Plans.
I am still thinking over my schedule for the next semester. Currently it is like this:1. Developmental Biology
2. Microbiology
3. Medical Biochemistry
4. The Nervous System II (TTh 1:30 - 2:45)
5. How Electricity Changes the World: A Cultural History (M 1:30 - 4)
6. The Concept of the Patient in Anthropology
Alternatives:
2a. Introduction to Glycobiology (Direct substitution)
4a. Communication Between Cells: The Synapse As A Model System (WF 3 - 4:15)
5a. Sanitizing Culture: Hygiene and Sanitization in 20th Century East Asia (W 1:30 - 4)
It's going to be a well-guided but hmms mug-like-mad semester (note #1 - 4!). 6x 3-credit arts and sciences classes with definitely-more-than-120-hours of research (i.e. 21 credits of all-work) can even be more crazy than a 24-credits engineering schedule.
Cannot do medical tutorials already I guess. I will find one for myself next fall. Hopefully I can find a clinical position in JHH that makes rounds, or at least one that is involved in clinical trials. It's pointless to do a medical tutorial that is research-centered.
Anyway I have decided to drop the pre-med idea in the US. Totally too troublesome, and the opportunity cost is too high. It's not worth it. I will only do a MD if I can do it in Singapore and if I can still do my PhD in the US. Final decision.
If I'm not doing MD, my first choice would be the seems-rather-promising Harvard HBTM + LMS. Haha hope that Boston would be filled with friends by then! :) (Hey guys come on, apply to MIT and Harvard!) It's easy to get to Europe from Boston (it's totally possible to take a 5-day break (Wed - Sun) over Thanksgiving and go to Spain or Italy or France or London for <$800 in total). Boston is certainly nice, relatively safe and not boring. They have a Chinatown that serves good food, as well as easy access to New York. And also, I have relatives there :D
Hahaha so that's great! I'm freed from all the silly requirements which I am reluctant to fulfill in the first place. So hopefully I can do this in fall 2008:
1. Genetics Lab (top priority)
2. Advanced Cell Biology
3. Probability and Statistics
4. History of Medicine: From Antiquity to Renaissance
5. (Another history course)
6. German Elements I
7. (Medical Tutorial?)
And good classes to take for spring 2009:
1. History of Medicine: 18th to 20th century
2. Medical Sociology
3. German Elements II
4. Immunobiology
5. (another graduate level biology course)
6. (Medical Tutorial?)
Haha next year I can start playing around with my classes already; basically will be doing all sorts of useless things that sound interesting. Nothing will actually be a 'requirement'... I would have cleared all my biology requirements by the next semester, except the lab. And plans for German now is that I'll take a year of that here, a year of that in Singapore and then I'll see how it goes afterwards :)
Labels: Studies and Career
