Entry 3: August 24, 2009

Hey guys.  So with two blurry contacts I'm going to attempt to type today's blog entry!  First of all, I hope everyone had a great first day back.  As I'm sure we can all agree, the first day back is always uneventful!  I had three classes today and all of them seem to be pretty interesting.  It's always a good thing when you have interesting classes, otherwise you're more prone to fall asleep!  My first class was Analytical Chemistry and for all you people out there who like General Chemistry, this class is definitely for you!  While tedious on the outside, it appears to be a pretty functional class and I can already see where it would be useful material to know for the MCAT.  Even non-chemistry or non-biochemistry students would find it useful because it taps into the roots of problem solving with chemistry.  It appears that a lot of real-life problems and lab scenarios will be used in the class to help us learn, so it's definitely useful for the MCAT in my opinion!  The next class, Inorganic Chem, seems to be the most challenging yet probably the most fun.  You know you're in for a fun time when the first two weeks is a review (a REVIEW mind you) of quantum mechanics.  I think of it as General Chemistry on steroids.  But while I'm sure it will be a lot of work, I'm positive I'll learn a substantial amount of information in that class, and like my other chemistry class, I'm sure most will be pertinent to MCAT knowledge.  Just the small discussions on redox reactions and periodic table trends make it a useful class for the MCAT.  My last class was Managerial Economics.  As someone whose knowledge of economics and midget tossing are about equal (which is none), this is a class that I think is important for understanding the real world around me.  So I'm sure it will be a very practical class.  I spent a lot of time today reconnecting with some of the professors that I have had in the past, which brings me to the tip of the day/night/next morning:  definitely make connections with your professors and keep them.  Every single pre-medical student will hear it a thousand times, whether in a pre-medical organization on campus (which I highly suggest you join!!!) or through counseling, having a good relationship with your professors is very important for your success not only during the course, but after the course is over.   To be quite honest, it's not about getting a letter of recommendation; it's about getting the most out of the class and getting the most out of your education.  If you make an honest effort to do the work required in the class to get that A that all us pre-med students go nuts over, you will end up bonding (no chemistry pun intended) with the instructor and he/she will be more likely to give you advice, guidance, and perhaps a letter in the future.  And on that note, with my Inorganic Chem book whispering to me from across the room, I think I will call it a night!  I hope you all are enjoying my posts so far and I look forward to more comments and feedback from you in the future!  And to those who have already become followers and have made comments, I greatly appreciate it!!!  

-John