It is hard to believe that another weekend is over! Only two more weeks until Thanksgiving, and only three and a half weeks until finals *gulp*. I still have so much to do before the semester is over!

Last week was the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine came to Beloit. This included a presentation on how to apply to an osteopathic medical program and we also got to meet a bunch of admissions representatives from various osteopathic schools and chat with them about the programs. While I find osteopathic medicine to be very interesting and agree with the basic principles of it, I still think I want to get a regular MD, not a DO (the degree for osteopathic medicine). But it was really cool to have the opportunity to explore that path.

Today we had our first snowfall of the year! I know that I will soon be annoyed with the snow, but the first few are always really pretty and nice to me. I can't imagine living somewhere where it doesn't snow at least a few times a year.

This weekend was also opening night of "The Importance of being Ernest" which the theater department here is putting on. Though I did not get a chance to see it this weekend, I hope to see it Next weekend. "The Importance of Being Ernest" has a special place in my heart, as it is the first show I ever saw at APT (a theater company in Spring Green, Wisconsin) when I was seven or eight. I now go to spring green at least once a summer to see a play.

This weekend was not as eventful as last weekend. I did not go off campus or visit any old SOIs (yes Krista, that was a wonderful visit. Can't wait until you are back on campus!). But having a relaxing weekend was actually quite wonderful. I didn't fully understand how much I liked doing nothing until becoming a college student! Not that there was a lack of activities available, I just NEEDED a break.

Tonight, lots of perspective students are coming in for Beloit's Autumn Visit Days. It seems a bit weird to have something with the word "Autumn" in the title when snow is falling (SNOW!), but this IS Wisconsin. I am looking forward to meeting some of you this evening.

If you didn't come, I suggest visiting the schools you are applying to at some point. I actually only did one or two college visits before I got acceptance letters, but I manged to visit all of my schools eventually. For me, the visits were very important because they allowed me to get a feel for the campus and see if I could picture myself there. Some places I went to were really high up on my list until I visited, and some were lower until I visited.

And to end, a picture from last weekend. It is supposed to be the Chicago skyline, but I took it on the "night" setting of my camera without a tripod, so I shall call it "Chicago on Speed"

This week has been so busy!

Last weekend I presented at the Undergraduate Research Conference for Biological and Psychological Sciences along with five other Beloit students. We spent all weekend in Chicago with undergraduate scientists from around the country. It was really exciting to see the research everyone did! Some people had been doing their research for years, and others (like myself) were presenting things they had just been doing for the summer. I took a bunch of pictures, and will probably add them later when I get them off of my camera.

This week was also election week! I took Tuesday off to go back to Madison to volenteer for the election. Tuesday night was amazing!

Now that the excitement is over, I not only have to make up the work that I didn't get to do this weekend or Tuesday, but also decide classes for next semester by tomorrow! It looks like I will be taking three science classes (which makes sense, as I am a biochemistry major) and something else....but what?

I am also signed up to take an MCAT prep course in Madison next semester. This means that I will be driving up to Madison with a few other Beloiters twice a week. Thankfully, the Health Professionals Advisory Committee will chip in a few hundred dollars towards the course and, perhaps, some gas money. I have a meeting to discuss that tomorrow.

Hope you all had a good week. Have a great weekend!

Today we got scheduling materials for next semester. This is always an exciting time of year, because you can almost see winter break and usually, no matter how much you like your classes, you are ready for a change. For some people, it is time to start thinking about what they want/need to take next semester. For others, like myself, it is time to try and find something to fit into a schedule where you already know most of your classes. The sciences are really good about putting up the schedule somewhere in the science building for people to see soon after they submit class lists to the registrars office, so I knew three out of the four classes I would be taking next semester about two months ago. but it is nice to think about what next semester may bring.

I spent this morning printing out a huge poster for the Undergraduate Research Symposium in Biological Sciences this weekend. There are six of us going. Basically, we get to hang out in a hotel for a weekend with other undergraduates who did research over the summer and present our work. I am a little nervous, as with all public speaking things, but also kind of excited. though I think it will be a great experience, I can't pretend I am not sad about missing the Halloween things going on this weekend. Tomorrow evening they have a live action Rocky Horror show put on by students, and many other fun party things planned. It is also Get Out The Vote weekend.

Hope you all have a great weekend/ Halloween

This weekend was very fun, despite the massive amounts of homework I had to do.

Saturday I took the whole day off went to Madison with the Department of Student Activities to see Avenue Q. The college bought 50 tickets at a discounted price,. For the coast of the discounted ticket, we got a Ticket to Avenue Q and a ride to Madison on the bus they hired, what a deal! It was also nice because we got to Madison around 11:30 and the show did not start until 2, which meant we had a few hours to hang out. I went with one of my friends to have breakfast at Sun Print Cafe off the square, and then became a real madisonian again and sat in Michelangelo's (a cafe on State street) and read The Isthmus and did the crossword. what a great day!

Avenue Q was also great! I saw so many people that I knew there (aside from the 49 other Beloiters). The show was HILARIOUS, as expected. In the beginning, it was weird to see the people with the puppets, but as the show progressed you kind of forgot about the people and focused on the puppets.

This week and next week are going to be crazy. Between school and homework and the election, it is going to a few weeks of little sleep. Luckily, I already voted, so I don't have to worry about actually going to the polls among the slew of other activities I have going on.

Have a great week everyone!

Phew, feels like I haven't blogged in ages!

Fall break was wonderful! I got to go home and chill out, though I wasn't doing much relaxing. I worked for the Obama campaign in Madison every day; I entered so much data I thought my eyeballs were going to fall out and made so many phone calls I thought my ears were going to fall off.

In addition to that, I hung out with friends, watched a lot of movies/TV, and drunk lots of tea. One night, my friends and I watched "Edward Scissorhands" and "Sweeney Todd"...I never realized how alike those movies are. I also avoiding doing any kind of homework. In retrospect, this was probably not the best idea, but I am all caught up now.

Tuesday, the people running for congress had a debate at the college...again. They also had one when I was a freshman here. I was kind of sad to miss it, but I had to do the aforementioned homework. One of the candidates used to be a professor at Beloit! I am not going to vote for him, but it is cool.

Have a wonderful weekend!

It has been a pretty hectic week. I missed two days of school for Rosh Hashana and was working like crazy to make it up. The professors are always very understanding about religious holidays that interfere with school, but I still wanted to be on top of things when I got back.

Yesterday was one of my favorite annual events at Beloit. Many of the staff brought their pets to the wall (a meeting place on residential side of campus) and we got to have some fuzz therapy. Nothing quite like taking a break from genetics work to hang out with a group of happy dogs. Last year there was a cat, but it did not make an appearance this year.

Can't wait for fall break! Only one more week and I will be in Madison wolfing down homemade food and volunteering like crazy for the presidential election! I will hopefully have some time to veg out on the couch watching Lord of the Rings (I watch the entire series in its extended edition format almost every break) and cuddling with my cats.

Don't forget to watch the second presidential debate on Tuesday!