How Often Do You Check Your Mail?

I know for most people, checking the mail daily is quite normal. I mean the mailbox is just at the end of the driveway right? Well my mailbox is not just at the end of the driveway. I don't even have a driveway. I have to go totally out of my way to check my mail. It is almost an inconvenience to do it. Last semester I probably checked it every other week. But lately? Every. Single. Day. Why? Because I am pleading with my mailbox to produce a letter from St. Louis saying I have a research project to attend to all summer. The website says I will know by March 1st but what if they start sending letters out early? The sooner I know the better, and it is something I really want. However, I am still waiting. That's all I can do. Proverbs 16:9.

Anyway, I apologize for not updating in such a long time but there isn't too much to comment on. I pretty much do the same thing every day. School, work, practice, homework, repeat, etc. This week was a little bittersweet in one aspect. We had our last dance performance, which is upsetting because I love dancing and hanging out with the girls, but I am looking forward to having more time and hopefully recovering from my injuries. Our performance went really well though, and I'm looking forward to next season.

Track is still going well. I am getting really sick of doing turns and drills inside, but I did get to go out and actually throw for about three days. It was awesome and I can't wait for the weather to warm up so I can throw outside every day. I'm so ready for outdoor season! The good thing about doing so many turns is that I am getting much faster and I am really excited to see how much of an improvement I've made from last season. If I just could get this back problem of mine fixed I would also like to get back to hitting the weight room hard. I am very limited in the lifts I can do currently, and it is quite frustrating. My back hurting all day long is not pleasant either.

Classes are going okay. I am starting to get a little bored even though the amount of work I have to do is steadily increasing. My stress levels aren't too bad right now, so hopefully I can get ahead on a few things so I don't go crazy. I am a little nervous about the MCAT because I rarely can find time to study with everything I do. It is really hard for me to determine whether the test or my classes should be a higher priority. I am definitely looking forward to spring break in two weeks to get away from campus and catch up on studying.

Enough about me. I got an email today from the Alzheimer's Association about what they call The Longest Day. It is a relay type event that anyone can participate in on the longest day of the year, June 20 this year. From sunrise to sunset, people will be doing endurance activities to raise funds and awareness for Alzheimer's disease. If you are interested in possibly participating, go to http://www.alz.org/the_longest_day/.

Hope all is well with all of you! God bless.

One Week Down

I made it through my first week of the semester! Of course, the first week isn't really ever the most difficult. I decided to give everyone a quick update. I think I am really going to enjoy my classes this semester, so I'm sure that will help keep the stress levels down a bit. The second part of physical chemistry hasn't been very enjoyable but the grade is 80% homework, so it isn't concerning me too much. The homework is difficult but I'm used to that from this class. My ethics class is incredible. It is so much fun to raise arguments on ethical issues, and I am positive it will help me become a better doctor. I'm planning on learning a lot this semester in all of my classes.

My back is still having its good days and bad days. The athletic trainer I have been working with has realigned my hips twice so far, and we will begin physical therapy this week. I'm not exactly sure how much I will be able to do or how long I will take to fully heal, but I hope it doesn't last too long. It is quite painful and outdoor season is rapidly approaching.

Studying for the MCAT is going well. I have made a weekly schedule and I am doing a good job sticking to it. I haven't had much homework yet, but hopefully I'll be able to stay ahead of the game so I don't become too overwhelmed.

I better get to writing my paper. Thanks for reading!

PS I had a dream last night about being accepted into the summer research program I applied to. A sign? I hope so. Keep the fingers crossed and prayers coming!

My Cheeks Hurt

I just returned home from volunteering at the senior village for two hours. We played BINGO for the first hour, and chatted the rest of the time. One lady was a retired RN and had many stories to tell about her job. She absolutely loved being a nurse and misses it a lot. She had some great advice for me about entering the medical field. I definitely enjoyed the conversation with the ladies and the activities director. My favorite part about the visit, however, was that it was one of the resident's birthday, and she had a few visitors. Among the visitors was a dog. I have not seen as much joy radiate from a person as I did when this lady saw her dog. Even the activities director said it was the happiest he has seen her in a very long time. It is hard to become unmotivated to work with the older generation when moments like that happen. Why do my cheeks hurt? I smiled BIG for the entire two hours.

I apologize for not posting for a month, but I have been on winter break. I had a wonderful Christmas with family, and an uneventful New Year's. I have been reading a lot lately because I rarely have time to read for pleasure at school. I have also been using the time to restrengthen my relationship with God because I was a little distracted last semester with how busy I was. I was a little down, but once I realized what was missing I was able to pick myself back up, and I am now ready to tackle the extremely busy semester that awaits me.

