Dear Senior Year Jeri,
Somehow, you managed to maintain a 4.0 while going into college with an Associate’s Degree. You had to start off with advanced classes and work your butt off. You are graduating with a major in Biology and a minor in Chemistry as an Honors and LIFE STEM Scholar. How did you do it? Remember, you need to learn to manage your stress. The perfect grades aren’t what define you as a person, what defines you is how you overcame challenges and showed resilience. How you handled different situations. You do not need to be the perfect student to attend medical school, but that doesn’t mean you should slack off. Keep joining clubs and putting yourself out there.
At the end of Senior Year, you are going to Medical School. Although you can’t decide between being an oncology surgeon and a cardiologist, you will find your story and what makes you unique. You still have some time to decide what you want to do in medical school, so don’t stress too much about deciding now. If you don’t get in the first time, do not get discouraged. Build your experience and know that does not mean you are a failure. Do not listen to those who try to discourage you from going to medical school since it’s hard. They do not know your work ethic. They don’t know why you want to go into the medical field. They aren’t YOU.
I hope you know I am so proud of you along with your parents. You wouldn’t have gotten to where you are without them, so don’t forget to thank them. I hope you stick with the LIFE STEM people because they make you so happy and you have finally found somewhere you belong. Keep working hard but don’t overdo it to the point you burn out. Live it up your last semester because who knows if y’all will cross paths again. Make the memories. With medical school ahead of you, I hope you remember to relax and just be yourself.
Love,
Freshmen Year Jeri