(Im)Pending Graduation

It's hard to believe that I'm about to graduate from college.  It's been four years of excitement, friends, and successes.  It's also been four years of stress, pain, drama, and yes, even failures.  Thankfully, the good times far outweigh the bad, which I have to tell myself almost every day.

Honestly, I never thought I'd get to this point in life.  I never thought I'd get to my senior year without getting married.  I never thought I would survive nursing school.  I never thought I wouldn't "go out with a bang," but right now that's the way it's looking.  Yes, school is going well and I absolutely love nursing, but my college career is certainly not ending the way I thought it would.  I always thought I would graduate from nursing school and take a job wherever my husband was working or going to school.  I always thought I would have a million friends by now and party away my last semester of nursing school.  Unfortunately, it isn't working out that way.

I have no idea where I'm going to work after graduation.  I don't know where I'm going to be living in 3 months.  There are so many decisions to make still and so much still to do before I'm done.  Even with all my "free" time between classes and my capstone clinical schedule, I live a really boring life.  But, it's okay.  It's all going to work out.  I'll find a job, I'll figure out where I'm supposed to live, maybe I'll take up a hobby.  Whatever happens, it all happens for a reason.

When Someone Needs You...

...You answer their cry.  People matter, don't ever forget that.  It doesn't matter how well you know someone, if they need a friend, you better be that friend, because you don't want to look back at a missed opportunity with regret.

Tonight, one of my more distant friends was having a hard night.  Honestly, I probably wouldn't have thought much of it, but something inside me said that I needed to do something.  Seeing that I'm not best friends with this person, it was hard for me to make that leap and reach out my hand, but I knew I had to.  If I didn't, I knew I would regret it.  Yes, it was odd, and maybe even a little awkward, and probably crazy when you look at from the outside, but it was worth it.  I know it was the Spirit that spoke to me and prompted me to send that message, and I'm glad I did.  I don't know what was troubling my friend, I had no idea what to say when I picked them up, but I don't think it mattered.  I think the message of love, hope, and care was there, and I think that's all that was important.

I'm glad I listened when the call came.  I'm grateful I was able to hear the cry behind the simple, masked message of pain.  I'm grateful to be that saving grace for someone else, when I have so often been the one to call upon those tender mercies.

Please, take the time to slow down.  

Listen when someone is talking to you, and not just to the words, but to the message behind it all.  

Listen to their pain and do whatever is in your power to relieve it.  

Show love to those that you may easily overlook, simply because you "hardly know them."  

Take the time to serve, even it that means just 15 minutes to let someone know that you are there and you care.

Don't be afraid to take a leap into the awkward and unknown because you will always have the question of "what if I had?"

Most importantly, be a friend.  A true friend.  Someone that people know they can rely on.  You won't regret being "that friend" and they will never forget that you loved them.

Week 2: Spiritual Experiences

This has been a really spiritual week for me.  Sunday was our first and was Fast and Testimony meeting (last week we went to the regional conference broadcast from Salt Lake).  In Sacrament meeting, there was one testimony that really touched my heart, even though it was very simple and straight forward.  An older gentleman got up to the pulpit and bore his testimony in very plain, direct Spanish, without any "fluff" like stories or scriptures.  He simply said that he knows the Church is true, Joseph Smith is a Prophet of God, we have a living Prophet today, and the Scriptures are true.  I don't know why this stood out so much to me, maybe it was just because I could actually understand it, but I felt the Spirit so strong after his simple testimony.

On Wednesday, I had another very touching experience when I was in the Baptistry in the Guayaquil Temple.  Much to my surprise, there was an American missionary couple that was working in the baptistry that night, which I really needed.  This week was a little rough because I was missing home and feeling left out as my friends went off on other adventures.  Anyway, after meeting this sweet couple, the Christensens, I couldn't help but compare the husband to my Dad, his brothers, and my Grandfather.  As my thoughts turned to my Grandfather, who died when I was quite young, I felt strong, warm arms encircle me in a blanket of peace and comfort that I know was not only my Grandpa Hale, but also my Grandpa Thueson and my Grandma Hale who are also deceased.  This is one of only a handful of times that I have ever had such a tangible encounter with the Spirit and such peace and comfort.  The Lord knows what I needed that day and he sent 2 angels, the Christensens, to help me feel that love and Spirit.

