Recent Entries by Courtnee  

Hey everyone!

By now everyone has at least been through one round of finals this year. So I don't have to mention how stressful they are, but I can give you some tips about what you can do to avoid all that stress you are experiencing.

So when you are stress there are a few different routes you can go on, stress eating or stress relieving. If you choose to only read one option, I wont judge, weve all been there before.

Stress eating:

So for all of you who have walked out of that exam feeling terrible and just thought to yourself, cake would make this all better. I would consider you a stress eater. Now if you choose to solve your stress problems that way, be my guest because it's just another way to deal with your emotions and the frustrations you encounter. So I am going to share my favorite foods to stock up on for finals week.

1. Goldfish
Now these don't just have to be cheese flavored, I opt for the chocolate chip and smores flavors most times. But I also like the pretzel ones too! They are just so handy and easy to munch on when you are studying.

2. Chez Mix
I love chex mix! It is so easy and it also has so many different flavors and pretzels, wonderful right?

3. Cookies
Any cookies will do, but chocolate is my go to. I like to know that after I feel like I cant study any more, there is that little burst of energy waiting for me which tastes good too.

4. Pasta
This is one of my favorite dinner type foods to make during finals week. Mainly because it gives you a little time to take a break when you are cooking it. Also those carbs are great for energy and keeping you going during those long nights!

5. Pizza
I would choose to have some spare pizzas around mainly because they are so easy to make, and you can just put them in the oven, set a timer, and keep studying!

Stress Relieving:

So if you are less interested in eating your feelings and more interested in getting rid of that stress the healthy way, here are some tips for you to improve your study habits!

1. Eat breakfast
The most important meal of the day, weve all heard that right? Well its true! You need that energy in the morning, especially if you are going to be studying all day! So eat something high in protein to get your body jumpstarted for the day!

2. Exercise
I think that it is very important to stay active throughout this stressful week. At times it just gets to be a lot to take on for your body and working out can really help you loosen up and take your mind off of the studying for a little while.

3. Sleep
It is so important to make sure that you are sleeping each night. I know that you might be tempted to stay up until midnight to finish that module, but make a realistic cut off time for each night. Trust me, you will be so much more able to study effectively if you give yourself breaks.

4. Go Outside
Now that the nice weather is finally back, go outside! It is important to get a little bit of sun, it will make you feel happier too! Also think about all that vitamin D, I'm sure your skin and small intestines will appreciate it!

5. Relax
Take a much needed break! Spreading out your study times is really key to remembering information. There is no way that you can retain all that material if you don't take a second to slow down and realize what you are doing.

Well, hopefully these tips really help you with finals week! Don't forget about all the food that will be at Usquare! That will help save you some time!

Happy Finals!

Courtnee

So many of you have seen my journey through my undergraduate education throughout these blogs for the last year and as you have read, its been a fun and long path that I have chosen to take.

As many of you pre-med undergraduates know, first comes the MCAT then comes the AMCAS/AACOMAS applications. For those of you just deciding on medical school there are two types of doctors, MD and DO. MD doctors attend allopathic schools and DO doctors attend osteopathic schools. The main differences between these two professions is the focus on the patient. While both professions are focused on curing the patient and accommodating them along the way, there is a significant difference about the views of a DO doctor. A Doctor of Osteopathy (DO) is able to perform many tasks that a MD physician is able to do such as prescribing medications, specializing, performing surgery. However they are specially trained in the musculoskeletal system which is considered manipulative medicine. This is hands on training that teaches students how to examine both the mental and physical body in order to diagnose the patient.

If you want to read more I have found this information here: http://www.osteopathic.org/osteopathic-health/about-dos/what-is-a-do/Pages/default.aspx, http://www.osteopathic.org/osteopathic-health/about-dos/about-osteopathic-medicine/Pages/default.aspx

I have a personal connection with DO programs through the diagnosis of my cousins autism disorder. I have noticed what a difference it makes for people to sit down and listen to the whole story rather than just prescribing medication from one 30 minute appointment. I think that it is important to have a holistic approach to medicine because the patients stories are often a crucial detail that I think can be very easily overlooked. While working in the admissions office at school and volunteering as the receptionist that the Gift of Life Transplant House, I have learned that listening to histories is important. At times there are moments where the people I talk to are nervous and apprehensive about decisions that they will be making, I think that this is an important aspect to consider when determining which path is right for you to go down.

