Finals week is a nice distant memory. I'm going to assume that I didn't completely toast either of the two finals that I had to take, because I managed to pull off a 4.0 for fall semester. I was totally happy with that result! I was really sweating the orgo final, and I think the instructor took into account that I did work really hard even though most of my test scores weren't great. I am eternally grateful for such an awesome teacher.
On the Monday after my last final, I had surgery on my left foot. I can't put any weight on the foot until further notice, and I'm starting to get a little nervous about that because classes start back on 1/9. I'm hoping when I go back in to the doctor to get my stitches out that he puts me in some kind of walking cast. I have classes back to back on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 8am to noon, and the last three are in three different buildings that are a little further away than I think I can walk in 10 minutes. I guess I'll beg my professors to forgive me if I don't make it on time for the first few weeks. I did contact the disabled services director at CSU, and she replied that since my "disability" will not last more than six months, they don't have to help me at all according to the ADA. It's nice to know that CSU will only accommodate you as far as the ADA forces them. Boo. I've pretty much learned that any help in place for disabled people is more geared towards those on wheels than those on crutches. The handicapped stall in bathrooms is ALWAYS the last one, and the thought of traversing a slippery tile floor on crutches for any more distance than is absolutely necessary is quite unnerving. Not to mention that walking on crutches wears me completely out. But I guess it's exercise, right? I really don't think I want to wheel around in my wheelchair on campus, but I am not sure I can crutch it for such long distances either. I'm just hoping I'm getting around better by then.
So my schedule next semester is NUTS. I'm retaking Chem 2 to replace the C I made the first time I took it. That's on MWF at 8am. At 9am is orgo 2, thankfully in the same room. Then at 10am, I have to be in Howard Hall for cellular biology, and then it's back to Jordan for genetics at 11. On Mondays I also have orgo 2 lab at 1, and then political science at 4:30 on Monday and Wednesday. Lab for genetics is on Wednesday at 1:30, and lab for cellular bio is Thursday at 9:30am. I don't have any classes on Tuesday, but I have to come on campus anyway for either AMSA or Tri-Beta. I'm a little worried about taking such a heavy load, and I'm prepared to unload chem 2 if it gets too heavy.
I've really enjoyed having a month off. I meant to keep up with orgo over the break so that I would be ahead, but so far I've been on complete brain break. I had the surgery on Dec 12, and I've been pretty much recovering from that and being useless. This week we're in Saint Augustine for our yearly family vacation. I love coming down here, there's lots to do and the weather is just fabulous. But I've been pretty much useless here too because I can't get around as well.
The osteopathic medical school in Dothan received their pre-accreditation a couple of weeks ago. They plan to break ground next month and be finished in time for the first class in fall 2013. It's looking like I'll be in the class of 2014 at this point. *fingers crossed* I'm just keeping an eye on everything going on down there. It's very exciting!
I guess that is everything for now. I'll try to be better about keeping up here. Ciao!
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Finals week
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That is all. See you next week.
That is all. See you next week.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Winding Down
So I'm counting on one hand how many class days in each subject I have left before the semester is over. I have an exam in Orgo on Monday, and I haven't studied as much as I'd like. So I'm spending today in the books. Well, actually, I'm doing everything BUT studying -- including writing a blog post. The hubby and kids were supposed to leave the house before 9am for a pancake breakfast, and they are still here. I can't study very well when hubby is watching Netflix and the kids are playing the piano. I'm waiting for blissful silence so I can immerse myself in studying. In silence. Yeah, we'll see what happens if it ever gets quiet in here.
I have really enjoyed this semester, but all I can think about is it being OVER and having a month off. Of course, I'm planning to stay in the books over the break so I can start Orgo 2 a little ahead. We'll see what happens with that too. Somehow I see myself in pajamas all day after waking at noon, playing video games all day and reading trash. That's probably more closely aligned with reality. But I continue to kid myself.
As the semester comes to a close, I am reflecting on everything I've learned and the really awesome things that have happened. I've met a lot of people since I started at CSU, and some of those have become some really great friends. I still see a lot of the folks that went to the Bahamas in May when we run into each other on campus. I've gotten closer with some of the AMSA folks, and apparently all the old folks flock together in Honors (PJ and Don!). I'm starting to feel kinda at home at CSU. Even the faculty is starting to grow on me, and I'm not one to get along with teachers for the most part. Apparently I can be a bit of a pain in the butt with my obsessing over grades and constant need for clarification. I think that comes with the pre-med package, I do try not to be a diva.
So as the days tick by and I spend increasing amounts of time in the Honors study lounge (with COOKIES!), I hope that I am able to be in every moment instead of wishing it away. Because it seems like people look back on college with some degree of nostalgia, so I should be enjoying it instead of dreading it. But sometimes ingesting copious amounts of coffee and junk food coupled with the stress of finals staring you down can create a negative attitude, not to mention some crazy digestive disorders. I just hope when it's over all the hard work will pay off, and I can cruise into Christmas without regret. Not too much to ask, right?
I have really enjoyed this semester, but all I can think about is it being OVER and having a month off. Of course, I'm planning to stay in the books over the break so I can start Orgo 2 a little ahead. We'll see what happens with that too. Somehow I see myself in pajamas all day after waking at noon, playing video games all day and reading trash. That's probably more closely aligned with reality. But I continue to kid myself.
As the semester comes to a close, I am reflecting on everything I've learned and the really awesome things that have happened. I've met a lot of people since I started at CSU, and some of those have become some really great friends. I still see a lot of the folks that went to the Bahamas in May when we run into each other on campus. I've gotten closer with some of the AMSA folks, and apparently all the old folks flock together in Honors (PJ and Don!). I'm starting to feel kinda at home at CSU. Even the faculty is starting to grow on me, and I'm not one to get along with teachers for the most part. Apparently I can be a bit of a pain in the butt with my obsessing over grades and constant need for clarification. I think that comes with the pre-med package, I do try not to be a diva.
So as the days tick by and I spend increasing amounts of time in the Honors study lounge (with COOKIES!), I hope that I am able to be in every moment instead of wishing it away. Because it seems like people look back on college with some degree of nostalgia, so I should be enjoying it instead of dreading it. But sometimes ingesting copious amounts of coffee and junk food coupled with the stress of finals staring you down can create a negative attitude, not to mention some crazy digestive disorders. I just hope when it's over all the hard work will pay off, and I can cruise into Christmas without regret. Not too much to ask, right?
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Loving My Life Right Now!
I'm not sure if it's just the air of gratefulness surrounding this month, but I am so incredibly happy right now. I feel like I've found a groove with school, and things just seem to be going smoothly. I'm really enjoying all of my classes, and it's only a few more weeks before winter break. I'm looking forward to having some time off! It looks like I'll be having surgery on my feet while I'm on break. I have deformed feet! Actually, I have bunions on both of my feet, I was actually born with them. My Mom had them and so did my grandmother. I hope I didn't pass it to any of my kids. Hopefully John's feet were dominant! But it's possible that I will have both feet in casts, and I won't be able to bear weight at least on the left foot for eight weeks. I'm already trying to think about navigating my spring classes in a wheelchair. But hopefully once I get this done, my feet will stop hurting! I know, let's cut something open, break it, screw some metal to it, and boom! No pain! I know recovery will be a booger, but my Mom had it done a few years ago, and she said her feet don't hurt any more. That will be so nice.
I haven't blogged in ages, and I felt like I should check in here and update, but there's not a whole lot going on besides school, church, and kids. Thanksgiving is coming up, and I'm really excited about spending time with family and eating some turkey. I have been working with the Center for International Education a lot lately with the global ambassadors. We had a reunion last week for everyone who studied abroad, and we also had a slideshow contest. Our group (Andros Maymester Trip) won the contest! We won movie tickets and we've agreed that we're all going together! I've been doing various class visits to encourage students to get involved with Study Abroad. I loved my experience, and I enjoy telling others about how they can make it happen for them.
