(Sorry if this is the wrong place for this, idk where else I'd ask this)
From my very basic understanding of 8th grade biology lessons, at the beginning of every menstrual cycle, an egg is released from the ovaries, and makes its way to the uterus. Then the walls of the uterus thicken in anticipation for the egg getting fertilized. After about a week, the egg is expelled through the vagina, and all the extra lining within it too.
The reason why there's only a few eggs at a time, and why they need to refresh every month makes sense. Obviously, you don't want to fertilize 500 eggs at once
The part I actually have contention with is the thickening of the uterus walls. Just why? Why can't it happen after the egg gets fertilized? And if the layers are required to 'house' the egg, why can't it just exist forever?
Having to refresh the linings every month seems extremely wasteful to me. All the bleeding means that 95% of people with anemia end up being women (I would know, both my mom and sister are low on rbc)
Apart from that, the emotional instability from all the hormones and the cramps and pain just seem so strange as well
And of course, one could say "that's just how it is", but how did we even get here
How did evolution end up creating a system where almost half the population needs to go through hell every month, and how have we not evolved past it?
I'm sorry if these are stupid questions, but I could not figure out a way to get satisfactory answers. Appreciate you all!

Hi guys , i am new to this community and there is something that has been troubling me for so long.
I am from india and i am 19F . I struggled so much thinking about this. i desperately need your help.
sooo there is a guy that i had a crush on from 4th grade. then the feelings i had for him grew even stronger from eighth grade onwards till now. It entirely became unrequited by 12th grade. i tried avoiding him but i wasn't able to . he came to school by his bicycle and i would often get the chance to see him cycling, and god he is soo handsome doing that. he is tall, pale, wears glasses, has beautiful black eyes, his eyebrows are bushy .he has long , beautiful fingers and great hair too.
whenever classes end i would always look for him in the subtle ways. he was shy and he maintained a low profile at school. not really active on social media either. BUT
he never looked at me the way i looked at him . he looked away whenever he noticed that i saw him cycling his way home. gave me mixed signs. never ever talked to me and i didn't either. i last saw him at my high school graduation . i did not look back at him.
our school was very conservative and so are our parents. girls aren't supposed to talk with boys alone at all .the reason i ask for the internet to help is simply that MY parents don't like that.
the minute they know that i have feelings for a boy they will kill me. it is not really comfortable to talk about that either to them at all. my mom told me that these feelings are normal but you will have to avoid them at all costs. it is hard to talk to indian parents about love. they hate it when kids go against their rules regarding love or marriage. well in my family love marriage is a one way ticket to heaven. parents will disown you for life. I am talking about strict parents like mine here. i really wish there was someone to talk about this.
i realized that it was limerence. i still have thoughts, dreams about him quite often. it hurts my feelings that he didn't realize my feelings. it hurts that he may have looked down on me. it hurts that he ignored me and that i felt insecure with him.
even though i have feelings for him, i want to move on and heal . i want to unlove him . idek what to do anymore. i feel like crying. i feel as if it is unhealthy for me to obsess over someone who didn't even care about my existence. i really want to let go of him , to actually let go of this guy whom i was not with physically or mentally.
the question is: is it the right thing to let him go? will i ever meet someone who will love me back? will I be able to love someone even more than my crush?
thx for reading stay safe out there loves bye
tl;dr: this is all about my unrequited love that needs help.

Thought I'd share my measurement report after taking my 4th dose of 2.5mg for anyone who's interested 🫡
The side effects I've had so far is fatigue, constipation/pooping less regularly due to eating less, and some bad heartburn (which I've never had) for 24 hours after enjoying one vino too many. Lesson learned. Other than that, it's been smooth sailing and it's truly been a miracle drug for me. I never ever thought I'd be free of thinking about food 24/7 and basically forcing myself to not binge every second of every day. It's been so freeing.
I'm learning to trust the tape measure and clothes over the scale. I'm sick of letting that one number dictate how I feel about myself. So I've only stepped on the scale a few times vs. daily like I used to when trying to lose weight.
Inches lost so far:
Waist: -2" Belly: -2.5" Hips: -2" Arms: -1 1/3" Thighs: -1 1/2 (right) & -1 (left) Neck: -1"
I think this is a lot of inflammation that has gone down, especially in my face which I sadly can't measure with a measuring tape 😛 I'm feeling so much more comfortable in my skin already.
Weight loss since 1st injection -7% (sharing it as a percentage because our bodies are all so different, we don't need to compare)
Dress size: -1 dress size
I'm definitely a super responder so please don't let this dishearten you if 2.5 isn't working for you. But hopefully this can provide some inspiration for someone out there!
For my diet, I'm prioritizing getting in 90g+ of protein from lean meats and protein shakes, eating low fat, and having fish oil capsules and a few other vitamins to help prevent aging and hair loss from the lack of dietary fat.

For some context I started speech therapy when I was 3 because I wasn't speaking but just making random noises, from that point all the way up to 4th grade I would be taken out of class for speech, sometimes it was by myself sometimes with others. In 4th grade I started going less and less until it stopped. Then 5th grade hit, I still had (and do) trouble pronouncing words but I could be understood for the most part. Then covid hit. I begun having trouble letting a single word out, and when I did most people couldn't understand me. Once in 6th grade someone came in class crying so I tried to ask him if he was okay, all I said was "Are you okay." And no one could understand me. I could spend minutes trying to get one word out. It got so bad that I started to make random noises and point at things to communicate. I am also a social person and love to talk but now I couldn't and the friend group I was in got split up because of covid, so I had to make new friends. But I couldn't because I couldn't speak. Before all of this I was a straight A student, stuttering and covid ruined my middle school experience. Luckily in 7th grade I finally got put back into speech therapy and my stutter could be formerly addressed. A few months later I worked up the corage to ask somone who I knew in class if I could hang out with her and her freinds and she said yes. During my speech therapy I've also learned ways to stop and start over if I start stutter and breathing exercises to help get get pass words when stuck. At the end of 8th grade I graduated from speech. And high school was a new start, so I got my stuff together and with my stutter much more under control I could focus on school starting my freshmen year. Now it's the end of 9th grade and I am sitting with a 4.0 GPA when I had barely had a 1.0 GPA in middle school. I'm glad that when I do stutter my freinds will wait for me to finish, it is honestly amazing.

