It’s university application season! Are you interested in applying to programs related to healthcare? Luckily, our IntegraYouth team has invited current university students to attend programs in the field of healthcare. One of our executive members, Zora Zheng, hosted a Q&A session with four students from different programs and universities who talked about their experiences and provided tips for seniors in high school.
Meet the Panelists
There are a variety of reasons that people have for going into the field of healthcare, as shown by these panelists. These reasons can include;
Highschool experiences during extracurriculars
The wish to help lower-income communities and minority groups
Courses you find interesting during high school (ex. organic chemistry, biological therapeutics)
The profession includes qualities you value (ex. leadership or caring)
Passion from a young age
Growing up in environments of patient care, you learn to tailor your experiences around that
Standing Out in the Application Process
For most, if not all universities, a high GPA is the main focus. Therefore, working hard in high school, especially junior and senior years is required. However, remember to take care of yourselves as continuous studies can harm your brain and body. Another great way to achieve the grades you want is by exploring and finding different study methods that help with your courses.
Specific programs require applicants to write supplementary applications. These applications are an addition to the regular GPA application. They include essay writing and/or video submissions. For these applications, you want to let go of the stress and take a moment to reflect on the provided questions. Remember to show your most authentic self! Write something you want to talk about rather than what you think the admissions administrator will want to read. You want to connect your writing with your identity. Before you start writing, take a look at and understand the rubrics, if they are provided by the university. This helps you follow the rules and regulations outlined by the university; following these rubrics may increase your chances of getting an acceptance. Furthermore, students want to highlight their extracurriculars, however, DO NOT do this unless it helps you connect with the questions provided.
If your programs do not have supplementary applications, you can try to use that same advice for scholarship applications. Many different organizations provide all kinds of scholarships, related to academics, sports, or a writing prompt. Being yourself and expressing your personality can help achieve these scholarships, which can help with university tuition and residence fees.
Factors to Consider when Picking a University
Students have different requirements and opinions about what their perfect university should be like. To pick the best university for yourself, you need to figure out which factors are important to you.
Some of these factors can include:
Look at the courses they offer
Are the courses preparing you for your future dreams and goals?
Try to find a school that offers a program you want
Campus environments
Are the people nice?
Is the overall neighbourhood safe and pretty?
Supportive upper years - try reaching out to upperclassmen who could answer your questions
Proximity to home (if it is important to you)
Cost - the tuition, residence, meal plans
Important to apply for scholarships
Many programs are similar so if this is important to you
Research opportunities and/or co-op
School spirit (if important)
Considering these factors can enhance your university life and give you the courage to make new friends with similar interests as you.
Importance of Hands-On Experience in Healthcare
Hands-on experiences such as co-op and internship opportunities can teach you new skills and help build up your resume. You want to think about “What are experiences that you can gain that can show that you are a leader in science and you are passionate about?” It’s important to show some qualities that medical schools or future employers want through your internships and co-op. Sometimes, professors are working on their research papers and need the help of students. It could be a good idea to gain some experience with them. Although research might not seem like a great experience, it can help you gain an understanding of the choices of careers you can get with your undergraduate program. Also, if the research is related to some of your course contents, it can help you understand them in a deeper and better manner.
The best way to find these opportunities is to reach out to professors. They can give you advice and perhaps help you get an internship opportunity on their research. Cold-emailing is a method you can use for this. Cold-emailing is when you don’t know someone, send them an email. Sometimes, even if you don’t get a response, keep at it, eventually you will get a response. Most of the time, your professor might end up becoming your PI, which is a principal investigator in a research study. They lead the research, so figure out what you are interested in, and send your professors an email. Another way to reach out to upperclassmen in the same undergraduate program as yours, master students, PhD students, as they could have some advice or opportunities that you originally did not know about. For this, you can sign up for clubs or conferences. Networking is very important in university!
Furthermore, some universities post a lot of information and future opportunities on their websites, so keep an eye out for something you enjoy and sign up to get a new experience!
Example Courses in Healthcare Programs
Have you ever wondered what you would be studying in your university years if you went into the field of healthcare? Our panelists gave us a few examples of their previous and current courses;
In the first year of many programs, you have a variety of mandatory courses to build your basic foundations. Sometimes, these courses are a little bit of a review from high school as they want everybody to be on the same page. You can start to expand your knowledge in your second year as that is when you can select courses that you want or require for future education. The last two years are when you get the chance to specialize in your passions. This is when you can start picking courses related to your future career and specialization. Alongside the mandatory courses, you can pick electives, which are courses that you wish to take and the university doesn’t require you to take. Although you might be in the healthcare field, you still have to take math and english courses in your first few years as that is one of the university requirements.
Tips for Effective Studying
Numerous tips across the internet enhance your studying methods. However, it’s better to explore different kinds of study methods and then find the one that works best for you.
Some people find active studying methods better than passive studying methods as you are being forced to do work, which helps you understand the concepts better. This may include testing yourself at the start, figuring out what you are missing, and tailoring your revision on those specific topics. Another method is to make study groups, which can help you consolidate your revision with your peers and avoid procrastination.
Sometimes you have to adjust your studying methods to the course. For courses that require problem-solving, it might be better to jump straight to practice problems, and then focus on the types of questions you couldn’t do. Compared to courses that require memorization, it might be better to come up with sample problems and answers for every topic you study or try the blurting method. This is where you write down everything you know about a topic without any notes, and then figure out what you missed.
Furthermore, there are lots of note-taking techniques that can be used. One of them is to look over all the learning outcomes for a specific topic and treat them as questions, which your notes answer.
To study effectively, you need to try different methods of studying and note-taking and find the one that suits you the most.
Future Career Opportunities in Healthcare
After an undergraduate program, students normally go to medical school. After medical school, you have many different choices for the future. Some of them are listed below:
Vet school
Public health work
Optometry
Academic Research
Medical School
Pharmacology
Industry - biotech or pharmacy
Combined degree with business and med science (if offered by the school)
Ivey business school
Healthcare consultants
Final Notes
This was the webinar recap for the Healthcare programs webinar. Our team will be hosting two more webinars about Engineering and Business undergraduate programs to which everyone is invited. Always remember that no matter what you want to study or which extracurriculars you do, you learn so many transferable skills which can be helpful in your university application, so find your passion and work hard, success will follow!
Extra Resources
Helpful for future opportunities stats
Knowing which prerequisites you need for different types of programs
Apps & Methods:
Quizlet
Anki
Cornell Note-taking method
Writing Supplementary Applications:
This website can help you find templates for writing supplementary applications and extra information about various programs at universities
Written By: Krisha L
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