Thursday, August 25, 2016

Introduction to a Girl Who's Not Really Sure



Let's start with a short introduction to who I am as a student. I am in my second year of college studying to obtain a degree in Chemistry and Biochemistry, pre-med with a minor in biology. I didn't always want a chemistry major though. After finishing high school, I felt out of place. Most of the people around me loved chemistry while I just did it because I had to. I felt as if I should try and like it but no matter how hard I tried, at the time I couldn’t imagine myself studying chemistry. I wasn’t sure of what I wanted to do. Due to that, I started my freshman year of college with an undecided major. After taking the Intro to Zoology course for non-majors, I found myself falling in love with biology which was odd to me since I was always more of a math oriented type of gal. So I decided to declare my major as Biology. However that plan fell through quickly after taking the second biology course. I came to once again realize that I enjoy things that are concrete, hence why my favorite subject was always math. So with that being said, I gave chemistry a shot. To my surprise I loved it. I found myself actually clicking with the concepts and eagerly looking forward to learning more. I actually did well in my courses and I truly felt as if this was what I wanted to study. So that was the short, yet not so short, introduction of how I chose the major that I have today.

  (Chemistry Equipment: Flickr Images)


Now for an introduction of who I am as a person. I lived in Edmond for the majority of my life but moved to the Moore public school district halfway through my freshman year of high school. We moved so that I could be closer to OU.

I often times think about what I want to be in the future and although I have an idea of what I would want, I’m not sure if I have the determination to follow through with it. I would love to be a pediatrician. I am very fond of children and I would like for my job to lie within the medical field so I felt as if that was my best option. That is my practical goal. Moving along the more impractical side, I would love to be a person who makes YouTube videos. I really enjoy watching and doing makeup and if I could be reassured that I would do well in that career, I would most definitely take the chance. Maybe in the future when I’m at the point where I am stable, I will try to pursue that as a hobby. 
(The Path to my Success: Pexel Images)
In my free time, I love to play with my dog, Tigger. He's a 5 year old Siberian husky. He always knows how to cheer me up whenever I'm feeling down. I love him so much and I couldn't imagine life without him. I also love to watch Korean dramas aka k dramas. I can literally sit there for over 7 hours just watching them. I watched my first one in senior year of high school and the amount of dramas I've watched has skyrocketed. I highly recommend them if you're really into cute romance. It'll take awhile to get used to reading subtitles while watching the drama but trust me, it's worth it.  
(Tigger staring intensely at a piece of trash. Personal photo)
Moving onto summer break:

Most of the time I'll start my semester off with saying that this summer wasn't long enough, but that wasn't the case this time. I felt as if I spent my summer wisely and although summer could always be longer, I wasn't regretful of what I didn't do. This summer I once again volunteered at St. Anthony’s hospital with my brother. There I helped in the pathology department where I got to see all sorts of interesting things not limited to: a finger, a dead body, and an eighty pound leg (yes just the leg alone). In the afternoons I would help in the “Joyful Beginnings”  department which was where the newborn babies were located. Our family also took a camping trip this summer in Wichita Mountains. Although I would have preferred going when it was much cooler, it was still a memorable experience for my family and I. 
(The Great Outdoors: Pixabay Images)






20 comments:

  1. I was also confused on what I wanted to do with my major when I was a freshman. I started with biology but later changed it to microbiology because I did not like the zoology course I took. Things always change and so will you so its hard to pick something that you will enjoy for the rest of your life. That sounds like a good plan though, as along as you pick something that you personally enjoy doing I don't think it should be a problem. All the things that you saw at the hospital sound so interesting, and it would honestly make my day if I could spend my morning with babies. They are so adorable! Camping is great and I've been camping once but I hate bugs so thats not really a good combination there. I do love the outdoors though and all of the outdoor activities.

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  2. Linh you have always been great at Chemistry, and I am glad you realized that. I remember you had a bit of a tough time in highschool, but I felt like it was just you overthinking things. I don't remember if I told you or not, but I also am doing Biochemistry. I feel like Peds is a great field for you because you are easy to get along with and you are very kind. I think kids would never have a tough time opening up to you.

