Alumni

I'm officially a Berry College alumni now. It feels weird. It still doesn't hasn't sunk in.. 

I thought it would when I ordered my cap and gown or when it was finally delivered.

 But no. 

I thought it would when my classes ended and I was done undergraduate. Nope. 

I thought it would when I picked up my cap and gown and tassel. Nope. 

I thought it would when I took my last final at Berry. Nope. 

I thought it would when I was handed my Alumni Association ID card. Nope. 

I thought it would when I got dressed for the ceremony. Not really. 

I thought it would when I walked across the stage and took my degree. No. 

I thought it would when I moved out of my dorm room. Close. 

I think it finally hit me when I turned in my mailbox amd dorm keys, when I walked out the dorm that I had lived in for three years, and when I drove off campus. 

Sometimes I catch myself saying "Oh yeah! I do have a Bachelor's. I forgot about that." 

 

Class of 2013

Things I Wish I Knew Sooner

Take AP classes in high school.

 I took AP Calculus and AP Biology in high school. I only took the exam for AP Calc at the end of the year and made a 3, which was enough to get me college credit for it. I started college with four little credits, as opposed to zero. I met my friend Mandi the first day of class. It was her first year too but she was technically a sophomore because she took sooooo many AP classes and started college with 15 credits!! I wish I would have known about that. I could have gotten out of English 101 and 102 with a higher grade if I had taken them in high school. I hated calc when I was taking it, but I am so glad I took it. Those four credits have saved my butt almost every semester from various deadlines and requirements, etc. 

College is not scary. 

I love college. I was definitely nervous, especially moving out and living on my own. But, eventually I adjusted and discovered I loved the independent feeling. I was on my own to meet new people and experience the world on my own a little bit. Sure, I was homesick at first and it was convenient that I only lived an hour away, but eventually the homesickness goes away. I started meeting people and loving my classes and it made things easier.  

 Every college class counts. 

 GPA-wise, that is. I am not the type to ..'slack off' in a class, but when I take a class that's not in my major or a core class, I definitely don't try as hard as I could. But it's important to remember that every class counts toward your GPA and any 'slacking off' can hit your GPA hard and haunt you later on.   

Start shadowing early. And do it reguarly.

I should have started shadowing in high school. I should have shadowed every summer during college. I didn't realize how much weight the PA schools (and med school) put on shadowing. For PA school, they look for quantity. For med school, they look for quality over quantity and shadowing on a regular basis. 

Take as many classes as you can handle every single semester.

My first semester I only took 12 hours (the minimum) and then 13 the next. 
I had so much free time but I paid the price later. 

Start studying for the MCAT as soon as you 

decide you want to go to med school.
Avoid cramming the few months before your test date like the black plague. 
You won't do well if you wait and cram. I promise. 

Start drafting your personal statement at least a year 

before you need to submit it. Resumes too.
The first draft will be crappy and will need to be revised. It's that simple. I have had several people read over my personal statement, revising each time and it's still not finished! I'm on the fifth draft of my resume and working on the next one!

Submit your application as early as possible. 
This one is simple: rolling admissions!

Start saving money your freshman year. Even if it's just a little bit.  
This one is a gimme. Any money saved, no matter what your after-graduation plans are, will help. 

Once in a Lifetime

Friday, February 15, 2013, a meteor streaked across the sky above a the remote Ural mountains in Russia. It appeared at about 9:15am and exploded with a flash and loud boom, leaving a trail of smoke in  the sky. Approximately 3,000 buildings were damaged (mainly shattered windows) from the massive shock wave. Over 1,000 people were injured (mainly from flying glass) including over 200 children. The meteor is small and therefore 

hard to track like large asteroids. 

Click here for a video of the meteor.

This is incredibly exciting to me. This kind of thing is truly a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

What's remarkable about this event is that it occurred on the same day as the asteroid 2012 DA14 made a very close flyby, within the orbit of many satellites. 

The Last Straw

You've GOT to be kidding me. 

Not ONLY are we adding football against our founder's wishes, 

but along with it comes several unwanted and disgusting changes.

