Lights, Camera, Action!- Photo Shoot at Presque Isle

As President of Dance Club at Mercyhurst University, it was a pleasure to be a part of the annual Dance Club Calendar Photo Shoot today.  As a fundraiser for our club, each year we sell calendars which have proven to be a great success and a great idea for Christmas gifts.  For the funds raised, 80% will be going to the Jenni-Lyn Watson Scholarship fund and the rest will be our profit.  Luckily for us, one of our talented dancers who also is the PR for the club, Jessica Stachelrodt, is an excellent photographer (all photo credit goes to her).  Because of this, we got some amazing shots and I'm very excited to show them off. Our group, which was made up of my roommates and I, represented the month of July for the calendar. If you are interested in purchasing a calendar to help support the Jenni-Lyn Watson Scholarship and Dance Club and would love an artistic calendar filled with lovely dancers, please contact me at emcdon36@lakers.mercyhurst.edu.  Here is a little preview you some of the work we did.  All photo credit: Jessica Stachelrodt.

Just Chugging Along

With Midterm approaching next week before Fall Break, my priorities have been concentrated on school work rather than Secondary Med Applications or dance company research.  With projects, presentations and tests piling up, its hard to focus on future aspects of my life when the present calls more attention.  But although it seems stressful now, I know this term is going to be over before I know so I'm trying to enjoy my last fall term as much as I can.
But for an update on how my Senior Seminar prospects are going:  I got my second MCAT scores back this week (still not as good as I would have wanted but still hoping for the best during my application process), submitted seven more secondary apps this week (have about 5 more currently in progress), scheduled my Senior Dance portraits for the middle of October (note to self...no more fried foods!), and Homecoming Dance Performance went very well!
With all this excitement/stress in my life, Fall Break can not come soon enough :)

Although I don't have a great Homecoming pic from this this year quite yet....here's a blast from the past! Freshman Year Homecoming at the Petting Zoo.

As you can see, Freshman Year it did not rain like this year :P

Homecoming, Performances, and Secondary Apps...Oh My!

   Homecoming is right around the corner, this weekend in fact, and the entire Mercyhurst campus can feel the spirit.  I am especially excited this year being a senior and getting to see a lot of my friends on Homecoming Court.  I am also very excited because my dad is coming to see me for our last Parents Weekend at Mercyhurst.  It seems like yesterday that he and my mom came to visit me on our first Parents Weekend when I was a freshman.  He will also get the chance to see me dance again in the Homecoming Performance in our PAC this Saturday night.  I'm dancing in a piece that SoMar Dance Works, the professional modern company affiliated with the Mercyhurst Dance Department in which I belong to, will be performing in late October in our Beyond Words II concert.  But since only my mom will be able to come see me dance then, I am excited my dad will be able to see me dance this weekend instead.  Coincidentally, his good friend from high school now has a daughter who is a freshman at Mercyhurst this year so he is looking forward to meeting up with him this weekend too.
   On the topic of dance and performance, I have officially booked my photo shoot for my senior dance photos that will be included in my audition materials, as well as my website I will be creating as part of my Senior Pro-Seminar class.  I think the website and pictures are a great way to get my face and credentials out into the dance world, but I just wish it wasn't so expensive!  The photo shoot alone costs over $100 plus the cost of prints of photos and resumes could run close to $300.  And I'm not even going to mention the audition fees that most companies charge to audition.  But I guess I should be used to fees like this.  After all, even in the midst of my application process for medical schools, I have already had to shovel out a great deal of money for application fees to schools.

 Photo Credit: Tyler Stauffer, Mark Fainstein, Tyler Stauffer

 In fact, just a few days ago, the American Association for Medical Colleges (AAMC) successfully verified my primary application for medical schools (Finally! It took over 6 weeks after I initially submitted my application.)  So after it was verified, a flood of secondary applications filled my email from a majority of the 17 schools I applied to this year.  Some I am still waiting on.  To add even more stress to my application process, my MCAT scores from my second time taking them are released tomorrow!  Talk about anxious!  The first time I took them, I did not do so well so I am really hoping to improve this time around...or else I may be in trouble :/  But in the mean time, I am going to start pushing forward with completing this boat-load of secondary apps to the best of my abilities and keep thinking positively about my future!

Back into the swing of things...

