It is getting closer

It is an unusual feeling to know I will not be picking my courses for the next semester this time and I will not take part in the housing lottery, hoping to live with my friends next semester again. And these are only the nearest events from which I am excluded as a senior – next fall, I will not take part in the opening ceremonies at the beginning of a new school year and I will not be moving into my dorm and hanging the Czech flag in my window. I will miss all of that.

On the other hand, there are many positive aspects – as a senior, I have access to multiple special events, such as dinner ceremonies or prize lotteries: just yesterday, I won tickets to go see the Knicks, and so I will finally have a chance to catch up on the last unchecked item on my must-see sports list. After I saw American football (Columbia Lions), ice hockey (NY Rangers), baseball (NY Yankees), and tennis (Rafael Nadal in the US Open) during my four years at Columbia, I will finally see my first NBA basketball game – moreover, it will take place in Madison Square Garden where everything is a bit more exclusive.

I am looking forward to it very much – as much as to my graduation, of course. It is a little difficult to focus on studies knowing that soon, I will be standing in front of Alma Mater in a light-blue robe with a square cap. I need to keep working hard a little longer, though – the last semester is important for medical school applications, too. During the Christmas break, I successfully prepared for and took the standardized MCAT exam, which was one huge step in this direction. Although I reached a very good score, which definitely confirms my chances to study medicine in the US despite being an international student, the battle is only half-won. This thought has been increasingly imminent recently, and so I do everything I can in order to be confident about my preparation.
After finishing my undergraduate studies, I would like to work in the US for about a year (which I am allowed to do with my student visa), while in the process of applying for a medical school. Therefore, most of my current activities are aimed at this goal, while sending out job applications. If everything goes well, I will start studying in 2015 again, this time at a school of medicine.

My next post, I will be writing as a recent graduate and so you can be looking forward to reading a summary of everything important that took place during my four years at Columbia University.