July 11, 2008
I can finally take a sigh of relief! Exams are over, and today, I graduated from SEP.
This week has possibly been the most stressful, but rewarding week of the program. I feel like I performed to the best of my ability on my exams, but I feel like I did exceptionally well on my Quantitative Skills final! The past couple days have been spent doing some last minute packing and spending time with my friends before we go our separate ways. Yesterday, we had lunch with Ms. Benton and Ms. Borden, and reflected on the past eight weeks here at UNC. I am excited for the future because I can’t wait to work with my current classmates in the healthcare field.
The graduation ceremony was sentimental, although I couldn’t help but laugh as I, along with my classmates, almost slipped and fell on the stage! I rooted for my peers that were presented with classroom awards and the top three rankings, as they were well deserved. I can look back on the program and know that I have improved academically, and will definitely use this experience in the near future at my home institution. I hope to remain in contact with all my classmates, as well as the teachers and contacts that I have made in the pharmacy field as I continue on my journey through undergrad and proceed to apply to pharmacy school.
I am grateful for this opportunity, and thank Ms. Borden, Ms. Benton, Ms. Hardy, and Ms. Harris for giving me the chance to blog my experiences at SEP and share them with others. If you are a prospective student, apply to SEP early! Don’t be discouraged by the course descriptions or the length of the program. If you are serious about your future, then a difficult class or a lengthy stay at a great university should not sway your opinion.
The staff at SEP is so welcoming and helpful, as they truly want you to succeed. So once you apply, get accepted, and attend your first orientation at the program, listen carefully to Ms. Benton’s words. She’ll tell you that we’re a family, and you may be a little apprehensive. But after enduring eight weeks of late-night studying, running after Chapel Hill transit buses, helping each other stay awake after an exhausting night, getting lost around campus during the first few days, sharing groceries because everybody is stingy over their stipend, and the crazy van rides to off-campus tours, you truly will be a family.
Continue to reach for your dreams and I wish everyone the best of luck for the future.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Monday, July 7, 2008
The Not-So-Gross Anatomy Tour!
On Wednesday morning, two teacher assistants from the MED Program came over to give us a Gross Anatomy tour, which is a class most students must take during medical school. We couldn’t actually visit the lab because a class was using it, so they brought freeze-dried slides to our classroom. The slides actually resembled the BODIES Exhibition that came to Southpoint Mall last year, where real cadavers are preserved for further research or exhibitions.
My group received a large slide of an elderly man’s head where we could see parts of his cerebellum, the remnants of arteries that flow to the brain, his nasal cavities, and even a part of his ear! Next, we saw a slide of the thorax which included the lungs, a small part of the heart, ribs, and the spinal cord. The teacher assistant’s told us that the MED students have to dissect a cadaver’s torso, but in medical school, you actually have to dissect from head to toe!
Although that might seem gross to some, I’d actually LOVE to dissect a cadaver and hold a real brain or heart in my very own hands! After analyzing the rest of the slides, we could ask the TA’s questions about the MED program, their undergraduate experience, and the ins and outs of their first year of medical school. I really enjoyed getting an African American female’s perspective on science and the medical field, and I received some great advice. The TA’s, Cintasha and Kira, were very inspiring and were living proof that African American females CAN be intelligent and successful (as if I didn’t know that before! ) Because of them, I am considering medicine as a second career choice after pharmacy.
It’s now crunch time as our final exams begin next week. Wish me luck!
My group received a large slide of an elderly man’s head where we could see parts of his cerebellum, the remnants of arteries that flow to the brain, his nasal cavities, and even a part of his ear! Next, we saw a slide of the thorax which included the lungs, a small part of the heart, ribs, and the spinal cord. The teacher assistant’s told us that the MED students have to dissect a cadaver’s torso, but in medical school, you actually have to dissect from head to toe!