Then, on Thursday and Friday, I had a bit of a missionary experience. In the community, we've been working with this organization that relies on volunteers to come and serve for 1 year to help with the programs they provide for the community.  There has been one volunteer that we have been working with for the past 2 weeks that has really become our friend.  Somehow, on Thursday, the subject of religion came up and he was asking a lot of questions.  There were about 4 of us, initially, that were answering his questions and trying to explain the gospel... but that was kind of getting difficult because we would often try to answer the question at the same time, or would try to add to another's statement, which just made it somewhat disjointed.  A little bit later that day, he and I began talking about the Gospel and Church a little bit more and he had a lot of questions.  Fortunately, I was able to answer all of them and, I hope, give him a nice foundation of knowledge.  He's a practicing Catholic and really likes to learn about religion, so I really don't know what will come from this, but he did accept a Book of Mormon.  :-D  However, the Book of Mormon was a little pocket copy that one of the girls in our group had been reading, so she put her testimony in it and "poached my investigator"  Haha.  One thing that's been really awesome about talking with this guy though, is that he's reciprocated by teaching me about Catholic beliefs and practices, at my request.  It's been a really great experience and I loved getting to talk about the Gospel with someone that was really curious to know as much as possible about our Church.

Week 2: Community

The second week here in Guayaquil has been so busy!  We have been going non-stop since Monday, working in the community, organizing/doing health fairs, entering data, etc.  This week could really use like... 3 extra days in it.  (Which is actually pretty odd because time has gone by really fast, but each day is soooo long because we do so much.  Example:  On Monday, by noon, you could have told me it was Thursday and I would have believed you.  The hours ticked by fast, but the days lasted forever.)

All week we've been going out to schools in the rural areas of Guayaquil, specifically Mt. Sinai, with Hogar de Cristo, an organization here that provides services and resources to the needy communities.  At the schools, we are measuring height, weight, vision, and hemoglobin to assess the nutrition status of the students.  In total, we measured 1041 students over the past 2 weeks and we confirmed our previous results with about 33% of students having anemia, or low hemoglobin levels.  This is really concerning because the anemia impairs their ability to grow, develop, and learn.  As part of a study we are conducting, we are testing 3 different interventions to try to improve the rate of anemia (decrease the occurrence) and improve the overall nutrition of the children.

To facilitate this, we've been visiting the children's homes and teaching the families about nutrition and what we need to do to stay healthy.  We've also met with the school directors, Hogar de Cristo, and several people, including the region's nutrition specialist for Ecuador.  Over the next 6 months, we are hoping that Hogar de Cristo will help us implement the interventions so we can come back in November to remeasure the kids and see if there has been any improvement.

Everyday, I've been working with taking the children's hemoglobin, which requires a fingerprick and a drop of blood.  Some of the kids handle it really well, and then some kids will wrestle their hand away.  With some of the difficult kids we eventually just give up, but we do our best to test every kid.  My favorite students to test are the ones that come over nervously, cooperate, and then walk away with a smile on their face, telling everyone "no me duele, no hay dolor."  Though, I also enjoy getting to comfort those students that are just so scared of the fingerprick, all they need is a little love and comfort and they usually do pretty well.  There was actually one kid that was so ready that she came right over with a big smile on her face and gave me a huge hug.  After I pricked her finger, put a bandaid on, and gave her a candy, she hesitated before leaving.  Then she came in for another bear hug with another big smile.  That was the sweetest hug ever and I didn't want it to end, and I don't think she did either because she just held onto my neck for a long time.  That was the moment when time froze and everything screamed at me that moments like these are why I want to not only be a nurse, but also a mom.

At the end of it all, we had a big meeting with Hogar de Cristo, and they gave us each a very special, handmade rosary.  The handmade rosary is a very special gift that they reserve for only very special thank you gifts.  The only hang-up was when the President of the organization realized that we don't use the rosary in our religion because he was worried he would offend us or that we wouldn't want it.  Thankfully, everyone felt the same way--this is a very special and sacred gift that they are giving us.  Never in my life did I think I would be so excited to own a Catholic Rosary, but now it is something that I will cherish forever, as a memory for my time here in Ecuador.

Week 1: Hospitals

So, this past 2 weeks have been CRAZY!  I haven't had hardly any time to blog/email because we've been super busy, which makes us so exhausted that all we do is sleep in our spare time.  Anyway, a lot has happened and I will try to fill you in on the best stuff.

