Hit by Hurricane Ike...

Wow, this has been a real experience. School has been out for the past 9 days and it looks like we are going to have a full two weeks off as the necessary repairs are made in our area. Hurricane Ike hit the Houston area September 13 at about 4am. The winds were very strong. Rain was falling horizontally, due to the strong gust of wind. It rained all day. Thank God we did not have any flooding in our immediate area. We were without power about 13 hours. Alot of people are still without power 9 days later. Our backyard fence was damaged, a few shingles were ripped off the roof and water was leaking in our bedroom. The good part about all of this is all of our family members are safe and made it through with minimal damage. Our prayers go out to those that lost love ones, homes, personal items, and that are still without electricity.

Having this break has given me the opportunity to read ahead in my classes, review chapters we have already completed and read some other books. I really needed to review my Physics chapters. I believe the information is clicking now. I know when I return back to school I will have exams in Physics and Chemistry. So, I will be ready.

This semester seems to be dragging on. I guess I got use to the fast pace of summer and looking back I think I really enjoyed the hetic and busy schedule. Right now. I am so thirsty for knowledge, I cant wait for next semester. With great anticipation, I am planning ahead to familiarize myself with other subjects I will encounter, such as Genetics, Microbiology, A & P, Biochemisty, etc.

I've also been spending my time volunteering at the local food bank, which has been interesting. Processing pounds and pounds of food. It's amazing of all the food the bank recieves that need to to be given to those in need. Perfectly good food donate by various organizations such as grocery stores, etc. It feels really good knowing that familys are recieving food and supplies, especially during this hurricane Ike disaster.

From a suggestion of a friend I met at the food bank, I picked up a few books on expanding my memory. I am learning techniques to expand my memory and recall pertinent information, which is vital in medical school. Memorization is key to my success in medical school. Being able to take in large amounts of information, organize it, store and be able to recall it when is what I am learning from these books.

I started editing my personal statement too. it was approximately 2.5 pages long. After over 30 hours of writing, editing and re-editing, I now have it within the Texas application guidelines of 62 lines with no more than 80 characters of text per line. I believe I am going to work on at least 2 more essays and choose the best to submit in my application. I pray that it is interesting enough, shows my will and determination and will warant me offers for a personal interview.

The steps to entering medical school: 1. Finish prerequisites 2. Take MCAT 3. Prepare application and personal statement 4. Personal interview invitation (if you are selected bases on the first 3 steps) 5. Offer to attend medical school. It seems like 5 small steps, however, there is a lot of planning involved at each step.

I've learned that each step I take is getting me closer to a yes. By gradually checking off things on my to do list, the process will not be so overwhelming. Planning is key. Knowing my time lines and when things need to be finished is important. For instance, I need to get copies of my transcripts so that I can apply for this summer research position. I need extra copies so that I can apply for University of Houston Downtown for spring 2009 and I am going to need copies to submit by med school application. I have targeted requesting these transcripts no later than October 15th. Staying organized is important. I must say I feel good about my organizational skills. They have improved over the years.

Although many would have rather Hurricane Ike to have disappeared in the gulf, I choose to use this time down time wisely. Stay focus. Get prepared. Change is coming.....Ike was evident of that.....