My day was filled with surprises. It may be hard to comprehend but I know that what transpired today will just be another thing in the past come tomorrow.
I had a conversation with Gil earlier over the phone and I was surprised of his decision not to push through with medical school next year. At first I was furious to the point that I nearly yelled at him over the phone. He was the one who dragged me into the whole thing of going to medical school and all of a sudden he would back out. I could not understand what he was trying to tell me at first. It seems that my whole world stopped for a moment. I could not even hear what he's trying to tell me. A minute passed and we were back in conversation again. I started to hear him out and I know his reasons are far beyond his decision not push through as planned. We almost talked for an hour and I'm beginning to see the value of his apprehensions for the moment. I wish they would just go away so that we can proceed as planned and thus put everybody in a happy place. But one thing I have learned from what we conversed earlier; a decision should be thought of a thousand times; weighing the pros and the cons and testing it in clear waters so that we could gauge the effect.
Honestly, the conversation Gil and I had earlier rocked my plans for next year. But nevertheless, I will still proceed as planned. I just ask the Lord to guide me....
You, Lord have always been there for me. I know you'll never tire...
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Mariah Carey and NMAT Review=Me singing Mariah early in the morning.
I woke up today at 10 a.m. feeling bloated because of the Chinese food that I binged in last night for dinner. I should not have ordered it. Bad bad bad. Nevertheless, I feel refreshed and rejuvinated and more on the positive note today after learning of this video clips from UC Berkeley where Prof. Heino Nitsche lectures about General Chemistry. I was already getting desperate because despite of countless hours of reading about Matter, Chemical Reaction, Balancing Equations and anything under the name of Chemistry. Darn, I still could not understand it. Thanks to Prof. Nitsche, I now can at least watch his wonderful lectures. He is truly indeed a genius.
I'm starting my day today with a cup of tea and played Mariah's Butterfly album. Feeling inspired, I started singing her songs to the top of my lungs giving myself some respite on top of this whole cramming thing. I said to myself that I am going to take this whole chemistry fiasco one step at a time and believe me I will. I also made a study outline of the NMAT and shall be posting it it my next blogs.
Hasta Tardes mi amigos, amigas. I wish everybody a nice and wonderful day ahead.
And oh yes, thank you Lord for another day and for everything you have done for me. You are truly magnificent.
I'm starting my day today with a cup of tea and played Mariah's Butterfly album. Feeling inspired, I started singing her songs to the top of my lungs giving myself some respite on top of this whole cramming thing. I said to myself that I am going to take this whole chemistry fiasco one step at a time and believe me I will. I also made a study outline of the NMAT and shall be posting it it my next blogs.
Hasta Tardes mi amigos, amigas. I wish everybody a nice and wonderful day ahead.
And oh yes, thank you Lord for another day and for everything you have done for me. You are truly magnificent.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
UERM College of Medicine vs UST Faculty of Medicine and Surgery
Okay okay, I was just blogging a while ago that I would spend the rest of the afternoon studying Chemistry and Physics. Oh well, I lied. I just could not take the volume of things that I have to brush up. I am super brain-fucked right now. In all reality, I can say that if I am going to take the NMAT now, I am sure that I am not even gonna reach the median score. In all fairness, it was almost 16 years ago since I last studied Chemistry and Physics in an academic environment.
So I just decided to hit my mac, updated my facebook and twitter status and wrote this blog. Earlier in the afternoon I had a long distance chat (cough, expensive, cough, expensive ) with Artchell to ask some tips about how to ace the NMAT but the conversation did not push thru as planned. We just had a casual conversation of how's life yadah yadah yadah. And so an hour passed...
After updating my facebook profile, I came into the idea of bumping and comparing two of the best medical schools in the Philippines and enumerating the pros and cons of going to either. I came to a conclusion that UERM is a better fit for me compared to UST simply because of the things listed below:
1. UERM holds applicant interview here in the US versus UST which does not. This in a way will save me thousands of dollars in expenses of just going back home and attending a 30 minute interview wherein the only things they will ask you are: Are you married? How will you support you education? Do you have a car? Where will you live? Do you have relatives that were alumnus of this school? I mean, why would these questions even matter?
2. UERM has definitely lived up to its ideals as a non-profit school instead of a money-making institution. The tuition fee is way low compared to UST. Currently, UERM charges students approximately 85 to 90 thousand pesos a semester while UST charges a hefty 110 to 120 thousand a semester. Come on, for a school run by a Catholic religious order? The Pope will not be so pleased if he knows about this. Education should be for all and not for those who can afford.
