I'm so thrilled to have finished the semester on top of things. Like I mentioned in my previous post, I don't really study for finals, but I figured this time around I would just for the heck of it. And what a difference that made! I pulled all my grades up, and finished strong with a 4.0 GPA this semester. Usually there's always one class that screws up my perfect GPA every semester, but this time around it was all good.... well, I am getting ahead of myself because I still don't have a grade for my chemistry class (although I do from lab) so we'll see if I get to keep my straight "A" semester.
When I had met with my pre-med advisor, she informed me she wanted me to count my mentoring volunteering as my "Leadership" requirement for med school, and find something else to do for volunteering, which doesn't involve babies, or women (because I do so much with both populations). I looked and looked, but couldn't find anything except for making baby hats to newborns. It's the only thing I can do from home and not have to find a babysitter. I just may end up doing that unless I am able to find something else to do.
Now that I'm done with school, I'm REALLY bored. And the word "really" only expresses a small percentage of how bored I truly am. I feel like if my life isn't going 100mph, then I get bored. And I get lazy. For example: I clean my house from top to bottom every two weeks to the day, and I spot clean as needed in between (which is constantly since I'm a clean freak and borderline OCD about cleaning and organizing- it drives my husband nuts). This past week I was so lazy that I didn't clean until day 19. That's a long time. During those extra five days, I was constantly thinking about how I needed to clean, but didn't want to... I figured, "What the heck- I need a break. I can clean later." Plus I was diligently studying for finals, and felt like I could wait a couple of days. And then I thought that I may need to space out my daily chores and errand-running so I don't go one day without doing anything. I always feel like when I wake up in the morning, I should be doing something that day. I know, I'm weird, but I guess I'm a perfectionist and there's nothing I can do about that.
Speaking of spacing out my chores, I ended up Christmas shopping on friday. Now, let me tell ya something: I despise shopping so bad, the last two years I didn't start my Christmas shopping until the week of Christmas. I'm usually not a procrastinator, but when it comes to shopping, I'd rather get shot in the foot than have to go out and buy stuff. I believe it's because I'm such a thrifty person and grew up with not a whole lot, that I don't feel I need much more. Anyway. Got everyone shopped for except for my in-laws. Then I was told late friday night that my husband needed to go get a gift certificate for a gift exchange at work, and we ran out of money. So I guess his co-worker is getting something for Christmas and I'm not! Can't afford to buy for both. It sucks to be so financially tight.
This past week we also switched my son from a crib to a toddler bed. We figured it was time because our crib was one of the 2.1 million cribs that got recalled for having a dangerous drop-side, so I thought we might as well just take the whole side off and turn it into the toddler bed it's supposed to do. My son sleeps well in it and doesn't really get out. So far he hasn't rolled off, but I'm still looking to buy a cheap rail to put on there "just in case".
That's all for now, so I may write again during the week, and if not... Merry Christmas!
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Busy week!
Wow... less than one week until this semester is O-V-E-R!!!
Let's see... I'm busy with finals. But as you can tell, I'm blogging instead of studying. Oh well. I usually don't study for finals, but since I'm not working on general eds anymore, I should put forth an extra effort for getting a REALLY good grade on these classes that matter. Plus this cell biology final ain't gonna be pretty. I'm horrified.
I took my last exam for Anthropology this past week and that was a piece of cake- like always. I also finished up a take home final for Chem and turned it in on Thursday night. So I'm done with those two classes. I had to pass out my letter of recommendation packets this past week to my recommenders. I'm applying for three scholarships, and all of them require two letters of recommendations. Those packets were a pain to put together, but at least my recommenders won't have to do much except for writing the letters and sending them in the stamped, addressed envelopes I put in the packets.
Also, this past week, something really interesting happened: I was going to work on genome mapping next semester through the community college I currently attend, and I needed it to count as class up at the university I'm transferring to (because independent research counts as a class for my major). So I got in touch with the Anthropology Dept Chair and we got to emailing back and forth and I had told her that my research got published and that I wanted to continue it next semester... she writes me back and tells me that she sees potential in me and wants me to do real, human genetics research with this geneticist at the Dept of Human Genetics. Funny she says that because I look up information on this doctor, and he's an anthropologist that deals with a lot of genetics. BINGO. That's exactly what I'm interested in. I'm STOKED because this guy is a genius and has taught at both Yale and Harvard. I'm hoping I'll for sure be able to do my research under his supervision. I should know here in the next couple of weeks.
Then I ended up meeting with my premed advisor this week as well and I finalized my class schedule for next semester:
Gen Chem II
Genetics
Calc I
Independent Research
It'll be a busy semester and I'm worried because of babysitting issues on Tuesdays. I'm hoping a good soul will cross my way and I'll be able to leave my son with whomever is willing to watch him for free. My mom is about to move any week now and I won't have a reliable babysitter anymore :( This sucks!!!
My advisor is funny... well, not funny but interesting. I mean, she out of the blue asked me if I had kids, and obviously I had to say yes, but she said it was okay. I just have to work harder than other traditional students. It caught me off guard because I've always tried to conceal the fact that I had a child. I keep hearing from other premed moms and med students that med school faculty will think less of you for being a mom, and decide that because you are a mom, you don't have time to study or anything. It's conflicting information and I'm going to have to look into that some more. However, she introduced me to the AFFP and I'm going to apply for a membership. That can potentially be very helpful with my med school application and finding leadership opportunities.
Anyway. I think that's about it for now. I have a trig final coming up on tuesday evening and a cell bio final on wednesday morning. I'm a little scared but it'll be alright.
I still haven't bought anything for my husband or my son for Christmas yet and I'm running out of time! I think I'm just trying to push everything back until after finals, so I'll get all my shopping done then... it's not like it's anything different from past years :P
Let's see... I'm busy with finals. But as you can tell, I'm blogging instead of studying. Oh well. I usually don't study for finals, but since I'm not working on general eds anymore, I should put forth an extra effort for getting a REALLY good grade on these classes that matter. Plus this cell biology final ain't gonna be pretty. I'm horrified.
I took my last exam for Anthropology this past week and that was a piece of cake- like always. I also finished up a take home final for Chem and turned it in on Thursday night. So I'm done with those two classes. I had to pass out my letter of recommendation packets this past week to my recommenders. I'm applying for three scholarships, and all of them require two letters of recommendations. Those packets were a pain to put together, but at least my recommenders won't have to do much except for writing the letters and sending them in the stamped, addressed envelopes I put in the packets.
Also, this past week, something really interesting happened: I was going to work on genome mapping next semester through the community college I currently attend, and I needed it to count as class up at the university I'm transferring to (because independent research counts as a class for my major). So I got in touch with the Anthropology Dept Chair and we got to emailing back and forth and I had told her that my research got published and that I wanted to continue it next semester... she writes me back and tells me that she sees potential in me and wants me to do real, human genetics research with this geneticist at the Dept of Human Genetics. Funny she says that because I look up information on this doctor, and he's an anthropologist that deals with a lot of genetics. BINGO. That's exactly what I'm interested in. I'm STOKED because this guy is a genius and has taught at both Yale and Harvard. I'm hoping I'll for sure be able to do my research under his supervision. I should know here in the next couple of weeks.
Then I ended up meeting with my premed advisor this week as well and I finalized my class schedule for next semester:
Gen Chem II
Genetics
Calc I
Independent Research
It'll be a busy semester and I'm worried because of babysitting issues on Tuesdays. I'm hoping a good soul will cross my way and I'll be able to leave my son with whomever is willing to watch him for free. My mom is about to move any week now and I won't have a reliable babysitter anymore :( This sucks!!!
