Staying Motivated for Finals

I've been doing this for 3 years now: 6 semesters and 2 terms.

Unlike previous semesters, I have been crawling to the finish line this year. (Senioritis.) Seriously, yesterday I told myself that I did NOT care AT ALL about my finals.

Well, I found a good (but of course, not the BEST) motivator: money. Even though I have been accepted into pharmacy school, I still need a scholarship for spring term next year. That's an extra $1,200. It'd be nice to get that through an academic scholarship, so I can still save for pharmacy school.

What does my GPA need to be to get a Spring scholarship? 3.77

My GPA is 3.79 right now.

How much does one semester (mine right now is 16 credits) change that GPA? Well, including this semester, I will have 110 credits. So, 16 credits of 110 is about 14.5% of that. Based on the weight of this semester's GPA, I need to get at least a 3.65 this semester to qualify for a full-tuition spring scholarship.
Calculation: 3.79 (Cumulative GPA) x 0.8545 (Weight of Cumulative GPA) + A x 0.14545 (Weight of this semester's GPA) = 3.77
A=3.65

(Just in case finals go terribly wrong, I would need to get a 2.49 to get a half-tuition scholarship. A 2.49 would be B- in all of my classes. In this case, next semester I would need to earn an extra $600 to pay for spring classes).

Okay, so then I calculate the likelihood of the grades in my classes. There's a lot more to this, but here are some tips...
(1) Guess you are going to do either the same as you did on your midterms or worse on the final. I'm sorry, this is probably discouraging, but it's realistic. Trust me, I even studied 18 hours for a Chem final my freshman year and this theory still held true.
(2) Don't forget to add in predicted scores for other assignments. Don't give yourself 100% on these assignments, even if they're easy points. Usually I take off at least 2 points, because hey, I'm not perfect. Plus it covers picky TAs and/or teachers.

With all of these calculations, here's what I have...
For an A in Com Nut, I need to get a 91% on the final. This is what I got on the midterm, so it's doable. I studied approx. 5-6 hours for it. I'll probably study 6-7 hours.
For an A in Biochem, I need to get an 88.5% on the final. I did better than this on most midterms, so it's doable. I usually study about 9 hours for each Biochem test, so I'll study about that much for the final.
For an A- in Nut Biochem, I need to get an 88.5% on the final. This one could be trickier because I'm not as familiar with the material (I missed classes for interviews and work). I'm going to need to study about 10-12 hours for this one.
For an A- in Physics, I need to get at least a 77% on the final. This could be really difficult or really easy, since the final is entirely conceptual. I tend to do better on the math problems, not conceptual. This is my least priority class because it's not required for Regis University or my major. Haha.
For a B+ in Philosophy, I need to get an 88% on the final. Likelihood? Medium. I would need to study quite a bit though. About 10 hours.

Then to plan finals week, I am going to prioritize the finals that are scheduled and/or require the most studying. Because by the end of the week, I do not want to be studying 12 hours for one test.

And this is how I do finals.

People say I'm smart. I always tell them it's because I can plan well. This is an example of my planning.

And now, I am a lot more motivated to study for finals because (a) I know it will make my future financially easier, (b) the hours of studying are doable and (c) there's room for error.

Thanksgiving Break Goals

I would like to set some goals on this Thanksgiving break: (UPDATED. If crossed out, DONE.)

•  Catch up in Biochem. That means study the class notes. Do the reading. Answer the hw problems I had. Correct my test. Study for upcoming test. 7 hours. (Update: 2.5/7 hrs)
•  Catch up in Physics. Do the HW. Do the reading. I'd say about 5 hours. (4.3/5 hours)
•  Nutritional Biochem. Catch up on reading. Prep for quizzes. Look over class notes. 4 hours. (2.75/4). Still have some catching up to do. 
•  Philosophy. Catch up on reading. Send Dallin notes. 3 hours. (1.5/3). Only have half a chapter left. 
•  Run everyday for an hour and text Jordan.  
•  Finish my U of U application (and possibly WSU). 2 hours. Only needed one. 
•  Have a great time in SLC with Chantelle on Thurs!
•  Work. 14 hours. (13.25/14).  :) Rounding up. 
•  Chores at home. Laundry & clean room & clean dishes & get groceries. 3 hours. (2/3)
•  Write in blog. This totally counts. 
•  Write my two best friends: Helena and Eleise.
•  Watch a movie.
• Plan out gifts! 

