2 More Days
I'm exhausted. I wrote my biochem final exam yesterday night which means that for the entire block of time before it, I was cramming more and more information into my head. I read the textbook again (for the third time) somehow thinking that something had to become clear eventually...well lets just say I got it (I thought)
Yesterday was a brutal day that I'll soon forget over an icy drink in the backyard in the sun. I woke up early (as usual) and reviewed all my cycles. For anyone that doesn't hear me complain all the time, that basically means I spat out chemical formulas to a ridiculous number of molecules that cycle through your body constantly providing you with energy and getting rid of waste. So...once I was done that I decided to head to school. By now it's about 9am so I figure I have about 9 more hours to cram. I made myself comforatable in a quiet study room on campus with my chemistry buddy and we studied...before I knew it 12:30 had arrived and I had lunch (which didn't sit well) and panicked a little. I went back to work memorizing and drawing etc etc and sooner then I was OK with, it was 5pm. By now my stomach is turning circles and sitting in my throat, my hands are sweaty and swolen, and I'm having hot flashes...stupid body. Why don't we learn about this in biochemistry huh?
So I go get dinner, a small sub from Quiznos across the street. I ate half, and that was all I could take, chemistry made me lose my appetite. So it's 5:45 and I'm frantically flipping paper around as if I Haven't been studying for 3 weeks, and I decide that I don't care anymore, but wait...I forgot to review my equations...crap. So I pull out the math problems I had with me and looked for equations real quick. Something about E=Na*c*h/lambda...but I don't know what all that means, ok next...delta G = -n*F*delta E...I'm in trouble...so I quickly look up the meaning of the terms in 2 equations (out of I dunno, 20) and look at the time. 6:14. I better get down to the room or I'm going to be late. I pack up all my stuff (by now it looks like I've been living there) and run downstairs, open the door to the designated room, and there's an entire class in there, that turns around and glares at me. They apparently switched the exam room. Good, I hated that room. But where is it...? There's no note or anything. I know...I got to my classroom and sure enough there everyone is.
I don't know what I was thinking when I took this course. I should have followed the trend and dropped out of biology last year. Is it too late to quit now? Yeah, I guess so. The prof makes a quick annoucement about how if everyone memorized their cycles they should be able to get close to 80% so I'm starting to feel better sorta ??
Thing is, my mark going into the final is really high (for chemistry) cause of the fluke midterm exam. So right now I'm sitting in a percent that stabilizes my grade. I have a 17% rangle in which I can still get my A- and high-tail it outta there. In other words I need a score of between 70 and 87% on this exam to get my A-...
So I open the exam, skip over the multiple choice (I'll do them last) and right to the "cycles". So I skip the first question. I don't know what it is but I never heard of it (there goes 10 marks) and fill in a few questions with relative confidence. Then I get to the math part (Crap!) and I really got nothin', so I try to throw down formulas I remember from ancient times of studying (3 weeks ago, which seems like a lifetime) and I plug numbers in like I know what I'm doing...Thing is, I have no clue. What I did may be totally wrong but I'm counting on part marks.
I get to the last page, flip back to the blank spots and still have no clue, so I go to the multiple choice. They were impossible, so I made my best guesses, and moved on.
By this time it's 8:30pm. I've been writing this thing for 2 hours. I have swolen up like nobody's business, causing me to shed my rings and watch, and my hands are hot and sweaty. I would have taken my bra off if I could, I felt like I was getting fat Fast. Stupid body...
I went back to the blank answers again, filled a couple in a little bit for part marks, but this one question worth 10 marks...how could I have missed a concept so important? I surely would have recognized the word at least and cursed my memory for not being able to remember structures, enzymes, coenzymes etc...but no...I don't even recognize this word. What the heck. So maybe he's tricking me. Maybe he's asking for something I know but I just don't understand the question. So I ask..."are you asking for the urea cycle?" I get a look, "No." Crap
So I left it blank, and packed up my stuff. That's all I got folks. I didn't even look up what that was. I don't have to know anything about anything anymore. I'm going back to the simple life, chemistry free.
So that was my night, I came home exhausted and I was sure that's how it felt to give birth. Painful for the long hours before and during, but then utterly relieved that it's over.
Problem is, I still have one more final exam to study for. That full year cumulative course. I better get to work. I might still have a little gas in the tank, but I'm definitly running low...
