TENG: Introductions

Dear Everybody, I am Teng–very happy to be your blogger.

(That’s me in purple on the right)

When I was applying for medical school, I read some student blogs to get a feel for what life is like as a med. student, so I hope that someone will find this helpful. Feel free to think of me as your Valerie, passing on wisdoms on toilet paper that inspire you with purpose as you toil away in applications. Know that even though I do not know you, with all my heart, I love you…
(V for Vendetta…anyone?)

Introductions:

You will be asked ‘officially’ introduce yourself many times in the first few weeks of medical school, to your small group, society, and to any member of the administration who has just met you and wants to be your buddy. At your Emory interview you probably have to do this in a circle with the other interviewees. My blurb would go something like this:

1 Personal background — I claim to be from Baltimore, even though I have spent very little time there. Baltimore is just where my parents live now. I actually spent the first 9 years of my life in Xi’an, China, where up till the 3rd grade I sat with my hands behind my back in class, suffered some physically abusive teachers, and learned about Mao. And Math. Just kidding…kind of. Anyways the rest of my childhood was spent in Clemson, SC, with a brief stint in Vancouver, Canada.

2 Educational background — I attended college at Clemson University. I majored in Biochemistry, did research, some service, etc., tied it up in 3 years and went off to Bethesda, MD and did the NIH Post-Bacc. IRTA.

Looking back, I would advise against graduating early. Live it up. Hang out with your friends. Double major. Read some fiction. Take a class in Aesthetics or Slavic languages. College is great.

I would advise taking a couple of years off after college before medical school. Doing research full-time after college helped me realize that medical school was really the place I wanted to go (instead of grad. school). Even though I loved my project, I wanted to know how everything in the human body worked together instead of just focusing on one pathway. Also, I wanted patient interaction and to see the fruits of biomedical research applied at the patient’s bedside. And research is just one option. The point is to take some time for yourself so you can start medical school rejuvenated and excited about learning again.

3 Why Emory? – You’ll definitely be asked this at your interview, so be prepared. For one, Atlanta is great. It’s only starting to get chilly here so that means more pool time per year. There are many concerts and shows. So far I’ve been able to see Wicked at the Fox Theater and Maroon 5/Counting Crows in concert. There are always events at the High Museum. In sports this is home of the Braves, and UGA football seems to be a big thing amongst my classmates. So there you go.

Emory itself is amazing, too. Great building, great people, great research, great education. You’ll hear more about my experiences in the SOM as this blog thing gets going.

Your blurbs I’m sure will be infinitely more interesting. Maybe some of you will even work in a joke or political reference. Take the other people in my class for example: there’s a skier, several people who did Peace Corps, an opera singer, and someone who biked across the continental US. I don’t remember who did what after that first week when we all introduced ourselves, but the point is that they’re all here. Just ask around when you’re here and everyone will have a good story to tell.