Holly Clarke's blog

Another Bout with Blogger's Block!

I have two weeks left – one for class and one for finals.  Unfortunately, my brain has already checked into its own personal spa!  My mind simply wanders all the time.  I find myself sitting in class drawing Christmas trees all over my notes instead of fully paying attention.  I go home and zone out on the sofa nearly every night, only studying when absolutely necessary.  The funny this is…my heart is still in it to win it!  It is the only thing that wills me to class every day.   After having boards last quarter and entrance exams this quarter, my brain has simply decided to put up its “do not disturb” sign a little early this year. 

Fortunately, my heart has also helped me stay on track as well!  Besides being foiled by Philosophy, every thing else is going pretty good…except for blogging!  I am suffering from Blogger’s Block yet again.   In the past, I have not blogged until the last minute because I either ran out of time or was waiting for an event to take place so that I could blog about it.  This time, I simply have not blogged because I have not had anything profound to say!  Haha…yes, I know it is hard to believe, but it’s true!

Hopefully, next month will prove to be more interesting since I will be celebrating my birthday, as well as the birth of my second niece!  I also intend to include more information about my position as CSG Secretary and how I want to interact with the student population.  2010 is going to be quite a year and I am so ready for it to begin!

Christmas Too Early?

Do you ever get the feeling that Christmas comes earlier and earlier each year?  I do!  Let’s be honest...we all love the holiday season.  Between the parties and pretty decorations, there is nothing better than strolling through the mall to the sound of memorable Christmas tunes.  On the other hand, why am I strolling through the mall to Jingle Bells on November 5? 

It seems like Santa Claus makes an appearance at local shopping malls earlier and earlier each year.  I could not believe my eyes when I saw him sitting in a rocking chair surrounded by children nearly a week before Thanksgiving!  On the other hand, his hair and suit looked amazing, but he was definitely a tad bit earlier than usual.  When I was growing up, it seemed like we never started hanging Christmas decorations until the weekend following Thanksgiving.  Now, we are buying holiday wreaths and wrapping paper at the same time that we purchase Halloween candy. 

There is absolutely nothing wrong with being excited about the holiday season.  I only hope that everyone takes a moment to give thanks, too!  I am thankful for all of the friends and family that I have who support me 100%.  I am thankful for all of the people that help make my time at Sherman College and here in Spartanburg both fun and memorable.  On a side note, I am also thankful for Gap, Old Navy, Express and Banana Republic because they all help to feed my explosive shopping habit...haha!  Happy Holidays! 

Holiday Breaks!!

The holiday season is absolutely one of my most favorite times of the year!  I love going back home and spending time with family and friends, as well as going to Christmas parties and parades.  Some of my most vivid memories from childhood are during the holiday season, including my Dad scaring the life out of kids at Halloween and decorating the Christmas tree with my Mom and sisters every year. 

This past Thanksgiving was surprisingly quiet!  Instead of the traditional dinner with all of the extended family, my parents decided to have an intimate dinner at home with immediate family only.  Of course, this still proves to be a great time with my sisters and parents, but I truly appreciated the quieter and more relaxed nature of such a small gathering.  I am sure the family dogs enjoyed the days following as well, since they got to eat all of the leftovers! 

Even though I have two more weeks of school left before Christmas break begins, I am already making plans.  Every break is always especially fun for me because I get to celebrate my birthday during break!!  Honestly, it falls in the perfect spot – right after finals, but not so close to Christmas that I only get one shared present for both!  Biologically, I am going to be 25, but I am thinking about “choosing” another age.  On the other hand, 25 is pretty great so maybe I will just stick with that!

Even though I love to go home and spend time with my entire family, I also like to get back to life in my own home.  Whenever I am home for the holidays, my parents’ house is always loud and busy with nieces and nephews and other family members.  I will spend the next two weeks in Spartanburg longing for another break away from ordinary life here, but once break comes to an end, I will be refreshed and ready to return. 
 