AMSA is the American Medical Student Association, and I've been attending meetings every other Tuesday at lunchtime. We have all kinds of different presentations -- an orthopedic surgeon who is also an osteopathic doctor lectured one week. I was really excited to hear from another DO. Last week, a representative from PCOM-GA visited. PCOM-GA is the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine -- GA Campus. They are located in Suwanee, GA. I am really excited about becoming a DO, and I know it's just the right fit for me. Osteopathic physicians treat the whole patient, and not just the presenting symptoms.
John and I went down to Dothan, AL to visit the hospital that is building the osteopathic school there in town. We also drove by the location of the school, although nothing is going on there just now. They are still in the pre-accreditation phase, and hopefully by next summer we'll see some progress on the actual building of the school. But it was really exciting to visit the area.
One last thing I'd like to mention here today: I hate pizza! I'm not talking about a good New York slice from an authentic restaurant, I'm talking about your average joe delivery pizza-in-a-box. It seems to be the main sustenance of the college student, but I must protest. Every single meeting that I attend (every Tuesday and every other Thursday) involves pizza. I'm usually really hungry and do appreciate the free-ness of the meal, so I eat it anyway. But I swear, once I graduate, I am never eating delivery pizza again. I was commenting the other day that we have lived in the boonies so long (7 years), that we haven't been able to have pizza delivered. But I also realized that I have not missed it one bit!
So that's pretty much what's going on with me right now. I'm sure there's more, but I stay caught up in the busy-ness of school, so it's hard to remember what all to update. Until next time!
I haven't blogged in ages, and I felt like I should check in here and update, but there's not a whole lot going on besides school, church, and kids. Thanksgiving is coming up, and I'm really excited about spending time with family and eating some turkey. I have been working with the Center for International Education a lot lately with the global ambassadors. We had a reunion last week for everyone who studied abroad, and we also had a slideshow contest. Our group (Andros Maymester Trip) won the contest! We won movie tickets and we've agreed that we're all going together! I've been doing various class visits to encourage students to get involved with Study Abroad. I loved my experience, and I enjoy telling others about how they can make it happen for them.
AMSA is the American Medical Student Association, and I've been attending meetings every other Tuesday at lunchtime. We have all kinds of different presentations -- an orthopedic surgeon who is also an osteopathic doctor lectured one week. I was really excited to hear from another DO. Last week, a representative from PCOM-GA visited. PCOM-GA is the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine -- GA Campus. They are located in Suwanee, GA. I am really excited about becoming a DO, and I know it's just the right fit for me. Osteopathic physicians treat the whole patient, and not just the presenting symptoms.
John and I went down to Dothan, AL to visit the hospital that is building the osteopathic school there in town. We also drove by the location of the school, although nothing is going on there just now. They are still in the pre-accreditation phase, and hopefully by next summer we'll see some progress on the actual building of the school. But it was really exciting to visit the area.
One last thing I'd like to mention here today: I hate pizza! I'm not talking about a good New York slice from an authentic restaurant, I'm talking about your average joe delivery pizza-in-a-box. It seems to be the main sustenance of the college student, but I must protest. Every single meeting that I attend (every Tuesday and every other Thursday) involves pizza. I'm usually really hungry and do appreciate the free-ness of the meal, so I eat it anyway. But I swear, once I graduate, I am never eating delivery pizza again. I was commenting the other day that we have lived in the boonies so long (7 years), that we haven't been able to have pizza delivered. But I also realized that I have not missed it one bit!
So that's pretty much what's going on with me right now. I'm sure there's more, but I stay caught up in the busy-ness of school, so it's hard to remember what all to update. Until next time!
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Halfway there!
Wow, it's advising week! That means that we're halfway done with Fall semester. It has flown by very quickly. I have to make an appointment with my adviser, and then it won't be long before early registration starts. What's really exciting is the big long break I'll have between fall and spring semesters. We will be going to St. Augustine the week after Christmas, and I'm going to pick up a copy of Organic Chemistry II as a Second Language for perusing during the break. I can't believe how quickly everything is going, and how not quite quickly enough it seems sometimes.
I got a position with the Center for International Education as a global ambassador. That means that I participate in information tables and class visits spreading the word about Study Abroad. I did a presentation last week, and let's just say I hope the next one goes better. We have information tables once or twice a week, and I "man" those in between classes. We are also planning a Study Abroad fair in the next few weeks. It's such a great opportunity, and I think if more students knew how awesome it is, they'd want to get in on it.
Anyway, not much going on other than school, kids, church, and KNITTING! :) I've completed half of a project without moving on to something else. Well, it is a pair of reading mitts, so it's not going to take a long time to complete. But that's all I have the attention span for currently anyway.
I guess that's it for the update, I'll try to check back in when it's more exciting. :)
I got a position with the Center for International Education as a global ambassador. That means that I participate in information tables and class visits spreading the word about Study Abroad. I did a presentation last week, and let's just say I hope the next one goes better. We have information tables once or twice a week, and I "man" those in between classes. We are also planning a Study Abroad fair in the next few weeks. It's such a great opportunity, and I think if more students knew how awesome it is, they'd want to get in on it.
Anyway, not much going on other than school, kids, church, and KNITTING! :) I've completed half of a project without moving on to something else. Well, it is a pair of reading mitts, so it's not going to take a long time to complete. But that's all I have the attention span for currently anyway.
I guess that's it for the update, I'll try to check back in when it's more exciting. :)
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Keeping up
I'm really not sure how students (or anyone, for that matter) kept up with their schedules before smartphones. I'm sure I could carry a calendar around and consult it every five minutes to see where I'm supposed to be next, but I have a hard enough time showing up in the right place at the right time when my phone sends me alerts. I feel like my schedule is so very tight right now. I'm not complaining, I love that I'm actively working towards my goals almost every minute of the day. But sometimes I feel really conflicted when a friend wants to have lunch, but I have a 12 pm class. I worry that at the end of this entire trip, I won't have any friends left and my family won't remember who I am. I guess I need to pull out my calendar and schedule some open time. HAHA!
Next week is fall break. What I imagine I will do during that week is sleep in, play video games, and knit. What will probably happen is I will be catching up on reading for classes and trying to tame the laundry monster. But it's OK, it's still a break, and I won't be burning up the road trying to make it to class on time. AND I won't have to pray for a parking place, either.
I've been working on Friday afternoons shadowing a local pediatrician for the last few months. She has taken on a couple of medical students and a medical assistant who needs hours to graduate, so I will have a few weeks off from that. I really love working in pediatrics -- kids are fun, and it's mostly a nice variety of cases that come in. The doctor that I work with is really nice, and she takes every opportunity to teach me. I still have to find a D.O. to shadow for my med school application, but I've gotten very comfortable here. I could definitely see a future in pediatrics.
Have I said long and loud enough how much I love my organic chemistry professor? I lost sleep over this class before it started, and now it's the one I look forward to the most. We had a lab mid-term yesterday, and guess who made a 100 on it? Yep, me. :) I have to do honors contracts for the honors program, which means that I sign up for an extra project in one of my regular classes to make it an honors level class. I approached Dr. Rugutt about doing a contract for organic chemistry, and he gave me a project! I just have to wait for the honors approval in order to proceed. We will be doing a project called Green Synthesis of a Novel Anti-Breast Cancer Chalcone. Chalcones are produced by citrus fruits, and they have anti-cancer properties. So I will be performing a lab sythesis and writing a paper on the results. I also have to present at Tower Day in the spring and submit my report to the undergraduate journal at CSU. So before I even finish my undergrad degree, I'll be published. :) Isn't that cool? It's totally win-win.
So things are moving along. The biggest lesson I've learned since I started this journey is to never avoid something unpleasant that is a part of getting you to your goal. I decided years ago that I did not want to be a doctor because I didn't want to deal with chemistry. I was afraid of a little science class! I'm sure there are much bigger obstacles, but chemistry was the big giant standing in my way, and I cowered for too many years. The other lesson I learned that is not quite as big is never take chemistry 2 in the summer, you're just setting yourself up for disaster.
