Tufts vs. Loma Linda

my silly attempt to show off the cool tufts headgear i got during the interview

so the question that has been plaguing me this semester was: Tufts vs. LLU?

Those that have known me for a while know how much I have been wanting to go to Boston. I took a trip there with some of the church youth when i was in middle school. I fell in love when I went to Faneuil Hall Marketplace and saw all the historical buildings mixed in with the modern city life. The icing on the cake was seeing the HUGE A&F store in Faneuil Hall (oh how i judge my taste in clothes back then). I determined in my small 12 year old mind that I would do whatever it takes to get back to Boston, whether it be working or going to school there.

Obviously, I did not end up there for undergrad because of financial reasons. And honestly, that was probably the best decision I could have ever made. UGA has been a great experience for me. I met some life-long friends at UGA that I probably never would have had the opportunity to get to know if I went up north. This school has really shaped me up to be the person I am today, and for that I am TRULY grateful. But it is so scary thinking about what I am about to embark on for the next four years. Which brings me to this looming question: Tufts or Loma?

courtesy of tufts dental medicine website

Tufts

Pros:

1. Boston. look at the first paragraph. its obvious i LOVE BOSTON

2. HUGE college town: i love meeting diff types of people. YEAHHHH! =]

3. The facilities are AMAZING. MY GOSH i think i drooled a little when I saw it.

4. The staff, students, and former students cant rave enough about the place. im being dead serious.

5. TOTALLY new environment. Its an incredibly fresh page I can start on. new ppl, new setting.

6. 3 hrs to NYC! maybe during the SMALL amount of free time ill have, i can go and delve into my tiny artsy side. heh

Cons:

1. the weather. as i get older, i realize im not so fond of the cold anymore

2. it gets so dark there so quickly. what the heck? i need my light!

3. MONEYYYY. holy crap. just thinking about how much its gonna put me in debt makes me want to hurl

Loma Linda

Pros:

1. umm hello? CALI! 

2. EVERYTHING is within reach. beach, hollywood, vegas, snowboarding... the list goes on and on.

3. the weather. I want to be spoiled with NON-fluctuating weather. (yes im hinting at you GA; your weather SUCKS)

3. I have family here, and ill be going back to my hometown state <3

4. its nice going to a place where I already have amazing friends. <3 

5. I really like how they emphasize clinical work: totally approve!

6. its an SDA school. thumbs up! =]

Cons:

1. LLU is a small circle. sometimes i dont do well with everyone knowing everyone's business.

2. the facilities arent as great.

3. Ill have a comfort zone. I dont want to go into my comfort zone as soon as I get there, which ill be tempted with.

looking at this list, its pretty obvious ill be happy at each school. The cons arent life-changing or anything... its just things I have to be picky about to try to help my decision become easier. I've been praying about this a lot. Through prayer, I got this feeling that it was Tufts. My parents, who were GUNGHO about Medical College of Georgia due to costs, were thinking Tufts (one of the most expensive schools) would be a better school too. Talking to everyone else, they made it sound like Tufts was the way to go too. I think most people thought that Tufts was the obvious choice because I loved Boston, but honestly that was NOT the case.

The more Tufts became the answer, the more I wanted to go to Loma Linda. The more people thought it was obvious, the more I was adament that I thought Loma was the way to go. I know most Korean SDAs end up going to LLU; I hated that when I was younger and wanted to rebel. As my situation became more realistic and not "If I get into...", I realized that theres nothing wrong with that. I mean, theres a reason people have followed that cycle! Its because its actually good! Its great for networking and surrounding yourself with people that believe the same way you do (granted there are the ultra liberals to the ultra conservatives). It makes things so much more simpler. To be honest, if I had a choice I would spend two years at Tufts and the other two at Loma Linda. Wouldnt that be awesome? I'd like to think so.

But enough on me being indecisive. I finally decided on Tufts. By going to Tufts, I'm not saying that im living in Boston for the rest of my life. I know if I wanted to specialize or go into residency programs, I could make it my goal to go to Cali (which is the case as of this moment). I'll admit, this decision really puts me at ease. God is truly good to me, and I know I made the right decision. so heres to my next four years at Tufts! HELLLLLLOOOOOO BOOOSTTTON <3

ps. i didnt realize what a blabber i am. congrats if you read everything! heh

best weekend ever

Reasons why this weekend is gonna be awesome:

1. NY fashion week started. drooling with anticipation.
2. vancouver winter olympics starts today! I LOVE olympics but winter olympics >>> summer olympics. just saying.
3. first real snow in GA. EEEEP <3
4. Valentines day will be spent working. maybe not THAT exciting or noteworthy. but thinking of the money ill get makes me a bit happier. i have to support my love of clothes & shoes somehow.

its so gorgeous outside. i think im gonna go frolic in the snow. <3

happy MLK

since this is my last semester in athens (yes, i will mention this OVER and OVER... sorry in advance), i wanted to take full advantage of the downtown scene. for those of you who dont know, UGA is located in athens, GA. its a small college town with an amazing downtown area. its full of quirky stores, knick-knacks, AMAZING eateries, interesting people, and cool bars that i want to spend as much time as i possibly can here. so for MLK, i decided to spend my day off from school frolicking downtown.

i love this store, angora. the have the most FABULOUS vintage items. of course i would be broke when i come here. why must you do this to me?