Goals for this week:

• Biochem. Answer the HW problems I had. Correct test. Study for upcoming test. Group study. (10 hours)
• Nutritional Biochem. Prep for quizzes (finish reading). Look over class notes. Talk to Dr. Parker. (4 hours)
• Philosophy. Finish reading. (1 hour)
• Community Nutrition. Email about not being in class on Thurs. Analyze the survey data. Do a demonstration. Finish write-up. (6 hours)
• Physics. Talk to professor about missing class. Talk to TA to get class notes. Study with Steph. Study for test. (10 hours)
• Visit sisters! 
• Write two best friends. 

Working through College

Walking down the stairs out of church today, I had a lot on my mind. There were people I needed to talk to, assignments to complete, and finances to sort out.

While I was filling out my tithing slip, I stopped to listen to what was happening. All around me there were people standing around chatting and laughing with each other. It was one of those moments were I just wanted to pause time and enjoy their happiness. I felt like I was part of something that truly makes me happy, because I am surrounded by people with the inclination of natural affection. 

Moments like this happen everyday and I have been meaning to pour my words and thoughts onto this blog. Many little distractions have gotten in my way, but alas, I found the time. 

I have spent much time reflecting on my experiences these last three years in Provo. Tonight I want to focus on the unique job opportunities that have come my way. 

First, student caller and leadership member at the Telefund. 

This is a picture of my friend Collin and I during a photoshoot at the Telefund. This place was a miracle of a job! I learned so much about myself here. I learned how to connect with people from all different backgrounds--on the phones and also on the calling floor. This job strengthened my testimony of charity and Jesus Christ. I love this place still! 

Second job, prostate cancer research assistant. 

This job has been extremely difficult, yet rewarding. I have learned problem solving skills and leadership ability. My research professor has been a great example of mercy and wisdom. Who ever thought that I would be researching cancer as an undergraduate student?

Third job, river rafting guide. 

Thanks to my friend Dani Brading, I met the Hazard family. They are amazing! I worked for them on the Provo river and got my captain's license. The second picture is the Westwater trip we did in September on the Colorado. I got to meet people that love the outdoors as much as I do, and they taught me to continue this passion throughout my life. And to be proactive about it. 

Now, I have been offered a job at Sundance, a local ski resort as a retail specialist!

When I interviewed for this job, it was awesome! I felt like I wasn't trying to fit the job, I was seeing if the job fit me. The people were so sweet. It was really a miracle! How I will focus on my school work next semester, well...that's another issue. But, I feel extremely lucky to have this resort so close to my apartment. 

If you would have told me 3 years ago, as a senior in high school that I would be a student leadership member at a call center, a cancer research assistant, a rafting guide, and a ski resort worker, I would have laughed in your face and called you crazy. It's really funny how life turns out like that. Especially because these places have offered me happiness I never imagined for myself. God works in mysterious ways. 

Quotagraphy I've Made

Created with flickr slideshow.

Lift where we stand

"In our individual capacities, we need to follow the counsel of President Dieter F. Uchtdorf to “stand close together and lift where we stand” -Edward Dube
I love this quote to stand close together and lift where we stand. Today, I felt that when I ran my half marathon. Above is a picture post-race. These are my friends: (Left to Right) Rachel, Matthias, (Me), Matthew, Jessica, and Christian. 

I feel very much that they are a great example of "standing close together" and lifting where they stand. I was so happy to see familiar faces waiting for me at the finish line. 