Although that might seem gross to some, I’d actually LOVE to dissect a cadaver and hold a real brain or heart in my very own hands! After analyzing the rest of the slides, we could ask the TA’s questions about the MED program, their undergraduate experience, and the ins and outs of their first year of medical school. I really enjoyed getting an African American female’s perspective on science and the medical field, and I received some great advice. The TA’s, Cintasha and Kira, were very inspiring and were living proof that African American females CAN be intelligent and successful (as if I didn’t know that before! ) Because of them, I am considering medicine as a second career choice after pharmacy.
It’s now crunch time as our final exams begin next week. Wish me luck!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
NC Health Professions Recruitment Fair
This past weekend, the SEP Program was invited to attend the NC Health Profession Recruitment Fair alongside other enrichment programs, such as the Medical Education Development (MED) Program based at UNC, and the Summer Medical and Dental Education Program (SMDEP) based at Duke University.
Friday consisted of various workshops that tackled subjects such as “How to Be a Competitive Applicant,” and there was even a talent show! On Saturday morning, we were treated to a delicious breakfast and a mock interview session prior to the start of the actual fair. Coming to the fair, I already expected few pharmacy programs to be in attendance because my program, along with the two programs I’ve already mentioned, basically consist of students interested in medicine and dentistry.
Campbell University was the only pharmacy school present, but they’re located in Buies Creek, NC, which is entirely too close to my hometown! So, as I walked around and met different recruiters, I asked if their university had pharmacy schools, or an MPH (Masters in Public Health) program. Some responded politely, while some recruiters looked at me as if they didn’t know why I’d ask such a question at a predominately medicine-based recruitment fair.
Nevertheless, I picked up some great information. I really liked the organization of the fair, and the variety of graduate and professional schools that were represented. In addition, the information at the workshops was helpful in preparing for the application process, regardless if your interests were in pharmacy or medicine. Hopefully, I’ll be able to attend in years to come and there will be more pharmacy schools in attendance!
Friday consisted of various workshops that tackled subjects such as “How to Be a Competitive Applicant,” and there was even a talent show! On Saturday morning, we were treated to a delicious breakfast and a mock interview session prior to the start of the actual fair. Coming to the fair, I already expected few pharmacy programs to be in attendance because my program, along with the two programs I’ve already mentioned, basically consist of students interested in medicine and dentistry.
Campbell University was the only pharmacy school present, but they’re located in Buies Creek, NC, which is entirely too close to my hometown! So, as I walked around and met different recruiters, I asked if their university had pharmacy schools, or an MPH (Masters in Public Health) program. Some responded politely, while some recruiters looked at me as if they didn’t know why I’d ask such a question at a predominately medicine-based recruitment fair.
Nevertheless, I picked up some great information. I really liked the organization of the fair, and the variety of graduate and professional schools that were represented. In addition, the information at the workshops was helpful in preparing for the application process, regardless if your interests were in pharmacy or medicine. Hopefully, I’ll be able to attend in years to come and there will be more pharmacy schools in attendance!
Monday, June 2, 2008
Quiz, quiz, quiz
Last Friday, we had quizzes in Organic Chemistry and Human Physiology. I feel that I did pretty well on both, but Physiology is going to require more studying than I originally thought! Both subjects are very important to me, because I want to do well in them whenever I return to NCCU. Plus, these courses are prerequisites for several Pharmacy schools. Speaking of pharmacy school, we get to tour the UNC Eschelman School of Pharmacy on Monday. I’m so excited, especially since UNC is my first choice for earning my professional degree!
E=MC2
May 22, 2008
Today marks our fourth day of classes, with several more to go! On Tuesdays and Thursdays, our schedule consists of Quantitative Skills and Physics for three hours each. These days, by far, are the longest ever! I’m having a pretty tough time in Physics. It’s VERY different from the Honors Physics class I took in high school. I try to take as many notes as I can, and follow our professor as he’s doing problems, but there’s SO many things to pay attention to that I become really confused! Tonight, we had SI (Supplemental Instruction) with our Math and Physics tutors, and they help out a lot. We have a test coming up in both classes, so I just have to study hard in the coming weeks!
