It is crazy to think of where I was nearly two years at the beginning of my time as a health sciences scholar. I was so eager to leave my mom’s house in my small home town and start what I imagined was going to be a carefree college life (boy,was I wrong). I thought college would be full of making new friends and having fun without the rules of my strict parents. While I have definitely made some lifelong friends and memories in the past two years, I was not prepared for the stress that college would bring. Without the constant guidance of my parents, it took quite a few mistakes and a very unexpected GPA for me to learn how to be a responsible adult.
My first year of college I was a biology major on a pre-medicine track taking difficult math and science courses. As a girl who could handle literally anything on her plate, including four varsity sports, AP classes, National Honor Society president, a serving job, and many other things in high school, I thought focusing on classes alone in college would be a cake walk(yet again I was wrong). I graduated in the top of my high school class without ever studying. So, I thought I could get straight As in college using the same strategy. One of the hardest lessons I have learned is that I can not get by in college without working like crazy. However, I improved my GPA from a 2.9 my first year to a 3.8 this past semester!! If I keep working hard I know that I can raise my GPA high enough to be a competitive medical school applicant.
I would be lying if I said that I haven’t learned a lot about chemistry, biology, and psychology these past two years. But, the truth is, I have learned way more about myself than I have learned in any classroom. I have realized who and what is important and what kind of life I want to lead. I have learned lessons that no textbook can teach you. I came into college a completely different person than the girl who is now finishing up the first half of her undergraduate career.
I plan to spend the next two years continuing to study as hard as possible so I can maintain a good GPA and do well on my MCAT. I plan on becoming more involved in student organizations. I want to continue learning how to balance my time between work, school, and fun. I hope to spend more time with both of my parents and brothers. Even though I know it is not going to be nearly as easy as I thought it would, I still want to attend medical school and become a pediatric surgeon. I am thankful for the health sciences scholars program for helping me get there.