After the whole exploding-egg-walking-out-on-MCAT fiasco, I wasn’t quite sure what to do next.

At first I felt ashamed of myself for not being able to finish the MCAT on the day that I registered for. My mom kept asking me to move the test date back so that I would have more time to prepare, but I kept telling her that I would be ready. Everybody called and emailed me beforehand wishing me good luck, and congratulated me afterwards- and I had to embarassedly explain that I never finished the test.

Now I realize that stepping out was not only the right decision but the brave one. All my life I have been trained to push myself harder no matter how extenuating the circumstances. Once in elementary school, I contracted severe poison ivy which swelled my entire face, but I still wanted to go to school. If I had indeed forced myself to finish the entire exam with a fever, my score would not have reflected my actual capabilities. Sometimes I just have to know when to step down.

I’ve registered for an exam on Friday, Aug 21 – in about a week. This time, it is a 2pm exam, so hopefully sleeping should not be a problem for me. I will also have a little bit more time to prepare, and should not feel as stressed. Hopefully the second time around should go smoothly, as long as I take care of myself and stay away from microwaved eggs.

5/5/3 Took a week break from MCAT studying, and about to go eat Primanti Brothers burgers for half off — yumm!