All In A Week's Work

I've been incredibly busy lately, a common refrain in the majority of my posts, I know, but as I was thinking about what I could write about next on this blog I realized it might be helpful to detail exactly what I've been so busy doing, especially for those of you who are in the midst of the application process yourselves. Keep in mind that my schedule and activities may vary widely from yours and that's OK, doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong so no need to get concerned! I just like to stay occupied :)
A typical week for me goes something like this:

Mondays I have Physio so I get into work a little later than usual since I go straight from there to class. I leave at 6 and walk about a block away to the building that holds my classroom and sit through a 3 hour lecture. I don't get home until around 10 and by then I pretty much just collapse into bed. Maybe I have a snack. OK I usually have a snack.

Tuesdays are more relaxed so I get to come home and catch up on household tasks that may have fallen by the wayside. I try to schedule vet appointments for in the evening or meet-ups with friends for then.

Wednesdays I go into work an hour early so I can leave early for volunteering at Lurie, which is the highlight of my week (post coming soon!). I get home after 7 and even though that's not incredibly late I'm exhausted every time.

Thursdays are my writing days (although sometimes I try to sneak some time in on a Wednesday too!). Usually I'll pen an article for the Almost Doctor's Channel or send updates to schools that allow electronic submissions. Occasionally I'll just come home and watch some Grey's because, you know, gotta have some me time.

Fridays I either babysit or try to cook. I've recently gotten more into trying new recipes and it's been so much fun. I generally consider myself more of a baker than a chef but I'm really enjoying learning to make exciting dishes that I never would have tackled before.

And that about sums it up! On the weekends I study, hang out with my adorable kittens or try to get out into the city. Also obviously I study, run errands, go grocery shopping, all that good stuff gets relegated to the weekends or squeezed in during lunchtime at work. It keeps me on my toes but I like having so many things going on! I'm also looking to add some shadowing hours to my resume so that's another thing I need to make time for! Although I'm a bit crammed, I'm loving it all and am excited to share with you how it all goes.

Interview Season

It's finally feeling truly like Fall in Chicago and I'm really missing the warm, sunny days I spent at the beach as I hurry into work bundled up in my coat and boots. Normally I would be feeling rather melancholy, faced with the prospect of a long winter indoors but as it is I'm much too busy to spend any time brooding over the death of summer. It's Fall and that means that interview season has begun in earnest! So far I have received interview invitations from Hofstra, Boston University, UVM and, just last week, UIC. On Tuesday, September 31, I flew back to the East Coast (which was a nightmare of cancelled flights and rescheduled interviews) to attend interview day at BU and then Hofstra and it was an amazing, exhausting, wonderful experience. I stayed on in New York City for the weekend following a Friday interview at Hofstra and met up with some college friends for a fun mini-reunion. I ended up flying back to Chicago Monday morning on the red-eye and making it to work, bleary-eyed on roughly 5 hours of sleep (half of which was on the plane so it barely even counts). I then had to go class after work so I didn't actually make it home until almost 10 PM!
It's been a very long and tiring week but I wouldn't trade it for anything and being away made me really appreciate coming home to my cozy apartment and adorable kittens. Oh yes, I have two kittens now. I decided that Rufus (kitten #1) needed a tiny friend to grow up with and keep him company so I adopted Lizzie Bennet, a beautiful gray tabby who keeps Rufus on his toes. She's a feisty little lady and her and Rufus are so adorable together it's incredibly distracting, I'm shocked I ever get anything done when they're around to cuddle with me on the couch.
Another reason I've been incredibly busy lately is that I've started volunteering at Lurie Children's Hospital. I want to save talking about it for another post but suffice it to say that I look forward to my shift all week and have really enjoyed it so far. On top of that I have a new class (physiology!) which has a hefty amount of required reading per week so I'm planning on shutting myself in with some tea and snacks this weekend and studying extra hard to get up to speed.
With everything going on (all exciting things!) it's been difficult to keep up with writing on this blog but I'm always happy when I get a chance to sit down and update you all. If anyone is interested in specific interview day posts for any of the above four schools I'm glad to oblige, just let me know in the comments!

Rufus & Lizzie being friends