Aimee
Yesterday was a brutal day that I'll soon forget over an icy drink in the backyard in the sun. I woke up early (as usual) and reviewed all my cycles. For anyone that doesn't hear me complain all the time, that basically means I spat out chemical formulas to a ridiculous number of molecules that cycle through your body constantly providing you with energy and getting rid of waste. So...once I was done that I decided to head to school. By now it's about 9am so I figure I have about 9 more hours to cram. I made myself comforatable in a quiet study room on campus with my chemistry buddy and we studied...before I knew it 12:30 had arrived and I had lunch (which didn't sit well) and panicked a little. I went back to work memorizing and drawing etc etc and sooner then I was OK with, it was 5pm. By now my stomach is turning circles and sitting in my throat, my hands are sweaty and swolen, and I'm having hot flashes...stupid body. Why don't we learn about this in biochemistry huh?
So I go get dinner, a small sub from Quiznos across the street. I ate half, and that was all I could take, chemistry made me lose my appetite. So it's 5:45 and I'm frantically flipping paper around as if I Haven't been studying for 3 weeks, and I decide that I don't care anymore, but wait...I forgot to review my equations...crap. So I pull out the math problems I had with me and looked for equations real quick. Something about E=Na*c*h/lambda...but I don't know what all that means, ok next...delta G = -n*F*delta E...I'm in trouble...so I quickly look up the meaning of the terms in 2 equations (out of I dunno, 20) and look at the time. 6:14. I better get down to the room or I'm going to be late. I pack up all my stuff (by now it looks like I've been living there) and run downstairs, open the door to the designated room, and there's an entire class in there, that turns around and glares at me. They apparently switched the exam room. Good, I hated that room. But where is it...? There's no note or anything. I know...I got to my classroom and sure enough there everyone is.
I don't know what I was thinking when I took this course. I should have followed the trend and dropped out of biology last year. Is it too late to quit now? Yeah, I guess so. The prof makes a quick annoucement about how if everyone memorized their cycles they should be able to get close to 80% so I'm starting to feel better sorta ??
Thing is, my mark going into the final is really high (for chemistry) cause of the fluke midterm exam. So right now I'm sitting in a percent that stabilizes my grade. I have a 17% rangle in which I can still get my A- and high-tail it outta there. In other words I need a score of between 70 and 87% on this exam to get my A-...
So I open the exam, skip over the multiple choice (I'll do them last) and right to the "cycles". So I skip the first question. I don't know what it is but I never heard of it (there goes 10 marks) and fill in a few questions with relative confidence. Then I get to the math part (Crap!) and I really got nothin', so I try to throw down formulas I remember from ancient times of studying (3 weeks ago, which seems like a lifetime) and I plug numbers in like I know what I'm doing...Thing is, I have no clue. What I did may be totally wrong but I'm counting on part marks.
I get to the last page, flip back to the blank spots and still have no clue, so I go to the multiple choice. They were impossible, so I made my best guesses, and moved on.
By this time it's 8:30pm. I've been writing this thing for 2 hours. I have swolen up like nobody's business, causing me to shed my rings and watch, and my hands are hot and sweaty. I would have taken my bra off if I could, I felt like I was getting fat Fast. Stupid body...
I went back to the blank answers again, filled a couple in a little bit for part marks, but this one question worth 10 marks...how could I have missed a concept so important? I surely would have recognized the word at least and cursed my memory for not being able to remember structures, enzymes, coenzymes etc...but no...I don't even recognize this word. What the heck. So maybe he's tricking me. Maybe he's asking for something I know but I just don't understand the question. So I ask..."are you asking for the urea cycle?" I get a look, "No." Crap
So I left it blank, and packed up my stuff. That's all I got folks. I didn't even look up what that was. I don't have to know anything about anything anymore. I'm going back to the simple life, chemistry free.
So that was my night, I came home exhausted and I was sure that's how it felt to give birth. Painful for the long hours before and during, but then utterly relieved that it's over.
Problem is, I still have one more final exam to study for. That full year cumulative course. I better get to work. I might still have a little gas in the tank, but I'm definitly running low...
Aimee
posted by Aimee at 4:16 AM
2 Comments:
Hang tough kid you're on the home stretch now!
Love you Lots! Mom
just stumbled on your blog randomly...wanted to give you some encouragement. :)
i graduated a biology program and know the pains you are referring to. i hated exam time in college--especially in anything chem related.
one thing that has suprised me upon getting a job (in a lab) is that i have learned 100x what i learned in college just from the experience. the day to day routine of doing it is so much more useful than the rote memorization required in college.
don't get me wrong...grades are important. however, i do think you'll find that someday you'll look back and wonder why you got so anxious over a silly little biochem final. :)
good luck to you!! and if you're in the market for a lab position, feel free to msg me on my blog. i have a few contacts you might be ineterested in -- both academic institutions and industry.
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