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Writing is hard; writing about yourself can be even harder. If you are preparing a personal statement for your medical school or other application, then this workshop is for you.
Join us virtually on Tuesday, 3/31 from 11am-12pm for Writing Personal Statements. Christine Smith, MS, RD, the writing consultant at our library, adjunct lecturer at the Friedman School and former Senior Editor of the Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter, will provide advice on crafting the perfect personal statement and will share her top writing tips. We will also share resources on application writing and interviewing. Registration is available now!
Couldn’t face the grocery store? Braved it but the shelves were bare? We asked our staff what they do when they’re in a pinch, and so we’re bringing you some suggestions, tips, and tools for how to eat well with what you already have in the house.
Our favorite recipes:
Pasta Carbonara: Easy, classic, and cheesy
Pasta con Ceci: A comforting meal Becky makes even when she can leave the house
Adas Polow: Persian comfort food–simple and delicious, lentils and rice (raisins, dates, saffron optional)
Egg substitution ideas from Amanda:
- Don’t have eggs? You can bake without them. Substitute applesauce (1/4 cup per egg) or bananas (1 mashed banana per egg). This works particularly well in muffins and brownies.
- If you wanted an egg as a glaze in a sweet/baked good recipe, make a sugar glaze instead. You don’t even need confectioner’s sugar to do it – just put your regular sugar in a food processor to chop it up more finely.
- Wanted to make meatballs and think you have to have egg as a binder? Au contraire! The meat will hold together without it. If you want a more similar texture, you can use any protein powder you have at home as a binder (just make sure if it’s flavored the flavor won’t be weird). You can also use flour and a little water or breadcrumbs.
- Wanted eggs for breakfast? Sadly, there’s no good substitute for a sunny-side up or poached egg, but you can use tofu to make a tofu scramble. Tofu picks up the flavor of whatever it’s cooked with, so just add whatever flavorings you think will make it taste awesome.
And a fun tool to help you brainstorm!
The site and app SuperCook lets you enter the ingredients you have and it will generate recipes you can make.
Buon appetito!
Congratulations on your match, class of 2020! We can’t wait to find out where you’ll be heading off to next. While we’re sad we can’t celebrate with you in person (with cake) today, we are there with you in spirit and will be following along on Instagram!
If you’re not already familiar with fair use, the balance in copyright law that allows for some reuse of copyrighted materials without specific permission, now may be the time. There are generally four factors to consider under the doctrine which relate to: 1) the purpose of the use 2) the nature of the work 3) the amount used and 4) the market impact. Read more about it on the Fair Use page on the Scholarly Communication at Tufts website.
If you’ve suddenly found yourself remote and in a situation quite different from how you would normally operate, these extreme and short term circumstances may mean that you make different decisions about what you can fairly use than you normally might.
This is something we are thinking about at the library as well. In particular, with regard to our Interlibrary Loan service through ILLiad. While we presently are not able to fill requests for physical items, we are taking into account the present situation and need for access to more book chapters, for example, than typical. Please Ask Us if you would like to consult about the reuse of materials or have questions about interlibrary loan.
Post contributed by Judy Rabinowitz
This post will be updated with new information about Hirsh operations as needed. If you have any questions or concerns about the library, please contact us at hhsl@tufts.edu.
UPDATED Thursday 3/19/20
In light of directions from Tufts and public health authorities, Hirsh Library has shifted to remote operation during our normal hours. Beginning Sunday 3/22, remote library information services will be available during the following modified hours:
Monday-Thursday: 7:45 am – 8 pm
Friday: 7:45 am – 7 pm
Saturday: 10 am – 6 pm
Sunday: noon – 8 pm
As of 12pm on Thursday 3/19, the building is still open for normal hours, but this may be subject to change. Please note the printers and scanners will not be serviced during this time.
Research & Instruction librarians will be available for consultations and assistance via phone and video conference. Feel free to request a consultation using our Schedule a Consultation form or to contact your Liaison directly.
Most of our resources are online. For information about accessing resources off campus, please visit our Getting Started with Off Campus Access page.
Please visit the University’s official page for all Tufts-wide information and updates and check with your school/department for specific information about your program.
Thank you for helping us keep the Tufts Community healthy.
This is the sixth in a series of six posts about preparing for the USMLE Step 1.
