NEW VIDEO: The Dark Side of Gaming (Documentary)
-
Posts
307 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Everything posted by Deku
-
It’s looking like another sleepless night. The stress of thinking about medical school is keeping me up a lot recently, which may not be a bad thing. I never had a problem sleeping in undergrad. Finished submitting my volunteer packet for the hospice position and I’m signed up for my orientation, so ready to roll out on that front. The beauty of this position is that it’s 100% based on availability, allowing me to alter my commitment based on the ebb and flow of my other projects. Its also a way to interact with terminal patients in an incredibly unique way that will undoubtedly help me become a better provider. Excited about it! The other major front, MCAT studying, is also going surprisingly smoothly—just one chapter shy of clearing Biology and Physiology now. If next semester isn’t too challenging I might even be able to sign up for a test in the late summer which would be insane...but we’ll see how that goes. I think I’m doing a passable job patching up the many, many holes in my application, but I just have this deep worry that I’m overlooking something important. Guess it might be time to schedule an appointment with the premed advisor again. Going to try and catch some zz’s now...see you tomorrow friends.
-
I think your analysis is spot on. One of the biggest perks of gaming is that you get to see consistent, measurable achievement, but good grades really do fill that gap nicely. I think you'll be amazed how much you can love school after quitting games. Excited for you!
-
Oof, 40 minute commute, that’s rough. Personally I’d play some music and/or take a catnap with that time, but using it as your daily forum time isn’t a bad idea. Either way you have my sympathy ??
-
Saturdays are my main training days and as such have become one of the hardest days of the week. Did a 9 mile hike today with over 50 pounds on my back, now my thighs are like rocks. Hopefully the training only gets easier from here.
-
I'm now registered as a hospice volunteer! The organization goes through a lot of premeds and seems very passionate about providing the best possible outcome for patients, so they really feel like a good fit.
-
Finished up 2 fat MCAT chapters today: embryogenesis and development, as well as the nervous system. Next stop--the Endocrine and Respiratory systems.
-
Finally made tangible steps towards finding volunteer opportunities. Submitted two applications today, both for hospice care positions in my local area. I honestly thought last semester was pretty challenging between 16 academic credits, research and bible study, but next semester is looking like death in comparison. It's essentially going to be the same commitments as last semester, with the added load that comes with volunteering, instructing, training, and studying for the MCAT. I mapped out a projected schedule on Excel and it looks insane--my week is completely saturated with almost no free time or breathing room. This is the wall I'll have to climb if I want to go to medical school.
-
Congrats! Happy for you!
-
Well over halfway there!! Congrats man and happy New Years. Hope you can keep up the good work in 2019 ?
-
The reactions to this journal have been overwhelmingly positive, and I can't begin to express how grateful I am. I've said it several times before, but knowing that there are people out there who take time to follow my journey and offer support is simply incredible. Thank you so much @info-gatherer, @Peregrinator and @Mads for your kind words, it really means a lot. To my disappointment, I have not accomplished a whole lot this holiday season. My family members have all been kind of clingy of late, and while I do enjoy spending time with them it hasn't exactly worked wonders for my productivity. Rather than studying for MCAT and bible study, I've been dragged from hiking trails to reunions to football games, so I've fallen quite far behind in my work. I can't wait to get back to it now that the holiday season is over. Belated responses to my fellow community members: @Samon -- Haven't decided what doctor to be yet! At the moment I'm leaning towards oncology/emergency medicine, but honestly my only thoughts are on getting into medical school first. I'll have all the time in the world to think about specialties later ? (Also, congrats on veteran status! Proud of you and the progress you've made here!) It's uh...it's uh...yeah it's not going the best. I'm honestly hoping that my mountaineering training regimen (which I've followed religiously) will translate to stronger legs and greater endurance for the marathon, which would obviate the need for dedicated marathon training. On the bright side, I have fundraised my 1500 dollars for ALS, securing my spot on the team, and convinced my cousin to join as well. So it's not all bad ?
-
@RS Addict Thanks for the kind words, and best of luck with your own journey! The past few days have been pretty unremarkable, so there really hasn''t been much to write. Historically studying the MCAT has been quite a challenge for me because it takes months of dedicated effort and commitment, which was really hard to maintain due to urges and burnout. So this time around I'm trying to set a manageable pace of 1 chapter a day, and making it the top priority in my day--I'll roll out of bed in the morning and study my chapter before doing anything else. I won't be done with MCAT studying by the end of break to be sure, but if I can just keep this pace up until the end I'll definitely achieve my goal of finishing Bio, Biochem, and Orgo, which means I'll just need to study Inorganic Chem, Physics, and Psych/Soc over the next semester.
-
Welcome! As a former max cape RS player I know what a time-sink that game can be, so I definitely applaud your decision to quit. You've set yourself some impressive goals; best of luck in getting them done.
-
Welcome and good luck! It's never too late to start something (especially if you're only 25), so I definitely think you made the right choice joining the forums. What are you planning to do in your free time now that you've quit?