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I had a situation that I was not sure what I should do.
A 4th grade kid had taken a paper clip and was pressing the inside of his arm leaving marks from the angle of a drug user around other students.
I pondered about what to do. I decided to try to talk to this group. I said, that reminds me of people who do drugs.
He began to cry. I redirected the group to doing work. At the time they were to leave he brought his head up and his eyes were dry with zero redness or tears. It looked as though he was faking the cry.
I left the incident alone.
Now the principal is asking me to bring representation to a meeting with her. I have a week left off school and am quitting teaching as well.
I'm getting physically ill because I have tremendous anxiety around supervisors coming after me.
Ideas?

Hello everyone, I've posted this on a few different pages but I really need help. I've been Home schooled since 2nd grade using Abeka Academy. I'm currently 17 and about half way done with 10th grade, about a year behind. My parents weren't involved (unless you count the once every 3 months my dad would check our progress and we would get in trouble) much, and basically left me, at 7 years old, with a laptop and expected me to get my school done. Obviously I didn't and my parents would let me go to the next grade even though I hadn't done any work. When I got to middle school I started doing (cheating through) online assignments. I dont really understand a lot of things past a 4th grade level. I should've tried harder when I got older and understood that I'd need this information but I got so overwhelmed. I have ADHD and it's really hard to learn stuff online, I get really distracted. Does anyone have any tips? I need something that's quick to the point. I'm mostly struggling with math (basically anything past adding fractions with the same denominator) but everything else isn't too great either. Please help