My advisor is funny... well, not funny but interesting. I mean, she out of the blue asked me if I had kids, and obviously I had to say yes, but she said it was okay. I just have to work harder than other traditional students. It caught me off guard because I've always tried to conceal the fact that I had a child. I keep hearing from other premed moms and med students that med school faculty will think less of you for being a mom, and decide that because you are a mom, you don't have time to study or anything. It's conflicting information and I'm going to have to look into that some more. However, she introduced me to the AFFP and I'm going to apply for a membership. That can potentially be very helpful with my med school application and finding leadership opportunities.
Anyway. I think that's about it for now. I have a trig final coming up on tuesday evening and a cell bio final on wednesday morning. I'm a little scared but it'll be alright.
I still haven't bought anything for my husband or my son for Christmas yet and I'm running out of time! I think I'm just trying to push everything back until after finals, so I'll get all my shopping done then... it's not like it's anything different from past years :P
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Research: done!
The biggest news this week is that my research is getting PUBLISHED!!! I'm so thrilled I can hardly stand myself! I've been bouncing off the walls for two days now... it's an amazing feeling to know that I can accomplish something that monumental and still be doing everything else- being a mom, working full time, going to school full time... I think it felt even better to know I'm capable of doing something like this while people thought I was a nutcase for having so much on my plate. It goes to show that anything is possible. If you put enough effort into it and you don't take your eyes of the goal, and determination is always there, you can do anything you set your mind to.
Which brings me to another point: if you thought this semester was bad, look at mine for next semester. I may just have to turn myself into a psych ward after it's all said and done:
Physiology
Gen Chem II
2 Anthropology classes
Calc I
and independent research (again)
Call me crazy, but I think I can do it, given I get enough help with babysitting. Plus I'll be dropping to part time work (thank the heavens!), so it'll make this whole thing a lot easier. I'm worried, however, because classes won't be so close to me anymore like they are right now, and they're on a university level, which just complicates everything. Dang it all!!!! But would I trade any of it? Never!
In other news, Chem lab is done and DONE! I was so happy to turn in my final paperwork for that class on thursday. To celebrate my research getting published and finishing chem lab, my family and I went bowling. It was really fun... well, there was a bit of trouble to start with, but mostly, it was good to do something with them. Even though they're crazy. HAHA
I've got three exams coming up this next week. I'm terrified. I'm just going to try managing not to get a D+ on my trig exam like I did last time... that was really embarrassing. And he's not letting us use a 3x5 card like he has been because he wants us to get used to testing without it for the final, so that could potentially be disastrous.
Something that has been on my mind a lot lately is why there aren't a lot more moms out there that follow their dreams after they get married and have kids. Just because you have kids and have to change 20 diapers/day, it doesn't mean you can give up on your own life. I understand some moms are content with doing just that for the rest of their lives, which is fine (more power to ya!) but for those who miss it and blame it on motherhood for not fulfilling those dreams... come on! Seriously! That should not be an excuse, but more of a power to drive that desire.
That's at least how I work, anyway. If someone tells me I can't do it, it gives me even more motivation to prove them wrong.
Which brings me to another point: if you thought this semester was bad, look at mine for next semester. I may just have to turn myself into a psych ward after it's all said and done:
Physiology
Gen Chem II
2 Anthropology classes
Calc I
and independent research (again)
Call me crazy, but I think I can do it, given I get enough help with babysitting. Plus I'll be dropping to part time work (thank the heavens!), so it'll make this whole thing a lot easier. I'm worried, however, because classes won't be so close to me anymore like they are right now, and they're on a university level, which just complicates everything. Dang it all!!!! But would I trade any of it? Never!
In other news, Chem lab is done and DONE! I was so happy to turn in my final paperwork for that class on thursday. To celebrate my research getting published and finishing chem lab, my family and I went bowling. It was really fun... well, there was a bit of trouble to start with, but mostly, it was good to do something with them. Even though they're crazy. HAHA
I've got three exams coming up this next week. I'm terrified. I'm just going to try managing not to get a D+ on my trig exam like I did last time... that was really embarrassing. And he's not letting us use a 3x5 card like he has been because he wants us to get used to testing without it for the final, so that could potentially be disastrous.
Something that has been on my mind a lot lately is why there aren't a lot more moms out there that follow their dreams after they get married and have kids. Just because you have kids and have to change 20 diapers/day, it doesn't mean you can give up on your own life. I understand some moms are content with doing just that for the rest of their lives, which is fine (more power to ya!) but for those who miss it and blame it on motherhood for not fulfilling those dreams... come on! Seriously! That should not be an excuse, but more of a power to drive that desire.
That's at least how I work, anyway. If someone tells me I can't do it, it gives me even more motivation to prove them wrong.
Friday, November 27, 2009
3 weeks!!!!
The semester is so close to the end I just want life to skip to the end, where I find out I got a 4.0GPA overall this semester.
Except that would only happen in a dream.
Starting from the top, in alphabetical order:
1) I finally got my Anthropology final paper done. What a pain that was. I woke up at 4am on wednesday morning (long story) and decided to sit down and do it. It only took me two hours, but it was still a lot of work, considering this professor has been the most laid back professor EVER, and now he asked for a detailed paper on concepts used from the book. Mind you he never cracked the book open this semester. Go figure. At least the paper is done, it looks good, and I'll get an A for it!
2) Cell bio: I think I'm warming up to the idea that a B+ is acceptable for that class. No joke: I got an 87% on my last exam. My overall average is an 87%... I was sort of disappointed, but I could be doing a lot worse, considering this class is used for the MCAT.
As far as the lab goes, I'm done with them. It felt AMAZING to turn in my last protocol last friday. My research is nearly completed. I'll be working on it tonight.
3) Chemistry: "Oh, the humanity!" *hangs head low* I'll never take an online chem class ever again. It's gotten to be a hassle. Good thing I have a study group otherwise I'd be in trouble. I may have mentioned my chem lab is done as well, I just have to turn in my final papers next thursday. WAHOO!
4) Trig: I skipped class on tuesday due to an inability to drive because of pure exhaustion. I learned from a classmate that the Math Dept has videos online on each section for what we're studying. It came quite in handy and has helped a lot thus far.
This week was a nicer week because there was school only monday-wednesday. I got saturday off (tomorrow) so that makes it even better! I haven't not had to work a saturday in ages... We may even make it to church on sunday! Sweet!
Thanksgiving was great! We went to my mother in law's house for dinner, which was delish! I ended up having to work that night, and that's okay. At least I get Christmas day off and New Years eve and New Years day off this year. That'll be fabulous, I can't wait!
My husband began shopping today (Black Friday) and got some good deals on stuff. I'm glad he was willing to do it because I don't have the patience for it. Hopefully we'll continue to find good deals because this year things are tight for us... but who isn't struggling?!
Hope the holiday was great for everyone!
Except that would only happen in a dream.
Starting from the top, in alphabetical order:
1) I finally got my Anthropology final paper done. What a pain that was. I woke up at 4am on wednesday morning (long story) and decided to sit down and do it. It only took me two hours, but it was still a lot of work, considering this professor has been the most laid back professor EVER, and now he asked for a detailed paper on concepts used from the book. Mind you he never cracked the book open this semester. Go figure. At least the paper is done, it looks good, and I'll get an A for it!
2) Cell bio: I think I'm warming up to the idea that a B+ is acceptable for that class. No joke: I got an 87% on my last exam. My overall average is an 87%... I was sort of disappointed, but I could be doing a lot worse, considering this class is used for the MCAT.
As far as the lab goes, I'm done with them. It felt AMAZING to turn in my last protocol last friday. My research is nearly completed. I'll be working on it tonight.