It was a great race. And it taught me more about the love of my Heavenly Father. The love He has for me by giving me the legs to run and the friends for support. 

Rock on! 

This is a beautiful article that talks specifically about relationships not working out. Breaking up sucks. Feelings of loneliness and depression can follow. I know that because it happened to me. But I love what this article says about Todd and Alessia's stories:

"In their respective experiences, Todd and Alessia both eventually recognized that even though a key relationship in their lives was altered, they couldn’t abandon their obedience and allegiance to the Lord. He became their anchor when everything else was changing and uncertain."

I know that to be true. Last summer, for about a month each day, I would wake up in almost a panicked state, uncertain and fearful of my future. I found the peace that I needed as I searched the scriptures and found God's love for me. Some days took longer than others, but I read until my mind was clear and my soul was calm.

This quote resonated with me so much, I had to share it.

Find Hope in this World

I love this time of year!

The Light and Life of the World

I stuffed my homemade granola into my pack while I ran through my imaginary check list of things for this hike. Water bottles? Check. Food with protein, fiber, carbs, and fat? Check. Even had some beta-carotene as a bonus (yay carrots). Leggings and jacket? Check. Although it was blistering hot outside, I had learned from my experiences in hiking to never forget warm clothing. Even in the dead of summer.

One hour prior to this, I didn't even think we'd still be hiking the summit of Y Mountain. Why do complications always have to occur an hour before? It's a conundrum to me. I can't help but think someone is definitely testing my patience in each of these moments.

This time I think I passed. Why? We had a solid group of people: three guys from our ward, two of my roommates, and three other guy friends. There was enough room for everyone to drive up legally and comfortably to the trailhead. And spoiler alert: we had no casualties the whole trip. I think I'm starting to become a decent hiker, especially now since I actually plan out my supplies and gear.

While I have been on many hikes, I didn't expect this one to be so memorable.

It was a night of light shows!

The first being the sunset. This is something you can and should see everyday. While it's different everyday, this one today was the radiant opening act to what was to come.

To be honest, I had the BEST view in town. First off, Imagine bursts of color radiating from about a 60-mile landscape. We could see from Payson to Salt Lake City. If any of my Ohio friends are reading this, imagine seeing from Stow to Cleveland. Now double that distance. That's the area that it covered! It was truly amazing! The fireworks looked like little bubbles bursting from a lake of lights. Coming from the Stadium of Fire were the loudest and biggest ones. There were also fireworks set off in neighborhoods, on Utah lake, in event arenas, etc.

To our left was a bonfire near Utah Lake, gone terribly wrong. I'm sure the fire started off with a jovial celebration of freedom. In what seemed like moments later, we could hear the sirens and follow the flashing firetrucks down the dirt path. Glancing over every couple of minutes for about 2 hours, you could see the fire slowly dying and until it was just the flashing lights of the firetrucks in the area. The magnificence of such an alarming scenario was watching it pan out from 3,000 feet above.

Posterior to the show was a transient flicker of a lighthouse on Utah lake. Another party of sorts: a humble welcoming party for incoming sailors. It was something hardly noticeable amongst a land and sky filled with light.

The best light shows came from looking out and up. Out in the distance, God seemed to be celebrating too with red and white lightning. And the sky is a darkish blue too, right? But seriously, the lightning was red. There must have been some chemical in the clouds that reflected reddish purple hues. Horizontal streaks, simultaneous streaks, and consecutive streak were conducted in the sky like a beautiful orchestra performance. The other man-made lights could hardly compete with the brilliance from this ethereal show.

The finale was the quite glimmer of familiar stars filled the sky above. These stayed with us as we packed up from a night of brilliant lights, and traveled down the dark mountainside to our cars.

At one point, Brent in our group read parts of the Declaration of Independence amidst the radiant backdrop. By no means of coincidence, there was the flash of lightning exceeding the brightness of all others when he read the words:

"And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor."

To make the long story get to an end, it was a good night filled with good people, good conversations, and good food.

