Angela’s Blog

Remember those days back in middle school when girls and boys had to be separated into different classrooms and were given the so-called “talk”? Oh, how we all enjoyed hearing those wildly awkward topics: puberty, safe sex, STDs, the list goes on. I’ve only recently begun to understand just how equally–if not more–uncomfortable it is to TEACH these topics. When you’re a college student and standing in front of a group of giggly sixth-graders about to go over the reproductive organs of men and women, things start to get madly awkward. Such is how I’ve found myself spending my past two Friday afternoons.

You may wonder why, and possibly how, I got myself involved in this situation. In actuality, I volunteered for this job. A few months ago, the UConn Pre-Medical Society starting working with current medical students at the UConn School of Medicine in coordinating the Hartford Health Education (HHE) program. Due to budget cuts, many schools in the inner-city Hartford area had to get rid of the health/sex education portion of their curriculum. The purpose of HHE is to provide this missing (and necessary) part of the curriculum to these schools by having volunteer med students and pre-med students teach it. Over the duration of five weekly afternoon sessions, volunteers intend to go over an entire sex-ed syllabus consisting of puberty, anatomy and reproduction, safe sex and STDs, drugs and violence, and nutrition.

My friend Sarah and I are both pre-med students and decided to volunteer for HHE. After being given the contact information of a particular teacher and school in Hartford, we contacted our teacher and arranged the times for our teaching sessions. Much of the time Sarah and I spend is in preparation to teach the material. A syllabus is provided for us highlighting major points and details to go over in class, but when you’re actually in the classroom, most of the teaching is done through improvisation. We teach a group of sixth-graders (not separated by gender, by the way), and boy, are they curious! We get plenty of questions each time we go there, and the challenge is to answer these questions while connecting it to the material.

All in all, despite the brief moments of uncomfortableness, doing this has been an awakening experience for me. I’ve always wanted to go into pediatrics, and I’ve found being able to talk to kids about these things is essentially what I’ll be doing as their doctor. The first time I went into the classroom, I was unsure about how things would go, and I figured that Sarah and I would just wing it. However, it turned out to be incredibly easier than I ever imagined. After hearing the first few bouts of embarrassed giggles from the kids, I grew comfortable and unfazed talking about these topics and even better, managed to convince the students to not be as embarrassed. It feels great knowing that I’m doing something to teach these kids something that they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to learn.

If you want to take a look at what the Hartford Health Education program involves, click here. This page is a part of the Pre-Medical Society website and includes the syllabi that Sarah and I used each week during our teaching sessions.

Safe to say, taking the MCAT wasn’t as scary as I thought it was going to be, and I’m certainly glad it’s over!! These last two weeks have been a matter of catching up on class work and activities which I had to put a slight hold on while I was finishing up my MCAT studying. Unfortunately, it looks like I’ve caught the flu that’s been going around campus! I’ve been mostly bed-ridden since Wednesday, but thanks to a lot of rest and some very frequent doses of Tylenol, I’m back on my feet again and ready to start another week of classes starting tomorrow…

Speaking of, I figure I should let you all know about what I’m up to this semester. I’m taking on a heavier courseload consisting of 17 credits, which translates to five classes: 1) Introduction to Biochemistry, 2) British Literature since 1880, 3) Modern English Literature, 4) Asian-American Literature, and 5) Elementary Chinese Part 2. All of my classes are primarily lecture-based, with the exception of my biochemistry class, which has both a lecture and a laboratory component. I’ve been enjoying most of my classes so far, although it’s definitely one of the most diverse schedules I’ve had in terms of different subject matters. At the moment, I’m finishing up my Biological Sciences major while taking on an English double major. My freshman and sophomore years at UConn were all very science-heavy as I was fulfilling pre-medical requirements, but since I finished most of them up in my first two years, I figured I’d spend more time exploring other fields as well since I had the time. I’ve always loved reading so I went for the English track, but I also decided to take Elementary Chinese to brush up on my Chinese skills (speaking-wise, I’m ok to hold up a conversation, but I started off with no reading or writing skills at all!)

I’m currently working towards converting my biochem class to Honors.  The Introduction to Biochemistry class doesn’t have it’s own Honors section but does offer the opportunity to convert the class to Honors. The honors conversion project for this class is one of the best I’ve ever done because the professor has done many conversions with students in the past. Converting a class to Honors is a varied process depending on the class and professor. In the past, I’ve occasionally seen conversions that are primarily independent work done by students with some basic input or discussion from the professor, including independent research papers or volunteer field-work. Other professors prefer to work right alongside students during the conversion, which is something I prefer. My biochem professor has us meet with her as a group once a week to discuss research papers which are based off research done in within the last year. The papers relate to the material that we’ve been learning in class, so it enhances the lectures, but the professor also has us use these papers to guide us as we write our honors theses. Since we’re all science majors in the group, her goal is to have us eventually come up with a research proposal that can act as the honors thesis (which we need to graduate with Honors). Overall, I’m having a lot of fun with this conversion because I feel like I’m getting a great Honors experience out of it.

