<p>Curm…at least we got some rain this spring! Still, we’re under water restrictions in our area, and we haven’t come close to fully recovering from last year’s drought. We just arrived for D’s summer research program. We drove through Memphis on the way, and it dawned on me how limited my knowledge is of the city. The only thing I know about it is it’s home to St. Jude’s, the Neeley’s on Food Network, great BBQ, the subject of one of my favorite songs, and of course, the location of your D’s UG! :)</p>
<p>What do parents wear to the white coat ceremonies? BFF is the proud mom of a med school student who’ll be starting this journey in August. She wanted me to ask my friends on CC what she should wear! She’s thinking it’ll be like a graduation. Can those of you who’ve been down this road offer insight?</p>
<p>Yes, wear nice clothes. UG graduation was awesome, but D’s white coat ceremony was at such a fancy place, I made sure to check all marbled bathrooms. Wearing jeans to such a place would be simply inappropriate. Even reception was way beyond anything imaginable, very fancy.<br>
BTW, congrats to everybody moving up to MS2, MS3,…etc.</p>
<p>It really depends on the city, I just wore a nice jersey maxi dress and saw one or two other people in similar choices, but we were in a pretty casual city and still many people had dark pants and blazers.</p>
<p>My white coat ceremony (midwest) was nice but probably not as fancy as Miami’s D’s. It was in the nice auditorium at my University and the reception afterwards was on the quad/in the atrium of the building with the auditorium. </p>
<p>My parents wore similar clothes as they wore to my college grad and my brother’s high school grad (both the same summer as my white coat ceremony). Mom wore a dress to one and a skirt and top to another, and dad wore khakis and a sport coat to all (added a tie if he wanted to). The rest of the parents were dressed similarly. For what it’s worth, I wore a dress from Ann Taylor that was similar “fancyness” as the other girls in my class. </p>
<p>I’d go dressy but not fancy. How exciting! I’m sure she’ll enjoy it :)</p>
<p>My D1’s White Coat was more like than Miami’s – held at nice performaning arts center here in town with a catered buffet afterwards at the same venue.</p>
<p>I and my guest wore nice, but not overly dressy, clothes. Me: skirt w/ blouse and blazer since I had to go to work immediately after the ceremony. My guest: sport jacket and khakis (no tie). </p>
<p>I’d say the White Coat was equally dressy as graduation.</p>
<p>Cannot wait for White Coat Ceremony! UG Graduation was so incredible, thank God it was spread out over three days so we could enjoy every minute. Bittersweet saying good-bye to Philadelphia though. It truly has been a “City of Brotherly Love” to our family. Kristen, I loved the visual you gave of dressing up in your Ann Taylor dress. Must have been a wonderful day 
Thanks for the tips on the “dressy, but not fancy”. I saw such varied styles of dress at my son’s graduation, from jeans and a sport coat, to quite reserved fancy with hats (both men and women). It was wonderful to see all the different people from all over the world. Have a wonderful summer everyone. Right now I am living vicariously through my son, whom I just saw a picture of in a hot spring in Iceland. My husband’s response, “Some day we need to go to Europe, since our kids have been three times now!”</p>
<p>Kid is home for her mini-vacation and it appears this is the time she starts thinking about life after med school. </p>
<p>Out of the blue : “I don’t want to live in the Northeast. Maybe if I get ‘the’ perfect residency I could do Boston. But other than that, I need to find something out of the Northeast. I just seem to get along with Southern people better. Most of the local non-med school friends I have are transplants from the South.”. Of course, she has MS3 and her research year to change her mind, but she literally had the Road Atlas out today.</p>
<p>Nashville, Charlottesville, North Carolina, Loiusville, and Atanta top her list right now, and Kristen …she’s heard good things about Columbia. And…surprise of surprises, Texas is back on her very early list. Who knew?</p>
<p>In other news, she has informed me that I need to get up to speed on this residency stuff as I am going to be expected to know “something”. I’m back in the game. lol Looks like I’ll be logging the sdn hours again.</p>
<p>Curm,
