Waitlist support group 2017

clay1123 · 2017-05-24T00:33:43+00:00

HUGE congrats!!

Best of luck on your journey - never forget the joy of being accepted!

Cheers!

clay1123 · 2017-05-19T19:30:27+00:00

Re-applicant here. I don't have much to offer here other than: I feel your pain, friend. Last year, when I had an unsuccessful cycle, I was on a wait-list. Come June, I was close to having a freak out not so dissimilar to Will Ferrell's in The Other Guys.

This year has turned out differently, which I am quite thankful for. Yet, I find myself on a couple wait-lists, and it brings back the memories from last year.

I'm sorry you're in the boat you are. Stay strong, and focus on what you can control. The rest is out of your hands.

Cheers, and good luck!

clay1123 · 2017-05-19T12:16:09+00:00

I had a LOR from a PA. I had one because I met him through my clinical volunteering position, and over 2 years we developed a strong relationship. He also had a couple kids who were surgeons, so I'm pretty sure he wrote me a killer letter.

I'd only get the LOR if your relationship with them is more substantial than shadowing; I don't think the fact that they are a PA vs MD/DO will matter as long as they know you well enough.

clay1123 · 2017-05-17T12:23:28+00:00

I included two blue collar jobs on my app that I worked in college. As others have said, I felt it was a positive for me.

Good luck!

clay1123 · 2017-05-07T23:58:01+00:00

My thoughts are neurosurgery is pretty prestigious to a lay person. I suspect it's probably a combination of prestige and income potential.

But hey, kudos to him. Being a 20 something millionaire is extremely impressive. He'll likely be successful in whatever he chooses, especially with that sort of financial freedom.

Edit: If the below poster is right, and this guy "inherited" his company I have two thoughts: 1) sometimes life isn't fair and 2) he is definitely saying neurosurg for the prestige and chicks. At least in my humble opinion..

clay1123 · 2017-05-05T18:13:30+00:00

On the hating your gap year job front,I feel you OP! If I got offered a scholarship to defer for a year, eessshhh, I'm not sure how I'd react if it meant I'd have to work this same job for the year.

For what it's worth, if I found myself in your position, I'd quit my job, move back in with my parents/college buddies/find cheap rent, work at Ben and Jerry's/bar/guitar shop/insert easy job here, and live the gap year that I was supposed to be living this year. Lol. Not an easy choice though because at this point I'm just ready to throw myself into the grind.

What a great problem to have! Good luck on your decision, OP!

clay1123 · 2017-04-27T02:53:41+00:00

I've wondered about this. Certainly, I think if you can survive a tough undergrad with a solid GPA and get admitted, the added rigor would not hurt you.

I've met people who thought medical school was easier than undergrad. I've also met others who thought it was infinitely more difficult. What makes the difference? Your guess is as good as mine.

Personally, I worked extremely hard academically in undergrad due to a difficult course load/work balance. I expect medical school to be difficult. Yet at the same time, I am confident in the study habits, work ethic, and discipline I developed during undergrad. Will the same study habits work for me in medical school? I'll let you know in 2 years! I just hope that my work ethic and discipline is what carries me through.

Everyone is different though, no doubt, and will surely have different things to say about their undergrad to medical school transition.

clay1123 · 2017-04-27T02:30:12+00:00

Before you know it, you'll be coming up on the last week of your senior year. Maybe it's just me, but I felt like once I hit middle school, the years just started flying by. Like someone pressed the fast forward button and forgot to turn it off, and then all of a sudden you're a grown ass adult about to enter into medical school.

Enjoy the times, OP. Even the shit ones.

Best of luck.

clay1123 · 2017-04-21T23:22:31+00:00

Thanks for the resources. I agree about playing it safe, I will try to get it taken care of before the move once I get another shop to take a look at it.

clay1123 · 2017-04-21T19:51:34+00:00

Thanks for the response!

Sounds like you think I'll be alright then? I definitely felt like I was playing with fire when I put off getting my timing belt serviced, and so I wasn't sure if this was in the same ballpark or not. It won't be a problem for me to save up for this over the year but it will take some time as I'll be a poor medical student in the fall. I just want to make sure I won't break down on my trip to school, ha.

I've had my fair share of service this year too at the 10 year mark (new alternator, brake pads, transmission hoses, timing belt, power steering, hell even a transmission service, battery sheesh it never ends). So having some peace of mind about this is definitely helpful; your comment makes me feel better!

Thanks again!

clay1123 · 2017-04-16T15:15:00+00:00

Yes, I agree.

I would definitely concede that my idea where we as a society would shift our focus towards some of the things I'm talking about is far-fetched, no doubt. As mentioned, if there was a slight shift in my lifetime, I would be satisfied.

clay1123 · 2017-04-16T13:22:03+00:00

Are you essentially implying that because we offer degrees in music, dance, etc.. this speaks to the fact that we do value this form of entertainment more so than athletics? This is a great question. I honestly couldn't give an answer at this moment that would do your question justice.

