It’s so hard to believe that we’re already halfway through SSP! The last 2 and a half weeks have been a blur of waking up at 6:25 am (five minutes before TA block starts), logging on to Zoom, and working on lectures, Labster (where I get my daily validation from Dr. One’s encouraging comments) and class activities figuring out uncooperative software. But even though I’ve settled into waking up early, nothing prepared me for the rollercoaster that is SSP.
I’ve never had the privilege of being in an environment where we face challenges quite literally every day, and it’s actually fun to work with my teammates to solve them. A place where I’m able to get so immersed into everything that when we’re done with the chaotic TA block and 3 hours have flown by, it’s hard to actually quantify the time because it flies by so fast. I’ve also never been as tired—but it’s the kind of tiredness that comes after working (and playing) hard all day, and I’m happy I get to spend my summer feeling that satisfaction every day alongside some of the most brilliant and incredibly talented people I’ve ever met.
One thing that stuck with me from the beginning of the program was that SSP would be like drinking from a firehose. And it most definitely is. My teammates (shout out Janice & Jay!) have heard me say “should we maybe call for help” waaaay too much, and today was no exception.
My day started with TA block, where we worked on our non-linear curve fitting and got annoyed at Excel when it refused to let me fill out formulas. Taking a break to occasionally do personality quizzes that psychoanalyzed us (but nicely <3), we finally finished our work.
Today’s class activity dealt with enzyme mechanisms and drawing out structures and struggling through it, alternating between figuring out screen sharing from an iPad and figuring out answers to the questions.
Then it was time for my favorite part of the day, the Campus Activity block! Today we had virtual lunch tables, where my table spent the time playing a spirited game of Codenames, with some very interesting clues (insecty and Pavlov), and learned more about Aztec chocolate making!
SSP is shaping up to be such an amazing experience, and I can’t wait for everything that’s coming up—bonding with other SSPeople, working on our research project with my teammates, learning SO much, listening to super interesting guest lectures, and having fun (which, I’m not going to lie, after a year of online school, I didn’t think was possible on Zoom until recently)!
