Yes, I Am Still Alive

But just barely. Medical school keeps one fairly busy. And it keeps someone hyper-competitive like me very busy. Many medical schools claim that they don't have grades per se. They claim it is pass/fail. That is only a half-truth. Instead they have Honors, High Pass, Pass, Marginal Pass, and Fail. That corresponds pretty neatly with A, B, C, D and F if you ask me. And the grades aren't based on a set percentage. A certain percentage of students in the class are assigned each designation. So put a bunch of competitive overachievers together in a room, throw lots of information at them helter-skelter, and watch them grind it out all semester long. It must be some form of faculty entertainment. The process of becoming a doctor seems a lot like some sort of hazing into a professional fraternity. We pay exorbitant dues, we do several years of scut work on the wards, and we have bizarre rituals we have to carry out. Take anatomy lab as an example. For hours on end we meticulously probe every inch of stinky dead bodies. This morning I woke up and thought to myself, "I am tired, I am hungry, and I am on my way to go poke around some dead person's crotch for a few hours." I was talking to a retired doctor outside the hospital a few days ago and upon learning I was a first-year student he said,"I wouldn't do those first two years again for two million dollars." Thanks. Good to know I have a lot to look forward to. At the same time, I think it is good to know that when you go see a doctor, you can rest assured they have been through years of rigorous training to have the right treat you.