To see the Biological Sciences major requirements, click here.

To learn more about the Honors program, click here.

Well, it’s just about two days until classes for the spring semester start up! Tomorrow, winter break is officially over and most students will be heading back–which means Storrs is coming back to life again! I’m very excited for the start of the new semester, because it not only means being able to see most of my friends again, but (call me a dork) I love the feeling of entering a new class, meeting new people and learning something refreshing and interesting. I’ve been taking breaks from MCAT studying recently by hitting up the UConn Co-Op bookstore and buying new supplies (binders, notebook paper, pens, etc.) as well as picking up my textbooks for my new classes.
 
When it comes to saving money, buying textbooks for college is an art. Textbooks will always be expensive and knowing the ways to save money on them (especially nowadays) is a skill that you should definitely have down. As a science major, you’ll typically have at least one hefty textbook per class (I’m talking about 600+ pages here folks!) and one textbook can end up costing hundreds of dollars. Last semester, I decided to pursue an English major in addition to Biological Sciences. While this meant taking a lot of new interesting classes, it also doubled the number of textbooks I get each semester!

When I first came to UConn, I bought all of my textbooks from the campus bookstore, and most of them at the ‘new’ full-cover price. Yeah, sounds kind of stupid, right? The UConn Co-Op is very convenient because it has all of the required textbooks for your classes right at hand, but if you’re willing to put a little effort into book buying, you’ll find that you’ll save a lot of money. Here are some of my budget-conscience tips to help you out:

1) Plan ahead!
A few weeks before the semester starts, e-mail your professor asking for a syllabus and required texts. Make sure to ask for the author(s)’s name, the publisher and what edition your professor will be using. Ask whether it’s necessary to have the exact copy that they have listed. For some classes (i.e. English), sometimes professors will be lax about the edition or publisher of the texts that they will use (for example, most poetry you ‘ll be able to find online to print for free!).

2) Check out venues other than your college bookstore.
Campus stores will usually offer books either ‘new’ (full-cover price) or ‘used’ (a certain percentage off; UConn is 25% off cover price). However, if you order online, you’ll be able to find great condition used books at drastically reduced prices. Always use a website that’ll compare prices on different vendor sites (I use http://www.textbooks.com/). Also, consider buying textbooks from other students. Facebook can be a great resource for this! *hint* *hint*

3) Your college library is a hidden gem.
Most literature classes will use novels that you can find right at your campus library! This is especially applicable if your professor doesn’t care about the edition of the texts you get. One benefit of knowing your required texts early is so you can hit up your library and take out all those books before anyone else does

4) ‘Used’ doesn’t necessarily translate to ‘gross,’ ’scribbled-over,’ ‘awful’, et cetera.
Be smart when shopping online, and make sure that you fully understand what a vendor means when they describe a textbook as ‘used’. Most used books I’ve purchased will be a little dog-eared, but who needs a shiny brand-new cover for their textbooks if it means saving a whole lot of $$$? 

These books were all bought used! They look great, dont they??

So how much did I save this year? Well, let me put it this way. When I first came to UConn, I would spend on average $800-$900 dollars on textbooks. Today, I spent a grand total of $182.86 on thirteen books! This is including one hefty Biochemistry textbook (bought used) and a 2000+ page anthology on British literature (also bought used). Most of my savings came from getting five of those books from the library and from buying two other books from a friend. Amazing, right?

As an added bonus, the Co-Op’s been giving out these awesome three-subject notebooks out to students for free! I made sure to grab one and tell everyone I knew to get one before they’re out. I mean, it doesn’t necessarily make up for all the money spent on textbooks this semester, but you can never go wrong with free stuff!

So I obviously can’t keep myself locked away in my apartment without eventually yearning for some human contact, so I met up with my best friends Avani and Pratistha to catch up and exchange some late Christmas gifts. Avani’s away in Philadelphia for most of the year but she was up in Connecticut visiting family and friends for the holidays, so I was very excited to finally see her again after so long!

The three of us headed to Angellino’s, a local Italian eatery just about 15 minutes away from campus. Thankfully, our friendly waiter was very accommodating and let us sit there for nearly THREE hours chatting and catching up over our delicious meals and desserts.

Avs and I showing off one of her awesome Christmas gifts...

On another note, I’ve been spending a few of study breaks redecorating my apartment! My three roommates have been home for the most part, but gave me full leeway in changing things up a bit in our living room.  I’ve included a picture of the living room as it is now! If I find an old picture of what it used to look like, I’ll post it later.

