sooo...its definitely been a while since I've had time to update this thing!
So I'll give you a quick recap of my end of the semester adventures.
Classes: got through them!!(thank god) I passed immuno..which was my number one worry...and i WILL be graduating in May! ( i came really close to that not happening!) We had a Snow day the monday and tuesday of finals week! ( so a lot of people got out of them!) I luckily took my immuno final monday morning before finals were cancelled. and then my other ones were online anyway.This semester has been the most difficult, and on top of that next semester is even more loaded! ugh...but it is the LAST semester, and I'm so glad to be done!
Life: well besides the fact that my life has been completely taken over by school, I haven't been able to do much volunteering at the hospital either! i feel really bad!!!But i did get the chance to let loose and relax for a bit after all finals! went out with the girls for Ladies 80's and oh....just ran into EDWARD NORTON!! at pita pit at 1 am!...thats right! it was pretty cool...except i didn't really realize it was him until after he had left. I did a double take and thought to myself that that guy looked really familiar!!...but i just brushed it off...until the cashier their was like that was Edward Norton!! it was pretty cool, i've never been that close to a real life celebrity!
then later in the week, we got a little bit of a group together and went to karaoke! As many times as i have sung in front of people and was never really that nerves about...for some reason or other i get a slight case of stage fright with karaoke..dont know why. But me, steph and kia all went up there and sang destiny's child. it was pretty sweet!
Went to my roomies graduation.. always a good time. But sadly, she had to leave that weekend and i was not okay after she left :( i really realized how much next semester was not going to be as fun, without her. And really how many people were just leaving/have already left in my life :( im not a fan of huge changes in my life and this year has been definitely been a huge changing period. But i try to keep in mind that everything happens for a reason, and that my true friends will always be in my life no matter where life takes us! I love them all, and i wouldn't be who i am today without them!
And Now, I am home. I have been for a several days and again, haven't really been able to do all the things i needed to get done..not really surprised..but we will see. Number one chore on my list for this break is try to finish Kaplan and register to take the MCATs again..( im still not sure about taking them in Jan. or March) But im sure, ill figure it out, i usually do :)
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Vent time...
okay... this will be my venting blog.. it has A LOT to do when this ONE class i am enrolled in right now...and i am just.........* big breath*...soooo...frustrated with it all!!
For those who don't know.. I am currently enrolled in Immunology( my Biomed. capstone course)
Now, I have been looking forward to taking this class and the one next semester( Medical micro) since my Freshman year in college!! ( i know i am a nerd) WHY? you ask? well because out of all the classes that i have taken in my degree, THOSE two are most likely to resemble material that i might learn in med. school. and WILL benefit from.
Now don't get me wrong. I am enjoying what i am "learning"..but to be honest.. I am not learning as much as i would like to because the presentation and structure of the course is awful. i am constantly worried in that class. I think i am far enough into my college career that i should be able to follow a lecture and understand somewhat during..and go home..review and ask questions to further my knowledge. however, in this class... i am completely speechless because i have no idea what is being said.. or where this all fits in the bigger picture( which.. is not that hard, the entire class is on the human immune system!!!!!) HE(the professor who shall not be named)..thinks that the silence of the classroom when he asks if anyone has questions..is us understanding..when really its everyone not having the slightest clue what he just said...or what he was referring to. and if someone asks to repeat.. they would be given a snicker along with a head tilt( like aww... you don't understand??) and it will be repeated in the same exact manner... so you are still in square one!!
AND THEN! to tell us to not to pay too much attention to the details and learn the conceptual bigger picture..but then to go and ask a 4 point exam question on a detail sooooooo minuscule that you yourself skipped over and and mentioned in passing..giving the impression that its NOT THAT important in the" big picture" .
And that's just the Lecture part of the class
onto the Lab...
if HE actually was a researcher, organized this lab, WROTE the lab manual we are using and was constantly present in the lab hours. Wouldn't you think that the Lab would be smooth sailing???? the answer to that my friends, is NO!