The first week, I spent 4 days in 3 different hospitals:  Luis Vernaza (med-surg hospital), Sotomayor (maternity/women's health hospital), and Roberto Gilbert ____?___ (pediatric hospital).  The experience was really good, especially to see the differences and similarities between Ecuador and America.  The nurses here pretty much only pass medications, the nurse assistants take care of all the hygiene/comfort needs, and the doctors do assessments and write prescriptions.  The prescriptions that are written can be taken to any pharmacy--there is practically one on every corner--or they family can buy the medications from the hospital.  The nurses here also don't seem to have as much training/knowledge as we are given in the states, nor do they have the ability to exercise much power/authority.  I think the saddest thing though, is that there are upwards of 20 patients per each nurse, which means the nurses don't have any time to show compassion and provide for more than just the basic needs.
There is one experience that I really want to share, it was actually quite frustrating/traumatizing for me.  I was working in the emergency room and there was a patient that they were going to place a feeding tube in.  This patient was intubated due to a stroke, but awake and able to move--except for the restraints that tied his hands to the bed.  The doctors/nurses tried about 15 times to insert this NG (Naso-gastric) tube, unsuccessfully.  About half of the times it went into the lungs and the other half of the time it would just coil in the back of the throat.  Now, an NG tube is actually rather simple to insert,... if done the right way.  These doctors/nurses were doing it WRONG!  The patient needs to be sitting up with their chin to their chest, but this patient was laying down, arching his head back because it hurt so much to have a drinking straw-like tube shoved into your lungs.  Unfortunately, this was the second time that week that this had happened.  The day or two before, one of the students had to yell at the doctors to get them to listen to be able to successfully insert the tube.  During this huge ordeal, I just kept trying to get someone to translate my (rather forceful) directions, but the other student was timid and didn't want to be too overbearing.  Instead she tried making suggestions that went completely unheeded.  I was so angry that the doctors were putting this patient through all this, while this old, grandfather figure was tied to a bed, practically writhing in pain.  The hardest part?  All I could do was hold the patient's hand, try not to cry much, and resist the overwhelming urge to smack the doctors and walk out.  I just couldn't stand it, especially when one or more of the doctors started to get a very condescending, stubborn attitude towards the patient and the task of placing the tube.  Thankfully, they finally gave up and were actually able to remove the breathing tube, which made it so he can eat and drink on his own, without an NG tube.  After he was extubated, I just stood their by his bed, holding his hand, whispering words of encouragement, trying understand his mumbling, and wishing that I could remove his restraints.  After about 5 minutes of holding his cold hand and watching him squirm under the thin blanket to try to warm up, I didn't care what the doctors thought.  I untied his wrists and put his hands under the covers.  He wouldn't let go of my hand as I continued to stand at his side, trying to warm him up.  Unfortunately, I had to leave just 10 minutes later and had to re-tie his restraints.  Out of compassion and sympathy, I left the restraints loose enough that he could bring his arms to his sides and under the blanket, but tight enough that he couldn't pull out his IV (which was why they restrained him, even though he didn't look like he even had the strength to clasp his hands together).

Anyway, other than that one traumatic incident in the ER, the hospitals have really been great.  The treatments they provide are very similar to those in the States, but the care is just done a little differently.  It's kind of like they are in the pioneer era, policies-wise, with the delegation of power, the large, multi-patient rooms, etc.  Oh, and at the maternity hospital, I got to see my first (and second) cesarean section delivery.  It was really kind of neat to watch.

On Friday of the first week, I had the opportunity to go out into the community and help to build a house.  It was a really cool experience!  The family was so kind, and really grateful for our help.  Thankfully, there was a professional builder there to make sure everything was done right, because there is a lot that can go wrong when it comes to building a raised house, on a hill.  :-)  The house went up really fast, it took us just 5 hours--from post-hole digging to nailing on the roof.  It was so awesome to be part of such an important/special time in the people's lives.  Anyway, that's pretty much all that happened this first week.

Customs Hang-ups

So my first experiences with Ecuador have been interesting.  The flights were good, no major turbulence and I survived without the usual major headache from flying (I think the motion sickness meds helped with that).  However, everything got interesting when we finally made it to Guayaquil.

For starters, here is some background:  There are approximately 20 of us travelling together as nurses, nursing students, and mentors/instructors, and each of us had 2 checked bags.  In each of those bags was a plethora of medical supplies, CPR training dummies, toothpaste, and vitamins for the work that we will be doing down here.  All of these aspects combined really created the perfect storm of events when we got to Customs.

