Shenandoah University

In case you didn't know already, I have been applying to pharmacy school for the Class of 2015 since this past summer. No, I am not nearly finished, seeing as how I haven't even looked at the applications for the past three months. Please don't make me feel bad. I sense some apathy from my side.

After I was invited to interview for Shenandoah University, a private school in Winchester, VA, I decided to immediately sign up for its Open House. What I discovered from applying to undergrad is that I really need to absorb the atmosphere to decide whether I can envision myself living there. So the next weekend, I jumped in my car before the break of dawn to get to SU.

Along the way, the roads were littered with dead animals. I had a Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz moment and realized that it was definitely going to be a departure from the urban-like lifestyle of home. Not only that, but I drove by farmland complete with cows and horses and the nostril-flaring smell of fresh manure. Deeelish.

I had gone to an Open House at UMB in the spring, so I thought I knew what to expect. Well, surprise surprise. Nothing was what I expected. The UMB Open House was crawling with people. When I arrived at SU, I was the first one there. Although people slowly trickled in, we amassed a group of around 20. Not only that, but we were each individually greeted by a member of the faculty. The presentations themselves were very casual and had a sort of organic flow to everything; juxtapose that with the strict and orderly way UMB held their Open House.

During the Open House, there was a student panel that came to answer our questions. I couldn't help but notice the lack of racial diversity of the panel - they were all white! I began to have doubts about whether to consider SU as an option for school or not.

Fast forward to a few weeks later.

I arrive around 20 minutes early for my interview on campus, and so I get shown around on an impromptu tour around the pharmacy building. My heart is pumping, my hands are sweating, and I keep talking to try and forget my nerves. Finally, I get shown to the interview room, where I meet my two interviewers. I guess I got a few laughs in here and there and I start to feel like I'm doing really well. After the interview, I had the opportunity to sit in on a class and actually speak to some P2 students and saw that there is racial diversity. Not only that, but everything the students were saying were so positive, and so I get really excited for the chance to possibly attend this school.

I call V in Florida afterward and the first thing she asks me is, "So when will you hear back from them?" ...uh... I feel my hands sweating again and my blood pumping through my body. Did I really not do as well as I had thought? And then I go through everything in my head, trying to pick up if they were dissatisfied with any of my answers.

Silly me. I was so excited I even received an interview, I told everyone and their moms I had one. So everyone was excited to hear how I think I did. Of course I was now nervous, thinking I had really blown it, so I was saying the obligatory, "Oh, I think I did well, but we'll see." Next day after work, I come home, check my gmail, and I see an email from SU. I panicked a little, thinking I must've screwed up submitting parts of my application or something. I clicked on the link to open it and I was shocked to read: Congratulations! It took them 24 hours to notify me of my acceptance into pharmacy school!!!!!

One more thing crossed off my bucket list!

The 24 Things To Do Before 24

My half birthday just passed recently. With every new sunrise, I am quickly approaching the mature and responsible three-year era I call "The Mid-Twenties." Growing up, I had always foreseen myself to have ascertained a level of composure and accomplishment by this time in my life. Now that it is suddenly looming, and I am obviously lacking the maturity and composure I always expected myself to possess by now and any real accomplishments, I have decided to make a list of 24 things to do before 24.

Here goes:

01| Learn how to ice skate.
02| Dine at Rasika.
03| Visit a haunted house.
04| Go hiking for the first time.
05| Attend a professional sporting event.
06| Feel the sand between my toes at my first beach.
07| Tour the International Spy Museum.
08| Volunteer for a philanthropy event.
09| Get accepted into a school.
10| See a Broadway show.
11| Read at least 5 nonfiction books.
12| Learn how to apply eyeliner/eye make up.
13| Keep up my blog for longer than 6 months.
14| Watch the Academy Award winners for Best Picture in the last 5 years.
15| Unlock everything unlockable in Mario Kart Wii.
16| Make a dessert from scratch.
17| Be legally certified.
18| Road trip somewhere new.
19| Have a sober game night of fun with friends. And a non-sober one, as well.
20| Put more effort/thought into my outfits.
21| Create a diverse and extensive music collection.
22| Do something completely unplanned and spontaneous.
23| Try a new beer at least once every 2 weeks.
24| Put some money into a rainy day fund.

So here's to crossing off my list!