Speaking of a busy semester, I'll let you in on what it will look like. I officially registered for the MCAT on April 28, so I will need to buckle down and study for that. Also, I will be taking Physical Chemistry II, Anatomy, Ethics, and Intercultural Communication, all classes I am confident will help me become a better doctor. I will also be working with one of my professors on writing and publishing a case report on a rare type of gall bladder cancer. I am hoping to get credit for a research seminar class through this project, and hope to continue with the research project I briefly started last semester. I will be continuing my work in the financial aid office, as well as being a part of the dance team, an intramural basketball team, and a captain on the track team. I haven't been able to work out as much as I'd like to due to a back injury, but I'm hoping a trip to the trainer next week will help me get back into it. I am not allowing any setbacks get in the way of my dreams.

With that said, if you are one of my friends reading this, I will go ahead and apologize now for any time I am too busy to hang out. Please don't take it personally. You probably won't see me as often, so don't worry if that happens.

Wish me luck for the coming semester! Hopefully I will be able to keep you all updated.

PS For those of you who are wondering if I have heard from WashU about the summer research program, I have not. Trust me when I say that you will know as soon as I do. Pray for good news!

"You cannot be anything you want to be. But you can be everything God wants you to be."
-Max Lucado

Where Am I Going to Find THAT Much Money?

Applying to medical school is EXPENSIVE. I will be applying to MD/PhD programs starting next summer, and will be taking the MCAT at the end of April. Let me break down my expenses for you:
MCAT (Medical College Admission Test)-$240
AMCAS (American Medical College Application Service)-$160 for 1 school + $33 for each school after
If I apply to eight schools (which is the average number for MD/PhDs), I will be spending approximately $630
This does not include the cost of study materials, transcripts, secondary application fees (which can range anywhere from $25-$100 a piece), or interview clothes. I'm hoping to start a couple fundraisers soon to help me with this cost where a percentage of profits I earn will go toward applying for MD/PhD, and the rest will go directly to the Alzheimer's Association. My goal of course is to make enough to donate at least as much to the Alzheimer's Association as I am putting toward my application fund. Obviously, this is a hefty goal but anything is possible through Christ, right? With that said, if anyone has any good fundraising ideas let me know!

Speaking of the Alzheimer's Association, I am officially a monthly donor. I will be donating $20 from my paychecks each month directly to the organization. Not much, but it is about 10% of what I am making, and I'm in college.

With all of this planning for the future, it is extremely hard to focus on school. I am so ready to move on to bigger and better things that it is getting hard for me to concentrate on my classwork. I can't help but try to learn everything I can about the programs I'm applying to, where I might be living, and how to prepare for applying. This is tough to overcome seeing as how there is only this week of class and final exams next week.

Many of you have been wondering about the summer program at WashU. My application is still missing one component, a recommendation. Being that it is the end of the semester, I am sure my professor is quite busy and hopefully will have more time to submit it once break begins. Unfortunately, they will not review my application until all components have been submitted. Therefore, all we can do is wait, and I promise that you will know as soon as I do.

"May He give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed"
Psalm 20:4

Waiting and WUO

I just submitted my application to the Amgen Scholars Summer Research Program at Washington University in St. Louis. Although a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders, it is still going to kill me to have to wait to find out if I receive acceptance into the program. I may not find out until March 1st, so until I get any word I will be praying about it and hope that you can help me in those efforts.

School has been going fine. I'm getting pretty excited about the end of the semester rapidly approaching. I have the rest of the semester planned out in most of my classes, so it is nice to actually be able to see the end. I'm looking forward to a mostly relaxing and fun-filled weekend before I go home for Thanksgiving break next Tuesday. I am definitely ecstatic about going home.

We are changing gears in dance from football season to basketball season. Our uniforms finally came in so we will be revealing those at the first game we dance. That day will be pretty busy as I have a track meet on the same day. Luckily I am not competing indoor this season so I will just go to support my teammates. Hopefully the meet will be over in time for them to support me as well! It should be a fun time. Unfortunately, the weather is getting really cold and I don't know if I will have another day to throw outside before the spring. It is a little depressing, but there isn't anything I can do about it but keep up with my workouts and practice footwork.

I guess I could tell a little bit about my world record breaking experience last night. The World United Organization (or WUO as we call it) was started by two young men at my university with the mission to "make the world aware of its fixable problems, inspire people to change those problems for the better, and to help those that are less fortunate than most." You can read all about their story and organization at www.worldunitedorg.org. They started selling "Wuo Wear" a while back, and I bought a tee shirt from them my freshman year. Little did I know how big of a deal this organization would become. They started by donating the profits they got from their Wuo Wear, but are now on to bigger and better things. They are planning a trip to Africa to hand out rice to villagers, build a school, and implant a water purification system for an entire village. In order to raise money and awareness for their organization, they held an event on campus called "High Five World Hunger in the Face." The event started by a presentation of their mission statement and explanation of why they do what they do. It then led to a bunch of supporters (including me) lining up to break the world record for most consecutive high fives. Once the record was broken, everyone was able to buy tee shirts and wristbands, eat food, make holiday cards for children in Africa, sign a banner, and make donations. It was an exciting and inspiring experience and all I can say is what a great organization!