I have to say even though my schedule is a tight fit, and there are some other things I don't quite have a handle on, I am as happy as I have ever been. I am working my behind off with studying and other school activities, but I feel like I am moving towards what I was put on this earth for, and it makes it all worth it.
Next week is fall break. What I imagine I will do during that week is sleep in, play video games, and knit. What will probably happen is I will be catching up on reading for classes and trying to tame the laundry monster. But it's OK, it's still a break, and I won't be burning up the road trying to make it to class on time. AND I won't have to pray for a parking place, either.
I've been working on Friday afternoons shadowing a local pediatrician for the last few months. She has taken on a couple of medical students and a medical assistant who needs hours to graduate, so I will have a few weeks off from that. I really love working in pediatrics -- kids are fun, and it's mostly a nice variety of cases that come in. The doctor that I work with is really nice, and she takes every opportunity to teach me. I still have to find a D.O. to shadow for my med school application, but I've gotten very comfortable here. I could definitely see a future in pediatrics.
Have I said long and loud enough how much I love my organic chemistry professor? I lost sleep over this class before it started, and now it's the one I look forward to the most. We had a lab mid-term yesterday, and guess who made a 100 on it? Yep, me. :) I have to do honors contracts for the honors program, which means that I sign up for an extra project in one of my regular classes to make it an honors level class. I approached Dr. Rugutt about doing a contract for organic chemistry, and he gave me a project! I just have to wait for the honors approval in order to proceed. We will be doing a project called Green Synthesis of a Novel Anti-Breast Cancer Chalcone. Chalcones are produced by citrus fruits, and they have anti-cancer properties. So I will be performing a lab sythesis and writing a paper on the results. I also have to present at Tower Day in the spring and submit my report to the undergraduate journal at CSU. So before I even finish my undergrad degree, I'll be published. :) Isn't that cool? It's totally win-win.
So things are moving along. The biggest lesson I've learned since I started this journey is to never avoid something unpleasant that is a part of getting you to your goal. I decided years ago that I did not want to be a doctor because I didn't want to deal with chemistry. I was afraid of a little science class! I'm sure there are much bigger obstacles, but chemistry was the big giant standing in my way, and I cowered for too many years. The other lesson I learned that is not quite as big is never take chemistry 2 in the summer, you're just setting yourself up for disaster.
I have to say even though my schedule is a tight fit, and there are some other things I don't quite have a handle on, I am as happy as I have ever been. I am working my behind off with studying and other school activities, but I feel like I am moving towards what I was put on this earth for, and it makes it all worth it.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Stuff
I never know what the title should be on some of these entries. I put "Stuff" up there, hoping I'll be inspired by something I write and then change the title. We'll see what happens
The first organic chemistry test was great, he gave us some very good study tips, and I made a...
Wait for it...
ONE FREAKING HUNDRED. Yep. I was VERY shocked. I hope that I can keep it up. An A in orgo would just make my life.
I have to give credit to my professor. He is very thorough and takes as much time as we need to understand a concept. He told us that he goes to church and prays on Sunday about what to put on the test. He really wants us to learn, not just pass.
I applied for a Global Ambassador position at the Center for International Education, and I got it! I will be attending various informational events for Study Abroad, and maybe even giving presentations to students interested in studying abroad. We have so many great opportunities for studying abroad. You can read about my Bahamas study abroad trip at this Andros Blog link. So now I get to spend this semester and spring semester telling people about all the upcoming trips! I've got my eye on a trip to Oxford next summer. Hopefully it will work out.
I've been shadowing a local pediatrician at her office on Friday afternoons for a couple of months now. I really think pediatrics is where I'm leaning. I know my background is women's health, but I am pretty sure I don't want to be an OB/GYN. I'm hoping to get some more shadowing experience from other specialties. But I'm pretty sure I'm going to stick with family practice or pediatrics. I also think it would be cool to work at an urgent care clinic. I think that has something to do with me being ADD.
Working with the pediatrician has been interesting. Sometimes it's disappointing seeing things from her side. I've taken my kids to the doctor, and I wonder now what the doctor must have thought when he left the room after a visit. Now I have a front-row seat. Not to mention, this is Alabama. I used to think it was a stereotype that Alabama is backwards and weird. But after one chick shows up barefoot and soaking wet with her kid in nothing but a diaper, I had to think again. There are some crazy people in my town, and that is just one example. I could go on, but there is HIPAA. I'm having a blast, though. I am learning a lot about pediatrics, and so far I like it.
I guess this is a bit of a long post, I'll try to post more often so it won't be such an immense post. Until next time!
The first organic chemistry test was great, he gave us some very good study tips, and I made a...
Wait for it...
ONE FREAKING HUNDRED. Yep. I was VERY shocked. I hope that I can keep it up. An A in orgo would just make my life.
I have to give credit to my professor. He is very thorough and takes as much time as we need to understand a concept. He told us that he goes to church and prays on Sunday about what to put on the test. He really wants us to learn, not just pass.
I applied for a Global Ambassador position at the Center for International Education, and I got it! I will be attending various informational events for Study Abroad, and maybe even giving presentations to students interested in studying abroad. We have so many great opportunities for studying abroad. You can read about my Bahamas study abroad trip at this Andros Blog link. So now I get to spend this semester and spring semester telling people about all the upcoming trips! I've got my eye on a trip to Oxford next summer. Hopefully it will work out.
I've been shadowing a local pediatrician at her office on Friday afternoons for a couple of months now. I really think pediatrics is where I'm leaning. I know my background is women's health, but I am pretty sure I don't want to be an OB/GYN. I'm hoping to get some more shadowing experience from other specialties. But I'm pretty sure I'm going to stick with family practice or pediatrics. I also think it would be cool to work at an urgent care clinic. I think that has something to do with me being ADD.
Working with the pediatrician has been interesting. Sometimes it's disappointing seeing things from her side. I've taken my kids to the doctor, and I wonder now what the doctor must have thought when he left the room after a visit. Now I have a front-row seat. Not to mention, this is Alabama. I used to think it was a stereotype that Alabama is backwards and weird. But after one chick shows up barefoot and soaking wet with her kid in nothing but a diaper, I had to think again. There are some crazy people in my town, and that is just one example. I could go on, but there is HIPAA. I'm having a blast, though. I am learning a lot about pediatrics, and so far I like it.
I guess this is a bit of a long post, I'll try to post more often so it won't be such an immense post. Until next time!
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
I'm still slogging through!
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| From VeryDemotivational.com |
The weather yesterday was lovely, and I hope that it doesn't spike up to 90 degrees again before Fall settles in for good. The temperature was about 66, and it was so nice. Of course it was a little overcast and rainy, but it was totally worth it. I think I posted on my Facebook that if it continued to stay so hot I would shave my head. Thank God that I didn't have to follow up with that! I have a thousand sweaters in my closet just waiting for temps in the 50s.
Organic Chemistry is going alright, I think my professor is still taking it slowly for us. He gives us a lot of ideas about questions that might be on the MCAT, and I am very grateful for that. It seems he has cleared up a lot of gaps I had from Chem 1 and 2 in the first few weeks. Hopefully I'll understand this at some point. I like the professor a lot, he's very thorough.
I hate to throw all my other classes into a group together, but orgo is really the challenge this semester. The rest of them are going great, I'm able to understand what's going on there without a ton of effort so I can concentrate on passing orgo.
I had my first exam last night in Concepts of Fitness. It was simple enough, I just read the chapters and the study guide. I have a Bio 1215 exam on Thursday. So far in that class he's gone over stuff I learned in A&P 1 and 2. I'm sure it will get more challenging as it goes along. But by this time in Chem 1 and 2, I was pretty lost. :) The big orgo test is next Friday. I am giving it proper respect. I keep thinking I should get in a study group, but every group I've been involved in so far descends into chaos and silly youtube videos. I have a lot of ADD folks in my classes it seems.
