January Recap 2016

For today's post, I wanted to start a little series that I want to bring back at the end of each month. I don't know about you, but one of my favorite parts of reading other blogs is getting to know the person behind the blog, especially when they do the same things I do. I think it'll be fun to share my life, so we shall see how it goes!

     January has been a pretty calm month, which I definitely appreciate after the crazy holiday season. I've spent the majority of it either working or doing fun things with friends, but I have also done a lot for myself. Something I had been aiming for was to get more organized and I feel like I've been doing more of that this month. I've also slowly started incorporating workouts into my schedule and I'm very happy with how that has been going for me. This week's victory has been the fact that I actually woke up at 6:45 so that I could fit in a quick run before heading to work. I am NOT a morning person by any means, so for me this was a pretty big deal! Overall, I think this month has had a very centering vibe for me and has helped set me up for things I would like to do in the future. I am very content with the footing that I have placed and I can't wait to see what I can do with it.

Highlights

- My best friend moved into her Chicago apartment at the beginning of the month, so this has obviously brought about several outings with my Chicago squad (which includes the two of us and my other best friend). Our girls' nights have had us on all sorts of adventures and creating so many new memories that I couldn't be more thrilled to be in the same city as them.

My Chicago squad<3

G being adorable as ever at our wine tasting.

Me and my bestie, Meg.

- Speaking of this amazing city, I also received notice about a week ago that I have officially been placed in the Chicago Track for Med School! Like I noted in my accepted part 2 blog, the likelihood of me being placed in Chicago was very high, but I'm so happy that it's finally official. Staying in Chicago for med school has always been my dream so for me, it feels like a great accomplishment. I honestly couldn't be more ecstatic and you better believe I celebrated this with my Chicago squad. 

- I've stuck with blogging for two months now! I had previously blogged before, but I never actually stuck with it, until now. I've been teeming with creative energy lately and feel very inspired to keep this up to see where I can take it. I have so many future plans for the blog, and I can wait to see how they all pan out.

Looking forward

- Obviously, as the months pass I get closer to med school (which will be in seven months!), but I'm anticipating that February will be loads of fun. My best friend turns 22 around Valentine's weekend, so we have some fun things planned in celebration. Otherwise, I feel that it should be another pretty relaxed month of working and blogging, but it shall be great.

I hope you guys have had a great start to your year and that next month bring many great things! 

~Genesis<3

Being a Biology Major.

     One of the ideas that has been at the back of my mind ever since I wanted to begin a blog/YouTube was sharing my experience of being a Biology major. Being a Bio major shaped quite a bit of how my college experience went and as I didn't know much about the major (other than the fact that you study biology) when I started college, I wanted to talk about it a bit.

     I felt the best way to present this information was in a YouTube video, so I hope you guys enjoy it! I really enjoy making them, so if I can present the information best in a video, you better believe I will do it. Of course, the video is just a general overview about the major, so in the future I might do an accompanying blog post about smaller details, but for now I just want to start with the generals.

     On another note, I have something different I want to try out on the blog, so I will most likely be debuting that on Thursday. I hope you guys are having a great start to your week!

~Genesis<3

To Prep or Not To Prep?

     I know that the time of year has come where many people are getting themselves ready to begin studying for the MCAT and one of the necessary considerations is whether or not to take a prep course. So, I want to dedicate Today's blog post to reviewing my experience with MCAT prep courses and what my thoughts were after actually taking the MCAT.

     I believe I should preface all of this information by saying that obviously I haven't taken every MCAT prep course available, so all I can really speak to is what my personal experience was and how it worked out for me. The prep course that I do happen to have experience with is the Kaplan Prep course. Kaplan is one of the major ones that I know are available, so hopefully this post will help many of you!

The Course

     When I went to choose an MCAT prep course, I knew that what most students went for was one that offered in-class sessions. Kaplan happened to have a relationship with the pre-med group at my school and they offered a small discount ( I think $200) for taking the classes on campus. The class regular price was cheaper than the Princeton Review one, so it was a no-brainer for me to take this class. I believe I ended up paying approximately $2000 for the in-person course offered on campus. The class consisted of 6-hours of class per week ( I had mine 6:00-9:00 Monday and Wednesday) and it ran Jan 29th-April 2nd. The $2000 included all the books for the Kaplan course as well as access to the online database that had lots of online content for you to study from. 

