Back To School Blunders

So today it's January 17th which means I've been at Tulane exactly four days since Winter Break ended. But my life has already gotten busier than ever.

This week I find myself without a computer. Though my computer has been acting up since the summer, I decided I just couldn't live without it and refused to take it to Tech Services here at Tulane, where I have an impressive four year warranty. Finally, two days ago, during a momentary burst of inspiration, I hauled it to my farthest class and back just to make sure it got to the IT people here at Tulane . . . only to realize today that it contains my grant applications, my roster of residents, my resume, and many other documents I need to turn in, use to get recommendations, and require to start the medical school admissions process. Because of my lack of foresight, now I don't have all the forms for my advisors or my resume to submit. And while trying to solve this set of problems (rewriting my resume and getting more forms), I hardly had any time for the bulletin board, which is the only arts and crafts I really have to do as a junior and unfortunately the activity I look forward to LEAST at the end of my To-Do list.

Luckily for me, I'm not the only student trying to get it right in the busiest semester of her college career. I know that all my advisors have seen many other students who find themselves running around though the semester has just begun, that Tech Services makes allowances for students who don't plan ahead, and that my residents are too busy to notice their bulletin board isn't up just yet.

This is really the time of year to hit the ground running. The second semester junior year is so important for so many decisions, like where you're going to grad school, if you're adding a minor, where you're going to get this thing called "Experience" that almost every graduate program requires, and more. Tulane happens to have amazing advisors-- you get one for every major and I happen to have three, pre-professional and academic advisors who meet with you one-on-one whenever you need it and send you the forms you need even if you lose the first set, and an entire office dedicated to resumes, internships, and getting students the experiences they need for their future careers.

So for those of you still thinking about your college options, do what I didn't do with my laptop issue-- plan for the future. Your life is going to get very busy at the time when you realize that college is only four years long and you have a whole lifetime ahead of that. When you get there, you will want a supportive faculty and staff who are there to guide you every step of the way-- I know I'm pretty grateful for everyone I have at Tulane.


Only at Tulane . . .