Done with finals!
My penultimate finals season is officially over!
This was one of the most chill finals seasons I’ve had, but it sure feels nice to be relaxing at home now instead of having to worry about school for a few weeks. I thoroughly enjoyed my last fall semester at Vandy and I’m looking forward to next semester, my last semester of undergrad! Here’s a recap of my classes this semester.
- Medical French: This was the most relevant French class I’ve ever taken because all the vocabulary and learning material were related to medical subjects, whether about the human body or global and public health. I am now more confident in my speaking and communication abilities in French because of the many oral exercises and presentations we did in this class. Also, I came full circle because I took my first and last college French class with the same professor, Dr. Nathalie Dieu-Porter!
- Biodiversity, Climate Change, and Our Health: In this biology class, I learned a lot about the science of climate change and how it impacts biodiversity and why this matters for human health. I feel that now I am more confident in talking about climate change and its effects because of all the research I have become familiar with. If you ever have the chance to take a class with Dr. Amanda Benson, do it! She’s so energetic and encourages critical thinking about important issues.
- Physics II: My last pre-med required class ever! I was lucky that I got to take this class with Dr. Dutta, who is very organized and explains the material in a way that is simple and easy to understand. A cool concept I learned about in this class is that changing magnetic fields can induce electric fields and vice versa! Electromagnetic induction is also how electric toothbrushes charge!
- MHS research for credit: Continuing my Type 2 Diabetes stigma research with the Behavioral Medicine in Chronic Conditions Research Group, I’ve made good progress on writing a paper that will hopefully be published next semester! I can tell you a lot about Type 2 diabetes, stigma, and self-esteem now :) I’ve also learned a lot about the rigorous and detail-oriented process of research, and it’s super cool I get to work in a real research group as a college student for class credit.
When it comes to studying, what I advise first and foremost is to be proactive during the semester. Go to class and actually pay attention! If you focus and learn the material well the first time around, it’ll be that much easier to study for exams later on. Put in the work earlier rather than later so that exam season isn’t as bad. Also, take scheduled breaks. When studying there comes a point of diminishing marginal returns, so go ahead and take a break and grab a meal with a friend, go work out, go for a walk, or do what you like! I promise when you return to your studies with a clear head you’ll be much more productive and able to focus.
Let me know if you would like to learn more about any of these classes or have questions about undergrad research opportunities, studying, etc! My email is deniz.gungor@vanderbilt.edu