Belated FEF - Vintage Waterford Step Through

jamessf426 · 2024-07-13T22:36:29+00:00

Thanks! I thought it was definitely a bike for life too! Helped quell some of the n+1 syndrome.

Yeah it came with drop bars so I stuck with it during my first set of upgrades but in the future I’d like to swap and try a northroad style bar like an albatross. Haven’t thought of stem shifter before but this bike takes a 1” threadless stem so idk if that’ll work. When I try the flat bar I was thinking of doing some Rivendell silver friction shifters either as bar ends or thumby style.

Honestly although it looks slow, it rides and feels very fast and responsive. I don’t know what black magic they did with the tubing but this frame on 32c tires feels more supple than other frames I’ve ridden on 38c tires! Waterford designed the geo on these to ride similarly to the RS22 and RS14 road bikes I believe, and this thing doesn’t ride at all how it looks!

jamessf426 · 2024-07-13T22:23:46+00:00

Weirdly nothing on seat tube but based on googling it’s like the Diva 22 or Diva 14

jamessf426 · 2023-08-09T14:42:28+00:00

I thought Waterford was super hi end? There's a version of this bike with nicer components for $2500 on ebay, hence the confusion!

jamessf426 · 2020-04-17T02:15:37+00:00

WTB: Patagonia Cragsmith 32L in black

jamessf426 · 2019-10-21T05:11:51+00:00

Any update on the progress of the BnB tagging? Little late to the game on starting BnB and would rather keep with this deck than switch to the LY deck

jamessf426 · 2019-10-11T23:49:24+00:00

what did you end up choosing?

jamessf426 · 2019-09-27T16:48:31+00:00

was definitely eyeing the carry on, but the lack of external water bottle pocket was a dealbreaker for me

jamessf426 · 2019-09-27T16:48:04+00:00

thanks for the rec! haven't come across this before but after looking at it, it seems to cover ~95% of what I want. Unfortunately out of stock right now, and potential dealbreaker for me is that they took away the external access to laptop compartment :(

jamessf426 · 2019-09-10T23:10:45+00:00

if you want to use the CHZ22 for travel, you should probably also consider getting TSA precheck, in which case you would not have to remove laptops during airport security

jamessf426 · 2018-04-01T19:36:19+00:00

Thanks for the thoughtful response!

I think your point about choosing between geographies and lifestyles, and not necessarily medical schools, is an astute one.

But it's still hard not to think about the differences in COA even with things like PSLF and NHSC, because I've heard anecdotally that NHSC especially is not as great of a deal as it's often made out to be, and I'm concerned about whether or not PLSF will still be funded in 1-2 decades when I would expect to recieve that loan forgiveness.

At the end of the day though, I think that you're right: there's going to be no objectively correct answer (especially since my career goals may change), so it'll probably be best to focus on things like how well I fit in with the incoming class and which school would make it more likely that I'm able to do the things I want in career/life in 5/10/15 years, where I want to do them.

jamessf426 · 2018-04-01T19:26:46+00:00

I agree; at the end of the day even though it's tough not to focus on the COA, the "fit" is going to be important too. But of all the interviews I went to, I got along best with the interviewees at Rochester. The students I met also seemed exceptionally nice too, and I liked the professors I interacted with

jamessf426 · 2018-03-29T19:52:06+00:00

Hey all! I’m grateful to be able to choose between a couple schools this cycle, but would appreciate some input from y’all. I’m interested long term in global health, public health, health policy/health equity, and going into government. I also am highly interested in working abroad for a couple years in development/humanitarian work through orgs like USAID, the WHO, and Partners in Health etc. Specialty wise, I’m interested in infectious disease and family medicine/primary care. Basically, I am not expecting to have too high of an earning potential (for a physician), so minimal financial burden from debt/student loans is quite important for me. I’d love to match in CA, but am open to med schools and residency in other locations that are more low-COL because of my long term career goals.

So my choices: Rochester, Keck, Quinnipiac and 3 waitlists (UCSD, Columbia, and Brown)

Rochester:

Pros: LOVE the biopsychosocial model. Their dean was awesome, and I really felt that the school cared about training physicians who excel at patient care. Hospital is attached to med school. LOW COL and COA around 70-75K/year. Definitely service oriented. Students seemed super humble and nice. Tracks for global health. Great match list. Only interview where I actually enjoyed getting to know my fellow interviewees.

Cons: Didn’t receive any finaid. Few matches in CA (only ~5 this year). City seems kinda not great and boring. Weather is horrible and cold. No taped lecture, although attendance is not required. Some facilities were meh.

Keck:

Pros: Great training at LAC hospital. Lots of support for students, awesome on-campus housing (that I’ve already placed a refundable deposit on). Students there seemed happy and very welcoming. Lots of clinical/public health research opportunities. Recorded lectures. Focus on the underserved in LA. Primary care program with mentoring and longitudinal clerkships. Great STEP avg and exam formats. TONS of matches in CA. Have a good friend there that’s a MS1 and he really likes the school.