Today marks our fourth day of classes, with several more to go! On Tuesdays and Thursdays, our schedule consists of Quantitative Skills and Physics for three hours each. These days, by far, are the longest ever! I’m having a pretty tough time in Physics. It’s VERY different from the Honors Physics class I took in high school. I try to take as many notes as I can, and follow our professor as he’s doing problems, but there’s SO many things to pay attention to that I become really confused! Tonight, we had SI (Supplemental Instruction) with our Math and Physics tutors, and they help out a lot. We have a test coming up in both classes, so I just have to study hard in the coming weeks!
Friday, May 23, 2008
Up for the challenge
Last weekend, my family and I moved my sister and me into our dorm, marking the beginning of the SEP Program here at UNC. Although I’ve been to tons of summer programs before, I still have the same little nervous, but excited feeling right before Orientation begins.
Luckily, several of my classmates from NCCU are also participating in this program, so it was comforting to know that I’d have my own little family here to support me, and more importantly, stick out those future all-nighters with me!
Ms. Borden and Ms. Benton were very enthusiastic about the program during their introductions and words of welcome, so that made me feel that though this program would be a challenge, I’d have their encouragement the entire way.
It just so happened that Dorian Brown, the SEP alum who came back to share his experience, is interested in pharmacy, just as I am. After Orientation, we were split up into groups for the scavenger hunt. Coincidentally, my group consisted of three UNC students, so we moved around campus fairly quickly and actually won the hunt!
The next day, Sunday, felt like one of the longest ever! We had to take four pre-tests in the subjects of Physics, Biostatistics/Quantitative Skills, Physiology, and Organic Chemistry. Even though the professors insisted that we not stress out about the material, I couldn’t help but feel somewhat unprepared. However, the purpose of a pre-test is to mark how much prior learning you’ve had, that way, the teachers can modify the curriculum as needed. I felt like I performed to the best of my ability, but I know that there is much more I need to learn during the next eight weeks.
Today was our first day of classes. Talk about a LONG day! It totally beat out the day before! At my university, I am used to having fifty minute courses, but here at SEP, the courses range from two to three hours. So, on top of still recovering from a long semester at NCCU that just ended a little over a week ago, I had to jump back into “school mode” quickly! My professors were friendly and show a great passion for their work, which I feel will translate into their teaching styles. Lunch came and went, and after our last class of the day, I headed straight back to my dorm for a nap! The schedule is quite demanding and will take some adjusting, but I will be fine.
SEP seems rigorous, but so much more rewarding. From the first day, I can tell that I will be challenged throughout this summer, but I will return to NCCU with so much more knowledge than before. I wanted to attend the program because of my interest in Pharmacy. Sure, I know the job description of a pharmacist. I know what they study, the certain prerequisites I need to take in undergrad and my prospective pharmacy schools, but as Dorian said at Orientation, I need to find the passion behind it. I want to get a small taste of pharmacy school, as well as shadow a professional in the field to make sure that this is the exact career I want to pursue for the rest of my life. I am anxiously anticipating the coming weeks. Wish me luck!
Luckily, several of my classmates from NCCU are also participating in this program, so it was comforting to know that I’d have my own little family here to support me, and more importantly, stick out those future all-nighters with me!
Ms. Borden and Ms. Benton were very enthusiastic about the program during their introductions and words of welcome, so that made me feel that though this program would be a challenge, I’d have their encouragement the entire way.
It just so happened that Dorian Brown, the SEP alum who came back to share his experience, is interested in pharmacy, just as I am. After Orientation, we were split up into groups for the scavenger hunt. Coincidentally, my group consisted of three UNC students, so we moved around campus fairly quickly and actually won the hunt!
The next day, Sunday, felt like one of the longest ever! We had to take four pre-tests in the subjects of Physics, Biostatistics/Quantitative Skills, Physiology, and Organic Chemistry. Even though the professors insisted that we not stress out about the material, I couldn’t help but feel somewhat unprepared. However, the purpose of a pre-test is to mark how much prior learning you’ve had, that way, the teachers can modify the curriculum as needed. I felt like I performed to the best of my ability, but I know that there is much more I need to learn during the next eight weeks.
