By Ty Zaccagnini and Grace Xiong, Health Professions Peer Ambassadors

Studying for the MCAT is hard… there’s no getting around that unfortunate truth. There will be times where you become overwhelmed, there will be times when you want to quit, there will be times when you begin to doubt your ability, but it was always helpful to think of the MCAT as a rite of passage. Every medical student has done it and been through the struggles, and every pre-med student will eventually do it. You are not the first person, and certainly will not be the last, to take the MCAT, so you CAN do this!

Continue reading →

By Krithika Santhanam, Health Professions Peer Ambassador

As a pre-health student have you ever thought about applying to medical school like a checklist?

☑ Leadership Positions

☑ Clinical Experience

☑ Research Experience

☑ Community Service

☑ Shadowing

☑ Standardized Testing

Have you ever felt overwhelmed that you needed to plan your entire timeline because the people around you were traveling at lightning speed, checking all these boxes?

Have you ever felt like you needed to collect “titles” on campus to prove that you have gained the skills to check off some of these boxes?

I’m here to tell you it’s ok. I’ve felt like this before too.

Continue reading →

By Grace Xiong, Health Professions Peer Ambassador

Healthcare is a diverse field with so many professions and specialties which all have an important role to play, and all make a difference in the lives of patients. This can also make it hard to decide which path to follow, whether that be physician, dentist, physician associate, nurse, optometry, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and everything in between. College is a time for exploration and learning more about ourselves and what we want for the future! At the same time, it can feel daunting or feel like we’re falling behind if we don’t have everything figured out.

Continue reading →

By Sahiti Bhyravavajhala, former Health Professions Peer Ambassador

When I first walked onto the bustling UConn campus as a petrified sophomore (thank you COVID), I felt immensely lost. With so many organizations and causes to be involved with, I did not even know where to start. Knowing I had the goal of becoming a doctor in mind, I struggled with the thought of balancing my other passions with my pre-medical ones. The pressure of fitting into the mold of the stereotypical, perfect pre-medical college student who juggled 50 clubs and was the president of half of them whilst taking 21 credits and publishing journal articles weighed upon me. I wanted to do it all, but in the sprawling streets of UConn’s campus, I felt small and had no idea where to begin.

Continue reading →

By Ty Zaccagnini, Senior Health Professions Peer Ambassador

It may not be today, tomorrow, or even in the next year, but there will be a time in your academic or professional career, where you will experience a phenomenon commonly referred to as “burnout.” Burnout is a dreaded state of complete mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion, and studies show that over 58% of physicians often have feelings of burnout. It can negatively affect your relationships, make you dread going into work or completing tasks in school, and lead to an overall sense of dissatisfaction and demotivation. So, what can be done to help lessen the likelihood of you experiencing burnout while in school?

Continue reading →