Thursday, March 28, 2024

The ups and downs of college life

 


By ANDREW VO


              


                Sorry to have been out of touch. I’ve been waiting to write for something interesting to happen, plus every second of my life has been spent in class or studying


               Finally, something to write about ― plus a sliver of time.


               Guess who is a licensed driver now? Just two weeks ago, I took my driver’s license exam and passed miraculously. On that day, I took a chemistry exam with only four hours of sleep, thanks to studying, and then went straight to the DMV. Mother Nature generously stopped raining as I took the road test, giving me one less worry. To be honest, I still can’t believe I have my license now, but I’m just glad that I didn’t fall asleep while driving. That would have been very unfortunate.


               The one question people ask… So can you drive yourself to school now? Unfortunately, the answer is no. Although legally licensed, my parents still want to take me to and back from school. I can’t decide if that’s because they don’t trust my driving skills, but it still feels nice to act like a royal, with a chauffeur taking me to school and all.


               One class causing me to lose sleep is Human Anatomy. There are so many things crammed into this course that it feels like the class is worth eight units instead of four! Considering I’m taking 18 units, this is definitely a challenge to overcome, along with the Freshman 50, not 15.  Since anatomy is definitely something a pre-medicine student needs to know by the end of his undergraduate years, I won’t complain too much, but with all of the things I need to memorize every week, on top of all the other classes, this is proving to be a very active semester.


               But I accept this challenge.


               Another great thing that has happened recently is that I had lunch with Danielle Struppa, the chancellor of Chapman University. Last semester, I went to a fireside chat and ate dinner at his house with a group of honors students, but this past week, I was given the opportunity to have lunch with him once more, one on one. It was great to catch up with the chancellor, and by the end of the meal and our conversation, I was just that much more reassured that I chose the right university


               But that isn’t even the end of the news. I was offered a research position at Chapman University!


               I bumped into a former professor from last semester on campus, and since I had a few minutes to spare, we chatted for a little bit. When I went to a research expo last semester, I stumbled upon his research in neuroscience and put my name on a list of people who might work with him in his research project. After I asked him about his progress on his research, he explained to me how far the research has gone since I last talked to him. Then, he asked me that if I still wanted to be a part of his research and to let him know if it fits into my schedule.


               The only trouble about this is that if it coincides with my class and study schedule, then I won’t be able to participate. Still, I’m immensely blessed to have received this opportunity, and I’ll be sure to keep you informed about what exactly this research is, and what my role in his project will be if I am able to take this position.


               With all this said, it’s back to work, even though sleep sounds much better. My eyelids just do not want to open anymore, and I have an exam to study for.       Anatomy, of course.


               This semester has proven to be, by far, harder than my first semester, but this hasn’t zapped my determination. I’m only more motivated every day and that much closer to medical school.


               Until next time.


              


Andrew Vo recently turned 16 and is a freshman at Chapman University. Follow him on Twitter @VoAndrew for updates ― when he has time to tweet!

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