1. Disrupting Berry's campus to build a stadium.

2. Remodeling Richard's gym to be locker rooms.

3. Renaming Valhalla in Krannert.

4. Ruining the reputation of Berry as a respectable liberal arts college.

5. Changing the attitudes, atmosphere, and community of campus.

6. Bringing in more boys who, without the promise of football, didn't want to be here.

7. Creating a conflict between the dry campus rule and football weekends.

8. Increasing the number of incoming freshmen without enough housing and parking.

And worst of all.. making Morton-Lemley CO-ED.

That is just too much. The last straw. The straw that broke the camel's back.

Berry College is C-R-A-Z-Y if they think they will get ANY donations from me after graduation.

Stood in Awe

Friday, I had parked my car at the Cage and went to class. After class, I was walking to my car and noticed several cars parked near the tree with the eagle nest. This, however, is nothing new. Since it was announced that Berry College is now home to our national, endangered bird, we have A LOT of spectators creeping around campus, hoping to get a glimpse of them. What WAS strange was that there were people standing around outside. With binoculars. And cameras. All the other times, I've seen people watching the nest, they have stayed in their cars. I suppose people came and expected to see the babies, which hatched this past Tuesday (January 29). So, anyways, I was walking to my car and noticed all these people standing around. I looked toward the nest and just stopped. Completely stopped walking and stood in the middle of the parking lot. In complete awe. One of the eagles flew out of the nest, circled around, and then flew away back toward campus. For the first time, I physically saw one of our bald eagles. I FELT SO SPECIAL. The bird was huge. Watching its giant wings move and glide was hypnotic. I think I stood there for at least a whole minute and a half, watching this incredible bird.

Seriously, how many people, can honestly say they have physically seen a BALD EAGLE, our national symbol, an endangered species, that close, in person????? I HAVE.

Never Again

Green tea..

You have probably heard of all the many possible wonderful benefits of drinking green tea. Green tea increases the metabolism. The polyphenol found in green tea works to intensify levels of fat oxidation and the rate at which your body turns food into calories. Green tea apparently helps regulate glucose levels slowing the rise of blood sugar after eating. This can prevent high insulin spikes and resulting fat storage. Scientists think, green tea works on the lining of blood vessels, helping keep them stay relaxed and better able to withstand changes in blood pressure. It may also protect against the formation of clots, which are the primary cause of heart disease. It's also widely thought to kill cancer cells in general without damaging the healthy tissue around them. Green tea reduces bad cholesterol in the blood and improves the ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol. It is said to delay the deterioration caused by Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Studies carried out on mice showed that green tea protected brain cells from dying and restored damaged brain cells. Studies suggests that the chemical antioxidant “catechin” in tea can destroy bacteria and viruses that cause throat infections, dental caries and other dental conditions. Regular consumption of green tea is thought to reduce the risk of high blood pressure. Theanine is an amino acid naturally found in tea leaves. It is this substance that is thought to provide a relaxing and tranquilizing effect and be a great benefit to tea drinkers. Tea catechins are strong antibacterial and antiviral agents which make them effective for treating everything from influenza to cancer. In some studies green tea has been shown to inhibit the spread of many diseases. Green tea can apparently also help with wrinkles and the signs of aging, This is because of their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Both animal and human studies have demonstrated that green tea applied topically can reduce sun damage.

