The Iowa Decision

Hi friends! So I allowed a select few to see my updated school status on Facebook...and chances are that you're reading this because the two lists overlap.

This fall, I am going to attend the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine. I think most people shorten it to simply UI, Iowa (it's the only medical school in the whole state of Iowa), or Carver College (which also happens to be a Bible college in Georgia). Not sure what I'm going with yet.

The decision was made soon after I departed to vacation in Hawaii. So you can imagine me standing on beautiful tropical beach sand, absentmindedly glancing at sea turtles sunning while on the phone with my dad. It went something like,

Me: Hi Dad! Iowa gave me the Dean's Scholarship today. I think I might take it...
Dad: That is excellent news, Connie. I am very proud of you.
Me: Thanks, Dad. Uhm...I have to go now, we're going snorkeling! Call you later.  

It was a pretty fantastic day. Although not a full ride, the scholarship definitely lightens the heavy burden of impending student loans. And if you were wondering, yes, my father does tend to speak quite formally--he once sent me a text message that started with, "Dear Connie," to invite me to lunch. Those are stories for other times.


Anyways. Then sunk in the realization. That I was going to move to Iowa. And live there. For four years. At least.


Here's what I knew about Iowa when I made the decision: 

1. There are lots of cornfields.
2. It snows in the winter and gets blazing hot in the summer. It also is subject to raging floods and tornadoes.
3. It has a very prestigious ophthalmology program, according to all of the ophthalmologists that I worked for. 
4. The medical school is ranked 28th in the US, right behind the Mayo Clinic.  
5. There are lots of cornfields.

 So...yeah.


When people used to ask me about where I wanted to go to medical school, my only wish was to stay in California. Iowa was never on the list of schools that I could envision myself attending. Although I have strong ties to Iowa through my parents (it was their first US home state), I attended the interview mostly for the novelty. Funny how every time I try to pull something like that, God seems to change my mind completely about my intentions and stir up my comfort zones. Like, really stir them up. With tornadoes and snowstorms. Equally funny is that when I want to settle for one thing, He gives me something better. Like, a scholarship for four years? Are you kidding me! It seems like just yesterday when I felt like medical school was the farthest thing from my grasp. 


Now that I am coming to terms with attending Iowa, at least logistically--I have a roommate, put down a deposit on a terrific apartment for August 1 (Bay Area folks, you won't believe what I'm paying!), am starting to pack things up for a cross-country road trip in my little Corolla--I am trying to find peace in my heart with what my life will become.


The Facebook group and school demographics released online suggest I am going to be one of perhaps four Chinese-American students in the entering class of 140, and one of 40 non-Iowa residents. Having never moved more than 25 miles away from my birthplace of San Francisco, I find these statistics to be mind-boggling. I cannot imagine a school more polar opposite to UC Berkeley. It is both terrifying and intriguing at the same time! Who are my friends going to be? Where will I buy my Asian vegetables? How will I present myself differently to my peers, if at all? I suppose now would be a great time to re-explore all of those cultural-racial-identity issues that IV touched on years ago.


For now, I'd love advice on moving and adapting to another state, or just to chat in general. I have about one month or so of unemployment to enjoy, and would love to hang out as much as I can before I leave!