Relief, Shock and Excitement - University of Maryland School of Medicine Class of 2012

Is that a long enough title for this post? On to the news...last Thursday, July 10 was the end of a very long and disappointing application process to medical school. The University of Maryland called me Thursday morning. I saw the area code, 410, and recognized that it was from Maryland, but it wasn't until I let it go to voicemail that I recognized the rest of the number. I just about lost it. I called them back and they asked if I was still interested in the U of MD? My first thought: Is that a rhetorical question?!?!? I know they had no way of knowing if I'd been accepted anywhere else, but from my standpoint, of course I was still interested because they are the only school to have offered me a spot. I was really starting to think I wouldn't get in this year. The Medical College of Wisconsin had sent me a letter the previous week saying they wouldn't be able to offer me a spot this year. I had also been job searching in NC for about two weeks. So, when Maryland called, I was ecstatic, relieved, shocked, etc. I still am shocked. We both feel very fortunate that I've been accepted after going through this crapshoot of a process. Ok, so maybe it wasn't a crapshoot for my two brothers-in-law, but for the rest of us, it is.

After calling Cathi, my family and a couple of friends, I started thinking about times where I had wanted something so much, had worked hard for it and had prayed hard about it, that once it happened I didn't feel like I deserved it. This is one of those times. I have friends that are as "qualified" (whatever that means, considering you're relying one or two people who meet you for 45 minutes to convince 15 other people that you'll be a good doctor and are a good fit for their school) or more so and weren't accepted. I think it's ridiculous.

So, prior to Thursday, we had told lots of people we were moving. Their response: "Oh yeah, where to?" Us: "Don't know." I kind of liked answering it that way just to see people's reactions. But I like it even more now that I can say Maryland. We're in the process of finding an apartment, packing and planning the trip. We'll stop in Colorado for a day or so. The next stops will be Kansas City and Columbus, OH where I'll remind my dear friends at the OSU School of Medicine that a terrapin could take a buckeye any day, anytime, anywhere - unless it smells bad (And for those of you wondering how a tree and a turtle would fight each other, don't worry about it).

In summary, we're looking forward to finally leaving Provo and starting this next phase. Feel free to visit us in Baltimore. Cathi will enjoy the company.