5 Reasons to Meet with a Financial Advisor Before Residency

We are approaching the end of fellowship year, have a signed contract for the first real physician job starting in August, and have only just now met with a financial advisor to talk about what to expect next. If I could go back in time and do this journey all over again, I wouldn't change too much (especially because not a lot of decisions were in our control, Ha!) but I would have met with Justin Berry before we left medical school so that Scott and I could approach these post-school years with a little bit more financial education.

We specifically wanted to meet with a financial advisor who was familiar with physician financial situations - the debt load, training schedule, first job benefits, and physician-specific financial options. I can't recommend Justin more highly for those in the Pacific Northwest, especially within the Portland, Oregon area. We arranged for some educational visits with Justin, at no cost to us, to learn about: loan repayment recommendations tailored to us, the difference between consolidation and refinancing, what types of private insurance outside employment benefits might be advisable, recommendations as we start to move into the adulting world (regular salaries and budgeting, renting vs. buying, first time home buyer tips, prioritizing savings, understanding hospital benefits, etc.), and how to approach future investments.

In an effort to save future doctors (more likely their significant others) the headaches that Scott and I have gone through, here are five reasons you should meet with a financial advisor (preferably one who specializes in physician finances) before you leave medical school and begin training:

1. Either the doctor or the spouse needs financial education.
There should be a mandatory adulting class in high school or college. It is inevitable that between you and your significant other, one is in charge of the finances and the other has no clue what the difference is between checking and savings (not pointing any fingers). According to our financial advisor, among his clients it's the physician who most often doesn't deal with the finances.

Set your marriage and residency up right by getting on the same page finance-wise and meet with a financial advisor who can help you talk through budgeting for your new income levels. Don't make the mistake of overspending because you're finally done with school. It's a long journey to financial independence, you'll get there, but you don't want to make it longer. Be frugal while you're used to being frugal.

2. Medical school loan interest capitalizes when you begin repayment. 
Ugh! Since neither of us had undergrad student loans, capitalization came as an unexpected shock. Throughout school we made modest efforts to keep our total loans at a low amount (namely: only taking loans to cover tuition, I worked full- time to cover living expenses, and an occasional loan payment when extra funds were available). That total practically doubled overnight after residency began and we made plans for repayment, when the accrued interest during medical school became principal (a.k.a capitalization... Google it!). If we had met with a financial advisor during 4th year, s/he could have helped us understand capitalization and our options for deferring or paying off loans, which likely could have saved us some money.

3. An amount of student loan interest is tax deductible.
Again, a helpful financial tidbit that I found out through experience after the fact, when we did our first tax return after graduation. Depending on current tax laws, a portion of your paid student loan interest might be deductible, which in essence is like getting that money right back in the form of a tax refund. When we graduated from medical school, $2500 in student loan interest payment could be counted as a deductible on your tax return. In December of that year we had only just decided on our loan repayment options and paid a very minimal amount back thinking we would save money. Had I known that I could have paid off $2500 in interest, before it capitalized (!), and seen a $2500 increase in our tax refund, I absolutely would have cashed in on that. I've tried to remember to share this fact every December to medical school significant others from our school since that mistake.

4. Repayment options are complicated, as are the reasons you might choose them. 
When my husband started his residency and the repayment decision needed to be made, I had no clue why I would choose one option over the other, except to choose based on what we could afford. There are standard repayment options and income-driven repayment options. A financial advisor can walk through why you might choose an income-driven option or when that wouldn't be a good idea. When we met with our financial advisor this Spring he said, "If you weren't taking the job that you were now, that repayment choice would have been a costly decision. Lucky for you, it's a moot point now." *insert big eyes emoji

5. Federal loan interest rates are high!
You would think that of all institutions, the government might be interested in offering market low rates to students. Nope! We elected during residency to make fixed payments to the federal loan servicer, with an average interest rate on our loans of 6.5%. After meeting with our financial advisor this Spring, he recommended a couple of private loan companies where we could refinance for closer to 3%. So I'll swallow the fact that I paid off our loans for four years at the higher interest rate and just tell you, it's absolutely worth your time to talk to an advisor about this.

We ended up refinancing all of our student loans through Earnest and have an aggressive goal to pay them off in 5 years. It means we need to be frugal for a little bit longer, but we think it will be worth it when we can start taking what would have been loan payments and start investing in our future.

