I interviewed Nikita Ashcherkin who is a medical student at the University of Toledo. He told me a lot about his story and the process of getting into medical school, as well as what life is like in medical school. Nikita is from Russia and he moved to the United States when he was 11. He felt that this set him apart from other applicants because he was able to write all about this in his personal statement. He strongly emphasized to do service and other activities that I am truly passionate about so that I am able to talk extensively about them in a personal statement or interview. Nikita also gave me a lot of great advice and little tips about studying for the MCAT and finding the right school for me. We talked a lot about the difference between DO and MD. I am strongly considering the DO path and it was interesting to here his perspective. He applied to DO schools as well as MD schools and had a lot to say about both. Nikita was super helpful and talked to me for almost 2 hours. He even followed up by sending me some information about opportunities that I mentioned I was interested in. It was really great to here someone else’s perspective and their experiences. Nikita gave me a lot of great advice that will definitely help me moving forward.
Month: April 2017
Service: Student Wellness Center BASICS Facilitator Volunteer
During my second year at Ohio State I got involved with volunteering as a BASICS Facilitator at the Student Wellness Center. BASICS stands for Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students and it is a program for Ohio State students who want to explore their alcohol use, but a program geared towards educating them on the harmful consequences of heavy drinking. BASICS focuses on risk reduction and prevention methods for alcohol related problems. It is composed of two one-on-one, 1 hour sessions usually over the course of two weeks. This program is not abstinence based and everything is completely confidential. Most of the students that are sent to BASICS had an offense in the dorms or have to fulfill a court order. We do however, see some self-referrals. I do sessions every Monday and Wednesday from 12-1. I have 21 hours actually in session, 6 hours of monthly meetings, 8 hours of shadowing sessions, and 10 hours of preparing and studying for the actual sessions. I have done 44 hours total of service this year in the Wellness Center. I plan to continue with BASICS. I really love this program because I meet people from all different walks of life. I am also very passionate about providing education about alcohol. Alcohol is so prevalent in our society, especially on a college campus and it is extremely underestimated.
