Uplifting Meetings

I went to a pre-med meeting this week, of course it was about the essay. I got a lot of advice and heard some very good essays written by others. I also got a confidence boost. Having experiences after college seems to enrich my story and give me more ammunition to fire at the committees. The best part is that everything I have done is genuine, and I feel good about where I have come from and where I am going.

I went to another meeting this morning at work. Grand Rounds, a talk about IBS by an MD. This was wonderful to compare with recent talks I have been to by an ND. I learned a lot from both, but I understand the MD reasoning better. I really appreciate the backing of studies behind statements. This talk hit close to home since I am so involved in the gluten free group. The talk got me excited about the path that I am embarking on. I found some time to write down more thoughts on my essay. I am constantly working on it or thinking about it. Luckilly, the thing is taking shape and is now ready for its many revisions.

So much excitement! Plus, this is my last week at my job! Change all around, and all positive!

Getting into the groove

The application is moving along. I have entered the schools that I am applying to. I have all my undergraduate classes from UP entered – and whew, that was a big task! It is strange reliving those semesters. I worked hard all 4 years, I can tell the semesters that I overloaded myself. Not just class work, but 4 labs, crew, a college social life, and a full schedule. I definitely came out of that semester a stronger woman.

Kind of a look back and a look forward. Back was what I mastered in college, the experiences I had, the struggles and the fun. I am looking forward to dreams of surviving med school in an unknown city. Of exploring, of living minimally again and meeting new friends.

I'm also keeping up with my mentor program emails. Procrastinating is becoming more overwhelming to me than actually doing the task. I sent out a couple emails today which turned out to be super easy. I still have small projects ahead, but I'm realizing that keeping up on my emails will make my life significantly more simple. I even made cookies with my adopted celiac today. The sugar cookies turned into snickerdoodles, but they are my most successful cookie yet. Of course, snickerdoodles have been my favorite the past few months.

This weekend is amazingly productive. Lots of paperwork tasks accomplished, and time for ice cream with cookies to finish off the night!

The application is open!

I thought I was busy before. This week is just a little overwhelming. I am so excited to be able to dig around the applications, but I'm having to pull my organization skills back up. I finally got my transcript requests ready to go tomorrow. I am replying to requests of people who are writing my recommendation letters. The list goes on. I am applying to both allopathic and osteopathic schools, which means I get to fill out 2 separate applications. I am trying to manage the parts together so that when I have information for one topic out, I complete the same section in both.

Of course it wouldn't be fair for me to have just one thing happen this week. Last Saturday was the food fair for the local Gluten Intolerance group. I have a lot of small projects staring at me here too. I know how important communication is from the view of the one being communicated to. From the other side, it is a lot of work – not only the email note itself but deciding how much people want to hear and how often. So far, it seems like I am under communicating. This is another area for me to figure out a good system of organization and keep it going.

The most talked about topic of the application is the essay. Now I know why. I wrote a strong application for a nursing program a couple years ago. I did get accepted into the program, but that essay is missing so much of my story that I have decided to start fresh. So far, I am trying to go backwards into the essay. I can picture what I want it to be like and I wish I had something to proof. How do I write an essay that stands out, but talks about ME. I don't usually talk myself up, which makes this essay all the more difficult. I am still in the brainstorming and writing phase. Talking with both my boyfriend and mom this week has helped. Simply talking about the subject brings out ideas and themes for me to try out. My question of the day is: how does one put into words, that emotion and desire for wanting to be a physician?