My name is Justin Robbins and I am a senior at the
University of Oklahoma. I am majoring in Biology and minoring in Chemistry and
Spanish, and am applying to medical school this cycle. I am involved on campus
with the Hispanic American Student Association, Integrity Council, Oklahoma
Blood Institute, and work as a tutor for the university.
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| (My brother and mom's side of the family taken by myself 2013) |
This semester I decided to be crazy and take eighteen hours
of courses. I am currently taking Mythology & Folklore, Chemistry of Beer
Making, Physics Labs I & II, Introduction to Neurobiology, Cell Biology,
Spanish Literature, and Biology Capstone. However, I feel that this will be manageable
and will allow me to have a wonderful final semester as a senior.
In May after the spring semester I spent a week in Honduras
and a week in Peru helping bring medical clinics to rural impoverished areas of
the two countries. I was also able to travel to Machu Picchu while I was in Peru
and it was an unforgettable experience!
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| (Myself at Incan ruins in Peru taken by a friend 2015) |
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| (Picture of Honduran landscape taken by myself 2015) |
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| (Myself translating for a fellow OU student as he was triaging a patient taken by a friend 2015) |
I then spent June and July taking Spanish courses and on the
weekend of July 17 I went to Boston, MA. I went to Boston to volunteer at a
medical conference for the Children with Interstitial and Diffuse Lung Disease
(chILD) Foundation. I participated in this last year and always enjoy spending
time with the children as my friends and I watched them at the OxyKids
Day Camp while the parents listened to research presentations.
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| (Adventures of visiting Harvard and trying on a bomb suit in Boston taken by a friend 2015) |
More about me personally… I enjoy the Jurassic Park books and
the movie series. I enjoy binge watching crime shows on Netflix, such as Law
and Order: SVU. As far as my favorite food is concerned, my brother and I
really like to go to Whataburger.
I am also the oldest of six children, but four of my
siblings are half-siblings. However, to my brother and I that makes no
difference we still care for them as if they were our full-siblings.
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| (Youngest siblings Corbett, Audrey, and I taken by myself 2015) |
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| (Callie and Audrey on their birthday. Taken by myself 2015) |
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| (Jake, Zoe, and Audrey won the annual Robbins family cook-off. Photo taken by myself 2015) |
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| (Audrey and I with our minion cupcakes for the Robbins cook-off taken by myself 2015) |
Wow, Justin, you are involved in so many cool things. I don't think I've ever met a student who works with the Integrity Council (I like the Integrity Council website better than the old Provost's Misconduct site: much appreciated!)... and that Chemistry of Beer course should be a worthy follow-up to your organic chemistry adventure last year! (I follow Mark Morvant at Twitter, so I get to see what he shares from the beer class there, which is fun.) Plus maybe you can find some good overlap among classes: like if you are reading Don Quixote in your Spanish Literature class, Don Quixote would be a fabulous project for this class too... or you could do the "folklore of beer" (that could be seriously cool...) Or something along the lines of Jurassic Park: when you are browsing the Storybooks, you might enjoy looking at this one inspired by HG Wells and the Island of Dr. Moreau!
ReplyDeleteMoreau Island Supernatural Creature Laboratory
Anyway, with all your interests and activities, I'm curious to see what direction you will go... it sounds like a great semester — busy (BUSY), but great :-)
Hello again Justin, Man you are one involved and busy person. Its really impressive how many classes you are taking and all the things your involved in. By the looks of it, it seems you are really good at time management. Machu Picchu seems to be a very cool and interesting place to go to. I have to say you are really lucky to have gotten the opportunity to travel there.
ReplyDeleteYour schedule sounds a lot like my own. It's going to be a rough fall semester but an easier spring semester. The Chemistry of Beer Making class sounds very interesting. I would like to take that class next semester or the following. You seem to be very involved which should help on your application to med school. I want to wish you the best of luck in your future.