Enough about me, and more about the application...

So it was supposed to open on May 1st, but then I went to the website and they moved it a week to May 8th. For someone like me who is a strategic planner, this is not a good thing to do at the last minute! Although I am happy that it was moved back because now I can focus more on the essays that I am going to have to complete for the application and I can take my time in receiving my transcripts to use throughout the process.

Although I have not seen the application yet, I have been doing my research and there are some significant differences between the MD and DO application services so make sure that you are aware of these when you are getting ready for your year!

These applications are open for about a month before you can begin submitting, so I would suggest to do your research and writing before hand in order to get those applications in on time. Most admissions are on a rolling basis so the sooner the better. Also you will have to list each class that you have taken, so you should get some unofficial transcripts for yourself so that you are prepared for when that time comes. I also know that I broke up the application into parts and decided about how many days of the month I would allow myself on a particular section. This is not an application that you want to take lightly people!

As for now, this is all the information that I have. Next fall I should have some great insight on the whole application and also maybe some comments about an interview or two (Ill keep my fingers crossed for those).

I just have to keep telling myself that I can do it, and you can to!

Happy almost last week of classes!

Courtnee

So as you might have seen in previous blogs I was talking about my capstone ideas. For those of you just tuning in, a capstone is like your junior year or senior year at UMR. It is when you take steps to do a program or take courses of interest that will help you prepare for the career you are trying to achieve.

For me, my capstone is to take courses at UMR in the fall to finish up my liberal education requirements as well as an internship in a lab and a research project with a faculty member. In the spring I will be doing an internship program in London as well as volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House.

Although I did complete all of the required paperwork and additional forms, sadly my capstone was rejected. This was pretty devastating, but once I realized the mistakes that I made, which were minor, it made sense.

As a matter of fact, I would like to think of myself as a trailblazer. Through my capstone rejection, I made up a new category that will be used during the review process "conditionally approved" which basically means that I had a small error (I apparently cannot add correctly). This will be used in the future, so it just goes to show that sometimes mistakes are a good thing.

It was some easy corrections to make, but it is a very serious issue. So I would suggest taking as much time as possible to review your capstone with everyone before you submit it the first time.

I also started my capstone proposal early. I began writing responses to the questions in a word documents in the fall semester of my junior year so that I was ready to complete the proposal. As far as the spring semester goes, it comes up really fast. I would suggest getting your ideas and beginning to answer those questions in the fall so that you don't have to spend so much time cramming in all of the writing and researching at the end.

If you have any questions or need any help with making a timeline, let me know!

Courtnee

Hey everyone!

The end of the year is approaching quickly. So I thought it would be good to share with you some of my favorite educational apps that I have on my iPhone.

These are also apps that you could probably get on android devices, iPads, or iPods. They come in handy when you are waiting in line for coffee, trying to cram in a few extra study minutes before that exam, or in a situation where you wish you would have brought your notes with you but forgot them.

My most used and helpful app is for OneNote. It automatically syncs with my OneNote program on my computer so it is really helpful for me because I use OneNote for basically all my classes since freshman year. I can access all of my notebooks too so it is a great app!
Here is the link to get it from the iTunes store, its completely free!

https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/microsoft-onenote/id410395246?mt=8

I also have an app that is called Evernote. This is a desktop application that you can sync with your device also. You can pull screenshots or sections of webpages into your Evernote on your computer and have access to them at your fingertips. This would be beneficial if you were at the grocery store and wanted to try out a new recipe that you clipped from the web.

Here is a link from the iTunes store: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/evernote/id281796108?mt=8

Being a UMR student, you all know how much we use the Google applications. So you can get an app for Google Drive. This helps you find your Google Documents easily, I actually used mine the other day when I was buying supplies for the talent show skit that the Rochester Student Association is performing in. (By the way, that event is Tonight 7:30 pm at the Civic Center in the Auditorium, if you don't know the way there follow the balloons in the skyway!)