3. IPBL versus Traditional Curriculum. The controversy sets in here. For me, who has been a nurse for almost ten years and have practiced my profession in the Middle East and the United States, an IPBL would suit me best. It teaches students integration and clinical management of disease process in a problem based approach. In this set up, you get to learn a bunch of things from Anatomy and Pathophysiology, Pharmacology, Nutrition and Biochemistry, Rehabilitation as well as Pathopsychology of the disease process. It is well fit for an independent learner like me. USTs Traditional curriculum on the other hand tackles basic medical sciences subjects and later on integrates things during the clinical clerkship and JI level. In the long run, I cannot afford to loose whatever clinical skills that I have right now and brush it up again later on. So I choose UERM.
4. Lastly, UERM holds US clerkship rotations in New York and Chicago while UST have none. If I decide to apply for US matching program for clinical residency, I believe the US clerkship will prove beneficial. No questions asked.
So, summarizing the points I have tackled above, UERM takes a 4/4 score while UST is 0/4 based on my own criteria. I just wish I will be able to get in UERMMMC. It is now my 'dream school'. I know they raised their standards for next year's incoming freshman. I will just have to hope and trust in God's infinite mercy!
Way to go UERM!!!
So I just decided to hit my mac, updated my facebook and twitter status and wrote this blog. Earlier in the afternoon I had a long distance chat (cough, expensive, cough, expensive ) with Artchell to ask some tips about how to ace the NMAT but the conversation did not push thru as planned. We just had a casual conversation of how's life yadah yadah yadah. And so an hour passed...
After updating my facebook profile, I came into the idea of bumping and comparing two of the best medical schools in the Philippines and enumerating the pros and cons of going to either. I came to a conclusion that UERM is a better fit for me compared to UST simply because of the things listed below:
1. UERM holds applicant interview here in the US versus UST which does not. This in a way will save me thousands of dollars in expenses of just going back home and attending a 30 minute interview wherein the only things they will ask you are: Are you married? How will you support you education? Do you have a car? Where will you live? Do you have relatives that were alumnus of this school? I mean, why would these questions even matter?
2. UERM has definitely lived up to its ideals as a non-profit school instead of a money-making institution. The tuition fee is way low compared to UST. Currently, UERM charges students approximately 85 to 90 thousand pesos a semester while UST charges a hefty 110 to 120 thousand a semester. Come on, for a school run by a Catholic religious order? The Pope will not be so pleased if he knows about this. Education should be for all and not for those who can afford.
3. IPBL versus Traditional Curriculum. The controversy sets in here. For me, who has been a nurse for almost ten years and have practiced my profession in the Middle East and the United States, an IPBL would suit me best. It teaches students integration and clinical management of disease process in a problem based approach. In this set up, you get to learn a bunch of things from Anatomy and Pathophysiology, Pharmacology, Nutrition and Biochemistry, Rehabilitation as well as Pathopsychology of the disease process. It is well fit for an independent learner like me. USTs Traditional curriculum on the other hand tackles basic medical sciences subjects and later on integrates things during the clinical clerkship and JI level. In the long run, I cannot afford to loose whatever clinical skills that I have right now and brush it up again later on. So I choose UERM.
4. Lastly, UERM holds US clerkship rotations in New York and Chicago while UST have none. If I decide to apply for US matching program for clinical residency, I believe the US clerkship will prove beneficial. No questions asked.
So, summarizing the points I have tackled above, UERM takes a 4/4 score while UST is 0/4 based on my own criteria. I just wish I will be able to get in UERMMMC. It is now my 'dream school'. I know they raised their standards for next year's incoming freshman. I will just have to hope and trust in God's infinite mercy!
Way to go UERM!!!
NMAT review and one warm San Francisco afternoon
It's been a while since I last blogged and believe me so much have changed with my decision. I used to talk before of going to law school but after much contemplation, I am decided. I will go to Medical School instead.
So last week, I began to look for schools, read blogs and get hold of the requirements. I trimmed my medical school choices to the top 3 schools of medicine in the Philippines according to board exam rating, faculty-student ratio and curriculum. They are University of Santo Tomas, UERMMMC and FEU-NRMF.
I also registered for the NMAT this coming November 6 in Los Angeles and currently I am brushing up my almost forgotten concepts in Chemistry, Physics and Math. I have not been in an academic environment for quite a while now but I am getting there. I'm almost spending at least 4-5 hours or reading everyday just to have a good grasp of what I have forgotten.
I am very positive that I will ace the NMAT. I don't want to be too complacent but confidence breeds intelligence. At least for the moment. I shall be posting my study notes in NMAT in the next few blogs.
but for now, I just wanted to enjoy the warm SF afternoon....Hasta Manana!