So there's the first Fall update for the blog. I was going to write a whole post on the horrible Monday that was August 26, but I think I still need therapy on that one. Maybe next post.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
You threw off my groove!
School starts back on Monday, and while that should fill me with dread, I am SOOOO looking forward to it! I love my family, and I love being home, but I will be really glad to get back down to the business of finishing my undergrad degree. Not to mention that when I'm home I feel the need to organize and clean and boss people around. My kids will probably be glad to send me back to school as well. I rented a bunch of my books this time around because I didn't have the money to get them on my iPad. I get my refund in a couple of weeks, but a lot of professors are real sticklers about you having your books on hand the first day. Seems they should release your money earlier if they are going to be like that. But I don't look forward to lugging around paper books when they could all be snug in my iPad.
I feel like being off for too long throws off my groove. I am afraid that the stuff I've learned starts leaking out of my ears if I don't shove more stuff in there quickly enough. Anyway, I'm off to take the kids to the movies!
I feel like being off for too long throws off my groove. I am afraid that the stuff I've learned starts leaking out of my ears if I don't shove more stuff in there quickly enough. Anyway, I'm off to take the kids to the movies!
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Ah, well.
The final grades were posted today, and I got a C in Chemistry 2. It didn't affect my GPA too badly -- still a 3.9. I guess I had hoped that I would keep a 4.0 through the whole 4 years. I certainly didn't expect to get a C, but there it is. It's definitely not a habit I want to get into, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. So now to put it behind me and concentrate on success in fall semester.
School starts back August 15, it just doesn't seem like much of a break. But after fall semester, I will have almost a month off. I'm taking Organic Chemistry 1 (with lab), Research Methods in Biology, Principles of Biology, American Government, Concepts of Fitness, and two Honors classes: Culinary Arts and Historical Venues. The Fitness class is only half the term, and the two honors classes only meet four times each. So it's actually a pretty light semester for me. The American Government class is online, which will be nice.
I'm looking forward to getting started, I've been pretty useless since I've been off. I've had a nasty chest cold and I can't seem to get enough energy to accomplish anything useful. I've done some knitting and I've watched the whole first season and part of the second season of Doctor Who with my kids. It's been very relaxing. I'm sure my hubby would like it better if I'd accomplish something else. :) But hopefully next week I'll feel better and I can attack a few projects in the house.
School starts back August 15, it just doesn't seem like much of a break. But after fall semester, I will have almost a month off. I'm taking Organic Chemistry 1 (with lab), Research Methods in Biology, Principles of Biology, American Government, Concepts of Fitness, and two Honors classes: Culinary Arts and Historical Venues. The Fitness class is only half the term, and the two honors classes only meet four times each. So it's actually a pretty light semester for me. The American Government class is online, which will be nice.
I'm looking forward to getting started, I've been pretty useless since I've been off. I've had a nasty chest cold and I can't seem to get enough energy to accomplish anything useful. I've done some knitting and I've watched the whole first season and part of the second season of Doctor Who with my kids. It's been very relaxing. I'm sure my hubby would like it better if I'd accomplish something else. :) But hopefully next week I'll feel better and I can attack a few projects in the house.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Oops.
So I didn't do very well on that second chem test either. 71. Ew. I'm meeting with my professor tomorrow to get some advice. We only have 2 weeks left in class, so I'm worried that I can't turn this grade around before it's over. Gah, I hope he gives some extra credit or something. I am doing OK in the lab, I think. I've made 100s on all labs but one, and that was a 97.5. Hopefully I did OK on the exam in lab last week. We have another chem test this Friday, and then another one the following Thursday, and then that's the end. Praying that something clicks here soon.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Chemistry is another language
And I don't seem to be speaking it very well. I'm going to class, taking notes, reading the chapters, working the examples, everything I can think of! I didn't do really well on the first test. We had our second test today and I'm hoping I did better. I keep thinking I'll look back on this and it will make sense. I really hope so, anyway. I still have more chemistry in my future.
In other news, I have experienced an example of the stereotypical pre-med student. She is in my chem2 class, and she can be a trial. She's rude to the teacher, she corrects him constantly, and she asks questions that she already knows the answers to. I'm not sure what she's trying to accomplish, but if it's getting on EVERYONE'S nerves, she can mark that goal off her list. Dude, she is not pleasant.
So here's me hoping that all this studying finally starts sticking and I get a good grade in chemistry this time around. I do have to prove to my adviser that I can juggle. ;)
In other news, I have experienced an example of the stereotypical pre-med student. She is in my chem2 class, and she can be a trial. She's rude to the teacher, she corrects him constantly, and she asks questions that she already knows the answers to. I'm not sure what she's trying to accomplish, but if it's getting on EVERYONE'S nerves, she can mark that goal off her list. Dude, she is not pleasant.
So here's me hoping that all this studying finally starts sticking and I get a good grade in chemistry this time around. I do have to prove to my adviser that I can juggle. ;)
Monday, June 20, 2011
Little slow right now...
Things are about to pick up again since Chemistry 2 class starts on Wednesday. I've had a nice laid-back few weeks, even though I have taken some summer classes. There was, of course, the trip to the Bahamas for biology, and you can read about that at Andros Blog if you wish.
I'm taking a swimming class on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 7-8am. That sounded like a really good idea during registration. It's not as fun getting up that early. But my other option was Tae Kwon Do in the evenings, and I would be out til almost 9pm. Swimming is a lot better, I think. I'm also taking an online Anthropology class, and that's going pretty well. We had a test on Friday, and I think I did alright. I'm still waiting for that grade.
I guess it's going to get pretty crazy once the Chemistry class starts. It's only a 5-week class, and I can't imagine cramming all that information into such a small period of time. Hopefully it will all work out. I've heard this instructor is really good, and I did get to meet him when he substituted for my Chem 1 lab teacher once during spring semester. I'm actually looking forward to this class, I'm ready to finish all the chemistry so I can get into my biology!
Hours-wise I will be a junior in the fall, if everything works out this summer. I'm getting a little nervous, this is going so fast! I can't believe that I might be one of the entering class at ACOM in 2013. That just doesn't sound doable at all at this point. But I'm working my tail off, so hopefully something great will come of it!
I'm taking a swimming class on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 7-8am. That sounded like a really good idea during registration. It's not as fun getting up that early. But my other option was Tae Kwon Do in the evenings, and I would be out til almost 9pm. Swimming is a lot better, I think. I'm also taking an online Anthropology class, and that's going pretty well. We had a test on Friday, and I think I did alright. I'm still waiting for that grade.
I guess it's going to get pretty crazy once the Chemistry class starts. It's only a 5-week class, and I can't imagine cramming all that information into such a small period of time. Hopefully it will all work out. I've heard this instructor is really good, and I did get to meet him when he substituted for my Chem 1 lab teacher once during spring semester. I'm actually looking forward to this class, I'm ready to finish all the chemistry so I can get into my biology!
Hours-wise I will be a junior in the fall, if everything works out this summer. I'm getting a little nervous, this is going so fast! I can't believe that I might be one of the entering class at ACOM in 2013. That just doesn't sound doable at all at this point. But I'm working my tail off, so hopefully something great will come of it!
Friday, June 3, 2011
Summer is kinda cool
Sometimes I think I should put up a playlist of the music I'm listening to when I'm posting on here, I think it might add to the experience if you could hear what I'm hearing while I'm writing. SO right now I'm listening to Flyleaf's "So I Thought." It's a cool song and it's kinda fun to blog to.
I'm coasting along this week, we didn't have scheduled classes, but we met Tuesday through Thursday to work on our presentations, which we gave today. I think they went well. I like working with Parag and Hema, they really know their stuff, and I really don't. I did OK on the introduction, but I haven't had the class where they learned how to do these ecology presentations. (that would be Ecology class, haha!) So the presentations are behind us, and we have our final on Monday. We also have to turn in our field notebooks for Dr. Ballenger to grade.