Our previous post in the Step 1 Study Prep Series covered resources on pharmacology. For our last post about systems-based resources, the table below covers top-rated review resources in microbiology, immunology, and pathology according to First Aid for the USMLE Step 1 2018 edition.
Some of the review books in our collection are available online. For print copies of resources, some are available on reserve behind the 4th floor service desk and can be checked out for 4 hours at a time. The books in the 5th floor stacks can be checked out for 4 weeks.
| What does it look like? | Title | First Author | Year of Publication | Where can I find it? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Clinical Microbiology Made Ridiculously Simple | Gladwin | 2016 | Two copies on reserve behind 4th floor service desk. One copy in the 5th floor bookstacks (call number QW 4 G543c 2016) |
 | Basic Immunology | Abbas | 2020 | Full Text Online |
 | Lippincott’s Illustrated Reviews: Immunology | Doan | 2013 | Full Text Online |
 | Case Files: Microbiology | Toy | 2014 | Full Text Online |
 | Rapid Review: Pathology | Goljan | 2019 | • Two copies in the 5th floor bookstacks (call number QZ 18.2 G626r 2019) |
 | BRS Pathology | Schneider | 2014 | Full Text Online and two copies in the 5th floor bookstacks (call number QZ 18.2 S358p 2014) |
For more board prep resources, see our Research Guide: Board Prep for Medicine.
Feel free to ask us if you’re having trouble finding a resource or need a recommendation. Happy studying!
Post contributed by Christina Heinrich
**Please enjoy this repost from five years ago, as we now commemorate the 250th Anniversary of the Boston Massacre! The slate of events for the 2020 commemoration can be found here: https://www.bostonhistory.org/massacre250.**
You true SONS of LIBERTY, who value your Lives,
Your estates and your freedom your children and Wives ;
A story I’ll tell you that’s truth now indeed,
And when you hear of it your hearts it will bleed.
The above comes from A Verse Occasioned by the late horrid Massacre in King-Street, a broadside published in Boston in 1770 to express outrage over the events of the evening of March 5th, the event we now know as the Boston Massacre. On the evening of March 5, 1770, a row broke out in front of the Custom House on King Street (now State Street) in Boston. Accounts of what provoked the trouble are mixed, but most include a soldier striking a boy, and a mob of Bostonians replying by hurling both snowballs and insults at the soldier. As the crowd grew more hostile, more soldiers were called in, and eventually nine armed British soldiers faced a rowdy group of over 50 colonists. Eventually, the soldiers fired into the mob, and when the casualties were totaled, five men were dead and six more were injured. The events of that March evening were seized upon by Boston radicals, and spun to create even more animosity toward the Crown. One of the most famous pieces of propaganda is Paul Revere’s compelling (if inaccurate) depiction of the event, which circulated wildly in the spring of 1770.
Paul Revere, “The Bloody Massacre in King-Street, March 5, 1770.” Boston, 1770. (Gilder Lehrman Collection)
Of course, this event took place a short walk from the Hirsh Health Sciences Library. Commemorate this event with a Boston Massacre Study Break! Start on the Freedom Trail, and visit the Boston Massacre Marker on the corner of State and Congress Streets, right near the Old State House. Head back toward campus on Tremont Street, and stop in at the Granary Burying Ground. You’ll find the grave marker for the victims of the Massacre next to Samuel Adams. You can also visit with John Hancock and Paul Revere while you’re there. As you follow Tremont toward Boylston Street, take a detour into Boston Common at Avery Street, and enjoy the beautiful Boston Massacre/Crispus Attucks Monument, erected in 1888. If your interest is piqued, there is a full day of (ahem) “family friendly events” planned at the Old State House Museum, including activities for little ones and culminating in the annual reenactment of the Boston Massacre at 7:00 pm this Saturday.
This is the fifth in a series of six posts about preparing for the USMLE Step 1.
Our previous post in the Step 1 Study Prep Series covered resources on biochemistry, cell biology, and histology. To continue to showcase our systems-based resources, the table below covers top-rated review resources in pharmacology according to First Aid for the USMLE Step 1 2018 edition.