3) Chemistry: "Oh, the humanity!" *hangs head low* I'll never take an online chem class ever again. It's gotten to be a hassle. Good thing I have a study group otherwise I'd be in trouble. I may have mentioned my chem lab is done as well, I just have to turn in my final papers next thursday. WAHOO!
4) Trig: I skipped class on tuesday due to an inability to drive because of pure exhaustion. I learned from a classmate that the Math Dept has videos online on each section for what we're studying. It came quite in handy and has helped a lot thus far.
This week was a nicer week because there was school only monday-wednesday. I got saturday off (tomorrow) so that makes it even better! I haven't not had to work a saturday in ages... We may even make it to church on sunday! Sweet!
Thanksgiving was great! We went to my mother in law's house for dinner, which was delish! I ended up having to work that night, and that's okay. At least I get Christmas day off and New Years eve and New Years day off this year. That'll be fabulous, I can't wait!
My husband began shopping today (Black Friday) and got some good deals on stuff. I'm glad he was willing to do it because I don't have the patience for it. Hopefully we'll continue to find good deals because this year things are tight for us... but who isn't struggling?!
Hope the holiday was great for everyone!
Sunday, November 22, 2009
So close!
I need a break from studying. Nothing better than to write about pretty much nothing :P
Four weeks until I'm done with the semester. 4 WEEKS. I can even taste it!
So I got two tests back this past week. I got my cell bio exam (which I may have mentioned already but in case I forgot, here it is): I got an 81% on my test. I was quite distraught as you can imagine, because the harder I work on that class, the lower my grades get. Maybe I shouldn't study at all, then maybe I'll start doing better! Yeah, right. It's consistently been going down, so in order to remedy that one, I went to a lecture done by someone who works for the Nano Institute here in Utah about nanotechnology. That guy was a genius. The title of the lecture was "Engineering Nanoconstructs for Drug Targeted Delivery". It was a very interesting lecture, and it related a lot to cell biology and chemistry. He even mentioned there are open positions in the lab for research, and I wish I could do it, but that would require me going to the lab to do research. My research right now is all done online, which makes it easier with my son.
My other exam was my math exam. That *bleepity bleep* exam was just horrendous. It may be partly due to the fact I was sleep deprived going into the test to begin with and couldn't remember much of what I had studied the previous night (I worked the night before then had to stay up the majority of the day taking care of my son). Regardless, I got a 64.5%. I have NEVER gotten such a low score on an exam in my whole entire life. I was fuming out of my ears. The class average was a 65%, which bothers me even more, because this is also the first time I was below the class average. After much cursing in my head, our professor once again has pity on us and lets us rework the problems to add half of our original score. So I'll end up with an A again. It's scary because either he's making his tests way harder than what the departmental final will be, or they'll be even worse. UGH!
My cell bio lab has ended. FINALLY! No more experiments that don't turn out! Wahoo! We just have a lab midterm in 2 weeks and that's all. I finished the biggest part of the research, and now it only has to be put into a report. I'm super excited because my professor said it'll likely be published with my name attached to it. That just makes me want to bounce off the walls with happiness! We'll see, though, I may totally screw it up at the very end, but that's highly unlikely. My professor would say something about it.
Speaking of my cell bio professor, I asked him if he'd be able to write me a letter of recommendation for me. He replied he'd be more than happy to, which is so awesome because I need a good strong letter for a couple of scholarships I'm applying for, and eventually, medical school. I also asked my boss for one and she was happy to write one as well. Now all I have to do is get my Letter of Recommendation Packets ready and sent out by the 9th. AAAHHH!
These last few weeks are going to be pure chaos (even worse than anything I've experience thus far). I have at least two tests every week until my last final on December 16th. Which is why I made myself as unavailable from volunteering from the 1st-16th because I'll need all the time I can get to study. I should take time off work too but work allows me to do my homework, and if I didn't come, I'd waste my time sleeping and wouldn't get paid or get my homework done. Lame. I pray for strength as these last few weeks crash on top of me.
I really feel bad for my husband and my son. I haven't been able to be with them a whole lot lately. This is where the severe guilt comes in. Going to school makes me feel like I'm horrible, selfish mom. I know I shouldn't feel that way because I'm ultimately doing what's best for my family and myself, but still. I look at my other girlfriends who have kids and get to stay home with them and I think that maybe that would be fun, but what would I do with myself psychologically? I'd go nuts! So I'm not sure why I feel guilty knowing well enough that I would go bonkers if I stayed home. Strange.
This next week will be interesting because of Thanksgiving. I'm working thursday night instead of saturday night, and so we're going to have family pictures done for the first time on saturday. It'll be fun. And ask me if I've bought our matching brown tops to wear yet? No. I found them online, I just have to go to Target to buy them.
I hope on Thanksgiving I'll remember all the things I'm grateful for. It's hard to look for blessings when you're consistently getting bombarded with problems. I guess that's just how life is.
Happy Thanksgiving!... and back to studying now.
Four weeks until I'm done with the semester. 4 WEEKS. I can even taste it!
So I got two tests back this past week. I got my cell bio exam (which I may have mentioned already but in case I forgot, here it is): I got an 81% on my test. I was quite distraught as you can imagine, because the harder I work on that class, the lower my grades get. Maybe I shouldn't study at all, then maybe I'll start doing better! Yeah, right. It's consistently been going down, so in order to remedy that one, I went to a lecture done by someone who works for the Nano Institute here in Utah about nanotechnology. That guy was a genius. The title of the lecture was "Engineering Nanoconstructs for Drug Targeted Delivery". It was a very interesting lecture, and it related a lot to cell biology and chemistry. He even mentioned there are open positions in the lab for research, and I wish I could do it, but that would require me going to the lab to do research. My research right now is all done online, which makes it easier with my son.
My other exam was my math exam. That *bleepity bleep* exam was just horrendous. It may be partly due to the fact I was sleep deprived going into the test to begin with and couldn't remember much of what I had studied the previous night (I worked the night before then had to stay up the majority of the day taking care of my son). Regardless, I got a 64.5%. I have NEVER gotten such a low score on an exam in my whole entire life. I was fuming out of my ears. The class average was a 65%, which bothers me even more, because this is also the first time I was below the class average. After much cursing in my head, our professor once again has pity on us and lets us rework the problems to add half of our original score. So I'll end up with an A again. It's scary because either he's making his tests way harder than what the departmental final will be, or they'll be even worse. UGH!
My cell bio lab has ended. FINALLY! No more experiments that don't turn out! Wahoo! We just have a lab midterm in 2 weeks and that's all. I finished the biggest part of the research, and now it only has to be put into a report. I'm super excited because my professor said it'll likely be published with my name attached to it. That just makes me want to bounce off the walls with happiness! We'll see, though, I may totally screw it up at the very end, but that's highly unlikely. My professor would say something about it.
Speaking of my cell bio professor, I asked him if he'd be able to write me a letter of recommendation for me. He replied he'd be more than happy to, which is so awesome because I need a good strong letter for a couple of scholarships I'm applying for, and eventually, medical school. I also asked my boss for one and she was happy to write one as well. Now all I have to do is get my Letter of Recommendation Packets ready and sent out by the 9th. AAAHHH!
These last few weeks are going to be pure chaos (even worse than anything I've experience thus far). I have at least two tests every week until my last final on December 16th. Which is why I made myself as unavailable from volunteering from the 1st-16th because I'll need all the time I can get to study. I should take time off work too but work allows me to do my homework, and if I didn't come, I'd waste my time sleeping and wouldn't get paid or get my homework done. Lame. I pray for strength as these last few weeks crash on top of me.
