My Most Productive Summer Yet
Hello all! It has been a while since I have been in the blogosphere, but I assure you, I have been quite busy utilizing my time productively this summer. I am just finishing up my time at a nationwide program called Summer Medical and Dental Education Program (SMDEP). There are many institutions that host this program, including Duke, Columbia, and Louisville. I am at the Case Western Reserve University site, and I am loving it. This is my first time in Cleveland, Ohio. Born and raised in Rochester and staying there for college really allows me to enjoy the change of travel and staying in other cities.
I am getting way ahead of myself. Let me start from the beginning. After finals, I flew down to St. Petersburg, Florida, for my first visit to the sunshine state at 19 years old. I was visiting my father's side of the family down there, and I loved it! I went to Disney World, Busch Gardens, Sea World, multiple beaches, and spent some time in Tampa for baseball games and the night life. I fell in love with it down there, and I was so sad to leave. Between constant sun, the heat, the water, and the cultural diversity, Florida is now y favorite place to be. I cannot wait to go back! It was a nice break from the crazy finals of my sophomore year, and ended up being a great transition to my travels in Ohio.
Soon after I came back from Florida, I took the five-hour drive by myself to Case Western for SMDEP. I applied for the program last fall semester and was accepted in February. The program is basically meant to help the diverse (in any aspect, not just race) experience medicine and strengthen them as applicants for medical and dental school. We take classes to strengthen our core science skills, writing abilities, and get to experience the field of medicine in Case's associated hospital, UH Hospitals. I have shadowed doctors in the ER, family medicine, internal medicine, and more. It has been an eye opening experience, and has definitely strengthened my love for medicine, making me more confident in my career choice. We also have had the opportunity to meet deans of admissions of many medical schools, professors, doctors, and many other positions of importance. Basically, I am leaving this program with grounded knowledge in the sciences, many connections, and experiences that I would not have gotten anywhere else.
I could write an essay about everything I have done here, but to make this more reasonable, I am going to make a short list of my highlights of this summer.
1. Florida: Like I said earlier, escaping the bipolar weather of Rochester and living in Florida for two weeks was by far the best vacation I have ever had.
2. Niagara Falls: Some of us in SMDEP who had cars took a four-hour drive to the American side of Niagara Falls one weekend. It is a beautiful place and was a great experience, establishing great memories to hold onto forever.
3. Cedar Point: I love amusement parks, and going to the Capital of Roller Coasters in America fulfilled my thrill seeking tendencies. Spending all day waiting in long lines was definitely worth the crazy fast, tall, and winding tracks of the roller coasters.
4. SMDEP: In general, this program has given me life lessons, experiences, and connections that I will forever hold onto and use in my future academic and professional career.
I am ready to enjoy the rest of my summer back in Rochester before another semester at UR, and I hope everyone else does the same wherever you are!