Today was our first day of classes. Talk about a LONG day! It totally beat out the day before! At my university, I am used to having fifty minute courses, but here at SEP, the courses range from two to three hours. So, on top of still recovering from a long semester at NCCU that just ended a little over a week ago, I had to jump back into “school mode” quickly! My professors were friendly and show a great passion for their work, which I feel will translate into their teaching styles. Lunch came and went, and after our last class of the day, I headed straight back to my dorm for a nap! The schedule is quite demanding and will take some adjusting, but I will be fine.
SEP seems rigorous, but so much more rewarding. From the first day, I can tell that I will be challenged throughout this summer, but I will return to NCCU with so much more knowledge than before. I wanted to attend the program because of my interest in Pharmacy. Sure, I know the job description of a pharmacist. I know what they study, the certain prerequisites I need to take in undergrad and my prospective pharmacy schools, but as Dorian said at Orientation, I need to find the passion behind it. I want to get a small taste of pharmacy school, as well as shadow a professional in the field to make sure that this is the exact career I want to pursue for the rest of my life. I am anxiously anticipating the coming weeks. Wish me luck!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Small town girl with big dreams
John Mitchell once said, “Our attitude towards life determines life’s attitude towards us.”
I positively believe that my purpose driven life will be full of valuable lessons not only for myself, but for those I come into contact with as well. For the past seventeen years, I have been raised in the small rural town of Roseboro, North Carolina. With a population of 1500, and few college educated citizens, Sampson County had little to offer considering the future that I desired to obtain. My motivation to broaden my horizons beyond the small city limits is the result of the traditional family upbringing of my nurturing parents. Being first generation college graduates, they realized the importance of higher education. I have always been an incredibly driven and focused student, but also an outgoing person who loves to be active and make a change.
In June 2007, I graduated from Lakewood High School within the top ten percentage of my class with a 4.2 grade point average. Unfortunately, my school was considered underprivileged due to the lack of Advanced Placement courses. I did not allow this to hinder my education; instead, I took classes at the local community college to earn college credit. I also participated in summer academic camps and two internships to further the knowledge I already acquired in my high school classes. My honors and college level courses taught me to overcome challenges and to push myself to finish what I’ve begun.
After receiving my bachelor’s degree in biology with a concentration in pharmaceutical sciences, I hope to earn my PharmD from Hampton University or the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. My ultimate goal is to become a clinical research pharmacist at a federal health agency, such as the Centers for Disease Control, National Institutes of Health, or the Food and Drug Administration. I want to perform medical trials on new drugs, monitor patients, and approve the drug’s efficiency for possible release to the market. I plan to specialize in a disease treatment area that directly affects African American women, such as diabetes or ovarian cancer.
I positively believe that my purpose driven life will be full of valuable lessons not only for myself, but for those I come into contact with as well. For the past seventeen years, I have been raised in the small rural town of Roseboro, North Carolina. With a population of 1500, and few college educated citizens, Sampson County had little to offer considering the future that I desired to obtain. My motivation to broaden my horizons beyond the small city limits is the result of the traditional family upbringing of my nurturing parents. Being first generation college graduates, they realized the importance of higher education. I have always been an incredibly driven and focused student, but also an outgoing person who loves to be active and make a change.
In June 2007, I graduated from Lakewood High School within the top ten percentage of my class with a 4.2 grade point average. Unfortunately, my school was considered underprivileged due to the lack of Advanced Placement courses. I did not allow this to hinder my education; instead, I took classes at the local community college to earn college credit. I also participated in summer academic camps and two internships to further the knowledge I already acquired in my high school classes. My honors and college level courses taught me to overcome challenges and to push myself to finish what I’ve begun.
After receiving my bachelor’s degree in biology with a concentration in pharmaceutical sciences, I hope to earn my PharmD from Hampton University or the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. My ultimate goal is to become a clinical research pharmacist at a federal health agency, such as the Centers for Disease Control, National Institutes of Health, or the Food and Drug Administration. I want to perform medical trials on new drugs, monitor patients, and approve the drug’s efficiency for possible release to the market. I plan to specialize in a disease treatment area that directly affects African American women, such as diabetes or ovarian cancer.
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