First-years and aspiring pre-medical track students gathered on Wednesday to discuss how to navigate their time at Brandeis. The session, titled ‘What I Wish I’d Known My First Year,’ featured upperclassmen panelists Jen Geller ’20 and Leah Pearlman ’19 as they shared tips for continual survival and success they learned from their time at Brandeis. 

The event was the first in a series of Weekly Wednesday Workshops hosted by Pre-Health Advising. Each workshop serves to help first-years and continuing students who are interested in pursuing health careers prepare for the pre-medical track. The event was broken down into a discussion panel and a Q&A session for an interactive meeting between the panelists and the attendees.

During the event, Pre-Health Administrator Erika Tai asked the panelists questions ranging from course and major selection to common misconceptions about the pre-medical track. 

Geller described her experience switching majors during her first year at Brandeis. Although she initially wanted to major in mathematics, a general chemistry class “changed how [she] thought about chemistry” and spurred her to study chemistry instead. She also developed a passion for biology after taking a biology lab, and inquired with Professor of Biology Dr. Kosinski Collins about becoming a Biology major. Geller explained that “reaching out to her professors for her courses” was important in becoming a Chemistry and Biology double major. 

Pearlman explained that although she reached out to various labs at Brandeis prior to her first year, she “used freshman year to figure out how to study, and how to manage her time,” figuring out how to do research. Each of these skills helped her in more complex classes such as “Organic Chemistry Laboratory” and “General Biology Laboratory.” 

The next section of the discussion focused on how to find shadowing opportunities and how to balance exposure. Shadowing any professional, such as a doctor or a physician, allows students to experience firsthand how the job works in real time, making it a great opportunity for anyone looking to study in medical fields. There are many varieties of shadowing, depending upon the professional as well as the field. When asked about how to balance these opportunities, Pearlman explained that many of her shadowing opportunities came from “people whom [sic] were her physicians already,” such as her family’s pediatrician, adding that it is beneficial to “shadow multiple people and get to know many aspects of medicine.” Geller said networking is an important part of managing future opportunities, as it provides exposure to a “wide variety of different specialties.” 

The discussion also focused on how to find a community while pursuing a major. Geller explained that many of her close friends came from her classes as well as her clubs, and that “learning about different people’s experiences fosters very unique friendships.” Pearlman explained that it’s also helpful to make “friends that are outside your major” by going to club events and by “making time for things that you really enjoy.” For students following the pre-medical track, a varied community can help students learn more skills toward the Association of American Medical Colleges Core Competencies, a list of personal skills required for incoming medical students, and market themselves according to skills they have learned in their communities. 

When asked about how to approach professors for office hours and what to ask them, Geller explained that it is important to have “specific content” when attending office hours for any professor. In her experience, Geller found that having a specific question or starting a discussion about “how professors chose what field they were interested in” were positive ways to meet professors, especially early on in the school year. 

The panelists concluded the event by explaining the importance of a diverse course selection, both acknowledging that receiving a well-rounded education is a crucial way to “bring diversity” into different campuses and to any careers beyond college.

— Editor’s Note: Jen Geller is a Justice editor.