I finally did it! But it's only been this once, so hold your horses... ; )

I hated the MCAT the other day, because I took a mock MCAT and was so confused about the stupid MCAT, almost worse than ever before. I woke up on Saturday and corrected the physical sciences section of the test and I learned a lot. Then on Sunday, I think I read and did a passage, but I seriously can't remember...oh well. (Time is just disappearing before my eyes as this test prep progresses.) Monday I read G.Chem and went to my Kaplan class. I did some more reading on Tuesday, and did some physics passages and corrected them. (Go me!) Today I woke up and read verbal reasoning stuff from the Kaplan book, and I just did 2 verbal passages and got 100% on each! This is the FIRST TIME this has ever happened to me, thus I am enjoying this little bit of time and trying to internalize the feeling. Kaplan says that it is being in tune with this feeling that will help us test takers know how to intuitively get to the 100%s each and every time. (*Sigh of relief) ...I think I'll go get a cup of coffee before doing another set of passages.

Ciao for now,

Liz

I finally HATE the MCAT

I'm correcting my first at home MCAT right now and my mind just can't understand this stupid MCAT language. Yes, I speak English, and I have done research and thus have read many a research journals, but the jargon of the MCAT has no soul. It is literally like "reading words" and these words have no images to help your mind maneuver through their density. the wording is mathematical in structure and I am having a difficult time getting into it. I accepted the challenge of conquering this exam, but ugh, it really sucks! I never like to be negative, and maybe I am just at that poor point, but I hate hate hate how I feel and I need to find a way to concentrate on the stupid MCAT. Maybe if I say, "stupid MCAT," enough the test will magically become easier. Is that logical? No. But I feel dumb right now and I know that I'm not. I kicked ass in undergrad, ...well, enough of it, but I still feel incapable on this thing. Bah-humbug. FML for now.... : (

What's your RDS?

Today's MCAT topic was Kinetics and I learned how vital the rate determining step is in the progression of a chemical reaction. While studying how reactants advance the activation energy to enter the product state, I began pondering the difference between capitalism and socialism. Money, jobs, and economy are the limiting steps in today's economic society. Unemployment has reached an all time high in the United States and abroad. Upon hearing about Greece's economic collapse followed Portugal's and now possibly Spain's, I was relieved to know that it isn't just capitalism that is failing to deliver- it is also socialism. I truly believed that if implemented correctly, capitalism creates opportunities and delivers the American dream of going from rags to riches. Please excuse my ignorance as I was under the impression that just because these three countries were in Europe they were socialistic economies but according to the World Factbook published by the CIA, all these countries are moderate to fully capitalistic. My stance at this moment is wavering. Could capitalism be the RDS in the gain of economics?

Breaking up is Hard to do- it requires Energy

As I'm studying for MCAT, a random thought pops into my head and I thought I'd blog about it. Today's topic is Thermochemistry and while re-learning entropy and enthalpy (heat energy) I came to the conclusion that nature favors being single and free as opposed to being married (committed) and tied down.

A chemical reaction is favorable and spontaneous if the value of ∆G is negative from the equation ∆G= ∆H-T∆S, where ∆G stands for free energy, ∆H is enthalpy, T is temperature (K) and ∆S stands for entropy. One way to create a favorable reaction is to increase the enropy of the reaction (assuming all other variables remain constant).

In terms of entropy, which is the measure of randomness (disorder) of a system, the less bound a molecule is and therefore, the more freely it is to rotate about its bonds (has a greater degree of freedom), the greater the entropy- the more favorable the reaction. Cyclic compounds have less entropy than linear compounds because they are not as free to rotate around their bonds. Alkanes are more entropically favorable than alkenes for the same reason.

Although it requires energy to break a bond (breaking up is hard to do), the end product results in a more favorable and spontaneous reaction due to the increase in entropy. Bonds in a solid state (married bonds) are more organized and conformed but once broken (single life) gain more potenial to release that organizational energy in order for a molecule to experience...to journey. In going from a solid phase to a gas phase bonds are broken and entropy is increased, as favored by the universe. Relative entropy increases going from solid to liquid to gas phase.

