100 Days of Knowing
I have known that I will be attending UT-Houston for 100 days now. It is still surreal and blissful. I have enjoyed my friends and family more than ever over the last couple of months. It is still just neat to see people's reactions when you tell them that you are going to medical school. The age bias is the thing that makes me chuckle. When I say "I am going to medical school next year." I assume that everyone understands that medical school equals becoming a doctor. It is amazing how many people say "Oh, you are going to be a nurse?"
Steven has ordered my stethoscope for me. I can't wait for it to arrive. I picked a plum color of tubing and got my name engraved on it. That has a kind of "You have got to do it now!" sense to it! He is tracking its progress online and hopefully it will be here soon.
We also completed the playhouse/swing set combination that reaffirms that I have no interest in orthopedics. So many screws, nuts, bolts and various pieces of cheap and warped wood, but we ended up with a solid structure that will last at least a little while! The worst mistake I made was splitting the wood on the chimney. I just told the kids that since it is so warm in Houston, we don't need a chimney. Chimney pieces into trash, problem solved.
I also received notice from the financial aid department that I am eligible for $43,000 in financial assistance. About $37,000 will be loans. That is a chunk of change. I am still trying to wrap my mind around those numbers and try to decide if we actually want to take all of that or a portion or what we want to do. I just don't think that I want to have and additional house payment in 4 years that I will begin to pay down with less money than we are making now. I never thought that I would believe it, but a new doctor in internship and residency actually makes less than a first year teacher in the school districts around Houston. That just doesn't seem right. I know that the salary will jump after that, unlike a teacher, but still, the hours and hours of basically unpaid work. Very daunting, indeed!
I will have to start "putting my house in order" so to speak. I have a list of things that I want to get done before I start so that I don't have to worry about as much right at the beginning of school. But, I am really out of my element, with the great unknown, which is also going to start in about 100 days.
Steven has ordered my stethoscope for me. I can't wait for it to arrive. I picked a plum color of tubing and got my name engraved on it. That has a kind of "You have got to do it now!" sense to it! He is tracking its progress online and hopefully it will be here soon.
We also completed the playhouse/swing set combination that reaffirms that I have no interest in orthopedics. So many screws, nuts, bolts and various pieces of cheap and warped wood, but we ended up with a solid structure that will last at least a little while! The worst mistake I made was splitting the wood on the chimney. I just told the kids that since it is so warm in Houston, we don't need a chimney. Chimney pieces into trash, problem solved.
I also received notice from the financial aid department that I am eligible for $43,000 in financial assistance. About $37,000 will be loans. That is a chunk of change. I am still trying to wrap my mind around those numbers and try to decide if we actually want to take all of that or a portion or what we want to do. I just don't think that I want to have and additional house payment in 4 years that I will begin to pay down with less money than we are making now. I never thought that I would believe it, but a new doctor in internship and residency actually makes less than a first year teacher in the school districts around Houston. That just doesn't seem right. I know that the salary will jump after that, unlike a teacher, but still, the hours and hours of basically unpaid work. Very daunting, indeed!
I will have to start "putting my house in order" so to speak. I have a list of things that I want to get done before I start so that I don't have to worry about as much right at the beginning of school. But, I am really out of my element, with the great unknown, which is also going to start in about 100 days.
posted by Jane at
8:13 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home