-
I wouldn't worry about not having a direction in life right now. You're only 18 and yet you've already made the decision to quit gaming and improve your life, which is more than I can say for when I was that age. As long as you stay busy and keep off the games I think you'll have done great! You're 18 so I presume you're off to university soon? I haven't the slightest idea how it works in Denmark, but maybe your next goals could have something to do with that--finishing x applications by a certain date, getting a certain score on the entrance exam, or setting some target grades for your high school classes next semester so you don't slack off.
-
Love all the new things you’re doing with your life! Working out, learning German, rock climbing, it’s all a huge step in the right direction. Best of luck!
-
Oh I think that’s a pretty good idea. I think it’ll definitely be useful for all the formulas and stuff, among other things. Thanks @karabas and @Silverlining. Grades have finally officially come out! I know med schools don’t really care about grad school GPA, but I worked so hard for these grades that I hope they’ll take notice...at least a little bit.
-
Ask and ye shall receive! What you need to get into medical school in the US: -Undergraduate degree with a competitive GPA -Entrance exam scores -Extracurriculars (clinical work, research, volunteering, leadership, etc) -References from 3-6 individuals -A buttload of money, maybe $10,000 total for the whole process Currently working on 1 and 3 and studying for 2. I'm hoping to pick up references for 4 along the way. Hope that answered your question!
-
Setting goals for the rest of break today: --Review 1 Bible Study lesson a day --Take notes on MCAT Biology, Biochemistry, and Organic Chemistry sections --Begin conditioning for Mount Rainier. Also, bought the ultimate mountaineering book "Freedom of the Hills" today. I'm going to read and take notes on the content whenever I get the chance. I've noticed that there are a lot of active members on the forum right now, and that makes me very happy. I can't wait to learn about/catch up on all of the daily journals here, so I'm going to try to allocate at least 15-30 minutes a day to browse around on GameQuitters. That's all for now! Good night! PS Had a wonderful chat with a premed advisor and turns out my undergrad GPA will be fine as long as it's above a 3.55 (which I can get with just 6 undergrad credits next semester instead of 9--phew). It doesn't sound like much but it's actually a HUGE load off of me for next sem, so I'm very happy about that.
-
Mind's feeling a bit disorganized and stressed so took a day off to declutter my living spaces. Feels a lot better now!
-
Spent most of today working some scheduling magic, and finally came up with a course load that will somehow allow me to take 9 undergraduate credits and 19 total credits, instruct Immunology lab, and still give me the cap space to fit in potentially 2 volunteering activities, bible study and MCAT preparation. Next semester is going to suck but I'll theoretically be in a good position if it all goes well. This all of course hinges on the professor of Path Micro and Hematology allowing me to add into his 7:30 am - 8:45 pm classes without having taking the prerequisites. ^__^" Also, I have more news in that I've decided to sign up for a 9-day mountaineering trip in the Pacific Northwest this summer, comprising of 6 days climbing in the Cascades followed by a 3-day attempt of Mount Rainier. Climbing Everest has always been a dream of mine, and hopefully this becomes a stepping stone to accomplish that goal. This was the reward I promised myself for acing my classes last semester, landing the instructor job for Immunology lab, and securing two good references for medical school, so I'm looking forward to it. Somehow I'll have to figure out a way to incorporate the required conditioning into my saturated schedule.
-
Don't worry about it! You're making a big change in your life so be sure to take it slow and be forgiving on yourself. I find a good way to fix the internet browsing problems is to take your work to an open location like a library or coffee shop where everyone can see your screen. The thought of all those judgey eyes really helps me stay on task.
-
Good luck! The boredom is really common at the start when you suddenly have all this time and nothing to spend it on. It'll go away quick once you find meaningful activities that take up all that free time. Keep pushing, this phase will be over before you know it. I'm encouraged that you're already getting outside and meeting people. It's an important step to leaving the games behind. Keep it up!
-
@Samon Med school is still reaaally far off, even by the most generous estimates. At the very earliest it's looking like I'm going to be applying in the Summer of 2020. I actually pulled an all-nighter tonight just thinking about all the actions I need to take and how I'm going to make it all work within the next 18 months. Some thoughts I scribbled down: 1. I need to find myself a good premed advisor. Maybe my school has one, I need to poke around. 2. I need to take more undergrad classes. Remember the 4.0 I got this semester, and how damn hard I worked for it? It all pretty much means nothing, because med schools actually strongly prefer undergrad grades. So I'm looking to take 10+ units of undergrad next semester to really kick up my GPA. 3. I need to start studying for the MCAT and volunteering. Gah. It feels like every time I type this, and I never make any solid concrete headway into getting these done. Goddamit Deku get your shit together. The MCAT is like the final boss that's the biggest obstacle right now. If I can nail that test then I'm pretty much through, if not then all the work in the world won't help me. So I guess I really should be making that test a bigger part of my life right now. I'm pretty beat right now, so I'm going to crash, but I have a nagging feeling that there's more I have to do that I've just forgotten for now. More later.
-
Welp that’s a wrap—4.0 this semester is clinched unless I somehow choked in Project Seminar. I’m still worthless at getting girls but at least I’m feeling a lot better about my ability to succeed academically at this point. Best of luck to all my fellow GameQuitters in your final exams.