I really feel bad for my husband and my son. I haven't been able to be with them a whole lot lately. This is where the severe guilt comes in. Going to school makes me feel like I'm horrible, selfish mom. I know I shouldn't feel that way because I'm ultimately doing what's best for my family and myself, but still. I look at my other girlfriends who have kids and get to stay home with them and I think that maybe that would be fun, but what would I do with myself psychologically? I'd go nuts! So I'm not sure why I feel guilty knowing well enough that I would go bonkers if I stayed home. Strange.
This next week will be interesting because of Thanksgiving. I'm working thursday night instead of saturday night, and so we're going to have family pictures done for the first time on saturday. It'll be fun. And ask me if I've bought our matching brown tops to wear yet? No. I found them online, I just have to go to Target to buy them.
I hope on Thanksgiving I'll remember all the things I'm grateful for. It's hard to look for blessings when you're consistently getting bombarded with problems. I guess that's just how life is.
Happy Thanksgiving!... and back to studying now.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Life's CRAZY challenges
What an insane week.
That's the understatement of the year. I think I would've gone crazy if I had to work my friday shift (I got cancelled, yeah!!!) and not cleaned my house yesterday. I need a clean house to be able to think clearly. The thought of having a dirty house hovers over me like a black cloud.
My husband and I went on a date on tuesday night because we had to talk about some complicated matters, such as him going back to school in the spring part-time (which if he doesn't, then we'll start paying back his student loans and they're NOT cheap), about him finding a job with better pay and inexpensive benefits, about me going to part-time, and having another child, amongst other things. I feel like we have come to this fork on the road of our lives and because we have so many choices, it's vital that we make the right decision at this point not to screw up things down the road.
One of the things we considered is holding off on a baby for 10+ years, at least until I'm finishing up a residency. There are two reasons why we'd do it this way: first, we may have to downsize our insurance for next year if I go part-time (it will double when I go part-time and keep the same plan I have) and my husband can't find a job, and because of that, it'd be crazy to get pregnant and deliver in 2010. We'd be paying up the wazoo for it. It sucks that our son won't have sibling for a long time, but he wouldn't know any better. The problem with waiting that long is the chance of having a Trisomy-21 baby because of our age... These are such difficult decisions, I wish someone would come to me and tell me exactly what to do. haha
I'm very close to finishing up my research. I stayed up until 4:30am on wednesday night to get the majority of it done in time to ask my professor some questions before lab on friday. I'm hoping to get it done this morning after I get off work. It'd be quite the weight being lifted off my shoulders! I'm wanting to continue it next semester as independent research (and to count towards my pre-med requirements), but I'm still pondering about it.
I also found out this week that I'm getting a B+ in cell biology so far, which is quite disappointing considering the amount of work I've put into it. Oh well, I can only try harder I guess.
I have two papers due as finals in December. One is for Chemistry (I know, go figure?!) and another one for Anthropology. I just got the one for Chemistry done tonight, only because it's the easiest of the two. I'll be writing my Anthropology paper next weekend, this way I'm not cramming so many things into one week.
I was finally able to look up the classes I need to be taking next semester at the university I'm transfering to, and the times they offer them are horrible. I'm still puzzled as to how I'm going to find someone reliable enough to watch my son while I go to school during the day.
And the first real snow of the year fell yesterday... and because of the cold, a chip in my windshield turned into a whole crack. Now I have to replace the whole windshield. Not to mention my husband's car broke down on wednesday and I've been having to drive him to work, and we also have to take that car in to get the engine looked at. *sigh* :'(
When it rains, it pours, doesn't it?
That's the understatement of the year. I think I would've gone crazy if I had to work my friday shift (I got cancelled, yeah!!!) and not cleaned my house yesterday. I need a clean house to be able to think clearly. The thought of having a dirty house hovers over me like a black cloud.
My husband and I went on a date on tuesday night because we had to talk about some complicated matters, such as him going back to school in the spring part-time (which if he doesn't, then we'll start paying back his student loans and they're NOT cheap), about him finding a job with better pay and inexpensive benefits, about me going to part-time, and having another child, amongst other things. I feel like we have come to this fork on the road of our lives and because we have so many choices, it's vital that we make the right decision at this point not to screw up things down the road.
One of the things we considered is holding off on a baby for 10+ years, at least until I'm finishing up a residency. There are two reasons why we'd do it this way: first, we may have to downsize our insurance for next year if I go part-time (it will double when I go part-time and keep the same plan I have) and my husband can't find a job, and because of that, it'd be crazy to get pregnant and deliver in 2010. We'd be paying up the wazoo for it. It sucks that our son won't have sibling for a long time, but he wouldn't know any better. The problem with waiting that long is the chance of having a Trisomy-21 baby because of our age... These are such difficult decisions, I wish someone would come to me and tell me exactly what to do. haha
I'm very close to finishing up my research. I stayed up until 4:30am on wednesday night to get the majority of it done in time to ask my professor some questions before lab on friday. I'm hoping to get it done this morning after I get off work. It'd be quite the weight being lifted off my shoulders! I'm wanting to continue it next semester as independent research (and to count towards my pre-med requirements), but I'm still pondering about it.
I also found out this week that I'm getting a B+ in cell biology so far, which is quite disappointing considering the amount of work I've put into it. Oh well, I can only try harder I guess.
I have two papers due as finals in December. One is for Chemistry (I know, go figure?!) and another one for Anthropology. I just got the one for Chemistry done tonight, only because it's the easiest of the two. I'll be writing my Anthropology paper next weekend, this way I'm not cramming so many things into one week.
I was finally able to look up the classes I need to be taking next semester at the university I'm transfering to, and the times they offer them are horrible. I'm still puzzled as to how I'm going to find someone reliable enough to watch my son while I go to school during the day.
And the first real snow of the year fell yesterday... and because of the cold, a chip in my windshield turned into a whole crack. Now I have to replace the whole windshield. Not to mention my husband's car broke down on wednesday and I've been having to drive him to work, and we also have to take that car in to get the engine looked at. *sigh* :'(
When it rains, it pours, doesn't it?
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Rollin', rollin', rollin'...
The weeks are now FLYING past me. And I mean it. I can't believe it's already almost the middle of November, which gives me hope that the semester will end in 6 weeks! Sweet :D
Last week was like going to hell and coming back. I've only had problems with my online Chemistry class and although my professor says he can help, he still says that we need to study the modules he writes based on the book, and that we should be able to find every answer to the questions off the modules. Yeah, right. His tests keep getting shorter and shorter, so if you miss one question, the best you can get is a 90%. What a joke.
Next beast on the list was one huge cell biology test I had last friday. It was test #3, and I thought that by now I figured out how my professor tested. Which I did. Except I didn't study enough because I was so busy with chemistry, I felt like I failed the test. The problem with that test (and it was a problem with the last test as well) is that he writes these long tests that require at least 1 1/2 hrs of thought into it and we only have 50 minutes to complete it. We can't think about the questions long enough and end up doing horribly. I studied for 2 days while there was this other pre-med student in the class that only started studying after midnight on the day of the test. Yikes! It's so funny how although I have a kid and have all this other stuff to take care of, I still manage to find barely enough time to study, while other students only start studying less than 24 hrs before the test. The lab for it is also really difficult and poorly written, which is why I hate going to lab, and therefore hate Fridays overall. We never finish our lab experiments and if we do, the results are different than the expected results.
My husband wasn't able to get the whole afternoon off on thursday and I wasn't able to go in and do the new teacher evaluations for extra credit in Cell Bio. I was sad but because it wasn't mandatory, it's fine. At least I can feel confident that when the semester ends and I get an A, it was all my hard work :)
I really don't mean to rant for this long. I'm just really stressed out. The end of the semester is in 6 weeks and things are starting to pile up quickly. My research is due by the end of the semester also and I only have it halfway done. Don't get me wrong, I love doing everything I'm doing and I wouldn't want it any other way, but when stress gets to me, I begin panicking. I hope to have the strength to survive the end of the semester without messing everything up, especially my grades and my family life.
