As we prepare for a new academic year and begin a new application cycle, Pre-Health Advising would like to congratulate all of the UVA applicants who gained admission to their health professional program of choice during the 2014-15 application cycle! Those who individually notified us of their success are listed below.
Arian Khorshi, School of Engineering and Applied Science, '14
Alexander Reed, College of Arts and Sciences, '15
Andrew Sanders, College of Arts and Sciences, '15
Brendan Butler, School of Engineering and Applied Science, '12
Carey Stewart, College of Arts and Sciences, '15
Clare Parker, College of Arts and Sciences, '15
Carlo Basilio, College of Arts and Sciences, '13
Caroline Mears, College of Arts and Sciences, '14
Connor Wang, College of Arts and Sciences, '14
Emily Evans, School of Engineering and Applied Science, '14
Janice Park, College of Arts and Sciences, '15
Jessica Chaoul, School of Engineering and Applied Science, '15
Kayla Sheets, College of Arts and Sciences, '14
Keanan McGonigle, College of Arts and Sciences, '14
L. Sun Park, College of Arts and Sciences, '14
Lauren Benoit, Curry School of Education, '15
Margaret Berrigan, College of Arts and Sciences, '14
Nicholas Lee, College of Arts and Sciences, '15
Parker Campanella, College of Arts and Sciences, '15
Sarah Yang, College of Arts and Sciences, '14
Stephanie Sisak, College of Arts and Sciences, '14
Advice from the Alums for New Applicants
"Remember
that everyone has a different path to medical school. Study hard, but
also partake in the activities you enjoy, even if it is not directly
related to medicine. The process is just as important as the outcome,
and every step of your journey will be meaningful on the application and
interviews."
-Sun
"Remember that whatever you want to accomplish in life, medicine is not the only path that can get you there. Finishing this commitment takes nearly a decade, so be certain before you commit. Make sure whatever reason you have for pursuing medicine is not dependent on others -- you should want to take this path for yourself, not just for someone else. It's neither easy and short, nor cheap, but it can be extremely rewarding!"
-Arian
"Start as early as possible on the personal statement. If you start thinking about it months or years ahead of time, you will have more time to allow others to read your statement, and gain the clinical experience necessary for writing a good one."
-Alexander
"Shadow in a variety of specialties and clinics (i.e. private practices,Mission of Mercy projects, free clinics in underdeveloped countries, etc.). I enjoyed working alongside and learning from dentists, dental students, and other pre-dental students. This helped me flesh out the details of my dental career vision (research vs. serviced based, working alone vs. starting an associate practice, etc.)."
-Sarah
"1) A bridge year to work as a medical scribe was a great idea.2) Consider osteopathic schools. 3) Start studying for the MCAT sooner than you think. 4) Apply for scholarships."
-Caroline
"Do
try to do all the pre-med things: get clinical experience, do research,
study hard, take practice MCATs, but also find something you really,
truly enjoy completely outside of medicine. Don't do it for your resume,
do it for you. Pursue it, look to take on leadership roles in it, have
fun with it! Even if you don't start out doing it for your resume, this
will provide a whole new facet to your application and make you unique,
so don't tamp it down in order to push forward all your medical
experiences. Plus, it will give you lots to talk about on your
applications and in your interviews!
-Janice
"Take advantage of the College Council's Take Your Professor Out to Lunch program each semester. I greatly value the stories and words of wisdom I gained from getting to know professors one-on-one. I also really recommend this for pre-dental students who feel unprepared for professional situations such as dental school interviews."
-Sarah
"Get applications in as soon as possible. The sooner you get the primary application in, the sooner you get the medical school's secondary application. It's all rolling admission so you want to give yourself the best chance by getting your application in early. Also, think about how you can distinguish yourself from your peers. Almost every school's application had a "what makes you unique?" type of question, so think of out-of-the-box ways to answer that."
-Andrew
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*This is not a complete list of UVA applicants who were admitted. If
you are a UVA grad who would like to be recognized here for successful
admission to a health professional program in the '14-15 cycle, contact
Jessica at jgbowers@virginia.edu.
