Glad To Be Back!

contributed by Amy Bishara '11 (Medical Anthropology) from Toledo, Ohio

I just finished sophomore year, and I can honestly say I don’t know where the time went. These past two years, I put myself through a lot of transitions, which I find interesting and amusing to look back upon. I started my undergrad life as a freshman here at Case, where I played soccer, took premed classes, and made a lot of really great friends. I loved everything about the school, but by the end of the year, I wasn’t so sure if I wanted to be premed anymore. Since the premed program was one of the major reasons I decided to come to Case, I started to wonder if case was still really the best fit for me. With a lot of pressure from my parents, I decided to transfer after freshman year to Miami University.

To make a long story short, I ended up missing Case so much that I only stayed at Miami for fall semester and immediately filled out my paperwork to come back in the spring. Yes…that does mean that I transferred out of case to Miami, and then transferred back into Case only a semester afterwards. My favorite and most frequently asked question became, “So…where exactly do you go to school now?” Because I was so distraught in leaving my friends, half of them didn’t even know I was transferring, and the other half didn’t know I was coming back. I definitely confused a lot of people.

Although I regret not being able to play soccer at Case this past fall season, I surprisingly do not regret my decision to leave. Because in leaving, I learned to truly appreciate case in ALL aspects. I mean even the cafeterias that I used to complain about I learned to regard with new eyes. I played club soccer at Miami, but it was nothing compared to the competition I had before. I was one of those annoying kids at school that always compared everything to her past, saying things like, “At Case…this would’ve never happened…” and “Oh my gosh I can’t wait for you to meet my friends from Case”, or “ Well back at Case we used to...blah blah blah.” If I had met me I would have been annoyed…but I couldn’t help it! I missed soccer practices where every player made sure to give 110 percent. I missed the integrity of Case students. I missed the close knit community in which everyone was so friendly and approachable. I missed the diversity and even came to miss my classes. Nothing against Miami, because I really did like the school, but by being away from Case for a semester I simply realized that it was a better fit for me than Miami, or any other college for that matter, ever could be. In my semester away I took an entire non-science schedule, to allow myself to be introduced to new subjects. In doing so, I ended up discovering even more reasons why I belonged at Case. I found that I love anthropology and that I really missed my premed classes. Coincidentally, Case is the only place I have ever heard of having a medical anthropology major, which was exactly what I was most interested in. Not only could I now continue following the strong premed curriculum at Case, but I could major in something I really loved and wouldn’t be able to major in anywhere else.

And the greatest part was although I thought that coming back to Case would be really difficult after leaving, it wasn’t in the slightest bit. Everyone welcomed me back and treated me like I had never left in the first place. Even the Case administration made things super easy for me, making sure all my credits transferred properly. Best of all, I got to play in the spring season with the team J

Just thinking about season makes me smile! I cannot wait. I know that everyone is training hard this summer and that this coming fall season will definitely be one to remember.

Unfortunately, soccer is not the only thing I am preparing for, though, this summer. I am also studying for the MCAT which I plan on taking in August. It’s definitely a lot more time consuming than I thought along with my small research program, but it’s keeping me busy and giving me a routine which I like, especially, because I still have my nights available to see friends/family and enjoy summer.

Now summer is flying by, but surprisingly I don’t mind that much. I’m excited to see everyone again, but most excited to play. I haven’t played in a Case league game since freshman year, and am definitely ready to start that up again!

Photos:

Top: Sammy Sarrett '12 and Amy at the Girl Talk concert at Case.

Bottom: Amy, Caitlin Miller '09, Ana Arruda '11, and Caroline Garber '10 at the First Annual Student-Athlete Formal

Summer at Case!

contributed by Amy Baumann '11, Biology/Spanish major (pre-med), Chemistry minor

School ended about a month ago, and after a very few short weeks at home I am already back at Case.  My summer will be spent doing research; I applied to and was accepted to an undergraduate research program funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. I just began last week and so far it has been intense, interesting, and a little scary. 

Thankfully, I won’t be by myself this summer. There are tons of other girls from the team who are also on campus for the summer. Jen is doing research as well, a continuation of research she did last summer from the same program I’m doing this summer. Froms is also working. Frannie, Cicy, and Steph are all taking classes and working. We’ve already planned our first pick-up game of the summer! There are also many of my non-soccer friends who are here as well. All in all, it looks to be a fun summer. 

I decided to research this summer because I am a pre-med student and research is one summer job that will definitely stand out on my applications. I’ve also never done research before, and thought it would be a good idea to get some experience in it since it is so intertwined with medicine. Life as a pre-med student at Case hasn’t been too bad so far; sure the classes can be challenging, but pretty much everyone here has difficult classes. Although I haven’t started studying for the MCAT yet – so that will probably change. 

Balancing soccer and school comes down to one thing: time management. If you manage your time wisely, you can do everything you want, and still get sleep! I am a Biology and Spanish double major with a minor in Chemistry. On top of classes, I play soccer, am a member of Alpha Phi Omega (Case’s coed community service fraternity), and have volunteered at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital. Next spring I want to volunteer at the Cleveland Free Clinic. I would love to study abroad but unfortunately did not plan my classes out wisely, so I do not think that will be happening. 

Also this summer I will be working out! It is so important to come into the season in shape so that we can spend our time focusing on things other than fitness. Thankfully there are so many other people here to work out with. I know that the team has big expectations for next season. Personally, I think it will be the best season since I’ve been here. It is really cool to be around the other girls and feel the buzz of excitement for next season. 

I am sure this summer will go by quickly – too quickly – but it will definitely be fun. It will also be worth it. I am excited for next year. However, talking about our expectations only counts for half; the rest involves how each person prepares during the summer. I hope everyone is as excited as I am!

Pictures:  

Top:  Frannie Hogan '11, Amy, and Allysen Arbelaez '10 take a break during some Preseason '08 rock climbing off campus at the Cleveland Rock Gym.

Bottom:  Amy and some of her teammates participate in an obstacle course during Preseason '08 outside the Veale Athletic Center on campus.