It started at 6:30, when I woke up to discover that my head cold had not gone away. Drew got up with me and made me a delicious breakfast; doubly sweet because he's not feeling so hot right now either.

I tried to play it cool, like this was any other day. I read the newspaper online. I drank some coffee. I took Madeline on a walk in the rain. It was kind of a silly charade; a routine can't be built in one day, and this day was anything but routine. Still, I tried to pretend.

I didn't want to get there too early, because I wasn't feeling well and didn't think I'd be able to make a good impression. For the past several days I'd been thinking about how I would handle myself with my classmates. I decided that I wouldn't make any judgments based on what happens this week. We're all under a lot of pressure and sometimes people let their nerves get the best of them. I decided I'd let my friends emerge from the crowd over time. Also, I didn't want to tell everyone I worked in reality television. It's too easy to brand someone early on, and I was pretty sure "The Guy Who Worked on That Tyra Banks Model Show" wasn't the brand I wanted. I love that show and I loved my job, but it's not exactly a credential that will get you far in the field of medicine.

I got to the subway at 7:50. The continental breakfast started at 8:00, and the dean's speech started at 8:30. I was cutting it close but figured I was still okay. Then, at the subway station I found out that you can't buy Septa passes with credit/debit cards. You have to have cash. So I went back out into the rain to find an ATM.

I got to school by 8:20, though, and everything was fine. I chatted with a few people.

Then, I was outed. Thirty seconds into the dean's welcome speech he said, I swear to Jesus, "There is one student I'd like to point out if I could. One of your fellow students was an editor, or a copy editor, in reality television. Is he here?" It took me a few seconds, because when he said "copy editor" I was thinking this person worked for a publisher or a magazine. Then I realized he was talking about me. Then I debated whether or not to raise my hand. All of this while the dean was searching through the crowd. I figured I had to fess up, so I sheepishly raised my hand and it got a nice laugh. I guess it's all fine. I don't think anyone will define me by that job. It did make it a bit easier to introduce myself to people later on, because most of them recognized me by my gingham shirt. And there are Top Model fans everywhere.

(The banner above the street is welcoming the Temple School of Medicine Class of 2011. I could have taken a clearer photo but then everyone I was with would think I was a dork.)

The rest of the day went really well. I felt exhausted by 4:00 so I went home before the end-of-day reception. I really liked pretty much everyone I met. People were so friendly and happy. I introduced myself to people and people were constantly introducing themselves to me. I made a concerted effort to talk to the jocks, the straight guys, because I have a tendency to avoid them. They were all very sweet, and none of them missed a beat when I referred to Drew as my partner. It was so refreshing to be with such a large group of people (there are 182 students in my class) who were all so excited about what we're getting ready to do. Speaking of which, here's a look at the room where I'll spend most of the next year of my life: