What Do You Do When?

I recently completed my first Hello Morning Challenge. For the past 4 weeks I have religiously started my day at 6am to have morning devotion. Then Bam! This week has been a little rocky. I'm thinking, "What in the world happened?" Have you ever strived to live a Christ-centered life just to feel like you're where you started? I know that as Christians we must seek God on a daily basis and keep Him in the forefront. The devil comes to kill, steal, and destroy and I know this is how he wants me to feel.

My earnest attempts to form a meaningful relationship with Jesus Christ is fairly new. I guess I will go to my prayer closet and ask God to refocus my direction. Whenever I feel a little stressed I hit the gym and that's exactly what I did today, it felt good! Even after my 5 mile mark I felt like running on!

Have a wonderful weekend and remember to keep God first; regardless of how you feel He is there and He will see you through!!

 

 

Eastern Virginia Medical School Visit

Today I visited Eastern Virginia Medical School. I love the location, it's very close to home which is perfect! For the past 3 years I have attended their Open House events. Today I gained clarity and direction by meeting with their admissions staff. This week is flying by; Spring will be here before we know it!



Good Morning!

This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it -Psalm 118:24

It's Monday morning and it feels like it! I go to work at 12pm but this morning has been filled with devotion, weekly planning, phone calls, and budgeting. I still need to eat breakfast! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Yesterday was College Sunday at my church. Rashad Cartwright was the speaker and Virginia State University Gospel Choir sang. The overall purpose of the message was: faith. Despite whatever obstacles set against you just wait on the Lord and he will respond accordingly. Have a great week and I look forward to posting what's new in the kitchen tomorrow!

Valentine Day Breakfast with my grandmother

My sister never forgets :)

My little brother knew I needed an upgrade....thanks Reg <3



Best MCAT Prep Material

The MCAT is unlike any exam you will ever take in your life. It requires a great deal of focus, mental clarity, sharp critical thinking skills, endurance, and most importantly, confidence. The exam is 5 hours long. It is broken up into 3 sections:

Physical Science: 52 questions/70 minutes (composed of chemistry and physics)
Verbal Reasoning: 40 questions/60 minutes
Biological Science. 52 questions/70 minutes (composed of biology and organic chemistry)

Scoring is based on the number you get correct. You are not penalized for getting any questions wrong, you just don't earn any points. The highest you can score in each section is a 15. To be considered competitive you want to get a 10 in each section; the magic number= 30!!!

Everyone has a different MCAT study schedule based on many different factors; work schedule, school schedule, extracurricular activities, etc. However, you want to allot at "least" 5 months towards studying. You should also try to incorporate MCAT passages during your pre-med courses. This way you will have a better grasp and understanding.

The main thing you want to avoid is bombarding yourself with MCAT prep material. There are numerous companies out there but PLEASE stick to just one or 2 companies or you will confuse yourself. Below is what I found to be best; it is not be emulated but simply used as a guide.

Official AAMC Self Assessment: You can buy each subject individually or get the entire package for $104. I received them free through the Kaplan Prep Course. These were very helpful, it consists of MCAT style passages!



Kaplan Flashcards: I didn't care to much for their books but the flashcards serve a great quick refresher

Examkrackers: These books are great for those who have a strong foundation on the material already. If not, I would recommend TPR or Berkley.

Official AAMC Practice Exams: There are 8 of them, $30 each. I recieved them free through the Kaplan Prep Course. These are GOLD. If you can afford them, buy all of them.

 



Examkrackers 1001 Questions: they go along with the EK books; after each lecture use this book to do questions!

 

 

This is what worked best for me. There are many other great resources out there such as Berkley, Kaplan, and The Princeton Review. I've tried all of them...but stick to 1 or 2 companies, you don't want to feel overwhelmed. Pack a water bottle, your favorite "healthy" snack, music (if that's your preference), find a quiet spot and just dive into it! Remember: leave that cell phone in the car, get off Instagram, lose track of time....immerse yourself completely in the material. Make if fun; bring highlighters, colorful pens, make drawings/diagrams. Don't stress yourself out. Over time it gets easier, don't give up!

 

 

Pre-Med Advice

When I began to pursue a career in Medicine I had no idea what was in store for me. I "Googled" how to become a dermatologist. I read an article which stated:

1. 4 years of undergrad
2. 4 years of medical school
3. Residency
4. Congrats you're a doctor!

At the time I thought....piece of cake! However, little did I know there was more to that. What it should have said was:

1. 4 years of undergrad, which includes: rigorous science classes (physics, chemistry, biology, and organic chemistry), shadowing various doctors, volunteering, research, extracurricular activities, and of course the MCAT

2. 4 years of medical school, which includes: 2 years of intense book work, 2 years in the hospital doing your clinical rotations (aka clerkships), passing of Step 1 Board exam which you take after your 2 years of book work (this score determines your competiveness for residency programs), Step 2  Board exam, and Step 3 Board exam. You must Match into a residency program your 4th year or else you have a MD degree which means nothing.

3. Residency; which includes: working 80+ hours/week shifts= no sleep. The good news is you begin receiving pay for your work. Residency training varies among different specialties. For example: Surgery residency can last up to 7 years, however OB/GYN training is generally 3 years; the pay grade also varies from specialty to specialty an locality.

4. Congrats you're a doctor!

**If you want to do a subspecialty you can do something called a "Fellowship" after residency, this is the highest you can go, its pretty stellar! You're looking at a total of roughly 11 years of school after high school. That doesn't include time taken off after undergrad or a post-bac program if you chose to go that route. The average age of entering medical school students 24-25.

**Be careful of the major you pick in undergrad. If I could do it all over again I would have majored in engineering. It would have secured me a good job after graduation just incase I had changed my mind. Biology and Chemistry majors are stuck with choosing between teaching or research (both which require a master and job experience to qualify).

**Many people give up once they take organic chemistry in undergrad. Some call it the weed-out course; designed to separate those who are serious about going the distance. Don't give up! It was actually one of my favorite courses. You just have to really sit down and focus. Repetition is key. Visit your professor if you feel yourself falling behind.

**On top of all this you have to take into consideration the financial aspect of it all. My parents always stressed the importance of doing well in high school. This is SOOOOoo true. It will determine your ability to secure scholarships during you undergrad studies; which will make you very happy in the long run. Medical school is pretty costly, you also have to take into consideration you living expenses since everyone knows: You Do Not Work during medical school.....ever!!!

I haven't began medical school yet and already I've had so many wonderful experiences, I'll save that for another blog entry. I am happy with the path I've taken, I don't mind about the time it will take. I'd rather sacrifice 11 years of school now than live the rest of my life wishing I had. I feel like I'm living my dream.

 



Leadership Institute Graduation



First week of college with dorm hall friends



Senior Ball



Tour for Diversity Conference



Down time with little sister





Good friend Jade; finishing up her last year of med school now :)



MegaGenesis Conference



Leadership conference in Bethesda, MD



Birthday celebration with friends



Best friends since high school



None of this would be possible without my parents; so blessed to have them

New Week, New Opportunity!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. I was able to visit my grandmother on Friday, she was so happy to see me! I went to Williamsburg, VA on Saturday to work- open to close; I've been putting in some serious hours. My dad preached on Job, his sermon was very inspiring and enlightening. I celebrated Super Bowl Sunday by going to Cinema Café with my brother and sister, we had a blast! Since my Packers didn't make it all the way, I was happy to see the Sea Hawks win. The month of February always reminds me why I enjoy the summer months, its freezing cold!!!

 

 

Snow Snow Snow!

When I got off from work yesterday I was amazed when I walked outside. My car was completely covered in snow!!! I made a quick stop at the store to purchase anti-freeze then headed home. I was greeted with a yummy smelling home, my sister made chili!

After dinner out in the snow we went, deep down we are big kids! It felt good to run outdoors and throw snow up into the air after a long day at work. Last night reminded me of how blessed I truly am. While driving home, I saw at least 4 people walking to their destination in the snow; I was filled with unspeakable compassion. I am so thankful that God has blessed me with a warm home, dinner each night, and transportation. He is faithful.

This morning during Bible devotion I found a wonderful statement that I wanted to share:

Love is humble. The humble, loving person is aware that everything he has is an undeserved gift from God (1 Cor. 4:7). So he doesn’t boast, but thankfully uses what God has given to serve others.

Stay warm!!!

 

Celebratory Weekened!

This has been a wonderful weekend. I have great news to share with you on Med School Wednesday! Over the weekend I spent time with my brothers and sister. It was the first weekend we all didn't have to work. We each decided to spend time together and it was perfect. God couldn't have blessed me with a greater family. Stay tuned, Wednesday is coming! On top of spending time with them I had a "mini solo" on Sunday with the praise team. Later in the evening I attended an event at my church that commemorated Dr. Martin Luther King. Various churches from different denominations came together, it was a beautiful sight to behold!

I didn't get my smile out in time!!

What's New in the Kitchen!

This week I decided to make chicken with Rice-A-Roni. I seasoned and baked the chicken at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. I then made the rice separately in a skillet then added the chicken afterwards. It came out okay but I see a pasta or seafood dish in my future!

Stay warm, it snowed today!!!

Bitter Sweet Good Bye

Today I had breakfast at Tommy's Restaurant with my good friend Jamillah. I've known Jamillah since my very first week of college. We lived on the same dorm hallway. Over the years we have remained close and I am happy to call her my friend. She will be moving to California with her husband towards the end of the month to live with her in-laws. I am going to miss her dearly. Later, Ricky, my older brother, and I went to visit my grandmother. She was extremely happy to see us.




 

 

Busy Saturday

Today has been wonderful. This morning my sister and I attended the Annual MLK Breakfast, thanks to my Dad. The speaker was very encouraging, he ran for Congress 4 times before winning the election. Afterwards, we spent time with one of the church members. Later in the day my older brother and I went out to Cici's Pizza and watched the movie Steve Jobs.

Thus far I really enjoy blogging. It gives me the opportunity to pause and take note of the little things in life. I will probably being a series soon. I will blog only on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Each day will represent a certain theme.

What's new in the kitchen Monday
Medical school Wednesday
Building my faith Friday

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!