Here we go all over again!

Hi, I'm Sarah. I live in Portland ... and I've been around here before. I was on the previous boards two years ago when my husband first applied for medical school. He was wait listed three places, and just barely missed getting in at his first choice school.

So, we packed up our stuff and moved to the town our first choice school is in - Portland. Currently we both work at the teaching hospital/university that he wants to attend. Bobby now volunteers in the Er as well as shadows doctors around the hospital in hopes of enhacing his medical school application.

The primary application went out on Friday morning, and we expect to see secondaries as soon as the end of next week (as that's how fast they turned up last time). Bobby will be retaking the MCAT in August and he's been going through a self-study book and although I have to get "on" him sometimes to keep his mind on the test, he is doing really well.

Bobby does research at the Eye Institute of the hospital while I work in the business services side of things. I love my job (going on four months there) and hope to stay around for a while more.

I am really looking for women around here who are in the same (or close to) situation I am. We have lived in Portland for a year, and due to my social anxiety, I have made only a few friends. Are there any other Portlanders around here?

I enjoy lots of things ... reading, writing, hanging out, caramel lattes, movies, the huge library I have access to here in PDX and the few friends I've made through work!

What's your story? Why are YOU here?

[spotty_dog]

Best wishes, I've got everything crossed for y'all. My husband was waitlisted at OHSU (and UW, his other top choice) for three years running. It sucks. But the third year he broadened his horizons, got more ambitious than ever, and we ended up here at Case. He's getting a great education and it really worked out for us.

But I envy you your location. Where in PDX are you? My husband and I met in college, Lewis & Clark College in SW PDX, and we also lived in NW by Hillsboro for a year.

Alison, we live in SW Portland right near L&C! Hahaha! We live in Hillsdale and Bobby bikes up the hill to OHSU. : )

He applied at 8 different schools (two places he was wait-listed at) from here to Yale to Wake Forest to UMichigan.

He didn't really have the experience when he applied last time, and by the time he's accepted he'll have over a year of research work and over a year of volunteering in the ER. He's been told by people on the admissions board (two of them have to excuse themselves from the board for his decision) that he has a really good shot at getting in, so our fingers are crossed!

Sarah,
We are nieghbors! More or less....we are in the same general area and about a 10-15 minute drive to OHSU. DH is in residency there.
I hear you on the multiple year applications -- we did the same and it sucked. Hang in there.
Most everyone I have met here is through my kids. It sounds like you are finding fun things to do but it is hard to meet people in a similar situation. I love go to farmer's markets (Hillsdale is sunday 10-2), library, Baker and Spice, the rose garden, other bakeries (St. Honore is a favorite!). There are lots of great classes (reasonable fees too) at the Multonomah Arts Center -- that might be a good way to meet people. Annie Blooms bookstore in Multnomah Village has quite a few authors come through, that might be another idea. Do you bike too? I know of a cycling group. The first/last Friday (or thursday or whatever day) dates can be fun too.
I know we are at different points in this medical journey but we should meet up sometime!

Nellie, what a small world! So very close.
Thank you for letting me know of the little things that are going on around here. I love the library and it's rather dangerous to let me play in there! My husband has decided he's going to join the Multnomah Arts Studio for the clay studio (he's a potter) and I badly want to take a dance class.

I have a bit of social anxiety about meeting new people, but would be more than willing to TRY. My email should be accesible in my profile if you ever want to drop me a line!