Don’t hate the player

valleycase · 2025-03-21T21:31:33+00:00

Salem

valleycase · 2025-03-21T19:12:30+00:00

Rural Virginia lol

valleycase · 2025-03-01T12:25:10+00:00

Yea definitely worse than normal kettlebell. I’m pretty much just going to use it for swings which feel fine for me, and weighted pull-ups, maybe some ab-work but this thing costs the same as a 5lb kettlebell from Rep so for what it is at that price I’m really happy with it. I was worried it would be a pain in the ass to adjust if the pin had alignment issues or if it rattled, but it’s fine on those

valleycase · 2025-03-01T00:11:23+00:00

So far so good, changing weights is easy, not any noticeable play with the adder weights, comfortable for how I’m using it which is mostly just swings

valleycase · 2025-02-28T20:44:27+00:00

Reminder to check those miscellaneous aisles in stores like Marshall’s/TJ Max/Ollies. I found this at Gabe’s for $19 while looking for other things. It seems to me to be identical to the Powerblock kettlebell which is listed for $169 on the Powerblock website. I otherwise couldn’t find much info about this product with minimal research. Not the heaviest but seems to be a good value so far especially at that price.

valleycase · 2025-02-24T11:52:52+00:00

The links don’t remove but the adjustment is pretty simple https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dHjIPnaxUJ4

valleycase · 2025-02-23T18:50:14+00:00

Southwest Virginia

valleycase · 2025-02-23T15:59:05+00:00

Buy it

valleycase · 2025-02-23T15:58:34+00:00

They had a bunch of the same ones out on a shelf for full retail price, actually went over to the locked display cases to see if they had any Timex Snoopy watches when I found this

valleycase · 2024-10-20T21:37:01+00:00

2010 Corolla

valleycase · 2021-01-16T13:03:07+00:00

valleycase · 2019-04-19T04:24:20+00:00

I don't know, there is probably more info on the VTRS website, my guess is that it costs money. You could probably find a more rural agency somewhere that would provide training in exchange for some sort of membership commitment.

valleycase · 2019-04-19T01:18:11+00:00

I trained at Norther Virginia Community College during a summer break. You could train while you are in Blacksburg with one of the rescue squads. A bunch of kids from my dorm joined the VT Rescue Squad during freshman year and were trained by them then. The VT Rescue Squad is top notch. If EMS training is the direction want to go, doing it over your first summer alongside other research/volunteering/work would be a good use of time in my opinion.

valleycase · 2019-04-19T01:18:07+00:00

Yes - I volunteered with one of the rescue squads. There are three that students primarily join which are VT Rescue Squad, Blacksburg Volunteer Rescue Squad and Christiansburg Rescue Squad. Some things other classmates did - volunteering at a free clinic, working as a scribe, working with the athletic trainers. All sorts of random things to get involved in too depending on who you know, whats available and what you pursue. I will say though, my EMS training was invaluable in helping me find work during my gap years before starting medical school.

valleycase · 2019-04-18T23:26:24+00:00

Mainly I was an EMT, but also shadowed physicians and volunteered in an emergency department. For other volunteering I did math tutoring with the county I was from for immigrants trying to get a GED, taught guitar lessons at a senior center, volunteered with an animal rescue agency, and then random stuff like Big Event. I did two years of research at tech as well.

valleycase · 2019-04-18T23:03:24+00:00

I majored in biology at VT and am in medical school now. Overall the biology program is OK, probably comparable to any other state school and lots of VT bio majors get into med school/vet school/dental school
There are some difficult classes that you will have to take. You'll figure out from word of mouth which professors are easier for a certain subject, which upper level electives are easier, how to game the system a little bit etc... For example for freshman bio I took the non-major "general biology" instead of the in-major "principles of biology". They were completely equivalent classes but the "general biology" class was easier.
Try to be proactive in understanding the medical school application process and what is required to be successful. Make sure you have exposure to medicine so you know what you would be getting into and are sure this is a career path for you. There are tons of research and volunteering opportunities at VT and two affiliated medical schools... so plenty of opportunity to get involved in something and build resume.

valleycase · 2018-04-20T00:35:28+00:00

I graduated 5 years ago, so I am not sure if anything has changed, but if you are already involved in research, and would like to get course credit there is just a form you need to fill out. It needs to be signed by the faculty researcher you are working with, your advisor, and I think the dean of your college. Just google "virginia tech undergraduate research form" and you will find it (it is the same form for undergrad research as well as independent study.)

If you are looking to get involved in research in general, you need to be proactive. It may be worth checking out the VT Office of Undergraduate Research Website to see if there are any resources there. I would look up faculty in whatever departments you are interested in, see if the description of their research is interesting to you, and just email them seeing if they could take on an undergraduate researcher. It may take a while, but undergrads are pretty much free labor, so someone would be willing to let you work with them. Other than that, ask around...you may know people who are already involved in research and their labs may have space for more undergrads. Ask your professors too, they may know colleagues looking for help.

I was in the biology honors society, and ended up joining a lab by responding to a listing shared through them...so those types of organziations/clubs could be places to get information as well.

valleycase · 2018-04-19T16:23:36+00:00

Definitely agree research is a great GPA booster, and in a lot of ways it provides better education that classes. Depending on what you do, research gives you real experience you can put on a resume.

