tomorrow, tomorrow ... i hate you tomorrow

I am posting in secret. The people who used to read this blog likely no longer read it since I said I was no longer posting. But I felt like writing today. Because I need a break. Because tomorrow is a big day. Tomorrow is the biggest day I've had in a long time. The biggest day since quitting my job, at least.

It's the MCAT. Which stands for Mean Crappy Ass-whooping Test. Thousands upon thousands of people will be taking it. A standard prerequisite to the medical school application process. But for me, it means a little more. It represents more than a test - it means that I am really going to medical school. Hell, I better be after all this rigamarole.

The last few months consisted primarily of my butt attached to the dingy yet comfortable seats in Cabot Science Library. I used to study there as a freshman, and I have reclaimed my old parking spot. I doubt that the upholestery has been updated since 1997. Or, frankly, that the library has been vacuumed since then.

While February - April were relatively uneventful, they were still good months. I love my classes, and I can't wait to see where I will end up next year. Medicine was the right decision; I feel more productive and determined than I have in the past 5 years. At first I thought I would get bored of the classes and science, but luckily that did not happen. I've been trying to think of eloquent ways to state the obvious, since I will have to do so when I write my application essays. But it's not a terribly complicated concept:

I like science better than I do finance.

Duh. If I didn't, I wouldn't be doing this. Unfortunately, I need to use more complicated and convulted English to convey the exact same message in my applications. Something about how I need "human interaction" and want to "help people while continually learning about the advancement of scientific knowledge." Average word for application essay: 3 syllables. Average word in my vocabulary: one syllable. Word.

But all will work out. The hardest part, I hope, shall be over tomorrow. Also, for those of you who may not be familiar with the test, here is a 2 second overview:

3 sections. Each out of 15 points, for a maximum possible score of 45. A score above 30 is competitive. 35+ is very good. 40+ is da bomb. The 3 sections are:

Physical Sciences: Inorganic chemistry + physics
Biological Sciences: Organic chemistry + biology
Verbal Reasoning: Reading comprehension
Writing Sample: Essay. To weed out native English speakers vs. non-native.

All the sections are hard. I find verbal reasoning the hardest. Reading is hard. I am a weak reader, I think. My attention span verges on non-existent when looking at just words. I can read maybe a paragraph or two, maximum, before forgetting what I just read. They put some boring passages in the verbal reasoning section. If only they had excerpts of Harry Potter. Then I could pay attention. Who cares to read about the formation of sand dunes in pre-historic Africa. Why don't you put a passage about the Jennifer Aniston / Brad Pitt / Angelina love triangle? Seriously. It would be a nice break between fretting over chemistry and biology.

As I said, I don't expect anyone to read this. Just a bit of cathartic writing on my part.