Entrance Exams

Taking a written test can be rather difficult.  You have to study hard and be able to retain information in the proper order to answer all of the questions correctly.  On the other hand, taking a practical test is nerve-racking. Practical tests require you to PHYSICALLY DEMONSTRATE what you know, instead of taking the time to write it down on paper and address it in your own manner.  I am sure there are some people that actualy test better under a practical format.  Most people do not because we have spent the majority of our educational career being tested via paper and pencil. 

 

There are eight tests that all interns are required to pass before being able to officially enter clinic and start seeing student patients in 9^th quarter.  Four of the exams are written and administered during the actual entrance exam class, but the other four are practical exams that must be taken on the specified “Entrance/Exit Exam” day.  The eight practical tests consist of nearly every clinical topic that we have learned during our first 8 quarters at Sherman College.  The test itself is not hard, but is rather overwhelming!  You have to remember how to perform several tasks, including palpation, toggle recoil and instrumentation, correctly according to the Sherman System.  Everything that is included in these exams is primarily what you can expect to perform on each patient that you will see in the Health Center. 

 

During the days leading up to the test, I felt the same way that I did in the days before Part I Boards.  Waves of anxiety would creep in here and there, but for the most part, I was completely calm.  The real rush of fear did not happen until we were in the Health Center lobby waiting to be called for each section of the test. 

 

At this point, all of that unnerving anxiety is behind me because I passed all eight sections!!!  I guess I really did leave test anxiety on that pole during the Clinic Challenge Experience...haha!  There is only one piece of advice that I would like to give to future students who will be in my shoes very soon - practice all of the material that you are learning now so that it will become second-nature to you when your Entrance Exam day arrives!

Scarowinds Revisited!

Ok..I know this is totally late, but I completely forgot about how much fun my classmates and I had at Scarowinds!  Scarowinds is a Halloween event that is put on by Carowinds Amusement Park on the nights leading up to Halloween.  Basically, the amusement park is open to the public at night, but it has been totally transformed into a haunted park.  Several of the rides have been turned into haunted houses and the roller coasters are the the only rides that are open for use. 

Besides riding the Nighthalk rollercoaster, the best part of the night was actually being scared!  As you are walking along in the park, there are several people dressed up in scream-worthy costumes that jump right out in front of you or walk up next to you.  As soon as we walked into the park, we were approached by some sort of Joker looking character in a black and white jump suit that had eerie little hand bells that he would ring once he snuck up behind you!  It does not sound very scary in words, but it was really frightening face to face!

The best character of the night by far was this guy with a chainsaw.  After my classmates and I were ambushed by the bell-ringing guy, we thought that we would be safe for a few moments in the ladies rest room...not true.  As we were in the rest room waiting in line, we heard the roar of a chainsaw near the exit!  Fear immediately set in and we all cowered and run farther into the bathroom to avoid the wrath of the chainsaw guy.  That would not be our last encounter with him. 

Scarowinds was a great trip, besides the fact that I felt pretty sick after riding 6 rollercoasters straight and had to sit the last two out!  Carowinds is only about an hour and a half away from Spartanburg and is open almost every weekend during the summer season.  It is definitely a good place to go and have fun with classmates and friends!!  

Life at Sherman College!

Life at Sherman College is ON FIRE right now!  I am doing workstudy, tours, running for CSG secretary, getting ready for Entrance Exams, and last minute blogging all at the same time!  Even though I am buried up to my ears in things to do, I still do not feel as overwhelmed as I did during last quarter. 

This is the first time that I am doing workstudy on campus and it is going very well.  I split my time between the Admissions and Financial Aid offices, mainly during ten o’clock breaks.  My duties are fairly easy and consist mainly of filing, making copies, and other secreterial duties.  I am so glad that I finally decided to start making some extra money, especially with the Christmas season right around the corner! 