Aint it cozy?? haha

It’s nice having a full apartment all to yourself, but I have to admit that I can’t wait until my roommates get back from break. It can get really lonely and quiet around here during the breaks! =(

The winter break at UConn started about three weeks ago, as soon as finals ended, and there are still two and a half weeks left. Fortunately for me, the on campus apartments at UConn have a ten-month lease, which allows me to stay at UConn during break. Thus far, I’ve been holed up in my Charter Oaks apartment and have been purposely isolating myself from family and friends so that I can study for my very-dreaded MCATs. For those who don’t know, the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) is the entrance exam into med school. It’s a killer exam that goes on for nearly 6 hours and tests you on biology, physics, chemistry, verbal comprehension, and writing– GROSS.

The parking lot is mad empty outside the apartment complex!

My life for the next month!

Once again, I’m very sorry that I haven’t had many blog posts recently. I’ll be doing my best to keep you updated on my life over the next few weeks–just to show you guys that I’m still alive and haven’t died from over-studying… jk! =)

I’m a part of an eight-year B.S. and M.D. Combined Program in Medicine (CPiM) at UConn. This program admits students through high school and allows them direct entrance into the UConn School of Medicine after four undergraduate years at Storrs, as long as certain requirements are met during those four years. Those requirements include a certain GPA and a minimum score of 28 (out of 45) on the MCAT. The CPiM program is amazing, offering a close-knit sense of community among program members and med school faculty, as well as shadowing and research opportunities. I still have to take of the MCAT as part of CPiM, but the programs also allows you to apply to other med schools, which definitely requires a MCAT score.
If you’re currently a junior and a prospective pre-med student, I definitely recommend that you look into this program for next year. It’s a very competitive program and not too widely advertised. Applications to the program require that you apply Early Action to UConn Storrs and submit a supplemental CPiM application by January 1st. Find out more about the B.A/B.S. and M.D. Combined Program in Medicine here.

I’ve been studying for the MCAT since this summer when I took a prep course. The MCAT is something that you take VERY seriously. Generally, when you focus and study hard, you’ll do well! Shutting yourself in like a hermit is a study strategy that I know some of my friends are using this winter break, but it’s not always necessary to go to such extremes. If you are pre-med or considering it, stick to it! The MCAT is a hurdle that all pre-med students must go through, and while it’s a definite test of endurance, most will survive it and go on to be accepted by their desired med schools. My fellow blogger, Charlayne, is a survivor of the dreaded MCAT–she took it this summer! If you have any questions about being a pre-med student, don’t be afraid send me a message! I’d be very happy to help you guys out in any way =)

Oh and btw,

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

My new year’s resolution this year: do well on my MCAT!

I apologize for a long delay in blog posts, but I am finally back and with plenty of updates from the end of the fall semester. Where do I start? I spent the last few weeks of the fall studying visciously for finals while planning a major event for the Pre-Medical Society. At the end of each semester, the Pre-Med society plans a banquet and lecture that features a prominent member of the medical community. We decided on welcoming Dr. Cato Laurencin, a truly amazing physician and professor who now serves as the Dean of the UConn School of Medicine.

Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D. Renowned surgeon and professor, always looking sharp with his bowtie!

Here are a few pictures from the event:

Some of our members before the start of the banquet!

We had an amazing meal provided by UConn Catering!

The Pre-Medical Society members were very excited to hear from Dr. Laurencin. He was equally as charming as he was impressive. He told us the story of his life and his many accomplishments, including how his work as a physician-scientist led to his discovery of a novel way to regenerate bone tissue. He’s now listed as one of the top 50 innovators of the year by Scientific American magazine! (I know I must be pretty nerdy to admire this, but hey– how many people do you know that could claim this much credit??) If you want to learn more about Dr. Laurencin, you can visit this site.

Dr. Laurencin met and spoke to most of our members after the banquet!

On another note, I was very happy to find out that one of my designs for the new Pre-Medical Society t-shirts had been selected to be printed! (Yes, I am a dork.) We ran a t-shirt design contest among society and e-board members so that we could have a new t-shirt by next semester. (You can see me sporting the old shirt in one of my older posts here). I submitted two designs in all, which I’ve posted below. I’m so pumped to see the t-shirts once they’re ready in the spring! haha

The t-shirt on the top was the one that was selected by the rest of the members. Expect to see some pictures in the near feature of me wearing it! =P

I voted for the first time just about four hours ago. It took quite a lot of waiting–hours, in fact–but it was definitely worth the wait to submit my ballot. I’m sure that’s how many other college students felt today, knowing that their votes were making a historic difference.

Today is such an amazing day in history and I’m so glad to be watching it unfold before my eyes right now. It’s just about 11:30 PM right now and it was just announced that Barack Obama is the president-elect of the United States! For the past few hours, my roommates and I have been tracking the election results, and to us and thousands of UConn students, Obama’s landslide victory makes for a fantastic conclusion to the night.