Shameless plug: a lot of refinancing or loan consolidation companies offer referral bonuses, and Earnest is no exception. So we're including our referral link here. I'm not saying you have to go through Earnest. Do the research, talk with a financial advisor you trust, and see what's the best option for you. No matter what company you choose, there will probably be an acquaintance who has a referral link you can use.

If you choose to refinance, and Earnest looks like the best option for you, THEN feel free to use our referral link for $200 in savings on your loans.

https://www.earnest.com/invite/scott3034
Hey Physicians and SOs - Any other tips you would add?

Notes from Medical School

Life has been so busy that whenever Katie has asked that I blog about med school I've never had the time to sit down and write. She got tired of waiting and sat down to ask me questions for an update post. Here's the Q and A:

Describe your medical school schedule.
Busy. It's extremely busy. The content isn't that difficult, it's the pacing. If you had 8 years to learn all the material then anyone could do it. We only have two years to learn every little detail of the body before getting into the hospitals for rotations. It's been three months and we just finished studying gross anatomy, head and neck, and as of Tuesday began studying molecular and cell biology.

How is med school different from undergrad studies?
Med school requires more time and energy. In my undergraduate work I could attend class if I wanted to, complete the homework, and do well in the class. In med school I get up early to study, attend all lectures and labs, study more before going to bed. All to wake up and do it again the next day.

Does med school meet the expectations you had?
Yes. I felt well prepared. BYU prepared me well for med school. A lot of this stuff I'm already familiar with.

If you could go back in time and tell yourself one thing to better prepare, what would you say?
Take more biology courses.

What has been your favorite med school moment so far?
I enjoyed TAing. It put me in a good position for the rest of school - socially and academically. I have a lot of good friends coming from different backgrounds. It's the real deal.

Med School Update: Choice Revealed

We are lucky to share Family Home Evening time with the Kartchners. I love that they are consistent with the family activity and that there is a schedule for it. We always start off Family Home Evening with a song and prayer (inevitably by Jackson or someone of Jackson's choice) and then we get to do Sharing!

Sharing works like normal school sharing time, except that everyone has a chance to share a thing/talent/news and then the family can ask questions about it. Question time has probably changed a little bit since Scott and I came to Sacramento... mostly Scott. He turns every question into "Who would win in a match...?" This isn't too difficult to do because the boys usually share a new toy or super hero move.

Two weeks ago after Jackson shared his carpentry skills, Sterling shared his Build-A-Bear teddy, and Kaden demonstrated moves from his Alladin Jr. production, Scott and I decided to share.

I went first. I shared how I got $28 in merchandise for $2.70 + tax. I feel a great sense of accomplishment when I can leave the house with a few coupons and come home with something for free. Cheap thrills!

Then Scott shared that he made a medical school decision. It was a tough choice because both of the schools that Scott was accepted to would provide him with a great education. However, Scott was accepted to a special summer program at one school. In the program Scott would take his first year anatomy course in the summer and if he passed would be a TA in the Fall and finish the class with honors. Envisioning the opportunities this program could give Scott, we were swayed!

Scott was wearing a Snuggie, my Christmas Snuggie actually, when he revealed which school he WOULD NOT be attending...

Not sure if you caught that, but Scott decided he would decline Rocky Vista University (Colorado) and join Western University of Health Sciences in Lebanon, Oregon.

I can see how the presentation of Scott's decision may be confusing since he's wearing a Rocky Vista t-shirt. As it turns out, Rocky Vista sent Scott this shirt before he had officially made his decision. Scott now proudly wears the $2000 (two non-refundable down payments worth) t-shirt. He claims it's his new basketball shirt.

And you may wonder why it took so long to announce our choice... I had to wait for Scott to tell RVU about his decision. It was a difficult call, but he finally made it... yesterday! So it's official now! We will be Oregonians in a few short months.

Med School Update: Second Acceptance

On Friday we had to make our second deposit to RVU to maintain our spot in their Class of 2015. I asked Scott at that point if he was planning on calling all the other schools to check on his interview and wait list status. He decided not to saying, "It wont change the fact that a second payment is due."

Well of course, last night we received a letter from Western University - Lebanon, OR campus (postmarked Jan 10) letting Scott know that a spot has opened up in their Class of 2015! Yay for Scott! I knew he had done well in his interview. Now he'll need to decide if Western University stands out more, at least two large down payments more that the only other competitor so far.

Still NO idea where we'll be next year! So much to think about, especially since my next semester of classes is now underway. But one thing is clearer, always listen to Katie because she is very, very smart, especially in the ways of interviewing, networking, and making large deposits! :)

Med School Updates: December's End

As the month is closing and I've realized that we haven't truly updated the world with med school application news, I submit to you this picture and apologize for the messiness of legend marks.