So last week, I began to look for schools, read blogs and get hold of the requirements. I trimmed my medical school choices to the top 3 schools of medicine in the Philippines according to board exam rating, faculty-student ratio and curriculum. They are University of Santo Tomas, UERMMMC and FEU-NRMF.
I also registered for the NMAT this coming November 6 in Los Angeles and currently I am brushing up my almost forgotten concepts in Chemistry, Physics and Math. I have not been in an academic environment for quite a while now but I am getting there. I'm almost spending at least 4-5 hours or reading everyday just to have a good grasp of what I have forgotten.
I am very positive that I will ace the NMAT. I don't want to be too complacent but confidence breeds intelligence. At least for the moment. I shall be posting my study notes in NMAT in the next few blogs.
but for now, I just wanted to enjoy the warm SF afternoon....Hasta Manana!
Saturday, September 11, 2010
and then I shall just continue
It's 4 a.m. Saturday here in San Francisco and I suppose people are just starting to go home from a night of bar bashing and beer soberness. A friend once told me, "sometimes you eat at the bar, but most of it the bar eats you." A pretty good reason why I should stay away from the money eating alcohol factory.
Earlier, I woke up pretty late because of a bad headache which I unknowingly obtained from being sleepless for the past few nights as a result of this never-ending thought of what am I going to do after this 8 month countdown is over.
I happen to have a talk/chat with few of my friends and was able to collate their opinion about what my future holds me. Nevertheless, the most important thing is happiness and satisfaction from what you do.
And so, I decided to give Ateneo Law a shot. I almost gave it up few months ago because of yadah yadah yadah stories about undergraduate school is important to them; that GPA is a major factor being considered by the Admissions Committee and a whole lot of stuff. I'm sure there is one thing that I have that most applicants don't have. I am experienced, I am well-traveled and I'm DIVERSE!
On the other hand, I am also going to try San Beda Law. Reading through blogs, most bloggers claim that San Beda is not as tough as Ateneo when it comes to screening process. We'll see. First entrance exam starts on November 6. I might get it in early December or January.
I started to put out my LSAT/GRE/GMAT and yes TOEFL review materials and began skimming through them as if I am going to take the test tomorrow. I can't afford to lose this battle. I have to study.
I'll start everything on Monday....
Earlier, I woke up pretty late because of a bad headache which I unknowingly obtained from being sleepless for the past few nights as a result of this never-ending thought of what am I going to do after this 8 month countdown is over.
I happen to have a talk/chat with few of my friends and was able to collate their opinion about what my future holds me. Nevertheless, the most important thing is happiness and satisfaction from what you do.
And so, I decided to give Ateneo Law a shot. I almost gave it up few months ago because of yadah yadah yadah stories about undergraduate school is important to them; that GPA is a major factor being considered by the Admissions Committee and a whole lot of stuff. I'm sure there is one thing that I have that most applicants don't have. I am experienced, I am well-traveled and I'm DIVERSE!
On the other hand, I am also going to try San Beda Law. Reading through blogs, most bloggers claim that San Beda is not as tough as Ateneo when it comes to screening process. We'll see. First entrance exam starts on November 6. I might get it in early December or January.
I started to put out my LSAT/GRE/GMAT and yes TOEFL review materials and began skimming through them as if I am going to take the test tomorrow. I can't afford to lose this battle. I have to study.
I'll start everything on Monday....
Friday, September 10, 2010
Good morning San Francisco....
Today I woke up at 9:39 a.m. Quite usual for me during off days but I was thinking of going to Baker Beach again on this gorgeous day.
Last night, I was seriously pondering as to whether I am going to Law School or I would grab my BFFs offer to send me to Medical School. One blogger obviously said that deciding on which case am I going into involves a varied perspective. The need to satisfy your inner desire is the most important thing. On the other hand, one might have the passion but does not have the intellect greatly creates an environment of confusion and disgust.
So last night, I thought and thought and thought and thought and thought.....It came to a point where I was already having an intractable headache. I prayed and I eventually fell asleep. But this morning when I woke up, I realized that choosing one over the other is not the question. The real issue is choosing what you want and what you've always wanted. Law School it is!
Elle Woods valedictory speech at Harvard have always been giving me some kind of inspiration. Let me quote her:
"On our very first day at Harvard, a very wise Professor quoted Aristotle: "The law is reason free from passion." Well, no offense to Aristotle, but in my three years at Harvard I have come to find that passion is a key ingredient to the study and practice of law -- and of life. It is with passion, courage of conviction, and strong sense of self that we take our next steps into the world, remembering that first impressions are not always correct. You must always have faith in people. And most importantly, you must always have faith in yourself."