I start the second part of summer term on Tuesday the 14th. I'm taking Chem 2, Cultural Anthropology and Swimming. Then I'll have two weeks off before Fall semester starts. It feels like it's going so fast! I'm taking Organic Chemistry in the Fall. I can't even imagine what that's going to be like. But I'll just take it one day at a time as usual.
**Edited to add: I made an A on the Bahamas class! WOOHOO!
I'm coasting along this week, we didn't have scheduled classes, but we met Tuesday through Thursday to work on our presentations, which we gave today. I think they went well. I like working with Parag and Hema, they really know their stuff, and I really don't. I did OK on the introduction, but I haven't had the class where they learned how to do these ecology presentations. (that would be Ecology class, haha!) So the presentations are behind us, and we have our final on Monday. We also have to turn in our field notebooks for Dr. Ballenger to grade.
I start the second part of summer term on Tuesday the 14th. I'm taking Chem 2, Cultural Anthropology and Swimming. Then I'll have two weeks off before Fall semester starts. It feels like it's going so fast! I'm taking Organic Chemistry in the Fall. I can't even imagine what that's going to be like. But I'll just take it one day at a time as usual.
**Edited to add: I made an A on the Bahamas class! WOOHOO!
Monday, May 16, 2011
OK This kinda rocks...
For the summer term, I'm taking a Biology class that involves a study abroad trip to Andros, Bahamas. It's an ecology class, and this week we are attending the pre-trip classes. I'm very excited about the trip, but there is a LOT to learn. We also have to watch out for crazy poisonwood trees, jellyfish, sharks, lion fish, and some kind of wicked horsefly that will chew a hole in your head and eat your brains. I don't think it will eat your brains, but that sounded really scary, right? This poisonwood is related to poison ivy and the like, but it's incredibly potent and will even affect people who aren't allergic to poison ivy. Apparently the rash is wicked painful and itchy.
So the class today was very fun and interesting. Our instructor showed up wearing her dog in a sling. I thought, "Wow, this is going to be an awesome class!" Her dog had an appointment at the veterinarian, and heck, it's a summer class. So the whole time she is lecturing, her little doggy is just hanging out there in front of her, taking a nap or licking her paws. I have to say I've never had a college class that involved someone wearing a dog, but it was awesome. I think this trip is going to rock.
So the class today was very fun and interesting. Our instructor showed up wearing her dog in a sling. I thought, "Wow, this is going to be an awesome class!" Her dog had an appointment at the veterinarian, and heck, it's a summer class. So the whole time she is lecturing, her little doggy is just hanging out there in front of her, taking a nap or licking her paws. I have to say I've never had a college class that involved someone wearing a dog, but it was awesome. I think this trip is going to rock.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
And the results are FINALLY in...
Dr. Maligo posted the Spanish grade this evening, and it's an A! I'm so excited! I kept my 4.0 this semester! I was really afraid I'd be taking a hit to my average with Chemistry and Statistics. But somehow through the miracle of that thing known as THE CURVE, I made all A's. And let me assure you, THE CURVE had everything to do with it.
Philosophically, I have many objections to the whole curve idea. If I was a teacher, I highly doubt I'd employ a curve in my grading. I think the grade you make should be the grade you take. But all philosophy aside, thank GOD for teachers who curve their grades!
I have lots of people to thank for my success this semester. My hubby has really shouldered a lot of responsibility so that I can have the brain power and the time to study my heinie off. He pays the bills, shops for groceries, helps the kids with schoolwork, and often cooks meals so that I can sit with my books. All this in addition to working a stressful full-time (and then some) job. He says I'm his retirement plan, and I take that very seriously. He's making a huge sacrifice on the gamble that I'm going to get through all this and be a doctor someday. It makes me want to work hard so that we can accomplish this crazy plan.
My kids have really had to put up with an upheaval in their lives since all this started. My older kids are really picking up the chores and sitting with the younger ones. Emily has taken on most of the burden here because Josh and Micah have jobs. I hope they know it will all pay off eventually.
My friends and family have been awesome. Everyone is incredibly supportive and they all celebrate with me when I make good grades and commiserate with me when I suck.
There have been a few people who have had mean things to say about me going back to school. A person that I have always thought a lot of said that I'm having some kind of mid-life crisis and my hubby should get control of me. I just have to think about all the positive and not dwell on comments like that. Thing is, once I finish all this, the dude will probably be too old and senile for me to say "I told you so!" I'm not going to let one petty old fart make me second-guess my plans.
So this is the end of my first semester at "real college." It has been more difficult than technical school, but a lot of that was the move from quarters to semesters and taking a heavier course load. I've had to work hard like always, but it has been very rewarding. I hope that I am blessed with the ability to keep up the hard work and keep my 4.0 until graduation! *fingers firmly crossed*
Philosophically, I have many objections to the whole curve idea. If I was a teacher, I highly doubt I'd employ a curve in my grading. I think the grade you make should be the grade you take. But all philosophy aside, thank GOD for teachers who curve their grades!
I have lots of people to thank for my success this semester. My hubby has really shouldered a lot of responsibility so that I can have the brain power and the time to study my heinie off. He pays the bills, shops for groceries, helps the kids with schoolwork, and often cooks meals so that I can sit with my books. All this in addition to working a stressful full-time (and then some) job. He says I'm his retirement plan, and I take that very seriously. He's making a huge sacrifice on the gamble that I'm going to get through all this and be a doctor someday. It makes me want to work hard so that we can accomplish this crazy plan.
My kids have really had to put up with an upheaval in their lives since all this started. My older kids are really picking up the chores and sitting with the younger ones. Emily has taken on most of the burden here because Josh and Micah have jobs. I hope they know it will all pay off eventually.
My friends and family have been awesome. Everyone is incredibly supportive and they all celebrate with me when I make good grades and commiserate with me when I suck.
There have been a few people who have had mean things to say about me going back to school. A person that I have always thought a lot of said that I'm having some kind of mid-life crisis and my hubby should get control of me. I just have to think about all the positive and not dwell on comments like that. Thing is, once I finish all this, the dude will probably be too old and senile for me to say "I told you so!" I'm not going to let one petty old fart make me second-guess my plans.
So this is the end of my first semester at "real college." It has been more difficult than technical school, but a lot of that was the move from quarters to semesters and taking a heavier course load. I've had to work hard like always, but it has been very rewarding. I hope that I am blessed with the ability to keep up the hard work and keep my 4.0 until graduation! *fingers firmly crossed*
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
And (almost all) the Results Are In...
This is the part where all my friends and family think I'm the biggest drama queen since the beginning of time. OK, whatever. I really truly do worry and second-guess myself after finals and before scores are posted, and I truly am shocked when I pull off a better grade than I was anticipating. But all the nail-biting and obsessing tends to make me look like a giant jerk when I get an A.
Everyone but my Spanish professor has posted grades, and here's what it looks like:
Statistics: A
Pre-Calculus: A
English: A
Chemistry Lab: A
Chemistry: A
I promise I'm not a big jerk. I am as surprised as anyone that A's happened. I can say I worked harder this semester than at any other time since I started college, and I'm really glad it was enough and that it paid off. Now if Dr. Maligo will post the grades for Spanish, I could stop checking Cougarnet (yes, that's what it's called) fifty times a day.
Everyone but my Spanish professor has posted grades, and here's what it looks like:
Statistics: A
Pre-Calculus: A
English: A
Chemistry Lab: A
Chemistry: A
I promise I'm not a big jerk. I am as surprised as anyone that A's happened. I can say I worked harder this semester than at any other time since I started college, and I'm really glad it was enough and that it paid off. Now if Dr. Maligo will post the grades for Spanish, I could stop checking Cougarnet (yes, that's what it's called) fifty times a day.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Thoughts on Finals
School is over for a couple of weeks. I'm sitting here in my pajamas at my house at the time when I'm normally sitting in the library after chem class trying to make sense of everything he said. I feel kinda useless.