When I googled benefits of green tea, this laundry list is what I found. Pretty impressive right? Recently I discovered a recipe from Dr. Oz for a metabolism boosting green tea drink and decided to try it. It called for 8 cups of green tea, 1 sliced tangerine, and some mint leaves. The tea was steeped for five minutes and then the orange slices (couldn't find a tangerine) and mint leaves and stirred. I let it sit overnight in the fridge. When I poured a glass the next morning (Friday) I added one pack of Splenda and some ice. It smelled like orange juice. Without the Splenda, it tastes like odd bland water with a hint of mint at the end. With just one pack of Splenda, the flavor was dramatically changed. The bland water flavor went away, a stronger orange flavor emerged, and obviously, it was sweeter. For maximum result, you're supposed to drink the whole pitcher (8 cups) a day. I could only get down 4 cups on Friday and finished the remaining 4 cups on Saturday. Saturday night, I made more but I decided to make it 4 cups at a time, still using a whole orange. Sunday morning, it had an orange smell that could knock your socks off and now a more orange bland water flavor without Splenda. I still added Splenda. Sunday morning, I had a really bad stomachache but I drank all 4 cups Sunday and made 4 more that night. I drank 4 more cups Monday and 4 cups Tuesday as well. Tuesday night, I had another really bad stomachache, but worse than the one on Sunday. Laying down made it worse so I didn't sleep much or well, for that matter. I haven't had any more and I WILL NOT have any more. On Wednesday, I woke feeling bad. I was achy all over and had a headache. When I tried to eat, the weird pain came back and I just fell awful. I got up at 10 but ended up going BACK to bed at noon because I felt so bad and slept til noon. That helped some but I just did not feel good all day. Tired. Achy. That weird pain. Yuck. I'm assuming the green tea isn't completely out of my system yet and I'm hoping the pain will stop when it's all out. I also had trouble falling asleep because of the caffeine. Thursday I didn't notice any pain but I had a headache.

I wondered if it was possible I had drank TOO much green tea? So what did do? Yep. I googled it. WebMD says drinking more than two cups a day can be harmful. If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, consuming more than this amount has been linked to an increased risk of miscarriage and caffeine can pass through breast milk. Green tea can worsen anxiety, cause sleeping problems, and may contribute to heart problems. Drinking tea can cause kidney stones and can interact with certain medications. Tea reduces the absorption of non-heme iron (contributing to anemia) and vitamin B. It can weaken gums and irritate the lining of the stomach, causing indigestion and diarrhea. Drinking green tea increases pressure inside the eye. Drinking green tea can increase the amount of calcium that is flushed out in the urine. Increased blood calcium can cause osteoporosis.

So yes, drinking green tea in moderation can have some health benefits. But drinking too much can cause serious health problems. Some recommend one cups a day, some five cups, and other say 10 cups are okay in one day. So the verdict is still up in the air on exactly how much green tea is too much green tea. It can also vary from person to person. A person with irritable bowel syndrome shouldn't drink much, if any. A person with diabetes should limit their consumption.

Maybe someone should inform Dr. Oz. He's telling people to drink 8 cups every day! I have never liked Dr. Oz. He seems like a quack to me. This ordeal only confirmed that.

For me, 4 cups a day was way too much. I had consumed two and a half pitchers in five days. That's 160 ounces! That's almost five of the big one liter bottles of soda! No wonder I felt so crappy! I will probably never drink green tea again!

New Beginnings

Happy 2013!
This year has gone by so fast and now 2013 stands at our feet. I want this year to be full of new beginnings, mainly because I'm graduating college and it kinda has to be...

So Aaron and I have been discussing things. We have decided to get married when we originally wanted. We haven't told my parents yet but his parents were supportive when we mentioned it to them. I have decided to only apply to one PA school, MCG. After comparing it with Mercer and looking into it more, it truly is the best choice for us. MCG has their own online application so I won't have to worry about CASPA.

So now the official plan is to graduate in May. Aaron is going to get a job while I take four classes I'm missing and volunteer at the hospital. I need to tweak my personal statement. (Update: I don't think that they require a personal statement!) Then I'll take the GRE and get certified in CPR. I will apply to the MCG PA program in July. Interviews will take place between August and October and hopefully I will get one. Aaron and I will get married in November. Hooefully by then I will know if i was accepted or not. If I am, we will move in with family until PA school starts in May 2014. MCG has on campus housing for married students. If for some reason, I don't get accepted, then we will find somewhere to live on our own together and I will reapply.

This is going to be a very busy summer!

Continuing with new beginnings, let's talk resolutions. This year, I'm calling mine goals instead of New Year's Resolutions. I want to graduate Berry, take the GRE, and get accepted to PA school. I hope to walk closer with God and get married this year. I'm continuing to eat healthy. I started last summer and now I really have some motivation to keep going if we really do get married this year. Now I hope to reach my goal weight of 145lbs (before the wedding).