Here is the link to Google Drive: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/google-drive/id507874739?mt=8

Another app that I use for my personal use and also for my research group that I am involved in is Dropbox. This is an application that you can download from your computer, access on the web, and also access on your personal devices. I keep persona files separate from my research files of course, but for me it functions like an additional portable hard drive. I only keep my current semester files on there, but it automatically syncs when I make changes and goes right on the web. So you don't have to worry if your computer crashes again because that paper will be saved right on the Dropbox and your phone! I also like to use Dropbox to upload the photos that I take with my phone to my computer. Personally I think it is faster than the Photo Stream that my iCloud suggests.

The link to that app is: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dropbox/id327630330?mt=8

An important app that I use for my classes is Quizlet. This is an online website that allows you to make notecards. You can then access those on your devices and you can sync when you make new notecards.

Here is the link to the app: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/quizlet/id546473125?mt=8

For those of you who follow my blogs, you should remember that I went to Panama last summer. For that trip I found a few medical Spanish and emergency Spanish apps that were really helpful for me. They could also be beneficial in Spanish III here at UMR because it is a course based on healthcare terminology.

One was called MediBabble: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/medibabble-translator/id355398880?mt=8

The other was Emergency Medical Spanish Guide by Mavro: https://itunes.apple.com/app/audio-medical-spanish-emsg/id297917901?mt=8

I also used a few apps for my MCAT prep. They were BenchPrep, MCAT Question of the Day, and MCAT Smart Vocab. The last two are self-explanatory, but they are great practice and helpful to keep you on task with studying. I tried to do a few vocab a day and at least one question of the day. They do keep a record of all the previous questions, so you will never run out of practice. As for the BenchPrep, I signed up for a course through the BenchPrep website and then was able to access it from my phone and online. It was really helpful when I wanted to get through a specific topic in a day.

Here are the links :
BenchPrep- https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/gre-gmat-lsat-sat-more-benchprep/id424804771?mt=8

MCAT Question of the Day- https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mcat-question-a-day/id501600370?mt=8

MCAT Smart Vocab- https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/smart-vocab-mcat/id351289435?mt=8

One of the most recent apps that I added is called Frommer's. This is the brand of a book that I borrowed from the study abroad coordinator about London. Some great features that I have noticed are the currency converter, a tip calculator, time translator, guide to the city, suggested apps for travelling... and the list goes on!

Here is the link to the app (make sure to check to see that the city you are travelling to is included!): https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/frommers-travel-tools/id366011058?mt=8

Hope these help you as much as they help me!

Courtnee

Hi!

So as you already know from my previous blog I spent a day over spring break making cookies with my grandma to use for a blog. But what blog is that? Well I can finally reveal the big secret, one of the cookie choices was healthy and the other was a recipe taken from the bag of chocolate chips, a well known Hershey's brand recipe.

I set up these two types of cookies in the Admissions Office on Monday March 25th and had everyone that walked through sample one of each cookie and then rank their favorite based on taste. But before I announce the results of the test, lets back up..

So I first found some healthy chocolate chip cookie recipes on Pinterest while browsing one day and thought to myself, that I love cookies and it would be great if I would eat a healthier version so that I wouldn't feel so guilty. So I then proposed the question, do they taste different?

In order to answer this question I knew that I would need more than just my opinion, so I decided to make it a test.

The healthy recipe was referred to as choice A throughout the testing and the recipe is located here: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/basic-whole-grain-cookies-recipe. Rather than oats I used oat flour, so that it had a smooth texture, and as you can see they didn't look very different after they were baked (which was good because I didn't want people judging based on the ingredients).

The Hershey's brand of cookies is located on the back of the bag but also here:
http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=1358370.

Here is a comparison of the two types of dough, you can definitely tell why one is more yellow (it's a whole extra stick of butter than the first recipe).

Then once the cookies were made we froze them to keep them fresh until I would come back to school to have the testing.

Then I set them up in the admissions office with some simple instructions:

When it was all said and done, the two choices came out dead even. So in conclusion, the healthy cookies do not taste any different than the normally prepared ones, but they are less calories and less content of ingredients.

Here is a comparison:

Personally I liked the healthier cookies, but that was based on consistency and texture of the cookie as well as the taste. I also like the fact that I would be able to eat about two and not feel terrible about myself!

Have any other questions that you would be dying to have tested? Let me know! I'm always up for baking ideas!

Email me at: heydu007@umn.edu

Courtnee

Hello Everyone,

Hopefully you had a great break, I know I had a really lazy one but that was exactly what I needed!

