I am currently a second-year student at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and I plan to go in to Pediatrics after graduating from medical school. Because I attended Georgia Tech for my undergraduate studies, I was exceptionally well prepared for medical school. The rigor of Georgia Tech equipped me to hit the ground running and excel in medical school, thus avoiding some of the challenges my peers faced with the steep workloads. Additionally, the Georgia Tech Biology degree establishes a strong foundation for a career in any of the health professions. I am building upon what I learned at Tech, and I have already found that I understand the difficult concepts with more ease because of my studies at Tech. Not only did the Biology degree prepare me well academically, but it allowed me to pursue my passions outside of the classroom as well. I was able to study abroad through the School of Biology on the Pacific Program. Through an opportunity identified by the School of Biological Sciences, I completed two ORISE Research Fellowships at the CDC in the Newborn Screening and Molecular Biology Branch. Also, I worked for the School of Biological Sciences as a TA in the Bio@Tech summer program and mentored high school students.
Definitely take advantage of everything you can in the School of Biology, but also seek out other experiences through the other colleges on campus, student groups, and if you are interested in health professions, the huge health networks in Atlanta. My last semester at Tech, I took a class in Civil Engineering because it sounded cool. I joined Outdoor Recreation Georgia Tech because I wanted more experience in outdoor adventure sports, and I volunteered at Emory and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta to get connected to healthcare. Study hard, try new things, and be inspired by the amazing peers you have.
Georgia Tech’s School of Biological Sciences and the Biology degree are great, and they definitely helped me to reach my goal of attending medical school to become a doctor. The flexibility of the degree allowed me to take the courses I needed for medical school while also taking classes that were of interest to me outside my academic pursuits. A degree from Georgia Tech carries a great deal of weight in academia, and with it, you will be ready for the challenges beyond undergrad.