I wanted to post this because I see many going through a similar, tough buying time. I hope my story gives you a boost and helps you keep going. There is my sad backstory that you can skip to "Dec, 2020" that starts the home journey. This post is extremely long but emotional for me. Please be kind.
The only house i ever lived in was my uncles, for 2 years (age 3-5) before he removed us.
My mother suffers from many tribulations, and it was reflected in life. We apartment hopped for all of my childhood. I'll never forget how hurt I was, leaving behind my valuables everytime we downsized, (dressers, my desk, doll houses etc) being cramped, no pets allowed (i love animals), neighbors banging on their ceilings when I played, hearing families fight as if they next to me, smoke coming in the windows, constant new neighbors, roaches and other infestations due to neighbors, etc.
My mom would drive around and say, “this is going to be our new house!” And get my hopes up, but it never happened. My sister (she's 5 years older) said she would buy a house for us all, and that lasted a few months before we were evicted again, moving to another apartment.
I asked constantly when we could get a house like my uncle or sister. My father had one (my parents divorced when I was an infant), and when I visited, I wished I had my own backyard, pets. I was jealous of my friends who lived in houses. I would pretend vacant homes were mine, walk to the new homes being built, and watch their progress. Imagine my future in it where my kids would know stability.
After Bullying in school (from 4th - 12th grade), SA from my father, (i was 15) neglect, abuse, depression, self harm, apartment hopping, I was desperate to move out and away once I turned 16 (emancipation). I moved from NJ when i was 18 to FL and started my own downhill spiral of DV, homelessness, repossessions, and other mentally and physically draining circumstances that pushed my limits, money, and everything
In 2017, I picked up my pieces and gathered them, alone, to AZ into the best apartment and neighborhood i ever had. I told myself that after a year, I was going to buy a home there. In 2018, I reached out to realtors and was told all I needed to do was pay off 2k of credit card debt to qualify for 250-300k. The dumbest decision I ever made was saying spending 2k was stupid. I wish I had the recourses, support, anything, or anyone to tell me to do it. had I done it, I could have bought my dream home then for 200-275k
In Dec 2020, I had been with my now husband for 3 years, went through hell in the apartments he wanted us to move to for more space, away from that neighborhood I loved. Someone stole our bikes, smoked weed next to our window, and then our new car was stolen and required 3k in repairs. I was miserable. I wanted to end the cycle of apartments and putting away my wants and needs, so we decided to begin paying things off to get pre qualified. Then came the new battlefield.
As you all know, 2021 until today, it hasn't been a buyers market. I had no idea what any of that meant until I was told I was approved to start putting in offers in January 2022. We were pre approved for a max of FHA 350k from a lender that I was sure had our backs after getting tons of denials and pisspoor brokers who couldn't care less about my childhood dream. I pulled up the MLS and saved about 30 homes a week, if not more, that were 375k and below, all the way down to 150k trailer homes, condos, townhomes, and houses.
Half of those listings were sold (pending) within 5 days. the other half we were bidding upwards against. I couldn't believe it. I was told the market is hot, lots of people selling their homes in bordering states and putting higher end offers on the homes in our price range because they were selling their homes for 500k and using the differences to buy the cheap homes. The others were investors.
After doing all of the work for my husband and roommate and then some to qualify, I was now battling 15+ people on one home multiple times. I was told to try going further out. The market I was in was too desirable. I was like, REALLY? PEOPLE GET SHOT HERE ONCE A WEEK, HOW IS THIS NEIGHBORHOOD, "HOT"??? I was told to shop beneath my budget, shop outside the location I wanted, everything you are all being told today to, "land a home, stay in it for five years, then sell it and get what I want." But I heard none of it, I wanted my DREAM home on my first buy, which wasn't a lot.
All I wanted was a 1300-2000sqft home with a front and backyard for my dog and kids, a house that didn't need a crap ton of repairs, and a neighborhood I felt comfortable in so that I wouldnt have to deal with all the things I did since I was little. I didn't care if it was upgraded, carpeted, or tile, old or new, I just wanted space, safety, a yard.
It didn't matter. Even if I sacrificed a yard, square footage, whatever, I was getting outbid. Every home I could afford was being bought in cash, waiving inspections, having a 14 day close, and/or being bought 25k to upwards of almost 200k over asking even if it was a fixer upper!! I could not compete.
In April, I FINALLY had an offer accepted in a town that was 30 minutes from work, building up, and beautiful. I was willing to sacrifice commute time and everything for this beautiful house that checked all the boxes. It was 2,060 sqft, upstairs and downstairs, a 5k lot, in a beautiful neighborhood. We were able to get a third cosigner (lomg time friend) to up our income and get to 375k. But then I found out my preapproval wasn't so pre approved.
Having a 3rd co signer meant nothing. We needed to reserve money that we weren't informed about, DPA wanted us to pay off more debt, and we needed more income than the THREE of us had. I was livid, why didnt they tell us any of this? Why did they say our income was enough, and the DPA would cover everything?! I knew nothing, I tell you, nothing, and I should have researched more. But I was desperate.
My grandma stepped in. First, she needed a credit score. She opened up an unsecured credit card for 300. Bought gum, paid it off. We did a rapid rescore, and it shot her up to 7 freggin 735, SEVEN THIRTY FIVE LMFAO, and then we needed her social security letters. Which took two weeks too long, pushing back a close the seller REALLY WANTED TO CLOSE ON, which my realtor convinced them to hold off. Well, guess what? My grandma doesn't have a government id. She hadn't updated her id since 2005. No biggie, we'll get her to the DMV, which we had to reschedule online to 3 different locations. Well, guess what? Her mail, old id, her social security card, AND BIRTH CERTIFICATE all had DIFFERENT VARIATIONS of her name, and DMV couldn't verify her identity.
It would take two months to correct those issues. I threw my phone, scratched my arms to oblivion, fell on my knees, and cried. The lender said there was no way the loan was to be approved without Grandma. My sweet Grandma of 4 different names. I feel the tears, even now. I lost it. I fought for a home all my life and lost it because of being uninformed, way too broke ( I know I know), and then some. I felt like the universe was against me.
So May comes around, and my realtor says, "Listen, let's try this. Let's do rent to own. They pay for everything, and then you save, fix your credit, and buy the house back at the value of the contract paying the difference in appraisal if need be."
I was so broken that I did it. Back to the MLS, we still couldn't get a home in our price range in the neighborhoods I wanted. Rental price was going to be 3,100, so... we stuck to the 30-minute away neighborhood, and oh god, was that a new mistake. The first house we put an offer in on was accepted immediately. It was the smoothest process I'd ever seen in comparison to the hell I'd just gone through. I checked the MLS every day, watched homes I saved while I rented go pending or under contract in a week, or sell for over asking.
My heart sunk when all the homes I wanted and lost out to were back on the market as a rental property, or were slightly updated prices 50k-100k higher than before. Homes were being sold by opendoor, or rental from the very people I used to buy to rent from. I couldn't believe to this day how many homes I lost out to, sitting vacant for MONTHS prices dropping and dropping as the feds raised the interest rates. I went to open houses, asked what people wanted for offers (so I could be informed when I was ready), and knew my chances were getting slimmer and slimmer.
All the while, my commute was the devil. Traffic galore, accidents making my drive time go from 30-2 hours to and from. It was far from family, the mileage on my car grew so fast, my tires were wearing faster. The home was way too big for us (2765 sqft) and difficult to maintain. Beautiful home and town, but not for me.
The rent was also too high. It said it would be 2500, but wound up being 3100 after all of the damn fees they didn't disclose until AFTER WE WERE UNDER CONTRACT sflkghskg The electric bill was 6x the amount (bad company. People in that town are begnning to organize), water bill company demands 100 dollars no matter the usage (we only use about 60$), and the gas prices increased so high I was putting 60 dollars every 3 days in my car.
Then, my precious cat that followed me from NJ to AZ that had been with me through all of the DV, mental breaks, homelessness, had suffered from strokes. She was a stick, walking in circles, giving nothing but love. I tried everything I could, paid thousands to save her, but in the end, all I did was prolong her and my suffering. She passed in my arms. I love you and miss you, Emma.
Other life things happened, and by December, I had 200 dollars in the bank. When my income tax came, I applied for loans and said Im going to try the DPA and stuff again, It was either that, or rent a smaller house or apartment but seeing the market repeat my 2021 experience, I had to try with what I had. My goal was to get back to the neighborhood I wanted. NO EXCEPTIONS.
So I switched realtors based on a recommendation from FB. Random person said this lady would fight for me like no one else would. This realtor recommended me a lender, she said it could make miracles happen. I almost didn't do it because I had been let down by 2 other lenders before this one in 2023, but screw it. I followed his advice to the T of what to pay down, what to keep, and what to negotiate with. We gave him our 401ks info, our paystubs, had 3 of us on the loan, and explained we had no downpayment, just money for closing costs.
The market, at this point, slowed down due to the interest rates but was beginning to pick up. A lot of the homes we put offers on didn't like our asks. Which was disappointing, but I understood. What seller would want to pay closing costs for us so our payment assistance would go strictly to the home when they could accept the few cash, investor, or better conventional loan offers? The homes were going below listing, which was cool, but not quite in my 365k max range.
Until I gave way a little bit. There were 2 townhomes. One that was detached and had the most gorgeous yard Id ever seen for where it was at, and the inside was completely upgraded and bigger than it looked with a gorgeous mountain view from the master. But it was in a neighborhood that gave me goosebumps. No wonder they would accept 365k and pay everything should we put in our offer lol I couldn't do it, though. I didn't want to sacrifice being comfortable in my home safely to have a house. It was the first and only time I was picky.
At first, that seemed like a mistake, as the only other home I thought would accept our offer in my dream neighborhood said the seller had a specific number they wanted to sell at, which wasnt 365k, it was 375k. I wasn't going to get a home after all. I knew my ask was tough, and I wasn't going to get a house despite trying for another 3 months. I gave up. But then... I thought about something. That townhome in the neighborhood of my dreams, they wanted 375k? I restructured our ask to get to that 375k. A few hours later, my realtor texted me if she could call. It was urgent.
I was at work and went into the office and called. THE SELLER ACCEPTED OUR OFFER, THEY ACCEPTED OUR EFFING OFFER! THEY ACCEPTED IT!!!! I cried so hard, hyperventilated, cried some more, and told myself I wasn't going to get excited. I had this happen before, after all.
Well, guess what? Long story short, after hurdles during this closing as well, needing to push it back for this or that, WE CLOSED!! WE CLOSED ON THE HOUSE, IT WAS MINE!!! IT IS MINE!
The seller paid for all of the closing costs. DPA paid the downpayment at 3%. The rate was 6.85%, DPA loan at 8%. I paid for the appraisal and inspection, that's it. Only 1100 out of pocket. Monthly payment was 2865, my max, but it is MINE and EVERYTHING I wanted besides having a huge yard (it's still a decent sized yard) and open kitchen Home is 8 min from work (bye bye crappy commute!),community has incredible amenities, sub division has a pool, HOA covered roof (it was new anyway), new AC, new dishwasher, freshly painted, 3 beds 2 and a half baths, 1400sqft, 2 car garage with driveway, upstairs and downstairs like I always imagined, and so much more.
Every hurdle, every tear, every breakdown, taught me what I needed to know and led me to home. After saving for a year with the cheaper electric, water, gas prices, and mortgage, we just refinanced. Got a 5.75% rate (I thought it was 5.32, but after we closed today, it was 5.75%), the home appraised for 395k with no changes besides adding a fridge and new oven. The equity paid every penny of the refinance and the DPA loan. My mortgage is now 2550. For us, this is affordable now that we are debt free and still have savings!
I got my home with the most undesirable circumstances. I may be an exception, not the rule, but if my pathetic self can do it, i promise. You can, too. Don't be defeated. Don't let the investors win.
You need to win.