Pros: 

-Signing up for the class meant that you had a built in MCAT time in your schedule if you actually attended class. I never missed a class, so that was always my major MCAT time. 

- You were with other students, so you got to see how other people went about answering questions.

- The course package offered you tons of material ( I didn't even get through all of it) and you had access to it well past the dates of your course ( I actually used it to study the second time around). 

Cons:

- In class portion took a lot of time out of your day, and I happened to have a full day Mondays and Wednesdays, so sometimes it felt like a lot.

-Class time wasn't always used effectively, so I didn't feel like I was always getting the most out of it.

- There was a lot of material to get through before each class session. I remember it being like 100 pages per class or something crazy. Towards the end, I wasn't doing all the reading because I didn't have the time with my school work. 

- The price! Looking back on it, I can't believe I paid so much, but when you want to be well-prepared you don't really think about that. 

Overview

     Personally for me, the in-class portion wasn't very helpful. The class structure consisted of the instructor going through a lesson book and answering questions with us to help us learn the "Kaplan method". Often times, the instructor would ask a question and wait for someone to volunteer to answer it and as no one really wanted to answer, it always took forever and wasted time. What I did find helpful was the online component. The Kaplan online database offers a ton of study resources and since you can access it at your convenience, it makes studying less hectic. The first time around  my MCAT score wasn't my best. I don't solely attribute that to the class, but I do think my style of studying wasn't effective. The second time around I studied more at my own pace using the Kaplan books and online database and that worked out really well for me. The database had 12 full-length exams. It also had some official AAMC exams ( I can't remember if those were included in the 12), and they were really good predictors of my MCAT score range. The Kaplan exams were pretty good as well, but some felt like the scores were inflated as I was scoring way higher on them in comparison with my AAMC practice test scores. I should add that the second time around I was also skimming through the Exam Krackers MCAT books and the content in those was really good and condensed ( My friend actually took their prep course and liked it a lot). 

     Also, if you are still interested in Kaplan, they do offer other course options. They have a Live-online course ( same price as in-class) where you take the classes at home with an online instructor ( we had some of these for the organic chemistry classes and I thought they were more helpful than the in-class classes), or they have a "self-paced" option ( $400 cheaper than in-class & live-online) where you get access to the database and the books. The second option would probably be closest to what I did the second time around, and I thought it was what worked best for me. 

Overall, I say choose whatever will work best for you. You know how you study and what will be most effective. Also, you might have a different experience, so keep that in mind. I hope you guys found this helpful and that you have a great weekend!

~Genesis<3

Hair Care!

     Today's post is going to veer in a different direction from my typical posts, but as someone who is a beauty lover, you can expect quite a few beauty related posts on this blog. Today's focus, Hair. 

    Now, for some reason, I feel that this year I have developed an awesome relationship with my hair. A lot of this does have to do with the fact that my sister is a hairstylist and helps me keep my hair healthy. But, I would also say that I've been more conscious about what I do to my hair to maintain it. As I feel that my system is going pretty well, I wanted to share what I do with you guys. 

Current hair situation. My sister recently re-toned it with an ashy undertone.

My Hair

     If you've been following my blog, you probably remember me mentioning that I've been more daring. Well, my hair definitely was part of that as 2015 was the first time that I had ever colored my hair. I was partly inspired by the need to be daring and also by the fact that my sister dyed her hair green ( Sounds weird, but she pulls it off really well!). I was falling behind on the daring, so I decided to take the leap and try something new. Now, don't get me wrong. I LOVED my natural hair color, and that was the main reason that I had refrained from coloring my hair, but with all the pretty hair coloring I'd seen on Instagram and Pinterest, I was ready to try it myself. So, in October, we decided to go for a copper-brown balayage ( mine turned out slightly more on the highlight side initially, but it has grown into more of a balayage). Not going to lie, at first, I felt odd and unsure about my hair, but after a couple weeks and loads of compliments, I really loved it. When my sister dyed my hair, she also did a keratin treatment making my hair super soft which definitely added to my hair love. After a couple months, the initial color had faded out and it started to look like the picture below, which I did really like, but as it is winter, we re-toned it with a more ashy tone ( seen in the picture above) instead of a copper undertone.

My previous hair color with copper undertones.

Taking Care of Your Hair

     

     Since I do have long, color-treated hair, your routine might differ from mine, but I do still believe that some of these tips can work well for anyone.

