Updates, Updates, And More Updates

Updates, updates, and more updates

So after a month, I am here to give two updates:

1. I got my MCAT score back last month and it was AWFUL. I got a 489, which I can now say and tell others without bursting into tears. The day I got my score I was in denial for a while that I had hopped into the shower and gotten all dressed and everything... but as soon as I pulled up the score on my computer and not just my phone and saw it on my 32in computer screen I knew there was no doubt that that was my score. I told my two coworkers what happened while in tears thank god I was working from home so that they knew that I wasn't just blowing off doing my work but had just been hit by the rough news. Thankfully they both were so supportive and understanding since they too had taken the MCAT previously and know just how hard it is. I still want to apply this cycle so I already have my retake scheduled for May 19th only 3 days after my 23rd birthday and I am busting my butt studying. I have even gone as far as getting a physics tutor so I can better understand the concepts. I am also trying to find a tutor for any of the chemistry sections, but hopefully, especially biochemistry.

2. Update numero dos, I recently typed up my personal statement to just get ideas on paper. There wasn't much of a big plan on how it was going to go, all I did was pick the events/characteristics that I wanted to convey in my paper and then just kind of wrote a stream of consciousness conveying my story. I thought that I had written a paper that was going to have to be written and rewritten hundreds of times before it would ever be ready to be submitted... but after my coworker (who has gotten accepted to medical school before and has gotten her masters) read it she was speechless. She told me that she has read dozens of personal statements before but has never had a paper that flowed so well. My paper told my story on why I want to become a doctor and did not leave her just wanting to finish reading it, but rather wanting to read/know more. That it was the perfect paper for interviews since there were so many things that they could pick from to just start talking about and not out of confusion but because they would want to learn more. While she was telling me all this I couldn't help feeling overwhelmed and so happy that I started to cry because as terrified as I am to not getting into medical school this moment helped me realize just how much I really do want this. To know that not only I know how badly I want this, but to now be able to express and show to others just how much I want it means everything to me. To have someone that's outside of my family hug me and tell me directly to my face that they cannot wait to see me get into medical school and HOPE that I get in is something I never expected.

This time in my life is hands down one of the hardest and most stressful, but I won't ever change it for the world, or regret it. I will become a physician no matter how long it takes me.

Trans kids and parents of trans kids living in Texas: The Governor just issued a dangerous order declaring all forms of gender affirming care as child abuse under existing law.

Under this directive, all persons working with children, including doctors, teachers, counselors, and caregivers, are required to report any child believed to be transgender or face prosecution. Parents may have children removed from their homes and placed in state custody.

This is an extremely dangerous situation. Parents of trans children: leave the state now. The user below has offered assistance to those looking to get to a safer place. Please reach out to her if you need to. Important information will follow.

https://twitter.com/ErinInTheMorn/status/1496511215719399431?s=20&t=Jx3vrWAzrLs6PZRMjRcSCA

Please be safe out there, all of you. I love you and I am so sorry these things have come to pass. Let’s get through this.

I love the attitude of ‘they’re a little confused but they got the spirit’ actually like someone trying to educate themselves or learn something and even though they’re wrong, they’re still trying and people supporting that effort

STEM writing advice

Ok so this could probably work for a lot of writing, but the only writing I've done in years is scientific papers, so I don't wanna lay untrue claims. Anyways, here we go!!!

Don't just put in a quote. Unpack it. By that, I mean explain the contents of the quote and then how it relates to your topic. For example, let's say you're writing about the sky and use the following quote: "the sky gets its color due to the reflection of light". Your followup sentence should explain this, looking something like: the blue color therefore is a result of this reflection in the atmosphere. It both helps explain the quote and its relevance. This is very important for supporting evidence for a claim.

Titles are hard!!!! I recommend writing your intro and discussion before deciding on one. This way you can pull a summary phrase from one to use for a title!

Download or save all your sources!!!! Trust me trying to find them panicking at 2am is no fun.

When compiling resources, make an annotated bibliography

WRITE ON YOUR SOURCES GOD DAMN IT!!!!! I don't know why this belief that you shouldn't write in books or on papers or anything is so prevalent. But fuck it. Trust me you want to write on them! It will save you so much time when you're looking for that once super specific, amazing, perfect quote you read.

Before you proofread, do not touch your paper for at least a day. Don't even think about it. You're too attached. After 24 hours of absence you'll be able to go "wow that really sucks what was I thinking?"

If you hit a block, just word vomit. Just write down anything and everything.

Or start with your evidence or quotes and build from there.

Use something like [zz] for missing information. That's what I use and it allows me to search the document for that to find where I'm missing something whether it's a citation, an explanation, a data point, whatever.

You don't have to write the sections in order. Write your methods first and your intro last. It doesn't matter at all.

It helps having someone else proofread your paper, but if no one can, Google translate or any read aloud service is amazing

Stuck on an idea? Talk about it to someone or something. I use my ferret. I'll just sit there and be like ok this is what my data is and this is the analysis from it, but how do I explain its relevance?? Like sure it shows this but what about this? And then eventually I figure it out. Bartenders are also great for this

If you don't like working at a library, make yourself a spot at home that's just for writing with no distractions. Yes, even that plant will get you away from your paper, trust me.

Get you a nice, soft pillow to bang your head against.

Learn to do calculations in excel and run analysis in a statistical software like R which is free to use!

If you want to access an article without paying, email the authors! A lot of time they'll send you the paper!

Keep track of ALL vocab. Any niche terms might have to be defined, so keeping a list with definitions/explanations is very helpful.

Make a folder with subfolders. Keeping things organized will save you so much time I promise. Put drafts in one folder, papers in another, lists in another, etc.

Save! Always save! Even better: set up autosave to occur every like 10 minutes.

Early mornings and/or late nights are gonna be your thing now I promise.

If your eyes start feeling strained or your head starts hurting, take a break! Trust me, once you start writing in what I like to call the "goo stage" (where you're starting to get foggy and tired, rubbing your eyes, stretching your back, etc) your work quality is gonna go way down. Get up, stretch, drink some water, take a walk, whatever.

Get a stress ball or something. Especially for running data analysis. Things get very frustrating.

Set up a news alert for your topic. It can help you find real world applications for your discussion as well as maybe find you a super recent publication!

today one of the student workers at my job told me that if she’s struggling to remember something important in her course work she’ll wait until her professor asks a question related to that topic during a lecture and then she’ll purposefully raise her hand and answer it wrong because, and I quote, ‘the combined shame and embarrassment of getting an answer wrong in front of more than a hundred of your peers will make sure that you’ll never forget what the right answer actually was’ and if that is not the most next level balls to the wall bonkers extrovert thing I’ve ever heard then I don’t know what is

“Just because you are struggling doesn’t mean you are failing. Every great success needs some kind of struggle to get there.”

— Unknown