Even my husband and my son miss me.
This last tuesday I decided it was time to do something as a family, and we went out to dinner at a pizzaria and went bowling afterwards. It was really fun. My son learned how to push the ball towards the pins and I also learned that no matter how much I bowl, I can never manage to get a score better than 100. It's pathetic, but it's something I can handle not being good at without being too upset about it.
I love being busy but now it's getting tricky... and somehow it all works out. It's the life of a pre-med mommy :)
Last week was like going to hell and coming back. I've only had problems with my online Chemistry class and although my professor says he can help, he still says that we need to study the modules he writes based on the book, and that we should be able to find every answer to the questions off the modules. Yeah, right. His tests keep getting shorter and shorter, so if you miss one question, the best you can get is a 90%. What a joke.
Next beast on the list was one huge cell biology test I had last friday. It was test #3, and I thought that by now I figured out how my professor tested. Which I did. Except I didn't study enough because I was so busy with chemistry, I felt like I failed the test. The problem with that test (and it was a problem with the last test as well) is that he writes these long tests that require at least 1 1/2 hrs of thought into it and we only have 50 minutes to complete it. We can't think about the questions long enough and end up doing horribly. I studied for 2 days while there was this other pre-med student in the class that only started studying after midnight on the day of the test. Yikes! It's so funny how although I have a kid and have all this other stuff to take care of, I still manage to find barely enough time to study, while other students only start studying less than 24 hrs before the test. The lab for it is also really difficult and poorly written, which is why I hate going to lab, and therefore hate Fridays overall. We never finish our lab experiments and if we do, the results are different than the expected results.
My husband wasn't able to get the whole afternoon off on thursday and I wasn't able to go in and do the new teacher evaluations for extra credit in Cell Bio. I was sad but because it wasn't mandatory, it's fine. At least I can feel confident that when the semester ends and I get an A, it was all my hard work :)
I really don't mean to rant for this long. I'm just really stressed out. The end of the semester is in 6 weeks and things are starting to pile up quickly. My research is due by the end of the semester also and I only have it halfway done. Don't get me wrong, I love doing everything I'm doing and I wouldn't want it any other way, but when stress gets to me, I begin panicking. I hope to have the strength to survive the end of the semester without messing everything up, especially my grades and my family life.
Even my husband and my son miss me.
This last tuesday I decided it was time to do something as a family, and we went out to dinner at a pizzaria and went bowling afterwards. It was really fun. My son learned how to push the ball towards the pins and I also learned that no matter how much I bowl, I can never manage to get a score better than 100. It's pathetic, but it's something I can handle not being good at without being too upset about it.
I love being busy but now it's getting tricky... and somehow it all works out. It's the life of a pre-med mommy :)
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Happy Halloween!!!
This week went by so fast I didn't even see it. Even the worst day of the week- Friday- wasn't that bad this week. I wonder what happened? Maybe I'm just so accustomed to the chaos of Fridays that they don't even phase me anymore.
My chemistry teacher is really making his exams trick and I'm not liking it one bit. There is no reason to make tests tricky, unless he enjoys seeing his students average a C- in his class. I took exam 4 this week with my study group and we got an 80. What? We go through all that trouble of studying together and making sure we take the test together so we get a good score, and the best we can do is an 80... psh! It doesn't help that the test was only 12 questions long, so missing one question makes a huge difference. Sign me up for long tests only, please!
The trig professor decided to have pity on us - remember the class average was a 58%, I pulled an equivalent to an A if it wasn't for a genius that got a 98% on it- so he let us re-work all the problems we got wrong on the test and reward us with half of our original test score. According to my calculations and after I'm awarded the other half, I'll be at a 108.7%. Not too shabby!
I also found out that I'm getting an A in Chem lab. Wahoo! So excited. I thought I was doing poorly on the lab reports but apparently not. It helped I brough a roll of paper towels to the second day of class as extra credit to help my score go up. You can never go wrong with an extra roll of toilet paper.
Speaking of extra credit, given my husband gets home early from work on thursday, I have the opportunity to go grade teachers on their teaching skills. They're trying to hire a Physiology professor for the college I'm going to, and one of the things they have to do is to have students grade their teaching methods. Because my biol professor is the head of the Biology dept, he's giving us up to 10 extra credit points if we attend 2 sessions of it. Should be interesting. Once again, I volunteered for it (because obviously I have nothing else to do with my life at this point...). But I want an A in the class, dang it!
This week was an interesting week because regardless of the fact my plate is so full I can't eat fast enough, I also signed up for volunteering. Sounds like a really bad move, especially for now, but I figured I've been BSing on Facebook too much still and needed to use that time wisely. And volunteering is all done online, and I only need to do it one hour per week. It's through icouldbe.org and I get to be a mentor and a support to underpriviledged teenagers who would otherwise drop out of high school and never go on to college, which is SOOOOO important, I can't stress it enough! So far I haven't had any mentees choose me as their mentor, but I'm sure it'll happen soon. I'll worry if two weeks pass by and nothing happens, though.
For Halloween, I did a good job at blowing it this year! I told my husband he has to plan it next year because apparently I don't seem to be able to handle it. I forgot to plan ahead and buy my son's Halloween costume on time, which resulted in him wearing the same thing he wore last year. I was bummed because I was hoping to see him in something besides a pumpkin costume, nonetheless he looked adorable, and he doesn't remember wearing it last year, which is a plus. My husband took him trick-or-treating at the mall and at first he didn't know why people were willingly placing candy in his bucket, but towards the end he figured out the deal and he'd point to the candy to make sure he got what he was worth. Haha Good thing they got video of it and I was able to watch it before I came to work tonight. It sucks to work the night before and the night of Halloween because I felt like I couldn't get anything done on time without having to hurry through it all. What a nightmare! And to top things off, daylight savings time ends tonight which means I have to stay at work for an extra hour. Swell. I'm happy though that I'm working with a great crew tonight and so it'll be very bearable!
I hope everyone had a great Halloween!
My chemistry teacher is really making his exams trick and I'm not liking it one bit. There is no reason to make tests tricky, unless he enjoys seeing his students average a C- in his class. I took exam 4 this week with my study group and we got an 80. What? We go through all that trouble of studying together and making sure we take the test together so we get a good score, and the best we can do is an 80... psh! It doesn't help that the test was only 12 questions long, so missing one question makes a huge difference. Sign me up for long tests only, please!
The trig professor decided to have pity on us - remember the class average was a 58%, I pulled an equivalent to an A if it wasn't for a genius that got a 98% on it- so he let us re-work all the problems we got wrong on the test and reward us with half of our original test score. According to my calculations and after I'm awarded the other half, I'll be at a 108.7%. Not too shabby!
I also found out that I'm getting an A in Chem lab. Wahoo! So excited. I thought I was doing poorly on the lab reports but apparently not. It helped I brough a roll of paper towels to the second day of class as extra credit to help my score go up. You can never go wrong with an extra roll of toilet paper.
Speaking of extra credit, given my husband gets home early from work on thursday, I have the opportunity to go grade teachers on their teaching skills. They're trying to hire a Physiology professor for the college I'm going to, and one of the things they have to do is to have students grade their teaching methods. Because my biol professor is the head of the Biology dept, he's giving us up to 10 extra credit points if we attend 2 sessions of it. Should be interesting. Once again, I volunteered for it (because obviously I have nothing else to do with my life at this point...). But I want an A in the class, dang it!
