Fall Semester

I made it through Summer Anatomy with a B. After all, a B is the new A, right? Anyway, it was probably the toughest thing I have ever had to do. If I had to give tips to upcoming OT students who were afraid of this class they would be:

1) Think of it as a model, not a person.
2)Use a mask from the beginning to prevent headaches and odor.
3)Put hand lotion in your locker, because you will start to hate the smell of the soap in the lab
4)Use mints or hard candy to keep you mouth moist (Don't lick your lips, trust me!)
5)Use afternoon time to review structures to that point so that you don't get behind.
6)Lastly, don't worry you will get used to it.

Well, we only had two days of classes this week, so I haven't been introduced to all of my classes yet. Most of them so far seem pretty manageable and sound very interesting. I can't wait to dive into them. There has only been one so far that seems like it is going to really challenge my organizational skills. If I can stay organized, I think I will do fine. I will blog again later in the Fall as classes continue.

First Anatomy Exam

Well, I made it through the first anatomy practical and written exam with only a little ding to my self esteem. I am a student that is used to getting A's all of the time. This is a tough class and the way the questions were worded really confused me. I had a much harder time with the written than I did the practical. I only missed an A on the practical by 2 points so I am OK with that, but we will not discuss my written exam grade. It was a tough one for me. The only thing I can do is study, study, study, and try to do better next time. If I can pull a B out of this class, I will be happy. An A would just be a bonus.

Summer OT Marathon

Wow, I have really neglected my blog. Since classes started, everything has been nonstop. I had my Nature of OT class from June 4 - June 11. It was a lot of material in a very short period of time. I didn't know if I was going to be able to do it, but I made it through and I did really well. When that class was done, we started Gross Anatomy. It is really gross at times, but it is also very interesting. We have our first practical coming up on Wednesday, and I am very nervous. This class is just so intense. I hope that things slow down a little bit in the Fall. I guess only time will tell.

Hopefully, it will not take me as long to post my next entry.

Is it...Could it be...Financial Aid??

I think they finally awarded financial aid for the summer. That is if I am looking at it correctly. I no longer have to be worried about having enough money for the semester now. Yay!! Anyway, things have calmed down a lot for me this week. Last week felt like a whirlwind of emotion that kept knocking me off my feet. June 2nd is slowly approaching, but it is less than a month away and still no Welcome packet. Go figure. Well hopefully I will know what to do when the first day of classes arrives. If not, maybe Nivea, Erin, and I can figure it out together.

Life

Wow! We finally got our tuition bill, but still no financial aid information. Financial aid would be helpful for buying books too, but I already ordered mine so that I could get them cheaper on half.com. It is frustrating to not know how much aid I am going to be getting. Some of us have bills to pay! Anyway, I am still waiting patiently for classes to start.

On another note...I am very thankful that I was not injured in yesterday's tornado. Thank you to everybody that called or wrote to check on me. I would like to say that what I witnessed yesterday was truly amazing. I watched an F4 tornado pass right over me yet destroy the shopping center right next to where I was. I volunteered at the hospital afterwards and listened to people's stories. Some people were in their cars and got spun around and slammed on the ground. Some people were in their houses and threw their loved ones on the floor and covered them with their own bodies to protect them as their house was leveled around them. Some people were in the shopping center that was destroyed and had to be transferred to a bigger trauma center. Everyone was scared, but the way everybody pulled together was truly uplifting.

I know this is my OT journey and this isn't about OT, but this is about my life journey. This entire situation has taught me something. We may think we are in charge of our lives then something like this happens and it shows us who is truly in charge.

Is anybody else worried about financial aid?

I have sent in all of the appropriate paperwork and talked to the financial aid department. I have been assured that all of my paperwork is properly filled out; however, I am still worried about it. What if I am not able to get the loan in time to pay my tuition? What if I do not get enough to cover the cost of my tuition and books? I guess I am just worrying because it is getting closer, but letting us know in May how much we are going to need is a little scary to me. I cannot even get a tuition bill to come up under eservices so I can see how much I am going to even need. Grrrrr! I am so happy to be admitted and excited about classes, but I feel like they keep us in the dark for way too long. We were admitted over a month ago and still we have not received a welcome packet. That packet would probably answer a lot of my"What If?" questions.

Will it ever get here?

I am sitting at work, bored out of my mind, and thinking about starting school again. I am so excited, but it seems like June is taking forever to get here. At least I have been able to register for classes, so it seems like there is some progress. I am also sitting at work instead of at home so time is passing a little faster. I guess it is because this is something I have wanted to do since I graduated from High School and it is finally happening. I am finally going to be able to study and learn how to become an occupational therapist so that I can help all these kids that have these debilitating injuries and disorders. I wish the welcome packet would get here so I could get more information about the program. Anyway, does anyone else feel like it is taking forever or is it just me?

It All Finally Feels Real

I decided to start my Blog today. I had been reading my future fellow classmates' blogs, Nivea and Erin, but I was procrastinating. None of it seemed real yet. Sure I had the acceptance letter and I was able to get my student ID number and email, but it was still all just on paper. Yesterday, I went to the open house for accepted applicants. I was so excited and nervous the night before that I barely slept. I made it to Richmond with vary little problem. I drove right to the parking garage and walked the 3 or 4 blocks to Theater Row. When I walked into the room, I was surprised to see that I was not the oldest student. I guess this was one of my biggest anxieties. We go to know each other, had a great lunch, were introduced to the faculty, and given tours of both MCV and the occupational therapy department. Then we got to have a question and answer session with current students. That was probably the best part of the day. We got to get some "real" information about the program. We got to ask questions about finances, housing, books, and curriculum. It was a great day. I got to meet some really great people and it all actually seems real now. I cant wait for classes to get started. It sounds like it is going to a very intense program, but a lot of fun too.