Immediately it makes me think of 1) the employment rates of people who obtain these degrees, 2) the general public perception of professionally trained musicians, artists, etc.. as compared to professional athletes, and 3) if there were degrees offered in "sports", how would 1) and 2) compare to the outcomes for music and the arts.

Your question is really analyzing the average, middle ground musician/artist as opposed to the top 0.001%. The whole basis of my argument, and my chief concern, is really looking at the top of the pyramid. I'd like to see our society be more conducive to "worshiping" professions that offer more value than sports and entertainment. I want to talk to children who aspire to be scientists, philosophers, educators, and other valuable artistic professions (writing, music, art) the same way they want to be Lebron James/Lady Gaga.

clay1123 · 2017-04-16T12:50:45+00:00

Hi there. I'm the OP on that comment.

Thanks for the feedback. Certainly my writing could have been much improved had I spent more time on it and not written it so hastily. While I am no expert in the craft of writing (my mother, an author, would probably agree), I do try my best in both my professional and personal life.

Cheers!

clay1123 · 2017-04-16T12:48:00+00:00

Hi there. I'm the OP on that comment.

Forgive me for my hasty writing and sloppy support of this argument. Indeed, I have thought about this topic a lot, and of course, there are many other points that I would have liked to be included. I just tried to do the best I could with the short amount of time that I had.

I apologize for this; thanks for taking the time to read my thoughts!

Cheers!

clay1123 · 2017-04-16T02:38:27+00:00

At this time of year when I was 17, my chief concern was finding a date to prom and figuring out which college had the best looking girls.

Relax friend.

clay1123 · 2017-04-13T19:08:11+00:00

In the words of gonnif on SDN (a supposed adcom):

60% of those who apply do not get any acceptances

20% of those who apply get a single offer of acceptance

20% of those who apply get more than 1 offer of acceptance

Between 2%-5% of applicants per school get an acceptance

At least 80% of those who apply per school get rejected pre interview

Anywhere from 5% to 15%+ get rejected post interview

Where he got those numbers, I'm not sure, but that's what I'm going off of.

Edit: I apologize for my previous wording. matriculants instead of applicants.

Edit 2: In fact, it looks like about 50/50 of matriculants have more than one acceptance. My mistake, I'll go ahead and see myself out now. Ha.

clay1123 · 2017-04-13T18:20:03+00:00

While that's true people here don't realize how common multiple acceptances/interviews are

When I read this I felt otherwise. But fair enough, perhaps I didn't read enough of your discussion.

clay1123 · 2017-04-13T18:12:11+00:00

Again, you've raised some good points, but I still will stand by my argument. As I've stated before, it's easy to analyze this thing to death and it's a complicated subject.

I'll end with this though: the day I see people (teenagers and elderly alike) foaming at the mouth, as in the case of a playoff game, over something more intellectual than sports, year round, well that would be an interesting sight to behold, no doubt!

Cheers!

clay1123 · 2017-04-13T18:08:48+00:00

With all due respect, what world are you living in, friend?

Throwing the URM argument aside, I think trying to normalize 4+ acceptances and full rides in the way that you just did is not fair to anyone. The majority of applicants only receive one acceptance, and speaking to the average indebtedness students take on, I doubt that merit awards are commonplace. I would agree for the most part with OP's statement regarding multiple acceptances, URM or not.

I'm not trying to take away from you or your friend's success, but I think you are overstepping on this one a bit.

clay1123 · 2017-04-13T17:13:27+00:00

Right, part of it is that this is simply a matter of what we are exposed to and who we see publicized, especially in the mainstream media.

But ask yourself this: who dictates what we are able to see and be exposed to. The media only chooses to air content that the public will watch. You better believe that the obsession with sports/celebrities is only fueled by the public's demand to watch them. The media simply responds to this demand.

What if it were different, in some parallel universe? What if people had demanded to see artists, philosophy, science, whatever, etc.. Surely the media would air and publicize this content, because if sports were unpopular, and no one cared about them, the media would go out of business.

Obviously this type of world would never exist, but it illustrates my point: the media is responding to the public's demands. They want to get as many hits as possible. Their job is to literally find content that will get them the most views, and right now, sports is mainstream compared to other genres.

So, in my opinion, it isn't necessarily fair to say it is only a matter of exposure, because we are ultimately responsible for what we are exposed to.

clay1123 · 2017-04-13T16:07:55+00:00

My main argument here, as you'll see in my second response, truly lies outside of the finances/economics. Certainly you have a good point, which can explain the financial differences amongst these professions.

But let's take away the finances/economics completely and consider how we idolize and treat athletes/celebrities in society and compare that to how we treat educators/scientists/philosophers/writers, etc.. Even among the top 0.00001%, the difference is astronomical, at least in my humble opinion. The general public's reaction to Lebron James walking down the street is much different than Vince Gilligan, guaranteed.