Here's the low down of our current application situation:

- Scott has been accepted to the Class of 2015 at Rocky Vista University (RVU) in Parker, CO (just south of Denver). Our first payment to RVU was due Dec 17, so of course we put in our deposit to attend medical school. The second payment is due in the middle of January. We really enjoyed RVU when we went to visit the campus in July. Scott knows that he would have a good experience there and thinks that the program would prepare him to be a good doctor. We're not sure if this is Scott's favorite program, as we are still learning about all his options. But we've decided that even if we make the second, and very large, deposit for school it's still okay to go to another school if we feel it will better prepare him. That being said, we are VERY happy to be going to medical school next year!

- In the beginning of December, Scott had an interview at Western University's campus in Oregon. I was lucky enough to follow him there to check out the town and new campus. Scott was impressed with the many options that come from Western's established program (since this will be a new campus for their existing program in Southern California). About a week ago, Scott received a call from Western informing him that Scott is on the Alternate List. The list is reviewed once a month as those accepted candidates drop off and alternates are chosen to take their place. We aren't really sure when we would hear back from Oregon. From our interview with them, we feel like the program would provide good opportunities for Scott, but he still needs to do some serious praying to decide, if he's accepted, if he prefers to attend this school.

- Just today we received a letter from the University of New England in Maine that Scott will not be requested to interview for this next year's class. While we are slightly disappointed to not visit the campus and be near extended family there and Scott's church mission area, we know that we'll be settling around the West Coast anyway after med school. And let's not forget, we're still ACCEPTED to a med school.

-We have not heard anything further about interviews for other schools but expect that we will start hearing more about second round interviews in January. Many of the interviews will be finished in February and March, and we would probably move from Sacramento to the campus in June to settle before med school things get going in the end of July.


Directly after Scott's interview was done in Oregon, we drove back six hours to Sacramento. Though it was a bit of a drive, we were glad to sit down and talk about what Scott's first impressions of the school were and how he thinks it would compare to RVU. While I would prefer living in the town of Parker, CO, we both could see the benefits of Western's program in Oregon and how many more opportunities Scott would have there to further his career exploration. After six hours of discussing the pros and cons from our perspectives, we came to the conclusion that we had no conclusion.

Both schools seem to have equal weight and we feel Scott would be successful at either school. It was quite a mystery to us what decision to make (at the time we had assumed from the three Oregon interviewer's responses that Scott would be accepted immediately). In Sunday School the next day, we had a miraculous lesson about Daniel in the Old Testament interpreting a dream for the King of Babylon.  I know that that would seem to have no connection whatsoever to our situation, but we felt we had a complete mystery on our hands and limited time to solve it. The lesson and scriptures helped us to realize the optimal steps to receiving personal revelation and moving forward with this major life decision.

Though I would say that we are still no where near understanding what we should do and which school we'll be attending come July, we know that we will be attending school (Yay! Can't say that enough!) and that the Lord will help us make that decision and reveal options. When one door closes, another opens... or maybe a window. Depends on who you hear it from.

As you can tell from our medical school application journey, that statement is Oh So TRUE!

Oregon Interview Road Trip

This last week we drove up to Oregon for Scott's second medical school interview. We drove up a couple days before to enjoy some family time in Portland and then drove down on Saturday for Scott's interview to Lebanon (not pronounced like the country, apparently) where the new Western University campus will be. I will be writing a couple of posts about this to give you all the fun details.

I just wanted to share a few of my favorite tidbits of joy from the road trip up to Portland.

First of all, Martie (my MIL) came on the trip with us because she stayed with her parents in Portland for a few days and will fly back this week to Sacramento to welcome family for Christmas. So we enjoyed her company on the trip, which meant mostly sharing fun facts from Better Homes and Gardens and the sounds of her sleeping. But Martie was also starving the whole way to Portland on account of how Scott likes to drive - stopping only for gas and a stretch. We usually bring our own treats. That wouldn't do for Martie though. In fact we discovered that there are two traditions that Martie loves about road trips and that is stopping at McDonalds for a McGriddle Breakfast and Dairy Queen.

Well, Scott didn't want to stop for McDonalds of course and teased his mom for a good 20 - 40 miles saying he wouldn't stop so early on the trip. So Martie started reading, and right about the point she had forgotten all about breakfast, Scott stopped for gas and a McDonalds breakfast. At which point Martie said, "Greater love hath no son, than to pull over to McDonalds for a McGriddle breakfast!" Gotta love road trips with Martie.