For context, nung mga bata pa kami, tumutulong siyang mag bigay ng baon naming dalawang mag kapatid. Ayaw mag usap ng magulang ko so yung tita ko ang naging middleman nila. Sinasabi ng tatay ko na “tulong” daw ng kapatid niya (tita ko) yung mga baon namin noon. Di nagpapadala ng pera yung tatay ko sa nanay ko. So yung nanay ko sinabi na iaccept namin yung baon kasi daw yung yung “padala” talaga ng tatay ko kahit wala siyang proof na yun ay talagang padala. So from Grade 6-4th year hs, binibigyan kami ng baon ng tita ko. 500 pesos a week.
Wala kaming trabaho pareho pero may savings kami at yung mga asawa namin ang nagtatrabaho.
Nagpadala kami ng kapatid ko nung October, $100 kaming dalawa na yun. Tapos nung April $200 kaming dalawa na din yun. Tapos ngayon May nanghihingi ulit. ABYG kung hindi ko siya bibigyan?

What are my options? Do I really want this?
Hey everyone, I graduated from Life Sci in April 2023 in Canada and have since attempted to take the MCAT at the end of last summer. (Context Canadian med schools are all freakishly competitive) I always wanted Med or at least it was always partially on my mind in some regard since high school. Problem is I quite frankly bombed in my first two years. I was some cocky kid who got away with heavy procrastination up until undergrad, I wasnt disciplined or prepared going into university (chasing girls/parties and clout with all of my chad-like business roommates - yeah I know really stupid, also both parents didn’t attend uni so i had no clue what I was truly getting into regarding the jump from high school to a post-secondary STEM degree), and between losing a killer research summer internship right out of first year due to Covid and losing a significant amount of hair lol (dads bald genes also hit me like a truck) I fell into this weird depression second year in covid and thought my whole life/dreams were completely over. Additionally, I fell into this trap comparing myself to friends in business who were securing solid paying jobs/internships and seemed to be progressing through life smoothefaster - (side note: post grad many already seem bored and feel eh about there work). Regardless, I bounced back 3rd and 4th year earning a 3.9ish gpa l2 years n have a shitty 3.4ish overall. MCAT score also is in the low/mid 500’s so definitely would need to rewrite (and yes I know regardless of improvement, other than western/dal Canadas 99.9% out of the picture), but do I want it that bad to go abroad? (States or Ireland)??
After the mcat in the summer I decided to just move on and let it go, I wrote the lsat twice in a 3 month span and now have a ultra competitive score for law schools, however, the sole reason I did the lsat is I just thought I COULD do well in the field ($$$$) but am not DYING or have a BURNING PASSION to actually do it. The same goes for this mba program I was accepted into (corporate world in general) and this health informatics masters I’ll be starting at in the fall. I know I can/will succeed in any of these fields but I have this emptiness inside thinking I’m just giving up on medicine. It feels that all of these other avenues are almost coming tooooo easy to me and I just feel I’m not going to reach true my potential or I won’t feel I’m making meaningful strides to do something good or cool in the world. I have 1 (hopefully 2) research pubs, I’ve volunteered, done some scribe work and genuinely I’ve looked at all the doctors I’ve seen in awe. They’re real life superheros. I have so much respect for what they do and I want in. I’m a super emotional person and I’m at my absolute happiest when I am working for others and making there lives better in some way (I know typical premed shit but I truly truly do recognize this is how I internally feel). Law/corporate/data analysis/etc seems too sedentary and not quite as social/intertwined with authentic ppl interaction day-to-day as med and I feel I’ll be sitting at a desk 10-15 years down the road thinking of what I could’ve done instead.
The only thing is will the cost (financially and time-wise) potentially going to ireland or the states - leaving my entire social circle and accepting that I will be a broke boy for a LONG time be worth the trade? (don’t need to be wealthy by any means just taking on huge debt) It seems tremendously scary and I have doubts I’m going to piss away my life and friends for what could be a romanticized idea of this profession? Also is what I want more balance w/a duller desk job but I find my fun in life outside of work? Additionally I’ve came to the conclusion that money isn’t as big of a motivating factor as it once was, so yes other healthcare jobs may achieve similar things (I.e nurse) but I know deep down I’m capable of med and I want to be totally immersed at the highest level. Finally, if I want to go abroad (states) I may need to do an additional orgo and Biochem class - not sure where to fit this in w/masters and mcat rewrite if I’m serious about it all. I’m only 22 but I sort of feel pressured to get going on something now - and I’m additionally worried that my grades will make any work I do towards this worthless (how I felt studying for mcat last summer).
Sorry for the ramble, but would appreciate people’s 2 cents on if I’m making sense and if any one has worked through similar thoughts.