If you haven't travelled internationally, Customs basically regulate what enters the country as a protection to the people and government.  To help them with this job, they use x-ray machines to check all of the luggage that is brought into the country and then will search bags that appear rather suspicious.  Now, normally you would think that a few bottles of vitamins and some medical supplies is no big deal, right?  Right.  However, we weren't bringing just a few bottles of vitamins, we are talking 6 months worth of vitamins, for 500 children, 5 days/week.  That's a freaking boatload of vitamins--about 284 bottles, spread among 10-15 suitcases.  Kind of suspicious because with that quantity, who knows if we are planning to sell them or if they are even what they say they are.  The short version of the story:  they saw the vitamins and sent us over to the customs office for further inspection.

The long, and much more exciting version:
The first bag containing vitamins was carried by one of our "fluent Spanish speaking" male students.  The vitamin bottles were crammed into every spare inch of a large bag of CPR dummies.  When the Customs officer opened the bag for an initial inspection, all they saw was a bunch of plastic heads and several bottles of vitamins.  The look on their face was priceless as they tried to understand the bag of plastic heads that is filled with pill bottles.  The comment the student made later was "come on, Shakespeare, let's ditch the heads and talk about the pills."  Immediately after this guy in the line, were 3 more of us, including myself, with several more bottles of vitamins and other medical supplies.  The Customs agents were concerned, to say the least, and they TOOK OUR PASSPORTS!  I was beginning to freak.  out.  Here I am in a foreign country, for the first time ever, unable to speak the language, some woman has just taken my passport from me, and now I'm being escorted over to the Customs office for further inspection.  Oh crap.

Slowly, as the lines move on, 80-90% of the people in our group are sent over to join us in the wait for the Customs officials to bring our passports and search us.  Fortunately, our instructor noticed the congregation of students and left the line to come and help us sort out the problem.  She presented the officials with papers, in Spanish, explaining the reason for the supplies, what they are, and what we plan to do with them.  Finally, a couple of guys that work at the US Embassy came over and helped us to explain everything--for the THIRD time--and gets the woman to give us back our passports and proceed through Customs.

Thankfully, they didn't confiscate the vitamins or any of our other supplies, they didn't try to make us pay taxes on them, and none of us are stuck rotting in some Ecuadorian prison.  Haha.

Oh, but do you want to know what awaited me on the other side of Customs?  8 armed men, 2 buses, and a box truck waiting to take/escort us and our belongings to our hotel.  In the middle of the night.  What a great welcoming committee!  ;-)

The Curse of Technology

Don't get me wrong, I love the internet.  I love that we can easily stay in touch with and keep tabs on so many wonderful people in our lives.  However, technology is both a blessing and a curse.

A week and a half ago, I accidentally dropped my laptop.  I hadn't backed up any of my files, of course, and now I am without all of my school stuff, and my computer.  You have no idea how much it sucks to try to go to college without a computer (especially as finals draw nearer).  Sure, I can go to the library, I can use the computers on campus, but when you consider how much time I spend on a computer in a week and how much I have to print, email, and type every week, the library just isn't a very feasible option.  Fortunately, I can stay up to date on emails via my phone, which is great for my students.  However, I can't really look up their grades, which were thankfully saved to my flashdrive, without a computer.  It sucks.  I never knew just how connected I was to technology via my little 6 lb (?) laptop computer.

Thankfully I am able to rent a laptop from BYU, until I can get my computer fixed but it still sucks.  I just want my computer back.  It's like starting everything all over because I have nothing.  I had no templates to help me write the 2 papers that I just turned in.  No example papers that I had saved in my files.  I have nothing from the past 3 years of college!  Plus, it just sucks to be working on a computer that is so different than your own and that has nothing of your own on it.  I have had to change several of the defaults just to make the rental a little more bearable, but the changes only stick if I don't ever shut down the computer.

This sucks, and I feel so dumb for (A)being in this situation and (B)being so effected by the loss of a freakin computer!  I mean, come on, it's not like I just lost my legs, or broke my arm, or had my apartment burn down.  It's just a freakin computer!  Despite all the logic telling me that it doesn't really matter, I still feel like I just lost a huge chunk of my life.  My computer was my connection to my family, friends, school, work, everything.  It sounds really dramatic, but that's kind of how it feels.  I never thought a simple computer could mean so much...

