MCAT issues

Sometimes this blog is written just for me to figure out plans of doing things a certain way in order to simplify my life. This is one of those posts, so feel free to ignore it.

I'm having some major problems retaining all the information needed for the MCAT. Reactants and conditions are not staying in my head for organic chemistry, and concepts I found easy in my general chemistry class are just not sticking. So I've formulated a new plan to make me remember all this stuff.

Here it is:

• Compile one-page "cheat sheets" for each chapter of each subject that include vital conceptual information as well as equations and tricks for solving MCAT problems quickly.
• Create examples of how to solve recurring types of problems unique to each chapter, with worked out solutions.
• Write up all the organic chemistry equations that are necessary for the MCAT.
• Review one chapter a day of all subjects. Rinse and repeat.

Since I do best when I have to do things over and over again, I hope that going over these home-made worksheets daily will help me retain this large volume of information, and will provide a great way to organize everything in my head. And 1 - 2 pages for each subject turns into ~8 pages total a day. That shouldn't be too hard.

Now if studying for the verbal section was this simple, I'd be set!

Something has to change

Lately I've been feeling like I constantly have my nose in a book and that my life is class, study, sleep, and repeat. Work should be in there as well, but I just haven't been able to fit it in. And even with such a bare-bones schedule, I've been sleeping very little so clearly this isn't working for me.

I thought about this last night and realized that I actually do have enough hours in the day to accomplish everything and still have a reasonable life. I just have to be more efficient and not waste so much time.

So I've proposed a new schedule for myself where I am super productive from 9 to 6 and then can be as lazy as I want. I think I need that separation of life and school/work to be sane, otherwise I'm going to go crazy with stress, as has been the case these past few weeks. With dedicated relaxation time that won't be interrupted by school and/or work, I won't feel the need to squeeze in a show here or there, which is my downfall with regards to productivity.

And of course, like every other plan I commit to, this will have to start after this series of exams is done. So until next Wednesday, I continue to have no life.

!!!

Received tonight at 11:44 pm*:

Looks like Option 1 from my previous post is actually going to happen. Happy days!

*Pardon the stars and redactions. One of the forms we have to sign deals with not releasing the location of the ship until we have left the area. And another one says we need to run everything we plan to write about the trip by the coordinator. The details omitted from the copied email aren't pertinent to this blog post and thus have been removed.

Summer abroad

Originally I had planned to apply to only one summer program abroad and leave it at that. If I didn't get in, then I'd enjoy the peace and freedom of this summer here in town. But, a friend of mine has forwarded another opportunity on to me about a group leader position in a huge number of countries that would last about 5 weeks. It'd be a great reason for me to go back to Europe and visit my family, because it doesn't look like the sailing trip is going to happen the way I had hoped.

So here are the two programs I'm applying or have applied to:

1. A humanitarian mission aboard the USNS Mercy, run by the UCSD Pre-Dental Society
   This organization partners with the U.S. Navy to provide medical staff and volunteer assistants for missions abroad aboard a hospital ship. This summer they will be traveling to Southeast Asia, visiting Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, and Cambodia for about 4 months total (2 weeks at each site plus a few days of transit between countries). I've applied for the whole summer but if I am chosen for only two sites then I requested Vietnam and Cambodia because it would give me more time and lee-way for MCAT studying (in case I have to push it back...again), AMCAS submission, and writing secondaries. I've been told by someone who does these kinds of missions regularly that I should go for the duration of whole thing if I have the opportunity because it's a once in a lifetime experience, but I would also like to have some time to be at home during the summer. It's fun over here. As of a week ago, they had received my application and now it's a waiting game. If I don't hear back within the next 2 - 3 weeks then I'll email them for an update but for now, I sit and wait and fret. I REALLY want to do this. It's right up my alley!
2. The Experiment in International Living, as a group leader for high school students
   This group plans homestays for high school students in countries around the world, and is in need of group leaders to be the contacts for these students when they're abroad. It would be the perfect opportunity to go back to Europe (or maybe even Australia) and live with a family and experience the international life I've been missing since I moved back to the States. I wish my Italian was better because then I could go to Florence, too!

Those are the plans, at least the international ones, for the summer. If I do end up staying here in town, I may volunteer at a summer camp for cancer kids, which is something I've been wanting to do since undergrad but just haven't had the time to do. Or, I may take an Italian summer course so I can take the more advanced language classes during fall and spring. Or I may just go camping a lot. Man, I'm already dreaming of the freedom I'll have once my MCAT and AMCAS are done!

