Good Advice
This has been a crazy, busy week for me, but with the sun shining, the snow melting, and a positive attitude, I've been having an excellent week back from spring break! It's amazing what a little sunlight and a positive attitude will do for you. We're learning about Seasonal Affective Disorder in my Psychopathology class, and I can't help but think back to how miserable I felt back in January and February. Not seeing the sun for so long can start to have real physiological effects; not that I'm saying I had it clinically bad enough to be classified as having SAD, but still, you get my point.
The AADSAS opens soon, and the date just keeps getting closer and closer. When I think about it, I start to get a lump in my throat. It just all seems so overwhelming. Funny enough though, when I express this concern about the upcoming application cycle to those around me, I seem to get the best advice in response. Here's what I've heard thus far after discussing my anxiety towards this upcoming task in my life: (paraphrased of course.)
"Don't worry about the small things. You think there's going to be some huge, glaringly obvious flaw on your application and you're going to obsess about it. But they're not going to care. When I went into one of my interviews, the admissions panel kept on trying to compliment me on my well-above average PAT score. But all I could keep doing was pointing out the other scores that were well below average. Eventually, I learned to shut up. They didn't care about my QR score that I had been obsessing over. You need to learn to be proud of what you have, and to realize that the application process is a holistic overview of everything you've accomplished - not some background check, scrutinizing every mistake you've ever made." - A dentist I shadowed over break
"You have to realize that it's always going to be something. A lot of students think that the big hurdle is applying. But then after you get accepted, there's everything else that comes along with going to a new school. Finding a place to live, getting acclimated to the new environment, meeting new people. After you've finally settled in, then comes the actual course work itself. There's always going to be something else to be worried about, and it never ends. But you have to learn how to deal with it, and how to stop worrying about every step along the way." - One of my professors (who might be reading this as we speak! =D)
I've learned a lot through talking about my feelings with these intellectual mentors in my life. I think what they both had in common with their advice is simply this: relax. Take a deep breath in, and then take a deep breath out. It's so extremely easy to get caught up in every little obstacle that we have to face. But these obstacles are put in our path so that we can prove ourselves to those around us, and so that we can prove to ourselves that we have what it takes. The obstacles are not put there to make us fail. They're put there so that we can grow as people. Every task that I've had to complete in order to get to this point of applying has taught me something about myself. And I have no doubt that submitting my AADSAS application this summer will do the very same. Here's a quote that I absolutely love that sums up what I've learned so far:
"Brick walls are there for a reason. They let us prove how badly we want things." - Randy Pausch
Until next time,
PJ
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| You can really start to miss it after a while... |
The AADSAS opens soon, and the date just keeps getting closer and closer. When I think about it, I start to get a lump in my throat. It just all seems so overwhelming. Funny enough though, when I express this concern about the upcoming application cycle to those around me, I seem to get the best advice in response. Here's what I've heard thus far after discussing my anxiety towards this upcoming task in my life: (paraphrased of course.)
"Don't worry about the small things. You think there's going to be some huge, glaringly obvious flaw on your application and you're going to obsess about it. But they're not going to care. When I went into one of my interviews, the admissions panel kept on trying to compliment me on my well-above average PAT score. But all I could keep doing was pointing out the other scores that were well below average. Eventually, I learned to shut up. They didn't care about my QR score that I had been obsessing over. You need to learn to be proud of what you have, and to realize that the application process is a holistic overview of everything you've accomplished - not some background check, scrutinizing every mistake you've ever made." - A dentist I shadowed over break
"You have to realize that it's always going to be something. A lot of students think that the big hurdle is applying. But then after you get accepted, there's everything else that comes along with going to a new school. Finding a place to live, getting acclimated to the new environment, meeting new people. After you've finally settled in, then comes the actual course work itself. There's always going to be something else to be worried about, and it never ends. But you have to learn how to deal with it, and how to stop worrying about every step along the way." - One of my professors (who might be reading this as we speak! =D)
I've learned a lot through talking about my feelings with these intellectual mentors in my life. I think what they both had in common with their advice is simply this: relax. Take a deep breath in, and then take a deep breath out. It's so extremely easy to get caught up in every little obstacle that we have to face. But these obstacles are put in our path so that we can prove ourselves to those around us, and so that we can prove to ourselves that we have what it takes. The obstacles are not put there to make us fail. They're put there so that we can grow as people. Every task that I've had to complete in order to get to this point of applying has taught me something about myself. And I have no doubt that submitting my AADSAS application this summer will do the very same. Here's a quote that I absolutely love that sums up what I've learned so far:
"Brick walls are there for a reason. They let us prove how badly we want things." - Randy Pausch
Until next time,
PJ
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