This week was an interesting week because regardless of the fact my plate is so full I can't eat fast enough, I also signed up for volunteering. Sounds like a really bad move, especially for now, but I figured I've been BSing on Facebook too much still and needed to use that time wisely. And volunteering is all done online, and I only need to do it one hour per week. It's through icouldbe.org and I get to be a mentor and a support to underpriviledged teenagers who would otherwise drop out of high school and never go on to college, which is SOOOOO important, I can't stress it enough! So far I haven't had any mentees choose me as their mentor, but I'm sure it'll happen soon. I'll worry if two weeks pass by and nothing happens, though.
For Halloween, I did a good job at blowing it this year! I told my husband he has to plan it next year because apparently I don't seem to be able to handle it. I forgot to plan ahead and buy my son's Halloween costume on time, which resulted in him wearing the same thing he wore last year. I was bummed because I was hoping to see him in something besides a pumpkin costume, nonetheless he looked adorable, and he doesn't remember wearing it last year, which is a plus. My husband took him trick-or-treating at the mall and at first he didn't know why people were willingly placing candy in his bucket, but towards the end he figured out the deal and he'd point to the candy to make sure he got what he was worth. Haha Good thing they got video of it and I was able to watch it before I came to work tonight. It sucks to work the night before and the night of Halloween because I felt like I couldn't get anything done on time without having to hurry through it all. What a nightmare! And to top things off, daylight savings time ends tonight which means I have to stay at work for an extra hour. Swell. I'm happy though that I'm working with a great crew tonight and so it'll be very bearable!
I hope everyone had a great Halloween!
Saturday, October 24, 2009
What a week...
This week has been quite the interesting one!!! I worked monday night and I ended up being so tired Tuesday, despite sleeping more than my usual 3 hrs during the day, that I still couldn't think or speak coherently, therefore I missed my trig class. Bummer, because I really wanted to know what my exam score ended up being!
So I go to Trig class on thursday. I do have to back up a bit and mention how I thought I had done exceptionally on that test last week. However, the test was too long, and most of us ended up not being able to check our work due to lack of time. I show up to class on Tuesday to find out I had gotten a 72.5%. WHAT?!?! I almost threw my test back at my professor's face. I was in shock. A few minutes later, a colleague of mine turns to me and says, as I'm looking at my exam in disbelief, "The average was a 58%. The high was a 98%, but that was an outlier because the next high score was a 74%. Shouldn't he curve?" OH YES, HE SHOULD!!! If he curves that would bring my score up to a 85%, and I'd rather take a B than a C- any day!!! If I was a professor and my students were averaging a fail on my test, I'd be completely embarrassed...
Wednesday I got my score back from the anthropology exam we had taken last week... I got the usual 100%. That teacher is really hard to follow, but holy cow, are his tests easy or what!! I was very happy about that :)
Thursday night into friday morning my son didn't sleep well during the night. I believe this may be due to teething. Poor little guy.... constantly chewing on his fingers. After being up half the night I gave him Tylenol, but it only turned out to be a temporary relief for him. I didn't go to sleep until 5:30, and then got up at 8:30am to get ready to go to school. It was a rough day. I only got a one hour nap in (while he was napping) so I could come to work tonight... I'm struggling really bad. I'm chewing on ice chips to try to cool my body down enough that I won't fall asleep (if I get too warm and cozy that's when I'm gone). This sucks.
It's times like these that I wonder if I've gone completely off the edge. Who does this kind of thing... I mean, who does all this work only to impress themselves? I think that's what's happening at the moment. Something's gotta give here... oh, and I forgot to mention I just signed up for online volunteering as well. I either have to congratulate myself or give myself a big slap in the face. I can't decide...
BUT life moves on. I HAVE to take it one day at a time... even when my most dreaded day of the week comes around (fridays). On fridays I take it one hour at a time. That's just how it works for me. But it's doable. I much would rather keep busy than to be depressed and not doing anything but working like I was during the summer.
I always tell myself, "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming..." - Finding Nemo
So I go to Trig class on thursday. I do have to back up a bit and mention how I thought I had done exceptionally on that test last week. However, the test was too long, and most of us ended up not being able to check our work due to lack of time. I show up to class on Tuesday to find out I had gotten a 72.5%. WHAT?!?! I almost threw my test back at my professor's face. I was in shock. A few minutes later, a colleague of mine turns to me and says, as I'm looking at my exam in disbelief, "The average was a 58%. The high was a 98%, but that was an outlier because the next high score was a 74%. Shouldn't he curve?" OH YES, HE SHOULD!!! If he curves that would bring my score up to a 85%, and I'd rather take a B than a C- any day!!! If I was a professor and my students were averaging a fail on my test, I'd be completely embarrassed...
Wednesday I got my score back from the anthropology exam we had taken last week... I got the usual 100%. That teacher is really hard to follow, but holy cow, are his tests easy or what!! I was very happy about that :)
Thursday night into friday morning my son didn't sleep well during the night. I believe this may be due to teething. Poor little guy.... constantly chewing on his fingers. After being up half the night I gave him Tylenol, but it only turned out to be a temporary relief for him. I didn't go to sleep until 5:30, and then got up at 8:30am to get ready to go to school. It was a rough day. I only got a one hour nap in (while he was napping) so I could come to work tonight... I'm struggling really bad. I'm chewing on ice chips to try to cool my body down enough that I won't fall asleep (if I get too warm and cozy that's when I'm gone). This sucks.
It's times like these that I wonder if I've gone completely off the edge. Who does this kind of thing... I mean, who does all this work only to impress themselves? I think that's what's happening at the moment. Something's gotta give here... oh, and I forgot to mention I just signed up for online volunteering as well. I either have to congratulate myself or give myself a big slap in the face. I can't decide...
BUT life moves on. I HAVE to take it one day at a time... even when my most dreaded day of the week comes around (fridays). On fridays I take it one hour at a time. That's just how it works for me. But it's doable. I much would rather keep busy than to be depressed and not doing anything but working like I was during the summer.
I always tell myself, "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming..." - Finding Nemo
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Research
One of the things pre-med students have to do in order to look good on a med school application is independent research. Lots of medical schools out there are notoriously known for their research, and they want to be able to see students with some experience in it. So some of them make it a requirement, like the one I'm applying for here in my town.
My cell biology class is taught by the Biology Dept head at my community college. That guy is a genius. He's a really good professor and is very efficient at teaching. He's been teaching cell bio for like 20+ years, so I'm told, and this semester he got into a research project and puts us all to work with (for!) him.
The research is on this bacteria that was just found in Puerto Rico that needs to have its whole genome mapped. That would be about 3.9 million nucleotide pairs. Except we can't get through 3.9 million in one semester, so we have to do only 1% of it, so 50,000 nucleotide pairs. As a class, we mapped the genes, then our professor took a concensus of all our maps and made a hypothesis map. Then he assigned each of us 3 of those genes, then we research it and see if it really is a gene, and what is it.. We finally make a report of it and if we are right and we get a good score on it, our name gets published with the work. SO COOL!!!
I think I'm the only one that thinks it's cool, though. From what I hear, the rest of my class hates it :( Maybe I'm just cut out for doing research as a doctor? I dunno. Bottom line is, he offered us to do this as independent research next semester and I totally want to do it, although I won't be a student at the community college anymore. I think it'll be a great research experience! And it helps that I'm interested in genetics, which makes the whole experience worthwhile for me.
Oh and did I mention the other school that's mapping the same genome (starting from the opposite end, however) is Johns Hopkins? That's even better :)
So now that I'm caught up to this point of what I'm doing in my life right now, I think I'll start the diary part of this blog and that's what I'll do until I either 1) quit, 2) forget about it, or 3) die. haha
My cell biology class is taught by the Biology Dept head at my community college. That guy is a genius. He's a really good professor and is very efficient at teaching. He's been teaching cell bio for like 20+ years, so I'm told, and this semester he got into a research project and puts us all to work with (for!) him.