...Sorry for the drama.  The moral of the story is:  be grateful for your computers, but just remember, it could all be gone in a matter of moments.

My Passion

If you know me at least the slightest bit, you will know that nursing is my passion.  I love it!  I live it, I breathe it.  If you want to get my attention start talking about medical stuff and you will likely have a captive audience.  (Though, fair warning, be prepared to hear more than you could ever want to know about nursing.)  Nursing is my life because I love it and have let it seep into every inch of my life.

Today I was talking with my clinical instructor about how much I love nursing, but not just any nursing.  I specifically love women's health--which can be quite an awkward topic to talk about, fun fact.  Anyway, right now I am very torn as to what field to "specialize" in, or do my capstone/internship in.  I absolutely L-O-V-E Labor and Delivery, but I feel like you don't see as much variety in Labor and Delivery.  On the flipside, I enjoy emergency/critical care nursing, and I would learn a lot more diverse skills, though I don't think it's what I want to do for the rest of my life.

Blech!  I hate making decisions like this.  Fortunately, I have 6-8 months before I have to actually make these decisions.  Let's just hope I can actually make up my mind during that time.  Haha :-)

People Matter

This week, I cried.  I cried a lot.  I called home on the verge of tears at least 3 times, every time ending the call with a stuffy nose and red eyes.  I wasn't getting enough sleep, I had too much to do, I wasn't feeling motivated, I kept messing up, and I felt like a failure.

Well, things aren't quite as bad now.  I mean sure, I'm still not sleeping enough, I'm not very motivated to work hard, I can't fix any of the stupid mistakes I made, and I still feel inadequate.

The only difference from the beginning of my week and the end of my week has been attitude.  At the beginning of the week, I was so focused on me and how hard everything was.  I couldn't seem to see beyond myself and even consider someone else.  Everything changed on Wednesday, not because it got easier, but because I had other things that mattered besides me.  A friend had a birthday, my apartment complex had a big activity, I played volleyball with a bunch of friends... I could name several more things that have changed my week.

The one thing they all have in common?  People.  The commonality that helped me find myself again was spending time with people.  That sounds really strange, but when I'm having fun with my friends or getting to know new people in exciting environments, I am so much less important than I had thought.  My problems don't matter because people matter more, and to show people they matter is to spend time with them, care about them, serve them.  In return, you find that the problems you thought you had are nothing in comparison to the love you feel when you're surrounded by amazing people.

Here we sit...

...back in my ghetto apartment after 2 1/2 weeks in California, my roommate passed out on the couch next to me, 2 new missionary letters sitting read on my desk, to-do list growing by the second, pondering the course of my life and this winter semester.

First of all, I had a wonderful time in California, with my family and friends, for Christmas and New Year's.  Christmas day was rather stressful for me, though I survived and thoroughly enjoyed the time away from school, the time away from cold and grey Utah, and the time I got to spend with those that I love.  As always, tears were shed as I bid my family goodbye for another 4 month stint. 

Since then, I have survived the first 2 days of classes, though I have to admit I could have done with a little more sleep...  This semester is going to be long and difficult, just like last semester, though I'm excited to get to spend time in Labor/Delivery, Mother/Baby, and Pediatrics.  I absolutely L-O-V-E-D my first clinical in Labor and Delivery, which began today.  I was having so much fun that I couldn't wipe the goofy grin off my face all day and my shift passed much too quickly.  Here's to the start of another GREAT semester!

My Moving To-Do List

I am a total list-maker.  I make lists for everything.  Moving back to Utah was no exception.  Even before I started thinking about packing, I made myself a to-do list of things I needed to accomplish.  The list went something like this:

1. Find a substitute pianist (because I was leaving a week earlier than previously planned)
2. Say goodbye to my friends
3. Cry
4. Get excited to see Will and Nancy and Eva!
5. Then remember that I first have to say goodbye to my family
6. Cry some more
7. Groan about having to pack
8. Actually pack
9. Say goodbye to my family
10. Cry
11. Drive to Utah
12. See Will, Nancy, and Eva!