Once again society has contradicted nature by brainwashing us to believe that being married is more favorable than being single and free! By the laws of thermodynamics- I beg to differ.

*NOTE: this post was only written to help the author, Jezelle, better understand thermochemistry and prodvide a logicaaly explanation for chosing to stay single in the face of suitors.

Valentine's Day :)

Ah, Valentine’s Day- filled with love, romance and sex. What’s a single girl to do? Well this single girl was planning on spending the night cuddling MCAT books with a cup of coffee in comfy pajamas. All that changed when my phone rang and on the other end was my ex-boyfriend. My readers who know me personally are probably thinking “Ethan!” Wrong. Not this time, this time it was Jason and our conversation started with me answering the phone,”Hello?” “Hey, what are you up to?” he asked. “Do I need to state the obvious? I’m studying silly, what else would I be doing?” “Wow, you’re really dedicated. I’m proud of you Jez, I mean I have never met someone so passionate, so disciplined, so determined to accomplish a goal. You work hard, very hard, yet make everything look so easy- I guess that’s what I loved most about you.” I really didn’t know how to respond to that so like a dork I just said, “thanks, it’s what we pre-meds do best I guess. So what’s up?” “Um, nothing I just wanted to see how you were doing. I see that you’re doing well so I’ll let you get back to doing what you do best.” “No, wait. I mean I can use a break if you want to chat for a few.” “Sure.” “So that’s why you called? To see how I was doing?” “Well that and um, I was wondering what you were doing tomorrow- you know considering that it’s um February 14.” I laughed and said “Yes, it’s Valentine’s Day and I’m doing what I do everyday-I going to be studying. What are your plans?” He paused for a moment and finally said “how about I take you out? It doesn’t have to be a date. We can catch a movie, dinner- whatever you want.” I didn’t know how to respond so I began mumbling, “I, um, I, um” he cut me off and said “Look Jez, I know we aren’t together anymore and I hate you for that but you were more than just my girlfriend, you were my best friend. Our relationship may have ended but our friendship didn’t. Plus, I think a girl like you deserves to be taken out for Valentine’s Day. So what do you say?” I think that was the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me. Naturally, I accepted.

Today was a good day. I got a lot done in terms of MCAT studying. I finished stoichiometery and bonding passages after class. I even went ahead and did passages for tomorrow’s lecture- Reproduction and Endocrinology. Just as I was about to call it a night, I decided to write my blog and check my messages. To my surprise I received a message from Ethan saying, “Thinking of you- I know I shouldn’t be but I am.”

*sigh* With exes like mine who needs a boyfriend?

Today was Valentine's Day?

In the morning I gave my husband negative “lame husband points”,…which means he was great! So in our home we have 3 categories of points—Vince can get “lame husband points”, Jez can get “my life sucks” points, and I can get “Willy Wonka factory” points. We give these points as a way to call each other out on stupid stuff. So if Vince makes fun of me or says something rude to me, he gets “lame husband” points. If Jez has one of her horrible days pertaining to men or money, she gets “my life sucks” points. If I say something ditsy or just ridiculous, then I get “Willy Wonka factory” points, because once it was said that I have a Willy Wonka factory in my head on occasion.

Today I gave Vince less “lame husband points” because when I woke up he had placed Roses in a vase on our kitchen table with a Valentine’s Day card. Yes, V-day is tomorrow, but he forgot.

Now, here is some MCAT info. I tried to read from the moment I woke up, but I couldn’t because I had to entertain a guest up until 2pm. Then, Jez came back from her Berkley Review classes and we ate Chinese food for lunch. By 3:30pm we were at our kitchen table reading our biology books. We studied reproduction and embryology…the day before V-day,…how convenient. ; ) We went to the market and spent $10 from of EBT card. Then we came home and Jez made us Tandori Chicken from scratch, since we had been eating Latin for the past 2 weeks, and the shift in flavor was amazing. She used cayenne pepper and yogurt to marinate skinned chicken legs over night, and then today, all she had to do was bake the meat in the oven on a cookie sheet. A quick dinner and now it’s 10:30pm and I am beginning to read Genetics. I was only able to complete 2 chapter quizzes today, but at least I did something.

