Weekend events

So sorry it has been forever since my last post. Grad school is more demanding than ever and I'm still trying to get adjusted to the work load. I just got done with 2 tests and now I'm starting to study for my Saturday (yes. Saturday) test. His tests are known to be so hard that they take students 3-5 hours to take them. I'm just so thankful he's so kind to put it on Saturday so we won't have anything else to interfere with test time. On the other hand, I'm getting used to teaching labs by myself. I kind of enjoy it actually. Chemistry can be very cool and it's fun to watch the students see the experiments themselves. Grading is for the birds but it's not hard so I can get past it.


Anyways, that was just a short update on how my "school" life is going. The weekends have been fun. I've met some pretty great people here and we all have a good time going out and exploring Columbia. This past weekend however, I did some traveling. After taking my test on Friday, I heading to Atlanta to go to the braves game for Samantha's birthday! It was SO wonderful to be with some of the best girls I know! We went to the game and then we went to a few of the bars.

                                       Me and Samantha :) 

                                  Laura Lyn, Me and Kayla!

Saturday morning I left Atl and headed to Cordele. I took a short nap and got ready for a wedding that was down in Hartsfield, GA. The groom was Matthew's best friend from college and the bride was also a good friend of his. It was a BEAUTIFUL wedding and I'm sad that my camera was dead so I don't have any pictures. This is the only picture of the night and my hair is a mess lol.

Sunday consisted of a LOT of driving but I got a little time with my parents which made my weekend complete! 


I am so thankful that I had the time to see everyone. Being this far from friends and family is really hard for me. I think I'm getting used to it and I find keeping in touch (even if it's just a 5 minute phone call when I'm walking from school to my car) is helpful. I would love to have company though...so anyone feel free to come visit!


As for a chemistry fact...I'm sad to say I don't have one. It's pretty late and I have to go to sleep but I promise to post once I find one! Until next time.....

First Week of School

So I've been trying to update my blog for a few days now but I couldn't because my computer was messed up (I'll get more to that story later though).


This past week seemed like the longest week of my life! It all started on Monday with qualifying exams for the PhD program. They are the ACS exams for each area of chemistry (biochem, physical, inorganic, organic, and analytical) and they are quite hard. USC makes you take 2 of the 5 exams and they want you to pass them but you don't have to. I tried my hardest but I'm not worried because we have to make B's in our classes which is the other way to qualify for the program. The 2 exams were stretched over Monday and Tuesday.


We've also had faculty presentations everyday at 5 to learn about the different research groups here. After listening to the different teachers, we'll set up interviews and then pick a lab to join. I'm excited about some of the research I've been hearing and I'm starting my interviews soon.


Wednesday we got our TA schedule and I met with the teacher I'm going to be working for. I will be teaching 3 general chemistry labs. I also have to attend the class for the labs and grade papers. It seems like it's going to be a lot of work so I'm really going to have to manage my time. I did luck up with a really great teacher, Dr. Goode, to work for. He's really nice and really helpful since this is my first year. He also happens to know Dr. Schmidt, who is the teacher I prepped for at Georgia Southern.


Thursday classes started but luckily I don't have any of my classes on Tuesday or Thursday. I did however, get to run around trying to figure out my whole parking and financial situations. If I start walking around campus everyday then I won't have to go to the gym. It is so big and there are hills everywhere. 


My first day of classes was really on Friday and it ended up being such a long and draining day! I don't really know what I was expecting but my classes are going to be SO hard! I'm taking 2 biochem classes and one organic class. I am completely terrible at organic but a lot of biochem is mixed with organic so I feel like it would be a good idea to review now. The tests in the organic class are going to be on Saturday which is the worst thing EVER. It's torture to think that on a Saturday I'll be stuck inside trying to pass a test! (Hello Graduate School)
Anyways, we also had some boring safety hazard seminar to go to on Friday. It lasted for 2 and 1/2 hours. Added with the faculty presentations I ended up being at school for a total of 12 hours. ON A FRIDAY! So to get rid of some stress some of the first years went down to a place called Five Points here (it's a street with a lot of restaurants and bars) and had a lot of fun. 


