3 courses down

As far as I can tell, I last wrote an ‘update’ in December… so I’m sure everyone is thinking that I have fallen off the face of the earth. Well, I haven’t; rest assured.

I finished off December anxious for a vacation. I went to Hawaii with Mom, Pete, Grandpa, Grandma, and Ryan. I had a wonderful time laying in the sun and getting lots of relaxation. I came back refreshed and ready for school; unfortunately, I wasn’t quite ready for things to get as difficult as they did.

The second portion of our Cellular Structure and Function class was based on biochemistry. On the third test of the term I did worse than I have EVER done on a test. It was the morning of the big snow storm; I barely made it to class, and then spent the next day in tears because of my awful grade. Grading breaks down in the following way: Honors 90-100%, Near Honors 85-89%, Satisfactory 65-84%, and below that is basically not passing. My terrible third test grade made it so that no matter how well (or poor) I did on the last test I would end off with a grade of Satisfactory. So, I studied, but I didn’t stress. I just used the experience to try and get ready for my next class. I went to the final test feeling well and excited for Biochemistry to be done. Unfortunately, as I was walking to the class, I received word that my grandfather (my dad’s dad) had passed away in the night. We all knew it was coming, but still, nothing can compare you for that news. I showed up to class in tears and everyone (classmates, administration, course director, etc) was GREAT… I decided to go ahead and take the test and just put it behind me. Funny thing is, despite the minimal studying and terrible morning, I actually did pretty well on the test. Dealing with Grandpa’s death was not easy, but it was nice to have the chance for the whole family to get together. I also really enjoyed putting together a slide show of pictures of Grandpa and the family for his memorial service. A cousin bowling night followed the funeral, and we have two weddings in the family coming up this summer.

Our third course began (Systems, Processes, and Homeostasis) and I set forth to redeem my less than stellar grade from CSF. The class was basically a combination of physiology and pharmacology. The short version of what the class entailed is as follows: I did okay on the first test, studied hard for the second test, did slightly worse on the second test, studied even harder for the third test, and did even worse on that test. So, I was pretty down. It is funny to go back and look at the emails I wrote when school first started and I was doing great in Anatomy… I was so happy and truly enjoying medical school. People always ask me how school is going and I found that my answer (which used to be “Great!”) had changed to “Okay, but it is getting really hard.” I calculated my grade as I stood before the final test on SPH and found that if I got above an 85% on the test I would still be able to get Near Honors in the course. We did get a spring break right before the last portion of the course so I had some time to rest and prepare for the final study sprint. My mom and I went to LA, saw Gabe, and then went on a short cruise. I got back and I studied… and studied, and studied. I spent the time, I sacrificed celebrating Easter Sunday, and I took the test. I got a 90.7%!!! I went out that night with Ryan and some dental students. One of the girls asked me how school was going and I replied “Great!” The best part is that due to a research project in this course we took the test on Monday, had Tuesday completely OFF, and are spending Wednesday and Thursday just watching group presentations. I’m really enjoying the down time! Rumor has it, this last class that we are about to begin (Biological Basis of Disease) is quite a bit easier than the last two; I sure hope so!

In other news… the Clackamas Cavalettes (dance team) had three girls on All-State, the top two finishers in State Drill Down, and THEY GOT FIRST IN THE STATE DANCE COMPETITION!!! After ten years of being so close, they finally took State!

I finished working with the cardiologist and am now working with an orthopaedic surgeon on the hill. I really enjoy spending the time in the clinic so much more than the other experiences. However, I’m having a really hard time trying to figure what I want to do with my life. I get frustrated when I don’t get good grades and wonder if I will even be able to get into an Orthopaedic residency. Plus, I’m not entirely sure how hard I want to work for the rest of my life. I’m still trying to tie down a job in an ortho lab for this summer to build my resume and get some more perspective. I’ll also be volunteering at OMSI for the BodyWorlds exhibit.

I’ve been really trying to make some time for friends too… although it isn’t easy. I am very excited that within the next year I will get to be in two weddings (Kara’s and Devon’s) and will get to enjoy all the fun planning and pre-wedding ‘girl time’. We are currently planning bachelorette parties and a girls’ beach weekend.

Finally, I’m enjoying the shift to nicer weather and the chance to run outside more. I am currently signed up for Hood to Coast (September) and the Portland Marathon (October).

I’m going to enjoy the end of this week and then spend the weekend in Cannon Beach; Ryan and I are redeeming a gift certificate (Xmas present from Gabe and Mia) to the Stephanie Inn… a weekend full of Scrabble, here I come!!!