The Dirty Dash!! (and other things)

I've been waiting until I had a picture!  We were so filthy:

Lucky, D-Luxe, A-Ham, Crave, and G-Money

The Dirty Dash was held at Soldier Hollow, the cross-country ski track of Olympic fame.  We braved obstacles such as bales of hay, 9-ft walls, tunnels, muddy sludge up to our thighs, and a slip-n-slide over 100' long.  Though we were the last to cross the starting line (Lucky was late - it couldn't be helped), we were far from last to finish.  Our team, The Pervy Piglets, completed the 10-K "race" in a little over an hour, blinded by muddy spray, and legs burning with fatigue.  We blindly stumbled across the finish line, and I peeled my gritty eyes open for this photo.

Also, General Conference was amazing.  Nothing compares to the renewed hope and peace I feel after such a wonderful meeting with the leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ.

Lastly - I'm sure all my avid followers have been dying to know my MCAT score report.  I can't actually tell you my score, because I am working for Altius, who requires that we not divulge our scores.  So I'll get as specific as I can contractually tell you:  I scored above the 90th percentile!  I've got the score I need for med school, but call me crazy, I might actually take it again next year.  (I can promise you, Altius is the way to go.  My money was well spent on this course, and between group sessions and private tutoring sessions, I'm sure it's also the best value out there.)

So that's it for now.  Have a great week everybody!

MCAT Scores Release Tomorrow!

The tentative score release date for the Tuesday, August 24 MCAT test date is tomorrow, September 28th, at 5PM ET.  My heart is leaping from my chest.


* By the way, I cannot give specifics about my score to the public because I have signed a contract with Altius promising not to.  Sorry.  I'll let you know how I did in generalities! *

Good Luck Wishes

Mrs. Busath:  I think we should celebrate tomorrow!  Good luck and love you lots!

Mr. Smith:  Hey dude.  Just want to say good luck on the test tomorrow.  You're gonna dominate it.  Trust the lord first, your instinct second, and someone else's bubble sheet third.

Marcus:  Good luck on your test tomorrow man.  You'll do great.

Trustysteve:  Smoke that MCAT tomorrow cravey!  good luck!

Dave-delujo:  Good luck tomorrow, bro.  You're going to feed the MCAT its own brains tomorrow.

Bill:  Good luck man... you got it nailed! haha

* lee:  Happy MCAT day!  You'll be amazing!  Have fun!  :)

Marcus (again):  YOU CAN DO IT!

Mr. Poulson:  Good luck today?

L. Victoria:  Saw your fb status.  Good luck spence, you'll do fab.  You're pretty much a genius.  :)

Grodon:  Good luck crave baby!  You'll do awesome.  Give me a call when your done

Van:  Best of luck sir!  You'll do great!

*  *  *  *  *

Thanks for the good luck wishes everyone!  I know I've been in a lot of your prayers.  You are very good friends to me.  I'm so happy to have it over with.  I'll let you know how I did when my scores are released on September 28th!

43

This is the score on my final, blind practice test:

Diagnostic Score Report   MCAT Practice Test 10     8/20/2010

Overall Diagnostics
	Total Correct	% Correct	Estimated Scaled Score	Estimated Percentile Rank	Average Time Per Question in Seconds	% Marked	% Correct of Marked
Composite	140 of 144	97%	43	99.9-99.9	90	22%	94%
Physical Sciences	50 of 52	96%	14	97.6-99.7	91	21%	91%
Verbal Reasoning	40 of 40	100%	15	99.9-99.9	89	23%	100%
Biological Sciences	50 of 52	96%	14	98.4-99.8	90	23%	92%

Can we all just look together at that Estimated Percentile Rank?  I have worked very, very hard to get there, and now I am on a vacation from my problems.  All day today and tomorrow, I will be completing the final task on my MCAT preparation checklist:  relax.

Today, I will make a dinner, mod podge a chair, clean my bedroom, and take a nap.  Tomorrow I will purchase a mirror, play with friends, go on a drive, and enjoy my one and only lazy day of summer.

I have not spent one minute of my summer complaining "I am bored, I have nothing to do."  Instead, I have burned through June, July, and most of August at a grueling clip, savoring what I could along the way.  I am satisfied, and looking forward to beginning my final year at BYU in just one week!

the MCAT is my girlfriend.

So I just have LOADS to tell you.

Actually not really.

This past week I have done 3 things that are very rare for me:

1 - I shove my legs. That's right. Shove. Like with a razor. I thought I'd try it out. Kind of weird, kind of nice though.

2 - Bought some new jeans. I have been wearing the same pair every day for nearly 6 months... it was about time.

3 - Taken 3 practice MCATs in 4 days. And I'm taking another one tomorrow. Ugh.

Mostly, I just wanted to share that the MCAT and I seem to be getting along. In fact, I spend so much time with the MCAT that sometimes I think we're dating. She's not the best friend to me, but at least she's telling me things I like to hear: practice test scores so far are 40, 43, and 41. Go team.