I also listened to SEVERAL versions of the 12 Days of Christmas on Sirius Xm Holly channel, including some pretty bad ones. Don't even get me started on Destiny's Child. My favorite however was this version by Straight No Chaser!

I had never heard this before but it is AWESOME. I tried to also find the Muppets version I heard, but I really don't remember John Denver being in the version I heard and that's all I can find on YouTube.

One other favorite moment was driving along I-5 in beautiful weather (up until Corvalis) and seeing the beautiful green fields filled with sheep. When we started to see more and more green pastures full of sheep Scott said,

"If Oregon were an octagon on the Settlers of Catan board, it would definitely have the sheep resource."

Can you tell we're gamers? Mostly Scott. It's true.

Med School Update: Second Interview Call

So first of all, Scott's interview went great at Rocky Vista University. He loves the school and really enjoyed sitting in on a manual manipulation class. I already know that Scott's really cut out to be a D.O. because the first thing he wanted to show me when he got on Friday afternoon were the techniques he learned during that one class. When Scott finished his interview on Thursday, RVU said that the group of applicants who interviewed that day were really impressive. He was in the last group to interview during the first cycle of interviews (Fall). This put him at an advantage, because they informed him that decisions would be made on Monday as to whether or not he would be accepted. Yeah! That was yesterday.

So yesterday morning, Scott receives a call from an unknown number and he answers the phone. It wasn't RVU like he was expecting. Western University was calling to offer Scott an interview for their new campus opening in Lebanon, Oregon! We are very excited! This invitation helps Scott feel good about his application and it will offer another perspective of Osteopathic programs! It doesn't hurt either that I feel great about moving to Oregon. Scott will interview at the Oregon campus, that is in the final stages of construction, in early December!!!

Then.... wait for it... he received another unknown call and answered it. This time, it was RVU! Now you only get a call if the answer is really REALLY great! Otherwise they email you. So when he picked up the unknown phone call we were sitting together in the living room, and he put the phone up so I could hear a little bit. I heard enough to know that my husband was offered a spot in Rocky Vista University's class of 2015!!!! I cannot put enough exclamation points there! The wait is over! My husband has been accepted to a medical school!

I definitely did a little victory dance while Scott finished up his phone call. Then every few minutes I like to yell out, "We're going to medical school!"

To seal the deal with RVU, we need to make security deposits to save our spot during the next two months. We do have a little bit of time to consider the decision before the first deposit is due, which will involve some research as the school does not currently offer federal loans to students. So Scott and I need to have a BIG money conversation. :(

I have to say though, it's just so relieving to know that all of Scott's efforts this past year to improve his application have really paid off! No matter where we go, we at least know that next year we'll be in medical school for sure and Scott will one day be a doctor!

Med School Update: Interview at RVU

After a less than tip-worthy arrival in Denver, Scott is at this moment on his way to Rocky Vista University for his first medical school interview!

Picture from our trip to RVU in July

Good luck, Schnookims! I'm praying that good things will happen. But really, how can the admissions committee resist his impressive charm?!

Med School Update: First Interview Call

On Scott's birthday he received a call from Rocky Vista University in Parker, CO to inform him that he has been selected for an interview! This is definitely the most excited news we have received so far in Scott's med school application process. We always knew that most interviews take place in the Fall but last year we never really received word at all.

The admissions woman who called congratulated Scott on the excellent job he did of raising his GPA and MCAT score from the last time he applied. We visited this school in July, so they are somewhat familiar with Scott's story. I am so proud of Scott and knows that this means we will be hearing more about interviews in the near future!

What a great birthday present for Scott, huh?

Adjusting to Limbo

Well we have been back for almost a week and have taken the opportunity to get used to the states. Of course, it helped that on our first evening back, Scott's cousin Josh and his wife Chelsea came to pick us up at the airport and when we arrived at their house they had a lasagna for us to bring home and a gallon of milk! What awesome cousins! Scott and I both made a note that we need to be more thoughtful like that when picking up family or friends from the airport.

Costa Rica was such an amazing experience, and it gave us the opportunity to do service to add to Scott's application while avoiding life for a couple weeks. But now that we are back, decisions are inevitable. I am no longer working at BYU and Scott has graduated and is looking for a job. His application to medical school is on hold as we wait a few more days for his MCAT score to arrive. At that point we will update schools and hopefully receive interview offers. In the mean time, we need two "I"s - Income and Insurance.

