I’m still here! Surviving (thriving?) It’s been a heck of a semester so far. I can’t believe I’m learning organic chemistry and just days away form sinking into the Krebs Cycle in biochemistry. I never thought I’d be here but here I am.
I had a lot of big breakthroughs in terms of studying this semester. Last semester I discovered that recording myself learning / teaching topics increased not only by comprehension but my retention. I adopted a modified version of this and started creating videos with my iPad, drawing out and commentating on concepts. Here is one about memorizing all 20 amino acids. The greatest thing about these videos is that they’re not just for me. I shared some of my videos from last semester with the new students and I am sharing my current videos with my fellow students. A couple of them even told me they memorized the amino acids using my video. So cool!
I also stopped taking handwritten (well with Apple Pencil) notes from lectures. I now take notes on Google Docs. The first benefit I saw here was collaboration (the theme of this semester). The value of sharing information with other students is incredibly useful and rewarding. Also, it’s just easier to input screenshots, pictures, etc. And accessing the files from any device is a bit easier. Also, my handwriting isn’t always the best. I can also revisit notes and build an entire journal from a chapter; I keep adding all the way to the exam.
The other new thing this semester is that I’ve been studying on campus. A lot. And it’s like a 50 minute drive but it is absolutely worth it. Doing a problem on a white board just hits different. And collaborating on a white board in person with other students is simply incredible. The simplicity of returning to something like this after quarantine has made collaboration such a powerful moment.
I’m really starting to start to see the light at the end of the tunnel (though still very far away) of going to physician assistant school and becoming a physician assistant.
This semester has been more difficult when compared to the summer in many ways. But with that difficulty has come a lot more fun. Meeting students for the first time after being online for months is an incredibly unique and rewarding experience.