Pre-Health Post-Baccalaureate Program Holds Third Annual Alumni Dinner

More than 50 students and alumni of Meredith College’s Pre-Health Post-Baccalaureate Certificate program gathered in the Dogwood Room of Belk Dining Hall on Wednesday, January 18, for the third annual Pre-Health Alumni Dinner. It was an opportunity to welcome alumni back to campus.

“This event is very important for two major reasons – it allows us to celebrate the success of our alumni and it allows our alumni to pass their knowledge of success on to the next generation,” said Andrea Marritt, director of the Pre-Health Post-Baccalaureate Certificate program. “With so many acceptances to health professional school, I love to hear how well our alumni are doing.”

Each year, the dinner consists of a panel of program alumni that gives current students the opportunity to ask questions about applying to health professional schools, interviewing tips, best practices for studying for entrance exams, and obtaining letters of recommendation. Students also have the opportunity to network, while the alumni have the pleasure of connecting with old friends.

Deep Patel, who will complete the program in May, plans to take the MCAT in mid-June with hopes of going to medical school and becoming a doctor. Patel learned much from the dinner including how to prepare for the MCAT, things to do during the gap year, and having a back-up plan. Next to the peach cobbler, networking and learning about next steps was most enjoyable.

“The dinner was an eye-opening experience as it showed me how successful the Pre-Health Post-Baccalaureate program is,” said Patel. “It’s one thing to read about the success of the program and hear about it, but to actually see 10-15 students get into the schools I can only dream of getting accepted to was very surreal.”

Sa’a Mohammed plans to take the MCAT in June with the goal of matriculating into medical school in 2018. As a current student, she felt the dinner was beneficial because it enabled her to gain valuable insight from alumni who have been in her shoes and have experienced similar challenges on the path to medical school. The conversation, the diversity among previous cohorts of the program, and the unique experiences shared were what she enjoyed the most about the dinner.

“As a student, it was reaffirming to see and hear about the alumni getting accepted into various medical schools despite being in our very positions not too long ago,” said Mohammed. “Attending this dinner filled me with a sense of hope and inspiration, while also helping me to look at things realistically and strategically in order to achieve my goals.