Surprisingly, I have been pretty laid back with choices, especially compared to my Limbo of '06. That's probably because I feel like this is more Scott's limbo and his opportunity to react and understand. We have applied to jobs (mostly Scott, however I did apply to a temporary hospital job with the hopes that it would buy us some time and provide the two "i"s) and are waiting for a response. Scott has decided that if we do not hear any positive news from Utah by next week, then we will be moving to Sacramento where good things already await us.

I am glad that, though we missed General Conference because of travel, that the videos of talks are now online. I watched a few today, including this one. Don't you just love the renewal that comes from conference?! It makes limbo seem calm and purposeful.

Hold - Best News Yet

Sad day! The vacation is over and we are back in Provo. Not that we don't love to be back in Utah. We really missed our friends and family here and our little apartment. But we also miss being on vacation, in sunny California, surrounded by Chandlers. I miss my cute nefews and neices (too bad we couldn't have caught the Cavanaughs while we were down there too)! There are so many fun stories I want to share from our vacation in Sacramento. I even have pictures to boot! I just haven't had a second to sit at my new mac and type out posts. I thought I would at least get this medical school update to everyone while I'm taking a break from training my BYU replacements.

We returned home Sunday evening and a large pile of mail awaited us. There were some bill statements that we had taken care of, a package from my momma for Scott, and a letter from Midwestern University in Arizona addressed to Scott. I handed it to Scott, instead of opening it myself, and was dissapointed to see that it was such a thinly filled envelope.

It read:

The admissions committee for the American College of Osteopathic Medicine (AZCOM) has put your application for the Class of 2010 on hold pending possible future interview invitation.


Woohoo! On HOLD! Never gotten that before in this two-year med school apps process. I am so excited for Scott to have even this amount of encouragement. I'm feeling great things will come! Great job, hon!

Medical School Apps Take 2 - Secondaries

This being the second (and hopefully last) time that Scott applies to medical school, we are pretty familiar with how this beginning part of the process goes. Scott submitted his primary application, this time only to Osteopathic Medical programs across the nation. There is a short wait, and then applicants hear from schools as to whether or not they meet the minimum qualifications and can submit secondary applications for further consideration.

As of August 6, Scott has heard back from six of the eight Osteopathic schools we applied to, and all of them would like him to submit secondaries! This is very exciting, compared to last year's sparse response.

Scott is writing up many essays this week and submitting with the hopes that we will move onto round three of the medical school application process.

Here's hoping for an early email/call inviting us to an interview!

In the meantime, Scott and I are officially finished at BYU! We are off on vacation to Prineville, OR and Sacramento. Time to take a break!

Journal Entry

The best part about writing a personal blog is that I can choose when to write! No need to write every day because of the pressure to make your readers happy. If I don't feel like I've done anything noteworthy to share, then no need to blog. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE to write. Writing is such a great release for me and an opportunity to express my creative side. But writing a blog post, just because I haven't written in a day or two, seems a little bit like my elementary school journals.

I'm sure you have one of those diaries! My journal from third through fourth grade is filled with dates and one line statements, "Nothing happened today." I remember looking back at this journal when I was in middle school, and being very upset. I'm sure SOMETHING happened that day. What was I studying in school? Who did I sit next to in the lunchroom or play with on the playground? What did I do with my brothers? Looking back on those journals, I miss seeing the value of a simple day.

So here's what we've been up to lately:
Scott submitted his primary applications to a selected group of Osteopathic Medical schools. His personal statement turned out way better than the many drafts before. I was extra excited to see that a new osteopathic medical school is opening it's doors in Oregon, where my parents are considering moving and where Scott has family! We added that to the group for application.

Everyone has asked if I have registered for classes yet for the MBA program I am starting at the University of Massachusetts. I am so excited about the program and was dissapointed not to receive my login access to register for classes. So I called the office today to see if they had received all of my official documents. I am SO glad I called, because all of my documents had arrived but they hadn't been connected to my profile because they were under my maiden name. The woman was so nice to help me and I should be able to register in a week!

Other than that, Scott and I have just been enjoying the summer of softball games, baby showers, wedding receptions, and just hanging out with family and friends. We are planning a BBQ bash for Scott's graduation in August. Check out the sweet invite I made in the Adobe Creative Suite. Now I just need to print.

Application to Schools - Take 2

Scott is in the process of filing out the primary application for osteopathic medical schools, as a second year applicant. He is determined to stand out from the crowd of applicants and show his commitment to the medical field.