    I am glad to hear your summer was great and you volunteered another year that the hospital. It was sad that when we both volunteered, we were not put in the same field, or have lunch together. Hopefully we can catch up again this semester!

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  3. What a great find-your-major story, Linh! My husband was a chemistry major in college, and he went on to become a meteorologist, so chemistry was a big part of that too. It is such a powerful body of knowledge! Since you know the periodic table of elements, maybe you would like this wonderful Periodic Table of Storytelling ... even better: it's interactive! Click on each element in the table to go to the TVTropes website, which has all kinds of storytelling ideas. I need to share this one in the announcements soon; it is such a fun and useful tool... which just happens to look like the periodic table too.

    I've read too many introductions today, but I am sure SOMEBODY mentioned St. Anthony's, if only I could remember who it was... aha, yes, it was Bentleigh. I guess St. Anthony's is huge, but hopefully you two can connect at some point. Who knows: your paths might even have crossed in real life there too! :-)

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  4. I really enjoyed your introduction. I feel like I really got to see who you were in the short writing you did. I love camping especially there! Where exactly did you go? I also enjoyed you describing the major choice in detail. I think almost everyone goes through that struggle so it was nice to see it from someone else's side.

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  5. I really enjoyed reading your introduction! Chem/Biochem is no joke so I commend you on that. Just like you, I really did not enjoy chemistry in high school just because it was almost seen as a joke. However, after taking chemistry in college, I really started to enjoy the subject. The same goes for biology and classes alike. Good luck on the rest of the semester!

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  6. Hi Linh! Nice to meet you! I also graduated from the Moore schools district! It was great being so close to OU growing up. It's awesome that you could see yourself being a pediatrician and as for your make-up tutorial goal.... I say go for it now! You can do both with some great time management! That would be so cool if you were famous, but helping kids is really awesome too and it sounds like you got to help people at the hospital this summer. Great meeting you!

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  7. It is so wonderful that you spent so much of your time volunteering in a hospital! My mom is a hospital-based schoolteacher (that is, she teaches kids when they are in the hospital for a long time) so I understand how emotionally taxing that can be. It takes a special person to provide that kind of care to people!

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  8. I love visiting the Wichita Mountains! But yes, I agree the fall time is a little more bearable when it comes to weather. The Oklahoma heat can be relentless at times. It sounds like even though it took a semester or two you have what you want to do with your life figured out! I remember in high school people always trying to give advice about college and choosing a major but you don't really understand the pressures and anxiety of it until you go through it yourself.
    Good luck on your future endeavors and I look forward to reading more of your stories!

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  9. Hey, Linh.
    As anyone knows who has found themself in a new place (like Norman or the Witchitas), wandering around for awhile isn't the same thing as being lost. In fact, it's the best way to get your bearings, to start forming a mental map of where you are and what's around you. Hopefully exploring different majors and paths will help provide you with a great sense of direction as you decide where you want to end up! Pediatrics is certainly a worthwhile path. My sister is going through medical school right now, and I'm trying to convince her to go into pediatrics. Mostly because her name will be Dr. Bone, and the kids will love that. Having acted in a few amateur YouTube videos back in high school, I can honestly say "just go for it." Somewhere out there on the internets there is still video evidence of me being a total goof, but it's fun, and it helps you think about film and video differently.
    Nice to meet you, Linh!

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  10. Hi Linh! I relate to you on some level with the difficulty of picking a major. I am one who hates not having a plan so when I started at OU, I decided to be an Interior Design major. I chose this because it seemed interesting, but more so because I knew that when I graduated I would become an interior designer, there would be no question as to what I would do with my degree. I would have a plan. But on the first day of classes, I knew I chose the wrong major. I couldn't imagine going to class the next day, that's how much I didn't like it. So I switched my major to International Studies. It gave me no concrete plan for a job after graduation but I LOVED the classes and I am so glad I made the switch. So all that being said, I'm glad you chose Chemistry. It's more important to go with what you connect with and love rather than what you think you'll connect with one day.