Finals are a dumb idea. I don't test well, I get nervous and can only think of weird jello flavors when I'm supposed to be remembering the future tense of dancing at the club for my Spanish final. I'm sure that my professor will be thrilled that I didn't know what una peña was. He will be even more thrilled that my answer to the question was, "Voy a preguntar Sr. Maligo que significa una peña." Let's just say I'm glad it didn't mean what I thought it meant...
I choked on my pre-calculus final. I didn't spend a lot of time studying pre-cal because I do pretty good at it, and the final was pretty much just the same test we took last week with a couple of geometry questions thrown in. But when he handed me the paper I honestly forgot everything I learned in pre-cal. Hopefully, Dr. I will be merciful.
I don't even want to talk about statistics. I studied my BEHIND off, and I forgot all the calculator functions so I had to do everything by hand. I just hope I did it right.
And chemistry. Oh, how I love chemistry. My study group spent HOURS studying and quizzing each other and doing problems on the white board and we seriously closed the library a few times. If that didn't help, I'm going to invent some kind of chemistry drug that makes me understand it.
So now we wait. The teachers have gotten rid of us, and the first thing on their mind apparently is not grading the finals. It's torturing us for two weeks. I'm wondering if I'm going to have to drop my second level chemistry class, and if I have to drop the bio class that has stats as a pre-req. That would be useful information BEFORE SUMMER TERM STARTS!!!!
You'll have to excuse me, the caffeine is leaking from my pores and I'm suffering from extreme sleep deprivation and some kind of fuzzy brain fungus...
Finals are a dumb idea. I don't test well, I get nervous and can only think of weird jello flavors when I'm supposed to be remembering the future tense of dancing at the club for my Spanish final. I'm sure that my professor will be thrilled that I didn't know what una peña was. He will be even more thrilled that my answer to the question was, "Voy a preguntar Sr. Maligo que significa una peña." Let's just say I'm glad it didn't mean what I thought it meant...
I choked on my pre-calculus final. I didn't spend a lot of time studying pre-cal because I do pretty good at it, and the final was pretty much just the same test we took last week with a couple of geometry questions thrown in. But when he handed me the paper I honestly forgot everything I learned in pre-cal. Hopefully, Dr. I will be merciful.
I don't even want to talk about statistics. I studied my BEHIND off, and I forgot all the calculator functions so I had to do everything by hand. I just hope I did it right.
And chemistry. Oh, how I love chemistry. My study group spent HOURS studying and quizzing each other and doing problems on the white board and we seriously closed the library a few times. If that didn't help, I'm going to invent some kind of chemistry drug that makes me understand it.
So now we wait. The teachers have gotten rid of us, and the first thing on their mind apparently is not grading the finals. It's torturing us for two weeks. I'm wondering if I'm going to have to drop my second level chemistry class, and if I have to drop the bio class that has stats as a pre-req. That would be useful information BEFORE SUMMER TERM STARTS!!!!
You'll have to excuse me, the caffeine is leaking from my pores and I'm suffering from extreme sleep deprivation and some kind of fuzzy brain fungus...
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Blogging is one of those things that everyone else does really well...
Let me just say that when I thought, "Hey! a blog would be a great idea!" it was before Spring semester started. I just knew that I was going to have so much time and all these great thoughts that I would want to share with my "audience." *cricket chirp* Yeah, well, then the semester started and things got really busy and I didn't have time to think, much less think anything that would be worth posting here.
Now that the semester is winding down, I guess I can summarize it. I took my chem lab final on Tuesday, and I'm turning in my final English paper tonight. So I can mark those two as done. Still ahead are my finals in Spanish, Chem lecture, Pre-calculus, and Statistics. This time next week I will be FINITO!
It has been a great semester, and I have learned a ton. Mostly I learned that blogging feels an awful lot like one more thing on my list I have to do before I can pick up my knitting. I'll try to do better about that in the future. Not that anyone reads this anyway...
Now that the semester is winding down, I guess I can summarize it. I took my chem lab final on Tuesday, and I'm turning in my final English paper tonight. So I can mark those two as done. Still ahead are my finals in Spanish, Chem lecture, Pre-calculus, and Statistics. This time next week I will be FINITO!
It has been a great semester, and I have learned a ton. Mostly I learned that blogging feels an awful lot like one more thing on my list I have to do before I can pick up my knitting. I'll try to do better about that in the future. Not that anyone reads this anyway...
Monday, April 4, 2011
Testing, Testing, Am I On?
Gosh, I hope so. I'll be taking a pre-calc test in 30 minutes, and I really really hope that I learned this stuff thoroughly. I was able to do some review this weekend, and I think I understand almost everything. I'm going to see my professor in a few minutes to get one final question answered. OH, and I gotta find a joke to put on the back of my test. I've kept to a pirate theme for the last two, I think I'm branching out into blondes today. My professor gives bonus points for jokes. Weird, right?
Statistics test is on for Wednesday. I think I'll spend some time on that tonight and tomorrow. AND I have to go over my chem lab for tomorrow and be prepared for the pre-lab questions. I think I might go ahead and fill out my post-lab reports on what I can before just in case I run out of time again. That's really annoying.
I'd like to take this opportunity to say how grateful I am to be here. I have dreamed about doing this my whole life, and to actually be going to school and working towards medical school is just unreal. Sometimes I can't believe it's happening. I really am most grateful for the support system in my life. My family has made the sacrifices without complaining. It must be hard going from having Mom around almost all the time to getting used to Mom being gone a lot of the time and unavailable because of studying a good bit more of the time. I am extremely blessed to have kids that don't mind taking up the slack. I do have guilt, though. I'm a Mom. One of the best things about being in school every day is that I get to have lunch with my HunnyBunny a few times a week. It's really nice to sit down alone with a newspaper and some food and just be. I didn't want all my whining about tests and grades and professors to overshadow how absolutely blessed I feel to be realizing this dream. It's just way beyond awesome.
Statistics test is on for Wednesday. I think I'll spend some time on that tonight and tomorrow. AND I have to go over my chem lab for tomorrow and be prepared for the pre-lab questions. I think I might go ahead and fill out my post-lab reports on what I can before just in case I run out of time again. That's really annoying.
I'd like to take this opportunity to say how grateful I am to be here. I have dreamed about doing this my whole life, and to actually be going to school and working towards medical school is just unreal. Sometimes I can't believe it's happening. I really am most grateful for the support system in my life. My family has made the sacrifices without complaining. It must be hard going from having Mom around almost all the time to getting used to Mom being gone a lot of the time and unavailable because of studying a good bit more of the time. I am extremely blessed to have kids that don't mind taking up the slack. I do have guilt, though. I'm a Mom. One of the best things about being in school every day is that I get to have lunch with my HunnyBunny a few times a week. It's really nice to sit down alone with a newspaper and some food and just be. I didn't want all my whining about tests and grades and professors to overshadow how absolutely blessed I feel to be realizing this dream. It's just way beyond awesome.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Such Fail
I didn't forget about blogging, I promise. I've been busy studying and trying to keep my head above water with kids and church and family and friends and WOW! I feel like I'm going in a lot of different directions.
So the word of the day (week) is REST. I'm trying to find a way to connect with some. I have an alarm on my phone that tells me to go to bed at 10:30, but I almost always ignore it. Between studying and wanting to just goof off a little before bed, I tend to stay up til after 11 and then getting up at 6 is a DRAG! I've come down with ANOTHER ear infection, and apparently wisteria and I are not friends. So I'm on antibiotic ear drops again, and I'm taking some allergy meds for the stuffiness. This stuff is OUCH. But I'm hoping the pain will calm down so I can think of something other than chopping my right ear off.
I have a pre-calculus test next Monday and a Statistics test next Wednesday. I'm sure my Chemistry professor will hear of it and decide to plan a test the same week. I bet my Spanish teacher will follow suit as well. I'm struggling a little bit just sticking to my study plan and trying to learn all the new information. I usually get in a slump about 2/3 of the way through a semester and I'm really trying to come out of it. Hopefully I'll get my head on straight BEFORE the next exam.