Even though I didn't want to do anything over break, I still made some time for some really great opportunities with my family.

One of the main things that we did was attend a speech by Eva Mozes Kor which was given on March 20th at South Dakota State University Performing Arts Center. The speech was titled: Ethics in Medicine: Lessons from Dr. Mengele's Lab. As you can see I was very interested by the title alone! I went to this speech with one of my cousins who attends SDSU, my younger sister Shannon, my Grandma and my cousin and her stepdaughter.

Here is a link that Sioux Falls wrote about the speaker, which was mainly how I found out a little more information about the speaker: http://ksoo.com/auschwitz-holocaust-survivor-to-give-speech-at-south-dakota-state-university/

Here is a picture of the program, and the inside is a biography of the speaker:

This speech was mainly about Eva and her sister Miriam who were twins that were taken from Romania to Auschwitz with their family when they were only six years old. They were involved in a group that consisted of over 1500 sets of twins that were used as human guinea pigs in a lab directed by Dr. Josef Mengele. Eva recounted her travels to Auschwitz, her experience with survival in horrendous conditions and her fight for her and her sister's lives. Her and Miriam survived and were there when the Soviets liberated the camp in January 1945.

A main section of her speech is centered around the talks that she gives around the world to different schools and how she can speak of her forgiveness to the Nazis. Mrs. Kor started a group to find the Children of Auschwitz Nazi Deadly Lab Experiments Survivors (CANDLES) in 1984.

It was truly a remarkable experience and I owe any credit from this story to her speech.

If you are still interested in learning about Eva Mozes Kor, she has a website and there are books for sale, here is the link: http://www.candlesholocaustmuseum.org/

This just shows that you can still have learning experiences over spring break, take advantage of these!

I also spent a day making cookies with my grandma for my next blog, so stay tuned!

Courtnee

So I know that this week is midterms, and that everyone is anxiously waiting to get to spring break. But as I see all of the stressed out faces, it makes me think about the time when I was a sophomore or freshman. During your Junior year I would say that you take less tests and write more papers, so I know that this week is not as stressful for me but I thought that I would share some of my top 5 study spots in Rochester to help get you thorough these difficult times.

I know that midterms are over, for now...but once you get back to campus everything picks up fast and finals are here before you know it. So read these top five places and keep them in mind when you are beginning to study!

1: The area in the Kahler Grand Hotel off to the right of the lobby a the balcony level.

This is my personal favorite spot, mainly because it is so quiet and there is a Starbucks right downstairs, so you have everything you need for a study spot!

2: Panera.

Panera is a great place to study! I love getting a meal and a cookie, for 99 cents! Then I just sit next to a window and put my headphones on. Julie and I would always come here to study and you get a surprising amount of homework done! Honestly, I don't know what it is, lets just call it the "Panera Zone Effect." If you don't believe me, try it for yourself.

3: Broadway Hall.

This is a great place to study, there are faculty offices, comfy couches, white boards on the wall and even cubicles if you want to study individually.

4: Starbucks or Caribou.

These places are great study spots because they have coffee drinks on hand. I would suggest going here to study in the early morning, mainly because they close pretty early. But with all that coffee, you can start at 6AM and get a lot accomplished!

5: Usquare or 318 study room.

These places can get pretty crowded, but all in all they are great resources because you will probably have another classmate on hand to answer any confusing questions that you have. This is the reason that it is the last one on my list. I tend to get too distracted in large groups, so I choose quiet isolated places.

Now do you feel more prepared for those third midterms and finals? Hopefully this helps!

Now go on and have a much needed spring break!

Courtnee

Hello everyone,

Hopefully all of those projects that you have due before spring break are coming to a close so you can reap all the benefits of the upcoming much needed vacation!

Today I wanted to talk about groups on campus, I know that in my previous blogs I talked about what groups I have personally been involved in on campus. Since those blogs I have in a way, inherited two groups from a previous leader who is doing a study abroad.

Being in a group and leading a group are two completely different things! There is a lot riding on one person's shoulders and it is very difficult to keep organized. Although I feel like I have been organized in the past, I could not make these groups function without the help form the small group of individuals I chose to help me lead. I decided that it would be in my best interest to give some tasks to other experienced members so that they would be able to help me manage all of the work that goes into leading a group.

