Seniors headed to medical school after graduation

It is that time of year again when seniors are putting last-minute touches on their plans for life after graduation.

"I applied to eight schools all across the country," said Bryn Allen, who is going to the Medical University of South Carolina's College of Dental Medicine for the next four years. "I went to interviews at Tufts, University of Louisville and MUSC, and was accepted to all three before deciding to go to MUSC."

Chris Shank is also going to medical school, but said he was not entirely sure what he wanted to do while there.

"I am going to a medical school called Uniformed Services University School of Medicine, which is affiliated with the Army, Navy, Air Force and Public Health Service," he said. "I am not totally sure what kind of physician I would like to be, but I am leaning toward becoming a surgeon for the Navy."

Both Allen and Shank said that they were planning on going back to school right away, rather than taking a break.

Shank said, "I am going straight to medical school and out into the 'real world.' I am happy to go straight to medical school because my career path involves many years of school. I don't want to be in school until I am 35 or 40 years old."

Dalsher Nagra said he was going to take a year off before continuing with school.

"I'm going to take a gap year, go home and hopefully get more clinical experience before applying to medical schools this summer," said Nagra, who has already applied for fellowships at Geisinger Medical Center in Pennsylvania.

Shank said he went to the Career Development Center and they were very helpful.

"All pre-med/pre-dental/pre-vet students go through a campus interview process before they receive a committee letter of recommendation from a faculty member committee called the Health Professions Adviser Committee," Shank said. "The CDC also sends your individual letters electronically as part of a package of letters to each professional school. If you are on the same career track, I would recommend taking advantage of the CDC."

John Vaughan, director of pre-health education at the university and the organizer of the HPAC, explained the science behind the committee.

"The main work of the committee is to write letters of evaluation for Richmond students and recent alumni during their application year to professional school," he said. "Each HPAC letter is based upon the committee's review of the candidate's curriculum vitae, transcripts, supporting letters of recommendation, personal essays and a formal interview."

Allen said even though it was a good idea for underclassmen to have a general idea of what they wanted to do, it was not necessary to know for sure until later.

"Just do as many different things as you can during your time here and hopefully you'll find something you will enjoy post-college," he said. "I would definitely recommend using the CDC's services."

Shank said he knew right from the beginning of college what he wanted to do with his life.

"I always knew that I wanted to go into medicine, but I wasn't sure about going into the Navy," he said. "My father and my grandfather served in the military. ... I always admired them for their service to the country and USU School of Medicine would allow me to follow in their footsteps."

Nagra said he was not entirely sure what profession he wanted to pursue after graduation, but he had an idea.

"A medical relief trip to Nicaragua over spring break solidified the idea of going to medical school," he said. While there, he found out that "primary care physicians are in shortage and it is very important to fill that need. Clinical experience got me familiar with primary care and, as of now, that is the only field I really know."

Vaughan said, "The best way for a student to determine if a health profession career is a good fit is to expose themselves to the profession in question." He said he would meet with students individually to help them with their application process.

Both Allen and Shank said they were going to miss the relationships they have formed with friends most of all after leaving Richmond.

Shank said his professors had been a big help when he was preparing for medical school.

"I don't know of any other university where the professors are as helpful or the classes are as interesting," he said.

Nagra offered advice to underclassmen who may be confused as to what they want to do after college.

"Stay as open-minded as possible," he said, "and make use of what the school is giving you. Everyone leaves here with knowledge that can be used anywhere in life."

Contact Collegian Reporter Charlotte Brackett at charlotte.brackett@richmond.edu