So, yeah.  I'm always very sad to leave California.  (Don't judge me just because I am very attached to my family.)  This time I think it was a little harder because I might not move back home next summer.  I have one extra class I need to take and I can't fit it anywhere in my schedule.  I'll probably end up staying in Utah next summer so I can get it done.  :-/  In which case, I'll only be home on breaks.  :-(

College and the Like

So, I'm sure you guys are really bored with seeing the same post everyday for practically forever. Well, I guess I can tell you some of what is happening in my life. Please excuse the random jumpiness of this post, I am just trying to lay it all out there so you know what is going on. If you need any explanation about something, just post a comment and I will do my best to explain. So here goes:

I am now officially a full-time student at Brigham Young University, taking 15.5 credit hours. This semester I am taking 2 pre-reqs for the nursing program and some GEs. Some of my favorite classes are Nursing 180, intro to nursing, SFL 210, Human development, and Music 101, introduction to music (mostly music history). My easiest class is probably Chem 101, because I learned more in my high school chem class, and I didn't even need to take it (but I took it because it was part of freshman academy). I'm also taking Book of Mormon, first half, and American Heritage, both of which are difficult, but not killers.

Currently, I am living in the Helaman Halls dorms, third floor! I have made so many friends in my ward and in my classes. It's hard to focus on studies because there is always something going on, but I am staying on top of everything and doing great. There are so many people that are getting sick in my ward, which is a little scary. I'm doing my best to get plenty of sleep and get lots of vitamin C. So far, it has paid off and I am not sick.

I do have to say it is really strange to go to church in a classroom. We do have a pulpit, because all of the classrooms have podiums, but there is no stand or organ and the pulpit is off to the side. In my ward, I have the calling of a home evening group leader, which has previously been called the FHE Mom position. My group is really good, we are all working together and trying to figure out how everything should run. I'm so thankful for all of the FHEs I had in my family growing up because it has helped me to figure out how to best fulfill my calling and get people involved. Each week we have song, prayer, thought, announcements, lesson, activity, and closing prayer. I know it sounds like a lot to do in one hour, but we have been making it work and most of the group shows up every week.

I love all of the activities that they have here. There is always something going on, so you never really have to feel left out if you miss something. I have been able to attend every home football game, but I have yet to attend any other sport. :-( (When the games happen during the week, it is hard to go to a volleyball or soccer game, especially if you need to study for or take a test) I was also able to attend Homecoming Spectacular, which is this play/musical production showcasing the various musical and dance groups on campus. This year's homecoming theme was about reaching for the summit and the life of Eugene Roberts. I thought it was really cool that he was instrumental in getting the church to adopt the Scouting program, and he contributed so many other new ideas and programs to BYU. The performances were great, it even included BYU's a capella group, Vocal Point.

Well, I can't exactly think of much else to say, but if you can think of anything I may have missed that you want to hear about, just post a comment and I will try to respond. :-)

More College Stuff

So, everyone knows that I have applied to Sac State, BYU-I and BYU-U and been accepted. Well, today, I was very pleased to hear from UC Davis. I was accepted! Yay!

I was also very excited to be able to decline their acceptance. :-p

I'm going to BYU-U!!! I get to choose my room for housing at BYU on April 29th. That seems like forever away, but I know it will come quickly. I'm getting exciting and nervous, but I know it will be a great experience.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!!

Well, BYU Provo has finally sent out their admissions decisions. Just for some background, BYU had said that they would not begin to send out their decisions until February 27th. Then, about a week ago, I received an email notifying me that they would begin to send out their decisions on February 9th. Ever since that email, I have been checking my email daily, waiting for their decision. Finally, on Friday the 13th, I checked and the email was there.

So, I opened the letter and this is what is said:

12 Feb 2009

Katrina Emily Hale
5640 Greenacres Way
Orangevale, CA 95662

Dear Katrina:

The Admissions Committee is delighted to inform you that you have been admitted to Brigham Young University to begin Fall 2009. Through your preparation and personal achievements you have distinguished yourself from a very strong group of applicants. We believe you will make a positive contribution to our BYU community. It is a great pleasure to welcome you to our campus to pursue your educational goals.

In addition, your current academic record qualifies you to receive a multiyear scholarship. We will send you specific details, including the name of your particular scholarship, associated policies, and expectations, prior to your enrollment.

Once you have determined whether or not you will attend BYU, indicate your decision on the "Accept Decision" tab below. If you change your mind, simply come back to this page and select the appropriate response again. You have 30 days from your original acceptance date to make your final decision. Please note that if you select "I will not attend," it will restrict you from registering for classes.