ReplyDeleteJustin! Hello my fellow Integrity council pal. I am so glad that we are taking this class together! First of all, let me tip my hat to you! You always have a lot going on but are definitely the type of person who is able to mange it all very smoothly. You are definitely so lucky to have traveled to those wonderful places. My husband is from Honduras and hopefully one day I get to visit it too, just like you did. I wish you the very best in this semester. I have no doubt that you will do great!
ReplyDeleteI know I’m late to the party but its nice to meet you! I really enjoyed reading this blog about you in that you've traveled to a good looking country from what I can see and it was to help people which is awesome. I also like how you know what you want to do and you’re taking steps to get there. Your schedule looks so busy; I don’t think I could handle that! I look forward to reading more of what you will write.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi, Justin!
ReplyDeleteIt looks like we really have a lot in common.
I am also a senior (technically a junior, but graduating in May), and I have nineteen hours this semester! It's definitely a lot, but it will allow me to only take 11 hours of actually classes and 3 hours of research time my final semester. I am also a tutor for the University--I work with the Athletic Department. It is such a rewarding job! I love being able to share the subject I am passionate about with other people. Your majors sound pretty tough, but taking the Chemistry of Beer Making would be awesome!
I think it is sooo cool you have travelled so much! Seeing Machu Picchu would have been an unbelievable experience. It would have even better knowing that you were leaving the people in the area better off than when you arrived. I've always wanted to go on a trip like that.
Finally, I am OBSESSED (no exaggeration) with Jurassic Park. My parents made very questionable decisions in terms of what movies I was allowed to watch growing up, which lead to me being the only 4 year old girl in America whose favorite movie was Jurassic Park. Velociraptors are my favorite dinosaur, by far.
Nice to meet you, Justin! Regarding what you said on my introduction post, I have considered minoring in Chemistry after I spoke to Nancy Blass last spring, but I haven’t gotten to adding it on yet. Thanks for telling me about it though. What courses are you currently tutoring? Wow, eighteen hours and you still manage to be on Week 5 of this course AND you’re super involved around campus. Your time management skills must be amazing. I’m taking Cell Biology this semester as well! Maybe I will see you around in class. It looks like your Spanish speaking skills came in handy when you went to the medical clinics in Honduras and Peru! Good luck on applying to medical school this cycle. I have a good feeling you will be accepted. :)
ReplyDeleteHey Justin,
ReplyDeleteSo cool that you are trying to go to medical school! I just finished watching Grey's Anatomy so I feel like I should be a doctor but I also know that it will never happen haha. Also wow that you are taking 18 hours!! I would literally die and also fail. That is so awesome that you went to Peru bringing medical clinics that is really sweet and so helpful to the people in need! Good luck in your classes and med school and can't wait to read your story!
ReplyDeleteHello Justin,
Wow, your life is so jammed pack! I too have an obsession with watching crime shows on Netflix and often find myself reminiscing the Stabler days on SVU. Your summer was quite worthwhile and I admire your volunteer work. The chemistry of beer making class sounds so interesting, I might just have to look out for it next semester. I wish you the best of luck applying for medical school but with everything you have going on for you, I’m sure you will do great on your journey!
Hey Justin,
ReplyDeleteWow, eighteen hours for senior year, that's impressive! I'm only taking 10 right now! I think it's really cool that you spent a week in Peru volunteering. I've wanted to volunteer for medical missions, but I don't have any medical experience.
I love Whatabuger too. The honey butter chicken biscuit is my weakness! I liked the new Jurassic Park movie. I thought Chris Pratt did a great job! It was nice getting to know you a little bit. I hope your semester goes well!
Hi, Justin!
ReplyDeleteIt really sounds like you've taken full advantage of your time in college. Your volunteering adventures sound incredible. My roommate was also able to visit Machu Picchu and said it was stunning. I bet that was a great trip.
Whataburger is so wonderful. Who could resist their HBCBs or honey bbq chicken strip sandwiches?!
Family is so important to me as well. It's important to love and cherish those around you.
Those cupcakes are so adorable and look incredibly tasty!
Good luck with all of your classes! It was nice getting to know you.