Well, that's all the time I have. I have to get into the lab. As always, thanks for reading and don't be afraid to leave comments!

"Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own"
-Matthew 6:34

Maybe One Day I'll Make Up My Mind

I did it again. I changed my mind. I'm back on the path to becoming an MD/PhD. Why? Because I talked to an adviser, and she thinks it would be in my best interests to go for the combined degree. After an hour long discussion, the conclusion we came to was that at the age of thirty, having both degrees would be a great advantage. I do love school, so I don't think the length of time would be a problem. Also, it is hard to say whether I would get enough patient interaction by just doing a PhD program. I really love working with people, especially at older ages, and I think working with Alzheimer's patients would be really rewarding. By getting both degrees, I wouldn't necessarily need to use both. I could use one or the other, but would have the correct training to utilize both if I needed to. I still think working with patients would be excellent motivation to apply to my research.

With that said, the professor I talked to has confidence in me about getting accepted into such a prestigious program, which is quite encouraging. She has been to medical school and has her MD, so she knows what it is like and what it takes to get there, and she believes I am on the right track. While I am at school, I will be focusing on my coursework, grades, research, and extracurricular activities, and on my breaks I will be focusing on volunteering and preparing for the MCAT. I actually can't wait to get back to the senior village to volunteer again over Thanksgiving break.

I am, of course, still a little nervous about getting accepted into a program. Everyone keeps telling me that I won't have a problem, but it is extremely competitive. However, if I do not get accepted, I can still apply to PhD programs or take a year off to do research. I would rather not take a year off, but there is no way to tell what is going to happen.

This summer is going to have to be very productive if I want to get into a program. The application for the research program in St. Louis I really want to attend comes out this week! I am really hoping I get accepted into the program. It would be such an awesome experience. I have a backup plan with a neuroscience summer research program in Maryland, and beyond that I am going to have to make some phone calls. If anyone has any connections in the field of neuroscience, I would love to spend some time with them.

On a more personal note, classes are going okay. It has been a rough semester just out of business, but I'm hanging in there. Track has officially started and it should be a really good season. I am still having tons of fun dancing. Our last football game is next Saturday and then we switch gears to basketball season. Halloween weekend was pretty disappointing this year, but I got some relaxing in so I can't really complain.

Well I am off to organize my life and get some homework done. Thanks for reading.

How Can I Say This?

New Orleans is a crazy, crazy city. That's pretty much the only way I can describe it. It is definitely a place that you just have to visit to know what it is like. I can do all the explaining in the world, but you will never get it unless you experience it yourself.

I traveled to New Orleans this past weekend to watch my beautiful older sister get married. It was a gorgeous day, lovely wedding, and awesome reception. Held at the House of Blues, we had a private room to eat and celebrate in. We all definitely had a great time.

The weekend trip was without question an adventure. Getting up at 3AM to catch a flight, watching the sun rise at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport during a two and a half hour layover, seeing things I've never seen before, experiencing a new city and culture, spending time with family, taking my first taxi and trolley rides, walking endless amounts, trying new foods, going to three states I'd never been to before (even if it was just to hang out at the airport), and much, much more, I'd say it was well worth my extended break from school.

Unfortunately, I now have to come back to real life for a while. I have a ton of homework that I should be doing instead of typing all this, but I feel that if I don't keep up with updates I won't ever come back. That would totally defeat the purpose of starting a blog.

Some of you are probably wondering (if any of you noticed anyway) that I have changed the title to my blog. The answer is simple. After doing some more research, I have learned that getting my PhD will give me everything I want out of an education. I will still be able to do my research and eventually teach if I still choose to. I will still be a doctor. I will still be helping people (even if it isn't always directly). By not choosing to enter into an MD/PhD program, I will save myself three or four years of going to school, plus I do not have to worry about taking the MCAT. Instead, I will be taking the GRE, which tests more on critical thinking and analytical skills. Another benefit of opting for a PhD only is that it increases the number of schools I will be applying to. Although I am generally looking at the same schools, I am pretty excited about my decision, and I can't wait to look into more programs.

Since I am pretty sure I won't be updating before this weekend, I'll let you know that I am planning on traveling with my boyfriend to visit his family. It should be a somewhat relaxing weekend. I am trying to get all my homework that is due at least at the beginning of next week finished before the weekend so I won't have to worry about it then. With that said, I better get going.

As always, thanks for reading! Feel free to leave any comments or questions. Until next time.

“There's a difference between interest and commitment. When you're interested in doing something, you do it only when it's convenient. When you're committed to something, you accept no excuses; only results.”

-Kenneth Blanchard