A saga ends

t 3:11pm today, I got a phone call - "No Name". I subconsciously knew what this was going to be about, but I was still messing around with ClustalX, so I didn't pay too much attention to what was going on.

I walked out of lab, picked it up and heard a voice ask me they had reached the right person, mispronouncing the name a bit. I knew what was coming, but really, I just needed to hear it. He introduced himself as Dr. Greenberg, Dean of Baylor College of Medicine, and congratulated me on an acceptance into the medical school.

I was shaking from excitement. I stammered out a "thank you very much" but I probably sounded like a dumbass. I still can't believe it. I've been losing sleep over medical school admissions over the last month, and I can't type any word ending with "bay" without adding the "lor".

Well. This is it. The undergraduate saga is almost over, and has been a success. Same goes for the MCAT and the medical school admissions and interviews. It has all been extremely favorable. I'm quite content with this outcome, and I think I'm going to catch some peaceful shuteye tonight.

Before I do that, I want to discuss a few things, namely, why the saga ends now. At this point, Baylor is my top choice, and the only other school I applied to that's ranked higher is Stanford, which is in Palo Alto, a city I probably wouldn't like. I realized well into the interview season that I prefer to live in very large cities like Dallas / Houston / NYC / Los Angeles. The only other school that offers a similar city experience coupled with a research powerhouse is Harvard, and I didn't apply there (and I regret it). With Baylor's ties to Texas Medical Center (enormously huge) and proximity to Houston, I couldn't be happier.

On another note, I've been hearing stories about a URM that got both UTSW and Baylor on the same day. Usually this is accompanied by a tirade about affirmative action and its shortcomings. He's going to have a difficult time at one of these places, with a stigma that he got a significant advantage due to affirmative action. Perhaps one of the greatest triumphs that I've had is that no one will dare accuse me of getting favored in any way. In fact, this system usually works against Asians. This is the result of me persevering for four years (and not five!) and a touch of luck in the end.

Finally, the only other school that I considered - UT Southwestern. UT Southwestern was very nice in terms of interviews and arranging additional tours. I want to take this opportunity to clear up some rumors. Apparently, all the gunners in Texas go to UTSW, which makes for a very competitive atmosphere.

I heard this rumor at both well ranked schools (Baylor) as well as others (A&M, UT-Houston, etc). This is not the case. I found the atmosphere to be congenial, students to be happy, and clinical/research facilities that served them well. In any case, I implore you and others to not spread this rumor; it seems like a bitter thing to say.

In any case, thank you, Dr. Greenberg and thank you, Baylor College of Medicine.