G.O.A.L.S: A for Academic Enrichment Part 2

For my interview, I spoke with Dr. Katie Buck, an emergency physician at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Below are the questions I asked her and a summary of the responses to these questions. All of her answers were very helpful to me in my undergraduate career and preparing for my future medical career.

  1. Where did you for go for your undergrad?
    • University of North Carolina
  2. Where did you go for medical school?
    • University of Virginia
  3. What should I do to prepare myself for going to medical school?
    • Prepare a ton for your MCAT
    • Take the in-person class for your MCAT so they can tell you tips and tricks
    • Take part in some research
    • Make sure you have good letters of rec and shadowing hours
    • Obviously do your best in your classes and get good grades
    • Make sure you are taking part in service
    • Get leadership experience through extracurriculars
    • Go to practice interviews
    • Studying abroad will be a good talking point in interviews
    •  I used all these methods and I was successful
  4. Did you always want to be an emergency physician?
    • Yes
    • Got involved in emergency medicine research in undergraduate career as a bio-statistician major and loved it
    • Continued this type of research in medical school
    • However, it is okay if you change your mind; only about 10% of people coming into medical school stick with their previous wanted area of study.

GOALS: A for Academic Enrichment

For my interview, I spoke to Paul Emenogu. He has been my RA for the past year and I enjoy speaking to him on a regular basis. He is a junior with a Neuroscience major on a pre-medical track. Below are the questions I asked him and his responses to these questions. All of his answers were very helpful to me in my undergraduate career and preparing for my future medical career.

  1. Why did you choose the pre-medical track?
    • “I chose the premed track because I obviously want to be a doctor. I want to help people (which is a cliché and you should never use in a med school interview) and I want to be the doctor that was there for me and my family when we had our medical emergencies”.
  2. What is something you would tell your freshman self to improve in your academic life?
    • “Go to office hours and learn to say no to hanging out with friends. Especially when I was struggling in a class. Also space out my classes there’s no need to pack 16-18 credit hours of science hours a semester”.
  3. What extracurriculars do you take part in at Ohio State?
    • “So I’m an RA, I’m in a political science club, a fraternity, a mentor, and as of yesterday going to be helping with a foundation that will help educate people about politics and world affairs”.
  4. What is the hardest class you have taken at Ohio State?
    • “The hardest class I’ve taken would be biochemistry 4511. Strangely enough though out of all the premed classes though this has been my favourite one”.
  5. How are you preparing for the MCATs?
    • “Lots of studying and taking the Kaplan Prep course”
  6. How much have you shadowed and what was your best shadowing experience?
    • “I’ve shadowed about 50 hours and my favourite experience was watching the pulmonary doctor place a chest tube in a lady after her lungs collapsed from a procedure”.
  7. How much should I shadow in order to be competitive for medical school?
    • “This varies but from what I have heard 30-40 hours is a safe number. Obviously the more the better but at the very least 30-40 is suffice”.
    • “If you need shadowing experience I strongly recommend taking the shadowing class here at OSU (MedColl 2022)”
  8. How many letter of recommendations do you have?
    • “It varies from school to school, but usually 4 is a safe number. 2 from science professors, 1 from a physician and 1 from a supervisor or an nonscience professor”.
  9. How do I approach someone to get a letter of recommendation?
    • “Start going to the professor you want a letter from office hour. Just talk to them and get to know them. Be a regular at their office hours and show interest in the subject and their research if they are conducting research. Ask for a letter 3-4 weeks, however because professors are busy always give them a date  that is earlier than the date you actually need the letter by.”

My Freshman Year

The summer before I came to Ohio State, I was quite nervous about my future. Ohio State is a very large school and I just wanted to discover my place in the collegiate world. However, once I came to Ohio State, it felt like home. I know that it was God’s plan for me to come to Ohio State and become a successful college student. Health Science Scholars gifted me with academic standards, best friends, and a beautiful dorm.  I believe I have grown greatly as an individual and I have learned that I am strong and independent.

Before coming to college I was told that college life is a lot of fun, but also requires hard work. This expectation has been met. My classes (especially chemistry lab) are much more time consuming than my previous high school courses. However, I took many AP courses in high school which helped me to be more prepared for these college level courses. I have done well in my academics the past two semesters and I am proud of myself for taking on the challenge of a pre-medical track. I believe that I will succeed in my undergraduate career and be accepted into medical school. Furthermore, I have discovered a new love of the major anthropology as well as the major of biology. I am now a double major in Biology and Anthropology on a pre-medical track. My future career will hopefully fuse my two interests together.