Please click on the links below to find answers to frequently asked questions ranging from scholarships to housing. Please review this information carefully.

Best wishes as you finish this school year. We encourage you to continue to excel in the classroom and to maintain the standards outlined in the University Honor Code. Congratulations on your accomplishments!

Warmest regards,

R. Kirk Strong

Director of Admission Services

I GOT IN!!!!!!!

For those of you who don't know, BYU Provo was my top choice. I am soooooooo excited that I got in. This was the ONE decision I was really holding out for. I am so happy!

Oh, on a funny note, February 12 was my 17 1/2 birthday, so all day I would just kind of joke with my friends about what they had got me. Well, I didn't get any presents from my friends, but I certainly got what I was really waiting for! :-D

By the way, I have yet to hear back from UC Davis on their decision, which I do not expect until sometime in March.

So here is the run-down of my college admissions, with ranking:

#2-California State University, Sacramento--Accepted
#3-Brigham Young University, Idaho--Accepted
#1-Brigham Young University, Provo--Accepted
#4-University of California, Davis--To Be Determined

College Stuff, Again

Wow, I haven't posted in FOREVER!! I am so sorry for you faithful blog readers that check in to see if there are any new updates.


Well, I just thought that you would like to hear about my progress with college applications. Some of you may already know that I have been accepted to California State University in Sacramento. No big shocker there right?



Well, today I learned that Brigham Young University in Rexburg, Idaho has also made a decision about my application. I was shocked to learn that I had been DENIED!! That SUCKS!!



Just kidding, I was accepted! Yay! I am glad that I got in, but I am still anxiously awaiting the decision of Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. I bet you are all rolling your eyes, thinking that it is already a sure thing, but you never know. What is UBER lame, is I have to wait until sometime in February or March before I will know of the decision. Ugggh.



Well, I guess for know I am just going to have to be patient until those last letters roll in. :-D

ACT--yay!

Warning: If you do not want to read a post that is mostly bragging, then stop reading now. If you so choose to keep reading, then you do so at your own will. Should you experience jealousy or any other unwanted emotions from reading this post, Katie Babie and all affiliates cannot be held responsible. By including this disclaimer, should you react violently, Katie Babie and all affiliates are released of any and all liability.




:-D Well, I just thought that I might include something funny, to hopefully make you smile, and also because I know some people hate hearing people brag. :-D

Now for the actual post:

Today I just checked out my ACT scores online and they are awesome! Out of a possible composite score of 36, I received a 33, which is in the 99th percentile. In the four subject areas: English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science, I scored 32, 34, 31, and 35, respectively (all out of 36 for each section). You may have seen my previous post regarding my SAT Reasoning scores, and I think that I actually did better on the ACT, probably because you don't lose points for wrong answers. Well, anyway, I just thought I would let you all know what was up with me.


So you know, I won't be able to view my scores for the SAT Subject Tests until the 20th, so if you are really interested in them, be patient and I will tell you when I get them. :-D

SAT/ACT Dayze

Yes, I know that I spelled days/daze wrong. However, I intended to combine the two words. :-D

For those who have been keeping track of my college quest, you might be anxious to know what my SAT scores were from earlier this month. Well, I am happy to say that I did pretty well. There are 3 major portions of the SAT that you are graded separately in: Critical Reading, Mathematics, and Writing. The highest possible score you can receive in any one section is 800 points. In reading and math I received a 690 out of 800, which is above the middle 50% of students at the 4 schools that I am applying to. In Writing, there is a sub-section essay score and I received an 8 out of 12 which I think is really good considering the prompt was stupid. Anyway, as the grand total for the Writing portion, I received a 600 out of 800, which is within the middle 50% of the one school that had the statics up. As a whole composite score, I received a 1980 out of 2400 total points. I think that these scores are pretty good, especially considering that I didn't do all that formal studying. :-D

Now, about the ACT. Saturday I took my ACT test plus writing. I don't know when I will receive back my scores because they take something like 8 weeks to send it in the mail. LAME! Anyway, I think that I did alright on the multiple choice sections: Reading, English, Math and Science. On the writing portion, I think that I said some really good examples, except I was attempting to fix a grammatically incorrect sentence when time was called and I had to put down my pencil. LAME!!! So, I know that my essay contains at least one obvious error, which is very aggravating to think about. Oh Well, I can't really change anything now. Well, besides that, I kinda started running out of time on the reading portion so I was only able to skim the passages to answer the questions. I still think that I did fine though, because you don't lose points for wrong answers. YEAH!

