Academic Enrichment: Please interview an upperclassmen who is pursuing a similar major/career path. Take about 15-20 minutes in asking them specific questions regarding the intended career path and how they are preparing themselves.

One upperclassman I spoke with is also a Health Sciences Scholar named Tyler. I first met him when he gave a presentation on LGBTQ health in my residence hall, and his style of presenting kept me engaged and made me hooked on his every word! He was animated and descriptive, and most importantly, I could tell he had a passion for educating his peers. On October 25, 2016, I conducted an informational interview with Tyler because I was interested in finding out more about him. He’s a senior who will graduate with a Bachelor’s of Public Health – Environmental Health specialization and then proceed on his journey to medical school! Tyler is a Resident Advisor for Park-Stradley (from second through fourth year), and is an Ohio Department of Health Certified HIV/STI Test Counselor.(Even though my BSPH specialization is Sociology and I plan on achieving an MPH, not an MD or DO degree, I found our conversation enlightening.)

Coming into OSU as a freshman, Tyler was sure he’d major in Anthropology because he loved the multidisciplinary aspect of using knowledge from fields like science and history. However, he soon realized he wanted to focus on living people’s health issues. During orientation, he spoke with an advisor for the College of Public Health, a guy named Guy. In our college, the advisors and students are all supportive, and he did not see any competitiveness like he witnessed in other OSU departments. Furthermore, because of the small, tight-knit atmosphere of the college, it was easier to build connections with other students and faculty and staff. I definitely agree with him on that aspect! The advisors, especially Guy, really try to establish a personal relationship with you. Also, our advisors have been here for years; they have wisdom from seeing hundreds of students and know the personalities of the public health professors.

Having an undergraduate degree in Public Health is valuable and applicable to the field of medicine. Many pre-med students go the traditional route of majoring in Bio or Chemistry but not many colleges offer public health, so there’s unique experiences and knowledge we BSPH majors offer; we learn the importance of using preventive medicine, and we learn about biostatistics and epidemiology, which others may not even touch during their studies. According to Tyler, his academics made him more attractive to medical schools because public health gives you a humanistic approach to healthcare.

Tyler gave me a brief overview of the MCAT process, which is an astounding, grueling 8 hours at a desktop computer! He spent a whole semester studying for it, and his public health background prepared him to ace the psychology/sociology section! I admire his physical and mental stamina, and he provided me a piece of advice that’s going to stick with me during school. He only took the MCAT once and that was enough for him; if a school wasn’t going to accept him just because of the score, he wouldn’t want to go to the school anyways because he had much more to offer.

We discussed his favorite and least favorite classes, as well as his internship/extracurricular experiences. He made me excited for Intro to Global Public Health; “you learn for the sake of learning, not to get a grade.” That class has you conducting a TED-talk-like presentation to your peers about a health topic of your choice! Furthermore, as I mentioned earlier, he is an RA and HIV test counselor, both of which require interpersonal and problem-solving skills, among other characteristics. I think those roles help prepare him for working with diverse populations of people and helping them navigate their healthcare/self-care. Tyler is for-sure well-rounded who knows what he wants and has made great advances during undergraduate to prepare for medical school.

This interview confirmed my desires to pursue public health and helped give me more of an idea about what my major courses, professors and advisors would be like. I also love how with public health, the career opportunities are endless and applicable to many real-world situations. He implanted into my head the idea of becoming an HIV counselor so I can get to help my peers with situations they may not be comfortable in. Sexual health is important and it’s often not conveyed properly or comprehensively in school education, so having peer counselors may make it easier for students to ask questions and partake in better actions to stay happy and STI-free!
Thanks Tyler for sharing your experiences with me!!!