Working My Buns Off

*ERRHH!!!*ERRHH!!!*ERRHH!!!*

My alarm asserts that it is time to wake, but I beg to differ. 6:30 AM and a new day has begun. After a healthy breakfast and a shower I make my way via the Illinois Tollway system to my first job of the day: Biochemical Research at Northern Illinois University.


The faint of heart beware, for I conduct REAL SCIENCE from the reasonable hours of the morning until the late afternoon. Bacterial transformation, DNA sequencing, protein purification, xray crystallography, and microcalorimetry make up only part of what may consume my day to day. Donning a white lab coat that would make Bill Nye proud, I pipette with great efficacy to discover the unknown. It seems fitting as I wander from lab bench to lab bench that Weird Al's "White and Nerdy" choruses in my head.

I've found that I truly love working in a lab. Each day brings new challenges and the hands on experience has concreted so many of the scientific concepts I'm working with. (More on the specific research projects later).


Finishing my experiments for the day I weave through the endless construction barriers to return from whence I came. I typically have a few moments to gather my thoughts before I begin my second job of the day: summer programs at the residential school where I work.


These summer programs include tasks like tutoring science, implementing local excursions, and lending an open ear. My day wraps up at about 11PM or 12AM depending.


Then I start all over again.


Needless to say it has been a busy existence, but it's quite delightful. By the end of the summer I'll have been part of three different summer programs (all with varying time frames and different goals), put in a great many hours in a real laboratory, and enjoyed 1 day off a week (excluding the week of Independence Day).


Summer is great, but I'm working my buns off.


Oh yeah! I forgot to mention that I'm still volunteering at the hospital every other week...

A fine layer of dust

Approaching the keyboard he found it caked with a fine layer of dust. Though it was precariously evocative in a "Modern Gone Retro Instagram Photo Shoot" sort of way, it was sadly the reality he had come to. Having hadn't published a blog post in months, his readers wondered at what point such severe drought becomes extinction. With a deep breath he cleared away the filth and sat down to begin unleashing his soul through his fingertips.


Well perhaps "unleashing my soul" is a bit of a stretch, but it is fine time to revive my typing skills (acquired primarily in 6th grade "typing" class thank you very much!).


As far as this blog is concerned, I'll admit that I've been selfish. It takes a good deal of effort to write a post in the manner that I find worth publishing. I'm a true perfectionist when authoring pretty well anything. Heck, I probably average 5 minutes each time I create a witty Facebook status. "My name is Sam, and I have a problem." I know. Quite frankly majoring in rhetorical analysis the first time round in my undergraduate studies did not help this quirk.


Taking my time is not a sin, but at some point I just need to start throwing something out there into the vast abyss of the internet. Not everything I write will be gold... clearly.




The MCAT swarms my thoughts quite frequently these days. Specifically determining what study method to use has been the pressure point that consumes me. Reading through the Student Doctor Network and talking to friends has given me such a breadth of knowledge about what is out there. Some claim that Kaplan is the greatest force the MCAT has ever faced, yet others deny that readily. Some suggest studying for 3 months straight with a combination of thick literature, yet others swear by notecards.


I know for certain that I want to take at least 4 or 5 fully timed practice exams from AMCAS, but beyond that I'm uncertain. If you have any suggestions, I'm not quite yet overwhelmed by my options, and I'm certainly willing and open to many methods of study.


Until I decide my summer will consist of the equivalent to two simultaneous full time jobs so that I can save as much money as possible to pay for whatever prep my roulette wheel turns up with. (More on this in my next post.)

Some Current Motivations

Being a post-bac student comes with the perks of having many friends who are ahead of me on the path to medicine. On the rare occasions that I get to visit with these dear compatriots, it is tremendous and refreshing to be amongst others of like mind and similar passion. Moreover, in these precious times, they always seem to know the right questions to ask me. Specifically the question that I've been hearing most often from these premed/medical/postmed friends is, "are you getting burned out?"

"Am I getting burned out?" I ask myself. Well, no... I'm not getting burned out. This is not to say a day will not come when burn out strikes with vigor and abundance, but I'd have to say the following motivations are definitely pushing me in the proper direction.

Firstly it is a joy when I'm able to help any of my students here with their homework. There's just something indescribably pure about the look on a "tutee's" face when they finally understand a concept they've been wrestling. At such a prodigious institution these students are thrown scientific curveballs on a regular basis, and if I'm able to give some quality coaching it's been a great day.

Secondly I've been slowly reading the book Hope In Hell. This book gives a little insight to what it really means to be a "Doctor Without Borders." I'm not positive Doctors Without Borders is the service sector of medical practice for me, but the gritty realism of third world issues definitely captures the core of me.

Lastly I found great inspiration by the number of my students who donated to the Children's Miracle Network today! Granted IHOP delivered them free pancakes in exchange for a donation... Nonetheless, they chose to support a tremendous cause that I hope to one day be a bigger part of.

Currently standing strong and not burnt out yet. Bring on the next 7 hour study session!

A Longer Awaited Update

Since my last blog post I've completed an entire semester's worth of academic and professional work. To be honest, I probably did myself a sincere disservice by such neglect for this blog. It is thoroughly true that I do function better when my ideas are written out, and moreover it gives me the opportunity to start conversation with any who dare read the ramblings of this "non-traditional" medical journey.

That said, here is the last semester recap.

General Chemistry at NIU proved an enjoyable class, though the lab lacked challenge and creativity. The professor's strict application of his syllabus left little room for error, which I liked. Tests were challenging, but the homework was lacking... I may be the only NIU student ever who longed for more homework. All in all this course was a great refresher, and I now know more about molecular geometry than I ever had.

General Biology started with a pretty tough exam, then lightened up quickly. It was the first semester the professor had taught which meant she was trying to find a happy medium for difficulty and number of people who passed the class. Unfortunately I felt that the course lightened up too much. Biology lab did fulfill my need for legitimate course work though. The labs were relevant and really had me spend additional time with material that I had breezed past before.

This semester has brought a new set of challenges: General Chemistry II and Microbiology. Microbiology will prove much more challenging considering it is a 300 level course and the grade is solely based on performance in the lab and 3 exams... General Chemistry is already looking even more informative than the first semester. Our homework is more consistent and really forces us to know the chapters inside and out. Nailed the first exam yesterday.

With my new schedule in place I'm hoping to start volunteering at the hospital again. Not being there to serve in the hospital on a weekly basis has definitely has taken a toll on me because when I'm there it feels just right.

More updates to come. Until then, know that I haven't fallen off a cliff and that I'm still going strong.