In the photo is the roses and the NesCafe that I have just become addicted to so that I can make coffee in any instant, which is a total requirement for MCATing. We don't own a microwave though, so it really isn't that "instant", but it tastes great.

A Fun Cartoon of Team 44 S (*hands with thumbs together in the shape of an "S")

Holla'!

Team 44S!

Last night was rough- I was pulled out of bed by a friend who had an “emergency” and needed to be picked up from the airport at the crack of dawn. She also demanded girl time and being a good friend, I agreed without hesitation. I spent the entire day and most of the night with her. I came home exhausted and in dire need of sleep, however, as I walked in I was greeted by Liz, Vince and a picture Liz drew and posted on the fridge. The picture included my face along with hers and Vince’s with a heading that read TEAM 44S! That was enough motivation to get me to hit the books for a few hours before going to bed at 3 am. Well done Liz. This morning I had class at Berkeley Review we covered Periodic Trends in General Chemistry. Pretty cut and dry basic stuff. I learned that the periodic trends are based on:

1). Effective Nuclear Charge: which affects how tightly valence shell electrons are held. Cations are generally smaller than the neutral atom while anions are larger. As the number of protons increase, the atom cotracts due to an increase in electrostatic attraction. As the number of electrons increase, the atom expands due to an increase in repulsive forces. This trend is observed in atoms that are in the same row and increases going from left to right on the periodic table. Effective nuclear charge affects ionization energy (the amount of energy required to lose an electron), electron affinity (the amount of energy released with the gain of an electron), and atomic radius.

2). Valence Shell (principle quantum number- n): which affects the distance between electrons and the nucleus. As distance increases, attraction decreases. Valence shell trend is observed when atoms are in the same period or column of the periodic table. As the table decends (top to bottom) valence shells increase. Electronegativity can be predicted using this trend.

As with everything in life, there are exceptions in these trends. Exceptions are usually observed with half-filled and filled stability. Time for BED!

A Great Day of Academic Strides

So today I woke up at 9:30am. My husband started my day off right by bringing me coffee in bed. I sat up and started to read from the Kaplan Biology review notes and before I could even finish a chapter, Vince came in again and told me to come to the kitchen to join him for breakfast. He had made us low-carb omelets and they were sooooooooo cute. They weren’t fluffy like in the recipe books, or oozing cheese, but they were perfect for me. They had thinly sliced bell-peppers in them, the ones I was supposed to use to make stuffed bell-peppers for dinner, but eh. I guess he is just saved me from another night of cooking. After breakfast I cleaned the dirty dishes and went back to my queen-size bed, wrapped myself in my warm down-comforter, leaned back against the white wall mounted with my pillow, and there I continued to read the biology review book for a couple more hours.

I read from 1 until just now, except for the intermittent snack and shower. I even took the Chapter 1 and 2 practice quizzes. On the chapter 1 quiz I missed one out of thirteen, and on the chapter 2 quiz, I missed one out of ten. This is honestly the best I have done so far on anything related to MCAT so I am very proud of myself. The winter Olympics has just begun tonight and I am back at my desk cracking open another chapter of the biology review book. I want to finish the reading tonight, but I fear it might take me through tomorrow as well. : ( Tomorrow is the day before Valentine’s day, so hopefully I can get my work done in time to celebrate.

Just Jez!

Hey, hey! I’m Jezelle, Jezebelle, or Jez whichever you wish to address me by and welcome to my ALMOST perfect life. I am the typical girl-next door who always seems to land the right job, snag Prince Charming, and perform well in school without breaking a nail. My happy-go-lucky optimistic attitude is contagious and the blogs I chose to write will be on the lighter side done to motivate and inspire many of you working hard to achieve your dreams alongside me. I aspire to become a doctor in the near- very near future and I whole heartedly believe that I will acomplish this goal because if I didn’t I wouldn’t be Jezelle. Currently, I am studying for the MCAT- a standardized exam mandatory for admissions to medical school. This may be one of the hardest exams that pre-meds have to take. Lucky for me I have already taken the exam and did really well- I scored a 31R so this second time around should only be that much easier. I have also previously gained acceptance to a medical school which I ultimately turned down. So why am I re-taking the exam and why am I reapplying for medical school? I only applied to one school and with my luck, I was admitted. However, it wasn’t until my trip to New York in October that I realized I so desperately wanted to live in the city. Right then and there I decided I was going to go to NYU med school and I would do everything in my power to get there.

