brookestudiesbio

[brookestudiesbio]

Reintroducing myself...

For the billionth time, because every time I say I want to be more active, I never post again. 

Hey guys! My name is Brooke and here are some facts about me!

- I’m a premed student applying next spring! My MCAT retake is in January. 

- I am a double major working on two bachelors. One in biomedical sciences and the other in biochemistry. Picking up a second major was very last minute after I started doing research. I fell in love with chemistry but only have five classes left for my biology degree so I didn’t want to waste the past three years.

- As previously mentioned, I do research in a biochemistry lab with a heavy emphasis on organic chemistry. Our lab is currently working on topical preventatives for HIV and COVID. I’ll be presenting my research for the first time this fall, as well as over winter break, next summer (Paris, who?), and next fall. I’m so excited to travel with my lab group as they are some of the most genuine people I’ve ever met. I’ve received one grant this summer and I’m hoping to receive one for this semester as well. 

- I participate in a program that has a student lead group problem solving in hard STEM classes. I currently facilitate for first semester organic chemistry. 

- Finally, I volunteer at a local blood bank and at a hospice care center. 

I really will try to be active this time lol. I always say this and have been apart of this community for years but it just... never happens 🤷🏻‍♀️

anyways, would y’all wanna see my notion?

[brookestudiesbio]

Helen Oyeyemi, from “White Is for Witching”  

[brookestudiesbio]

Friendly reminder that you don't need a pretty desk to be successful in your classes.

Friendly reminder that cheap highlighters still work the same as expensive ones.

Friendly reminder that you don't need a MacBook to get straight A's.

Friendly reminder that you can study anywhere that works for you.

Friendly reminder that academia should be personalized and not changed to fit an aesthetic.

Friendly reminder that if you work hard you can achieve amazing things even if you don't have the fancy things other people do.

Friendly reminder that it's ok to fail classes multiple times.

Friendly reminder that academics aren't a race and are way too competitive.

Friendly reminder that stumbling and failing is actually extremely important and beneficial to you and your growth.

Friendly reminder that perfection is fake.

[brookestudiesbio]

Manifesting academic success and an unlimited supply of cute stationery for the person whom you reblogged this from

[brookestudiesbio]

“I was often overwhelmed by grief so profound it seemed as though an immense sea of pain was washing my heart and soul away.”

— bell hooks, all about love

[brookestudiesbio]

[brookestudiesbio]

“ummmmm ur bra strap is showing :/ ”

[brookestudiesbio]

study motivation w/ coffee ☕️

credits to - pintrest and owners

[brookestudiesbio]

Hey guys! So I recently decided that I would be doing a postbac before applying to medical school because I don’t want to settle. I’ve had my eyes set on a few very specific schools and currently I don’t cut it. With the postbac I’ve decided to retake my MCAT! I’m gonna try to stay active here as I go through the rest of my undergrad for motivation.

[brookestudiesbio]

Free MCAT Study Materials!

Here’s master post of some great MCAT study materials and resources. Click on the bold titles to open links to folders containing the files listed below. Good luck!!!

2015 KAPLAN MCAT REVIEW BOOKS (pdf links listed below)

Behavioral Sciences Review

Biochemistry Review

Biology Review

Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills Review

General Chemistry Review

Organic Chemistry Review

Physics and Math Review

BIOLOGY

Molecular Biology; Cellular Respiration

Genes

Microbiology

The Eukaryotic Cell; The Nervous System

The Endocrine System

The Digestive and Excretory Systems

The Cardiovascular System; The Respiratory System

Muscle, Bone and Skin

Populations

The Berkeley MCAT Review - Biology Part 1 (2011)

The Berkeley MCAT Review - Biology Part 2 (2011)

BIOCHEMISTRY

Lab Techniques

GENERAL CHEMISTRY

Atoms, Molecules and Quantum Mechanics

Gases, Kinetics, and Chemical Equilibrium

Thermodynamics

Solutions

Heat Capacity/Phase Change/Colligative Properties

Acids & Bases

Electrochemistry

Intro to Chemistry

Electrostatics

Gases

Thermodynamics and Thermochemistry

The Berkeley MCAT Review - General Chemistry Part 1 (2011)

ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

Molecular Structure

Hydrocarbons, Alcohols, Substitutions

Carbonyls and Amines

PHYSICS

MCAT Physics Book (2015)

Translation Motion

Force

Equilibrium, Torque and Energy

Momentum, Machines, and Radioactive Decay

Fluids and Solids

Waves

Electricity and Magnetism

Light & Optics

Linear Momentum

PSYCHOLOGY / SOCIOLOGY

SCIENCE

MCAT PRACTICE TESTS / QUESTIONS

Practice Tests

Solutions

OTHER MCAT STUDY MATERIALS

Examkrackers Complete MCAT Study Set (2007)

These materials will help build your knowledge and test taking skills, they may not fit the current MCAT exam criteria but it will definitely build your knowledge of the subjects being tested.

[brookestudiesbio]

Four rules for a disciplined life

(Credit to reddit user ryans01).

No zero days. ‘What’s a zero day? A zero day is when you don’t do a single fucking thing towards whatever dream or goal or want or whatever that you got going on. No more zeros. I’m not saying you gotta bust an essay out everyday, that’s not the point. The point I’m trying to make is that you have to make yourself, promise yourself, that the new SYSTEM you live in is a NON-ZERO system. Didn’t do anything all fucking day and it’s 11:58 PM? Write one sentence. One pushup. Read one page of that chapter. One. Because one is non zero.’

