What to Do With Your Summer: Pre-Med Edition

“Oh, I don’t know why, but I’ve always loved the idea of summer, and sun, and all things hot…”- Olaf (Frozen, 2013)

I just had a strong urge to put in a Frozen quote. Summer is always a glorious time! Olaf had the right idea when he fantasized about how amazing summer is and how great having the sun to bask in is. But summer is also a great time for productivity for staying on track or getting ahead on your way to the medical field!

1. Get Clinical Experience

What better way to see if medicine is the place for you than getting some experience! This can be in the form of shadowing doctors especially in specialized fields that you’re interested in.

Before you plunge into shadowing you should contact doctors you want to shadow as well as the hospital’s administration. This way you can have your HIPAA training and other forms finished. After being screened and turning in forms you should be all good to go.

2. Research

This actually just tomato juice and Kool-Aid

If you know professors back in your hometown or if you’re staying in Kirksville over the summer then ask them if they need assistance with any of the research they may be conducting. This will be valuable for your resume and a great way to gain experience demonstrating initiative. Also for those pre-med students thinking of going into biomedical research this is a great way to get sampling of your possible future.

3. Volunteer

Volunteer at your local hospital through their volunteer services. This is a great way to really exemplify the “serving others” foundation that medicine is found upon.

But don’t narrow your volunteer services to just the hospital setting. If you’re active in your place of worship that could be a great way to get involved. You can also check with your town’s health department to see if they have any volunteer positions. Or maybe at an animal shelter, or a summer school program. The opportunities are endless!

4. Write

Everyone is freaking out over the MCAT. If you’re not then either you are in denial or you may possibly have your life together (if so please give me your confidence). But a very defining part of your med school application is the 5300 character American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) personal statement.

The personal statement is the place you can really advocate for yourself or your experience, qualifications, and capabilities. That’s why it’s great to not only flex your scientific-thinking, but also your writing capabilities as well!

5. HAVE FUN

Summer has always been celebrated as a great time to just really enjoy yourself without the stress of class the next day. I urge all of you to take a deep breath and find joy in your glorious summer days. Go on a road trip with your friends, attend a music festival, binge-watch Netflix for a week! The opportunities are endless.

You can also do some pirouettes in a body of water. Because who doesn’t like doing ballet in a lake while the sun sets?

Hope all of you have a great summer and toast to another academic year finished at Truman!

Saying Goodbye to Spring Break and Navigating the Tides to Finals: A Poorly Written Survival Guide

As the end of Midterm break becomes a distant memory it’s time we put our thinking caps on and buckle down to finish the rest of the semester.

“Spring Brreeeeeeaaaaaaaakkkkkkkk”- Alien played by James Franco, “Springbreakers”

What was a once week of freedom, traveling, walks on the beach, Netflix binge-watching the Netflix Original Unbreakable: Kimmy Schmidt written by the almighty Tina Fey, or catching up on your sleep has now been reduced to memories or filtered photos on Instagram. (Unless you were actually really productive and caught up on schoolwork, kudos to you)

But don’t be down. Instead be glad! The semester only has 5 more weeks left and you’ve already made it this far! You’re pretty much at the last stretch! To keep your enthusiasm up and keep you on the right track to get that extra pep for finals week I have concocted a simple list of 5 things to navigate the treacherous tides of the remaining 5 weeks of the semester.

1. Find Your Temporary Anthem

We all know through watching great classics such as Grease and the High School Musical trilogy that relating your problems to music is the best way to work through them.

This could be the start of your long and successful dj-ing career

Whether your problems lie within the realm of procrastination, test anxiety, or working up the nerve to ask a crush out to a date, you can easily find a song that can embody how you’re feeling. For some finding this rallying battle hymn can be an easy scan through an 8tracks playlist, but for others this could take some time. If that’s the case just do a simple play through of a few playlists on Spotify.

2. Pursue! Pursue! Pursue!

Was there a club you wanted to look into last semester, but didn’t have the time? Have you always wanted to pick up a certain hobby? Is there that one restaurant in Kirksville you have yet to try, but have been warned by your friends to stay away from? If you have this odd urge or inclination to try something out or explore a new interest then this would be the perfect time! There’s only a few weeks left in the semester so sit in on a club meeting, attend a small event by an organization that is interesting, order the smallest/cheapest thing on the menu. This way you can get a taste of what the organization/activity/restaurant is like without regretting it all summer. Then if you’re really hooked from there you can make it a top priority for yourself for the next semester. Yeah for small commitments!

3. Open Your Handy Dandy…Planner! And Actually Stick to It

This is pretty much a no-brainer, but is actually really hard to commit. From my own experience, at the end of the day I set my planner on my desk and leave it open. Then right when I wake up I immediately fill out the tasks I need to finish as well as look ahead for the next couple days to be aware of upcoming deadlines. Then repeat this process to eventually make it into a habit! It can be tedious at first, but once the process becomes second nature you really get a sense of accomplishment out of it (or at least feel like you have some control of your life).

4. Look at Things Upside-Down, Inside-Out, in the Fourth Dimension

Are those last Trig certifications starting to look like Egyptian hieroglyphics? Does Pig-Latin make more sense than your Spanish class vocabulary? Do you still get a headache trying to memorize the life cycle of a cnidarian? If you’re hitting a mental roadblock on a concept in one of your classes it’s time to be proactive about hauling that obstacle out of the highway that ends with your awesome grade!

