Jay
Pahade
Jay
Pahade
Freshman Year- My first objective is to state my goal as an incoming freshman of what I would like to be able to expect of myself. What would I like to get out of my education? Easily stated, I would like to receive an education that enables me not only to work well in my future field, but an education that allows to communicate and learn from others. This is what I deem as the most important aspect of education.. The ability to work with people in a setting that allows you to pursue a goal, and reach it. I must say that I came to VCU with great hesitation. My main motivation to attend this school was the medical school acceptance. Now, having gone through most of the semester, I have grown fond of the university I now call home. I am starting my first semester taking the following courses:
As the first semester came to an end, I realized that I coped with the problems and came out on top. My grades went as well as I could ask for, and I think I am finally in a situation where I can call VCU my home. My friendships are starting to evolve into family, and Richmond is starting to represent a community where I can see myself in the future.
Second Semester-Can you say stress? I can, because at this point I am finding myself overwhelmed with it. Calc. based physics is turning out to be a real time taker, and I am relentlessly "fighting" the homework each day. My other courses are as follows:
My classes have been ok, although I do not find myself with any outstanding teachers. My calculus teacher no longer teaches my class and the new professor is a lot harder. Physics is a lot of work, and I think I single handily wiped out an entire forest with all the paper I have used. The honors program continues to provide a source of activity. All though some of the lectures have been excessively in depth, most speakers have been good. I particularly enjoyed a discussion of Russia during its communist reign, and a presentation by operation smile. I am also looking forward to beginning my performance art class. From what I hear, it is both fun and weird. Just like me.
For some reason I decided to put this flag in here. I am writing this entry right before the approach of my final examinations for this semester. Second semester certainly went a lot quicker then the first. I am also now officially a brother of AKL, so I am happy about that. Other then that, I have no thought provoking insightful entries to add. I have enjoyed myself this year, am moving off campus in the fall, and have met some great people. I also think I finally have a handle on who everyone is, and what you can say and can't say to them. I am also confident that I have extinguished any ideas that others have had about me earlier this year for not being friendly, or arrogant. Maybe some people still feel the same, but I have realized one thing. You can't have everyone love you, and you should concentrate on keeping the ones that do . To all those that are about to embark on their first summer vacation from college, KIT, and try to make it go as slow as possible. If it goes as fast as this year has went, it will go fast. I think that made sense????????
Sophmore Year
Well here I am sitting
in my new apartment at Greshham Court writing an update entry on the first
summer off college. I think it went a bit to fast, but then again I think
all vacations that mean a break from school go to fast. I had a very fun
and productive summer by my standards. I took a marketing course at the
University of Buffalo, and got an A. I was pleased to see that a different
university and atmosphere still meant that I could get good results. I
did not find much of a difference in the teaching style between the two
schools, and it helped eliminate some of the doubts I had about VCU not
being like other schools. I also did research at Children’s Hospital in
Buffalo with Dr. Lani Burkman. I worked a variety of projects including
the study of cannabonoid receptors on the acrosome portions of human sperm,
a study relating the pregnancy rates of women whose spouse uses either
single or split ejaculates and the type of medium the sperm is capacitated
in, and an early screening for a new study with boys that are entering
puberty at too early of an age. I think I learned a lot and the great thing
about the research I did this summer, compared to previous experiences,
is that it had a definite connection to human medicine directly. It seemed
like the other research I have done did not have much direct implication.
However, this summer I could see what our research would do for couples
having difficulty producing a child. On a different note I also worked
in a rising HMO, Health Care Plan. It has been rated as one of the best
HMO's( if that can be true??) in the nation. I was positioned the business
office for the company. Much of my day was spent trying to initiate payments
for services we provided patients that were part of different insurance
companies or due to workers comp. I can not begin to express the frustration
that one is put through doing such a task. I concluded that I HATE INSURANCE
COMPANIES. It was so obvious at times when I could tell the person at the
other end of the phone was doing nothing but delaying payment in hopes
that we would stop nagging them. I really learned a lot from this experience
about how the business of a doctors office is handled. I was exposed to
the process of coding procedures and treatments, and seeing how much they
cost. I was also exposed to the process of how doctors receive reimbursement
for them. I knew this always happened but before this summer could not
begin to tell you how. The funny thing is many doctors that work for HMO's
and are not responsible for their own billing couldn't tell you how either.
The conclusion I made was the less you know, the more you can be taken
advantage of. I guess that is true in lots of situations. Finally, I also
traveled to New York City, Houston, Toronto, Detroit, and the Allegheny
Mountains for some camping. It was a great summer.