          1.) Get your hair cut regularly: I try to get mine cut every 6-8 weeks, but then again not everyone has a hairstylist sister, so I'd say aim for at least every 3 months if you are growing it out so that it can grow healthy. You really want to try to prevent split ends and getting it cut regularly will ensure that your ends remain fresh and free from breakage.

          2.) Don't wash it every day:

 For someone with long hair, it has always been a given that I shouldn't wash my hair every day as it really dries out my ends, but now that I have color-treated hair it is super essential not to. I would say that now I wash my hair every third day. I did previously have oily hair but over time, I feel that my hair has gotten used to being washed less. For the days that it does happen to look a little greasy and I don't want to wash it, I used a dry shampoo to freshen it up until it's time to wash it again. 

       

The dry shampoo currently in my rotation. It's a pretty inexpensive drugstore one and this particular scent is lovely.

   3.) Be aware of your products: 

     I would say that this was definitely a big one for me and also a game changer for my hair. As soon as my sister learned about hair products in beauty school, the hair products I was allowed to purchase from the drugstore became very limited. A majority of the drugstore shampoos contain sulfates and parabens which can strip your hair of its natural oils and make it less manageable. When I switched over to products that had limited or no amounts of these agents, I could really tell the difference. Initially, I was using a volumizing line from the Sebastian brand that I really loved, but when I switched over to a Lush Shampoo bar for oily hair ( this is the one I was using), I noticed my hair wasn't getting as oily as it previously would. I used the shampoo bar until I got the keratin treatment ( The shampoo bar still has some sulfate in it, but nowhere near as many as regular shampoos and it doesn't have any parabens.) and I had to remove all sulfates from my products. Currently, I use R+co products, mainly because they sell them at the salon where my sister works, but also because they are keratin safe. I LOVE these products, not only do they make my hair feel awesome, but they smell sooooo good. It's safe to same I'm addicted lol. They are a tad bit on the pricey side ( I'm lucky and my sister gets them at a discount), but I'd say they are totally worth it if you want your hair looking pretty.

R+co products! I am currently using the Gemstone shampoo Dallas Conditioner, and Tinsel hair oil for my ends.

    4.) Less heat:

I'm pretty sure you've probably heard this one everywhere, but I am going to say it again. Too much heat can damage your ends. I will definitely reach for my straightener or curling iron every so often, but I reserve my blow dryer for only when I really really need it (i.e. I just showered before going out and I need to get myself put together quickly). For me, it probably wouldn't be super bad as I don't wash it super often, but I still want to keep damage at a minimum so I let my hair air dry whenever possible.

That's pretty much all that I have been doing and my hair has been really soft and healthy, even after being color treated. I hope my tips were helpful and that you guys are having a great start to your week!

~Genesis<3

Sister Tag!

     This Thursday's post is about a sister tag I filmed with my sister, Eme. Fair warning, the video is filled with lots of giggling as we were just have a great time and being silly with the questions. We had such a great time filming and as you can probably tell from the video, we get along really well!

     Just to let you know, this video is a two-part video. Eme will be posting the first half on her channel (it will be linked in the description of my video) and I posted the second half. Something people might not know is that I am a huge fan of youtube. I have been following many YouTubers for quite a few years now and I've always wanted to make my own videos, so now that I've actually started posting my own videos, I am super thrilled. I really hope you enjoy them, as I had a fun time making them:)

     I hope you guys have a great week and definitely check back on Tuesday as I am planning some new stuff for next week! As always, if there is anything you guys would like me to blog about, leave me a comment. Talk to you guys soon!

~Genesis<3

                                             

Never Doubt Your Brilliance

    
























   





      As much of my medical school application process has come to a conclusion, I wanted to share a little story with you guys about something that happened to me on my journey.

     Last year, I was going through the pre-med process and part of what my school offered pre-med students was the opportunity to apply for a committee that helps you along with applying to medical school. As a member of the committee, you got assigned an advisor who you met with every month to go over materials for your application and gain guidance over the application process. This program wasn't new to me as I had gone through it the cycle before when I was considering applying for medical school my Junior year. Senior year I re-entered the committee and was all set to meet with my advisor starting Spring semester. 

