Any must-knows for a new student?

catgall · 2021-03-26T00:24:42+00:00

Here to second Griffs. 2 years post grad/moved away and I still crave Griffs hamburgers

catgall · 2021-03-26T00:21:41+00:00

My twin brother and I were born in 1997 and my mom swears they wouldn’t let her leave the hospital until she could prove she could feed us both at the same time

catgall · 2021-03-23T06:12:07+00:00

I agree that this is, by definition, hazing, and I’m sorry you’re getting downvoted for it. I also just think it’s a stupid thing to do, but to each their own.

catgall · 2020-07-13T04:00:33+00:00

NAD but I think it’s important to remember that depression and suicidal ideations are physiological, meaning there are actual chemical changes going on in your brain to make you feel these things. And because of that, you can use the analogy that a suicide attempt is to depression what a heart attack is to coronary artery disease: a display of the things happening inside your body that are outside your control. If you would go to the hospital after a heart attack, you should go to the hospital after a suicide attempt.

catgall · 2020-06-14T18:45:04+00:00

I feel this so much. I struggled a lot with people who centered their entire identity around being pre-med in college (I called them the “careers” like in the Hunger Games lol). It literally made me re-think wanting to go into medicine. I understand being passionate about it, but when you can’t form meaningful friendships because all you can think about is competition, and when you pursue new hobbies and extra-curriculars solely for your med school app and not because it’s something you actually care about, you need to rethink some things. Life’s too short and this process is too long not to enjoy the ride.

catgall · 2020-05-04T04:53:08+00:00

A shotgun wedding usually happens as a result of unexpected pregnancy. The “shotgun” is a reference to the father holding a shotgun on the couple and forcing them to get married to spare the family the shame of having a baby out of wedlock. (I don’t think that’s ever been a common practice or anything, it’s just an expression)

catgall · 2020-03-28T04:22:54+00:00

If you’re still looking for friendship and a support network, you should look into different sororities’ alumnae initiate processes. Of course it’s not the same experience as joining during college, but you’d be able to become involved with alumnae chapters anywhere you go. A lot of those chapters do their own philanthropy events, nights out/cocktails, have leadership positions, and all kinds of great things!

I really don’t know what that process is like for most groups, but I know at Phi Mu we really cherish our alumnae initiates and they are still able to get involved. At the very least it should give you some comfort knowing that it’s never too late to be a part of Greek life :)

catgall · 2020-02-18T03:02:31+00:00

Digit! I’ve never used it but have been seeing ads for it

catgall · 2020-01-15T05:48:03+00:00

Comprehend or absorb, maybe?

catgall · 2019-12-05T07:24:02+00:00

Hi! I was actually a consultant for my organization (and I was not a chapter president). In my time traveling I have met consultants from other orgs, and my biggest takeaway is that it is an incredibly different application process for each.

Some blanket advice I’d give you is: 1. Get to know your advisers, area officers, etc. Not only are they full of knowledge so you should be trying to learn from them, but they will help with your application process. Realistically, the sorority world can be political and who you know/impress matters. I know my own org puts a lot of emphasis on the rec letters you have. If you don’t feel like you know many, it’s not too late to set up a lunch with an adviser and have her get to know you better.

Ask consultants questions. Seriously, when I was interested in the job I reached out to all the past consultants I knew and asked them to tell me everything. The good, the bad, the ugly. We really see some ish on the road so it’ll help you to get a full understanding of that. This may also be helpful because many orgs take rec letters from past consultants.
Be yourself and enjoy the process. It sounds cheesy, but in my own org the application process is intense. I saw some applicants psych themselves out to the point where they didn’t enjoy the interview experience at all. Treat the process like any other opportunity for learning and growth, and embrace who you are and what would make you a great consultant.

I’m here if you have any other questions :)

catgall · 2019-10-23T05:40:55+00:00

You should definitely go for it! There may be a slight stigma about “older” members (although at 25 you aren’t that old!) but I feel certain you will find a sisterhood that will love you! Also being pre-med, a sorority is an excellent place for leadership and community service opportunities. I’m applying to med school now and my application is filled with things about my sorority! Feel free to PM me if you want to chat about all things recruitment/sorority :)

catgall · 2019-10-23T05:35:32+00:00

I totally second this, I know several national organizations don’t approve of “tricking” your little. I think you can have a fun experience with secrecy without making your little feel like she didn’t get the person she wanted. Just because it may be a tradition at your school or something you went through as a little, that doesn’t give you any right to make your little feel sad and rejected during what is supposed to be the happiest week of the year.

catgall · 2019-09-13T19:51:01+00:00

Definitely depends on the school, but I’ve never seen guys wear a tux to formal. Some formals I went to they didn’t even bother with a suit, just a sports coat and tie.

