6 weeks in...

I'm in my 6th week of school and here are the recent updates:

1. Last week was rough - hence no blog post during class on Friday. I had three tests on Friday: Gross Anatomy lecture, Gross Anatomy lab, and Etymology and Cognates (Veterinary Medicine Vocabulary).  Overall the scores didn't turn out awful -- let's just say all three averaged out to a B -- but definitely learned some about time management and balancing my studying when I have so much in one week.

2.  Our lab test last week was over all of the muscles in the dog - this week we have moved on to dissecting more internal structures.  Coming into school, I thought that dissections and the more "hands-on" things were going to be the hardest part of school for me - I'm learning that this (weirdly) is my favorite part of the day.  I find gross anatomy lab the most interesting and most applicable class I'm taking.  The smell of formaldehyde no longer makes me nauseous and I have now used bolt cutters to cut things other than bolts (use your imaginations).  This week we are learning about the thorax - the heart, lungs, and veins and arteries that lead to and from them.

3. Physiology is the worst class ever.  For some reason glycolysis and lipid synthesis and all the microscopic things I can see just don't really interest me whatsoever :)

4. The test coming up tomorrow is Microanatomy lab and lecture test (200 points total).  It's a little overwhelming, with 6 weeks of material in one test.  The organs/tissues we're supposed to be capable of identifying in the microscope are endocrine glands (adrenal gland, thyroid gland, pituitary gland, etc.), muscle types (skeletal, cardiac, smooth),  lymphatic tissues (lymph nodes, spleen, thymus), and digestive tract (salivary glands, teeth, stomach, large and small intestines, rectum, etc).  We are to know all of the types of cells in these organs, what their functions are, what hormones they secrete, etc.  Basically, it's not fun stuff. 

5. I mentioned in my last post, I joined Food For Thought.  Check out their blog -- bloggingfoodforthought.blogspot.com

That's my life for now - say your prayers for the Micro test tomorrow :)

Week 3: Done.

I'm sitting in my last class of Week 3 of vet school (I'm obviously paying attention).  This is one of my electives, Etymology and Cognates, so basically we go through the origin of words and their definitions.  Every couple of slides there is a question that we answer in class - these questions will be our test.  These questions will be the ONLY questions on the test - hence my lack of concern for 100% focus in this class.

The past two weeks have seemed like the fastest and slowest two weeks of my life.  I turned 22 last week (which is much less exciting than turning 21).  I also found out I got an A on my first Gross Anatomy test over the bones, a B on my first Physiology test (I'm still not sure what that was over), and took my second Physiology test and am anxiously awaiting my grade. 

Milestones of the past two weeks:

1. I'm learning how to dissect! As an undergrad, I didn't get a ton of dissection experience, and am now learning a ton in my Gross Anatomy class.  We got our cadavers the Wednesday after Labor Day and work with them 9 hours a week (during class).  I'll spare you graphic details (not because I want to, but to comply with University policy), but we are currently learning the muscles of the thoracic limb and pelvic limb.  We will finish learning the muscles (locations of origin and insertion) this next week and have our test over all of the muscles next Friday.

Typical Thursday Night.

2.  I've made so many great friends!  It's amazing how studying at the library every night for 4 hours can help you get to know people :) There are typically 3 of us that get together almost every night to study, although on Thursdays (the night before tests) our group suddenly seems to triple :)

3. I love Hills Science Diet, Purina, and Bayer Animal Health.  I now have a new backpack, a new lunchbox, a new cup, chip clip, and free Little Bear food.  Seriously though, it's so great to get free things when I'm spending my entire life's savings (or about 6 times that) on school right now.  I know they are just trying to get us to eventually sell and promote their products... but it's working.  I support them :)

4. Twice a week I have Microanatomy lab.  Some days I can tell exactly what I'm looking at.  Others? Everything just looks like a bunch of pink and purple blobs.  Unfortunately our first test in Micro isn't until the end of September and therefore will have 2 months worth of material.  To the right is a picture I took on my cell phone through my microscope and surprisingly it turned out pretty good!  It's slide of a salivary gland and the big white/pink looking blobs are striated ducts, compared to the little darker purple outlined blobs to left, which are intercalated ducts.

5. I have joined two clubs in the vet school.  The first is the Student Chapter of the American Veterinary Medical Association (SCAVMA) and the second is Food For Thought (FFT).  I haven't done anything yet for either club, but have my first meeting for FFT is Monday, so we'll see how it goes!  FFT is an agriculture group that basically promotes agriculture and discusses current issues in ag.  My brother-in-law, Brandon, was one of the first members in FFT - so hopefully I'll make him proud!

That's all that's been going on with school.  Tomorrow I'm going with Cole and his friend Devin to the Kansas State Fair.  They've never been before (pathetic, I know) and so I'm taking them to spend the day away from vet school, studying, cadavers, books, and anything that makes me think too hard.  We're ending the day by going to the Jake Owen and Billy Currington concert :)

Test Score!

I'll be able to judge if my parents actually read this, by how long it takes my mom to acknowledge my test score :)

Our grades for our first Gross Anatomy test have been posted as of this afternoon - I got a 98% :) We should get back the hard copies of our tests tomorrow before class.  Hopefully this is the start of an amazing semester (keep your fingers crossed).

Happy Labor Day!

Week 2

I've made it through the second week and my first test and I'm still alive!

Yesterday we had our "bones" test and while my grade hasn't been posted yet, the answer key to the test has.  I'm hoping for an A, knowing I missed a couple, but did get the extra credit question right :)

After our test the second year vet students throw us a party to celebrate us making it through our first test.  It is called "Shaft" and is a dinner and party for all vet students and faculty, but the best part is that it's free for the first years.  Our gross anatomy professor even sang us a few songs, changing the words so they would be about bones!

This next week will entail a few exciting things.  First off my birthday is on Thursday - the big 22!  Second, I actually have to acknowledge the fact that I have classes besides anatomy.  I have my first Physiology test on Friday.  I haven't been a huge fan of our professor for that class, so luckily the professors have rotated and we have a new one for the next few weeks.  The unfortunate part is that the test is only over the previous professors materials :(

On a deeper topic, yesterday marked an important day in my life.  Five years ago, during my junior year of high school, one of my good friends passed away.  While it was a horrible event that has forever changed my life, I've learned so much because of it.  First, it's a constant reminder to value your family and the friendships you have because you never know how much time you have to spend with someone.  Second, even though someone may seem to be happy or have it all, you never know what they may be struggling with.  When I get frustrated or critical of others, its a good reminder that there is so much more to them than what's on the surface. Lastly, it is something that has bound my high school friends together.  While we all have gone our own separate ways in college, it's an experience we all share and something that brings us together, even if only for once a year.


And on that note, everyone have a wonderful, safe, and relaxing Labor Day weekend!