Update
This entry is being composed at the end of October for 1998. I am writing this entry so soon after my last because I feel that I have went through a lot of maturing and experiences this semester. I never mentioned what my course load was this semester. I am taking
Well the semester has ended and I am only somewhat content with the results I have achieved. I think overall everything else went well and I had a great winter break highlighted by a trip to India. I am now dreading the start of the rat race again with another full course load. My courses for the spring are
Well, I am writing this entry upon the onset of finals for the year. It has a very busy semester with school work and other commitments but I have been OK so far. My finals schedule is not bad, but oddly I have two tests on the study day. I will be going home for the summer and working in a lab, an HMO or a bank. Plans are not sure as of yet. On another note, I will be attending my brothers engagement party at the beginning of May. That has been a very interesting thought to think about, I feel like I am forty or something. My brother, the same guy that used to push me around and get me in trouble, is going to have a wife? Something is wrong!
I am not looking forward to next year because
I know it will be the hardest year for sure with so many upper level bio
courses. Regarding my dossier requirement, I thought the modules
I took this semester were pretty interesting. They were far ends
of the scope when it came to work load. My Blues module had an excessive
amount of work, while the Arch. in Richmond module was pretty nice and
enjoyable. The hardest part of that class was waking up for it on
saturday. My study abroad plans have also feel through due to odd
timing and lack of places in countries where I wanted to study. My
plan as of now is to go backpacking the summer before medical school.
Junior Year
Well, the summer has passed by quickly and
I am back in Richmond starting my junior year. I can't believe that
I am done with two years and right now I wish I were a freshman again.
I
worked in Buffalo this summer doing some research
early on and then working with Health Care Plan/ Univera Healthcare in
Buffalo. I was on the provider team updating the provider file for
the company in their new software.
I gained a lot of experience in managed care software, had my own assignments
and really felt like I was part of team along with all the other workers.
Being a
summer intern and accomplishing the same goals
as my boss was exciting and frightening at the same time. I enjoyed
the experience and learned a lot about how the managed care industry
works and how many physicians get paid and are covered by other doctors
with pools. Hopefully, this information will help me compete
my these companies when I am a doctor so they will not try to take advantage
of me and my patients. This year is going to be challenging.
Final update for the semester.
Well, another semester is
about to pass by with more experiences and more education having occurred.
I will say that I did some of the most daring things that I have done in
my life within the last couple of months. For one thing, I jumped
out of a plane at 16000 feet. YES, I went skydiving. It was
an amazing feeling, and seeing miles of ground beneath you while thinking
how much you hope that you do not end up being a part of it definitly brings
a smile to your face. Well, I guess you can see that my chute opened.
and everything was just fine. I highly recommend the experience;
it is a thrill you can not get anywhere else.
I think my classes have
also continued to go well this semester. I was def. pushed harder
then ever before, of course, this will be nothing compared to medical school.
My most challenging class was Comp. Vert Anatomy. It is a very well
tough class. The material is very encompassing and demands a lot
of attention. Lab was especially cumbersome and "odorsome" (nothing
smells nicer then dead mud puppies, sharks, and cats). Some of my
modules were a bit odd this semester. I signed up for the New Millenium
Module that was supposed to be taught by Julie Valorie expecting a cool
look for "a futurist" about what this next century might have in store
for us. Instead I got a teacher who thought that we were Grad students
that had plenty of times to read two books, additional articles, and write
a final paper. The class was a bit distracting, however being in
a class taught by long distance learning was a new technological experience
for me.
My varsitybooks.com tenure
is still occurring, and I really enjoy working for the company. They
are very hype about what they do, and it rubes off to my work. If
oou ask any of my close friends in school and they will tell you how much
I talk about varsitybooks. It certainly has its perks, as the pay
is well, the bonus is better, and they just gave me a palm pilot!
Not many college students can say the same thing. I guess that sums
up the remaining portion of this semester. Let’s hope the good luck
continues. Oh yeah, I think I am actually detecting some VCU school
spirit this year with the basketball team, it is a very odd, but nice,
feeling for this campus.
Spring Semester
Greetings from the year 2000. My winter
break was great and really gave me some time to hang out with old friends
and kindle that family spirit again. I had a great New Year although
I did not leave Buffalo like I wanted to. My spring semester
is one of my lightest loads since freshman year. I am not taking
any honors modules because I just did not find any of them to look interesting.
