Posted on by vuukat

What I Learned throughout my First Year in College

College, where students strive to discover a major, find a job, and develop new experiences and skills to keep. Last year, I came into the University of Washington Bothell as a first year student and believe me, I was not prepared to face the reality of college. Throughout that whole year, I learned so many things that I never expected to hold onto, whether if it was academically or personally. And I decided to share with you some of the main things that I have held onto ever since!

Disclaimer: Everyone has a different experience with their first year in college. These may not apply to your personal experiences but can be useful to keep in mind for the future.

 

  • Time really does go by fast

Although Freshman Year was as long as any other school year, it personally felt like three whole months to me. And it sounds crazy to say that college can go by so quickly. If Freshman Year felt like three months, I can’t imagine what the rest of my college journey would feel like time wise. Depending on the person, some people would think a year of college is more like a century while others think it is more as a few months. So do remember to make the most out of your time in college!

  • Adjusting to college schedules takes time

When comparing high school schedules to college schedules, the number of differences are endless. If you were a full time student or did not do Running Start in high school, then it can take a week or so to get used to your college schedules. Unless your classes are a part of a series, it is difficult to “reset” your mind for new schedules. What I suggest is to have an idea of where all of your classes are before the quarter starts by going to the area(s) where each class will be held in.

  • Making connections on campus is more exciting than you think

It is not initially easy to get used to a college environment so what I highly recommend is to make connections, big or small, around your campus and see what opportunities there are for you to look at! Because I work in the library as a Circulation Student Assistant, it is easy for me to make connections with the library staff as well as the patrons who often check in and out items. Outside of work and class, I am a member of the Vietnamese Student Association (VSA). I feel like when you join a club, you get a lot out of it; you are able to make new friends, bring dedication or commitment, and experience what it’s like to be in a group with similar interests!

  • It’s okay to not know what you really want to do when you are in college

People expect college students have a plan set for a specific major that they’d want to fulfill, even before you set foot in your college journey. Having this expectation in your head can result in a lot of pressure and anxiety, if you ask me. I have seen a lot of my friends second guessing themselves or worrying that they have made the wrong decision towards a major. Sometimes, it’s hard to try to fulfill one major and follow through with it until the end of your college career. No matter what, it is 100% okay to re-think your plan and revise it in a way that will make you happy!

  • Always. Have. A. Planner.

Keeping track of ALL important academic dates is a HUGE priority to keep in mind. So for me, I like to keep my planner and a few pens in my bag in case something comes up in my schedule. For some people, it’s hard to find time to organize what you’re going to do every single week. So what I like to do is find some time at the beginning of every week and write down any upcoming assignment due dates or event dates that I know and then list out what things I need to prioritize first during that week.

  • Stepping out of your comfort zone can be scary

Although I consider myself as a social butterfly around people, I was once someone who was so shy that I couldn’t even make eye contact with anyone. Becoming more out in the open is not a trait that you can obtain immediately; it takes small steps to really develop an open mind towards making new friends. I find it simple to make new friends by initiating small talk (a “how are you” or a “how’s your day?” can make an impact towards someone!) and find common ideas or ask questions to make a conversation!

  • Take advantage of your free time

In college, you’d think that you don’t have to worry about anything and you would have plenty of time to do things. Well, those expectations are false. As a matter of fact, it’s even hard to find time to settle down and study, especially if you’re up on your feet going to your classes or have an active job. So when you have some free time, make use out of it! Cherish that amount of time by doing something you don’t normally do, such as catching up on your TV shows, or reading a book. It’s okay to take a break because overworking yourself can cause a lot of stress on your shoulders.

  • Make as many memories as you can!

I learned that once you get out of school, it’s hard to find time to spend with your friends and family, especially since you might have a job or continue your education somewhere else. So when you do get a chance, go out and make some fun plans (i.e. admire some aesthetic outdoor views or have a movie night at someone’s house) with those who you love! Not only does it help you relax from all that college stress, but it also makes you realize that it become harder to find time to be with people close to you. Be sure to find a way to capture the moment by taking photos or writing about it in your notebook!

 

To all upcoming first year students, my personal advice to you is that college will not be as easy as you may think. But don’t let that restrain you from living your life! There is always a way to find balance between your life in college and outside of college, and not many people realize it. Everyone has to discover that balance on their own since we are different from one another. The various things that you learn in college can help in your career, such as expressing your communication skills, or using your leadership skills in a team. College is a great place to practice any professional skills, while keeping that balance of social skills and fun when exposed to a variety of people with different backgrounds, ideas, and values. So remember to have fun exploring and learning new things throughout your college journey!

Posted on by libraryvoices

My Extraordinary Summer at UW SHPEP 2018

About a year or so ago, I found myself in the office of the pre-health advisor at UW Bothell. This was my first appointment with her since fully deciding that I wanted to be a physician. During our meeting we discussed the classes I should take, extracurricular activities that I’m interested in, and what being pre-med would mean for me. Near the end of our meeting she showed me a flyer that had the letters SHPEP written on it and suggested that I should try applying for the program the following year (since I had nearly missed the deadline for that year). When I first heard of SHPEP I did not have very much confidence that I would be selected to attend the program, but I told myself that I would still apply anyway because it was something productive that I could spend my summer doing. This summer, I had the privilege of attending the Summer Health Professions Program (SHPEP, previously known as: Summer Medical and Dental Education Program or SMDEP) at the UW Seattle campus. This was an intensive 6-week long program with the purpose of preparing pre-health students succeed at getting into a professional school and becoming a health professional. SHPEP has several different pathways that you can apply to including: medicine, dentistry, optometry, nursing, pharmacy, physical therapy, and physician assistant. SHPEP has different sites around the U.S. but the pathways they offer vary, for example I took part in the SHPEP program at the University of Washington and this site offered the medicine, dentistry, and public health pathways. But, if you were interested in the optometry pathway, then you would want to apply to the Western University of Health Sciences and University of Alabama Birmingham sites (more about where to apply if you’re interested in a certain program can be found here). I will be focusing the majority of this post on the medical pathways because this was the pathway that I was in, but I can also give a little insight on the dentistry and public health pathways.