Please do share what you learn about the “residency stuff”! Also, please tell your daughter that Boston is wonderful…and NYC, crazy good, too. Things in the Northeast are a bit frenetic and high stress, though. I think we all could use some “Southern Exposure” from time to time. :)</p>
<p>Haha, I’m flattered Curm. If she ever needs a host in COMO, I’ll take good care of her–promise! (And for what it’s worth, the people at my school are the reason I love it so much!)</p>
<p>
Curm, It is nice of her to “allow” you to get involved. You must have done something right since her birth. Mine tends to remind me that “Don’t worry. I am old enough to handle this by myself.” (Sometimes, follow this by, “By the way, what is blahblah…” or “Should I do this or that?” One recent example is about filling out the financial aid form. Another is “When will I have a car?” – So I have started to look at the automobile section of the Consumer Report, Edmund, Bluebook, etc.) He has his “sweet” side though: He would drop a call to us before he heads to Maine today, knowing that we would like to know where he will be in the next week.</p>
<p>As an MS1, out of the blue, he “warned” us that he may stay North East rather than head back south. I believe he had this thought after he had seen the match list of his school. Hopefully, he will change his mind in the coming years.</p>
<p>Look forward to learning what you may learn (and generously share with us) about the residency stuff.</p>
<p>I, too, am allowed to learn about the MS3/4 & residency stuff. The input from the uninformed may raise questions that DD or the school have not addresses, maybe.</p>
<p>I have been reading some MD blogs lately, Dr Panda Bear gives a lot of info to help me understand what life may be like for her and what is expected along the way.</p>
<p>Son says the same about northeast vs. the south, well south where we live!</p>
<p>Since he did his undergrad in the northeast he had an idea of what to expect. Most of his friends are in NYC, a handful in Boston and 1 in PA and 1 local here at Duke. But the majority in manhattan. He had the opportunity but chose chapel hill instead. He says it all depends on what he ultimately is interested in and that he says will always be changing. They call it “chapel thrill” for a reason!</p>
<p>Campus is the “bomb”, COL is low, weather is fab, 2 hours to the outer banks, 2 hours to the Smokies…and all that sweet tea. There is a shuttle that runs between UNC and Duke, night and day. I have said before, he is having the best time. Seriously enjoying med school, more than he thought possible. He said it does have a lot to do with the environment, something he suspected when choosing schools and locales. Just a gut feeling and he is glad he went with it.</p>
<p>Kat</p>
<p>LOL! D1 is already anglling to find a way to stay in-state for her residency. (Even if it means—horrors!–getting married to do so.)</p>
<p>You must be joking when you said it is a horror.</p>
<p>I remember Pricess’Dad (an CCer who is a physician) once said the couple who were together since college years tend to be more stable in their relationship. Maybe he exaggerated it when he (kind of, as I can not remember the details) posted that: If a doctor starts to find his spouse after he becomes a fully-fledged doctor already, the end result could be: nurse 1, and then nurse 2, and so on, an unfortunate marry/devorce/remarry situation. He may end up being a single old man after he is too old to be suitable in the “marriage market”.</p>
<p>MCAT, how does that work when the doctor is a woman?</p>
<p>I honestly do not know. I just tried to recite what Priness’Dad once said to the best I can remember.</p>
<p>If I make a wild guess, she would fare better statistically speaking.</p>
<p>MCAT-- I was joking! D1 has always said she would never get married. Ever. Ever. Ever. EVER.</p>
<p>(Though her current guy seems to be working hard on changing her mind. Or maybe it’s just maturity kicking in. She’s almost 27.)</p>
<p>For the record, the new guy isn’t a nurse. Or a fellow med student.</p>
<p>Curm,
Hubbell is finishing his internship at Vanderbilt in Nashville, and he loves the city. Just a 2-hour direct flight from Texas, so really not to far away for us. My wife flew up a few weeks ago as he was moving to a new apartment closer to the hospital and downtown(5 minutes away rather thna nearly 30 minute drive). He wanted Mom to 'help hang pictures and stuff"-but it turned out he needed a new mattress(which Mom paid for etc…). I told my wife -'he’s a Doctor now, why is he still costing me money?!". Oh, well, just glad that he doing well and is happy.</p>