There are only 2 sections in this lab A and B. I am in A which meets on Tuesday afternoons and B on Thurs. I can't even begin to count the number of times that due to "outside" factors the entire Section(A) did not get proper results... But yet SOMETHING would be fixed and the precious section B would execute everything properly and would get results.. that would then need to be given to section A. so what is really happening here is that section A becomes the guinea pig..and minor adjustments would be made for section B. I'M SORRY!! but if you claim that you have been doing this lab for 10 years, WROTE the lab manual and are present for all activity that goes in the lab... there should not be a single problem.. everything should run smoothly like it does it every other lab i have taken(with only a TA present)
Take this weeks lab for example. There were steps taken for the students to save time. Now i have no control over what someone else does. So if i am to run a Gel Electrophoresis, and the Gel was made incorrectly, it is not my fault that the results are not good. In the beginning, i had a feeling something was not right, so i raise my hand and bring attention to the matter. He attempts to fix the problem but then follows it by.. " oh....i shooould not have done theez"( there is an accent incorporated in these quotes)
And If a certain someones responsibly was placing a thin film(membrane) over my gel and it was put together backwards( therefore, i have LOST all my results) AGAIN, NOT my fault. but yet...i still get the snicker with a head tilt..along with a " oh....jyou guys...just meass everyting up!"
NOW i only pray that in med school they have professors that know HOW to teach and present the information in different manners for different "kinds of learners". BELIEVE ME, if i could read a textbook and understand everything in it perfectly without having to go to class... I would have done that by now. Although i think it is quite hilarious, that i happened to get a question right on a weekly quiz when i did not actually attend that portion of the lecture...and another question wrong when i was present on the lecture day. Perhaps i should skip class and just read it for myself more often.
For those who don't know.. I am currently enrolled in Immunology( my Biomed. capstone course)
Now, I have been looking forward to taking this class and the one next semester( Medical micro) since my Freshman year in college!! ( i know i am a nerd) WHY? you ask? well because out of all the classes that i have taken in my degree, THOSE two are most likely to resemble material that i might learn in med. school. and WILL benefit from.
Now don't get me wrong. I am enjoying what i am "learning"..but to be honest.. I am not learning as much as i would like to because the presentation and structure of the course is awful. i am constantly worried in that class. I think i am far enough into my college career that i should be able to follow a lecture and understand somewhat during..and go home..review and ask questions to further my knowledge. however, in this class... i am completely speechless because i have no idea what is being said.. or where this all fits in the bigger picture( which.. is not that hard, the entire class is on the human immune system!!!!!) HE(the professor who shall not be named)..thinks that the silence of the classroom when he asks if anyone has questions..is us understanding..when really its everyone not having the slightest clue what he just said...or what he was referring to. and if someone asks to repeat.. they would be given a snicker along with a head tilt( like aww... you don't understand??) and it will be repeated in the same exact manner... so you are still in square one!!
AND THEN! to tell us to not to pay too much attention to the details and learn the conceptual bigger picture..but then to go and ask a 4 point exam question on a detail sooooooo minuscule that you yourself skipped over and and mentioned in passing..giving the impression that its NOT THAT important in the" big picture" .
And that's just the Lecture part of the class
onto the Lab...
if HE actually was a researcher, organized this lab, WROTE the lab manual we are using and was constantly present in the lab hours. Wouldn't you think that the Lab would be smooth sailing???? the answer to that my friends, is NO!
