Student Helper-Volunteer at Polk Elementary

Student Assistant
National Aphasia Month Aphasia In-service
Kalamazoo Senior Services, Inc.

Summer Activities:  Summer 01- I went to summer school because Junior Division (now University College) felt it was a mistake to take biology 108 and chemistry 132 in the same semester. I was a naïve freshman and didn’t check the catalogue.  IF YOU ARE A BIOLOGY MAJOR WANTING TO GO TO MEDICAL SCHOOL, YOU SHOULD TAKE THESE 2 CLASSES YOUR FIRST SEMESTER. IF YOU CAN’T HANDLE IT, THEN RETHINK YOUR CAREER DECISION OR MAKE THE NECESSARY ADJUSTMENTS AND TRY AGAIN.   

                  Summer 02- As part of the Summer Research Opportunity Program (SROP), I went to University of Wisconsin-Madison to do research with Dr. William Mellon in the School of Pharmacy. My research was concerned with the role of protein kinase C in post-transcriptional regulation of osteocalsin mRNA. For more info on my research, the article I wrote can be viewed at the site provided below (must have Adobe Reader to view site).

http://www.wisc.edu/cbe/srp-io/pdf/cage_compressed.pdf


What I would tell a pre-med student:

The road to medical school is full of potholes, pits, trenches, and expensive. There are times when you will want to give up and take the easy way out.  But like the famous poem of Robert Frost, those who want to go to medical school must be willing to take the road less traveled. There were times I went without food during my last spring at SU so I could pay for my secondary applications, but I had a burning desire and a vision of a brighter tomorrow. You will suffer
before you get into a school, but in the end it will be worth it. Good luck and YOU can do anything with hard work and dedication. With that said, I MUST say
if you can’t pass professors like Dr. Gray, Dr. Shih, Dr. Spenser, Dr. Poole, or even Dr. Lewis( I don't consider a 'C' as passing) then you aren't ready for
medical school. I advise EVERYONE WHO THINKS they want to go to medical school to take instruction from these individuals.


How many schools I applied to:  

I applied to 7 school, sent back 4 secondaries, completed 3 interviews, accepted to 3 schools.


Why I chose to only apply here: 

My interview influenced my school choice.  2 of my 3 interviews were with HBCU medical schools (who will remain nameless), but my reception was poor.  I was not treated like someone who they wanted as a future part of their family. Although, I would have gone to
either one of the schools because they do have 'good'
reputations, I choose the school that treated me with
the most respect and was eager to answer any questions.




The classes that I am glad I took were:


Classes that I wish I had taken were:



My first semester in medical school can be described as :



The advice I would give someone who is wondering how to best prepare for medical school is: