Capturing Stories of Academic Resilience

Name: Mustafa Jundi (pictured on the left)

School: University of California, Davis
Class: 2019
Major: Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, B.S.
Field: Pre-med
Affiliations: Shifa Community Clinic | Monitor

1) Explain the significance of the image you chose and take this opportunity to include any
passions or hobbies that you have.
This is a picture of me and my mother and it’s my favorite picture of all time. We’re always
chasing something in life whether be it a dream or a hope or an aspiration. My entire life I have
chased my aspiration to be as kind to others as my mother is. Life has been unimaginably cruel
to her and rather than being a cynic, she is the kindest human I will ever have the honor of
knowing. I’d say a good 50% of our conversations is me consoling her, telling her that it’s not
her fault she couldn’t make it across the street to give a homeless person the food and change
she always keeps in her purse for anyone asking. When I was six years old our life was
absolutely horrendous. Rather than telling me to trust no one and hate the world, she made me
promise her that whatever I pursued in life that if someone came to me looking for help with
no place to turn to, that I’d help them no matter the cost. This promise is one of my earliest
memories and has been the foundation to all my hopes and dreams. My passions include trying
to level the education, basketball, and biology.
2) What are your thoughts on overcoming academic adversity? Have you faced any academic
struggles yourself and, if so, how did you overcome them?

We all have a God-given intelligence, but that intelligence must be nurtured and cared for just
like most things in nature. Your struggle in school does not define your intelligence rather its
life teaching you that you have to experiment and change. I viewed my struggles as a stepping
stone for me to improve both emotionally, personally, and academically. We are a function of
our brains and you can train your brain to be a confident great student and this video really
captures what I mean by that. You need to watch your inner thoughts! Don’t ever tell yourself,
“I suck at physiology or physics or math, etc.” In those moments you find yourself having those
thoughts, I want you to say this “just like with everything else in life this subject can be
conquered and if I put in the work and grind it out, I will do great.” Also please watch this (if you
do not want to watch the entire video I recommend watching from 11:15-23:00) so you know
that for even the worst students it’s possible to thrive and become a straight A student. I would
like to use this as a platform to convey my journey and let you know that you aren’t alone in
and that you belong as a student pursuing higher education. Below I would like to share my
journey with you in the hopes that you can take some bit of it and apply it in your life and that it
helps you.

3) Were there times in your academic career when you thought you came to believe that your
dreams were out of reach? Did you ever come close to giving up on your dreams? Please be
as specific as you can. What did you learn from these experiences? What are the most
important lessons you can pass on to a student currently going through something similar?

There were a lot of times that I came close to quitting on my dreams; dreams that I have had
for as long as I could remember. At the end of my freshman year I had a 2.8 overall GPA and a
2.0 science GPA, and it depressed me for months. From all the stress I couldn’t hold down food
for 2 months and I lost nearly 30 pounds. I truly believed I wouldn’t graduate from the
University much less even have a shot at achieving my dream. But I kept grinding and kept
following my dream. That summer after my freshman year I took a break for 2 months focused
on my mental health and went back for my first quarter of general biology. I never studied that
harder for a class and I ended up with a B. I was proud of that B because up until that point I
couldn’t do better than a C+ in a science class. I wish I could tell you it was easy from that
summer on but I’d be lying. It was up and down for me for the following two years. C’s were still
common for me because I was working harder rather than smarter.

In those first three years of college I always felt stuck, like no matter what I did I couldn’t get
out of the dark place that I was in. No matter how hard I studied I simply couldn’t get the
material to stick. No matter what I couldn’t find a way to balance school, work, and life. You’d
think that would have prompted me to change but I just couldn’t. I had to be brought to my
lowest low to finally change what I needed to change. After a very bad winter and spring
quarter (combined gpa of 2.783), I finally understood that I had to change my ways for me to
get to where I needed to be. You’ll have to read the rest of this document to know what I
changed to become a better student.
Now these science courses that I had constructed in my head to be a giant that I couldn’t be
conquered, was no longer a giant. I took the power back from my academics! Once I changed
my perspective and study techniques I got a 3.98 over the course of my 4th and 5th year while
working part time, serving on the board of a pre-medical club, and a student-run clinic, and as a
senior-research assistant for project being conducted by the UCDSOM. Don’t view your
struggles as a weakness rather use it as your fuel to chase whatever it is you want to achieve in
life. Without my struggle’s education would have never become such a major passion of mine.
Because for me now redemption is helping those students that are in the place I was once in
into the place they want to be in.

4) If you can attribute your jump from being a “bad” student to becoming a greatly improved
student, what would it be (i.e. what are a few things you can boil that change down to)?

A) Change in perspective: Once I started scavenging the ends of the internet for
different study techniques. I came across this gem in student doctor network.

“I went from a barely passing student to straight A’s overnight (literally). I just one day
decided to change my attitude about school. Instead of seeing my pre-reqs as stepping
stones to get into med school, I viewed them as an opportunity to learn and grow. I
stopped feeling entitled to a certain grade just because I studied hard for it. I took the
time to enjoy my classes and learn for the sake of learning, and the grades went up. I
put in less effort and got better results.”

b) Using the right study techniques: It all boils down to this and simply this! I found
what works best for me after a bit of experimentation and you can too! Remember
everyone has a God-given intelligence you just need to nurture it and finding what
works best for your mind is the most important step.

The most important thing in my new-found success was a willingness to change after doing the
same thing for so long. I was broken after my third year of college and I had to fix myself.

5) Imagine that time travel was possible, and you could go back to your freshman self.
What is the step-by-step guide you’d recommend to yourself to succeed academically? For
example, did you employ different study techniques for different classes (i.e. did you study
for physics, math, organic chemistry, or general biology in vastly different ways). If you did,
please follow A and B below. Do you make a distinction between classes that are more
concept driven vs. classes that based on rote memorization? (You may include any links to
online resources that you think may be helpful).

Personally, I like to make the distinction between conceptual vs. information heavy courses
For classes that focus on concepts rather than rote memorization, these are the steps that I’d
tell my freshman self:

For concept heavy courses (Math and Physics and organic chemistry)

A) Be real with yourself… Ask yourself what you know and what you don’t know. if
you don’t know what a log is, that’s okay! Ask there are tutors at this University
for a reason. Google is there too! There is no excuse for you to not ask anything
because you’re too embarrassed to ask. I had this anxiety for a very long time,
and I found that the only way for me to get over it is if I first got to know the
tutors and if they’re the kind non-judgmental type then I found it easy to ask.
Slowly I learned to not care.
B) Don’t hinder your opportunities by not having a solid foundation to start your
studies so don’t move on till you have built that foundation
C) Practice is key for these type of classes (do every problem you can get your
hands on…everything!!)
D) With that being said however there is a certain level of jargon/definitions
especially in physics and organic chemistry that you have to know in order to not
be held back
E) What I suggest is to make flashcards for those specific definitions
1) If you find yourself making the same number of cards that you normally
do in biological sciences classes, you’re doing it wrong!
2) This should be quick, and you shouldn’t have too many cards
3) This shouldn’t in any way shape or form make up the majority of your
study time…The majority of your time should be spent doing practice
problems
4) Make your cards, practice them for a bit till you feel comfortable and
then get into practice! If you’re professor doesn’t give you enough
problems don’t sit and whine!
5) Take control of your grade you and only you decide what your grade is!
Reach out to your friends and ask them for supplementary material or
simply google “Physics wave practice problems” if your studying waves.
F) PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE
G) No two math or physics problems will ever look the same and if they do your
professor is doing you a disservice by providing practice problems that are the same
H) Extract the info from the problem…try your best to recognize why the problem
should be solved in a specific way rather than memorize the steps used in the
answer key.
I) Use this as a rule of thumb if you cannot justify a step that you took in solving a
problem while practicing physics/math/organic chemistry…you have gaps in your
knowledge, and you need to find what you’re missing…look at the slides or notes or
go to office hours do not just skip over a step
J) Don’t ever ever ever just memorize an equation…understand every component of
the equation and why it’s even in the equation.
 K) For those of who go to UC Davis GO TO CASEY…THE PHYSICS SPECIALIST ON
CAMPUS!!!!!!! GO TO HIM TRUST ME JUST TRUST ME…HIS OFFICE IS IN DUTTON
HALL…TALK TO HIM...HE IS A TRAINED EDUCATOR AND A CERTIFIED GENIUS
L) This is the link to his website …during his office hours you can go to him for literally
anything, he will help you, and he will kindly help and never put you down…he is one of
the kindest humans I have ever met and the single best teacher I have had the privilege
of having.
M) Lastly and this may be the single most important thing…. When you are doing
problems if you’re in a place where you can talk out loud…talk through the problem
OUT LOUD… if you’re in a place where you need be quiet then whisper! Your lips need
to be moving and you need to produce coherent sentences not just jumping from
phrase to phrase. When you’re speaking, you’re engaging your motor
cortex…remember Broca’s area (area responsible for language production) from general
psychology it feeds into the motor cortex…the name of the game is to activate as many
pathways within the brain as possible
N) Closer to exam days you need to be able to take out a blank sheet of paper and teach
a lesson plan from memory without looking at your notes (do not skip this step) (if you
cannot do this you need to study more!)
This same process applies for organic chemistry with one cavoite. You will have a larger amount
of flash cards just because there’s so many reactions that you need to memorize. But the same
idea applies that you need to know why a reaction happened. Where are the electrons going
and why? Why did this oxygen become nucleophilic or why is this carbon susceptible to attack?
Once you start approaching organic chemistry this way, you’ll be able to predict reactions that
you have never seen before.

For Organic Chemistry I highly recommend this channel. I also highly recommend Dr. Lievens
website which has a lot of great notes and practice problems.

Go to tutoring and find the tutors that teach well, ask them for their schedule and be there
when they’re there. You have to be willing to put in the work. The only reason I got an A in
organic chemistry even though I took it in my second year when I was by no stretch a good
student was because for an entire quarter, I went to tutoring in Dutton for 6 hours a day on
average.

For classes that focus more on rote memorization rather than concepts, these are the steps
that I’d tell my freshman self:

I went from the student who studied every minute he could and barely scraping by with C+’s
and B- ‘s to getting A’s and A+’s. As I stated that I attribute this change to two things a change
in perspective that I described above and the following change in study technique.
1) Podcast…only go to class if your class isn’t podcasted and if it isn’t record it on
your phone
2) Make an Anki deck for each lecture that you encounter. This is the tutorial on
how to make an Anki deck.
 3) There is a lot of information about Anki all over the internet so do your research!
This YouTube channel is entirely dedicated to Anki.
4) The most important thing when it comes to creating an Anki deck is that for each
card you need to include a screenshot of the specific PowerPoint slide that you
are referring to.
5) When you want to study all the cards that you have created… you need to create
a custom study session that creates a deck that includes all the cards that you
have made.
6) Answer all the cards out loud as though you’re teaching a class and have a blank
sheet of paper to also write out any pathways or create
7) Follow the schedule I have provided in answer 7 below.
8) Closer to test day after you have to be able to take out a blank sheet of paper
and regurgitate everything that you have learned out loud! (this is critical)
9) At the very least you need to be able to simply glance at the slide and teach that
slide as if you were standing in front ( I picked up this wonderful technique from
this video).

Note not all Anki cards are created equal. Med school insiders has a couple of great videos on
steps you can take to make better Anki flashcards. I suggest watching part 1 and part 2.

Another note on making Anki cards.” For example, “is a sperm cell haploid or diploid?” This kind
of card is too easy to answer and draws up a very specific fact rather than broader knowledge.
Of course, this fact is pretty specific, but a better way to write the card would be “sperm cell
ploidy” - the only clue it gives you is that there is something of significance about sperm cell
ploidy, but you have to know the concepts to understand this card.”

6) Describe that moment when you finally felt a sense of ease as a student. What advice
would you give to someone who feels that sense of easy but is afraid that they might become
cocky?

I finally felt comfortable as a student I’d say spring quarter of my fourth year. That is not to say I
no longer had doubts or anxiety about school I just learned how to better cope with them. I had
power over my anxiety and doubts, they no longer clouded my every move. I had to learn how
to first trust in my work before I learned to believe in myself. Slowly I learned to reason with
that little voice in the back of my head that was filling me with doubts, that you might not
believe in yourself yet, but you will believe in your grind. Nearly 4 years into my undergraduate
career I finally felt a sense of comfort where I could trust in my work. My mindset finally
changed from “I can’t do this” to I haven’t learned it yet but I’ll get there “

In terms of starting to feel a sense of cockiness or discomfort in feeling comfortable just remind
yourself of the journey that you have travelled. Trust in your hard work rather than your talent
and never ever revert to your old ways. It’s easy for you to convince yourself you’ve gotten to a
place as a student where you can just read things and it’ll stick. Keep actively learning! I’m not
saying that you won’t get to that point as a learner, but you won’t get there after a few
quarters of academic success. Don’t fear getting cocky you’re just growing as a persona and
self-confidence is very important in everything you do in life. As long as your plan is to stick to
what got you to this point, you’ll be okay!

7) Can you recommend any general test taking strategies:

Its 80% what you know and 20% how you feel. Figure out what going to put you in the zone. For
example, in my fourth year I learned I had a mild form of celiac disease. As a student
understanding this has been paramount in my growth. Any days I have to study for an
upcoming exam or on tests days I have absolutely no carbs. One of the symptoms associated
with Celiac Disease is fatigue. Which is why I switched to a gluten free diet on those days I have
to study, or I have exams.

