Contrary to what Willy Wonka said regarding the consequences of getting everything you wanted, I don't think anyone can truly be satisfied with anything.
I am headed west once again and I'm very happy about that. I decided awhile back that location was more important to me than everything else because I was becoming miserable with my surroundings. I cared less about the quality of the appointment than where I would end up for the next 5 years. 5 years ago, I thought 5 years was a short time. Now, 5 years seems like an eternity. I spent the last week contemplating what my life would be like if I didn't get an appointment out west. Thinking about that made me sadder because even though the quality of the programs out here are far superior to any of the ones out west, I would still feel isolated and alone being away from my friends and family.
Now that the drama and suspense is over, I find myself hoping that I have made the right decision.
A few of my classmates ranked their preferences according to prestige and their list included appointments on both coasts. One classmate really wanted to go back to California and talked about how great it would be to come home. However, he said although location was important, program quality is much more important for the future.
At noon, he found out that he will be working on the east coast for at least the next 3 years.
He called his parents and family in California about the "good news" but his parents were not happy. They had hoped he would come home. After talking with them, my classmate looked a bit sad. He told me that the day was bittersweet because although he was happy about the quality of education he would be getting, he would be thinking about going home the entire time.
Another classmate ranked his specialty of choice above his preferences for location. Basically, he ranked all of the appointments of the really competitive specialty first and then ranked his second choice specialties lower down the list. He said he was willing to go anywhere to get his specialty.
Well, he got his specialty of choice but he'll be in Jersey for the next 4 years. He also said it was bittersweet because he thought he would get both his specialty of choice AND be located in California.
Finally, one of my friends is headed to UCSD. If I were in his shoes, I would be happy. The sad thing is that it was his 4th choice and he really wanted to be in Washington. Well, what can you do?
So, it was a win some lose some situation for a lot of people. I'm glad that this week is over. It was really a stressful week.
2 comments:
Doctors don't want to be happy. There I said it.
Everything tastes bitter (even the sweet) because they pour fish sauce on everything.
Anyway. Congratulations. I rank peace of mind highly. And although time goes by quickly, it's only in retrospect. It feels like an eternity when you're experiencing agony in the present.
This is true. My classmate is sad that she is going to Yale. She thinks that Cornell screwed her over.
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