Saturday we all went floating down the river. It was so much fun! It took around 3-4 hours and there were even "rapids" to go down. The end of the trip was rushed because it started to storm but it was still funny because we all had to get out of the water and run with tubes and coolers in hand back to the car. 


Today was a complete fail. I woke up around 11 am and decided to get my computer looked at because it hasn't been working for a few days. I took it to Best Buy where one of the geeks (not my term...it's what they call the guys that work in the geek squad) told me that my computer has been infected with a virus and it would cost $200 just for him to fix it. Luckily, I do have an anti-virus system on my computer so my parents told me to call customer service. They were able to fix the problem, but it was 6 hours and $170 later. Computers are too expensive to be so crappy! 


So now I have to get started on studying for my classes so I don't get behind. I really hope my weeks aren't as long as this last one because it will take FOREVER to get my PhD! I'm really getting homesick and missing everyone that means the most. I wish I could see everyone so pls feel free to come visit!!! 


Oh. and...Chemistry Fact #2-
Avocados don't ripen while they are still attached to the tree that it grows on. It only ripens after many days of being "picked." This is why when we buy avocados at the store, they are too green and hard. If you love avocados and don't feel like waiting a few days for one to ripen, simply place it in a paper bag with an apple or a banana. Apples and bananas give off ethylene gas which speeds up the ripening process. It should only take 1-2 days for the avocado to ripen at room temperature. 
Also, don't put the avocados in the fridge. The cold temps really slow down the ripening process :)

Food For Thought

This isn't really an update of my life....just a few words on a certain topic I recently got some more information on. 


I've been making new friends in the program and usually our conversations are about school and chemistry because it's something that we all have in common. I'm not sure how we started on the topic, but our GPAs (grade point averages) came up and I was informed that in some states (most of them being northern) have a some-what different scale than others. The similarity between the two is that they are both on a 4.0 scale. The main difference is that for the scale that I was on, there is no + or - added to your grades. An A is a 4.0, a B is a 3.0, a C is a 2.0, and so on. For the other scale, they allow teachers to add a + or - so where a B+ is 3.3 (or something like that). 

Now...I'm sure you can start to figure out why I find this unfair. When applying to grad school (or any school for that matter), your GPA is very important. We are always told to keep a high GPA because it reflects how you preform in class. But if I would have went to a school on the other scale and received the exact same grades, I would have a higher GPA than I do now because I was one of those students that if I didn't make an A I was in the 87-89 region. So when being compared to students on the other scale, I do not seem as smart or as capable to do well in classes because they have the higher GPA when in all actuality, we are the same. 


I know it seems silly but it really got under my skin. If our GPA is going to be something that is important enough to base our entrance into grad school on then I feel that we should all have equal opportunities. Food for thought. 

Side note: I learned an interesting fact yesterday. From now on when something sticks out to me like this...I'm going to try to post it so y'all can enjoy it too :)


Lemon juice is commonly put on fish because it seems to mask some of that "fishy" smell (and because lemons are delicious!). Well, people do this because lemon juice is acidic and the smell from the fish comes from amines which are basic. The acid reacts with the base to produce an ammonium salt which doesn't give off an odor. 


Chemistry is cool :)

Catching up!

Well it's been forever since my last blog and a lot has happened so this might be a long post. After my move-in weekend I worked in Statesboro and saw Mom and Dad in Cordele for the next week and a half. 

On the 26th Samantha and I headed to Atlanta to stay with our best friend Laura Lyn for a few fun activities.
1st on the list - VIP Kings of Leon tickets!!! It was AMAZING! Samantha and I got the tickets as a last hoo-rah/graduation gift thing to enjoy before splitting up at the end of the summer and it was well worth it! Laura Lyn and our friend Whitley also had tickets so we all got to tailgate together in our VIP parking spot :)

Laura Lyn, Whitley, Me, and Samantha

Me and Samantha at the concert!

