Week 4 - School

So.  I have been here for one month.  It's paradoxical: I feel like I've been here forever, and I feel like it's gone by so fast.  I've already learned and seen so much, but I also have so much more ahead of me.  In short, I love it here.  If I could move my friends and family to Bonn and just finish up college here, I would do it.

This past week (after a week off from school for traveling) was just focused on the grind of school.  I did lots and lots of homework.  Since it probably won't be very interesting for me to list what I did this week, I'll give a quick summary of all the classes I'm taking - which might not be interesting either!  To each his own.

BMEN 211 - Signals and Systems: (aka my hardest class)

This class is quite difficult... It's a mixture of differential equations (which I haven't already taken; I'm currently taking it - there's a big difference!) and physics 208-electricity and magnetism.  For those of you who are familiar with these classes, enough said.  For those of you who are not, be thankful.  Just kidding, in all reality, this class is going to be very useful for designing medical devices with any type of circuit or mechanical system in it.  

MATH 308 - Differential Equations: (aka my least favorite class)

I actually really like math.  But this class is every Tuesday/Thursday from 7:45 - 9 pm because it is live web-streamed from College Station.  No one should be learning math at this time... Thanks to our program directors and the AIB, we have an awesome math tutor who comes one to two times a week to help us out.  Thanks Professor Welker!

BMEN 253 - Medical Device Design: (aka the FDA is boring)

I'm sure this class will be interesting eventually, but for now see note above.

VTPP 435 - Physiology II for Bioengineers: (aka my favorite class)

I LOVE cardiovascular/pulmonary physiology.  I read my physiology textbook on the 30 minute bus ride to and from my house and the AIB every day.  It is so cool to be able to understand how the body works.  It's even interesting when my textbook says we humans don't know yet why or how the body does what it does!  I look at people differently after taking physiology.  I break down the way their blood flows through their veins, arteries, and heart.  I think about the action potentials in my nerves which are allowing me to think.  It's mind-blowing.

BMEN 400 - History of Medicine in Europe: (aka the class that serves as an excuse to take a week off of school to travel)

First of all, I suppose that's not exactly true... We do have very interesting lectures at AIB occasionally... But mostly we just travel!  So thank you BMEN 400.

More soon.  Tschuss!