It might have just started as another hike to tack onto my list. But, I will always remember how much I learned about the diversities and similarities of light this Fourth of July.

The Probability of my Pharm Kitty Killing Me

This week is Quantitative Ability of the PCAT (Pharm Kitty).

Do I care how many times you roll that dice? Yes.
Or how about flipping that coin? Yes please.

My favorite: the number of outfits you can have with a pink shirt, red shirt, purple shirt, blue pants, black pants, brown pants, orange pants, green pants, etc.
With that one, can we rule out obvious fashion faux pas?

Green pants + red pants = NO.
Purple shirt + orange pants = NO!

However, if we are dressing a hipster, then I guess those options are valid.

I wrote a poem!

Oh how voluble are the days of summer!
Where we've repudiated ourselves from the cares of schoolwork,
That seemed to incense its victims
And leave a deleterious mark on our disposition.
However, that seems to fade
With the amelioration of sunshine
Seen in the sanguine faces of its benefactors,
Hoping this elevation of spirits
It not just ephemeral.

Studying for the PCAT. Had to get creative with my new inventory of words.

Probably more to come.

What is YOUR duty?

It's late. But, I am learning so much that I had to share it with someone (any readers) or something (the digital world if it never gets read).

Have you ever thought about what it would be like to meet the Savior? Sometimes feels overwhelming to think about! But, know this, the Lord is waiting to redeem Zion.

And guess what! "Our wickedness or righteousness can either impede or accelerate His work" (Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual). So, how can we prepare to establish Zion? One of the ways is the Lord wants us to know our duty more perfectly.

I then thought, well, what IS our duty? I followed the footnote to the Topical Guide, to Doctrine and Covenants 20:68-69. Verse 69 is so cool! I'm really writing this down so I can remember this insight:

And the members shall manifest before the church, and also before the elders, by a godly walk and conversation, that they are worthy of it, that there may be works and faith agreeable to the holy scriptures--walking in holiness before the Lord.

THIS is our duty!

Hey guys!

I'm still alive and kicking in the blogging world! With my calling at church, I get the opportunity to work with amazing sisters and talk about health (yeah, I'm no expert). But, here's the blog if you yearn for my quirky, sentimental comments about life!

http://33rdhealthygirls.blogspot.com/

Girls Put in X in X Games

This weekend was probably my first, legitimate time on ESPN.com. All the other sporadic times I went on that website don't count because they were probably just to impress some boy that I liked.

This time it was for a much better cause. On Thursday, I was quite disappointed that my spontaneous snowboarding trip didn't happen because of the icy conditions at BYU (if you don't know what I'm talking about, watch this video). Guys, on Tuesday I had successfully landed my first box

Ok...even a little kid can go off a box...

...and gone off my first real jump!

My first jump! Not. This is crazy. 

I was ecstatic to go again! Mother Nature said no. Or more like "wait till next week." In the meantime, I found out that day the X Games were starting!

I'm like those annoying parents that live vicariously through their children. I was living vicariously through those amazing snowboarders! Why? Well, Shaun White is my celebrity crush, even without his  long hair...

And Elena Hight is an inspiration for any female! She landed a trick that no guy has even landed in a half-pipe competition. Watch it here. It's called a backside double rodeo (I think there's a more technical term for it; who cares, it just looks sweet!).

Now, you might not be a snowboarder...yet. But, let me tell you, it's offered me more happiness in the last 2 years than I could fully express. It has seen me through 2 hard break-ups. I can go up in the mountains for the peace, but also for a challenge.

Girls, we put the X in the X Games.