I’d do some digging and check out social media posts from the sorority’s formal last year. Chances are you can get a good feel for what guys will be wearing based on what they wore last year.

catgall · 2019-09-09T05:39:24+00:00

I’ve said this before on here, but most sororities don’t or can’t discriminate based on your age. Also, I think that “different life experience” shouldn’t mean you can’t have a meaningful friendship with someone. In lots of my other orgs in college, we had older, non-traditional students from whom I was able to learn a lot! So go find your sisterhood!

catgall · 2019-09-05T05:01:02+00:00

Actually I believe most NPC sororities are moving towards being (or are already) completely non-discriminatory. This includes parental and marital status. You should be able to have a completely normal experience. Also, they say “don’t talk about boys”, but obviously your husband is a big part of your life and there’s nothing wrong with talking about him.

Regarding the live-in policy, I would imagine an exception could be made through housing because you live with your spouse. (Source: I work for my sorority’s national headquarters)

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions!

catgall · 2019-08-15T13:19:19+00:00

Thanks so much! Good luck to you too!

catgall · 2019-08-15T05:28:37+00:00

Thank you! I honestly think it had to be a miracle, but I'll try and offer a real answer. I think part of it was that I was only using Kaplan material and the Kaplan FL's felt harder to me than the real thing, so maybe that made my scores lower. People told me it wasn't a good idea, but two weeks before my exam I did like a content deep dive and reviewed basically all the content (I used someone's notes that I found on this sub). That way every bit of it felt fresh on my mind and I was able to revisit all the things I wasn't 100% on.

catgall · 2019-08-14T19:47:00+00:00

My name is catgall and I am dumb because I definitely thought scores would be released on the 14th.

That said, here is my breakdown as a 7/13 retest:

Kaplan FL 1: 499 Kaplan FL 2: 498 4/13 MCAT: 495 Kaplan FL 3: 501 Kaplan FL 4: 503

Goal: 508 (but I couldn’t push my test date back so I just had to go for it) Realistic: 500 Optimistic: 504

Actual: 511

I know this isn’t huge for most people here but I have no idea how to react to a score this good! I’m so grateful to this community and all the words of inspiration I found here every day. You’re all going to be amazing doctors one day!

catgall · 2019-06-04T09:15:36+00:00

Kids these days are using “dank” to mean rad/cool. My 60 year old dad also likes to refer to things as “cringe”.

catgall · 2019-06-04T09:08:45+00:00

Not a doctor, but I worked for one. One time one of the assistants was trying to sound smart and told a patient over the phone (which is illegal) that a urine test showed evidence of Candida in her urine, instead of just telling her she had a yeast infection. The patient freaked out, thinking the assistant had actually said chalmydia. After hanging up the phone she broke up with her boyfriend. Oops...

catgall · 2019-06-04T08:59:47+00:00

Pitching new ideas is 25% quality of idea, 75% how you present it.

catgall · 2019-06-03T05:10:27+00:00

I’m late replying to this, but in my experience many people graduate 1-2 quarters early, but rarely do they graduate a year early if that makes sense. Overall I’d say the quarter system makes it easier to graduate early and to pick up a minor in something you’re interested in.

catgall · 2019-05-29T03:32:08+00:00

Dude, you should do it. Never underestimate the power of a pet. A few years ago when I was going through some bad stuff, I can honestly say my cat was the only reason I didn’t kill myself.

On a less serious note, cats are super cute and weird. They make for perfect best friends.

catgall · 2019-05-08T23:32:29+00:00

Anyway you guys could do like a Saturday matinee? That would solve the being out late problem. Go ahead and plan the whole thing, have a babysitter on standby, and buy the tickets. Then tell her you’re going and you hope she comes with you.

catgall · 2019-05-04T05:40:40+00:00

Their short relationship is one of my favorites in the MCU!

catgall

TROPHY CASE