First Exam
I had my first exam this week and my first Histology quiz. Ahh!
It was very scary because I felt like I could not study enough. I
went into the Anatomy Lab with some friends almost every day to
ensure that we knew every muscle, joint, ligament, nerve, etc. that
would be on the exam using the cadavers, MRI scans, and cross
sections. When Thursday rolled around, I got bored and felt like I
could not study for the practical anymore.
This whole week not only was I dealing with stress from school
but also some family issues back home. It was difficult to only
focus on school because of everything else that was going on. It
helped that I surrounded myself with people that were very focused
and driven because it motivated me to study a lot. Although we
studied every single day, we took the necessary breaks so that we
would not get burnt out.
Dance and Fitness Club
On Tuesday, I went with a couple of friends to the Dance and
Fitness Club that was just beginning. The theme was Latin Dance! It
was fun and relaxing to put away school and everything else for
just one hour. I learned different Salsa steps and met some people
as well. I definitely recommend joining clubs. Of course you have
to do everything in moderation, but if you don't join clubs, you
won't get the full experience and you could easily get burnt out
from study every second and hour of the day! There are so many
clubs on campus that can apply to everyone like Applied Kinesiology
to a Dance and Fitness Club.
The Test
So, Friday rolls around and we are all nervous about the exam. I
made sure that I got a good night's rest, because I usually sleep
very late, and I also made sure that I had breakfast in the
morning. The anticipation and studying finally could end. I was
extremely nervous but very confident because I knew that I could
not have studied enough. The exam ended at 9 am for my half of the
class and the second half of the class went in to take the exam. A
couple of friends and I decided to go grab some coffee, a little
more breakfast, and talk. It was a relief the exam was over and we
could relax. After checking my grade, I was so happy and felt even
better that all the hard work paid off. However, there was no time
to celebrate because a written Anatomy exam along with a
Biochemistry quiz is coming up for the next week.
Weekend Home
After getting off work on Friday, I got my stuff ready to go
home for a meeting/band practice for a camp that I am part of in
the summer. We had the meeting on Saturday in Rockford then went
out to eat for my little cousin's 17th birthday. I left right after
that to come back to Lombard and study, but I definitely did not
get any studying done. Some friends came over and we spent the
whole night talking, laughing, and getting to know each other more
and more. It was a good time because the people that you meet here
and become friends with really play an important part in your
success - both positive and negative. I'm glad that I surround
myself with people that are driven and motivated as much as I am so
that we can help keep each other accountable. You definitely cannot
go through this program alone!
Bears Loss!
Super Bowl Sunday rolls around and I can't enjoy it that much
because of our upcoming written Anatomy exam. I studied all morning
then took a break to go shopping and came back to study some more.
However, I could not study the whole night. I was so sore because I
fell a couple days ago, so four of us went to the gym very late at
night and went swimming and hot tubbing! It was a good time. I
cannot emphasize enough how important it is to relax and give your
brain a break! We also had to mourn the Bears loss.
So this upcoming week is going to be stressful but I'm ready for
it! Oh yeah, and the Mardi Gras Ball is coming up…hopefully it
isn't cancelled!
Tip of the Week
I'll end my rambling with my tip of the week:
Take study breaks! Not like 100 an hour, but definitely a little
here and there so you can give your brain time to "digest"
everything.
Have a great week everyone!