Study Locales and Optimism

I enjoy studying, but many times it's all about the location. We have a room in our apartment specifically set up for studying, and I love it. It's a quiet nook all about studying. Both my wife and I spend a large amount of our time here, tapping away at computers and swiping virtual notecards on iPads. I can choose to eat or not, have some coffee, or listen to music as I please. Best of all, there are no loud undergrads screaming over their poker game in the booth next to me at the coffee shop I thought would be quiet (last night). It was like they thought they were in their friend's basement or the local rowdy casino instead of the low-key coffee shop downtown.

Now, I know that next year I won't have my study nook. My wife and I will be living separately when I go off to med school, and I will be living as minimalistically as possible, which means no second bedroom as a study. However, this doesn't discourage me, as most med schools have a room completely dedicated to silent study. Michigan State's CHM calls their's (informally) the "Nerd Cave" - see 0:35 here. Frankly, that idea seems awesome to me. There are times when I like studying socially, quizzing friends and getting quizzed in turn, but at other times I just have to go all-out hermit, holing up for hours to really drill things into my head.

Not too much to update on the school front; still waiting to hear back from four schools, but MSU is seeming more and more like the right choice for me. My excitement is growing about finally moving on to the next step in this transformation. I'm going to love this summer of simply working and relaxing. I'll also be taking 4-6 weeks off to enjoy spending time with my wife, possibly going on some road trips to see a bit of the country. Life is great at the moment, and though I know med school is incredibly draining and difficult, I'm really optimistic about everything at the moment.