     At this point, I personally felt that I had kicked fall semester's butt. I had spent the bulk of my summer studying for my MCAT retake in early September (which I happened to get a score I was happy to apply to schools with), I was working 15-20 hours a week, volunteering, and I managed to pull off a 4.0 for the semester. When spring semester started, I was feeling really optimistic and although I was a tad bummed I wouldn't have the same advisor ( the previous cycle I was paired with the head of the committee who is such a great person and one of the kindest men I've met) I was excited to start working towards my medical school application. That's where Dr. F comes in. 

Dr. F. was the advisor I was paired with for the semester. A Biology professor with curly gray hair, rather cold blue eyes, and a typically serious demeanor. Our first meeting was definitely memorable. I arrived at her office a few minutes early (for anyone that knows me I have a habit of being early for everything) and was prompted to wait outside her door while she prepared for our meeting. When I finally entered, it was a typical first meeting. We shook hands, I sat down, she asked me to talk a bit about myself ( I don't like this question as I never know what they really want to know), and then we reviewed my file. We discussed my numbers and extracurriculars for a bit and then she gave her opinion, she thought I was average. I remember her saying, " I am a very blunt person and I won't sugar coat any of this" as she proceeded to tell me that I had a chance but to prepare myself because a lot of students don't get in. She also was really pushing me to pursue a D.O. Degree instead of M.D. because they typically require a lower MCAT. I had applied for a research position and she basically told me I had a slim to none chance of getting it and when I told her I worked at a clothing store, her disapproval was very apparent (unnecessarily so in my opinion). 

     At that point, we went over my gap year plans and she told me my best bet was to pursue a certification program to get a job that would allow me to gain more patient experience. I just remember nodding and asking for her advice while trying to piece together what I could do now that my previous ideas were burning in a trash bin somewhere. We concluded our meeting, agreed upon the time for our next session, and I headed on my way. I remember walking home desperate to arrive as the heaviness in my chest was very apparent. The short walk to my apartment felt eternal and when I finally shut the door behind me and reached for my phone to call my mom, I knew the tears would shortly follow. Through tears, I told my mom how everything had gone, what the advisor had said, and how I didn't know what I was going to do. 

    I was scared. It felt like Dr. F. had taken a knife to the canvas where I had drawn out my path and all I was left staring at were the pieces blowing around unable to be mended. For a girl that always likes to have a plan, this was a nightmare and even worse because it concerned what I had just spent the past three and a half years trying to build. I remember my mom coaching me through, reminding me that everything would be fine and to not be afraid. She is amazing at reminding me to refocus and she was exactly what I needed at that moment. I took a deep breath, tried to set a starting point for my next move and said,"It'll be okay. I know I haven't come this far to stop now." 

     The remainder of the semester I worked my butt off, I planned my gap year as best as I could, and the following meetings with Dr. F. went alright. She even at one point stated that she was "impressed" with my progress. The semester ended ( I finished with a 3.8), graduation came ( graduated cum laude) followed by application season with the fear and insecurity instilled in me by Dr. F. a demon present along the way. 

     Now, if you've read any of my other posts, you know everything went well. I was accepted to two really great med schools. One of which didn't even look at my secondary before interviewing me ( which means they didn't even need any of Dr. F's suggestions to think I was a great candidate) and the other one was one of my top choices here in Chicago.  

    Looking back on it, it was silly for me to even be afraid of the process, but as a pre-med it's easy to fall into the trap because people like Dr. F. will try to tell you that you might fail. But, I am here to tell you that people like Dr. F. aren't always right. I honestly believe that when something is meant for you, nothing can keep it from happening. All I had to do was work very hard and persist to get there. It's crazy to think that I could've avoided many months of worrying if I had only focused on my journey instead of keeping Dr. F's words at the back of my mind, but regardless I made it through.

     I'm not going to say getting into medical school is easy because it definitely isn't. But, I will assure you that it isn't impossible. I wanted to share my experience with Dr. F. so that you won't doubt your abilities because someone else thinks less of you. You are a unique person and medical schools are looking at you as a whole. So, if your are applying this cycle, don't fret. Stay on your course and don't let anyone steer you astray because you are more brilliant than you think. Good luck!

~Genesis<3

 

Things I Wish I Had Known About The MCAT.

     If you're a pre-med, you've probably known about the MCAT before your little heart desired to ever pursue medicine. If not, as soon as you got to college it was heavily instilled in your brain that it would be very present in your journey to medical school. I would say that I was pretty familiar with what the generalities of the MCAT but there were a few things that I learned for myself and I thought it would be good to give others a heads up.

