Sunday, September 14, 2014

Famous Last Words Week 4: Drowning in Applications

I'm sad to say that this is the first week that I've missed a Storytelling post. My favorite part of this class is my ability to have an outlet for writing, and I've loved taking the opportunity to challenge myself to retell stories in new styles and interpretations.

I'm not one to make excuses for myself, but I know why I dropped the ball. To begin, let me offer a metaphor to describe my life at college right now.

Imagine that you're a newly hired dog walker. Eager to get started, you head over to pick up your first client's dog. However, you discover that it's not just one dog. It's fifteen to be exact, and they're all hyperactive miniature dachshunds. (Trust me, I speak from experience when it comes to the dachshunds.) While none of them could over take you alone, together they constitute unpredictable collection of canines seeking to pull you every which way.
A tame version of my metaphorical college career at the moment. Wikipedia Commons.
That about sums it up for me. I don't mean to complain, but these past few weeks haven't hesitated to add helpings to my plate. A few secondary applications for medical school flew into my mailbox. The university has nominated me to apply for both the Rhodes and Marshall Scholarships. The deadline for my Fulbright grant proposal has completely hit me by surprise. My independent study awaits its paperwork to be filled out.

There is light at the end of the tunnel, however. The scholarship applications require that everything comes in by the end of September, and medical school secondaries can't come in forever. I look forward to having more time to read and play accordion. I'm eager to break in my hammock during one of Oklahoma's rare, perfect autumn days. The key is too relax and take things one day at a time. For now, I'm lucky to have friends in my life who keep me sane and my priorities in check.

Here's to flying by the seat of my pants! Cin cin! 

4 comments:

  1. Jake, I had to smile when I read this post. I felt EXACTLY the same way my senior year of school. I applied for a Marshall, the main reason being that the application deadline was insanely early (this was back in 1985; I don't know how it works now), and if I got the thing, then I wouldn't have to apply for anything else. I got it... so I didn't have to apply for anything else, ha ha. Anyway, GOOD LUCK with whatever applications you do decide to complete!

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    1. Glad to know I'm not the only one. Thanks for the well-wishes! We'll see how everything plays out. In addition, I'd be interested to hear what program you chose in the UK. For now, I'm just excited about having the opportunity to reflect on who I am and how that applies to what I want to do with my life--scholarship or not.

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  2. Hey Jake, First off, I hope everything has leveled out for you in your semester. I can definitely relate to your metaphor you included (which was very accurate!) I have at time come pretty close to not posting on the blogging platform because of unforeseen things that come my way. I hope that you are having a great semester and remember that you are never in this alone.

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  3. Hey Jake! First off I want to say that it has almost been amusing to discover that my peers are all posting very similar famous last words posts regarding applications to post graduate programs. I too am in the medical school application cycle, so I can understand the pressure and stress that builds up while you are trying to fill those out while till being responsible for your current school and extracurricular activities. Whether you are able to get all of your deadlines met or not, you seem to have made some incredible achievements during your time at OU and I am sure that you will continue to do so in medical school! Good luck!

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