Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Life By Zach:


Lauren. That’s the pretty brunette’s name. I just got done working out and was jogging home, and my mind drifted like it usually does when I am running. She’s an environmental science major, which I think is really cool. She’s into animals and saving the environment and helping the world, which isn’t something you really hear people my age talk that much about. Her dad is a veterinarian and so she always grew up with one or two stray cats or dogs that came to temporarily stay at her house until they found a forever home. I like the way she talks about animals and the environment, her whole face lit up and she got really passionate.  I really respect when someone knows what they want out of life, when they have a passion and work hard towards that goal. I am the same way in my life and I know that I really want that quality in someone that I date. Clearly Beth didn’t fit that bill.  

This week I made my list of medical schools I want to visit in New York. Obviously NYU is at the top of my list, and I am pretty confident I will be able to get in. I met with my career counselor the other day to go over my transcripts and she said that as far as my grades go, I was doing very well. She did point out that I should be gathering more clinical experience, because that’s something that med schools really look for in a well rounded applicant. So, she set me up with an interview tomorrow at the local hospital for an internship. I’m very excited about it!

After my workout, I decided to run over to the bookstore to buy an MCAT study book. I know I don’t have to take the test quite yet, but I want to start reading about it so I have a good idea what to expect. I am not the best test taker, but I have noticed that for me, the key is knowing what to expect. I would much rather start taking practice tests now than be faced with a moment of terror when I actually show up and take the real exam.  As I was leaving the bookstore, I felt my phone vibrating and I searched around in my gym bag for it.  When I finally found it, I saw the buzz was a notification from Facebook. “Lauren Rosenthal has sent you a friend request.” Hmm. Interesting. We had exchanged numbers last night; I was a little bit weary after the Beth fiasco but Lauren seems so down to earth and sweet that I figured I shouldn’t be closed off to hanging out with her.  I accepted her friend request and browsed through a couple of her pictures,   they all seemed to connect with who she said she was; there were several pictures of her and her family, of Lauren at the beach with her dog, and of her internship at the Center for Biological Diversity’s Endangered Species in Oregon last summer where she helped conduct research on how to help end the extinction of several species.  I was about to text her when I decided to simply call her instead; I thought this might be the more chivalrous thing to do.  She seemed surprised that I called, but also pleased, and we agreed to meet for dinner on Saturday. I told her I would pick her up at eight, and got home feeling pretty good about my day overall.
That evening, shortly before going to bed, I spotted a pile of unopened mail sitting on my desk that I had yet to go through. I was expecting a letter from NYU Medical in regards to visiting dates, so I jumped up and started sorting through the envelopes. I stopped short when I spotted a very official looking envelope from the University's Disciplinary Committee.

“What is this??” I thought. “Must be a mix-up.”

I tore open the letter and as I started to read it, my heart felt like it stopped working.  The words started to get blurry and all I saw were phrases here and there:

“Your coursework contains material that is problematic with regard to the rules on plagiarism and will be investigated further.”

“Clear cases of plagiarism will be passed on to the Executive Dean.”

I tried to compose myself and think what this could possibly be about. Then I saw a date and time for a decision hearing on the matter, which was scheduled for two days from now, and the other attendee at the meeting: Andrew Johnston.

Oh my God. The paper I gave him.


 

11 comments:

  1. I knew that was going to bite him in the butt!! Poor Zach.

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  2. NOOOOOO zach is so sweet, this can't be happening :(
    Leo

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  3. Oh no, poor Zach! I hope he can somehow recover from this!

    http://jocelynseverydayjourneys.blogspot.com

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  4. not gonna lie, saw this coming. but hopefully this gets cleared up!

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  5. This runs concurrent with LBA, right? Are wr going to find out who the girl was that Zach brought home that time Aleah saw him?

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    1. Would be nice if the author would answer this. I'm wondering the same thing too.

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    2. Hello readers!! I apologize for the delay in responding. The blog is in the present day, with the occasional flashback. There is no plan to re-write that particular post from Zach's point of view because the purpose of that post was to describe the moment between Zach and Aleah rather than his bringing someone home. But maybe I can work it out somehow to provide some insight there. In any event, both blogs are current in terms of what Zach and Aleah are doing in their respective lives. I hope this explanation makes sense, if not please let me know. Thank you!!

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    3. I'm not trying to be offensive or rude because I enjoy your blog. It's just annoying that you can't find time to respond to your readers. Many other bloggers that post more than once a week do, aleah always does too. It makes me feel like my comments are written in vain and a waste of time.

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  6. Thank you for your feedback. It is unclear which comment I did not respond to, can you be more specific? I answered the November 2 inquiries about the blog timeframe on November 3. I believe 24 hours to respond is reasonable, as I have a full time job and a lot going on in my life at the moment. I care very much about this blog and all the readers and I read each and every comment. If there is a question I did not answer, please let me know. And please know your comments are not made in vain, I am so sorry you feel that way!!

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    1. Actually there is only one comment you answered or responded to in this post. I'm sure other bloggers have just as much or more going on in their lives than you but they make their readers feel welcome. I've found that you don't want to engage your readers and only respond when a question is asked or you're pompted to. You get a handful of comments and don't get why you can't be more engaging. Honestly your response is very defensive. It's hard to want to follow a blog or even comment when a blogger makes readers feel like their bothering her because she works and hs a lot going on. I'm married with two kids, work a full time job, and still manage to find time to focus on things i find important.

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    2. Hi Nancy. I am sorry that my feedback came back as defensive. And I also thank you for taking the time to respond. I can see your point of view on this, and I am going to be more diligent about responding. You're right, I read those other blogs too, and have even commented myself, and hearing back from the author always make me happy. I should have applied that here and I thank you for pointing it out :)

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