Due to my diligence as a Tour Guide last quarter, I was named Tour Guide of the Quarter for Fall 2009!!  My picture is featured on the main bulletin board and I get a special VIP parking space all quarter. I was given this award during Bagelfest a few weeks ago, which was rather interesting because I was definitely shocked! 

October has been full of several group tours.  Typically, group tours consist of an introduction to chiropractic by Dr. Ron Castelluchi and then a visit to the cadaver lab.  We have had everyone from high school students to nursing students visit this quarter.  Also, I found a body in the lab that had gallstones in the gallbladder!!!  Neat!  When I tell most people about how excited I was to discover this, they tend to think it’s a little creepy that I am so excited about dead bodies, but I can’t help it!  I even dissected the gallbladder removed several stones so that our visiters could see and touch a real gallstone!

I am also running for the position of secretary with Chiropractic Student Government.  My main reason for pursuing this position is more community exposure for our college.  I am totally shocked by the fact that there are people that live in Boling Springs and Spartanburg and have no idea where Sherman College is or what we are all about.  In addition to trying to make us more well-known, I also intend to fulfill the current duties of secretary, which include keeping meeting minutes and planning fun student activities, among other things. 

Entrance Exams.  During the Clinic Challenge, I left test anxiety at the top of a really high pole and that is where I intend for it to stay.  Yes, I have a lot of preparation to go through in order to prepare myself for this challenge, but it is all things that I have seen and been tested on before.  I am ready to rise to that challenge. 

Of course, I must keep blogging for all of my loyal readers out there!  I know that there are times when I go weeks without keeping all of you updated (such a now!), but I truly appreciate the people that do read my entries.  Please feel free to comment any time!

 

"The roots of true achievement lie in the will to become the best that you can become." 

Harold Taylor

 

We Are Interns Now!

Eighth Quarter has finally arrived and my classmates and I are officially Sherman College Interns!!  This has been one of the fastest and best experiences.  I cannot believe that less than two years ago, we were just getting to know one another as first quarter students.  Now, we are less than two years away from graduating.  My, how time flies when you're having fun in between boards, tests, and entrance exam preparation! 

 

Pre-Clinic has been a blast so far!  We still have quite a bit of time before we can adjust one another, but things are moving along very fast.  I will receive a student patient in January and start seeing outpatients by April.  With that in mind, most of us are already thinking of ways that we can find new patients.  Previous experience in interpersonal communication will come in extremely handy for me over the next few months.  There is nothing that I love better than meeting people and telling them about who I am and what I do.  For some people, the idea of public speaking is a nightmare, but it is a thrill for me…weird huh! 

The next few weeks will be filled with lots of practice and preparation for Clinic Entrance Exams, but I am sure that my classmates and I will do very well.  We have worked very hard to get to this point and cannot wait until our first official adjustment!

 

"Achievement is largely the product of steadily raising one's levels of aspiration and expectation."  Jack Nicklaus

How Sweet It Is!

I made it.  Looking back, I can remember how impossible it seemed, but now that it is over, I am overjoyed!!  I PASSED ALL SIX PARTS OF PART 1! 

After actually taking the test, I put it out of my mind.  I was at peace with my performance and could only hope for the best.  All in all, I am usually better at standardized tests than regular class tests, because I am more level-headed during those types of testing situations.  On the other hand, I did gag a little once I actually arrived at school on themorning of boards, but that was normal pre-test jitters…haha! 

When October 23 arrived, it was just another Friday to me.  My classmates and I had talked about the impending doom of checking scores, but I totally forgot about all of it until I was walking up the hill to class and one of my classmates asked if I had checked my scores.  Of course, at that point, all the nerves returned, but I still remained calm.  In my mind, I was still thinking, “it’s ok.  I will check my scores after class.”  That didn’t last very long.  I sat in my seat for about 4 minutes and simply looked at the professor talking because I was not hearing a word that was being spoken.  So, I got up out of my seat and made a quick sprint for the computer! 