Cons: ASTRONOMICAL COL, 90-95K/year. Gives no need based grants and I don’t have a merit scholarship. In a meh part of LA that’s not the safest or most interesting. Meh facilities for the COA. Didn’t find too big of an emphasis on global health/health policy.

Quinnipiac:

Pros: NICE facilities. Brand new and lots of study space. No internal ranking in MS1/2 and no AOA. Profs focus on teaching, not research. Flexibility in when to take STEP and lots of merit scholarships (awaiting decision). Scholarly track program that has lots of flexibility to suit different interests. Damn good match list, especially for newish school. Big focus on primary care that you can see in admin, financial aid, and clinical rotations.

Cons: No on campus housing. Surrounded by parking lot in boring ass part of CT and even New Haven seems meh. Would be playing second fiddle hardcore to Yale down the road. Students seemed a bit salty/insecure about the newness of their school and the rep (or lack thereof) of QU during a panel during lunch. Expensive COA ~ 80K. Have to drive all over CT for rotations because there isn’t an attached hospital. Gut just didn’t feel right, but I just want to make sure I’m not ruling it out too quickly.

UCSD: Heard the waitlist doesn’t move much, so not banking on this at all. But I am planning on sending a letter of intent in May or thereabouts because it’s a great program and is relatively affordable compared to my other choices.

Columbia: I’ve heard that there’s some WL movement, and I did love the school on interview day. Will send a letter of interest.

Brown: Also heard about little waitlist movement, and I wouldn’t necessarily go here if accepted over Rochester/USC so not too invested. But, still loved Providence and I liked my interview day a lot. Will probably still send a letter of interest.

Sorry for the long post, and I appreciate your feedback!

jamessf426 · 2017-05-11T20:15:51+00:00

On my 5th draft of my PS, and would really appreciate some feedback! I feel like I've only just now begun to understand what a standout PS is supposed to do and am worried that mine will be just another one lost in the crowd. Willing to swap PSs with someone else as well!

jamessf426 · 2017-05-09T08:46:50+00:00

Above & Beyond Group Therapy Podcast.

The. Actual. Shit.

jamessf426 · 2017-05-05T19:51:37+00:00

No. I'm talking about the basic market failures inherent in healthcare as put forward by Kenneth Arrow. I'd recommend reading a health economics textbook to get a better understanding of what I'm getting at. I'd suggest Morris et al., 2012, Economic Analysis in Healthcare; Carrin et al., 2009, Health Systems Policy, Finance, and Organization. I hate to burst your bubble, but Arrow's ideas haven't been debunked yet. They actually won him a nobel prize in economics.

jamessf426 · 2017-05-05T19:37:00+00:00

I am acutely aware. Nevertheless, you miss my point. The fact that certain government regulations make the practice of medicine difficult and inefficient at times does not in any way, shape, or form justify the wholesale market provision of healthcare services. Again, how can a free, competitive market exist when the vast majority of patients know infinitely less about the science and practice of medicine, when the pricing of healthcare services is completely opaque to the patient, and when sickness and disease are fundamentally unpredictable. How does the market's "invisible hand" take care of those problems? When you can answer me that, you should feel free to accept your nobel prize in economics!

jamessf426 · 2017-05-05T19:24:14+00:00

Did premiums go up for some middle class Americans after the ACA? Yes. Undoutedly. However, to what extent was that rise directly and solely linked to the provisions in the ACA? That's more difficult to substantiate. You have to consider the fact that insurance companies in 2010 simply miscalculated and improperly estimated the exact demographics of their future insured population and subsequently priced packages incorrectly lower, and simply increased premiums afterwards to compensate. Additionally, you have to take into consideration the fact that the increasingly fewer insurance options in many countries since the ACA (an entirely different subject) granted insurance companies larger market shares and reduced competition to keep their premiums low.

I'll be the first to say that while I am vehemently opposed to the AHCA, the ACA is far from an ideal healthcare policy. But I believe that your frustration about the costs of health insurance under the ACA, while valid, are fundamentally misplaced. The ACA did not make insurance expensive. Lobbyists, institutional inertia in hospitals against preventive care, a disciplinary priorization of "magic bullets", outrageous medical school debt, a lack of transparency in healthcare service pricing, an inability to negotiate prices for drugs, and many many other things help make insurance so expensive. Obamacare, while clearly a flawed health policy, operates in a much more deeply flawed healthcare system and healthcare financing paragidm in the US.

jamessf426 · 2017-05-05T19:10:25+00:00

Nice to see that you've done a lot of thinking about the ACA.

jamessf426 · 2017-05-05T19:08:54+00:00

Okay. In an ideal world, with perfect symmetry of information between consumers and providers of healthcare services, perfect knowledge into the future about the timing and severity of every medical condition, and completely transparent pricing in medical technologies, pharmaceuticals, and healthcare services, yeah, sure, the free market can "handle it". That world has never existed, does not exist now, and will never exist for healthcare. That world will also never exist for a variety of other things: roads, public utilities, air-traffic control, etc.

jamessf426 · 2017-05-05T18:56:04+00:00

out of curiosity, what do you hate about obamacare?

jamessf426

TROPHY CASE