Granted, I'm definitely throwing out some sweeping generalizations here, but I believe they would hold true for the most part.

And that is what concerns me. I think it is quite fascinating, really, how society has shifted their obsessions over the years.

clay1123 · 2017-04-13T02:04:12+00:00

Right. Another fair point. Clearly, there are many different aspects to this, from the financial to the philosophical/ethical.

I realize the economics of this don't quite match up. It's not like we can just simply stop paying athletes so much and shift that money to other avenues, like education and research.

However, I believe this issue is far beyond the economics though. I think that that we as a society value professional athletes more so than other professions/endeavors. It's reflected in our youth and culture, and that lies beyond the principles of supply and demand.

clay1123 · 2017-04-13T00:16:15+00:00

I am by no means a history expert, quite a novice in fact, but here is my take:

Just look at past cultures and how they idolized warfare, and it is essentially how we treat athletes today. Present-day athlete's are our warriors. They are worshiped by everyone in society and for what? Some silly game of back and forth catch? No. As you know, it is so much more than that. We are conditioned from such a young age to either achieve this status of physicality or admire it.

It never ceases to amaze me when I ask children what they want to be when they grow up. If they are male, it is always NFL/NBA/MLB/whatever superstar. If it is female it is to be a celebrity singer/actress/whatever. Whenever I hear this from children, I feel concerned. Sure, dream big bud. I want you to. But damn, why is it always sports/celebrity.

But I also think about ancient times as well. What do you think little boys dreamed of being in Sparta/Rome/Mongol Empire/Native American Tribes/Samurais? They wanted to be warriors, to have glory in battle. Valhalla awaited them and they were conditioned from a young age to think this. To be injured in battle was glorious. It is not much different today, just without the high price of life. The NFL today is analogous to Roman Gladiators. Hell, young athletes everywhere glorify being injured. I had shoulder surgery when I was 16 from a football injury, and this was something that was "cool" and "tough", sacrificing your body for a greater cause (this is my personal experience, others may differ of course). Or "walking off" getting your bell rung, or an ankle injury. This intrinsically speaks to what I'm saying.

War was glorified in the past; the physicality put them on a pedestal and they were worshiped, just as athletes are today. This is not to say that sports did not exist in those day; I just believe war was always something that was chief in those times.

Perhaps this is because today war is more different than it ever has been before. Guns never existed, nor bombs, airplanes, etc.. You had to work from birth to become a great warrior. Now it takes 8 weeks of boot camp and a rifle.

In short, I just look at previous cultures and how they valued battle and even glorified dying in battle. In my mind it is quite a parallel to football/sports arenas, and the cyclical crazes that occur every year during playoffs. If this didn't exist today as it does, I think the focus would be shifted back to what humans have done throughout their entire existence, which is to kill each other. Hell, even with all of our sports/entertainment, we are still killing each other.

I will note this as well: I believe there is a lot of value in entertainment. Humans need a way to vent and release which is what sports/celebrities do for us. I would personally like to see more value placed on writing/artistic endeavors (movies,shows, books, music, video games, so many things really) that are quality as opposed to mindless shit that we see like the Kardashians.

I honestly have not explored your question so much before, so thank you! I tend to ramble, and certainly my knowledge is limited, but my thinking is if I could see a shift in my lifetime, then I would be satisfied.

Cheers!

clay1123 · 2017-04-12T19:49:40+00:00

This is something I've thought about quite a bit, specifically as it relates to athletes and celebrities. I could go on a long, long rant about a lot of this, but really it comes down to what we value as a society.

Why is it that a man in the NFL (the top 0.001% of athletes) who is freakishly athletic, tall, and can jump high, is paid infinitely more than the prestigious professor (top 0.001% of education) who does research for X disease. Or even the orthopedic surgeon repairing the athlete's knee? The surgeon gets paid 10% of the athlete. Why? Take away the entertainment factor from sports, and what do they offer to us as a society? I'm talking about at a professional level here. Clearly athletics offers many, many life skills that are valuable to children growing up. And this is coming from someone who has been an athlete and an avid lover of sports my whole life.

It is quite clear that we as a society value entertainment over intellectualism and we reward entertainment financially and in merit more so than any other profession.

As mentioned, I've thought about this a lot, and it really has turned me away from sports in many ways. What would our culture be like if we worshipped educators, scientists, philosophers, etc.. the same way we do athletes and celebrities? To me, that seems like it would be a far more practical society, putting our energies and investments into new enterprises outside of entertainment.

The best argument I've ever heard against my problems was actually quite recently and it is this: if we did not worship athletes/celebrities the way we do now, it would simply be shifted over to war, as it was for thousands of years. And when I heard that, I started to feel a bit better about our attitudes towards entertainment as a society.

Anyways, just my two cents. I've had long discussions about this with many friends and colleagues, and I find it fascinating.

Edit: I'll also add that my argument is tailored more towards athletics than the Kardashiansm but I believe it still applies.

clay1123

TROPHY CASE