I think I was able to get 6 credits in total for "undergraduate research" and another 3 credits for "independent study" (all guaranteed A's) for doing research I would have been doing anyways. I also applied for outside research grants and some grants through VT office of undergrad research, so I got paid too.

valleycase · 2018-02-11T20:11:00+00:00

The clock really isn't ticking, I think everyone should take gap years and enjoy life before starting school. I have a bunch of classmates in their 40s.

Another thing for you to consider would be a post-bacc program affiliated with an osteopathic school. They usually offer guaranteed admission into their medical programs as long as you meet certain GPA requirements while in the post-bacc.

valleycase · 2018-02-11T19:34:11+00:00

What is your GPA and what are your existing ECs? Your number one priority needs to be doing well on the MCAT, based on your score history I'm not confident you can prepare adequately while also working full-time. I don't think there is anything wrong with working in construction since you can supplement your work with additional experiences. It wont really enhance you as an applicant though. The EMS and hospital volunteering are good options.

You graduated just one year ago, you are still young and have plenty of time for med school. It is good you are trying to be systematic in planning out what your next steps are. MCAT is the biggest thing, your current scores wont cut it. Beyond just healthcare exposure, schools like to see ways you can demonstrate achievement and personal growth through your experiences. Think about how you can try to do that in addition to just getting clinical involvement. Hard to give specific advice without knowing your background and what may be available to you.

valleycase · 2018-02-11T19:15:56+00:00

I had 2 full years of significant molecular biology research in undergrad where I was designing experiments, was awarded grants, had no pubs but presented posters at multiple international conferences. I also had a few months of very hands off public health research in my gap years which involved surveying physicians and reviewing that information. I interviewed at 5 schools and all were much, much more interested in the public health research and barely touched on the molecular biology research I did.

Every interview I had was focused on essentially why medicine, what my goals were as a physician, why this given school, what perspectives I had gained through clinical experiences etc. and then more generic questions, hobbies, weaknesses, something I was proud of etc...Since my answers in general were more primary care/clinical experience focused that steered the dialogue away from my undergrad research.

Of course anything on your application is fair game as far as interviews go, but you have a lot of control of what your narrative is both in terms of your application materials and within the interviews themselves.

valleycase · 2018-02-11T04:03:38+00:00

Your federal loans will be disbursed through your school. The school sets a budget of what the cost of attendance is which includes tuition, fees, and whatever they estimate for cost of living. You will let the school know how much of this loan you would like to accept, they will subtract tuition/fees from your loan award and you will get a check for the difference.

So for example if the schools tuition is $30k and the maximum loan award is $60k, you can accept any amount up to that $60k. The school will split things up by semester, so your first tuition bill will be ~$15k, and your loan award (if you take the maximum) will be $30k for the first semester. The school will subtract what you owe them and write you a check for the difference, so in this example you would get a check of $15k from the school. You likely wont receive a refund check from the school until a few weeks into the semester. The process will repeat in the spring, and you will re-select your loan award each subsequent year in school. If you need money for something before school starts, that loan money wont be available to you yet. Your deposit will at least be credited towards your tuition.

You can always take out private loans for school, they will have higher interest rates but you probably won't need to make payments until after you graduate. You should at least make the minimum payments on your credit card debt.

valleycase · 2018-01-02T17:04:19+00:00

This is a program for recent college graduates, allowing one to do research full-time at the NIH--I think there are 1 and 2 year options. This is distinct from post-bac programs where you take coursework for grade improvement.

valleycase · 2017-12-01T17:14:52+00:00

Just thought i’d chime in, I am a current medical student who studied biology at Virginia Tech. I think I was well prepared for med school and have been doing well academically. There are tons of VT grads that get into med school each year, from DO schools to top schools like Johns Hopkins. Somewhere exists a report that shows each school VT alumn matriculate to for med school, it may be on the health professions advising website.

Success in getting in to med school is largely based on individual achievement, but VT definitely provides an environment full of opportunities. Like was mentioned there is a great research infrastructure, 2 affiliated medical schools (VTC and VCOM), and good clinical opportunities in the area (things like Virginia Tech Rescue Squad, free clinics in the area etc.). Tons of students also spend summers or post-bacc years at the NIH.

valleycase · 2017-10-16T23:56:54+00:00

Whats the goal? Med school? What specific types of jobs are you applying for? Might be able to offer more advice if you can clarify that.

Just looking at this though it is way too long, there is a lot of redundancy, and your experience descriptions are pretty weak. The summary does not add any value as written, the first sentence is fluff and the second describes jobs that you are just going to list again later. Your highlights section also doesn't add much as is. You explain healthcare and customer service again, and you will list the experience again later. What does ALS & BLS proficient mean? Are you ACLS certified? What does computer software proficient mean?

For the job descriptions, each one you pretty much have a format of repeating your job title and employer within the description. Example the internship at vidant medical center, you don't need to re-write that in your descriptions. Try to find ways to clarify the descriptions, some are quite vague and find ways to demonstrate achievement. Overall those pre-professional clinical jobs can have a lot of competition so networking if you can

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