There are only 2 sections in this lab A and B. I am in A which meets on Tuesday afternoons and B on Thurs. I can't even begin to count the number of times that due to "outside" factors the entire Section(A) did not get proper results... But yet SOMETHING would be fixed and the precious section B would execute everything properly and would get results.. that would then need to be given to section A. so what is really happening here is that section A becomes the guinea pig..and minor adjustments would be made for section B. I'M SORRY!! but if you claim that you have been doing this lab for 10 years, WROTE the lab manual and are present for all activity that goes in the lab... there should not be a single problem.. everything should run smoothly like it does it every other lab i have taken(with only a TA present)
Take this weeks lab for example. There were steps taken for the students to save time. Now i have no control over what someone else does. So if i am to run a Gel Electrophoresis, and the Gel was made incorrectly, it is not my fault that the results are not good. In the beginning, i had a feeling something was not right, so i raise my hand and bring attention to the matter. He attempts to fix the problem but then follows it by.. " oh....i shooould not have done theez"( there is an accent incorporated in these quotes)
And If a certain someones responsibly was placing a thin film(membrane) over my gel and it was put together backwards( therefore, i have LOST all my results) AGAIN, NOT my fault. but yet...i still get the snicker with a head tilt..along with a " oh....jyou guys...just meass everyting up!"
NOW i only pray that in med school they have professors that know HOW to teach and present the information in different manners for different "kinds of learners". BELIEVE ME, if i could read a textbook and understand everything in it perfectly without having to go to class... I would have done that by now. Although i think it is quite hilarious, that i happened to get a question right on a weekly quiz when i did not actually attend that portion of the lecture...and another question wrong when i was present on the lecture day. Perhaps i should skip class and just read it for myself more often.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
ohhh dear...
Well...
Its been a while since Ive had a moment to myself, let alone write down any thoughts i have.( i should be studying for an Immunology quiz right now)
*sigh* What can i say... Fall of Senior year has been ABSOLUTE madness. just . CRAZY! i cant even begin to put it into words.. other than those. With volunteering,club med, and actual school.... i am completely sleep deprived( might as well get used to it right??) All i want right now is just a day...okay maybe two...of nothing!! that's all...so that i can just be a couch potato and watch movies and not think and just sleep ALLLL DAAAYY if i wanted! ...sorry, I'm totally daydreaming about it right now.
School is like i said..crazy...i find that for some reason or other I'm struggling more than i ever did before! ( i thought senior year is supposed to be a breeze if you worked hard the other 3 years!...apparently not...or maybe this is really bad case of senioritis) But as i was walking in beautiful flagstaff weather, i was trying to think of what it was that different about this year... what is the factor that is missing..or what it was that i am doing/or not doing now ..that has caused me to be SO stressed and on edge all the time, and believe it or not..impatient. Then i realized.. I'm not singing anymore.. I knew that not singing would have a bit of an effect on me this year since I've been in choir since the 7Th grade and this year is the first which I'm not involved in any active choir or anything! But i had no idea it would be this big! I guess you really didn't know what you have until you loose it.. Not that i lost my singing ability..just the whole choir-ness...does that make sense? just singing with others and just being in that atmosphere was a huge stress outlet for me! Just that one hour of my day where i can put all thoughts away (family, school, whatever was going on) and just sing and try to sound good!
I had no idea how much of an outlet until now.
So i figured instead of singing... a new outlet would be if i take up regular exercise ( i did for a little while last spring ..but that didn't last for too long). My roommate and I have taken up P90X again last week. Which if you know the program at all,its pretty intense. I'm not however, finding it to be much of a stress outlet for me.. but i do feel healthier and getting into shape, which is good... downside: I'm more exhausted than ever.. I'm not gaining too much energy from it. But I will stick to it!
All and all...I'm just ready for something different in my life. Like the next chapter, ya know? Ive done the whole college thing. I'm usually not a fan of big changes.. i like stability and i like to know where I'm going ( which there have been several changes in this semester alone and I'm not exactly sure of my path for the next year at least, which could be another contributing factor to the stress mania.) But I'm just ready for something new...a new adventure!
but i figure that will come with time... but what i do need at this very moment but I'm in school so ... i cant...and i haven't saved any money for it... is a VACATION!! bad. I have never been on vacation to be honest. all the "vacations" i have attempted to take...have been nightmares really.. just a real vacation.. i can't wait until next summer! hahaha...
...and the countdown has officially begun.
