both are having their inaugural medschool classes next fall. While they are both longshots for me, at this point I have nothing to lose. Plus having 2 additional chances gives me a bit of a boost in morale. I'm keeping my dream alive and hoping for the best!

Two days before my interview!! O_O

Today I got up at 8:30 due to a racket outside my window.. At the time I was annoyed but I'm glad now that I got up early. After a bit of lounging around I got my ass into gear and went for a jog. MAN was it hot outside... Usually I'm able to run 3-4 miles no problem but I think the heat got to me today. It was a struggle to say the least. Not having eaten anything prior could have also been a factor. Anyways, right now I'm eating chipotle. My fav, steak bowl with a side of chips and salsa. And to drink.. H2O! Haha still keeping up with my vow to quit drinking soda which is great. So far I'm very happy with this decision. Hopefully I can keep it up!

After I eat I think I'll head over to Tom n tom's to prep for my interview on Monday. I was describing to my friend how I felt about my upcoming interview. I'm not excited or worried or stressed... it's more like a huge weight that is bearing down on me that I just have to deal with. I'm sure after my interview I'll be happy it's over with and I'll feel some relief. In the meantime.. gotta go gettemssss! Fighting!

Will update after my interview!

It's the Thursday night, 4 days before my interview, and I'm procrastinating per usual...

This week I've been trying to adjust my sleeping schedule so that I could wake up earlier than usual. My interview is at 9am Texas time so I'll be needing to wake up earlier than I usually do. Yesterday I woke up at 6 to go play badminton with mom and dad. That was pretty fun. I think I should probably make that or some version of that a permanent thing. I think exercise in the morning is a great way start to the day. Today I got up suuuper late. Around 10:40... Didn't go to work. Kinda ruined my whole sleep schedule plan but oh well.

Anyways speaking of exercise... I've been thinking more and more about my health lately, probably because I am noticing more and more fat around my belly. I mean it's not drastic but it's definitely noticeable. Abs are less defined and when I sit... rolls...Oh god.. In order to rectify this I decided recently to quit drinking soda and I will stick to that probably for life. It's just a horrible habit that's perpetuated by the ubiquity of soda in every single restaurant in existence... I don't know if I'll never drink it again, but it will never again be a part of my normal diet that's for sure. I've been meaning to phase out soda for some time so now that I've definitively decided to stop drinking it it's sort of a relief. Woo! Other things I should start doing is exercising semi-daily, eating healthier, and adopting a strict sleep schedule.. I feel like once I'm in a more stable situation (i.e. in medschool) i'll be able to form a more strict lifestyle regimen.

This reminds me...time to work on interview prep...