From D1 to DR: March 2015

It is March 2nd, at 5:30pm and Steve and I are at our little table in our basement apartment in front of our computers. If you can see both of us right now (one who is 6'3" and another who is 6'4") sharing this table, let alone this apartment, I know you would be impressed :)

My MERP program finishes on April 2nd; exactly one month from today. If you would have told me in November that I had one more exam to go at this time, I would have envisioned a more burnt out, struggling, exhausted, and anxious human being, but honestly, I feel good right now. I wouldn't say amazing or that I am not tired, but I feel good enough to realize that this program has been more of an eye opener. Graduating with a 3.5/4.0 GPA at a pretty highly ranked public university in New York, you could say that I thought I had a good science background, but wow, I am very happy I decided to enter this program. The basics...are not just basics...they are the foundation in which science is based upon. If you do not understand those, or have a lack in any of the four key classes, you will feel yourself constantly trying to play catch up. I have definitely felt that a couple times so far, but with hard work and perseverance, you can tackle anything life throws at you. I know that is a statement that is heard often, and honestly I am one of those people that start reading whimsical or philosophical posts and not knowingly skim by them, and saying in my head "yea, yea, I have read this before". But what they are saying is honestly true (yes I started a [fragment] sentence with 'but'-sorry not sorry). I am going to make an assumption here and say that people in my MERP program have realized that intelligence alone can not help you, you HAVE to be able to sit down for six hours or more per subject to be able to truly grasp the concept, or staying up late to answer some last minute practice questions before an exam. It is this tenacity and the perseverance that will get you through those days that you do not think you can get through. If you are naturally smart, amazing, but it is the hard work that will allow you to push through the tough times and really help you appreciate your grades that you so definitely earned. I am one of those weird students that look forward to exams, do I like them? Not really, but I look forward to expressing how much knowledge I have gained from the weeks prior. I am ready to prove to myself that I know this material, and what's better than showing off your hard work in a 100 multiple choice two hour exam where you literally have one minute per question-either you know it or you don't...and when you know it, it is an awesome feeling.

After a weekend at home on my parents' farm, I definitely feel recharged and ready to tackle these last four weeks of material. Not only is our last exam cumulative, but it is worth more. YAY. It is going to be tough, and from the knowledge and perspective that I have gained from the previous MERP students, do well on the first two exams to alleviate some of the pressure for the beast of the exam in which Mini 3 is. Thankfully, I am in a position where I am doing well. The MERP scholarship is for $10,000 and the requirements are that you have to have at least an 80% in each course, I am SUPER close in getting all four there, with anatomy and biochem already above. I can do it! Out of almost 200 students, only two hard-working students are given the reward, but I am ready to study my butt off.

I feel myself saying thank you in almost every blog post, but I noticed when I was updating my layout of my blog that I have over 4,000 views. Wow. Whether you are someone who has stopped by and stayed, or a D1 to DR fan from the very beginning, I am so happy that I have your support. It is a weird concept: writing publicly about my journey for people who I do not know, but also for my family and friends who are wondering how I'm doing. So for another blog post, another thank you. Thank you for your encouraging words, likes on Instagram (@d1todr), and proving to me that blogging is SO worth the time to sit down and express how you are feeling at different points in this whirlwind life of mine.

Until next time, keep me in your thoughts these next couple weeks and never regret starting something, the finish will be well worth it ;)

Bye for now,

-E xo

Picture time!