Stevens Admissions: Julia

Georgetown Day!

Friday was Georgetown Day, the last Friday of undergraduate classes. Though we still have a month left of school, we were eager to see the festivities. I had heard a lot about Georgetown Day from my friends who went to school here as undergrads, and I was thoroughly impressed with the day.

We got out of class and walked to the undergrad campus to wait on line for all the different food that was being served. I had a veggie burger and bibimbap. It was just what I needed to carry me through the rest of my studying for the day. Here are some pictures, I couldn't get a proper aerial shot of the giant inflatable bulldog:

And then I tried to get a shot of the volleyball court and Kan Jam games going on: 

I want to thank some friends from Upstate NY for teaching me about Kan Jam when I was at Stevens. 

The Shades of Neuroscience

I have not owned a coloring book for a very long time. After being in the Neuroscience module for 12 days, I swallowed my pride and purchased one:

This book is fantastic, and not a beginner's coloring book by any means. In other modules, we were easily able to identify structures in our cadavers and in our textbooks. When all of the structures we're looking for are crammed in the brain, it makes it a lot more difficult to place them. Here's an example of one of my completed pages, (I need to buy crayons). 

From me and my coloring book, congratulations to all the seniors who have wrapped up their Senior Design Projects!!!

True to the Red and Gray

This weekend I am going to be at Stevens for Accepted Students Day. I'm thrilled to have the chance to participate in one of the events and share my Stevens experience with potential students.

Stevens had everything on my checklist:

1.) A strong pre-medical program with a high medical school acceptance rate.

2.) A great volleyball team on which I could play a significant role, immediately. (And where my parents could easily attend my games)

3.) An incredible location. Every time I visited a college 'in the woods', I wondered what I would do on the weekends and when I had free time. Every time I visited a city school, I wished for more green. Hoboken offers an incredible mix of peacefulness and urban life.

But aside from that, Stevens gave me the feel that I would be somebody in the community. That my teachers would know my name, that I could work with brilliant researchers, that people would support my volleyball team, that I would be greeted by familiar and friendly faces as I walked through campus etc. Everything worked out better than I could have imagined, and I met some incredible people. This is us at graduation:

Come visit Stevens again if you're still undecided. And for those who have decided, congratulations and I hope you take advantage of all the opportunities that await you.

NOFAS

As I've mentioned before, I am taking a selective called Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). What makes a diagnosis particularly difficult, is that it is a spectrum disorder and there are varying degrees  that do not have well-defined boundaries. FASD encompasses: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Alcohol-Related Birth Defects, Alcohol-Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder, and Partial Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.

Today we were quite fortunate to have the President and Vice President of the National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (NOFAS) come speak to our class.

Purpose: NOFAS educates the public, practitioners and policymakers about alcohol use during pregnancy and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) the leading known preventable cause of mental retardation and birth defects, and a leading known cause of learning disabilities in children and adults.

In the past, physicians have sent mixed messages about alcohol consumption during pregnancy. What we know to be true is that alcohol is more detrimental than cocaine, heroine, marijuana to the growing fetus. 

We heard from a panel of parents with children who fall under the FASD umbrella, and a high-functioning child with ARND. Their stories were poignant and provided us with insight that we will be able to carry throughout our careers. It will become our job to get help for our patients who might be prone to drinking during pregnancy, and educate our patients as to the risks associated with drinking alcohol during pregnancy. 

Check out the website to learn more: www.nofas.org

 

Second Look Day

It's been a crazy week, but I am so happy that we're done with the Head and Neck module. Now I just have to get through Neuroscience and I'm done with my first year! I can't believe it!

On Friday, the School of Medicine hosted Second Look Day. I remember last year that this was the day that convinced me to come to Georgetown. There was a huge turnout, and we made sure that the accepted students enjoyed their day. It was neat because one of the girls remembered that I was her Student Ambassador on the day she interviewed. She was choosing between two schools so she asked me how I made my final decision. What a difference a year makes.

This weekend I was able to do some spring cleaning and switch out my winter clothes for my spring/summer clothes. Hooray!

And the concert on Thursday was amazing. I am so happy that I went, the Ting Tings were great. We loved the U Street area and are planning to go back again. Here's a pic:

Easter Week

I could not have asked for better weather this weekend. It's unfortunate that I have to spend most of the weekend studying, but the flowers look beautiful from the library windows.

This morning I went for a run towards Maryland and stopped to tie my shoe outside my apartment building. I looked up when I heard my name being called, and saw one of my friends from Stevens who lives in Maryland. We had planned to meet up during the year, but our schedules kept conflicting. He was on his way to a flag football game and was hanging out of the passenger-side window of a pickup truck when I saw him. I hadn't seen him since graduation. It's an Easter miracle!

We're actually going to a concert together this week, the Ting Tings and MNDR. He's not too familiar with the music, so while I study for my exam, he is going to be "researching the Ting Tings on Youtube". And for anyone else interested in researching the Ting Tings: Hands- (Live)

April Showers

It's hard to describe the smell of Anatomy lab to people outside of medical school. It doesn't make you want to throw up, but it is not pleasant. It's kind of like chlorine in the way it lingers on your skin until you can take a shower, and even after showering and sponge-bathing, you can smell it.

This module has been a very heavy lab module, in that we're in lab for at least 12 hours a week (next Monday we have lab from 9-12 and then 1-5). It has brought a whole new meaning to that saying, "April showers bring May flowers". Our LAST lab is next Tuesday, and I cannot wait to not smell like formaldehyde.

Clinical Examples: Images from UCSD School of Medicine

Cranial Nerve X: The levator veli palatini muscles are responsible for elevating the uvula. If the Vagus nerve (CN X) is damaged on one side, the uvula will deviate towards the healthy side.

Cranial Nerve XII: The Genioglossus muscles on the sides of your tongue are responsible for the ability to stick your tongue out (protract). If there is a lesion on one side of the Hypoglossal nerve (CN XII), the tongue will be deviated towards the damaged side.

http://meded.ucsd.edu/clinicalmed/head_pta.jpg