Fast forward to my present living situation- a two bedroom apartment in Southern California with my roommates Elizabeth, who is also embarking on this journey with me and her husband, Vince, who just got admitted to one of the best medical schools in Southern California. We moved in together at the beginning of the year to provide a conducive study enviornment for me and Lizzie. With two prep companies, thirty books, and a million practice exams we strive to achieve a perfect- well in my case an ALMOST perfect MCAT score: 44S!

Kaplan O. Chem 1

So here we are—me versus that stupid test. If only I was naturally inclined to take standardized tests, if only I was rich, if only my in-laws loved me, and if only the world cared about healing for the sake of healing, my restless mind would be relieved of such tension. But no, I am in a very strange place in life right now where I have to prepare to take the MCAT on the first of May, a mere 3 months away. On top of that I am in debt up to my ears, and I am married to a man who’s parents think I am some seductress who stole their most precious boy-child. My life is not unique in the sense that I am dealing with so many issues that America’s minorities deal with, but I am different in the sense that I will not let socio-economics get the best of me as I strive to be that doctor that everyone talks about—the one that revolutionizes modern medicine during this time of medical change that is already underway.

In every blog I post, I will follow a somewhat basic format so as to appease, please, and entertain the various types of readers that our cyber world may thrust at me. Since I am taking Kaplan’s MCAT review and am trying my darn hardest to keep up with the extreme work load, I will in each blog (1) reveal how much studying I actually do a day & how it feels to live the life of a pre-med at this point in time and (2) I will always mention the most random life occurrences that pass my way, and trust me, nothing will be held back.

The funny thing is that I already graduated from college. I’ve had my B.S. since 2009. I could have taken the MCAT for the past three years, but I feared the MCAT, so much so that I even saw a therapist once. I was hoping he would hypnotize me into not caring about the pain of preparing for the test, but the pocket-watch never got around to swinging in front of my eyes. I took Princeton Review once in, what seems to me, the distant past, but now I am actually going to try my hardest, and hopefully I’ll get into my dream medical school. During the blog you will be sure to find everything about this process, from studying for the MCAT, to applying to med-school. I’ll mention everything that I have done to become a great applicant, and I assure you that you will see how to improve your application in the process. Yet, along side the mechanics of applying to medical school, I will also share so much of just the regular life “stuff”. I’ll tell of the difficulty I have being a really young wife or maybe about being an extremely liberal woman in house with a conservative room-mate.

By the way, my husband, Vince, and I are living with a female roommate who lives a life full of surprises, drama, and luck. She too is studying for the MCAT, so I guess you can say that we are lucky in the sense that we are living the dream so many pre-meds hope for. I have no job, I’m not in school, my husband is supporting me on a meager wage of merely $1000 per month, but I am living in Southern California and this is where I plan to stay for medical school, so you can bet your bottom dollar that I am going to get a 44S on the MCAT. I’m Elizabeth. Nice to meet you.

Today I read from Kaplan’s organic chemistry review notes from 6 am -10am. I took a nap until 11:45am. I did chores up to 4pm, and then sat at my computer to complete a “preview” organic chemistry quiz. I then attended my Kaplan class-course from 6pm to 9pm. I’m just sitting down to eat dinner, and it is 10:20pm, and I plan to do o. chem flashcards right before bed…maybe.

Here We Go...

Hi! Welcome to our blog. Here you will witness two pre-meds as they embark on a journey to achieve a 44S on the MCAT. “MCAT?” you ask. Well, it’s the most grueling, vicious, beast of an exam necessary for getting into medical school. We are Elizabeth and Jezelle and we have dropped our social lives, quit our jobs, graduated from college and have moved in together in order to study for the MCAT 24/7. Our test date is May 1^st and we invite you to follow us as we chronicle our lives up to the MCAT and beyond. Along with MCAT details, we will be musing about love, life, politics and so much more.