April

As we enter the concluding phase of the semester, I am excited for what the next step in life has in store for me. April was spent largely working on my thesis from home due to the coronavirus.  I had the chance to really go into depth on the papers I was reviewing and critically evaluate the data presented to make conclusive remarks on what the paper was communicating. This is a skill I have been wanting to really practice and develop since undergrad, so it was a fulfilling month. The AMCAS application cycle for medical schools will be opening in the next 10 days so I have been preparing for its launch, and getting my materials together.

On the volunteering front, I have continued to teach high school students in the LA-HOSA program about public speaking, parliamentary procedure, and start a new segment on understanding the coronavirus and what it means for us as prospective health professionals.

On the personal front, I have been running a lot more than I have been in past months and had to upgrade my running shoes. The new shoes I have great cushioning, but the break in period has left me suffering with extreme shin splits. Additionally, I ordered some resistance bands and have been doing training with that to try and get faster. It has been working very well and after a week, I have dropped 15 seconds in my 10K pace. I hope to drop another 15 by the end of quarantine.

I am a bit sad that the program is ending. I will really miss the people I met here, and the professors who rebuilt my confidence to apply to medical schools. I feel strongly optimistic- a feeling that I did not have regarding my application before this program.

I will try to remember to update this incase a student of the program in the future discovers this and uses it for some guidance or running motivation.

signing off,

-Aditya Vinjamuri
Masters of Pharmacology 2020

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