Its been a while since Ive had a moment to myself, let alone write down any thoughts i have.( i should be studying for an Immunology quiz right now)
*sigh* What can i say... Fall of Senior year has been ABSOLUTE madness. just . CRAZY! i cant even begin to put it into words.. other than those. With volunteering,club med, and actual school.... i am completely sleep deprived( might as well get used to it right??) All i want right now is just a day...okay maybe two...of nothing!! that's all...so that i can just be a couch potato and watch movies and not think and just sleep ALLLL DAAAYY if i wanted! ...sorry, I'm totally daydreaming about it right now.
School is like i said..crazy...i find that for some reason or other I'm struggling more than i ever did before! ( i thought senior year is supposed to be a breeze if you worked hard the other 3 years!...apparently not...or maybe this is really bad case of senioritis) But as i was walking in beautiful flagstaff weather, i was trying to think of what it was that different about this year... what is the factor that is missing..or what it was that i am doing/or not doing now ..that has caused me to be SO stressed and on edge all the time, and believe it or not..impatient. Then i realized.. I'm not singing anymore.. I knew that not singing would have a bit of an effect on me this year since I've been in choir since the 7Th grade and this year is the first which I'm not involved in any active choir or anything! But i had no idea it would be this big! I guess you really didn't know what you have until you loose it.. Not that i lost my singing ability..just the whole choir-ness...does that make sense? just singing with others and just being in that atmosphere was a huge stress outlet for me! Just that one hour of my day where i can put all thoughts away (family, school, whatever was going on) and just sing and try to sound good!
I had no idea how much of an outlet until now.
So i figured instead of singing... a new outlet would be if i take up regular exercise ( i did for a little while last spring ..but that didn't last for too long). My roommate and I have taken up P90X again last week. Which if you know the program at all,its pretty intense. I'm not however, finding it to be much of a stress outlet for me.. but i do feel healthier and getting into shape, which is good... downside: I'm more exhausted than ever.. I'm not gaining too much energy from it. But I will stick to it!
All and all...I'm just ready for something different in my life. Like the next chapter, ya know? Ive done the whole college thing. I'm usually not a fan of big changes.. i like stability and i like to know where I'm going ( which there have been several changes in this semester alone and I'm not exactly sure of my path for the next year at least, which could be another contributing factor to the stress mania.) But I'm just ready for something new...a new adventure!
but i figure that will come with time... but what i do need at this very moment but I'm in school so ... i cant...and i haven't saved any money for it... is a VACATION!! bad. I have never been on vacation to be honest. all the "vacations" i have attempted to take...have been nightmares really.. just a real vacation.. i can't wait until next summer! hahaha...
...and the countdown has officially begun.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Once Upon a Time..
So
1. I can NOT stop listening to this song called Once Upon a Time..from Bare The Musical! ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS!!! such a beautiful song, wonderful words... I'm listening to it on repeat...(doesn't happen often)
2. I'm super excited for my friends fundraiser! And of course singing some awesome songs!
First week of classes was a little crazy to say the least. I'm taking Immunology(my capstone), Cellular and Molecular Biology, and Molecular Genetics, and Race and Ethnic relations( liberal studies) Its gonna be a tough semester...but I will learn a lot!
..and then on top of that I'm trying to get stuff together for Club Med..which I think I'm becoming very close to calling every doctor in the flagstaff area.And it was a battle trying to reserve a room in the Bio building to even have the meetings!! Then i had to deal with financial aid..which is a whole story on its own.
so this past weekend..i ended up with a cold/sore throat as a result. I'm really happy I don't have to deal with medical school applications during all this..otherwise...i think i would die...
Well thats all for now!
1. I can NOT stop listening to this song called Once Upon a Time..from Bare The Musical! ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS!!! such a beautiful song, wonderful words... I'm listening to it on repeat...(doesn't happen often)
2. I'm super excited for my friends fundraiser! And of course singing some awesome songs!
First week of classes was a little crazy to say the least. I'm taking Immunology(my capstone), Cellular and Molecular Biology, and Molecular Genetics, and Race and Ethnic relations( liberal studies) Its gonna be a tough semester...but I will learn a lot!