No pressure

This weekend a few friends from the summer camp I used to work at and I rented a condo in the mountains to have a few days away from the hustle and bustle of life. It was awesome! We lounged in the condo (I still can't ski because of my knee), did puzzles, played Settlers, and laughed our butts off.

I had an absolute blast, but as soon as I got back home I began thinking of all the MCAT studying I should have done this weekend and then I got sad. If I don't get into the local medical school, all these friends will no longer be a part of my life and that's depressing. And this thinking just exacerbates the problem I have with leaving my brother.

In short, I have so many reasons to stay here and that stresses me out because now, I have to get into this medical school! And to do that, I need to do really well on the MCAT. No pressure.

Going back to my old ways

I skipped class today because I couldn't find parking. Seriously. And instead of being productive during that extra hour, I watched last night's episode of "Parenthood", read all my usual websites and blogs, and am now updating the blogs that I write for myself. And that's three hours gone that I could've been studying for the MCAT, doing biochem homework, or working. Oops.

Plans for the "Gap Year"

Because I'm a planner, I'm already thinking of ways to spend the year between the time I submit my medical school application in early June and the day I (hopefully) matriculate in August of the following year. And right now I'm torn.

Part of me wants to do something clinical or medical just because. But another part of me wants to say "Screw it!" and mess around during that time. I'm already planning a month-long trip abroad for next February or March, but I'm also thinking of extending that and making it more of a 6-month trip. All of this is obviously dependent on the success of my application cycle, but for once I'm leaning towards the optimistic side of things and thinking I'll get in somewhere and won't have to spend the year building up my application for another cycle.

For example, if I don't get into my local medical school, I am less likely to move abroad for the 6 months that I'm dreaming of. Even though I haven't hung out with my brother much lately (and by that I mean, at all), I still would like to maximize the time I see him if I have to move. And that means hanging around here until I go away to school elsewhere.

I love where I live and life is becoming pretty awesome lately, so this wouldn't be too bad of an option, but I still would like to get away if I'm going to be bogged down with school come late summer. I need a vacation like crazy and this would be the perfect time.

But, if I were to have an acceptance to the school here, I could go away for a long time and not feel guilty about missing out on bonding time with family. Most likely, though, I will have to make this decision in a year's time when more of these things are clear. And that means having plenty of back-up options and multiple planned vacations so once I know what's going on, I can get on with whichever idea sounds the best.

A collection of BROOMBALL! photos

There's so much medical school talk on this blog that I feel the need to add in some photos of my other passion: BROOMBALL!!! It's what gets me through the winter and it keeps me feeling young.

With the regular season wrapping up, it's time to post an assortment of photos from my teams. Yes, you read that right, it's plural.

Onesies.

Camouflage theme, complete with face paint.

A close-up of our awesome face-painting skillz.

Tooth fairies.

Face-off at center ice. That's our (male) captain on the left.

There is plenty more where this came from, so I'll keep adding when I need the study break. Stay young, people!

Letters of recommendation

Our committee letter packets are due in two weeks and with those I need to have at least two letters of recommendation submitted. I asked my boss from the summer camp I used to work at to write me a letter, focusing mostly on my position of leadership and I'm starting to stress a little bit about it.

I never did the whole "Can you write me a good letter?" bit, but instead just asked him to write me one. He's a very honest and straightforward guy, so I know that he would've declined to write me one if it wasn't going to be any good, but that doesn't prevent the stress. And this email from him makes me think I made a good decision asking him to write me one:

For now what would be most helpful would be for you to tell me what you would like me to focus on in terms of your tenure. Don't be bashful, lay out your most significant achievements and I'll color in from there.

Now, this is awesome. Well, it would be nice if I didn't have to tell him what I did but it's good to hear that he'll be putting me in the best light possible. But still, I'm stuck.

From the camp perspective, I didn't do anything special that summer. Everything I instituted or applied or taught was part of the job description (they really made use of the "other duties as assigned" clause of our contracts), but if you look at it from an outsider's point of view, I did a lot. It's just weird to tell him normal things are my greatest accomplishments since he used to have my job and knows exactly what the position entails.

So I'm racking my brain trying to make myself sound good leadership-wise, and also thinking of ways to suggest what he should write without expressly stating them. Ay ay ay!

Regret

From a thread about being angry with yourself for being a non-trad...this is exactly how I feel about my life:

That great anger you're experiencing is called regret, and it's probably one of the worst things to ever cope with in life. However, when there's a will, there's a way - channel that anger into something that will help you achieve your goal.