Introduction to an Unprecedented Semester
Hello! I'm a junior psychology major on the pre-medical track. I've been wanting to take a class like this for some time now. While I'm not familiar with story writing I absolutely love reading, and I've always thought that the tales told in mythology and folklore were such interesting ways of teaching the lessons we still abide by today.
I think this semester is definitely going to my one of my most interesting yet. Given the state of the world right now, it's bound to be the first of it's kind. I am one that likes to know what's coming next, but I think the one thing that has been consistent about this year is that there was something unexpected around every corner. I have a tendency to plan far far ahead, so these past couple months have definitely been a change of pace for me. I am lucky to have spent these past several months at home with my family, mainly picking up new hobbies and catching up on Netflix shows that my parents started without me. If you're looking for new (or old) Netflix shows to watch, I would highly suggest watching The West Wing with Martin Sheen and a young Rob Lowe. The rapid-fire dialogue is thought provoking and the humor has made it one of my favorite shows yet. Any political drama will have a degree of inaccuracy, some more than others, but this is one of the best political dramas I have seen yet and I probably won't be watching any other shows for a long time. The most notable change in my everyday life has been that I started working in the ER in-between my summer classes. I never thought that my first exposure to the field would be in the midst of a pandemic, but I am constantly in awe of the healthcare professionals I am able to witness everyday!
These are unprecedented times, but I am eager to connect with everyone through our reading and writing and I can't wait to see what this semester brings!
Bizzell Memorial Library, University of Oklahoma (2019) Source: Wikipedia
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Total West Wing fan here also! :-) As you can probably guess, there are a lot (A LOT) of pre-med students in the class this semester... along with non-stop medical news on the front page of every newspaper every day. And you've been working in an ER... wow! I'll confess I would feel far safer with Bartlett in the White House right now... with Abbey providing medical advice too. Maybe you can even do some West-Wing-inspired stories for class this semester; Bartlett knows his folklore and mythology, and he's not afraid to use stories and fables to make his point. (There's even that episode where he's shopping in a bookstore and starts going on and on about Phaedrus, the oldest extant collection of Aesop's fables... first and only time I suspect that the Roman poet Phaedrus got to be in prime-time American television drama!) I'm a fan of Sorkin dialogue anywhere: in TV, movies... I liked his TV show Newsroom a lot, but West Wing was the best! Have you seen the movie Charlie Wilson's War? Top-notch Sorkin dialogue in there! And that's my main criterion for TV shows to tell the truth. I love good dialogue. My other top shows for dialogue would probably be Wired... and Justified... now if I could just learn to write dialogue like that in my own stories! I hope you will have some good dialogue-writing adventures in this class. :-)
ReplyDeleteHey SV!
ReplyDeleteYou are so right, this has been the weirdest year, and so far, the semester is starting off completely unique. I never thought when we left for Spring Break back in March that this is what we'd still be doing in September! I LOVE The West Wing and may have to start a rewatch of it once I've worked through some more of my watch list. I started gardening over the summer. I really didn't need 3 types of tomato plants, 5 varieties of pepper, and a watermelon taking over my backyard, but it was something to do. I hope your pandemic hobbies were just as fun!
-Eli
Hi SV!
ReplyDeleteI've been watching a lot of Netflix too! i have not watched the West Wing, but I think I need to start now. That is really cool that you are working in the ER. I agree that this semester will be the most unique semester yet. I love to plan in advance as well, so this semester will be really testing us. :)
Hi SV! So many of my friends are obsessed with the West Wing yet I have not gotten around to watching it with them, I will definitely need to check it out. I was with you for a bit in the Psychology and Pre-Med route, but I think my sophomore year I switched to get into HES. I think that psychology is so interesting and am excited for you to finish your degree! I myself, am hoping to minor in it. Good luck with this semester and stay safe!
ReplyDeleteHi SV!
ReplyDeleteI'm also a huge reader! I'll probably be a massive bookworm until I die! What are your favorite types of books? I'm definitely a more sci-fi fiction / fantasy / futuristic type booky myself! I can totally resonate with you about liking to plan ahead! I'm the exact same way, I'm actually certified event planner it's imbedded into my DNA. I was super caught off guard and stress by the pandemic too! I'm looking forward to getting to know you better throughout the semester!
Hi SV,
ReplyDeleteI, too, am a pre-medical student! When are you taking the MCAT? When are you applying? It should be soon I think! That's so exciting but so stressful at the same time! I am in the same boat, haha!
I am so glad you got into this class because I know you were saying you had been wanting to take this class for a while now. I am really looking forward to reading your stories this fall!
-Libby
Hi SV,
ReplyDeleteNow I realized why you wrote a story about "invisible things". I would say you major is really cool! I have a friend who is also a psychology student, and she said that people could learn how human's brain work in this major. Also, I also enjoy Netflix shows! Some of their works are just amazing!
Hey SV! I'm also a psych major and am absolutely loving it, and I think using psych on the pre-med track is incredibly smart! You'll get a good foundation of how to work with people, which is the most important thing in the medical field. I also really appreciate your attitude towards the times we're in right now, as the only thing we can expect is the unexpected. I think being positive this semester no matter what's thrown our way will help us to keep pushing!
ReplyDeleteI love that you are a science guy like myself! I am not psych or pre-med but with my major I have taken a lot of similar classes and also will be going to school for a while after college. I am excited for the future and am looking forward to it! Also, I completely agree that this semester is going to be much different that the past. Hopefully we will see somewhat of a sense of normal for next semester but it is not looking great. It was great meeting you!