Additionally, I have learned to balance my academic life and my social life. Most of my best friends live with me in Park-Stradley and/or are in HSS. I have a solid group of friends that will most likely be my friends for life. Another positive is that I have met friends that are older than me. I can learn from their mistakes and they can be my role models. Ohio State is also very diverse in physical and mental aspects. I have been able to learn about other individual’s opinions that I may not have experienced at home. Also, Ohio State has students from all over the world. I enjoy having a diverse friend group and I feel that I have become less judgmental and more open to trying new things because of my experiences at Ohio State. Since Ohio State is so large, I enjoy the social life. There are so many activities to do whether its going to eat at restaurants on High Street, going shopping, or even go to the Columbus Zoo. I have learned to take a day off on the weekend to just relax and enjoy hanging out with my friends.

My individuality has increased since I came to college. I used to care a lot about other people’s opinions of me. I always depended on someone else to make me happy. From my freshman year of college, I have learned not to care about what other people think of me. I have also learned that I can be independent and do not need others to control my happiness. I will do what I love and I have become much more confident in myself and in my studies.

GOALS: S for Service

Over the past two semesters, I have spent more than 20 hours in dedication to volunteering. I spent most of these hours at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. At the medical center, I have worked in two different positions.

The fall semester position was located at the Harding Psychiatric Hospital. Harding Hospital has many different levels of psychiatric care. I was in the group therapy unit where teens and adults would come to group therapy in order to cope with the negative aspects of their life. I usually made copies of handouts that individuals would receive at their therapy session. Some of these handouts were quite inspirational and even helped me when I was feeling upset about a certain part of my life. Additionally, the patients at Harding Hospital allowed me to see how lucky I am for the life that I have been given. Many people have much worse problems than me, which helped me to be more grateful for my life.

For my spring semester, I was a student ambassador at the University Hospital. In this position, I am able to show people around the hospital and help them locate their loved one or appointment room. Although this may seem boring, I enjoy meeting all these new people. I like to talk to them about their lives and my life. Furthermore, it allows me to take a break from the stress of school and just enjoy time socializing. My two volunteer experiences do not feel like work. I enjoy helping others and this is another sign of why I want my future career to be rooted in helping others.

My Strategic Plan

Through the Health Science Scholars seminar, I was able to learn more about my future aspirations and academic life. My intended major is biology on a pre-medical track. My seminar class and other HSS events such as Dine with the Department helped me to understand the classes required of my major and the requirements for medical school applications. I plan to utilize campus resources such as office hours and undergraduate research sessions to help me progress in my undergraduate career. Additionally, I believe upperclassmen will be able to help me be more prepared for upcoming college courses. In medical school, I plan to study to be a surgeon. Although I do realize that this occupation will take many years of schooling, I truly believe that I have a greater purpose in life: to provide medical assistance in areas around the world that lack vital resources. I wish to be in Doctors Without Borders or the Peace Corps where I would be able to help individuals and families who are in distressing situations. I feel a responsibility to assist those that could not afford the privileges I have experienced in my life. I was able to come to this conclusion from the diversity presentation in the seminar. I want to help people of all cultures and promote health throughout the world. In order to promote health, I must live a healthy balanced life. Throughout college, I want to continue my 8 am classes in order to have the afternoon to do homework and be well rested. My evenings will be filled with club commitments and time with friends. Additionally, I want to exercise once a day to lower my stress and increase my endurance. I will go to exercise classes at the RPAC, run around campus, and play sports at the Jesse Owens Center. Furthermore, I will continue my healthy eating habits with desserts in moderation.

G.O.A.L.S.

[ “G.O.A.L.S.” is a place where students write about how their planned, current, and future activities may fit into the Honors & Scholars G.O.A.L.S.: Global Awareness, Original Inquiry, Academic Enrichment, Leadership Development, and Service Engagement. For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.

Global Awareness: Students cultivate and develop their appreciation for diversity and each individual’s unique differences. For example, consider course work, study abroad, involvement in cultural organizations or activities, etc .
Original Inquiry: Honors & Scholars students understand the research process by engaging in experiences ranging from in-class scholarly endeavors to creative inquiry projects to independent experiences with top researchers across campus and in the global community. For example, consider research, creative productions or performances, advanced course work, etc.
Academic Enrichment: Honors & Scholars students pursue academic excellence through rigorous curricular experiences beyond the university norm both in and out of the classroom.
Leadership Development: Honors & Scholars students develop leadership skills that can be demonstrated in the classroom, in the community, in their co-curricular activities, and in their future roles in society.
Service Engagement: Honors & Scholars students commit to service to the community.]

Career

[“Career” is where you can collect information about your experiences and skills that will apply to your future career.  Like your resume, this is information that will evolve over time and should be continually updated.   For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

About Me

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Hello, my name is Michaela Schlegel. I am from Newtown, Pennsylvania (a small town north of Philadelphia) and I attended Notre Dame High School. My family consists of my dad, my mom, my little brother, and my two labrador retrievers. I enjoy spending time with my friends and outdoor activities such as soccer and hiking. My favorite academic subjects include science and history. I plan to major in biology at The Ohio State University with a minor in anthropology.