Tag Archives: fail

Things guys shouldn’t do

My roommates and I. We are a little harassed. By who? Why, our counterparts of the opposite gender. For often… they are idiots.

So we’d like to put up a little proposal. All guys– dudes– bros— whatever you like to call yourselves– need a little… help. A female life advisor, as one of my roommates eloquently phrased it. We’ll start with a little list– of what you guys should never, ever, under any circumstances, do to a girl you’re trying to pick up. Because it didn’t work on us. And it’s not going to work on anyone.

And finally,

A bit specific? Yes. Tip of the iceburg? Absolutely. Where do guys get these ideas? I don’t know.

And so girls (and boys) what sort of insanity have the opposite gender (or same gender, of course) tried to pull on you? Let me know! The best ones could possibly be illustrated in a future post!

Failing the MCAT

I have an affinity for free things. Who doesn’t? Except my love led me to do something slightly ridiculous– in this case, taking the MCAT.

The MCAT, for those who are unaware, is yet-another standardized exam for medical school applicants. As with any grad school exam, it’s monstrously competitive, perhaps even more so for the MCAT as it’s taken by overachieving pre-med students. Kids usually take at least six months to study for it, if not more. Like any major exam, the MCAT fuels a whole business of study books and preparatory courses.

Kaplan, one such test-prep company, happened to be offering a free MCAT practice exam at NU. I’m a pre-med student. For now, at least. So I decided to give it a shot.

The exam I took had a few differences from the real thing, though. The real MCAT is entirely computerized– but we took it on pencil-and-paper scantrons. Also, Kaplan omitted the writing section and shortened the remaining sections by 10 minutes each.

They might as well have. Because I died.

The MCAT has four sections: physical science, verbal reasoning, biological science, and the writing sample. I took the first three in a process that went a little like this:

In all fairness to myself, I’m just a freshman. I haven’t seen chemistry in one and a half years. I’ve never taken an advanced physics course. Nor have I taken organic chemistry. My AP Biology class in high school was pretty useless. So, while some of the questions went like

The majority of the test looked more like

Since the practice test was only multiple-choice, we got our results back right away. I got the high, high score of

Afterwards, we received an answer key showing which questions we got wrong. MCAT teachers were available for any kids wishing to discuss their results. I didn’t take up the offer, just because

Oh, well. It was a worthwhile attempt. Now I know how much I have to improve! Besides… I’m a freshman. I’ve got quite a ways to go.

Skater-nerdy-Asian girl

A while back, I got a longboard. I’ve been trying hard to learn how to use it. Every chance I get, I’m outside clumsily skating around, tripping over bumps and running into people.

I feel like there’s a certain stereotype that comes with girls who use skateboards, or in my case, a longboard. You know, the skater girl. Skull cap. Punk sneakers. Graphic print tee. Heavy makeup and a look of rebellion.

But I don’t fit that stereotype. Nope, I am a bona-fide nerdy Asian girl. So what people will see on the street, contrary to their expectations, is this:

People often don’t know what to make of me. Usually they’ll glare as I pass them by, only to be replaced with looks of pity.

My longboard seems to get attention wherever I go. First of all, it’s a bit different from the conventional skateboard we all know. Secondly, it seems like “the skater chick” is, so to speak, a “thing.”

But my progress on the longboard is coming along nicely! Meaning that I can, uh, ride on the board, slowly, without falling off. I’m awful at turning, though, and I still have trouble steering clear of passerby. More often than not I’ll just pick up my longboard and walk where it’s too crowded. Especially since I don’t know how to stop, besides just jumping clear off the board. It’s a… a work in progress. But it’s a ton of fun!