As a three-year resident of the Teter Honors Community, one of many thematic residential communities offered by Indiana University RPS, I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of a close-knit group of motivated students.  Many of the faces have changed over the years, but the underlying themes that make this community are the same.

One of the benefits of living in this community has been the extensive programming that helps bring residents together.  By adding to the overall college experience, we have also taken a yearly trip — my freshman and sophomore year, we traveled to New …

Fellow readers, I hope this blog post finds you in good spirits and that each of you enjoyed a wonderful winter break!  After recovering from the mono infection that had been slowing me down (just a little bit) last month, I had the opportunity to shadow Dr. Marchand, a practicing cardiologist in northwest Indiana. In addition to the shadowing experience I gained in Chile and through shadowing in the IU Bloomington Hospital Emergency Department, this opportunity allowed me to explore a specialty that greatly interests me, as well as to explore the nature of a doctor-patient relationship.

In the United …

As you may have picked up from the title, I find myself writing this post while suffering the most common symptom of mono — fatigue.

College is no place for fatigue.  Being a student at IU has made me appreciate every hour in my day, as there are hardly ever enough to go around.  Balancing my academics, extracurricular activities, family, and social life has proven to be difficult enough without a condition that makes it hard to get out of bed in the morning.  Lucky for me, winter break is right around the corner.  After a refreshing break at home …

It may not be Christmas yet, but it’s arguably the most beautiful time of the year in Bloomington.  Here at IU, we’re lucky enough to admire the beautiful, glistening colors of the autumn leaves overlooking the Jordan River on a daily basis.  With such a busy schedule, it’s nice to relax and admire the fall scenery.  Here’s a short video of part of my daily walk through campus.

Despite the summer drought, you can see autumn colors are in full force.  I’ve been lucky enough to see many beautiful sites in the world, but fall in Bloomington is truly up …

Hello, fellow readers!  I want to apologize for the lack of recent posts.  After the summer of a lifetime in Chile, it has been slightly difficult to find other topics to write about.  Not that my life has been uneventful, but after considering the adventures and experiences that I had in Chile, it really makes you put life in perspective.

I have missed Chile more than ever over the past few weeks.  Reflecting on my experiences there and the memories I made is certainly bittersweet.  I loved my time in South America, but I find myself wistfully pondering the realization …

Only one week left.  It’s hard to believe that time has flown by so quickly.

For the past couple weeks, I have been shadowing doctors and nurses in various hospitals and clinics throughout Santiago.  The differences between various health centers here has been astounding.  Many of the private clinics have top of the line facilities and grandiose appearances while the public hospitals lack various necessary resources. Part of my study abroad curriculum has been analyzing these differences between the public and private sectors of Chilean health care and what more can be done to reform the current system.

Studying abroad …

As a long-time resident of Valparaiso, Indiana, I’ve always known about another “Valpo” in a land far, far away.  I really didn’t know anything about this other “Valpo” besides the fact it’s located in Chile on the Pacific coast.  I also never thought I’d be able to make the trip to this mysterious “Vale of Paradise.”

Of course, once I decided to study abroad this summer in Santiago, Chile, the short journey to Valparaíso, Chile, seemed much more manageable.  After spending my first week getting acquainted in Santiago, our class took a much-anticipated day trip to Valparaíso.

Aside from wanting …

After months of waiting, I have finally arrived in Santiago.  It’s hard to imagine what a place will be like until you experience it first-hand.  For me, there’s nothing like exploring a city for the first time.  In the few days that I’ve been here, I’ve been able to do a great deal of exploring.  I’ve also begun settling into my Chilean home.

Here in my home in Las Condes, I have everything I could ask for – a loving family, all the food I could ever imagine, and a stunning view of the cordillera.  With the support of …

By the time you’re reading this, I’ll likely be all settled in at my host family’s home in Santiago, Chile!  At the moment, I’m waiting to board my flight and will soon be on my way.  It’s hard to believe this day is finally here!  I’ve been looking forward to this day for so many weeks.

While I have not yet set foot in Chile, my friends and family have been asking many questions about my study abroad program and about Santiago.  I’ve gotten questions about everything from the food, weather, currency, public transportation and even infrastructure.  Spanish is the …

With the year winding down to a close, it’s hard to believe that I’m almost halfway done with college.  This year has absolutely flown by for me.  It will be hard saying goodbye to all the friends that I’ve made this year – even if it is just for the summer.

Even though this semester is coming to an end, there is still much to come.  After finals, the MCAT will be at the top of my agenda.  This test will certainly be one of the most important tests I take in my life.  For that reason, I have been …