The first draft of his personal statement was good, but not great. So Scott talked with his brother Steve (whose personal statement was the sole topic of his interview for dental school) for inspiration. He also had conversations with his parents and mine. And today when Scott finished all of his homework, he began the process of beginning an entirely new draft.

When Scott called me back from my work desk to ask me how the introduction sounded, all I could think of was this scene from this last season of The Office.



It was a good start hon, but you need to taste a rainbow and add Christian Slater.

Hello Denver!

Scott and I had a wonderful trip to Denver. We left on Thursday around noon and took I-70 from Spanish Fork, through the canyons and mountains down to Denver. It was a beautiful ride, though winding, with red rock all around the river and suspended highways.

We even stopped along the way in Palisade, CO which is famous for their fruit, and grabbed a bag of cherries. Mmm! The town had a very quiet, “Andy Griffith” kind of feel to it. As we drove through Palisade trying to find a gas station to fuel up, we ate our cherries and spit the seeds out the car windows.

Picture of Castle Rock, CO

On Friday morning, we took a tour of Parker where Rocky Vista University is located. The town is SO quaint. Though the Denver skyscrapers are a stone’s throw away, the rolling hills and manicured lawns of Parker have a very rural and inviting feel. Scott had arranged for a tour of RVU with the school’s recruiter. So at 10:00 Am, we had a tour of the whole building including: the first year large auditorium, the second year medium auditorium (both equipped with quiet rooms for students with babies), the lecture lab equipped with hologram surgery hardware, the anatomy lab with cadavers (I skipped out on that part), the manipulation lab (where the students learn osteopathic manual manipulation methods), and the library. Oh… the school has a cafeteria too, but for the moment that just means four refrigerators, four microwaves, and long tables for eating. They are planning on having a full buffet eventually. We were very impressed with the school and Parker. It is for sure a place where we could see ourselves for the medical school years.

I didn’t really organize a plan past Friday, except to watch the fireworks on Saturday night. So when we woke up the next day I had to rummage through the local paper and scour internet sites to find things to entertain us until that evening’s events. We drove around Parker looking at condos for sale, visited Castle Rock and Lone Tree (everything in Colorado, Denver area, is surprisingly close though the map may appear to show distance). We walked through a small farmers market, where Scott tried what he claims is the best tasting meat of his life! Then we spent most of the afternoon watching a little league baseball tournament next to the field where the firework concert was going to be.

After four hours of little league and sitting on a blanket in the middle of a field, the concert began and we found ourselves sitting like outcasts in the middle of a town party. Though, I did have my BYU shirt on and got a couple shouts of “Go Cougs!” So after six hours of sitting on a blanket in the middle of a field, with two hours of concert, and two hours more until it was dark enough for a firework display, we decided to skip out on the rest of the concert all together. Mostly we succumbed to the idea of bottomless fries!

That’s right! We left a brass band extravaganza for Red Robin burgers! OH! It was SO yummy. Definitely the best decision I had made that day was to leave the mosquito infested area to eat a guacamole bacon burger. After we ate dinner, we went along the rolling hills of Parker and found a Best Buy that had a parking lot perfect for firework gazing. It was extra perfect because there was a car in the parking lot next to us that had an extra sensitive alarm system. This made for a fun game of “Which firework will set off the car next.” The best ones were the red, white, and blue spread that made no noise until after a good ten seconds, when it exploded the sound barrier. Anything smaller than that would usually only evoke a double beep from the car.



Throughout the whole trip, I kept asking Scott to take pictures. It was NOT an easy task. The most difficult coaxing had to come with the Red Robin bird picture. He was so nervous about it, he had to ask the waiter if it was “cool” to take a picture in front of the bird. I’m sure the waiter was thinking, “maybe not cool, but you’re welcome to do it.” But there was one picture that Scott begged me to take. I guess beg is not the right word. I had no choice. As we drove home from the Parker Fireworks, with aftershocks flaring up in every culdesac, Scott saw the Bronco Football Training Camp along our route and pulled over for me to take a picture of him… in the dark… in front of this sign! Gotta love him!


All in all I would call this a successful trip, minus the whole part about us driving home on I-80, adding another 100 miles to our exhausting drive home. But that’s another story.

Application Update

Knowing that we were not going anywhere for school in the next year, Scott and I briefly discussed what our Utah plans might be. Then we received a surprise – Scott’s advisor who approved his December graduation, retired. The advisors in her place informed Scott that he would no longer be able to take classes in the Fall and would have to graduate in August.