Hey everyone, I graduated from Life Sci in April 2023 and have since attempted to take the MCAT at the end of last summer. I always wanted Med or at least it was always partially on my mind in some regard since high school. Problem is I quite frankly bombed in my first two years. I was some cocky kid who got away with heavy procrastination up until undergrad, I wasnt disciplined or prepared going into university (chasing girls/parties and clout with all of my chad-like business roommates - yeah I know really stupid, also both parents didn’t attend uni so i had no clue what I was truly getting into regarding the jump from high school to a post-secondary STEM degree), and between losing a killer research summer internship right out of first year due to Covid and losing a significant amount of hair lol (dads bald genes also hit me like a truck) I fell into this weird depression second year in covid and thought my whole life/dreams were completely over. Additionally, I fell into this trap comparing myself to friends in business who were securing solid paying jobs/internships and seemed to be progressing through life smoothefaster - (side note: post grad many already seem bored and feel eh about there work). Regardless, I bounced back 3rd and 4th year earning a 3.9ish gpa l2 years n have a shitty 3.4ish overall. MCAT score also is in mid 500’s so definitely would need to rewrite (and yes I know regardless of improvement, other than western/dal Canadas 99.9% out of the picture), but do I want it that bad to go abroad?
After the mcat in the summer I decided to just move on and let it go, I wrote the lsat twice in a 3 month span and now have a ultra competitive score for law schools, however, the sole reason I did the lsat is I just thought I COULD do well in the field ($$$$) but am not DYING or have a BURNING PASSION to actually do it. The same goes for this mba program I was accepted into (corporate world in general) and this health informatics masters I’ll be starting at UofT in the fall. I know I can/will succeed in any of these fields but I have this emptiness inside thinking I’m just giving up on medicine. It feels that all of these other avenues are almost coming tooooo easy to me and I just feel I’m not going to reach true my potential or I won’t feel I’m making meaningful strides to do something good or cool in the world. I have 1 (hopefully 2) research pubs, I’ve volunteered, done some scribe work and genuinely I’ve looked at all the doctors I’ve seen in awe. They’re real life superheros. I have so much respect for what they do and I want in. I’m a super emotional person and I’m at my absolute happiest when I am working for others and making there lives better in some way (I know typical premed shit but I truly truly do recognize this is how I internally feel). Law/corporate/data analysis/etc seems too sedentary and not quite as social/intertwined with authentic ppl interaction day-to-day as med and I feel I’ll be sitting at a desk 10-15 years down the road thinking of what I could’ve done instead.
The only thing is will the cost (financially and time-wise) potentially going to ireland or the states - leaving my entire social circle and accepting that I will be a broke boy for a LONG time be worth the trade? It seems tremendously scary and I have doubts I’m going to piss away my life and friends for what could be a romanticized idea of this profession? Also is what I want more balance w/a duller desk job but I find my fun in life outside of work? Additionally I’ve came to the conclusion that money isn’t as big of a motivating factor as it once was, so yes other healthcare jobs may achieve similar things (I.e nurse) but I know deep down I’m capable of med and I want to be totally immersed at the highest level. Finally, if I want to go abroad (states) I may need to do an additional orgo and Biochem class - not sure where to fit this in w/masters and mcat rewrite if I’m serious about it all. I’m only 22 but I sort of feel pressured to get going on something now - and I’m additionally worried that my grades will make any work I do towards this worthless (how I felt studying for mcat last summer).
Sorry for the ramble, but would appreciate people’s 2 cents on if I’m making sense and if any one has worked through similar thoughts.

