turn the city upside down

It was nearly six years ago, but I remember hearing that I would never "make it" in medical school. Slightly disheartened, but otherwise undeterred, I continued trudging through application after application. Even after an unsuccessful first attempt, I persevered and was very fortunate to find my way to Kirksville. Even then, I still believed that my greatest challenge would be succeeding in the rigorous academic schedule that was presented to me.

It wasn't until recently, that I realized that academic success would not be the only challenge presented to me. Coming from a large undergraduate university, one of the major unexpected obstacles is living in this tiny microcosm. It isn't so much the community of Kirksville as much as it is the community of KCOM. Don't get me wrong - it isn't a miserable experience. It is just something that has taken me a while to get used to. The only way I can explain it is like being roommates with 360 of my best friends. Being in class for over five hours every day, much of the interpersonal interaction I have is with the same people day in and day out. Although I enjoy the company of many people here, after the amount of constant contact we have with each other, there are always those little idiosyncracies that manage to push the wrong buttons. Being able to recognize these and not allow them to develop into huge, public issues is really taxing and becomes the major consumer of emotions and energy.

In addition to the monotony of people, there is the constant stream of classes, the routine of lectures. Although the classes are much more interesting, they are much less interactive. I can't think of any appealing job that requires almost six continuous hours on your butt listening to people talk. Although the information being taught is vital, just being able to stay seated in my swiveling, plastic chair for that period of time just compounds the monotonous atmosphere of medical school.

With all that being said, it sounds pretty hellish, huh? I guess it would be if I didn't have ways to work off the stress and the means to change the scenery once and a while. I am incredible fortunate to have great friends here that I can always rely on. I can always find someone here to relate to. When I feel like school is starting to stifle me, I find solace in the fact that others often feel the same way. People just like me and people that couldn't be more different. In some ways, it really is as the addage says: "misery loves company." Somehow, we keep each other motivated, often reiterating the fact that we will soon be free from this seemingly meaningless routine. Whereas I remember hearing that I would never make in medical school, I am reassured that as a group, we certainly will.