Category: Diary

One Amazing Week

Posted on January 7, 2010March 5, 2014 by Benji Ho

Along with the 93 first-semester students who are about to embark on the start of their medical careers, it has been one amazing first week for me since I came back to AUC to start on my second semester. First, it was wonderful meeting a lot of new faces and names, passionate, driven individuals who are about to embark on… Continue reading

Second Semester Begins!

Posted on January 4, 2010March 6, 2011 by Benji Ho

It has been a pretty fun, exciting, yet relaxing past two weeks of winter break. I’m really happy to have seen my family in Georgia and to have gone on an awesome adventure with Irene to Puerto Rico. Today is my last day of break and it is time to start school again tomorrow. Since moving back to St. Maarten… Continue reading

Common Questions About AUC Classes

Posted on January 4, 2010July 10, 2016 by Benji Ho

First semester flew by really fast for me. It somehow didn’t really hit me that I am now actually considered an “upperclassmen,” until I met many first-semester students here these past few days. Coming back, I am suddenly being asked for advice and to answer questions people may have. It’s quite a change in mentality for me, but I love… Continue reading

Study Tips for First Semester

Posted on January 3, 2010September 15, 2011 by Benji Ho

I recently received a message from a blog reader asking about study tips for first semester classes. Here, I’d like to share my response to him. Hi Benji,
I wanted to ask you if you had ANY study tips at all for me as they will be greatly appreciated. Also if you could tell me the best study method/s for… Continue reading

Holidays in Puerto Rico

Posted on January 2, 2010December 9, 2015 by Benji Ho

About: Puerto Rico is a Commonwealth of the United States and it is only 30 minutes away from St. Maarten by airplane. As it is one of the largest islands in the Caribbean, there are tons to see and you can easily spend weeks here and still not see everything. Highlights: Old San Juan, El Morro, Vieques, Bioluminescent Bay, Arecibo Observatory, Heladeria de Lares, Plaza Las Americas, El Yunque Rainforest, Bacardi Rum Factory. Continue reading

Three Ways to Sleep in the San Juan Airport

Posted on December 26, 2009March 25, 2011 by Benji Ho

As you all know, Irene and I are in sunny Puerto Rico spending the holidays. As Irene and I arrived at the San Juan Airport at 2:50am on Christmas Eve, we decided to save on getting a hotel for only a few hours and instead sleep in the airport. Little did we expect all the seats at the airport were… Continue reading

Christmas at Home

Posted on December 23, 2009March 25, 2011 by Benji Ho

Hello everyone! Happy Holidays! It feels wonderful to be home, especially with my brothers and Irene home for the holidays, and it feels great to touch the keys of a piano again, run into old friends at the bookstore, and go out for dinner to a warm place on a dark, chilly night. With only three full days at home,… Continue reading

I’m Heading Back to Georgia!!

Posted on December 19, 2009March 25, 2011 by Benji Ho

Sunset on Fort Louis

Posted on December 17, 2009November 8, 2011 by Benji Ho

It was a semester of ups and downs, a semester of past challenges to resolve and new challenges to face. It was a semester where we found out our greatest friends are also our greatest competitors and our greatest collaborators. No matter whether we struggled to pass a class or struggled to be the top of our class, we all… Continue reading

Rumors

Posted on December 17, 2009April 13, 2012 by Benji Ho

Today I finished my last final, in Molecular Cell Biology (MCB), and I am happy to announce that…. I HAVE JUST COMPLETED MY FIRST SEMESTER IN MED SCHOOL!!! I was feeling lots of anxiety going into the final, not because I felt I wasn’t ready but because I knew it would count as 30% of my course grade. Wouldn’t you… Continue reading

What Stats Do I Need to get into AUC?

Posted on December 13, 2009February 6, 2014 by Benji Ho

There’s always a mystery as to what goes on behind the closed-doors of the admissions office. Here at AUC, after the applications are received by AUC’s very own Medical Education Administrative Services (MEAS) in Coral Gables, Florida, they are sent off to the island of St. Maarten... Continue reading

Guide to AUC: What to Pack?

Posted on December 12, 2009July 26, 2014 by Benji Ho

If you're willing to spend money, there's not much you really need to bring, as you can pretty much find anything you want or need on this island. The most important thing to know about packing for St. Maarten is that things on the island can be expensive compared to the State and Provinces (on average about 1.5x more expensive). Whatever you can fit in your luggage... Continue reading

My First Shelf Exam!

Posted on December 11, 2009November 8, 2011 by Benji Ho

Today’s the big day that we took our first med school Shelf Exam, in Anatomy. It is a 2.5 hour test with 125 questions, nationally standardized and administered by all accredited schools, covering everything that we have learned about anatomy. Normally in U.S. Schools, this test is given to students in their 4th semester. But at AUC, we take it… Continue reading

Negative Feedback

Posted on December 10, 2009November 8, 2011 by Benji Ho

So I’m here studying in the Rotunda, and a student studying at the table next to me turns around and tells me, “you must have a very noisy home for you to be able to focus with all this noise around! I’m going home, I can’t concentrate here.” After she said this, I suddenly heard all the sounds around me..… Continue reading

Anatomy Lab Memorial Day

Posted on December 8, 2009March 25, 2011 by Benji Ho

It has been quite an exciting 3.5 months in anatomy lab. First we worked on our first patient’s back, then slowly, we revealed her face, looking back at us. Then as we dissected deeper and more thoroughly we began to unravel the details about her life and her last days, as she left for us to find, all without knowing… Continue reading

The Pain of Learning and the Therapy of Blogging

Posted on December 7, 2009February 19, 2011 by Benji Ho

“Congratulations on finishing Block 4! We have now officially learned everything we needed to learn for Genetics, MCB 1, Anatomy, Histology, and Embryology………….EVER.” yeah… I wish it were that easy. Now the hard part has just begun.. to remember it all and apply it right off the bat when I see it in my career. Now with no new material… Continue reading

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

Posted on December 4, 2009February 19, 2011 by Benji Ho

Hello everybody! As you noticed, I haven’t blogged in about four days, and probably won’t have much chance to blog in the next week and a half, and you’ll see why. The next week and a half will be the busiest I’ll ever experience THIS YEAR. First we have our 4th Block exams on Monday for Anatomy/Embryology and MCB/Genetics, then… Continue reading

Island Time

Posted on November 30, 2009February 19, 2011 by Benji Ho

It was such a beautiful day today. Like yesterday, and every other day before that, it was warm, around mid-80′s, partly cloudy, blue sky. The trees are greener than ever and the flowers are in full bloom. As I walked around in shorts and a t-shirt, I could feel the warm breeze against my skin. I thought to myself, if… Continue reading

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!

Posted on November 26, 2009March 25, 2011 by Benji Ho

I am thankful for…

The new friends I have made at AUC.

The opportunity to pursue my career and to learn about medicine.

The beautiful warm weather we’ve been having, despite it being November.

The challenges I have encountered these past few months and my survival so far.

The help and collaboration from my colleagues in class.

Being healthy! You’ll