While I have been successful at helping with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement group, the Global Brigades group has proved to be a larger challenge.

For those of you who do not know what these other groups are, please take a look at some of my previous blogs :

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/applyumr/myumrstory/2012/11/global-brigades-medical-mission-trip-reflection.html

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/applyumr/myumrstory/2012/11/institute-for-healthcare-improvement-conference.html

The hardest part about transitioning into this position is making decisions. While you are a group member, there is one person that you can turn to in order to answer any questions. Now, I am that person to two groups! It can get a bit stressful but it is important to know what you can handle. It is a great thing to put as a leadership position on your resume though, so start making those meaningful connections to current groups or make a group that you are passionate about!

To make a group:

All you need is three students, a mission statement, and a faculty advisor. Then you send an email to the student activities coordinator Dauline. Here is a link to the page on r.umn.edu : http://r.umn.edu/student-life/student-activities/

Let me know if you have any questions about starting your own group!

Courtnee

We all know that winter is a fun filled time with all that snow and slush, and wonderful weather...who am I kidding right? Winter is a time that we are cold, bored, and bundled up, so here are some ideas to get you out of the house:

1. Go to the Rochester Civic Theatre!

Here is a list of their upcoming events: http://www.rochestercivictheatre.org/shows.php
They don't only have specific shows going on, they also have information about learning theatre and job opportunities!

2. Go to Prairie Walls Climbing Gym! (http://prairiewalls.com/)

Have fun climbing a 27 feet tall rock wall! A day pass is only $15!

3. Go to Goonies Comedy Club! (www.gooniescomedy.com)

Thursday Nights are open mic and free! Sometimes the people might be funny, its worth the time to check it out!

4. Go Hottubbing at the YMCA!

You get in free with your student ID, so why not? Grab a group of friends and go sit in a hot tub for a while.

5. Go to a movie!

Rochester has three movie theaters scattered around Rochester, there is one South, Northeast, and Northwest, so you can always get to a movie! So why not spend a cold winter day eating popcorn and watching a movie with your friends?

Personally I like to go to Paragon, here is a link to their website: http://www.paragontheaters.com/showtime/chateau-14/. Students are only $6!

If you have any other fun things that you like to do in Rochester when it is cold outside, let me know!

Have a good day!

Courtnee

Hello Everyone,

Hopefully you are getting into the rhythm of classes again, doesn't it feel good! Yeah, I'm not to sure about the feeling either. Having the MCAT done feels really great, however, there is so much more to do. I am happy that I got the MCAT over with in January, I would strongly encourage you to do the same. But enough about the MCAT, I think that it has taken up enough of my time...

I am going to talk a little about the other main thing on my plate this semester, my Capstone Proposal. In your fourth year here at UMR you get to choose what you want to do, this is called a capstone. Although it seems very simple, just pick and choose from selections, it is actually a very long process. In your sophomore year, you begin to interview, shadow, and listen to panels about different career opportunities. Then in your Junior year, you begin to think about your proposal and write it. Well I am in the writing stage and it is a lot of work!

You not only have to decide what you want to do when you get out of UMR, but you also need to figure out which experiences will help you get to the next step of that career pathway. For me, I knew that I wanted to study abroad. So I started there. Then I used the learning abroad center at the Twin Cities to help me figure out programs that would easily transfer to UMR. This was a very helpful tool, mainly because I knew that these programs are approved and have been completed by other students. I am not necessarily scared about being in another country, but it is comforting to know that there have been other students who have successfully done this program.

Here is what my initial plan is: London, Spring 2014, an internship, courses in art and London's history, and volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House. Amazing right?!

Just imagine:

Now I am not saying that this is your only option, you can do a National Student Exchange with another campus in the US, you can volunteer or intern here in Rochester, you can stay in Rochester and take classes, as you can see the possibilities are endless. Also everything is pretty much open to how much time you want to put into figuring out what you want to do. It just takes some time on the internet and speaking with the Study Abroad Coordinator, the Capstone Coordinators and/or your student success coach.

So start looking now! There are so many opportunities available to you, if you just take a moment to find them!

Let me know if you have any questions or want some advice on where to start looking for opportunities!

Courtnee