Indeed, we must always have faith in ourselves....
Last night, I was seriously pondering as to whether I am going to Law School or I would grab my BFFs offer to send me to Medical School. One blogger obviously said that deciding on which case am I going into involves a varied perspective. The need to satisfy your inner desire is the most important thing. On the other hand, one might have the passion but does not have the intellect greatly creates an environment of confusion and disgust.
So last night, I thought and thought and thought and thought and thought.....It came to a point where I was already having an intractable headache. I prayed and I eventually fell asleep. But this morning when I woke up, I realized that choosing one over the other is not the question. The real issue is choosing what you want and what you've always wanted. Law School it is!
Elle Woods valedictory speech at Harvard have always been giving me some kind of inspiration. Let me quote her:
"On our very first day at Harvard, a very wise Professor quoted Aristotle: "The law is reason free from passion." Well, no offense to Aristotle, but in my three years at Harvard I have come to find that passion is a key ingredient to the study and practice of law -- and of life. It is with passion, courage of conviction, and strong sense of self that we take our next steps into the world, remembering that first impressions are not always correct. You must always have faith in people. And most importantly, you must always have faith in yourself."
Indeed, we must always have faith in ourselves....
Thursday, September 9, 2010
As PAL strike looms, Aquino threatens to open RP skies - Nation - GMANews.TV - Official Website of GMA News and Public Affairs - Latest Philippine News
As PAL strike looms, Aquino threatens to open RP skies - Nation - GMANews.TV - Official Website of GMA News and Public Affairs - Latest Philippine News
Let me just give a comment...
Mr. Aquino, PAL is the flag-carrier of the Philippines. If you open the route to other carriers, just remember that it will be a national shame (after the hostage crisis) if PAL declares bankruptcy out of your decision. Finding alternative means to dispute-resolution is your answer, not another stupid ideas from your mongy advisers!
Let me just give a comment...
Mr. Aquino, PAL is the flag-carrier of the Philippines. If you open the route to other carriers, just remember that it will be a national shame (after the hostage crisis) if PAL declares bankruptcy out of your decision. Finding alternative means to dispute-resolution is your answer, not another stupid ideas from your mongy advisers!
Anything under the sun...
Well apparently, I was super tempted in a 'major-major' way to read blogs. It seems that it became my hobby right now reading and commenting to bloggers and honestly, I find it very ecstatic and 'orgasmic'. So why don't I try blogging myself and jump into the bandwagon.
Here we go.....Here's my story for the day....
I came to a point in my life where I wanted to do more but quite fearful of what the consequences are. I talked to my very BFF Gil this evening and he was able to convince me to apply to Medical School. The idea was nice but as soon as we ended our chat, I felt the kind of jolt that I have not experienced in my entire life. Suddenly I began to search for blogs that talks about things like, NMAT, UST, UERMMC, FEU etc. etc. In short, I was already in search for a Medical School back home.
I have been a nurse here in the United States for almost 5 years now and believe me life have been so gracious to me. On the contrary, Life here have been so obsessed with money. It's more like a situation of, if you don't have money, you'll probably wind up living in the subway or in the streets. Many claim that the United States is the land of milk and honey; I beg to disagree but I guess for some people like me, it's either you will love America or you will hate America. There are no in between. And for that I hate being here.
Now I am coming to a decision where, I am totally leaving a most convenient life here and go back to school. Who knows what the future holds....I'll leave it all up to God.
Here we go.....Here's my story for the day....
I came to a point in my life where I wanted to do more but quite fearful of what the consequences are. I talked to my very BFF Gil this evening and he was able to convince me to apply to Medical School. The idea was nice but as soon as we ended our chat, I felt the kind of jolt that I have not experienced in my entire life. Suddenly I began to search for blogs that talks about things like, NMAT, UST, UERMMC, FEU etc. etc. In short, I was already in search for a Medical School back home.
I have been a nurse here in the United States for almost 5 years now and believe me life have been so gracious to me. On the contrary, Life here have been so obsessed with money. It's more like a situation of, if you don't have money, you'll probably wind up living in the subway or in the streets. Many claim that the United States is the land of milk and honey; I beg to disagree but I guess for some people like me, it's either you will love America or you will hate America. There are no in between. And for that I hate being here.
Now I am coming to a decision where, I am totally leaving a most convenient life here and go back to school. Who knows what the future holds....I'll leave it all up to God.
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