There were several parts to this program but the main categories included: career prep, pathways, science/math classes, shadowing, and career exploration. My favorite part of the program by far were the shadowing days. A few weeks prior to the program we were assigned to a physician or a few physicians (dentists or public health sites if those were your pathway) which we would shadow, to see what being in that professional position would be like. Before SHPEP, I did not have the chance to shadow, so going into the program would be the first time that I would be able to shadow a physician. I was assigned to three hospitalists (doctors who take care of you while you’re an inpatient in the hospital) at Harborview Medical Center. Prior to this experience I had spent time being a COPE Health Scholar, which although rewarding in many aspects, I did not thoroughly enjoy for several reasons. Because of my previous experience volunteering in a post surgery wing of a large hospital, I thought I would not enjoy the experience of shadowing hospitalists of a big city hospital whose patient population was not one many would want to work with. HMC is located in downtown Seattle, being in a big city means you get just about everything through those doors. The first day of shadowing I came in with a bit of a negative idea of what it would be like to be in a big hospital again, but I had no idea what it would be like to be in the position of the physician with the responsibility of several lives on their shoulders. I had no idea that the role was so interdisciplinary, and required more soft skills like empathy, listening, and compassion rather than hard science. I was extremely fortunate to shadow three physicians who showed a tremendous amount of passion for their work, and who inspire me to one day be that type of physician to my future patients.

Another aspect of the SHPEP program included being divided up into our respective pathways and having guest speakers like physicians and deans of admission from the medical school. During this time we were able to ask any questions that we may have had about the application process to medical school, what medical school will be like, and what is expected of a “good applicant”. The end-goal of the program is to motivate participants and prepare them to attend a professional school and then serve “disadvantaged” populations.

One of the greater parts of the program were the science and math classes offered by SHPEP. These classes were not classes that you could take for credit, they’re designed to enhance your knowledge in these topics, or to serve as an intro to a class with low stakes. It is a low stake environment, because all of the “graded” work does not end up on your transcript. The quizzes and exams that were taken throughout the courses were to help us see where we were in our learning and where we could improve. The science classes offered at UW SHPEP 2018 were General Biology (with an emphasis on anatomy and physiology of humans), General Chemistry, and Organic Chemistry. The math classes offered to all of us was Bio Statistics with a brief introduction to R (a programming language that is often used for statistics). All the classes were taught very well, the only drawback was that the classes were early, and began promptly at 8:30 every morning.

Every Tuesday we had the opportunity to try out a new or familiar healthcare/science related activity. These Tuesday activities included: a dental simulation, a nursing simulation, a tour/walk through and hands on activities in a research lab, as well as a CPR class where we could get CPR certified by the end of it. The dental and nursing simulations were my favorite Tuesday activities, I enjoyed the dental simulation so much that I considered dental school for a second (but my heart belongs to medicine). In the dental simulation we were able to make molds of teeth, build teeth (out of wax), and learn how to suture. In the nursing simulation we were able to listen to our heartbeats using ultrasound and a stethoscope, we were also able to take the blood pressure of each other and participate in a “coding simulation”. In this simulation, our “patient” was a mannequin that could breathe and we could take vitals from. The purpose of the simulation was to show us what it would be like to have our “patient’s” heart stop and have us respond to it (we were all safely guided through the process and were able to revive our mannequin). I think this aspect of the program was really good for people who may still have been on the fence about what healthcare career path they wanted to go into.

SHPEP was an incredible intellectually stimulating program, but it was also overall a really fun time and worth spending 6-weeks worth of your summer attending. The administration at UW SHPEP made sure that all the scholars felt welcome and part of a community. We had a lot of community building time and outdoor activities together. Some of these community building activities included a hiking trip to Mount Rainier National Park, a Fourth of July picnic at Golden Gardens, and town hall meetings every week where we could discuss how the previous week had gone and where we could improve. SHPEP was also able to provide a stipend for the program and payed for most meals and our entire stay. If you were to apply to a SHPEP program that is out state then your travel would be mostly if not completely paid for, which makes the opportunity even more appealing.

I would say that this has been so far one of the best and most productive summers of my life. I’ve reaffirmed my passion for medicine, I’ve expanded my network and made good mentors, and I had a lot of fun doing it. I would strongly recommend applying for SHPEP and attending if you have the chance if you’re interested in healthcare. A very important piece of advice I can give, is to apply early and get everything sorted out ASAP. Once you’re in the program you will also need to send in immunizations and other forms, you will also want to get this done ASAP or you could risk being dropped from the program or unable to shadow while you’re there.

One of the biggest takeaways I got was that there is no single “perfect” application, and everyone’s path will vary. This message can be used by anyone attempting to apply to a professional school, and really anyone alive in general. Everyone’s path is going to vary so we should focus more on ourselves rather than compare ourselves to others. My path from here on forward is my own to make, but the tools that SHPEP has made me more confident than ever that I will be a physician one day. I’ve also been inspired by the wonderful doctors that I’ve shadowed, to maybe even be a hospitalist (something I had thought I’d crossed off my list already). If I had not taken the risk and applied for this program, I would not be as motivated as I am now to keep going. It is important to believe in yourself and listen to the people around you who believe in you too, use this to achieve things you thought were impossible and continue to have faith in yourself.