Since the June DSAT is coming up I thought I'd make a post on tips and resources I used to help me study for the May 4th sat. This post goes into decent depth so read it all carefully and remember what worked for me might not work for you.
If you're like me and procrastinated studying until now then this post is definitely for you. All my prep for the May 4th test was done in like 14 days and I expect a score of 1540 or above.
My scores for the college board practice tests:
Practice Test 1: 1220
Practice Test 2: 1190
Practice Test 3: 1530
Practice Test 4: 1360
Practice Test 5: 1460
Practice Test 6: 1530
PRACTICE TESTS EXPERIENCE: Practice Test 1 and 2 were done without desmos since I didn't even know I could use it, so I basically wasted those two. I did test 2 after doing khan academy, test 3 was done using desmos and I did it after I grinded through like 80% of khan academy. Practice Test 4 truly humbled me and I realized how unprepared I really was which was when I started watching more youtube videos. I took the practice test 5 only 2 days after test 4 and my score increased like crazy which made me confident again.
NOTE: PRACTICE TEST 4, 5, AND 6 ARE THE CLOSEST IN DIFFICULTY TO THE REAL DEAL, TEST 1, 2 AND 3 ARE VERY EASY COMPARED TO THE REAL THING.
BASICS FOR BEGINNERS: If you have not studied yet at all you should start with basic concepts on Khan academy, grind through the lessons and videos, do the practice questions in the foundation section and medium section. Also learn how to use desmos, I used desmos for things I didn't even know was possible. Learning how to use desmos got rid of easy constant questions, inequalities, system of equations. Make sure to watch the 3 part desmos videos I talked about below in the youtubers section, it truly helped me a lot.
YOUTUBE: Youtube was one of the key reasons my score increased, I watched videos on the dsat constantly, while I ate food, even on my breaks I just watched videos running through the practice test I had already taken over and over again. I went over each practice test and the mistakes I made probably like 3 - 4 times throughout the 15 days.
QUESTION BANK: After I finished every practice test provided by the college board, ONLY THEN did I go to the college board question bank. This is because a good amount of the questions off of the practice tests are in this bank so without knowing it your brain could memorize how to do it and recognize it when doing the practice test which would inflate your marks. I probably went through hundreds of questions from the question bank (English and math) within the last 3 days before the may 4th test.
EXTRA TIPS: Sleep and exercise are also very important and something that I think isn't talked about enough, this applies more to people who are in my boat and are studying last minute and want a really high score. I slept crazy every night and it really helped me retain more information. Exercise is an amazing break even a walk works, anytime I hit a wall during my study periods I'd just go to the gym for 45 minutes to and hour and I would always come back refreshed ready to study again.
Youtubers I used:
Not promoting these guys in any way but they're just the only youtubers I used and I think other people here would probably find them useful.
Here are all the youtubers I used, Scalar Learning, Settele Tutoring, Tutorllini Test Prep, Strategic Test Prep, Method Learning.
Scalar Learning: He has some decent videos teaching basic concepts and his shorts have some good practice questions that he goes through.
Settele Tutoring: Settele was the one I watched the most, he went through every single question (in separate videos) on every single practice test given by the college board, I also watched some of his free concept learning videos on english, I think he explains a lot of the stuff pretty well. He’s amazing at english and helping you learn english, he made something called a “dumb summary” which I actually used a lot on my may 4th sat, it’s essentially a method where you can summarize a massive paragraph in like 30-40 seconds easily.
Tutorllini Test Prep: Has some good concept videos and also goes through all the math questions on all the practice tests really well, sometimes giving like 2-3 different methods you can use to solve a single question. He also goes through some of his own worksheets that he’s made and some of them are pretty good practice.
Strategic Test Prep: She gives some good test day tips and tips and shortcuts in general for the SAT, her explanations on the practice tests are also pretty decent.
Method Learning: Method Learning is what I’d say really boosted my score in the very beginning stages of my studying. This is only because of his 3 part desmos videos, I didn’t watch any of his other videos but that 3 part seriously was a game changer. The desmos tips he gives are amazing. An example is if a question gives you a linear or quadratic equation and then a constant in it, you can plug that exact equation into desmos and move the slider around to find what the constant is, this takes no more than 30 seconds.
Formulas I memorized for the DSAT:
You will have to memorize some formulas for the DSAT and some will make your life easier.
Sum of interior angles in a polygon: 180(n-2)
Area of a sector: πr^2 ⋅ θ/360
Arc Length: 2πr ⋅ θ/360
Mass/Volume/Density: m = v(d)
X cord. of vertex: -b/2a
Sum of solutions: -b/a
Product of solutions: c/a
If anyone needs any tips or anything just let me know I'll try my best to respond.
Whatever score you want is possible if you're willing to put in the work and time.

Since the June DSAT is coming up I thought I'd make a post on tips and resources I used to help me study for the May 4th sat. This post goes into decent depth so read it all carefully and remember what worked for me might not work for you.
If you're like me and procrastinated studying until now then this post is definitely for you. All my prep for the May 4th test was done in like 15 days and I expect a score of 1540 or above.
My scores for the college board practice tests:
Practice Test 1: 1220
Practice Test 2: 1190
Practice Test 3: 1530
Practice Test 4: 1360
Practice Test 5: 1460
Practice Test 6: 1530
PRACTICE TESTS EXPERIENCE: Practice Test 1 and 2 were done without desmos since I didn't even know I could use it, so I basically wasted those two. I did test 2 after doing khan academy, test 3 was done using desmos and I did it after I grinded through like 80% of khan academy. Practice Test 4 truly humbled me and I realized how unprepared I really was which was when I started watching more youtube videos. I took the practice test 5 only 2 days after test 4 and my score increased like crazy which made me confident again.
NOTE: PRACTICE TEST 4, 5, AND 6 ARE THE CLOSEST IN DIFFICULTY TO THE REAL DEAL, TEST 1, 2 AND 3 ARE VERY EASY COMPARED TO THE REAL THING.
BASICS FOR BEGINNERS: If you have not studied yet at all you should start with basic concepts on Khan academy, grind through the lessons and videos, do the practice questions in the foundation section and medium section. Also learn how to use desmos, I used desmos for things I didn't even know was possible. Learning how to use desmos got rid of easy constant questions, inequalities, system of equations. Make sure to watch the 3 part desmos videos I talked about below in the youtubers section, it truly helped me a lot.
YOUTUBE: Youtube was one of the key reasons my score increased, I watched videos on the dsat constantly, while I ate food, even on my breaks I just watched videos running through the practice test I had already taken over and over again. I went over each practice test and the mistakes I made probably like 3 - 4 times throughout the 15 days.
QUESTION BANK: After I finished every practice test provided by the college board, ONLY THEN did I go to the college board question bank. This is because a good amount of the questions off of the practice tests are in this bank so without knowing it your brain could memorize how to do it and recognize it when doing the practice test which would inflate your marks. I probably went through hundreds of questions from the question bank (English and math) within the last 3 days before the may 4th test.
EXTRA TIPS: Sleep and exercise are also very important and something that I think isn't talked about enough, this applies more to people who are in my boat and are studying last minute and want a really high score. I slept crazy every night and it really helped me retain more information. Exercise is an amazing break even a walk works, anytime I hit a wall during my study periods I'd just go to the gym for 45 minutes to and hour and I would always come back refreshed ready to study again.
Youtubers I used:
Not promoting these guys in any way but they're just the only youtubers I used and I think other people here would probably find them useful.
Here are all the youtubers I used, Scalar Learning, Settele Tutoring, Tutorllini Test Prep, Strategic Test Prep, Method Learning.
Scalar Learning: He has some decent videos teaching basic concepts and his shorts have some good practice questions that he goes through.
Settele Tutoring: Settele was the one I watched the most, he went through every single question (in separate videos) on every single practice test given by the college board, I also watched some of his free concept learning videos on english, I think he explains a lot of the stuff pretty well. He’s amazing at english and helping you learn english, he made something called a “dumb summary” which I actually used a lot on my may 4th sat, it’s essentially a method where you can summarize a massive paragraph in like 30-40 seconds easily.
Tutorllini Test Prep: Has some good concept videos and also goes through all the math questions on all the practice tests really well, sometimes giving like 2-3 different methods you can use to solve a single question. He also goes through some of his own worksheets that he’s made and some of them are pretty good practice.
Strategic Test Prep: She gives some good test day tips and tips and shortcuts in general for the SAT, her explanations on the practice tests are also pretty decent.
Method Learning: Method Learning is what I’d say really boosted my score in the very beginning stages of my studying. This is only because of his 3 part desmos videos, I didn’t watch any of his other videos but that 3 part seriously was a game changer. The desmos tips he gives are amazing. An example is if a question gives you a linear or quadratic equation and then a constant in it, you can plug that exact equation into desmos and move the slider around to find what the constant is, this takes no more than 30 seconds.
Formulas I memorized for the DSAT:
You will have to memorize some formulas for the DSAT and some will make your life easier.
Sum of interior angles in a polygon: 180(n-2)
Area of a sector: πr^2 ⋅ θ/360
Arc Length: 2πr ⋅ θ/360
Mass/Volume/Density: m = v(d)
X cord. of vertex: -b/2a
Sum of solutions: -b/a
Product of solutions: c/a
If anyone needs any tips or anything just let me know I'll try my best to respond.
Whatever score you want is possible if you're willing to put in the work and time.

