Med school alums return to campus to offer advice

RELEASED: April 16, 2009

[Editor's Note: Laura Pasley '10, an English major from Georgetown, Ky., wrote this feature.]

DANVILLE, KY—Five Centre alums recently returned to their alma mater to advise current pre-med students on the highs, lows and everything in between of medical school. Jay Flynn '01, Brandon Gish '08 and Laura MacDonald '08 joined the panel as first-year med students; Ben Angel '06 joined as a second-year med student; and Tony Stefater '06 joined as a third-year med student.

Melissa Douglas '10, president of the Pre-Med Society at Centre, said, "The focus of the panel was the medical school experiences of Centre graduates. This covered many subjects, such as the admissions process, debt accumulation and the typical schedule of a medical student at various schools."

The rigors of medical school can widely differ from a student's undergraduate experience. MacDonald, now at the University of Louisville School of Medicine, said that an advantage she had coming from Centre was that she knew how to study.

"Finals at Centre were similar to exams in medical school," MacDonald said.

Gish, now at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, agreed with McDonald and mentioned that the course Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 210 with Dr. Steve Asmus, Dowling Associate Professor of Biology and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, "was really helpful."

Flynn, also at the UK College of Medicine, said he got spoiled at Centre with how much professors cared about their students and how much they loved to teach.

"It hasn't always been the same in medical school," Flynn said. "I was used to always being able to approach professors and talk to them, even when it wasn't their office hours."

Stefater, now at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, offered study tips for current Centre students.

"The first year of medical school is really difficult because you aren't sure how to study," Stefater said "The scope of the exams is much broader and a typical week with no tests involves 12 hours a day between studying and class." Angel, who is now at the UofL School of Medicine, added: "You get into the swing of things the middle of the first year. You figure out what is the most time-efficient way to study."

MacDonald said that she took advantage of what Centre has to offer and was glad she traveled so much as an undergraduate: "I went abroad every CentreTerm, except for my freshman year, and now I don't have the time to do so."

Medical school can be a stark difference from undergraduate work, Douglas said, and this discussion gave Centre students "a glimpse into the everyday life of a medical student, which is something that medical school admissions representatives are not able to do."

For more information on Centre's pre-med curriculum, click here.

- end -

Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Consumers Digest ranks Centre No. 1 in educational value among all U.S. liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/

For news archives go to http://www.centre.edu/web/news/newsarchive.html.