Having just returned from upstate NY this week (think Rochester area), I was warmly welcomed by sunny skies and cool breezes. Unfortunately for me, it has also been a week of studying (and maybe a little cramming) for finals, the first of which is bright and early tomorrow morning. Like my previous posts may have hinted, I'm not very good at studying so instead of devoting all my free time to those lovely biochemical powerpoint presentations I love, I have been obsessively reading Moonlighting with Einstein by Joshua Foer. I think this is partly because I was amazed someone could memorize a shuffled deck of cards, in under 5 minutes, and because I was desperately hoping I could memorize all these protein acronyms just as efficiently. Although the book is not an instruction manual for your memory, it did make me wonder about the limits of brainpower. I have often been disappointed and a little embarrassed to admit that after I have completed a class, about a month later (and sometime much less) I can no longer remember most of the details of what I learned. The main concepts? Sure I know those. But ask me what the formula for magnetic field strength is, and I'm at a loss. I used to think maybe I just wasn't smart enough to learn it. So I studied more, aced all my exams, still forgot it all a month later and was left feeling eve more inadequate. What Foer's book did for me, was help me realize that the way I have been taught and the way I have been learning is quite mediocre. I can do better, if I just knew how to train my mind to think deliberately and vividly. Well, I thought, as someone who daydreams in class, in the car, waiting in line, walking to my car, walking to my apartment, during commercials, during grocery shopping and while showering, it shouldn't be too hard, right? I'll let you know. I've been inspired to try to use these mnemonic techniques to improve my memory, and more importantly, to apply them to my schoolwork and MCAT studying. I'm starting today (perfect timing really, since my final is tomorrow).
As I mentioned, I was in NY to visit my grandmother, who is 93 and probably going to die very soon. She lives in a state run nursing home, and could probably be receiving better care in a funeral home. I was utterly shocked to see how little the medical staff cared and how incompetent they were at both the nursing home and the hospital. It just inspired me that much more to go into healthcare and to educate myself about public health policies. I believe it was the only time I have ever disliked a physician. An x-ray for low blood count and dehydration? You've GOT to be kidding me! I believe someone should be checking in on these hospitals and care-taking facilities to ensure patients are receiving the best care.
I'll be putting up pictures from my trip and an update on my memory experiment soon!
-Stephanie
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