Education

I came to this realization this year some time after I declared my major to be Clinical Laboratory Science and observed firsthand the clinical laboratory workplace. I was initially drawn to this career because it provided an avenue for utilizing my critical thinking and analytical skills, pursuing my interests in science, and being a relatively low stress career; to put this mindset into context, I was overly stressed my freshman year when I was on the pre-med track. However, after gaining more life experiences this year and discovering my passions for teaching and working with others, I drifted away from the Clinical Laboratory Science career and instead gravitated towards nursing. With a larger perspective, I am confident that nursing is the best fit for my personality, career goals, and personal ambitions. Below I explain the specifics of my undergraduate career, and how they contribute to my growth as an individual and as an aspiring nursing student.

Next spring, I will take Organic Chemistry II and Organic Chemistry Laboratory, and they will allow me to build upon such skillsets. Outside of lecture and laboratory, I also work as a Teaching Assistant for General Chemistry, and I will be continuing this position next semester. Developing strong critical thinking and analytical skills is important in healthcare professions where healthcare providers are responsible for working with many patients and assessing their needs.

• Here is a list of the chemistry courses I have taken so far:
  • CHE 321: Organic Chemistry I
  • CHE 131 & CHE 133: General Chemistry & Laboratory I
  • CHE 132 & CHE 134: General Chemistry & Laboratory II
  • CHE 475: Undergraduate Teaching Practicum I

I made the decision to minor in writing at the end of my freshman year, and also applied and was accepted to be a Writing Center Tutor. Writing is an important skill to have in the nursing career, where strong communication is necessary.

• Here is a list of writing courses I have taken so far:
  • WRT 301: Writing in the Disciplines
  • WRT 304: Writing for Your Profession
  • WRT 102: Intermediate Writing Workshop

Writing has developed in something more than a passion; it has become a valuable skill that I can leverage for my tutoring positions, for future job searching, and for communicating effectively with coworkers and peers. One class that really helped me develop the communication aspect of writing is WRT 301, the co-requisite training class to becoming a Writing Center Tutor. In this class, I developed my tutoring methodology to help students improve their papers and their writing skills, and this methodology hinges on promoting open conversation about writing with my students. The Writing Minor also allows me to develop my writing and communications skillsets. In WRT 304, a professional development class, I learned about writing in different genres in the workplace, establishing a media presence for professional leverage, and developed a professional online portfolio—this one! Next semester, I will be taking WRT 303: The Personal Essay and WRT 392: Theories and Methods for Mentoring Writers; both classes will further develop my ability to engage in different genres and styles of writing as well as to effectively express my thoughts and ideas.

According to the Undergraduate Bulletin, “After each fall and spring semester the dean of each college compiles a Dean’s List of undergraduate students who constitute approximately the top 20 percent of their class. Each full-time student must have completed in that semester at least 12 credits for a letter grade (including S) and have no I’s, U’s, NR’s, NC’s, F’s, R’s or Q’s. P grades are not considered to be letter grades. Part-time students must have earned at least six credits in a semester of letter-graded work (not including S or P grades). The grade point average cutoffs are as follows: seniors, 3.40; juniors, 3.30; sophomores, 3.20; and freshmen, 3.10.”

University Scholars is a four year program. The Scholars admitted into this program are among the top 7% of the incoming class academically. Freshmen have the option to live with other Scholars within the six Undergraduate Colleges and take classes within the Scholars sections of first-year seminars. All Scholars are eligible to attend special symposia and field trips, obtain special academic advising, participate in the Scholars Council and Executive Board, help with mentoring, tutoring, and various outreach activities, and obtain priority registration for classes.