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  11. Hi Linh! I had a similar issue when I was trying to decide what my major should be! I had opted for Pre-Pharmacy, but quickly realized that Chemistry was not my cup of tea and had to switch to something else. I tried to figure things out for a bit and then finally settled on Public Relations, and I feel the same way! I show up early to class! I am awake and taking notes! I am always paying attention! Most importantly I am excited for class! I haven't been excited for a class in a long time! However, I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors! It was wonderful to meet you!

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  12. Hi Linh! I'm glad that you were able to find a major that's right for you. I came into college as a Computer Science major/Pre-Med, and then I ended up switching to Biology, and after realizing that I hadn't liked either, I found myself in Letters and it was the most amazing feeling. I absolutely love the department, and my classes and professors are so fantastic. Making the change was one of the best decisions of my life and I'm much happier now that I was before!
    Best of luck with Chemistry and the pre-medical track. I'm prepping for my MCAT this year and even though it'll be hard, it's going to be worth it!

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  13. I'm happy for you that you found your calling in chemistry! I'm not sure what to tell you on what you could do in a field with kids and medicine as I am not particularly fond of kids and the health field I want to go into does't involve much chemistry... But I am sure you will find something you want to do! I also think it s kinda cool, but also a little sad in some sense, that you've seen a dead body! I took anatomy at OU and we worked on cadavers and though it was SUPER freaky at first, I got used to it and absolutely loved the class! Never mind the fact that I failed it the first time I took it... It was nice to read about you!

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  14. Hi Linh! I'm glad to hear that you were finally able to find the major that you felt was right for you. I fortunately have kept with my major that I came in with but everyone has their own preference. I found it interesting that you put how you have seen a dead body and an 8 pound leg. Both of those are sort of creepy, but at the same time fascinating. I enjoyed hearing about all of your volunteering and experiences over the summer.

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  15. Wow, you definitely ran the gamut with finding your degree. My friend kind of did that too, although she started in Engineering and ended in Marketing/Advertising. I definitely don’t think I could work at a hospital like you did over the summer. I took an anatomy class and we dissected cats and I was fine, but human bodies kinda freak me out. Especially a detached finger or legs.

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  16. Hey Linh! Your dog Tigger is adorable! I grew up watching Winnie the Pooh and Tigger was always my favorite character. I think that everyone struggles with finding a good major in college, and a future career! I’m glad that you seem to have found one that you enjoy and wish you good luck!

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  17. Hi Linh! I am right there with you on Biology being a no go for me. I wish I could go into the medical, field, but since I just don't click with Biology or Chemistry, I figured that may not be the best option for me. Tigger is so cute! I love Huskies! They are so pretty! It sounds like you had a very eventful summer! I love that St. Anthony's delivery department is called "Joyful Beginnings"...so cute!

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  18. Hello Linh! I can relate to not knowing what they want to study! I have transferred 3 times and switched my major probably 3 times so be thankful that you at least found what you are passionate for before you got to be a junior in college! I have never watched a K drama before but from what I hear they are interesting!

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  19. Hello Linh,
    I just realized that I have never been paired with you so I have never had the opportunity to read your introduction. Your dog is super cute! I love the name Tigger. I got my first dog this summer. Her name is Daisy and she is a mini labradoodle. I have quickly realized how easy it is to be so close to a dog!

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  20. I can't believe I've never read your introduction before! Chemistry is a cool major! I'm majoring in biomedical engineering but I used to be a chemical engineer and chemistry classes were some of my absolute favorites. Also, your dog is absolutely adorable! Tigger is such a cute name too! I really want a dog but I don't have the time or space for one yet. And wow volunteering at a hospital sounds amazing! I'm having trouble picturing an 80 pound leg, haha, but your experiences must have been so cool!

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