Some of the review books in our collection are available online. For print copies of resources, some are available on reserve behind the 4th floor service desk and can be checked out for 4 hours at a time. The books in the 5th floor stacks can be checked out for 4 weeks.
| What does it look like? | Title | First Author | Year of Publication | Where can I find it? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Lippincott’s Illustrated Reviews: Pharmacology | Whalen | 2019 | Full Text Online |
 | Lange Basic & Clinical Pharmacology | Katzung | 2018 | Full Text Online |
 | Rapid Review Pharmacology | Pazdernik | 2011 | One copy available in the 5th floor bookstacks (call number QV 18.2 P348r 2011) and Full Text Online |
 | BRS Pharmacology | Rosenfeld | 2014 | One copy available in the 5th floor bookstacks (call number QV 18.2 R813p 2014) and Full Text Online |
 | Case Files: Pharmacology | Toy | 2014 | One copy available in the 5th floor bookstacks (call number QV 18.2 C337 2008) and Full Text Online |
For more board prep resources, see our Research Guide: Board Prep for Medicine.
Feel free to ask us if you’re having trouble finding a resource or need a recommendation. Happy studying!
Post contributed by Christina Heinrich
Hello hello everyone. It’s about that time again: Affiliation Survey, March 2020 edition!
Twice a year, the Hirsh Health Sciences Library runs the Affiliation Survey, where we walk around and ask every one of our lovely patrons which program they are with (Dental, Medical, PHPD, etc). This is all we ask. We will not ask for your name or even which year you’re in! The numbers we collect are used in aggregate so we can get a snapshot of what the library usage is like. You can take a look at my post from this past December to see how the data turns out.
Here’s how it goes: there are 7 days spread out over the whole month, randomly chosen to try and maximize the usefulness of the numbers (in other words, we’re trying not to get skewed by specific exam blocks too much). On those days, HHSL staff (you’ll probably recognize us!) will walk around 4 times over the course of the day to gather the totals of how many people from each school are in the library. There will be signs and posters up this month, so you’re not caught unaware.
Keep your eyes out for them!
We won’t announce ahead of time which days we’re counting (see our need to randomize, above), so it’s safe to assume that it could just happen any day this month.
Don’t panic!
If you don’t want to be bothered (or to speak out loud), you are welcome to leave your ID next to you while you study. If that is still not good enough, you can write your program down on a piece of paper and leave that next to you. If you’re in a group room, feel free to stick a note to the outside of the door (on the wood – the windows must remain clear!) telling us how many people of what program(s) are in the room. Done and done. We will add that number to our count, and we will move on to the next person!
There are pencils, pens, markers, scrap paper, and tape down at the Service Desk on the 4th floor, so you can even make your sign bright and cheerful! If you have any questions or concerns, let us know either in person at the desk, or through Ask Us on our website. We’re here to help and make this quick and easy.
But otherwise, we look forward to seeing you all next month and finding out just what our beloved HHSL looks like this fine spring.
Good luck on studying and I look forward to seeing you in the library!
Tom
This is the fourth in a series of six posts about preparing for the USMLE Step 1.
Our previous post in the Step 1 Study Prep Series covered resources on behavioral science. To continue to showcase our systems-based resources, the table below covers top-rated review resources in biochemistry, cell biology, and histology according to First Aid for the USMLE Step 1 2018 edition. We have quite a few excellent resources for these tricky topics!
Some of the review books in our collection are available online. For print copies of resources, some are available on reserve behind the 4th floor service desk and can be checked out for 4 hours at a time. The books in the 5th floor stacks can be checked out for 4 weeks.
| What does it look like? | Title | First Author | Year of Publication | Where can I find it? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Rapid Review: Biochemistry | Pelley | 2011 | One copy on reserve behind 4th floor service desk |
 | Lippincott’s Illustrated Reviews: Biochemistry | Ferrier | 2014 | Full Text Online |
 | Biochemistry and Genetics: PreTest Self-Assessment and Review | Wilson | 2007 | One copy available in the 5th floor bookstacks (call number QU 18.2 W748b 2007) |
 | BRS Cell Biology and Histology | Gartner | 2014 | Full Text Online |
 | Crash Course: Cell Biology and Genetics | Stubbs | 2015 | One copy on reserve behind 4th floor service desk |
For more board prep resources, see our Research Guide: Board Prep for Medicine.
Feel free to ask us if you’re having trouble finding a resource or need a recommendation. Happy studying!
Post contributed by Christina Heinrich
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Join us on March 31st for a remote workshop! Registration is now open for Writing Personal Statements with our writing consultant, Christine Smith | What's New @ HHSL https://bit.ly/2xnp91Z
Medical Students, Sidelined for Now, Find New Ways to Fight Coronavirus https://nyti.ms/3a9NLd4
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