The first week back to dance classes always leaves me a little sore and a lot discouraged.  But that's just motivation for me to keep working hard in class.  I took about three months off from dance this summer to pursue an internship position at a medical research institute in Buffalo, NY and to complete observational hours with an orthopedic surgeon.  I was glad I took the time off to pursue my medical aspirations but I did miss dancing a lot.  Sometimes it takes that time off to realize how much you really enjoy something.  Even though at some points dance can be the most frustrating aspect of my life, I love the challenges it presents and I owe a lot of who I am to the lessons I learned through my fifteen years of experience of dance.
But after returning to ballet classes this past week, I was both sore and excited to be back dancing.  Although my break this summer may have taken a toll on my flexibility capabilities and strength to some degree, I still had my passionate movement quality that has always presented itself when I perform and dance.  In my Senior Pro-Seminar dance class, we are beginning to cultivate our audition materials such as our resume, cover letter, and audition photos.  It is amazing to see how much I have progressed and have learned over my four years at Mercyhurst.  Looking over the amazing artists and directors I have been privileged to work with these pas years, I know that my technique has become very diverse from my training in college.  Although auditioning is very stressful and scary process, it also is exhilarating to show off what you been working for over your many years of dancing.
I am still in the process of selecting different dance companies to audition for but with the amount of research I have been completing with my Senior Pro-Seminar class, I know that I will be prepared when it comes time to audition in the early Spring.

As for my medical school applications, I have completed another secondary application this time to Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.  I believe that my AMCAS primary application should be verified by the AAMC this week or so which means that I should have secondary applications quickly rolling in soon.  Also next week I receive my scores from my second attempt at the MCAT.  I am really praying to come close to a 30 because these scores are going to be the only one downfall to my application if I do not score better than my mediocre score I received the first time.  I'm trying not to freak out about it but I cannot help but think about the uncertainty I will feel about next year if I don't score high enough.  Keep your fingers crossed for me!

New Year...Senior Year!

Yes, despite the amount of denial I am in, this week began my last year as an undergrad at Mercyhurst! And like every other senior, the anxiety of the future has begun to take a toll.  As a double major in Dance and Pre-Med Biology, my next step into the real world is still very hazy.  After reflecting on my possible decisions for after graduation this past summer, I came to the realization that my next step into the future is to finally become what I have wanted to be my whole life.  My dream has always been to be able to combine my two passions in medicine and dance into a career.  Faculty and friends often call me "The Dancing Doctor" and I hope to uphold this title in the future as an orthopedic surgeon to specialize in treating dancers and other athletes with injuries.
But before I start to jump to conclusions about establishing my lifelong career, I first have to successfully graduate and establish myself in this great big world around us.  So as you can guess, I have two directions to go with my life after Mercyhurst.  I can either dance and then go to medical school or go directly to medical school while still pursuing dance as another part of my life.  My strategy for this upcoming year so far is to basically put myself out for both medical school and professional dance companies and see what happens with my application and audition process.  Luckily, this term I am taking career seminar classes for both Biology and Dance which will help steer me in correct directions when going about apply to medical school and auditioning for companies.
This summer while I worked as a research intern in Buffalo, NY, I was busy completing my primary application for medical schools, as well as studying and taking the MCATs.  Wow! What job the application process is?!  I was really surprised by how complex the application for AAMC, which will be sent to the 17 medical schools I chose to apply to.  I'm very glad I started early in the summer.  I am currently waiting to have the application verified through AAMC and have begun to complete and submit secondary applications for the specific schools I applied.  It has been a stressful and worrisome process thus far and it will definitely continue this way for the rest of the application process.  I will keep you updated on my application process weekly.  Soon I should have some more information to discuss when my primary application is finally verified for submission.
As for my dance audition preparation, I have begun to research different cities and companies in which I would like to audition.  My Senior Pro-Seminar class with the Dance Dept will definitely help prepare me for this upcoming year.  We have already begun to discuss our future goals in class and have updated our resumes to make sure they are looking professional.  I will soon be preparing to take my head shots and dance photos in the next coming weeks for auditions.  And since I will be auditioning for a performance position, I have decided to create a performance DVD showing my dance technique and performance quality which can be used to serve as your audition in the instance that the audition venue is too far away or an inconvenient venture.

So as you can see, I will definitely be busy this year planning for the future.  I predict a lot of anxiety and stress as well but I know in the end it will all be worth it.  Excited and nervous for what is to come, I will keep you all updated on my journey this year!