Be grateful to the three yous. ‘There’s the past you, the present you, and the future you. If you wanna love someone and have someone love you back, you gotta learn to love yourself, and the 3 you’s are the key. Be GRATEFUL to the past you for the positive things you’ve done. And do favours for the future you like you would for your best bro.’

Forgive yourself. ‘Maybe you got all the know-how, money, ability, strength and talent to do whatever is you wanna do. But lets say you still didn’t do it. Now you’re giving yourself shit for not doing what you need to, to be who you want to. Heads up champion, being disappointed in yourself causes you to be less productive. Tried your best to have a nonzero day yesterday and it failed? So what. I forgive you, previous self. I forgive you. But today? Today is a nonzero masterpiece to the best of my ability for future self. This one’s for you, future homes. Forgiveness man, use it. I forgive you. Say it out loud.’

Exercise and books. ‘Pretty standard advice but when you exercise daily you actually get smarter. When you exercise you get high from endorphins (thanks body). When you exercise you clear your mind. When you exercise you are doing your future self a huge favour. Exercise is a leg on a three legged stool. Feel me? As for books, almost every fucking thing we’ve all ever thought of, or felt, or gone through, or wanted, or wanted to know how to do, or whatever, has been figured out by someone else. Get some books.’ 

[brookestudiesbio]

AHHHHHH so I’m officially in the final year before applying to med school. Any tips, reminders, reassurances etc? I’m already so stressed with everything I currently have to do, but I’m super excited.

[brookestudiesbio]

PSA to my white friends and followers: In the wake of a phenomenally important guilty verdict in the Derek Chauvin Trial, I’d like to remind you all that the fallout of this case will likely mean more police violence against our Black friends and neighbors, not less. Looking at the statistics in the weeks leading up to this verdict shows that this is already the case. Police in this country are angry that society is beginning to hold them accountable for their abusive actions, and they are looking for revenge. So if you see a cop interacting with a BIPOC, DO NOT walk away. Video record if you can (and as long as it doesn’t further jeopardize the safety of the BIPOC involved), but absolutely do not walk away. It is critical that we do our part and look out for people, and make cops think twice about abusing their powers of authority and near-immunity to murder citizens people.

[brookestudiesbio]

let healing be a part of life instead of a condition to start living it

[brookestudiesbio]

To me, magick is being present.

Magick is all the little things happening all around us. It's people dancing and flowers blooming. Every little speck of dust. But you have to notice it in order for it to exist.

[brookestudiesbio]

vaguely academic things to do to keep yourself entertained

go down a wikipedia research hole by clicking the first term you don’t understand

binge a crashcourse series end to end (personal recs: world history, history of science, big history, philosophy)

find free books on project gutenberg

download some western classics for free

borrow books and audiobooks from the libby app or borrowbox

start a commonplace book

take a khan academy course

browse MIT’s free online course materials

teach yourself to code

go on a google scholar essay dive

try the open access button to avoid some paywalls for academic media, or install unpaywall that does a similar thing

research the history of the place you where you live

tempt the wrath of the duolingo owl and learn a language

search for online streams of the local tv in your target language’s country and use as background noise for immersion points

print and scrapbook favourite poetry and literature quotes

improve your handwriting by doing handwriting exercises

learn philosophy with the philosophize this! podcast. actually just check out all the educational spotify podcasts there are many good ones

start a weekly club with friends to share new and interesting things you’ve learnt that week

clean and reorganise your study space, physical or digital

check out online museums

fave educational youtube channels that I adore: vsauce, crashcourse, smarter every day, kurzgesagt, school of life, tom scott, r. c. waldun, vsauce3, primer, mark rober, veritasium, asapSCIENCE, scishow, TED-ed

hopefully you’ll find something to enjoy! happy learning x

[brookestudiesbio]

“i don’t like writing about my day, but i want to keep a journal”:

quotes and copywork. when reading, if you find something you enjoy, just copy it into the notebook. you can copy a whole chapter if you wish, highlighting what caught your attention the most.

definitions. look up on a dictionary and copy it. you could write your own dictionary as well, making up definitions for words.

lists. a classic, write movies to watch, books to read, the playlist of the month or just the groceries you have to buy.

maps. when going somewhere, you could draw the route you took or just a map of the place itself. just look up the place on google maps and copy it. you can draw a little map of all the places you have lived or the schools you have attended as well.

photos

take “notes” as you watch movies / documentaries. write down phrases that caught your attention or doodle.

illustrations and clippings. if you see an image or piece of art that you liked, put it in your journal. if it’s from a book or from a magazine I would recommend scanning it, tho’. it will serve as a record of what kind of art you enjoy through the years.

newspaper clippings from the day.

tickets and pamphlets. from movies, museums, transportation.

postcards

records. you could record for a month what the temperature was when you woke up and when you went to sleep. if you do that for a year, it gives you a better notion of the passing of seasons. you could record rainfall and other seasonal changes as well. you could choose something (an animal, a plant, an item or object) and write down every time you see it.

rubbings of leaves, coins, landmarks.

count. there’s a scene in the movie Coraline (2009) where Coraline’s dad tells her to go count the windows. you could do the same type of counting game if you are bored and write down.

mindmaps/sketchnotes + timelines of books, movies, music albums.

collages

pressed leafs and flowers

your collections. if you collect anything you could write down an inventory or maybe try to draw the items.

recipes. write down recipes and give it a score every time you try it. you could do the same for drinks you try out.

stickers

comic strips. you can find a bunch of it online, glue your favorites in your notebook.