Hi, I am 16M and in highschool right now. I have a College GPA of 2.7/4 and a Weighted GPA of 3.5/6
I am don't know what to do with my life right now. I live in a family with a lot of problems constantly, my parents are always worried and I am not helping right now. I have no extra curriculars, I have nothing that makes me stand out.
My social skills are trash. I constantly run into problems with continuing conversations and I don't know how to talk to people properly. Fortunately I have good skills when presenting and/or giving a speech. I want to improve my skills with talking to people, I want to be the people who can talk to anyone without any issues.
I have some sort of health issue and I don't know what the root of the problem is. I am CONSTANTLY Tired, and have little to zero motivation at all, I'm quick to anger sometimes, and I am always sleepy for no reason. I want to feel alive and awake and fresh and I don't know how.
I play the Cello, but I am not that good, I haven't moved up in orchestras at all in the past 5 years. (we have 5 orchestras based on skill level, I am at the 4th) I want to improve my instrument because I genuinely do enjoy playing the cello.
I suck at studying and at school. I always find myself scrolling, procrasinating, and just wasting time. I can never seem to study or actually do well in school. I want to do well, I want to improve my grades and my GPA so I can make myself and my parents at least somewhat proud.
Currently, I dont know what I actually want to pursue, I do computer science in school but I don't like it. I have a passion for business, I want to start my own company or something somehow, yet I dont know where to start. I am passionate about photography, and somewhat skilled, yet I dont know how I can make it into money.
I have no SAT score yet, since i haven't taken it, and now it is summer, tomorrow is my last day of school.
College apps are in 2 years, I dont know if I am going to make it into college if things continue like this. I dont know how to face my parents, and they have mostly given up on me, offering no assistance in my education other than of course paying for it.
I have no clue what I can do in life right now. I have a few goals, but I dont know how I am going to reach them. As it is, I am 16, lost, confused, and scared, really really scared. I wake up dreading everything, I don't like anything these days, and I have no will to even play video games at this point.
so, anyone got any advice? If there are any more questions about anything I dont mind answering. Please give me any advice I can get to help change my life around, even if it is just a little bit.

Hello again, PubTips! Thank you to everyone who provided feedback on my first attempt! It was super helpful in helping me refine my query. In this second attempt, I tried to rectify the vagueness and more clearly define the stakes. But, I still am not sure if I succeeded... Why is writing this query harder than writing the damn book!? Anyway... Again, any feedback is very much appreciated :) Thank you!
/ / / / / /
I am seeking representation for my debut novel, A SUBSTITUTE FOR CHRISTMAS, a 96,000-word contemporary romance with adult “coming of age” themes. Primarily set at a middle school during the holiday season, it will appeal to readers of Jenny Colgan’s The Christmas Bookshop and fans of the television series Abbott Elementary. This work of fiction will provide readers with a heart-warming holiday romance, while also commenting on the challenges faced by American public school teachers.
Once a bright-eyed English teacher, Wendy Taylor has grown jaded. Unruly students can be dealt with, but the increasing administrative pressure has burnt her out. Withdrawn and listless, Wendy is consumed by the demands of the classroom. Her thirtieth birthday on Christmas Day looms, but the comfort and joy she craves feel far out of reach.
Enter Jonas, an enigmatic book-lover whose vague “temp work” has brought him to town. When Wendy meets him at a party, his charm and spontaneity are enough to take her mind off her grading pile. After an uncharacteristic one-night stand (on a school night!), Wendy is shocked to find Jonas at her school the next morning, now teaching down the hall as a long-term substitute.
To Wendy’s frustration and fascination, Jonas is quite the unconventional substitute. He moves from place to place and picks up subbing gigs as he goes, making sure to never stay at one school for too long. As a Type-A rule-follower, Wendy cannot imagine disregarding administrative guidelines and curriculum as he does. Jonas isn’t concerned with the politics of education, but Wendy has spent years kowtowing to it. He’s everything she is not, and while they butt heads over lesson plans and extracurriculars, Wendy wonders if there is something to learn from his rogue mindset.
But Jonas has much to learn too, and beneath his sunny exterior, there are unresolved family issues he is running from. As difficult as teaching during the final weeks before Christmas is, discovering what they truly want out of life proves to be the bigger challenge.
I have spent the past six years teaching middle and high school English; this novel is loosely based on my experiences. When not writing or teaching, I enjoy spending time with my three children and husband -- a fellow middle school teacher.

