Final Finals

   So here I am, in "med student limbo".  It's the awkward transition between second year and third year - where you've finished finals (and most likely passed), so you are no longer a second year... BUT you still have the huge hurdle to overcome (USMLE Step 1 board exam) before you are officially a third year.  So now I am an MS2.5?  It still hasn't hit me yet that second year is over.  Finals went pretty well, so I'm not worried about passing Block 5.  

   There was a really strange vibe throughout Block 5.  Nobody wanted to study for classes (which is totally normal), however, the weird part was that everyone wanted to be studying for boards.  Some of us joked around that the school must have been performing reverse psychology on us: making us so sick of Block 5, that we were itching to study for boards instead.  I'm really glad Block 5 is over, especially because I had a really hard time putting effort towards studying ortho or derm.  Don't even get me started on how ridiculous it is that our curriculum spends the same amount of time (50 minutes) presenting all of contraception as it does presenting "cosmetic dermatology".  Yep, we spent the same amount of time in lecture learning about ALL the contraception methods out there (in an outdated, inadequate lecture, mind you) as we spent learning about freaking Botox and Latisse.  Seriously?! Thank goodness for our MSFC Contraception Lecture Series that supplements our inadequate curriculum.  Anyway, I'll keep the rest of my derm-is-stupid rant to myself. 

   Second year was even better than first year, I'd say.  This year I got a lot closer to my med school friends.  It's really cool to think about the fact that these are the people that I am going to be friends with for years to come - these are my future colleagues that I will call up to ask quick questions about things outside my expertise, or to ask for quick favors.  And I'm sure they will do the same to me, and I hope they do!  

The MS1s made us a slide show and sang to us on our last day of class

Last day of class with my anatomy buddies (+ D)

Baby Z, being her usual silly self during finals week

   So now that finals is over, I am taking a few days off, except for a practice test tomorrow.  After our last final ever was over, my friends and I went beer-tasting at Sierra Nevada in Chico.  This weekend has been super fun, vegging out with BF.  Last night, I hosted a UCLA Alumni Dinner For 12 Strangers, which was hilarious and entertaining - look out for a post on that soon.  After our practice test tomorrow, my friends and I are going to make a little trip to San Francisco, so that will be our "last hurrah" before we hibernate in our study caves for a month.  I think I'm ready.  I hope I am, at least!

BF and I at beer-tasting

Sierra Nevada

Sierra Nevada