ReplyDeleteHello SV! Just like you, I am a plan ahead kind of person. This pandemic really has me stressing because nothing is certain right now and I need that kind of reassurance. I have been looking for new shows to watch, so i will definitely have to give the one you suggested a try. I have so much respect for you and your will to work in the ER during a pandemic, it truly shows your character. I look forward to reading more from you and it was so nice to meet you!
ReplyDeleteHi SV!
ReplyDeleteI am a pre-PA student! So my route is a little similar to yours! That's crazy that you're working in the ER during this pandemic. It's definitely something I'm sure you've never expected. I have heard of West Wing but never got into it. I had a friend suggest it to me. I decided to ask another friend what they thought of the show and they replied, "West Wing? More like Bore wing". I don't know why but that impression/response has really stuck with me and has caused me to not watch the show haha. Maybe I'll give it a chance over winter break!
Hey SV, I totally feel you on liking to plan ahead because I'm super anxious, and that means that I have to be as prepared as possible for all things to come! So, a change of pace is daunting, but I personally got used to it with time. Also, I'll have to add that show to my list of things to watch. I'm not a hardcore political show fan, but I'm always open to new things. That said, the last political show I watched was called Political Animals, and truthfully I only watched it because it had Sebastian Stan in it. It's been a few years since I've seen it, but I remember it being interesting, so that's the only personal recommendation I have to give.
ReplyDeleteHello, that is so exciting that you have been waiting to take this class for a while and you are finally getting to take this course. Hopefully you are enjoying it too since you’ve been wanting to take this course. These times are definitely one of a kind and it is really hard to plan ahead because you never what is going to happen. I am also a planner and live by my planner, so the constant changing is very hard for me, but it is probably teaching me to live in the moment a little more. Good luck with the rest of this semester!
ReplyDeleteHi SV,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you that this year is the weirdest year of all my life. And it's crazy that you are working in the ER department during this pandemic time. I am pretty sure you were anxious working in this environment while not knowing what to expect with this Virus. But it also shows that you are a caring person. I hope you are protecting yourself all the time. Good luck for the rest of the semester!
Hi SV!
ReplyDeleteSaying that this year is weird is a major understatement... I totally agree this is the weirdest year ever! I'm glad you finally got to take this class, it was on my radar as well. It has been really enjoyable so far. I can't believe you have been working in the ER department! It's probably really scary, but exciting at the same time because of everything going on right now. I wish you the best of luck as you continue that!
Hi SV!
ReplyDeleteI loved getting to know you better and reading your introduction post. Reading my classmates introduction posts is one of my favorite assignments because I love getting to know my classmates. I am so happy that you are in this class and have enjoyed it so far. That is incredible that you have been working in the ER department, I can't even imagine what it has been like the past couple of months due to COVID! I loved reading your post. Nice to meet you.
Hi SV, It's nice to meet you, I can't even imagine what it was like working in the ER this summer. I had kind of laughed when people started posting that buying planners for 2020 had been a waste but I still find myself needing to plan out everything. I also like to work on future plans and goals so I know what you mean about everything being thrown off course so suddenly. Having those structures in place though helped me keep from becoming completely derailed though and I managed to stay productive instead.
ReplyDeleteHi SV! That's great your pre-med track, so am I! Do you have an idea of where you want to go to medical school? Wow working in the ER must be super hectic with everything going on right now, I'm sure you have some interesting stories. I enjoyed getting to know you a little better. Best of luck with everything this semester and in the future!
ReplyDeleteHi SV, it's very cool that you're getting to work in the ER during this pandemic! It's definitely been a challenge for healthcare professionals workers but also a challenge for us future healthcare professionals. It's not ideal having to learn the tough science courses online. And it has been a struggle for me personally to find anywhere that is looking to hire/internship/shadowing because of the COVID restrictions. I'm wanting to go to PA school so hopefully I can start my medical experience soon, good luck this semester!
ReplyDeleteHi SV :)
ReplyDeleteI think it's so cool you're a pych pre-med major! That's gotta be in line for some tough jobs up ahead, but I know you'll totally knock them out of the park. I'm not usually one for political dramas, but I'll check this one out. I hope you end up really liking this class and find some joy in writing, I know I definitely do! I hope the coming semesters go much more smoothly for you and that when you do graduate, it's across a real stage with that epic music!
Hi SV,
ReplyDeleteSuper cool major looks like you'll have a lot of options on what line of field you want to go into. Any particular field you are interested in? I am a huge West Wing fan myself! I ended up binge watching it during quarantine and fell in love with the characters. Hope to read some more of your work during this semester. Wish you all the best during this crazy year.
Hi SV! I'm totally right there with you as far as wanting to know what is coming next and having to resign myself to the fact that I just simply can't do that anymore. I also am going to take your suggestion about watching West Wing (hello, who doesn't love Rob Lowe) as I have never seen it before! I hope you're having a good semester and good luck to you!
ReplyDeleteHi SV,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on that one -- this has been one of the most interesting year to date. However, I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing, but regardless, it's still a change of pace from what I was used to before. Nonetheless, this is what reality is now and I think it's great that you are taking advantage of your time and looking for areas to further knowledge on your career! I'm also a pre-med and I think this point in time is when the world really needs these health professionals the most. I look forward to reading more of your stories!
Hi SV!
ReplyDeleteSpending time in the ER? That's crazy! You sound so cool about it too! I would be freaking out. I've never watched The West Wing, but I might give it a shot after your recommendation although I tend to steer clear of political tv shows. I love rapid fire dialogue though which is a big reason why I might try it out. Have a great day!