I met with my adviser today to discuss summer and fall semester. He suggested that I only take Chem 2 for the summer along with my study abroad trip to the BAHAMAS in May. Then he gave me some ideas for classes for the fall semester as well. He seems to favor taking it slow and making good grades. Not a bad plan. But I also don't want to be undergrad FOREVER. I have a LONG road ahead, but it doesn't do good to get in too big of a hurry either. I wish I had some way of knowing that it's all going to work out eventually. It will in one way or another, right?
So the word of the day (week) is REST. I'm trying to find a way to connect with some. I have an alarm on my phone that tells me to go to bed at 10:30, but I almost always ignore it. Between studying and wanting to just goof off a little before bed, I tend to stay up til after 11 and then getting up at 6 is a DRAG! I've come down with ANOTHER ear infection, and apparently wisteria and I are not friends. So I'm on antibiotic ear drops again, and I'm taking some allergy meds for the stuffiness. This stuff is OUCH. But I'm hoping the pain will calm down so I can think of something other than chopping my right ear off.
I have a pre-calculus test next Monday and a Statistics test next Wednesday. I'm sure my Chemistry professor will hear of it and decide to plan a test the same week. I bet my Spanish teacher will follow suit as well. I'm struggling a little bit just sticking to my study plan and trying to learn all the new information. I usually get in a slump about 2/3 of the way through a semester and I'm really trying to come out of it. Hopefully I'll get my head on straight BEFORE the next exam.
I met with my adviser today to discuss summer and fall semester. He suggested that I only take Chem 2 for the summer along with my study abroad trip to the BAHAMAS in May. Then he gave me some ideas for classes for the fall semester as well. He seems to favor taking it slow and making good grades. Not a bad plan. But I also don't want to be undergrad FOREVER. I have a LONG road ahead, but it doesn't do good to get in too big of a hurry either. I wish I had some way of knowing that it's all going to work out eventually. It will in one way or another, right?
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
What I Will (and will not) Do for an A
I like to make good grades. Who doesn't, right? I can't think of any college student in their right mind that would purposefully miss an opportunity for extra credit. Especially at my school. The school that I went to last year (Columbus Tech) gave students the opportunity to view their grade averages online at any point during the quarter. We don't have that here at CSU. I try to keep a good handle on my averages from assignments and tests that are returned to me graded. But my Chemistry class is a mystery because he has a built-in curve that he applies after all points are accumulated. So I really have no idea where I am, except that I know the absolute worst I can make. He also adds on points for class participation and attending tutoring sessions. I try to show up for everything that I can as long as I don't have another class. So I'm hoping that at the end, my good outweighs my bad.
My professor announced this morning in Chemistry that attendance at an upcoming seminar would add 5 points to my total grade in the class. This sounded interesting, right? He put a flyer on the screen about this seminar. Apparently it's about yeast. Oh. Snore. Yeah, I'm gonna go. Will I be awake? Not sure about that.
I've been reading some blogs around the internet, and I've discovered that pre-med students are not all that popular. It might even be said that everyone kinda hates them. Now I certainly don't have a complex about running around and making sure everyone likes me. But I don't go out of my way to be a jerk either. Seems that a lot of pre-meds have a reputation for asking questions in class to brown-nose the instructor, always begging for extra credit points, and harassing the professor to bits about missed answers on exams. I will admit to asking questions about missed answers if I cannot arrive at them on my own during review. But I'm always pleasantly surprised when a teacher offers opportunities for extra credit. I don't go around begging for it. And if I ask a question, it's because I really don't know the answer.
I guess some pre-med students might be more affected by the hate flames sent their way by other students, but since I'm a non-traditional student, I just assume that they all really don't notice that I'm around anyway. I don't really get involved in any of the social goings-on here on campus. I come to class, I do my assignments, and I go home to my real job as wife and mom. I don't really know any other pre-meds here on campus to form an opinion.
But give us a break, grades are a big deal as to whether we get into the school we want or not. So me freaking a bit about a C on a Chemistry test is a big deal to me. I'm sorry you failed chemistry, but it probably didn't have the life-altering potential for you that it does for me. I occasionally do feel the desperation welling up in my stomach when I think about how 150 people are competing for my place in medical school. I just remind myself to take it one day at a time. And yes, there are things that I won't do for extra credit. Apparently a seminar on yeast isn't one of those things.
My professor announced this morning in Chemistry that attendance at an upcoming seminar would add 5 points to my total grade in the class. This sounded interesting, right? He put a flyer on the screen about this seminar. Apparently it's about yeast. Oh. Snore. Yeah, I'm gonna go. Will I be awake? Not sure about that.
I've been reading some blogs around the internet, and I've discovered that pre-med students are not all that popular. It might even be said that everyone kinda hates them. Now I certainly don't have a complex about running around and making sure everyone likes me. But I don't go out of my way to be a jerk either. Seems that a lot of pre-meds have a reputation for asking questions in class to brown-nose the instructor, always begging for extra credit points, and harassing the professor to bits about missed answers on exams. I will admit to asking questions about missed answers if I cannot arrive at them on my own during review. But I'm always pleasantly surprised when a teacher offers opportunities for extra credit. I don't go around begging for it. And if I ask a question, it's because I really don't know the answer.
I guess some pre-med students might be more affected by the hate flames sent their way by other students, but since I'm a non-traditional student, I just assume that they all really don't notice that I'm around anyway. I don't really get involved in any of the social goings-on here on campus. I come to class, I do my assignments, and I go home to my real job as wife and mom. I don't really know any other pre-meds here on campus to form an opinion.
But give us a break, grades are a big deal as to whether we get into the school we want or not. So me freaking a bit about a C on a Chemistry test is a big deal to me. I'm sorry you failed chemistry, but it probably didn't have the life-altering potential for you that it does for me. I occasionally do feel the desperation welling up in my stomach when I think about how 150 people are competing for my place in medical school. I just remind myself to take it one day at a time. And yes, there are things that I won't do for extra credit. Apparently a seminar on yeast isn't one of those things.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Today kinda rocked
Today was the first day back after Spring Break. It was kinda a drag having to get up and be at Chemistry class at 8am right after the clocks moved forward an hour. Especially since I woke up at 4:30am and could not get back to sleep. But I will be going to bed early tonight. *casts an evil look at the HB, who might have other ideas like watching Hulu til all hours*
The week before the break, all of my professors thought it would be really cool to have a test and then not get the grades until we got back. So my Chemistry test went well, I made an 84. MUCH better than the first test. Yes, I've softened a bit, not that I WANT a B in Chemistry, but it's definitely an improvement over what I made the first time. It can only get better. The Pre-calculus test came back with a 95 on it. YES! And Statistics finished it out with a nice round 104, and I was very happy. My Spanish test was today, and I think it went well. We had to record ourselves on the computer, and our teacher asked us to describe a friend or family member, and also to provide directional terms for items in the computer lab. It went smoothly and I think I did OK. We don't have tests in English, we just have to write papers. I get the grade for the last paper back tomorrow hopefully. And I took a midterm in Chemistry lab before the break that I'm hoping I get news on tomorrow as well.
Let's talk about English. Specifically my professor. He is a really nice guy, but I'm really afraid for him sometimes. He came to class the second week with two different shoes on. The next week he forgot to button the top couple of buttons on his jeans and his shirt was off by a button. Then a couple of weeks later he canceled class. He came the next class with a black eye and a bandage on his hand. He said his wife was having a nightmare and kicked him out of bed and he fell and hurt himself. Really? Then a couple of weeks later he comes in and his foot and leg are seriously bruised. And I mean black and blue. He said he fell off a ladder. He found out the next day that he had broken his foot and leg in several places and that his rotator cuff was torn. He had to have surgery on the foot and may need surgery on the shoulder later. Either this man is incredibly unlucky, or someone is beating on him. The last time we were supposed to have class his wife showed up and said he had a stomach virus and handed out our papers and sent us home. Seriously, I have no idea what to expect tomorrow. I can't imagine what he could do next!
