Well boy do I have quite a few updates for anyone who has been following this thread!
Let’s see, where do I begin?
I lost my favorite job that was in retail and have gone back to fast food. The hours are good and I really love this job. Fast food is no longer challenging to work in and it is not daunting at all; I really love the constant human contact. Maybe I am a people person after all. Even though I work 30 hours or so per week, I have still maintained A grades in my summer classes, so maybe all of those years of work as a high school student have taught me something.
I quit the community service club for various reasons. It is so weird to elaborate upon this, but I simply did not belong. While emotions are important and all, the main advisor seemed to favor feelings over facts, was not necessarily open to opposing ideas or new approaches, we wasted approx. 1.5 hours per week on “leadership” meetings that essentially consisted of somewhat regressive rhetoric and endless babble about “microaggressions” and that entire realm of stuff. Any criticism was not tolerated and they treated the club like a “safe space”. I remember that they mentioned that the club was a safe space after the election results. While I’m not a huge fan of the current POTUS, spending meeting after meeting crying and talking about how much everyone despised the “orange man” was super counterproductive; we wasted so much time on pointless activities that seemed to aim to coddle students, rather than tackling the issues of our community and learning about/formulating efficient solutions. It was sort of like indoctrination. We pretty much did what was subsequently mentioned AND watched videos having to do with social justice, feminism, and political correctness. All I’m going to say is if people are going to try to politicize a club, maybe be bipartisan. Maybe I am taking this a little too far, but mentalities like this are one of the factors, imo, that causes our federal government to lack efficiency. tl;dr: As a pre-med, I should have inquired about scientific research opportunities instead of a civic engagement club.
I have finally gotten my act together in terms of academics. I have pretty much aced my first two summer classes and am finishing up my last two before the fall semester.
I applied to NJIT as a transfer and was ultimately admitted. They pretty much took all of my credits and I am attending virtually for free. While Rutgers New Brunswick was the dream, I was rejected twice, during my initial attempt and during my appeal attempt. They needed “more credits” even though I am a rising sophomore with ~35 credits. It is what it is. I cannot complain too much, as I am paying pretty much nothing for NJIT. I am extremely excited, as I will be studying neurobiology at a level that goes beyond a general biology overview of the nervous system; I am dorming as well, so that first taste of independence and the plethora of new experiences coming my way is just so darn exciting. I know that a couple of hospitals are near my dorm, so if time permits, maybe I will inquire about a medical scribe position or volunteering opportunities in general. I don’t know what it is about hospitals, but I just love the atmosphere and the environment. It is just vibe I get. Quite difficult to explain, but I guess I am going into the right field.
If I do end up not liking NJIT, I can always transfer. I do love UMich. However, this is a red flag. I am suddenly reminded of my lack of focus that sort of kept me from accomplishing much in high school, among other factors. I always focused on surviving and moving on to the next level. However, despite the full time work schedule, had I held onto this idea of making the most of where I am and the current opportunities, perhaps high school would have been better. I think I need to focus on blowing NJIT out of the water using this amazing, God-given opportunity to make it to medical school and potentially becoming a caring, kind-hearted, and knowledgeable physician. Maybe I will think about applying to schools after receiving my MCAT results later (still soon!!) down the line. Maybe I will be qualified for the top-tier medical schools (oh god here it is again, the lack of focus).
I am just preparing for NJIT by looking at their syllabi for orgo 1 (yikes!!) and the other courses I have to take next semester. I am just immensely excited for what the future holds. Thank you for tuning into this installment of my academic journey!
Reading can only help you with broadening your horizons and becoming better at English. Plus, it can be fun! 