Monday, July 11, 2011

Like drinking from a firehose

A few years ago, I started talking about what my next career would be.  My first, as biochemist, didn't mesh so well with my second, as mom, so I started looking around for the third.

This past spring, after much deliberation, and the incredible luck of finding a like-minded friend, I decided to take the first steps toward a career in nursing.  I dusted off some very old college transcripts, re-learned the academic hoops necessary to pass the clep test in biology, and then enrolled in anatomy and physiology 1 during the accelerated 1/2 summer semester.

Why I thought this would be a good idea escapes me at the moment, but I enrolled, paid my tuition, and showed up for my first day of classes in a very long time. Despite the technological advances since the last time I was in a college classroom (really, the powerpoint slides are online?  why would I show up to class?), I still found it incredibly helpful to make notecards (see pyramid above) - lots of them - and memorize like crazy.

Compressing an entire semester of anatomy into just over a month was overwhelming and frustrating - a little like academic water-boarding -  but was also probably a good way to start. Kind of that "if you can live through this, everything else will seem like a breeze" way of thinking. My family has been ignored, my household chores have been neglected, and my dining room was turned into study central. The result - I passed, and I got an A.  One down, many many more to go.  

5 comments:

  1. Congratulations on the A!
    I took Organinc Chemistry in a 6 week summer semester years ago. I made it through with the help of gallons of Diet Dr. Pepper, Peanut M&Ms, and nothing short of a miracle :)

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  2. Is anyone surprised by the grade? I mean, really! You are insane, and I love you for it! I hope to never go to school for a grade again. But how fun.

    --Trista :)

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  3. I had no doubt you would ace this...but hooray for continued learning and growth. News flash: the household chores will always be there. So proud of you!

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  4. Wow! Well, good for you! Good luck!

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  5. That is AWESOME Claudia! Way to go!

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