The research is on this bacteria that was just found in Puerto Rico that needs to have its whole genome mapped. That would be about 3.9 million nucleotide pairs. Except we can't get through 3.9 million in one semester, so we have to do only 1% of it, so 50,000 nucleotide pairs. As a class, we mapped the genes, then our professor took a concensus of all our maps and made a hypothesis map. Then he assigned each of us 3 of those genes, then we research it and see if it really is a gene, and what is it.. We finally make a report of it and if we are right and we get a good score on it, our name gets published with the work. SO COOL!!!
I think I'm the only one that thinks it's cool, though. From what I hear, the rest of my class hates it :( Maybe I'm just cut out for doing research as a doctor? I dunno. Bottom line is, he offered us to do this as independent research next semester and I totally want to do it, although I won't be a student at the community college anymore. I think it'll be a great research experience! And it helps that I'm interested in genetics, which makes the whole experience worthwhile for me.
Oh and did I mention the other school that's mapping the same genome (starting from the opposite end, however) is Johns Hopkins? That's even better :)
So now that I'm caught up to this point of what I'm doing in my life right now, I think I'll start the diary part of this blog and that's what I'll do until I either 1) quit, 2) forget about it, or 3) die. haha
Monday, October 19, 2009
This semester thus far...
When I first announced that I was going to be working full-time and going to school full-time, back in August, people acted horrified. Honestly, I was a little scared too, and it wasn't just because it was going to be busy, but what I was REALLY worried about was trying to get into a routine as soon as possible. That was my number one priority!
Being a mom in school and working requires a very strict routine, and I believe that is the only way to make this busy schedule work. I'm BIG into routines. Everything has a time to be done. My baby.. I should say toddler now because he's really not a baby anymore.. my toddler takes a nap at the same time every day, and goes to bed at the same time every day. We eat at the same time every day. There's a right time for doing homework, taking a shower, giving my son a bath, etc... I know. It sounds like I'm the most strict mom in the world, but the truth is, life is a lot better that way. Sure, we do things spontaneously, such as going out to the playground to let my son play or going to playgroups, but overall, life has a routine. Which is why I can make this whole thing work between school, my job, and family life.
So this semester I'm taking my first batch of pre-med classes. It's exciting to finally be able to work on classes I am interested about instead of the ol' boring general classes. Good thing I got those out of the way and I never have to worry about that ever again! Right now I'm taking Cell Biology, Chem I, Anthropology 1010, and Trigonometry. The first three classes are my major requirements; Trig is necessary to get to Calculus I, which is a major requirement.
Here's a sample of my schedule, along with work:
Sunday- day off
Monday- class from 10-10:50, work 7pm-7am
Tuesday- Zombie Mommy Day. Do laundry, try to sleep as much as possible, class from 5:30-6:50.
Wednesday- class at 10-10:50, then again from 5:30-8:20.
Thursday- class from 5:30p-6:50, then again from 8p-9:15.
Friday (the most horrible day of the week)- class from 10-10:50, again from 2-4:30p, then work from 7pm-7am :(
Saturday- sleep all day, work again 7pm-7am.
So there. It's busy. Working nights has its pros and cons, though. The cons is that I'm literally taking 2 days of sleep to recoup from each shift. The pros is that my husband and I don't pay for daycare, and I get paid extra for the night shift, and if it's slow, I get to do my homework. It's quite lovely, to be honest.
Now you ask... "How are my classes?" The answer is quite simple: they're busy (for obvious reasons!).
My Anthropology class is easy. This is the class that gets put on the back burner for the most part. I'm ahead of the teacher in reading by 4 chapters. He's slow. But it's an easy A.
My cell biology class has a lab. The lecture is ok. My teacher is straight forward, and he's really good. The lab, though, had a tough start. The experiments weren't written correctly, and it was just a mess. But we started a research project and I'll write more about it on the next post.
My chem class is chem class. The lecture is online, so I don't have to study too hard for the tests hahah I go to chem lab, though and it isn't too difficult.
My trig class, like chem, is trig class. It's busy work. The homework is all done online, which takes a long time to get through because the online format is picky about how you type in your answers. It's a real pain in the "you-know-where".
Anyway. I'll write more later. This is super long, already!
Being a mom in school and working requires a very strict routine, and I believe that is the only way to make this busy schedule work. I'm BIG into routines. Everything has a time to be done. My baby.. I should say toddler now because he's really not a baby anymore.. my toddler takes a nap at the same time every day, and goes to bed at the same time every day. We eat at the same time every day. There's a right time for doing homework, taking a shower, giving my son a bath, etc... I know. It sounds like I'm the most strict mom in the world, but the truth is, life is a lot better that way. Sure, we do things spontaneously, such as going out to the playground to let my son play or going to playgroups, but overall, life has a routine. Which is why I can make this whole thing work between school, my job, and family life.
So this semester I'm taking my first batch of pre-med classes. It's exciting to finally be able to work on classes I am interested about instead of the ol' boring general classes. Good thing I got those out of the way and I never have to worry about that ever again! Right now I'm taking Cell Biology, Chem I, Anthropology 1010, and Trigonometry. The first three classes are my major requirements; Trig is necessary to get to Calculus I, which is a major requirement.
Here's a sample of my schedule, along with work:
Sunday- day off
Monday- class from 10-10:50, work 7pm-7am
Tuesday- Zombie Mommy Day. Do laundry, try to sleep as much as possible, class from 5:30-6:50.
Wednesday- class at 10-10:50, then again from 5:30-8:20.
Thursday- class from 5:30p-6:50, then again from 8p-9:15.
Friday (the most horrible day of the week)- class from 10-10:50, again from 2-4:30p, then work from 7pm-7am :(
Saturday- sleep all day, work again 7pm-7am.
So there. It's busy. Working nights has its pros and cons, though. The cons is that I'm literally taking 2 days of sleep to recoup from each shift. The pros is that my husband and I don't pay for daycare, and I get paid extra for the night shift, and if it's slow, I get to do my homework. It's quite lovely, to be honest.
Now you ask... "How are my classes?" The answer is quite simple: they're busy (for obvious reasons!).
My Anthropology class is easy. This is the class that gets put on the back burner for the most part. I'm ahead of the teacher in reading by 4 chapters. He's slow. But it's an easy A.
My cell biology class has a lab. The lecture is ok. My teacher is straight forward, and he's really good. The lab, though, had a tough start. The experiments weren't written correctly, and it was just a mess. But we started a research project and I'll write more about it on the next post.
My chem class is chem class. The lecture is online, so I don't have to study too hard for the tests hahah I go to chem lab, though and it isn't too difficult.
My trig class, like chem, is trig class. It's busy work. The homework is all done online, which takes a long time to get through because the online format is picky about how you type in your answers. It's a real pain in the "you-know-where".
Anyway. I'll write more later. This is super long, already!
Sunday, October 18, 2009
School woes
I have been out of high school for 5 years. I loved high school, especially my senior year. I had lots of friends, took harder classes and got good grades, had a boyfriend whom I had been dating for a year (I am now married to him!), and things were good. I tried really hard to be popular, and even ran for class Historian in order to put that on my college application, although I didn't win. Eventually, I spoke at my high school graduation and that was by far one of the best days of my life.
Then I go to college. They really don't prepare you for the amount of work you have to put into one single 3-credit class, do they?
I have been going to college for the last 5 years, a few semesters here and there. I spent about nine months of it going into a vocational school because I had this silly idea of wanting to become a dental assistant. It didn't work out for me, so I ended up going back to school at a community college for Nursing. It was a big change from being in classes of 100+ students at the university to classes with 20 people. They even take roll at the community college. I felt like I was back in high school!