Ive always wanted to try a-ok cafe ever since i noticed this tiny cafe. its located in the basement, literal hole-in-the-wall place. i got a grilled cheese, pasta salad & tomato soup all for less than 5 bucks! what a steal. my friend got two hotdogs, side & drink for 3.99. im DEFINITELY coming back here again soon. it was DELISH <3

afterwards, we took a couple of steps and arrived at the new froyo place in athens, yoguri. ill admit, im not the biggest fan of their original but i like their mango flavor. what a lovely finish to a yummy meal.

thank you martin luther king for this fun-filled day. <3

pinkberry

OMG.

courtesy of pinkberry
pinkberry is coming to atlanta. at least thats what it says on its website (yes i check out pinkberry's website).

it also showed me that pinkberry is coming to boston too! thank goodness. if it was not there, it would definitely put loma over tufts.... ahhh decisions decisions. you people that live near a pinkberry, consider yourself lucky.

some people might think it's ridiculous that pinkberry is a major factor on where i want to be for the next 4 years. maybe i do like pinkberry a little too much. who cares, it really completes me. *hug*

california dreamin

this past week has been hectic to say the least. im so glad its over with.

first off, the biggie. i went to cali for an interview. the interview went okay. i hope. ill have to pray & trust that God will opens doors for me, if its His will. all i can do for now is wait.

i do have to admit, it was only the week before last that i TRULY prepped for the interview. i was more excited about my mini-vacay to cali. boy was I in for a treat. yeah taking a little break from school was fun, but by NO means was it a vacation. By thursday morning after taking the redeye back to GA, i was spent. heres some things i learned about my small trip.

1. travel neck pillow is a MUST on flights. i wish i had bought one. never had a flight been more uncomfortable.... i must be getting old.
2. take a decongestant if youre sick before flying. unless you want excrusiating pain shooting up your ear when landing. just saying.

3. pinkberry is the ONLY place with delish original froyo. before this week, i forgot that i use to actually LIKE original froyo. everywhere else tastes like cheese. yuck

4. its so much fun going down memory lane. sometimes i wish i still lived in arcadia.
5. if you ever move to a new state, keep your former state lincense plate & card as long as you can. just in case you get pulled over. yes there is a story behind this lesson....

oh cali. how youve taught me so much in the 35 hours i was there. wat a crazy week. i loved it <3

polaroid or holga?

i am looking to FINALLY act upon my wish to buy a film camera.

being the indecisive person that i am, i have gone back and forth for MONTHS on this question. maybe this was the reason why i never got around to buy a camera. i MUST decide soon! I was THIS close to buying a polariod today, but I looked at all the research i did on holga AGAIN. i forgot how much i loved & wanted a holga.

holga                                                

polaroid camera one 600

decisions, decisions.... is it bad that i want both? *sigh*
oh how delighted would I be if that was possible. a girl can only dream <3

new year, same dreams

image courtesy of studded hearts

First off, 2010! i cant believe its 2010. year of so many changes. im so excited!

even though its gonna be an exciting year, ill admit the first 10 days have been.... meh. so much for starting the year off right. what could possibly happen in 10 days that would make the beginning of this year so cruddy?

i cried. granted over something that was really stupid but still...
i got mad. same explanation as the sentence above.
im sick. *sigh* it was bound to happen given that i was sick free for most of 2009.
i got rejected.... fine. that just hurt my pride. nothing else. actually it turns out to be the best thing i could have wished for. :)

but all this negativity stops now. as of today jan 10. ill get better SOON. i have so much to look forward to this year: small cali trip, graduating from uga, summer abroad, dental schoool biyatch! so excited thinking about this year. <3

but heres some of my new years resolution for this upcoming year.

1. work out at least twice a week (coming from someone that never worked out last semester)
2. try blogging once a week! =]
3. take more pictures. learn the art of photography.
4. STICK TO BUDGET (which ive broken ALREADY. but hey! at least ill look cute doing it)
5. start figuring out new makeup routine. since my money dedicated for makeup is always given up to clothes or food. *sigh*
6. increase my human interactions: meet new ppl, have fun with different activities, learn to love life.
7. make a home cooked meal at least once every two weeks
8. try going to every sport game offered at UGA... basically ENJOY MY LAST SEMESTER @ UGA

sounds like a typical list, no? maybe it is, maybe it isn't. im just excited im gonna greet this new year with a clean slate. heh <3