Two of my classmates were in the hallway, so I made both of them come with me because I didn’t want to do it alone!  If I didn’t pass, I wanted someone to cry with, but if I did pass, I definitely wanted someone to scream with!  Long story short….it was a SCREAM!!  I squealed so loudly that I later found out that Kathy Wilson heard me through the walls in the Financial Aid office! 

Passing boards is one of the most important milestones of my chiropractic student career.  After conquering Part I, I feel as if I know how to prepare myself and can make it through all of the other parts.  The best advice that I can offer to people is study hard and stay focused and you will make it through!  Congratulations to everyone!

 

"Happiness is that state of consciousness which proceeds from the achievement of one's values."  Ayn Rand

How to Prep for Boards!

Now that I have passed Part 1, I am officially certified to give tips on how to perform well!  Just kidding!  But I can offer advice that helped me do very well. 

1.    STAY CALM! 

Ok…I will be honest with this one!  There were times when I needed to take this piece of advice to heart.  The best thing that you can do to perform well on Boards and any other test is to keep your cool.  I was calm up until the day of the test.  My brief waves of anxiety would come and go, but I tried to stay as calm as possible at all times.  It is especially important to remain calm while studying.  If you are uptight and restless while reviewing, you will definitely not retain as much information as you would if you were calm and relaxed. 

2.    STUDY HARD, BUT STUDY THE SAME WAY THAT YOU NORMALLY STUDY.

I know this tip seems to be a no-brainer, but read it again.  I don’t advise simply studying hard, but study the way that you are normally used to studying.  If you are used to getting together with your classmates and drilling one another until you know the information in 2 languages, then continue to do that for boards.  All in all, if your study habits have been working this far, there is no reason to try and re-invent the wheel now.  Stick to what you do best! 

3.    PREPARE AS MUCH AHEAD OF TIME AS POSSIBLE.

For those of you who know me very well, I am sure that you are laughing hysterically at the fact that I had the audacity to put this tip on here!  I will be the first to admit that I am not the best at time management and therefore am often scrambling to get things done at the last minute.  Sometimes this technique works and sometimes it blows up in my face!  I am not going to say whether or not I prepared early enough, but I do advise everyone to start early and pace yourself in order to avoid freaking out at the end because you're running out of time. 

4.    USE ALL OF THE RESOURCES AVAILABLE AND MORE.

It may seem redundant to review the same information from several different sources, but I am very glad that I studied from more than one set of review materials.  Each review source presents information in a different way and there are some that included more information than others.  In the end, you will pick up the most information from the one that works the best for you!

5.    TAKE A REVIEW!!!

Honestly, it doesn’t really matter which company you decide to take a review with, but I wholeheartedly recommend taking some type of formal review, in addition to the reviews on campus.  Even if you feel as if there is nothing more than you can learn about several of the subjects on Part I, I recommend the review as a way to help you determine which areas are weakest/strongest for you as a student.  The review will help you assess which subjects you need to review the most, as well as the ones that you are better prepared for.  I am very glad that I took the review because it helped me structure my study time properly so that I avoided wasting time. 

Sometimes, a little bit of friendly advice from someone that has been where you already have to go is very soothing.  I am not the queen of boards by a long shot, but I hope that these tips are somewhat comforting to the next set of test takers now and in the future. 

 

"There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure." 

Colin Powell

Clinic Challenge - Part 2

Below are photos from Clinic Challenge 2009....Enjoy!!

Here, Philip Jordan, Josh Kupchella, Ben Cotter, and Steve Legault all try to balance on top of an "island" together to avoid falling into a "sea of pirahnas!!"

PaJohn Mendy taking a quick break from the morning activities.

More group activities, but this one was kind of hard!

Getting ready to sing our team song, which was a total disaster, but totally hilarious!

The Trust Wall - somehow we managed to boost everyone on the ground over the wall, one person at a time