Hi Justin,
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you stay really busy and you're super involved! That's so great and I think that's the best way to spend your time in college. Your trip to Peru doing medical missions really caught my attention because that is exactly what I want to do, too. I bet growing up with a lot of brothers and sisters would be really fun! I am the youngest out of two sisters but they are a lot older than me so I think it would have been fun to have some younger siblings. Good luck in all your classes this year and have an awesome senior year!
Hi Justin!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you had an eventful summer, I love to travel and all the places you went sound awesome! I have been to Boston once and liked it, me and my grandmother took a segway tour through the city, that was cool because we got to see pretty much the whole city without having to walk it. 18 hours is a lot, but if you are able to handle it thats wonderful. I am going to be taking 18 hours next semester, because I decided intermediate Spanish online was not for me. I have never heard of the Chemistry of Beer Making class, that sounds kind of cool. Good luck on medical school and the rest of your semester!
Hi!
ReplyDeleteWow, you look super busy! You have a beautiful family and it's awesome that y'all are so close with each other. That Beer Making class must be a lot of fun!
Jurassic Park is definitely one of my favorite movies! I love the whole series (even Jurassic Park III, I just skip over the part where t-rex dies because I refuse to believe it). What did you think about Jurassic World? I loved it a lot - mostly because I can't help myself with Rexie and Owen's Raptor Squad of Doom. Hopefully the next movie will be even better!
Thank you for sharing your story with us!
It sounds like you have a very busy semester! At least it is your senior year! It also sounds like you had a pretty awesome summer! I admire that you have spent time volunteering to help others. Family is very important to me; it is nice to see you are close to yours! I also like the minion cupcakes! Nice to meet you!
ReplyDeleteHaha man I love it! I can tell you have your head on straight and using your talents for others. That is awesome. I like that you go to other countries and have had broad experience. It will make you very well rounded. I am a senior too and like Jurassic Park! I plan to move to LA to start my acting and voice over career. That was a solid movie choice you had!
ReplyDeleteHi Justin!! I am the youngest of six children and the middle four siblings are adopted, but that doesn't matter in my family, much like the half-siblings are considered just the same in yours! I am also a Biology major, although I am on a Pre-PA tract, rather than a Pre-Med one! I could never imagine taking 18 hours of classes, let alone with so many science ones! I wish you nothing but the best of luck with all of those classes!
ReplyDeleteHi Justin! Nice to meet you. It was really awesome to read about your life. I was amazed to see how you are involved in so many things even though you have such a hard major and minors. Way to go! I am currently a Junior, so not ready to graduate yet :) But I hope you graduate and continue to do such wonderful things!
ReplyDeleteJustin, great to learn more about you! Good luck applying to med school coming up! I bet Chemistry of Beer is a fun course to take. The photo of you and your siblings is very nice. I have also spent some time in Honduras and really enjoyed my time there. It’s great to travel and bring aid and assistance. I think that’s awesome that you did that.
ReplyDeleteWhat's up bro. You seem like a cool dude. That is dope that you got to go to South America and actually help people all while learning and exploring. Coolest thing from South America to me would be - Aztec Jaguar warriors haha. I am also the oldest brother so I know how it is, I am so protective over them. Whataburger is the ish! And Jurassic park is a big part of my childhood lol I actually liked Jurassic world though most people don't, what'd you think? Anyway stay up browski.
ReplyDeleteHi Justin!!
ReplyDeleteI love that you’re using your breaks from school to travel. I’m a senior too and one of the biggest things that bums me out about graduating is that we will no longer have designated breaks to spend abroad!! Oh my gosh I love Whataburger too. I was actually there just yesterday. Good luck with the rest of your semester :)
Hey Justin nice to meet you.
ReplyDeletewow that is a lot of house! i am only in 11 and i feel like i have no time. How do you make that work? i must admit that Chemistry of Beer Making sounds like a pretty cool class i wish i could take that.
Oh nice you went to Boston that is where my family is from. well keep up the good work man. I cant wait to read your stories.