..and then on top of that I'm trying to get stuff together for Club Med..which I think I'm becoming very close to calling every doctor in the flagstaff area.And it was a battle trying to reserve a room in the Bio building to even have the meetings!! Then i had to deal with financial aid..which is a whole story on its own.
so this past weekend..i ended up with a cold/sore throat as a result. I'm really happy I don't have to deal with medical school applications during all this..otherwise...i think i would die...
Well thats all for now!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
An update on life..
okay..
so.
MCATs: didn't go as well as i would have liked, i was upset for a little while, but realized that this is a blessing in disguise. I will go through a Kaplan University course to help with my awful test taking skill for the MCATs and take them again in the spring! Then apply right after graduation. Essentially giving me a year off, to continue getting clinical experience and all that good stuff. I would really like to travel a little as well! ( ideally, Egypt..Italy, and Greece)But that is assuming i will have enough money to travel...anyway..thats off topic!!
I think will be a really strong applicant if i just wait a bit..which is what Ive wanted all along!
School: I took a 5-week Biochemistry class on campus in flagstaff this summer. I absolutely LOVED every minute of it. I learned a lot!( probably could have helped me a little on the mcat) I took it with Dr. Savage, who i previously had for General Chemistry my freshman year! Luckily, he recognized me..and i went into his office hours often to ask my crazy questions that are sometime off topic! lol. I got an A on all the exams!! and my final grade came out to an A as well ( i was a little worried i had done badly on the final bringing my grade down..but that wasn't the case!)
Clinical experiences: So I officially started Volunteering and Job shadowing this summer...after a LONG process of getting paperwork, and shots..and more paperwork. I spent an entire day with Dr. Marvel who is an anesthesiologist at Flagstaff Medical. It was a surprisingly slow day..so i got to see a lot of behind the scene stuff..without a lot of patients and people running around. Had really great conversations with him..about medical school, residency, applications, interviews. He let me in on some medical school inside jokes..(apparently ..I'm a while cloud, another story on its own) But most importantly he told me to start thinking about what i want out of the profession, and where i want to be in my life(not only as a doctor, but as a person) He said that if getting married and having a family and actually spending time with my family was important to me than maybe i should look into fields that will allow me to be flexible with my schedule compared to doctors that are always on call. So that was something interesting that ill have to eventually figure out. But as of right now, I'm just trying to get into med school!! lol
Volunteering has been interesting as well... some good stories here and there...but I'm just happy to be there and help as much as i can..even if it is for 4 hours a week. I'm starting to be recognized by some of the staff there..so they are asking me to do a lot more..which is cool. Just the other day..i got to stand and watch a doctor stitch up some man finger back together!! it was soooooooo cooool!! i could actually see the muscles of the finger..and i was watching how she was suturing..and its a lot more complicated than i thought...but i think with some practice in the future ill be able to stitch up a wound! SO COOL!
Life: So after the summer session was over in early august. I went home, and spent a good two weeks there. it was short and sweet( as i like to call my trips home) I saw tons of old friends..and a lot of time reminiscing :) It was great!
As of now.. i came back up to flag this past Sunday...and I'm happy some people are back in town like my awesome roommate. And i coincidentally found a good old friend from middle/high school here for her masters!! so its been great catching up and being in the same town again..and hanging out! Although there are some friends that are no longer coming back to flagstaff that i will miss VERY much! :) But such is life :)
so.
MCATs: didn't go as well as i would have liked, i was upset for a little while, but realized that this is a blessing in disguise. I will go through a Kaplan University course to help with my awful test taking skill for the MCATs and take them again in the spring! Then apply right after graduation. Essentially giving me a year off, to continue getting clinical experience and all that good stuff. I would really like to travel a little as well! ( ideally, Egypt..Italy, and Greece)But that is assuming i will have enough money to travel...anyway..thats off topic!!
I think will be a really strong applicant if i just wait a bit..which is what Ive wanted all along!