Good news and bad news: Good News - Scott’s graduating! He’s done so well in the last few semesters. He’s raised his GPA significantly, which will improve his med school application as far as academics go. To celebrate this I designed graduation announcement to send out to family and friends. Check me out! I’m a wanna-be designer! Just need to find a printer.

Bad news was this new proclamation threw off our plans. We could move, if we wanted, for a year. Scott could work full-time. There were a lot of new options that were very different from our previous plan. The loss of the Fall class option introduced some new challenges as well that would need to be surmounted, like health insurance and how to keep improving Scott’s application. Scott and I sat down to make plans and discuss pros and cons.

We decided that the option that had the best net benefits was for Scott to work full-time after graduation in August. He will be submitting applications this Summer and Fall to osteopathic medical programs and physical therapy schools. We visited the University of Utah a couple weeks ago for their Physical Therapy program information session. Scott left feeling like physical therapy is his ideal career. This weekend we are going to visit Colorado (any suggestions for July 4 activities in Denver area?) to learn more about an osteopathic medical school that is on the top of Scott’s list.

As part of our new plan, I will work part-time. PLUS, I have officially applied to the University of Massachusetts part-time online MBA program. *insert squiggly smile face*I have to admit that I’m pretty nervous. While I think my application is pretty strong, I’ve applied to programs before, felt like I’d found my next big personal discovery, and didn’t get in. Of course, looking back I know that I needed to be other places, like Provo to meet my husband, and had more introspection to accomplish. Now I feel like I have a better idea of where I want to focus my talents, and again I feel really good about the opportunity of completing an MBA program from anywhere that Scott and I may travel. My plan is to follow up the MBA degree with a certificate in non-profit management and then use my business skills in the non-profit world. If I’m not accepted to this program, then I will keep challenging myself and taking classes to figure out where it is that I need to focus my efforts.

More importantly my last day at BYU is in August, after which I will hopefully be taking a vacation with my schnookims to relax into this new arrangement.

That’s the plan… subject to change when the next twist comes, and there will most likely be more.

It's Official - Scott is Not Underprivileged

Scott got an email today from UCD today with a notice that we will not be going to California this summer for their Post Bac Program. As hard as he tried to appear "educationally and/or socio-economically disadvantaged" as they required, I guess they could see that we really are very very white. Neither of us have ever really felt disadvanted, but Scott wrote some great essays and brought up a lot of memories that were convincing at least to me.

So where do we go from here? Scott has received approval from his BYU advisor to take classes to raise his GPA, even though he could official graduate any time now, having finished his program requirements. He just finished a tough schedule of Spring term classes, and is preparing for a Summer term of two more and studying for the MCAT. We will probably visit some school campuses this summer to check out our options and make an impression with admissions staff. Then starting almost immediately, Scott is reapplying to Osteopathic programs and some Physical Therapy schools as well. We know that Heavenly Father has great plans in store for us, we just need to catch on.

As for me... Well, I will continue working at BYU until August. At which point, I will be a free agent as Scott would say. I'm looking forward to a little break (maybe some Prineville action?) There may be a masters program in the near future, but I know for sure I'll need to provide some sort of income.

But I can't really talk about opportunities for August that don't even exist yet!For now I'm just enjoying the present.

Great job, schnookims on your awesome finals scores! You're are the smartiest pants husband I know.

This is Scott at Einstien Bagels when we used a coupon to try out their Turkey Bacon Avacado Thin Sandwich. Don't be deceived... it's not turkey and bacon (dang it), it's Turkey-Bacon. Can you tell that Scott is saying, "Really? A picture for your blog? Can't I just eat my bagel in peace?"

BYU Senior Appreciation Night

Last Friday BYU had a Senior Appreciation Night for all graduating seniors during the 2009 - 2010 academic year. You may remember that Scott is officially signed up to graduate in April 2010. Well... that's changed slightly. Since we were accepted to any medical schools during this round of applications, Scott has applied to a post-bac program at UC Davis. If accepted, we will start that program in June and Scott can receive his diploma from BYU. If we do not go to UC Davis, then Scott will be staying at BYU to retake classes and raise his GPA and also to study to retake MCAT. He will also be taking classes to apply to Physical Therapy programs. So graduation may not actually occur until August or even (do I dare to say?!), December. Blah!

Nevertheless, we did celebrate that Scott would be graduating in the year 2010 by attending this free night for seniors with Kyle (who is also graduating this year) and his wife Bridget. The Cougar Eat had free unlimited burgers, pizza, chips, and ice cream. There were performances and department booths with free things and prizes. There were door prizes, which we lost by being only one number off! There was also free bowling, and Kyle's favorite, karaoke.

Thanks Scott, for being a senior. I appreciate you AND your access to free food!

Summer House Parties and Med School Update

Remember how I told you about the Bicycle Game House Party coming up soon? There are SOOO many more House Parties on the list now, I'm not sure if I'll be able to choose which one I like the most! I'm anticipating that we will have more time to party, as we have now heard back from all medical schools, and there is no good news. *insert little frown* Well... I guess the good news is that now we know and we are moving on to organizing Plan B.

So while we're on to Medical School Apps [Take 2], I've decided we should also included some awesomely sponsored parties. Which one of these do you think sounds the best? Or maybe, better question, which party would you want to come to if we were having it at our house?

My favorite Potential House Parties on Houseparty.com:

Hasboro Game Night House Party
"Get a jumpstart on your summer fun by hosting an exclusive Hasbro Game Night! Your friends will be in awe when you invite them over to be among the first to play the newest, hottest Trivial Pursuit game — weeks before it appears in any store! But that’s just the beginning. Because this Game Night is action-packed with plenty of free goodies including coupons, and two other fun-filled Hasbro games, every partygoer will feel like a big winner!"

Bicycle Playing Cards, What's Your Game House Party
As mentioned before

McDonalds Nuggets and Shrek Forever After House Party
"Coming to a home near you! An evening with great food, your favorite Ogre, and McNuggets® of fun for everyone. So gather your family and friends for an exciting evening with McDonald’s and Shrek®! With Chicken McNuggets®, a DreamWorks’ Shrek DVD, Happy Meal® toys and cool goodies to make any kid — or adult — green with envy, this will be a night to remember forever!"

AquaFina's Flavor Splash House Party
"On May 15th, you'll gather your guests and learn how to make a fit lifestyle more fun, thanks to Aquafina FlavorSplash. You'll enjoy this light, clean, refreshing water with vibrant flavor. Ideal for any time consumption and perfect for the whole family.
If selected as a host, you'll get a FREE party pack that will energize the crowd and make sure your party is a fun-filled success. Don't miss this new look at making “healthy” more enjoyable. Everyone will be in for a remarkably invigorating time!"

Bryer's Summer to Remember House Party
"Remember when summer meant lazy days, long nights, and yummy ice cream? Revisit those great summer memories with your friends and family — and create a few new ones — at a Breyers® Summer to Remember House Party™! Be one of the first to indulge in the all-new, delicious Breyers® Smooth & Dreamy™ ice cream bars and sandwiches while taking a joyful trip down memory lane!"

What do you think?

And then there were three...

Well I thought I would give you another update on the world of Medical School Applications. What was a longer list of schools we were waiting to hear back from, is now a list of three, and really we're thinking probably only two (Tufts is extremely competitive). Schools left are, in no particular order:

School of Medicine - Tufts University
School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona - A.T. Still University
College of Osteopathic Medicine - Rocky Vista University

Secondary applications have been submitted for all three, and in an attempt to sweeten the pot, so to speak, we sent them an update with Scott's new and improved GPA and his expectations for grades by April graduation.

Then comes the difficult part - making Plan B. For awhile Scott had been thinking that going out and getting experience would be most beneficial for improving his chances for admittance. But in calling medical schools he was not accepted to, we've discovered that allopathic medical schools care most about academic performance, and that Scott is actually above average when it comes to experience. That was a little disappointing, because obviously we would love to spend more time with hands-on learning experience and money making then back in the library with the books.

So now Scott is applying to a Post-Bac Pre-Med program at UC Davis, in the hopes that he can improve his GPA and chances for reapplication to specific schools. The program is one year, the summer spent preparing students to retake the MCAT and the academic year spent taking first year medical school classes to improve the students academic record and prepare them for medical school studies. In order to get into this program at UC-D though, you need to be a minority. While we've received written verification that Scott is considered a minority, we still have to convince UC-D. And no, Scott, making your salutation, "Capt." on the application, probably won't help.

Scott has written some really interesting essays for the UC-Davis Post Bac Application to convince the committee that he should be considered for the program as a deserving student. In fact, one of the essays made me teary-eyed. It's a moving account of how Scott understands the need for more medical professionals in the Sacramento area. You'll have to see if you can convince him to blog about it.

Anyway, fingers crossed and prayers sent that good things will happen.