Ann Arbor, Michigan

A Crazy days in the life of a working med school applicant...

2 days before interview
Find suit, iron and press suit & shirt, hang clothing, find shoes, find toiletry that fits in 1 quart clear ziplock bag, find clean clothing, read over publications, sleep early

Day before Interview
Wake up later for work, drive to work, work, print out boarding pass and all other documentation for transportation stuff
7 PM -- Head to Target to find mini bottles of mouthwash, toothpaste, etc.
7:30 PM -- Head to SFO
8 PM -- Arrive at Long Term Parking, park car, find that flight is delayed...
8:15 PM -- Arrive at SFO International Terminal, was quite the dazzlin' sight to behold (I <3 California and their big airports)
8:30 PM -- Finally figure out bearings and where to go to get to gate
8:45 PM -- Discover that wifi costs money, considered paying 10 bucks to get wireless for 24 hours, decided to read publications instead
9:30 PM -- Got bored and decided to take a nap
10:15 PM -- Couldn't sleep, went back to sleep some more
10:50 PM -- Flight still delayed, back to more sleep
11 PM -- Passengers from delayed flight unloaded off plane
11:10 PM -- Boarded plane
11:30 PM -- Adjusted for 4-5 hour flight in cramped couch seats

Day of Interview
Eastern Time
5 AM (2 AM Pacific time) -- After hours of restless sleep interrupted by periods of staring out the dark windows, I start to the sun rising slowly over the cloud cover, was quite the amazing sight...
6:40 AM -- Landing in Detroit Metropolitan Airport, lots of snow on roofs of buildings and chilly cold daybreak
6:45 AM -- Off plane (cutting cold air through the passageway) and rush to bathroom to switch into contacts and wash up, etc.
6:50 AM -- Rush through airport to reach the shuttle for car rental place
7 AM -- Car rental location
7:15 AM -- Got into a TINNNNY car, Chevy Aveo for those of you that want to know, great acceleration, horrible driving experience with a blind spot that is literally 25 degrees and poor mirrors, I missed my German car and its turn radius and peripheral view....
7:30 AM -- Sailing at 80+ on a 70 MPH highway through the crisp Detroit morning traffic (if it could be called such a thing given what we get in California) on the I-94W.
8:00 AM -- Arrive at the Michigan Medical Campus
8:15 AM -- After getting lost in the mammoth hospital maze that is the medical complex, I finally found the admissions office, greeted by friendly faces that have been waiting for my arrival 'cause I was the LAST one to get there -.-;; Got in through the backdoor for the welcome presentation and breakfast.
8:30 AM -- FOOD!! Goodness knows that I musta been starving at....wait, I was just damn tired at 5:30 AM PACIFIC Time! >.<;
8:30 AM - 10 AM -- Saw a presentation on the awesome resources that the campus offers its students, I mean, what? All the microscope slides online with annotations with up to 400X zoom?? I know I would've wanna those to study for my neuroanatomy class back out here instead of the black and white pictures and random atlases that point nowhere.....but I digress. The financial aid section points out that I will be spending more money than I currently earn at work, a very depressing thought..included with the extra loans and crazy stuff. I swear, I should just put down that I have 100% need somehow.....by pushing my assets overseas or something...and yes, if someone is reading this, please disregard that previous comment as a JOKE, please accept me into your med school ^-^;;
10-10:30 AM A much needed break
10:30 AM - 12 AM Interviews -- Dean of Admissions as my first interviewer???? What are these guys thinking?!?! Yay for that.... =oX Hopefully everything went well for the 3 interviews...
12 AM - 1:15 PM -- Lunch, I miss food at work...
1:15 PM - 2:30 PM -- Tour of the facilities, saw an anatomy class in progression with a mini-presentation on the dissected human heart, saw some lecture halls, study lounges, great views of Ann Arbor (the place is literally a city built next to a forest, think a cleaner Berkeley with the life of Westwood set alongside of a forest, what more can someone ask for? Actually, warmer weather like California...., but that's asking for paradise). Quite a nice place to be at if I get in, it's really random, 'cause the interviewers were basically, you can get in ANYWHERE, we just want to know if we will be the best fit for you, etc. I'm like thinking in my head, wait, are you saying that I'm accepted, but you're just putting me through interviews to ask if I want to come here?
2:30 PM -- Back to the Admissions office
2:40ish PM -- Got onto the web and chatted with Californian folks that have only been up for a few hours, you lucky bastards, but it's nice to know that I was missed at work, I <3 my coworkers =o)
3 PM -- Got lost in the buildings, saw some Radiation medicine facilities, more underground facilities, I swear, there was one in there that looks like it was a government built facility that you see in the movies, where all the tiles and walls are clean and brightly lit compared with the surrounding building...I didn't wanna go in to check it out 'cause I was a lil' scared I wasn't gonna come out of there...but that might just be me watching too many sci fi, conspiracy theory, and X-files type stuff.
3:10 PM -- Still lost, trying to get my bearings again by retracing my steps and using the maps (maps were pointless 'cause....I don't know where each building stands in relation to each other and I don't know what they're called...)
3:20 PM -- Managed to use the idea of going EAST and head for the 3rd floor as my primary goal.
3:30 PM -- Finally found where I was familiar with and got to my parking structure
3:40 PM -- Couldn't find my car, kept thinking I had my other car with me, which was retarded 'cause I just rented a car earlier in the day...this car doesn't have a remote, so I couldn't even make it chirp....so dependent on technology, I swear....
3:50 PM -- Tried to remember if I was even on the right floor....
3:55 PM -- Found car
3:57 PM -- Got out of parking garage after paying NINE dollars for parking.....I thought parking was bad in California, but NINE dollars for parking?!?! You kidding me??
4 PM -- Drove around Ann Arbor
4:05 PM -- Found a student store...no stuffed wolverines, I was quite sad.
4:20 PM -- Left Ann Arbor for the airport
5 PM -- Got to the airport to find out that the plane is delayed an hour...
5:30 PM -- Scavenged for food and looks for any souvenirs to take home, found nothing that wasn't quite junk, ended up just going up to the gate
5:45 PM -- Found that the Detroit airport does not offer internet
6 PM -- Tried to sleep
6:30 PM -- STILL trying to sleep
7 PM -- Restless sleep
8 PM -- Trying to figure out how much the airplane was delayed, no luck
8:30 PM -- Airplane still delayed
9ish PM -- Delayed flight passengers got off the plane and we finally started loading the plane
9:30ish PM -- Plane still at gate
9:40ish PM -- Takeoff combined with restless sleep
10-11ish PM -- Saw Chicago, was quite the beautiful sight at night...
??? -- ??? PM -- Restless sleep

Pacific Time
11 PM -- Landed in SFO, all the lights were so bright and beautiful, goodness knows I miss home...
11:15ish PM -- Got to car, I missed my car dearly...especially after driving that demon of a car Aveo....
11:50ish PM -- Home sweet home =o)

I think that was mostly me getting lost and confused in another city, I blame the lack of sleep for the delusional nature during that day... =oX