Hard to believe, but the one
that I did want to take conflicted with other
class times. I am taking Genetics, Animal Physiology,
Introduction to Research, Organizational behavior,
and Business and Technical writing. Genetics looks
like a lot of math, Animal Phys. looks like
a lot of memorization, Business and Technical writing looks like
a lot of tests, and Organizational Behavior
doesn't look like anything. There is nothing too new in my life
here at VCU. I am still busy with the
fraternity and have taken the position of pledge educator. This
pretty much means I run everything having
to do with the pledges. It is a demanding position but I am
ready for it. I also took the
position of chair of the Honors Advisory committee. I am not sure
if I have the time to do this, but since nobody else volunteered for it
I felt obliged to say something. That’s about it.
This is an update that is being posted upon the brink of finals week. I can say that is probably as calm as I will be for the next week or so. Things this semester have went extremely well, but since it is finals and all, I feel the obligation to stress out and drive myself to a state of insanity. I guess that would be the work ethic in me. Overall, I think I have made some giant improvements this semester. My work with Varsitybooks went even better then last semester and my team did very well. I also think I have gotten a better sense of time management which has allowed me to enjoy this semester in relation to the amount of work I had a bit more then in the past. My biggest distress over the last couple of weeks has been my problems in finding a job that I would find interesting and useful. It seems that even though my GPA is well above that of the average student, and even though I have considerable experience in the business world and healthcare industry no company would like to hire a student with a Biology major. The only position it seems I am qualified for based on my coursework as a Biology major is a lab assistant. This is a bit upsetting for me. After putting so much time into a major I am not pleased with the respect it seems to have in the "real" world. While realizing that my final goal and destination will be medical school, and that is where it might have some relevance, it scares me that if med. school does not work out I really have no degree to fall back on. I guess that means I should pretty sure that I make medical school work! In my mind, the knowledge and experience I have gained through school, as well as the interpersonal skills I feel I possess would make a qualified candidate for most summer positions. Yet, with this "booming" economy, I am about as dependant on any company returning my call as a puppy is while waiting to be let outside to urinate. The only reason I have formulated from my experience is that most companies are looking for junior that they think will end up staying with them for full time employment after graduation and I do not seem to be a likely candidate. I guess I will just keep telling myself that until I find my job.
On a lighter note,
I am have decided to take the following courses in the fall.
Histology
Plant Development (since the Biology dept screwed me over by not offering
it in the spring)
Financial Management
Religions of the World
Latin American Culture and Film
Well I am updating this section in early July
through this tiresome summer break. I think staying in the Richmond
area over the summer has taught me a couple of things. First, it
is unbearably hot here. I mean the humidity and 95 degree weather
tend to drain you out, if it isn't already forcing you to stay indoors.
I have also learned how quickly I am can transform into a forty year old
working man. It sucks! I feel like I have almost lost my youth
this summer, since having a steady full time job demands so much of my
time. During the school year when 9:30 PM rolls around I am just
starting to think about going out. Over this summer when 9:30 comes
around I am thinking about how it is useless to try to go out now since
I want to be in bed by midnight at the latest. It sets your head
in a completely different mindset. Needless to say I am not looking
forward to getting older! My summer is still going very well besides
this odd revelation. I am really enjoying my job at First Union since
it has nothing to do with medicine. Not to say that I am not still
devoted to the medical field, but I think it was a good idea to try to
get some experience outside of health care for my own benefit of getting
a better understanding of different careers and processes. I have
also managed to travel some, going back to Buffalo for my brothers wedding
reception, Los Angeles for a young Jains of America Convention, and San
Francisco for the fourth of July. The next couple of weekends I plan
on going to Ocean City beach, New York City and San Antonio. Before
I know it I will be back in the fall hard at work dreading the end of my
undergraduate career. I guess an overall conclusion for my summer
thus far is that while having a steady job is nice because you can come
home knowing that you do not have any more work, you truly come to miss
the variety and people that come with being in school.
Update:
Well I am writing this update as I am putting together the final touches
of my dossier. This semester has been going well. I have made
up my mind and have decided to attend medical school at the University
of Buffalo. Although this is one of the toughest decisions I have
had to make, my final decision came to weighing out the options of which
would offer me the best medical schooling at the best price.Unfortunately,
Virginia is not a very accommodating state when it comes to granting state
residence, so my decision was forced to Buffalo, where I am a resident.
I thank VCU for giving me the opportunity to attend medical school here
and providing me with a diverse and wonderful education. I have no
regrets attending school here and hope that my last semester goes as smoothly
as my first 3 years. On a school related note, I have found Histology
to be one of the most challenging courses I have taken here. The
vast amount of information needed, and the depth of understanding you must
possess to do well in that class requires a lot of attention. I have
found Dr. Conway to be a great teacher, although she is tough!
To Virginia Commonwealth University