In the spring of 2008, I was taking a full load (12 credits) of classes and was due at the middle of April with our first child. I was also working full time, and it was really difficult because at one point my husband was laid off from his job and I had to kick it up a notch and work overtime to pay the bills. We also bought a condo that February and my mom was going through a nasty divorce. How did I keep up, you ask? I developed heart problems associated with the pregnancy, and I had preterm labor from all the stress at work and home. Needless to say, I was DONE! My son arrived on his due date, and both him and I were sick for a few weeks. Good thing my professors knew ahead of time I was about to deliver and they were very nice and supportive through the whole thing since I couldn't really come to class for about 2 weeks, heading straight into finals. So my point of me telling you about my experience with delivering in the middle of the semester is that it's very difficult to deal with all of it, especially if you end up having complications. Being sleep deprived was the worst thing I've had to endure and it was hard to study when my mind wasn't clear to think straight. My advice for all the moms/moms-to-be out there? If you can plan your pregnancies, and you're going to school, deliver in the summer, or a semester you're not going to school. It's much easier that way and you can develop a bond with your baby and not with your textbooks.
I finally got my Associates of Science in General Studies this past spring. I didn't even walk, I figured I could save myself the money of paying for a cap and gown and go out to dinner with my family to celebrate instead!
Then the unexpected happened: I had to switch my majors. I'm happy I did it for a variety of reasons, and now it'll only take me less than 3 years to graduate with my Bachelor's degree compared to the previous 6-7 years. I still stayed at the community college for this semester (I took summer off) because I was too late in applying back at the university, bla bla bla.
This is already long so next time I post, I'll talk about my first batch of pre-med classes I'm taking right now :)
Toodles!
Then I go to college. They really don't prepare you for the amount of work you have to put into one single 3-credit class, do they?
I have been going to college for the last 5 years, a few semesters here and there. I spent about nine months of it going into a vocational school because I had this silly idea of wanting to become a dental assistant. It didn't work out for me, so I ended up going back to school at a community college for Nursing. It was a big change from being in classes of 100+ students at the university to classes with 20 people. They even take roll at the community college. I felt like I was back in high school!
In the spring of 2008, I was taking a full load (12 credits) of classes and was due at the middle of April with our first child. I was also working full time, and it was really difficult because at one point my husband was laid off from his job and I had to kick it up a notch and work overtime to pay the bills. We also bought a condo that February and my mom was going through a nasty divorce. How did I keep up, you ask? I developed heart problems associated with the pregnancy, and I had preterm labor from all the stress at work and home. Needless to say, I was DONE! My son arrived on his due date, and both him and I were sick for a few weeks. Good thing my professors knew ahead of time I was about to deliver and they were very nice and supportive through the whole thing since I couldn't really come to class for about 2 weeks, heading straight into finals. So my point of me telling you about my experience with delivering in the middle of the semester is that it's very difficult to deal with all of it, especially if you end up having complications. Being sleep deprived was the worst thing I've had to endure and it was hard to study when my mind wasn't clear to think straight. My advice for all the moms/moms-to-be out there? If you can plan your pregnancies, and you're going to school, deliver in the summer, or a semester you're not going to school. It's much easier that way and you can develop a bond with your baby and not with your textbooks.
I finally got my Associates of Science in General Studies this past spring. I didn't even walk, I figured I could save myself the money of paying for a cap and gown and go out to dinner with my family to celebrate instead!
Then the unexpected happened: I had to switch my majors. I'm happy I did it for a variety of reasons, and now it'll only take me less than 3 years to graduate with my Bachelor's degree compared to the previous 6-7 years. I still stayed at the community college for this semester (I took summer off) because I was too late in applying back at the university, bla bla bla.
This is already long so next time I post, I'll talk about my first batch of pre-med classes I'm taking right now :)
Toodles!
Saturday, October 17, 2009
First post!
I was contemplating for a long time about creating this blog for the purpose of enlightening other moms who are wanting to go into medical school. So I finally broke down and did it!
This blog will be a diary of my struggles and accomplishments as I try to get through the hoops of getting accepted into a medical school, next as a medical school student, and later, as a resident (AKA doctor!).
A little bit about myself:
I'm Silvia, I'm a 23 year old married to a wonderful, supportive husband, and mom to our great toddler. He's so great, we don't know what we would do without him!
I've wanted to be a doctor for a few years now. I first wanted to get my BSN, and got as close as only having one class left before applying for a program. But I wasn't satisfied, so I decided to be a doctor, partly because of one experience I had while working at the hospital as a CNA a few years ago, in which (not to brag or anything!) I nearly saved a baby's life. It was a humbling experience, but one I will never forget. That baby was the reason why I chose being a doctor would be more of a fulfilling career for me than just being an RN.
So this is where I am.
Right now I work at a hospital as a CNA and a unit clerk. I love it there. I find the medical field so fascinating and I will never do anything else! I have to work full-time for financial reasons, but I only have to be there 3 times/week, so it's not too bad. It helps when your co-workers are your best friends :)
I find it's crucial to work in a healthcare setting when deciding if being a doctor is the best decision for you. You have to know that doctors are busy people with a ton of patients that need to be watched over. The more closely you work with a doctor, the better chances you'll have of knowing exactly what they do and how much work they have to do. It isn't an easy task, obviously, but very rewarding.
BUT if you don't have the opportunity of working with one or working in healthcare at all, it's wise to do lots of shadowing. You'll want to know what you're getting yourself into before you jump in the water! That will save you time and money. I was getting my BSN and had to quickly change my major to Anthropology with Health Emphasis because I was told that route was not going to work for the school I'm going to, plus it was going to take me an extra 5-6 years to finish all my pre-reqs for med school. Now it'll only take me a bit less than 3. I'm happy with my decision and I'm glad I changed my majors (although it would be nice to be an RN and know just a bit more than my new colleagues in med school!)
More to come...
This blog will be a diary of my struggles and accomplishments as I try to get through the hoops of getting accepted into a medical school, next as a medical school student, and later, as a resident (AKA doctor!).
A little bit about myself:
I'm Silvia, I'm a 23 year old married to a wonderful, supportive husband, and mom to our great toddler. He's so great, we don't know what we would do without him!
I've wanted to be a doctor for a few years now. I first wanted to get my BSN, and got as close as only having one class left before applying for a program. But I wasn't satisfied, so I decided to be a doctor, partly because of one experience I had while working at the hospital as a CNA a few years ago, in which (not to brag or anything!) I nearly saved a baby's life. It was a humbling experience, but one I will never forget. That baby was the reason why I chose being a doctor would be more of a fulfilling career for me than just being an RN.
So this is where I am.
Right now I work at a hospital as a CNA and a unit clerk. I love it there. I find the medical field so fascinating and I will never do anything else! I have to work full-time for financial reasons, but I only have to be there 3 times/week, so it's not too bad. It helps when your co-workers are your best friends :)
I find it's crucial to work in a healthcare setting when deciding if being a doctor is the best decision for you. You have to know that doctors are busy people with a ton of patients that need to be watched over. The more closely you work with a doctor, the better chances you'll have of knowing exactly what they do and how much work they have to do. It isn't an easy task, obviously, but very rewarding.
BUT if you don't have the opportunity of working with one or working in healthcare at all, it's wise to do lots of shadowing. You'll want to know what you're getting yourself into before you jump in the water! That will save you time and money. I was getting my BSN and had to quickly change my major to Anthropology with Health Emphasis because I was told that route was not going to work for the school I'm going to, plus it was going to take me an extra 5-6 years to finish all my pre-reqs for med school. Now it'll only take me a bit less than 3. I'm happy with my decision and I'm glad I changed my majors (although it would be nice to be an RN and know just a bit more than my new colleagues in med school!)
More to come...
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