My Take on a New Year

I want to hark back to my most memorable New Years. We had gone to a church friend's house. In regards to the family's identity, apparently it is irrelevant, seeing as I do not remember. However, the important aspect to grasp is their house was grandiose to my little 7-year old eyes. The kitchen was stacked with windows intended to emit a beautiful ethereal, light during the day, yet the darkness gaped at me that night. I can't forget that eerie feeling like being in a haunted mansion, mostly because the house and its residents seemed foreign to me. Yet the festivities of the evening kept me relatively preoccupied. It was New Years Eve after all!
And this was the big one. The pinnacle event of the century, literally. From the 1900s to the 2000s. From the 20th to the 21st century.  Everyone was so antsy!
Then came time for the ball to drop. The crowd gathered around the TV in the living room within 5 minutes of the new day. I prolonged my stay in the kitchen. For some odd reason--with me it could have been a plethora of odd reasons I'm sure--I was fixated on the clock on the microwave in the kitchen!!
Time accelerated to the new year!
I anxiously watched the clock.
People started counting down!
I remember thinking it was just me and the clock! We were in this one together!
5...4...3...2...1!

While everyone was screaming in the living room, I still sat with my microwave clock anticlimactically. The clock was slow, so it reached midnight a minute slower than the actual New York ball drop. I hesitated in joining the crowd because I didn't want to give up on this little clock. Yet, it had failed me! I remember feeling so frustrated! Frustrated I missed actual midnight. Frustrated I missed the ball dropping (which I didn't actually watch until I was about 16). Frustrated that my clock was slow, and I was too stubborn to go in and join the crowd--even with coaxing from my parents. But, ultimately frustrated because I had started the century with a slow clock and...all by myself. Was this a foreshadowing of events to come?

Thankfully it wasn't. I have had many good experiences with time since then, so as to alleviate the frustration with that slow, microwave clock.

Just briefly, so I can have peace, I want to mention the 2012 goals listed on the side of my blog. I had, in fact, forgotten them for most of the year! However, it makes me firmly believe in those words of wisdom "Those that write down their goals are significantly more successful than those that don't." I can testify that I actually accomplished a majority of them.

1. Keep On Indexing/Finding People in Family History. I actually found some new members in my family, on my dad's side. I also did baptisms for the dead for them (don't know what I'm talking about? This link will explain it better), and my friends did the rest of their temple work. I also helped my grandpa a lot with his personal history. I've kind of become his personal family history secretary! It's really fun, and I've learned to value my family second only to God. 

2. Pay Off 25% of My Wells Fargo Loan. That's $33 a week. No big deal...Yeah, I'm still working on this one.

3. Continue to Read Novels. I found out how important it is to have your own interests. Especially in reading because you have a world entirely of your own in books. It's a little more light reading than I anticipated. I think Henry David Thoreau explains this concept well when he stated, "How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live." Apply that to reading as well. I always thought I was living life to the fullest until this year. There's so much living to be had! 

4. Improve My Cello Skills. I'm taking a cello lesson as a class this semester. I'm quite thrilled. :) I did take a cello class! It was great! Although I still don't dedicate enough time to this talent, I do have that in my arsenal. Watch out, world! 

5. Don't Forget to Give Myself "Me" Time. If you haven't noticed, I love Disney movies. I think there's a Disney song for every mood I'm in. Boy, I learned this lesson well, in different ways too. I think "me" time also incorporates a stress-free time. I have to thank my ex-boyfriend for teaching me about myself than I could ever learn on my own. 

6. Run 5 Times A Week. I can do it! Even though I don't have my running buddy Eleise with me. I didn't just limit myself to running. I snowboarded, rock climbed, repelled, hiked, biked, swam, zumba'd, lifted, self-defended, water skied, wake-boarded, slack lined, kickboxed, etc. There is so much more to physical activity than the boundaries of a basketball court. That's all I'll say on that matter.

7. Go To The Temple Monthly. I am so blessed to live close to temples. Once a month is definitely doable. So, I'm pretty sure I did this. I also visited a couple new temples this past year: the Laie, Hawai'i temple, the Mt. Timpanogos Temple, and the Atlanta Georgia Temple. Visited the classics too: Columbus Ohio and Provo Utah Temples. 

Well, that's about it. I am still formulating my goals for this year. I'll post them up here soon. 

Happy 2013!