If that road block is G.I. Joe’s Heavy Gunner “Roadblock” then just let him stay there…please

Just like a piece of roadkill or debris blocking your path, look for different methods to get it out of your way. You can also call for help in the form of a tutor, an upperclassman who has taken your class, or finally take advantage of those awesome office hours that your professor has available!

5. Lean Back, Stretch Out, Relax

Coursework can be daunting. Tests can be daunting. College can be daunting. Life can be daunting. It’s a truth we all have to accept or else all of us will be stuck in total denial. Studying, memorizing and applying concepts, and proactively learning are great methods to minimize those humongous fears into harmless Truman squirrels (…or are they?). But always remember to take time for yourself and relax! This could be in the form of taking your blanket out on the quad to soak up some rays! Other alternatives include taking up a yoga class offered at the Rec, spending a day out at Thousand Hills with your friends, or get a head-start on your spree of juicy, beach reads for the summer.

Another alternative is to laugh and eat salad!

All in all, keep yourself level-headed! The semester is almost over, but that doesn’t mean to slack. Now go out and apply these 5 steps and have yourself a great end of the semester!

We Came, We Saw, We Left Emotionally Distraught: A Big Hero 6 Movie Review

(Forewarning: Don’t look up the original comic series Big Hero 6 by Marvel because this film is loosely based on that comic. I mean very loosely. Don’t make the same mistake I did, because I became incredibly confused when I perused the Big Hero 6 section on Marvel wikia)

As a child did you ever wish you were a superhero, but knew that your DNA just wasn’t mutated enough to grant you abilities such as flight, telekinesis, or spitting corrosive acid? Well folks, if you are looking at a movie that will give you the inspiration to fulfill that childhood dream, but have no intention to expose yourself to gene-altering UV rays, Big Hero 6 is the movie for you.

This might be the closest I’ll ever get to having the ability of spewing corrosive acid.

I had the grand opportunity to enjoy Big Hero 6 this past Friday in the SUB Activities Room thanks to the wonderful people of the Student Activities Board. Equipped with an extremely comfortable blanket, my lucky anatomical heart pillow, and a great need to find an excuse to avoid homework, I was ready for the movie. Accompanying me were some residents from BNB as well as fellow SA Abbey.

Prior to viewing, I saw that Disney was doing a really great job targeting this movie to children. Just looking at the design of Baymax would get any child the urge to give him a big ole hug. But after 20 minutes into the film I noticed that this movie wasn’t going to be just a linear action storyline with superheroes fighting a villain and winning; what I really noticed was the film’s overlying theme: dealing with grief (I would love to explain this even more, but as a highly refined movie critic I can’t without spoiling essential parts of the story). Disney also presents something different from the usual Marvel superhero movie  by making our protagonists ordinary people. No mutants, not a single one. Instead of genetic variability granting them their superhero status they use their aptitude for science to form their team and fight evil.

Truman should really consider a robotics/engineering program…

Sure we get what everyone loves in any action-kids film, there’s explosions, a high-speed chase scene, and an epic battle against the villain at the end! But what really makes this movie stand out and appeal not only to children, but to teens and adults, is the bonds between the ragtag group of supernerds that become Big Hero 6 as they come together as a form of emotional support for Hiro, a troubled 14-year-old robotics prodigy. Another great component of the movie that really attracts adults is that we can easily identify with Hiro as he not only deals with loss, but growing up through tremendous milestones throughout the film that really make us look back at our own irrationality at that age.

Sadly, I still haven’t gotten out of that awkward phase of being a teenager.

Visually, the movie is incredibly appealing. There’s a great balance of animation without making it highly unrealistic, and the colors throughout the animation process are lightly vivid to create emphasis, but not hurtful to the eyes. I would liken the styling to a good blend of Yo Gabba Gabba! and Teen Titans. We also get to see a great blend of culture as the setting, San Fransokyo, borrows elements from San Francisco and Tokyo. This was probably done to make it more compatible to an American audience while still incorporating roots from the original comics. We see this blend work harmoniously as it combines the cosmopolitan bright lights and fast pace of downtown Tokyo with San Francisco’s signature steep roads and trolleys.

Who would’ve thought of combining Shinto Torii gates with the Golden Gate Bridge?! GENIUS!

At the end of the movie, I was emotionally distraught; I had to question myself several times if I was sad or happy, which I have yet to make a decision. There were so many elements in the story that really had me think and look deeper into, which I was not expecting out a kid’s movie. Although the pacing was fast at the beginning, which led to a lot of significant points becoming not as highlighted as they should have. The character development in Hiro as he deals with typical teenager things: irrationality, and very adult: grief, is really what brings this movie into the spotlight due to it giving a big tug on the audience’s heartstrings regardless of age.

Overall, I would give this movie my sign of approval. Sure there are a couple lose ends and plot points that don’t get resolved, but that is merely overshadowed with the exceptional visual styling, bonds between the characters, and the overall nostalgia back to childhood. Thank you Disney for giving me more hope of fulfilling my childhood dreams of becoming a superhero, and thank you SAB for putting on this great event. Keep doing you.