1.) Timing

     I knew that most pre-med students took their MCAT during their junior year, but what I didn't know was the latest date I could take it. When I took my first MCAT ( I was originally aiming to apply for the 2015 entry cycle), I scheduled it for early May. I would've saved myself lots of stress and brain power, If I had known I didn't absolutely need to have my score back in time to send out my primaries (which go out in June). Of course, having everything ready to send out in time for primaries would be ideal, but I later learned that it wasn't absolutely necessary. The latest you can take it is probably early to mid-July, but as it takes about 4 weeks to get your scores back, your best bet would be to aim to take it sometime in June. 

2.) How long you need to study.

     I'd say that when you should start studying really depends on what you've got going on in your schedule. For my first MCAT, I was studying while completing my spring semester of my Junior year. I had a very busy schedule and balancing that with MCAT prep proved to be rather hectic. I believe I started seriously studying in about mid-February for my early May exam ( so I had about two and a half months of prep). The second time around I started studying at the beginning of June for my exam in September. I was on summer break so I didn't have anything major to focus on other than my studying. So, the three months of prep worked out pretty well for me that time. From what I've read, the typical MCAT study period is between 3-6 months. How much time you need depends on what you've got going on, so I'd plan based off of that. For me, a solid 3 months of dedicated studying was what worked best.

3.) How much you need to know.

     Of course, I knew that the MCAT covered many subjects, but you don't feel the magnitude of the quantity of information until you actually sit down and try to learn it all. Not going to lie, it can be rather overwhelming. I was fortunate enough to have taken it pre-2015 ( for my non-premed people, they just added more subjects to the MCAT) and only had to focus on the three areas. For those taking the new MCAT, I seriously sympathize, and all I can say is to take it one subject at a time. 

4.) How Stressful/Hectic an MCAT testing day can be. 

     MCAT testing day can seriously be crazy and all the security measures they have just adds to the madness. You arrive at the testing center and after they check you in with a photo ID, they'll escort you one-by-one into the testing room. Right before they take you in, they'll take your fingerprints, take your picture, copy your ID, have you fill out paperwork, scan you with a metal detector wand, have you shake out our pockets, and then log in a binder your time of entry. Then the relay begins. You take your exam and between each section you're entitled to a ten-minute break. Each time you leave the room there's a whole process you need to follow. They'll scan you with the wand, have you shake out your pockets, take your fingerprints, and have you sign the log book with the time. This is for both coming in and out, so your breaks to the bathroom/having a snack should be as brief as possible as you are working with a timer. I took every break I could to refresh myself and it felt crazy rushing in and out, but I would recommend it ( more on that coming in a later post).

     Overall, my aim here was not to scare you. The MCAT is a big test, but it definitely isn't impossible. I will definitely be shedding more insight on the blog about my experience with the exam and any tips I have to offer. Until then, I hope you guys have a great week!

~Genesis<3

Word for 2016!

     Happy New Year! So, I hope everyone had a marvelous time ringing in the new year! Something that caught my eye this weekend as I was lounging around trying to recover from several nights of serious sleep deprivation was the "word of the year" theme on people's Instagram posts.

     Last year, I didn't specifically designate a word for the year, but If I had to choose one, I would say that my word would have been "Dare". My theme for the year was to try to step out of my comfort zone and be more daring. I aimed to try new things and not be afraid of change, and I am very happy with how the year went.

     This year, I definitely wanted to choose something meaningful as my word. I know that 2016 is going to be a big year for me. So, I chose the word "Inspire" to be my word for this year. The tail end of this past year, I really wanted to commit to doing the things that I had always wanted to do. Blogging was at the top of that list and much of why I want to keep up a blog is to be able to share my journey through medical school. This year I hope to inspire others who might be interested in the medical school route and I want to offer as much advice as I possibly can. On a more personal note, I want to be able to keep myself inspired. I want to keep up with my creative plans and I think having the word inspire at the front of my mind might help with that. Also, I want to keep inspired as I begin my journey through medical school. A piece of advice that pretty much any med student has given me along the way is to prepare myself, as medical school can get insane. I want to remain inspired throughout my journey, but especially when it might be easy to forget why I am doing this in the first place. Hopefully, my word inspires you to pick a word to motivate your journey for this year, and I hope that it is an incredible year:)

~Genesis<3