I’ve been 19 for a month and notice that I’m not attracted to most of the people I crushed on or was attracted to between 4th-11th grade. I am a black woman who has always lived in an area with a low black population. Pre-pandemic, I actively had crushes on people and felt attraction to others a fair amount. Post pandemic, this is much, much rarer for me.
In 4th grade, I had a crush on a Filipino boy. In 6th-7th grade, I had a crush on a 1/2 white 1/2 Asian boy. In 7th grade, I felt attraction toward an Asian girl who was commonly considered to be quite average, had been bullied in elementary school. I also had a big crush on David Bowie throughout middle school.
Around 9th grade, I had a crush on a 1/2 black 1/2 white boy who was slightly above average - he was a bad person, and I no longer liked him by 11th when he had become average looking.
Online schooling started shortly before 10th grade. 10th grade, I had a crush on an above average looking black boy (older than me, the attraction may have actually been reciprocated) and on a white girl who was average or maybe a little below it (she was overweight, I really liked her personality and that she defended me.) 11th grade I was particularly interested in dating as in the environment I grew up in, I had been made to feel as though I was too unattractive to get a boyfriend and wanted to prove my peers wrong. I ended up dating a black boy who I also think of as average (overweight, like my mother.) Around high school, I still felt some attraction to white men/boys and even started feeling attraction toward above average Mexican/Latino men, but it’s almost like I stopped feeling attraction toward both women and Asian males. As an adult, I know that I am not attracted to the average white man, and probably have a preference for black men. But I know it’d have been hard to predict this, I bet, if you’d talked to me 6 years ago.
My older brother had a breakdown toward the end of my final year in middle school, and this changed my family dynamic. He was in rehab when I was in high school. I think this eventually made me think more about the plight of black men.
Middle school was a weird time for me wherein I think I was attracted to a wider variety of people than I am now, and was more open minded about what I liked in terms of physical appearance (didn’t have as much of a set preference as I think I sort of do now that I’m an adult.) I even subjectively find a fair number of them unattractive now.
Do you have any explanation around the matter? Why do you think this happened?
I am probably still sexually attracted to women but typically think about men now.
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I don't entirely know what job I want after high school. I feel like everyone else in my grade and friend group knows what they want to do and I feel stupid because I don't know yet.
I love making stories and being creative. I've loved writing stories ever since 4th grade. I'm a sophomore in high school now and I have many google docs filled with stories. I'm pretty sure that I won't make much money from the books I make if they aren't bestsellers. But I don't know what else I want to do. Writing and being creative is a part of who I am. I don't know what other career would work with that.
I wish I knew. Some of my family members suggested I be an editor but I don't know if that'll be a good career forever. I'm stuck not knowing what to do and I feel stupid because I feel like everyone in my school knows and I'm the only one who doesn't know what their future career will be.

Okay, so I've literally never had to study. Everything has always come naturally to me, for the most part. I've been struggling with math though, but it's never really been a cause for concern. Now that I'm ending the school year with a low C in geometry this year, I'm a bit disappointed in myself. Not totally my fault though, I haven't had a good math since like 4th grade 😒.
Anyway, how can I teach myself some geometry and basic algebra II this summer so I won't suck as bad next year? I'm gonna be in 5 advanced classes and starting a sport, so I won't have much time to study especially if I'm still in my long distance relationship around then. I probably won't have much time this summer either with summer camps and community service, but I'd still like to try. Any websites or books? I lose focus really easily so game based websites would be awesome for recs.

Hello, I was looking to get insight on a school related issue of my son (M 10) 4th grader. The Mother and I share Joint legal custody, she has 80% time share. Son is with mom during this time. So this week on Tuesday the school teacher posted to parents in our class app (Class Dojo) that my son's 4th grade class won a competition and they were going to be doing a pool party for the kids at the community pool. I reached out to the teacher via the app and told her I am uncomfortable with my son going due to the short notice and his swimming ability. (Ive been working with in the summers but mom doesn't continue practice). Mom, like usual disregards my concern and signs the permission slip. I tell the teacher that I disagree with my son going, as well as letting the principal know and reminding him that he has our Custody agreement on file. All 3 parties ignore me and my son ended up going to the pool today. He is obviously fine, I just did not feel comfortable with that situation.
Was my joint legal custody status disregarded in this situation? Am I tripping? Im really disappointed the mom disregarded my parenting decision. Whats the point of the legal order? Thanks

hii so in uni i have this bff. she's like a sister to me. sometimes i actually wonder if she's my long lost relative or smth bcz we always understand each other on so many levels. i'm a cs major in my 4th semester and my gpa is not really up to the mark. u could say that its bcz i am in a v competitive uni where the grading is strict too but most of my friends have a gpa higher than me. especially my best friend. she on the other hand is v bright and more social. i don't find programming interesting at all and she has always saved me by making me a part of her group in semester projects. i had a dream a few weeks ago where i told her that i despised coding and this major makes me feel inferior to everyone else because baaki sab na parh kar bhi grades le lete hain. i told myself there's no way i'd tell her that aur aisi nobat nahi ai gi bcz i was kinda doing well academically at that stage. so yesterday i had my lab final where we had to code in python and i was literally blank. i submitted it early and left the lab. i felt so useless and drained. i went to sleep straight away. she knows whenever i'm down so she asked what was bothering me last night and i ended up telling her that this is not my field. i'd rather be doing eco, bio, heck even electrical engineering but not cs. i hate programming and i literally vented out my frustration to her. it's crazy how dreams end up coming true