I really like taking the practice tests on e-mcat.com, because you get your score right away, and they even break it down for you according to the category, so that you can see where your strong and weak points are. Very useful. Sadly, the real test is not so merciful - you take the test and then they whirl your answers away into some unknown abyss where they keep it for a month before they tell you what your score is. It's very inconvenient.

Anyways, it's nice down here in my cave. Thought I'd slap down a post to assure you that I'm still breathing down here. Happy summer everybody!

MCAT

I take the MCAT in one month. Tomorrow I begin my one-month conquer-the-MCAT study plan. So... I apologize to my friends for never leaving my desk in the basement. I promise that in nine years I'll have plenty of time to play with you.

:(

MCAT Update

Well well well!

Altius Test Prep seems to be a rather amazing course. I'm just over halfway through the program right now, and I feel like it's been helping me along quite a bit. It costs about as much as a semester of tuition, but considering the inherent value of a good MCAT score, it's well worth the price - and to me, much more value per dollar than Kaplan.

And at the halfway mark, you take your first practice exam. Though I had seen much of the material before, it was good to take the test just to become familiar with the format. I was still nervous, and said a little prayer before taking it. Five and a half hours later, I emerged from the test with a whopping 41! Now, if I actually get a 41 (that's 99.7th percentile) on the MCAT, I will rejoice exceedingly, but I'm not getting my hopes up from the practice test. Today there was no pressure, and I'd seen a lot of the questions first - but now I know how it feels to approach the test with complete confidence that I'm going to rock it. And come test day (August 24th now!) I want to feel the same way.

I'm a little behind in my classes due to making birthday preparations for this girl (more to come on that), plus a deep inset need to commune with nature during the summer, but to be honest I am having fun getting ready for the MCAT! Some say that I am wasting my summer away in the library, but it doesn't feel that way to me.

More bulletins as events warrant!

the MCAT

{photo via}

I signed up for the MCAT last night. Kind of a crazy feeling. I can't believe I'm going to be taking it - this year - on Sep 11th! Well. I can believe it, but it still makes me a little nervous. I was planning on taking it this May, but I decided later to put it off until September, and I don't regret the decision.

I wonder, as I always will whenever I embark upon a new challenge, will I rise to the challenge and outperform my peers for a spot in a medical school? or will I finally fail in competition with those who are out of my league? Thrilling, exhilarating, nerve wracking. This is what we live for - these moments of testing!

So I know it sounds a little selfish, but I'm going to ask you anyways, to say a prayer here and there for my success. My future rides upon it... but I'll try not to think about that.

Into the Eye of the Storm

{i'm the itty bitty plane}

My current school schedule looks like I am here at the Y just to play. Except for 3 serious classes, I am taking volleyball, springboard diving, basic vocal skills, and Beatles guitar instruction. Ha. Don't pretend you aren't jealous. It really is the funnest semester schedule I've ever had... except tomorrow I begin my tutoring with Altius. So on top of the funnest semester schedule I'll ever have, I'm going to stack my preparation for the biggest, hairiest, craziest test I'll ever have to worry about in my young adult life:

the MCAT.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am heading into the eye of the storm. Armed with nothing but my wits, a #2 Ticonderoga, a whiteboard and a sharpie, I will take an 8 hour multiple choice test in May that will largely determine my entire future. So wish me luck: I'm about to kiss my free time goodbye, and say hello to the textbooks.

{comma, space, frowny-face.}

To be honest though, I am exhilarated. This is a very big leap for me. I love to learn - and taking the MCAT will be the biggest academic challenge I've ever come up against. And on the other side of this test lies a wealth of knowledge I've been dying to learn my whole life: the mysteries of the infinitely complex human body, and how to help it fix itself. It was crafted in the likeness of the Creator Himself, for goodness sake!

{believe it or not, this is quite beautiful to me. this is what you're made of!}

So anyways, friends, when you want to hang out, but I have to study - remember that I'm dreaming of curing cancer, and don't feel bad for me.

2010!

I can't believe it!  It's 2010 already?

Well how about that.  Here are my new resolutions for the year, so I hope you keep checking up on me:

1 - Gain some WEIGHT!

     I weighed in at 136 lbs on the first day of the Year of Our Lord Anno Domine 2010, and I want to go out of this year weighing about 20 lbs heavier.

2 - Floss Daily

     Guess who maxed out his dental insurance with 3 root canals this year?  Yep.  Let's not do that again.

3 - Read My Scriputures Daily

     I'm going to finish the Old Testament this year.  I'm in Isaiah 56.  Isaiah is like the Shakespeare of the Old Testament:  everybody claims to love him, but I don't think anybody really understands him...

4 - Take the MCAT, Get Involved in Research, Get a Year-Round Job

     I know.  I know.  Three goals in one.  But I really have to do all three, and I didn't want more than 4 main goals, so I'm putting them all together!

So there you have it!  Those are my goals and I'm stickin to 'em.  I'm pretty excited about this year.  I feel like there are going to be some pretty epic things happening in 2010.  What are your resolutions?