Fall is Coming Soon: College Application Advice

Anna Wysocka

Topic: Extracurriculars

There is so much more to a person than just their statistics when it comes to applying to college. Although your SAT score and grades are taken into heavy consideration in your college applications; you have to remind the admissions committee that you are not a robot who only goes to school and goes back home to study. Extracurriculars do in fact make you a well rounded person as everyone says; but they also allow you to do two important things that will help you pave your way through college and future studies you may be interested in pursuing. 

The first thing you will learn from your extracurriculars is what YOU are truly interested in. The spotlight is on you. Whether you love to draw, play a musical instrument, participate in a sport or be in multiple clubs; find a way you can use your skills within your school/home community. This can be anything from planning fundraisers to volunteering at nursing homes and hospitals. You will not only practice/participate in what you love, but also give back to your community and learning skills such as organization, leadership and networking.

The second thing that your extracurriculars will teach you is proper work/life/school balance. As a recent college graduate, I recall struggling with my school/life balance during my first year; as I forgot how to express myself and find an escape from my stressful schedule. Having something such as volunteering in your schedule will not only make your application stand out, but it will also will have you looking forward to doing something fun and motivate you to continue pursuing your future dreams and aspirations.

Bridget Kavanagh

Topic: Choosing the Right School

When looking at colleges to apply to while in high school, it can be difficult to find the right one. There are many things that come into play that should be considered to pick the perfect college. First, check the requirements for the university to see if it is realistic to get accepted into. There are three types of school to apply to- safety schools (your credentials are higher than the given requirements), normal schools (your credentials match up with the given requirements), and reach schools (your credentials are slightly lower than the given requirements or it is a competitive school). GPA is important when applying to college but it isn’t the only important thing. Admission councils look at everything you are involved in to see if you are a well rounded student. Thus, if you want to go to an Ivy, focusing on your gpa is important. On the other hand, if you don’t have the best high school gpa you can still get into a good college and pursue medicine. Graduate programs look at college grades only, not your high school GPA. 

The size of the school should also be considered. Determining if you would thrive in a smaller  environment where you have class discussions or a larger school where you answer questions with clickers with 600 other kids is important. There are pros and cons to both but figuring out how you learn the best is important. Next, consider what the school is known for. This one may seem strange but if you are applying to a school known for journalism but want to be a biochemistry major, graduate schools will take note of that. The school you go to does play into graduate school applications because they know what schools are difficult and have good science programs.

 Lastly you should consider money. Most students that are interested in STEM are planning on attending more schooling after undergraduate studies. Therefore, it is important to try to pick a financially realistic program for your bachelors degree. It is much easier to obtain scholarships and financial aid for a bachelors than it is for medical school or veterinarian school. Taking out loans is inevitable for extended education but trying to limit how much debt there will be is important. Community college for the first two years is always an option and something to be considered for individuals trying to reduce the cost. If you excel in your classes you will be able to get into a great school to finish your degree and medical schools will still see your good grades for the first two years. At the end of the day choosing a school can be extremely stressful, but you will find the perfect fit for you.

Arnav Amruth

Topic: Choosing your classes in high school

  With regards to what classes to take in high school, try to gain as much exposure to different science subjects as possible. We all know the importance of biology in medicine, and thus taking biology, especially at the honors or AP level, can help you demonstrate your knowledge and enthusiasm for medicine. However, chemistry is also very important because as a pre-med you will have to take both general and organic chemistry, and it is important to have a good foundation. I would also recommend taking some sort of physics, as it would help to have a physics background before taking it as a pre-med. Calculus is also a requirement for many med schools, and it may be easier to knock this out in high school rather than taking it at the college level. 

Harleen Mander

Topic: Alternative Career Paths in Medicine

Going to medical school, earning an MD/DO, and completing a residency, all while racking up a ton of debt may not be feasible for everyone. While physicians and surgeons earn high salaries, there are plenty of other careers in healthcare that are just as in demand, require less education and earn salaries as high as $170, 000. Two careers that take on similar roles as physicians are nurses and physician assistants. 

There are many types of nursing careers besides a registered nurse. These nurses range from the direct-patient care ones such as nurse practitioners and certified registered nurse anesthetists to nurse researchers to administrative ones such as nurse informatics specialists and nurse managers. The traditional path to secure these higher paid positions is to go to nursing school, obtain an RN, and to pass the registered exams for a specialty and become certified. However, there are accelerated nursing programs that exist to allow students who have already completed a degree in another field and want to enter the nursing field without having to complete an additional 4-year nursing degree. The accelerated nursing programs are a year and a half long (18 months) and focuses solely on nursing skills that are taught in nursing school. Once completed, these students graduate with a BSN and can take the NCLEX-RN to become registered. From that point, these individuals can pursue further studies such as a masters and doctorate to secure the higher-level nursing positions.         

Another alternative to medical school is PA school. PA is short for physician assistant. These healthcare professionals are highly skilled and work alongside physicians in various settings such as inpatient clinics, outpatient clinics, teaching centers, surgical/operating rooms etc. Similar to physicians/surgeons, there are different specialties a PA can work in. These include family medicine, dermatology, pediatrics, surgical subspecialties etc. The traditional path to become a PA is to complete an undergraduate degree, usually science or healthcare related majors, gain volunteer or work experience in a healthcare setting, graduate from a 2-3 years masters PA program and pass the PANCE licensing exam. However, there are some direct-entry and dual degree BS/MS pre-physician assistant programs that exist to allow exceptional high school students to enter the PA field without completing a full 4-year undergraduate degree. These programs are usually 5 years long (3 years bachelor of science and 2 years physician assistant studies) and are highly competitive. Students must be academically strong in science and perform well on the SATs. There are no differences in the application process whether you have completed an undergraduate degree and pursue the masters PA programs or completed high school and pursue the direct-entry programs. Applicants are advised to maintain a strong gpa, shadow PAs, and have sufficient healthcare experience.