One Semester Later

As the semester comes to a close, I cannot help but think back on the journey it has been and how my experience has been wildly different from other semesters. I honestly never imagined that students would still be on campus the weekend before Thanksgiving or that I would be able to do my schoolwork from my favorite cubicle in Willy T. 

Not a single aspect of my life this semester has been similar to my past 6 semesters as a UK student. The entirety of my classes were taught virtually (with the exception of a lab that was in person every other week- and even this class ended up moving online). I have spent less time in the library this semester simply because of my cleanliness preferences- I use Clorox wipes to clean the table and chair before I sit down to do my work and there's too big of a shortage on disinfectant wipes to go the library on a daily basis. I have struggled to find motivation to do my schoolwork, as many professors have been kind and given us flexible due dates for assignments. I often let my work pile up until the end of the week and do it all Sunday afternoon. Not having in person classes has completely thrown me off, as I don't adhere to a strict schedule, which I believe is largely to blame for my lack of motivation. 

COVID has contributed greatly to my stress levels. I am constantly doing my best to avoid putting myself in a situation that would expose me to COVID, but that isn't always enough. Other students on the campus have not been shy in sharing their party attendance to their social media platforms. Seeing this really upsets me because while some students are doing their best to prevent the spread of coronavirus, others simply do not care about the health and wellbeing of others. I have definitely feared interacting with someone who is the opposite of me and parties frequently. I even fear that my small group of friends that I see occasionally will be exposed by an encounter with someone who parties and is exposed to large amounts of different people on a daily basis. This stress has not been good for my health and has driven me to become even more of a hermit than I already was.

As I seek admissions to medical school, the application process has also looked different. Schools must conduct interviews online, eliminating face-to-face interactions and preventing a true impression on interviewers. Some schools have chosen to utilize a second interview source where students record themselves answering questions that demonstrate their competencies. This new program was adopted by some schools in response to the pandemic to allow the admissions committee to learn more about the applicants.

I tend to allow the negatives of this semester to dominate my mind. However, I do want to shed light on some of the positive experiences I have had this semester. For the first time, I lived off campus. My roommates are great friends of mine and have loved their friendship throughout the semester. They are such a source of joy in my life and being around them helps to relieve my anxieties about COVID on the remainder of campus. I have also taken a greater interest in epidemiology and infectious disease since the pandemic began. Seeing new research articles come out on how coronavirus is more harmful to some people than others truly fascinates me. Hearing about the different vaccines and their effectiveness is also something I love hearing and I love to talk about. My background as a biology major and pre-med student has allowed me to explain the scientific discoveries in simple terms to my friends, such as how an mRNA vaccine does not inject living or dead virus into your body, but instead injects the template for the spike protein so that the immune cells can recognize the protein and develop an antibody without being exposed to virus. These scientific discoveries have sparked my interest in epidemiology and infectious disease, which is now a specialty that I am very interested to look into when I get to medical school.

This semester has not been what I had expected it to be. While there have been good things this semester, they are countered with a great amount of things that were either bad or were below my expectations. I am so glad that this semester is coming to an end. Simply because of this semester's circumstances, this has been the most challenging semester yet. I say it every year, but I can confidently say that I mean it the most this year: I have never been more ready for a break.