Jack Abbot- General Reporter
Former Vice President of the Pre-Health Society and alumnus Perpetual Taylor visited campus to discuss her education path with current students who are pursuing careers in health.
Taylor is an alumnus of the university who graduated in 2019 and just graduated from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. She is a resident of Brown University and hopes to enter Pediatrics and Child Psychology.
She visited her alma mater on April 9 to educate students on their next steps in education. The event was hosted by Associate Professor and Chair of the Pre-Health Advisory Committee Jiongdong Pan and the Pre-Health Society.
“I was here not too long ago as a student, and we had people here who were in med school and PA school come in and talk to us about their experiences,” Taylor said. “When I saw the opportunity to do that for students today, I was just really excited to do it because I got a lot of help to get here, a lot of support and mentorship.”
The discussion was formatted as a Q&A with students asking for advice on their own paths. Much of the discussion focused on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT).
The MCAT is an exam that tests students’ knowledge on general medical and scientific principles and is used in admissions for medical school. Taylor’s advice was for students to spend a great deal of time studying and to try to turn it in earlier in the year, as turning it in later can make it harder to be accepted, but not so early that you have not taken enough time to prepare for it.
“I actually ended up taking the MCAT twice,” Taylor said. “For the second time around, when I was studying for it, I was able to do an MCAT prep course that the UCONN Healthcare Opportunities Program provided where they supply students with free MCAT books and different resources to help prepare them for the MCAT.”
Taylor also recommended that students start to get medical experience while they are still attending the university. This can be done through volunteering at hospitals or other medical facilities.
“Just work hard, pray and make sure you have tons of support from family members and friends,” Taylor said.
One of the concerns expressed by students was that they were afraid of medical school causing them to neglect their social life. However, Taylor claimed that her social life became better in school, and that she found community both inside of the classroom and outside of classes through her church.
“I absolutely love Southern. Although I studied hard, I had so much fun, met so many fun, ‘down to Earth’ people, and I wouldn’t have chosen any other experience,” Taylor said.
Many of the students expressed that they enjoyed the event and were happy to attend.
“Once you do get that point where you get into med school or you get into residency, make sure to look out for those who are in the same shoes as you were once,” Taylor said.