The election results as of 11:16 PM... amazing!

Tomorrow’s looking just a bit brighter in my eyes, haha. I’m so happy and proud to have been part of this election. To all of you who also voted today, pat yourselves on the back for being actively involved in deciding our country’s future =)

If there’s one big thing that I always look forward to during the fall semester, it would definitely be the Lip Sync competition that takes place every year during Homecoming weekend. While most schools feature their own version of Lip Sync during their Homecoming, UConn goes all out for sure; Gampel Pavilion is packed with literally thousands of students that come to watch the competition. UConn has a different theme each Homecoming chosen by the Student Board of Governors (SUBOG, who run all major events on campus) and this year they picked ‘Game on UCONN’.

The Lip Sync competition featured over a dozen groups consisting of most of UConn’s Greek Life and all of its Cultural Centers. It’s always up to the group to adapt their performance to the year’s theme however they like. I, of course, always root for the Asian American Cultural Center–because you can always expect an amazing show when it comes to AsACC. We chose to base our dance off the idea of the Ouija board, but there were other board game influences too with the other groups. For example, the Puerto Rican and Latin American Cultural Center (PrLACC) chose the ‘Operation’ game, and the Rainbow Center chose to use ‘LIFE’ as their game.

I starting going to Lip Sync during my freshman year, when AsACC brought home the first place trophy, and I couldn’t have been more proud cheering on my group. If there’s one campus event where you get to see UConn’s diversity in full force, it’d be the Lip Sync competition, where everyone shows their pride for their own cultural group or fraternity/sorority.

Each group’s performance is rated based on their originality and creativity, their overall dancing and lipsyncing routine, and their UConn pride. While AsACC did a FANTASTIC job, we only came in third place =(. PrLACC came in first, followed by the Rainbow Center. I pretty much loved all of their performances though, can’t say I didn’t leave entertained!

Below I’ve posted a video of AsACC’s performance Saturday night. Thanks to Quynh for the link!

With the first batch of midterms and papers over, Pratistha and I headed over to the Buckland Hills Mall in Manchester for a bit of very-needed shopping. It’s been a while since both of us have visited this mall so we headed over to some of our favorite stores (H&M, Express, Forever 21, and the list goes on…) to reward ourselves a little. Also on our agenda was to find birthday presents for a couple of our friends who are turning 20 this month (A very happy birthday to Noelle and Radhika! =))

Manchester is only six exits away from UConn on I-84, which means about a 30-minute car ride. In a previous blog entry, I mentioned the East Brook shopping complex, which is great not only because it’s so close by, but also because it has great places to eat (Asian Bistro, anyone?) and a movie theater. But if you’re looking for a bit more variety, Buckland Hills is definitely where you get the real mall experience. Before I had a car on campus, I would always go on the UConn-sponsored bus trips there or hitch a ride with my upperclassmen friends.

Pratistha standing in front of one of our favorite spots...

Taking a break from carrying our shopping bags, haha..

After more than a month or so of being on campus, I finally decided it would be nice to drop in on the family and see how they were doing. My parents recently moved from shoreline Connecticut to Massachusetts to start new jobs in Boston. I was born in Boston, so it was interesting to ‘rediscover’ the city after being apart from it for so many years (we moved to CT when I was a toddler!). My family is currently based in a suburb just outside of Boston called Brookline, where my younger brother Jonathan is going to school. The drive only took me about an hour and a half from campus (I got pretty lucky with city traffic).

(Side note: Now, because I’m currently a junior, I have the luxury of having a place to keep my car on campus and thus can drive to visit my family whenever I can (which isn’t very often, considering there’s been so much to do here since the start of the semester!). However, if you’re wondering about other traveling options, there are always Peter Pan buses leaving from the middle of campus everyday that’ll take you to cities like Boston, New York and Philadelphia. Hartford’s only half an hour away from campus too, and from there you can take the train or fly out from Bradley Airport. It’s pretty easy to find travel routes and options once you get to UConn.)

Beautiful Brookline in the afternoon...

Here I am with Jonathan by a pond at the Boston Commons…

My family and I ate brunch at a dim sum restaurant in Boston on Saturday morning. For those who aren’t familiar with the concept, dim sum are bite-size ‘finger foods’ generally eaten for brunch in China. For example, you would find various small steamed buns and dumplings served, as well as other delicacies like steamed rice & pork wrapped in bamboo leaves (known as zong zi). At a dim sum restaurant, waiters push around carts full of steaming-hot dim sum to display to the customers sitting at their tables. You simply look into the cart, select whatever you like, and share all the dim sum together with family and friends. The restaurant we went to was HUGE–and for that reason, a huge tour group of Chinese people came to eat brunch there. I loved how they were all dressed in the same exact red outfits.

Overall, it was a pretty awesome weekend in the city with my family. I only hope I can find time to visit them again later this semester!