***Well I started this post on Monday and forgot to put it up, so I'm posting it today. I can add that my Chemistry lab professor did not have our tests graded from before the break, so I won't know anything until next Tuesday. GRRR! And English class is in an hour and a half, we'll see what kind of drama happens this time.***
The week before the break, all of my professors thought it would be really cool to have a test and then not get the grades until we got back. So my Chemistry test went well, I made an 84. MUCH better than the first test. Yes, I've softened a bit, not that I WANT a B in Chemistry, but it's definitely an improvement over what I made the first time. It can only get better. The Pre-calculus test came back with a 95 on it. YES! And Statistics finished it out with a nice round 104, and I was very happy. My Spanish test was today, and I think it went well. We had to record ourselves on the computer, and our teacher asked us to describe a friend or family member, and also to provide directional terms for items in the computer lab. It went smoothly and I think I did OK. We don't have tests in English, we just have to write papers. I get the grade for the last paper back tomorrow hopefully. And I took a midterm in Chemistry lab before the break that I'm hoping I get news on tomorrow as well.
Let's talk about English. Specifically my professor. He is a really nice guy, but I'm really afraid for him sometimes. He came to class the second week with two different shoes on. The next week he forgot to button the top couple of buttons on his jeans and his shirt was off by a button. Then a couple of weeks later he canceled class. He came the next class with a black eye and a bandage on his hand. He said his wife was having a nightmare and kicked him out of bed and he fell and hurt himself. Really? Then a couple of weeks later he comes in and his foot and leg are seriously bruised. And I mean black and blue. He said he fell off a ladder. He found out the next day that he had broken his foot and leg in several places and that his rotator cuff was torn. He had to have surgery on the foot and may need surgery on the shoulder later. Either this man is incredibly unlucky, or someone is beating on him. The last time we were supposed to have class his wife showed up and said he had a stomach virus and handed out our papers and sent us home. Seriously, I have no idea what to expect tomorrow. I can't imagine what he could do next!
***Well I started this post on Monday and forgot to put it up, so I'm posting it today. I can add that my Chemistry lab professor did not have our tests graded from before the break, so I won't know anything until next Tuesday. GRRR! And English class is in an hour and a half, we'll see what kind of drama happens this time.***
Friday, March 11, 2011
Let me 'splain. No there is too much. Let me sum up.
Buttercup is marry Prince Humperdinck in little less than half a hour...
Oh wait.
That's a different story.
If you're not a Princess Bride fan, you now think I'm a doofus. If you are, you got a little giggle and that's about all you can hope for here.
So I'm Val, and I'm going to try to journal here about my little journey from Just Me to Dr. Me. I have a lot to catch up on, so here goes. I have always wanted to be a doctor. My parents can tell you, they've known it since I was little. I thought at first that I wanted to be a veterinarian, but that stems from a conversation I had with my grandfather when I was very little and he seemed to think that girls shouldn't be doctors and tried to convince me that veterinarian was second best. Sorry, Papa, girls can be doctors after all. Who knew?
I went through high school and even graduated early with the intention of getting it all done faster so I could be DONE. Haha. I was so sick of school when I graduated high school, and I decided to take some time off. During that time, I got married, had six kids, had a fun career as a labor doula and childbirth educator, and got stone cold bored about two years ago. My time off had turned into almost 20 years, and I woke up at 35 wondering where all the time went.
So I thought I'd get a technical degree in Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound (that's medical, right?) from the local tech school and all would be rosy. I flew through my freshman year, and was having a great time. The program was supposed to start in Spring of 2011, but due to switching from quarters to semesters, all of the "big programs" got pushed to the next Fall. I was finished with all of my prerequisites and looking at sitting on my duff for almost an entire year.
On November 3, 2010, I was sitting in the living room with my hubby watching an interview on television with the gentleman that was running for governor of Alabama. He said he was a doctor, and commented that he was involved with bringing a medical school to South Alabama Medical Center in Dothan, AL. Dothan is a little more than an hour from my house. My hubby got all excited and said, "You're going." This school hasn't even been built yet, and he says I'm going. Right. So every morning, my hubby gets up and gets ready for work, kisses me goodbye, and says, "Bye, Dr. Val." Sure, ok, hon, very funny. I kept getting emails from him with information about the school, and any news related to it. Somewhere along the line, I started believing that I could do it.
I applied to Columbus State University, and after a couple of months of paper shuffling, I got in. I started January 5, 2011 as a sophomore. My adviser says if I take Chemistry 2 and Physics 2 in the summer, I can start Fall 2011 as a junior. Um, wait. That is if I can pass Chemistry 1. I have been an A student through my freshman year, and on my first Chemistry test I made a big fat C. I've never made a C in my entire life. And my chemistry professor advises me very strongly that I do not want to take those two courses in the summer. That kinda makes me want to prove him wrong, but I'm not doing any stellar proving in chemistry currently. I guess that's a question I should pose to my adviser.
Anyway, I started this blog to try to keep up with the whole process of getting my Bio degree and applying to medical school. Hopefully it will be interesting. :)
Oh wait.
That's a different story.
If you're not a Princess Bride fan, you now think I'm a doofus. If you are, you got a little giggle and that's about all you can hope for here.
So I'm Val, and I'm going to try to journal here about my little journey from Just Me to Dr. Me. I have a lot to catch up on, so here goes. I have always wanted to be a doctor. My parents can tell you, they've known it since I was little. I thought at first that I wanted to be a veterinarian, but that stems from a conversation I had with my grandfather when I was very little and he seemed to think that girls shouldn't be doctors and tried to convince me that veterinarian was second best. Sorry, Papa, girls can be doctors after all. Who knew?
I went through high school and even graduated early with the intention of getting it all done faster so I could be DONE. Haha. I was so sick of school when I graduated high school, and I decided to take some time off. During that time, I got married, had six kids, had a fun career as a labor doula and childbirth educator, and got stone cold bored about two years ago. My time off had turned into almost 20 years, and I woke up at 35 wondering where all the time went.
So I thought I'd get a technical degree in Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound (that's medical, right?) from the local tech school and all would be rosy. I flew through my freshman year, and was having a great time. The program was supposed to start in Spring of 2011, but due to switching from quarters to semesters, all of the "big programs" got pushed to the next Fall. I was finished with all of my prerequisites and looking at sitting on my duff for almost an entire year.
On November 3, 2010, I was sitting in the living room with my hubby watching an interview on television with the gentleman that was running for governor of Alabama. He said he was a doctor, and commented that he was involved with bringing a medical school to South Alabama Medical Center in Dothan, AL. Dothan is a little more than an hour from my house. My hubby got all excited and said, "You're going." This school hasn't even been built yet, and he says I'm going. Right. So every morning, my hubby gets up and gets ready for work, kisses me goodbye, and says, "Bye, Dr. Val." Sure, ok, hon, very funny. I kept getting emails from him with information about the school, and any news related to it. Somewhere along the line, I started believing that I could do it.
I applied to Columbus State University, and after a couple of months of paper shuffling, I got in. I started January 5, 2011 as a sophomore. My adviser says if I take Chemistry 2 and Physics 2 in the summer, I can start Fall 2011 as a junior. Um, wait. That is if I can pass Chemistry 1. I have been an A student through my freshman year, and on my first Chemistry test I made a big fat C. I've never made a C in my entire life. And my chemistry professor advises me very strongly that I do not want to take those two courses in the summer. That kinda makes me want to prove him wrong, but I'm not doing any stellar proving in chemistry currently. I guess that's a question I should pose to my adviser.
Anyway, I started this blog to try to keep up with the whole process of getting my Bio degree and applying to medical school. Hopefully it will be interesting. :)
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