School: I took a 5-week Biochemistry class on campus in flagstaff this summer. I absolutely LOVED every minute of it. I learned a lot!( probably could have helped me a little on the mcat) I took it with Dr. Savage, who i previously had for General Chemistry my freshman year! Luckily, he recognized me..and i went into his office hours often to ask my crazy questions that are sometime off topic! lol. I got an A on all the exams!! and my final grade came out to an A as well ( i was a little worried i had done badly on the final bringing my grade down..but that wasn't the case!)
Clinical experiences: So I officially started Volunteering and Job shadowing this summer...after a LONG process of getting paperwork, and shots..and more paperwork. I spent an entire day with Dr. Marvel who is an anesthesiologist at Flagstaff Medical. It was a surprisingly slow day..so i got to see a lot of behind the scene stuff..without a lot of patients and people running around. Had really great conversations with him..about medical school, residency, applications, interviews. He let me in on some medical school inside jokes..(apparently ..I'm a while cloud, another story on its own) But most importantly he told me to start thinking about what i want out of the profession, and where i want to be in my life(not only as a doctor, but as a person) He said that if getting married and having a family and actually spending time with my family was important to me than maybe i should look into fields that will allow me to be flexible with my schedule compared to doctors that are always on call. So that was something interesting that ill have to eventually figure out. But as of right now, I'm just trying to get into med school!! lol
Volunteering has been interesting as well... some good stories here and there...but I'm just happy to be there and help as much as i can..even if it is for 4 hours a week. I'm starting to be recognized by some of the staff there..so they are asking me to do a lot more..which is cool. Just the other day..i got to stand and watch a doctor stitch up some man finger back together!! it was soooooooo cooool!! i could actually see the muscles of the finger..and i was watching how she was suturing..and its a lot more complicated than i thought...but i think with some practice in the future ill be able to stitch up a wound! SO COOL!
Life: So after the summer session was over in early august. I went home, and spent a good two weeks there. it was short and sweet( as i like to call my trips home) I saw tons of old friends..and a lot of time reminiscing :) It was great!
As of now.. i came back up to flag this past Sunday...and I'm happy some people are back in town like my awesome roommate. And i coincidentally found a good old friend from middle/high school here for her masters!! so its been great catching up and being in the same town again..and hanging out! Although there are some friends that are no longer coming back to flagstaff that i will miss VERY much! :) But such is life :)
Friday, June 12, 2009
The Plan
So here is the plan..
I take the MCATs on June 18th( 6 days) and if the score is up to my standards..i apply in July/August.
If the score is not up to my standards and I know I can do better.. I want to wait a year...take them next April..and apply right after graduation! Hence this means I will have a year to work and figure out what is next to come after graduation.. its not necessarily a bad thing . Along with the waiting a year...i think it will make my application stronger, if I have a year worth of volunteering/job shadowing!
I really just hope that all aspects of my application are strong..so its not such a toss up whether i get accepted or not!
So we shall see what happens next!
I take the MCATs on June 18th( 6 days) and if the score is up to my standards..i apply in July/August.
If the score is not up to my standards and I know I can do better.. I want to wait a year...take them next April..and apply right after graduation! Hence this means I will have a year to work and figure out what is next to come after graduation.. its not necessarily a bad thing . Along with the waiting a year...i think it will make my application stronger, if I have a year worth of volunteering/job shadowing!
I really just hope that all aspects of my application are strong..so its not such a toss up whether i get accepted or not!
So we shall see what happens next!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Hello!
As I sit here contemplating the start of my senior year in college, I realize that for the first time in a LONG time.. I have no idea where my life will be a year from now. I've always had a plan, always been prepared for what is to come.. but it all depends now on a 6 hour(MCAT)exam that I will be taking on June 18th at approximately 2 PM. I pray that I will do my best and get a score that I will be happy with. I'm at a point where I have put in many hours of studying, and feel as if whatever is meant to happen will happen. Although I am in no means, giving up that easily.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