Our view. So much better than trying to see over people!
2nd on the list - Girls night out in Atlanta. This was only mine and Samantha's 2nd time going out and it was just as fun as the first! 

Whitley, Samantha and I at East Andrews.

:) I found this picture in my phone. Samantha learned a few DJ-ing tricks that night!


That Friday, we all headed to Cordele and that Saturday we hung out with Laura Lyn's brother Robert for his birthday. It was a lot of fun and by the end of the night everyone had put costumes on (the boys were a little more enthusiastic about it lol).

The next week was very chill. I stayed in Cordele with Mom and Dad and I got to hang out with LaPorte, Chad, and Drew a few times. It was so nice to hang out with everyone before leaving for Columbia.


Friday, I met Matthew and his best friend Brandon in Atlanta. We all packed in my car and drove 4 hours to Madison, AL where Matthew's mom lives. I haven't seen her in a year so it was GREAT to catch up and spend time with her. We only got to stay until Sunday so it was a very short vacation. On my way back to Columbia, I stopped in Augusta, GA to see Erica (a best friend that I had every class with at Georgia Southern) and her new place. She started medical school at the Medical College of Georgia (or whatever its new name is) so she's only an hour away from me. It's comforting to know she's close. 


Which brings me to today. I had my chemistry program orientation. I was SUPER nervous to meet everyone and learn what my schedule was going to be but everything went fine. There's around 20 new graduate students and they were all nice. It looks like I'll have class 3 days a week and I'll be teaching too. In the following weeks I'll be picking an adviser/research group to join. 


So that's about it. Sorry this was so long! I'll try and update more often! Until next time :)

So......I'm not a very good writer but I figure a blog would be the best way to keep everyone updated with my life. I also think it'll be a great way to follow the changes I'm about to make in my life and to see if they work for me or not.

Last week was a very hard, sad, and exciting week for me. I packed and moved my life in Statesboro to Columbia, SC where I will begin the chemistry graduate program in a few weeks. I was super upset while packing and I still can't allow myself to think about how that part of my life is now over. It literally was the best 4 years of my life and I wish it could have lasted a little longer. But it's time to grow up (hence the big girl moves) and I'm just glad to have the chance to say that I ever had those experiences at all.

On the complete other side...I am SO excited to finally be in Columbia. I have been anticipating this for a few months now and I cannot wait for orientation to learn more about what my schedule will be like for fall and to meet people.

My apartment is a perfect size for me. Definitely not too big but not too small either. It's very clean with new cabinets, a fire place, and a huge closet (I would post pictures but I'd prefer everyone to just come and visit instead :) )! I think I can say I am officially moved in with everything put where I want it.

As for my weekend (besides moving), it was really relaxing! Thursday night, Samantha and I went to watch the premiere of Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows 2. It was probably one of the best movies I have ever seen. Ever. Props to J.K. because she pretty much got it on point. Friday after moving....my dad, mom, Matthew and I ate at the lovely new dining room table I have. It was so nice to have them here and it reminded me of dinners at my house in Cordele (definitely comforting). Saturday, we got up and headed to Beaufort, SC (about a 2 hour drive). My dad booked a room there for the night so we could all (including our precious dog, Baloo) enjoy a nice day on the beach. We didn't get there until around 4 but that was plenty of time to lay out and play in the waves. Here are some pics...

 Baloo, Dad, and Me on the beach :)

 Baloo loved it!

 My sweet parents with Baloo. What a much needed vacation!

Me and Matthew :)

After the beach, we headed back to the hotel room to take showers before dinner. We ate at this placed called Steamer Oyster and Steakhouse. One of the best seafood places we have ever ate at! The food was DELICIOUS and the service was amazing. If you're ever in Lady's Island, SC...I highly recommend it! Sunday, I headed back to Columbia and my parents and Matthew headed back to GA.

After such a nice weekend, I'm here in Columbia getting things in order for school. I still have work in Statesboro until the last week in July so I'll be back and forth. I'm going to try and blog as much as possible, but for now, this is all I have. Until next time :)