Anywho, I will try to keep you posted. For now I need to go get ready for the Math 2 and Chemistry subject tests that I have on this Saturday. No rest for the weary I guess. (At least not for procrastinators. :-D)

SAT

Well, today is my SATurday. I took my very first SAT this morning and it was a good experience overall, I think. I'm pretty sure that I did very well on all of the math portions, just because they seemed easy and I'm a "math person." On the reading/English sections, I think that I did well, nothing seemed too hard. I'm not sure how well I did on the essay because the topic was really simple and kind of hard to do an in-depth discussion. (I'm way better at analyzing than opinion or other writing.) So, to make a long story short, the SAT was easier than I expected and I think that I did pretty good on it.

I must say though, they REALLY need to reorganize the way they administer the break time. For those of you unfamiliar with the SAT Reasoning Test, there are 10 sections. The first section is an essay and all of the following portions are either regarding math or English/reading. Well, after the essay section and the first two other sections, they administer a 5 minute break. Then you do 2 more sections followed by another 5 minute break. Then, you end it all with 5 sections, no breaks. I must say that they should either add another break or put the breaks closer to the end of the test. The end of the test is when most people are harried by the fact that it is a 3+ hour test, the stress that this test can "determine your future", the desks are uncomfortable, your brain is tired, and the room is stale and stuffy because of the other 30 students wracking their brains to solve seemingly pointless questions. Personally, the last three sections were the worst for me because I was tired from taking the test, I had to use the bathroom, and from hunching over the stupid desk all day, my back was hurting. How lame right? Well, to say the least, my performance declined I think as the test wore on, mostly because I got to that stage where it is like, "either I do well or I don't, so I don't really feel stressed anymore." Despite these feelings, I must say though that I did my best, just so you don't think that I gave up, wasted my time and wasted my $45.00. :-D

Now I must prepare myself for the ACT on the 25th. YAY! :-/

AP Testing, YAY!!!

You may be surprised by the title of this blog considering I just recently posted about how much it sucks. (in AP Testing, Arrgh!) Well, I am singing a very different tune today and guess why. There are many reasons but I'm sure you can guess the main reason, AP testing is OVER!!!!

Today I took my 2nd and last AP exam, Chemistry. It was a bit harder than I expected, but I was able to do a lot on the multiple choice, finishing all I could early. The short answer was harder than I had hoped for. I wasn't able to finish every question and some questions I just didn't have a clue. :( Oh well, all I need is a 3 for college credit and I think that I at least did that well. I hope!

Also, today I cut my first class, although I don't think it will count as a cut because I can get it cleared, I think. So anyways, I cut my 5th period which didn't really matter since we were just hanging out, "studying", for our test that we have tomorrow. So, instead of going and being INCREDIBLY bored, I went with my chem class to Red Robin to celebrate the end of AP tests. It was so much fun because we got the waitress, whose name was Francesca (sp?) to bring this guy in my class a pink balloon. He didn't know that we asked for it. She brought him 2 pink and 1 purple balloons and with a straight faced tied them on his wrist and patting him on the back saying, "Here you go" all sweet like she would to a little child. We all BUSTED up laughing. It was so funny. (If you don't think it is, then you just had to be there and have been in the class with these 2 guys all year.) So yeah, today was amazing and, is A day that will live on in history! :-D I just HAD to blog about it. :)

AP Testing, Arrgh!

Well, today I just took my AP US History Exam to earn possible college credit for the class. YAY! It was surprisingly easy, compared to what I though it would be like. I reezed through most of the multiple choice, and I got done with my 3 essays early! It was a bit exciting to know that I wasn't totally History illiterate.

(My History teacher is a total slacker, he doesn't teach us, he mainly lectures his opinion and then tells us to read the textbook. It totally sucks/sucked. His tests I think are WAY harder than the exam was, whih was really exciting because I've failed more than a few of his tests.)

Anywho, I still have one more AP Exam to go, Chemistry. I really am not looking forward to it because I haven't even looked at my review book, which I should have been doing since January. Oh well, I have been doing really well on my teacher's practices tests, and he says that he chooses the hardest questions and grades more harshly than the test graders. So yeah, that's the news in my life today! Hope I didn't bore you to death. :-D