MS1-WK1...over

So week one of MS one is over...meaning now things about only about to begin. All the little orientation activities drove me insane by the end. Lectures are one thing. But sitting through 2-hour session after 2-hour session back to back to back of boring presentations gets really old really fast. One more and I think I'd have just started skipping. I've already found a super-gunner...for those uninitiated:

Gunner = medical student hell-bent on achieving the most possible at all costs. Has no social life, does not go out on weekends, studies every waking moment, and will talk down to fellow class-mates. Extremely competitive. Usually going for surgery, plastics, dermatology, ophthalmology, and in some cases radiology. Always annoying.

This girl wears her scrubs...during morning lecture. There's no need for this, as you're given plenty of time to change around 3 PM before anatomy lab starts. I see her walking around at 9 AM in scrubs, her name-tag proudly and deliberately displayed on the front pocket. Nobody else does this, because there's just no need to. Plus, those are supposedly scrubs from lab...they're likely pretty nasty, unless (heaven forbid) she has a clean pair just to wear for the hell of it during the day. She goes to eat at one of the on-campus hospitals and makes sure everyone sees her, sits in the very front row at lecture, and doesn't talk to anyone. To her, I say: Have fun with that!

Anyway, I really enjoyed the intro. lecture to Molecular Cell Biology this morning. I like the room it is in, and the professors seem very excited, friendly, helpful, and even fun! It's probably my favorite topic of all the classes I'm in right now, so I see it as quickly becoming my favorite class of the semester. Speaking of which, this is my proposed schedule for next week, Monday through Thursday...I think this is a decent start. It's going to be madness, I tell you.

8:00a - Wake up (pissed, no doubt)
9:00a - Arrive at lectures at school
12:00p - Lunch
1:00p - Anatomy lecture (MWF), other classes (TR)
3:00p - Anatomy lab (MWF), other classes (TR)
4:00p - I'm outta here! (TR)
5:00p - Anatomy lab should end (MWF)
6:00p - Get home, grab dinner, shower anatomy-smell off, regroup my thoughts...
7:00p - Off to Barnes-and-Noble/Starbucks/Apartment for focused study
11:00p - Dedicated AIM/phone time for friends/additional study/thoughts of bed?
12:00a - Watch anime episode to cool-down before bed/go to bed
1:00a - Passed out

So, 7-11pm, if I can pull it off, is the most valuable time of my days. If I can make good use of that time and get in the habit of focusing daily, I can keep up (and still, jussst barely). Weekends are a wild-card. I can plan on Friday-night off, but towards exams, weekends will be crunched. Sundays are generally going to be full-on study days as well. You learn fast here that time is precious.

First semester is the big hump, the proving grounds, the do-or-die, the sink-or-swim. If I can get past this huge monster, no more labs await me, ever. Histology and Microbiology lab are nothing compared to the involvement of anatomy lab. Some gems lie ahead, such as Christmas break and next summer, but I'll get to those when they come. Right now? Day by day...