It’s important to recognize what works best for you. How much sleep is optimal for you? How
much caffeine is the right amount before you start feeling anxious? You need to figure out what
your brain likes and stick to it when you have an exam coming up. Experiment for a while and
keep a very detailed journal of what you did and ate on those mornings and then follow the
what the data is telling you!
These little things actually add up! Now for exam day!
A) As your about to enter the doorway to the hall or room have a little chant or saying that
you can say to yourself that puts you in the zone.
B) As you’re sitting there waiting for the exam go to your happy place. I’m Muslim and so I
like to say a prayer as I’m waiting to receive my exam because it grounds me and helps
keep me calm. Whatever it is you do; the main thing is to just stay calm and breathe.
C) Deep breaths in and out…3 seconds in and 3 seconds out!
D) Have a pencil/pen, and a highlighter
E) Read the question…take another deep breath in and out.
F) Read the question again this time highlighting anything that you feel you need to pay
extra attention to when answering the question (things such as a key word or phrases in
the question that you need pay close attention to)
G) If its multiple choice formulate what your answer is before looking at the answer
choices
H) Read the choices and answer to the best of your ability
I) Move on to the next question and repeat

8) If you could start college all over again, what schedule changes would you recommend to
younger? Please be as detailed as you can.

For classes that are information heavy do the following.

A) Podcast that same day that it is dropped
B) Take down every word that the professor is saying
C) Make your Anki deck (following the same exact day as lecture…be disciplined if you get
behind it’s very hard to catch up! It’s not impossible to catch up on making Anki cards
 but it annoyingly takes forever. This means if you have class Tuesday and Thursday, I’m
expecting an Anki deck to be made by Tuesday night or Wednesday morning by the
latest. Same goes If you have class Monday Wednesday Friday! That’s three
podcasts…Three Anki decks for each specific lecture
D) On the weekends and on the days in-between class review your Anki deck
E) Closer to test day I’d say three days out you need to study the entire deck that you have
made for the course. I don’t care if you have 1000 cards that means I am expecting 3000
cards to be studied by test day if you start 3 days out.
For classes that are more concept driven
A) Go to class
B) Keep up with the material
C) Practice every day and I mean every day!
D) Do every single problem you can get your hand on
E) Follow what I answered for question 5A

9) Would you change a single thing on your journey to becoming a medical student or a
doctor or achieving academic excellence? What’s your advice to someone who is haunted by
their past failures and finds it hard to be at peace with them?
I wouldn’t change a single thing. As a student I was forged through fire. I learned how to
compartmentalize and focus on school even when I had a lot going at home. I understand that
if I make it to medical school, life doesn’t stop, and I feel that I have the skills to cope with that.
If I didn’t struggle, I wouldn’t have been able to empathize with others that are struggling
academically. I would have never been inspired to create this project and if one student just
one student that uses this resource can be put at ease then the struggle would have been all
worth it.
10) Does imposter syndrome ever affect you and how do you cope with it?
It does and I try my best to understand that what I believe about myself and what’s actually
true doesn’t always line up. Perspective is everything in life and I try my best to have a glass half
full perspective on things! Thus, I view my struggle as making me a stronger more resilient
human rather than I don’t belong here because I struggled.
11) How do you focus on your mental health?
I try to be in the moment and to be kind to myself. I am a practicing Muslim and I try my best to
pray 5 times a day, which I find really grounds me and calms me down. I watch my breathing
throughout the day (deep breaths in and out). I also try my best to do the one thing where time
flies by and I’m fully immersed in the activity. For me that’s playing basketball and volunteering
at Shifa Community Clinic. Above all else I try my best to be kind and fair to myself.

12) Closing remarks: Please add anything--and I mean anything--that you would like your
undergrad audience to hear.

These are the texts that I always send to my friends before their midterms:

1) Forget the grade, don’t be sitting there telling yourself I need to get this or this for
an A or a B or a C…just focus on the questions
 2) Breathe
3) Read the question twice before answering and highlight
4) If you don’t know something stay calm…absolutely calm…just breathe and move on
5) Breathe, deep breath in and out
6) Check your answers twice
7) Forget the grade and just try your hardest to focus and answer to the best of your
ability
8) This isn’t the first exam ever given nor is it the last to be given so just take that test
and relax you’re just another cog in the system

My blurb:

Half the game is self-confidence…just believe in yourself and trust in the work you put forward
for each and every midterm…what you think about yourself and your abilities versus what’s
actually real doesn’t always line up…always remember that you’re here at UC Davis or at
University for a reason and that it wasn’t dumb found luck that got you here. It was hard work
and resilience…anything you set your mind to can be done.

If you have any questions or just need someone to talk to about school, my email is
msjundi@ucdavis.edu.

Please forward this to anyone you feel may benefit from this.

Best of luck!

Mustafa Jundi