Reflection Blog

I’ve been in Biomed for four years. I joined because I thought I wanted to pursue a career in veterinary medicine, and as I went through the program, I learned that while I do love the career itself, I don’t enjoy the math and science requirements it takes to get there.

Over the years, one trip that stuck out the most to me was on January 11th, when the Biomed 2 class took a field trip to one of the United States Coast Guard Aviation Training Centers in Mobile. At the training center, we began by discussing the benefits of joining the USCG. At the Coast Guard Academy, there is no cost for tuition, room, or board. In fact, you're paid a salary while you attend. Rather than finishing school with mountains of debt, Coast Guard cadets typically graduate with money in the bank—and a great career! The five-year service commitment guarantees you a position as a Coast Guard officer, leading teams that do essential work for your country and humanity. Their placement rate is 100% every year. Admission is highly competitive and based on merit. Congressional nominations are not required or even considered.

After discussing all of these benefits, we got to the fun part—visiting the simulators. We got to experience what it feels like to fly a larger helicopter used for long-range rescues, a smaller helicopter for short-range missions, and an airplane. Sadly, my partner and I crashed each of them and didn’t make it very far. Despite that, the experience was exciting. We also got to see the actual helicopters and airplanes in person and took tours inside them to learn how they operate.

On the other hand, an unforgettable experience from my senior year Interventions class was participating in the Saad’s Healthcare boxing class. This class is designed to help people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) use their bodies more effectively. Individuals living with PD or other neurological conditions often move differently, with smaller and slower gestures and actions. They may struggle with walking, dressing, and other daily activities. This class trains them to improve their movement in all areas—whether “small motor” tasks like buttoning a shirt, or “large motor” tasks like standing up, walking, or maintaining balance. The treatment helps them "recalibrate" how they perceive their own movement versus what others actually see. It also teaches them how and when to apply extra effort to create larger, more effective motions that are more similar to those of people around them.

My favorite activity this year was the sleep experiment called "The Enchanted City Sleeping Activity Experience" in Psychology. Sleep might seem like a simple process where your brain shuts down and your body relaxes, but it’s actually the opposite. I thought I would thoroughly enjoy this activity, but I didn’t—at least not in the way I expected. Mentally, afterward, I felt very relaxed, which was interesting considering I never actually fell asleep. Post-nap, I found myself craving sleep more than I had before. Before lying down, my heart rate was 110 bpm, I felt hot and stressed, and my head was pounding. Afterward, my heart rate decreased to 69 bpm, and my body felt cold and relaxed. I remember nearly the entire story we were guided through, from start to finish, except for a few minor details like the colors of buildings or the exact order of events. To my knowledge, the story began on a cloud in space, where we looked at galaxies. Then we approached a bright light, which turned out to be a city built entirely around us. The city was empty but filled with colorful lights. We entered a tall blue building with large windows and viewed our childhood memories. Next came our fears, followed by our personal history, then outside influences, and finally, we took several floors up in another building to view our future 30 years from now. At the end, we returned to Biomed class and were told to wake up—that it had all been a dream. The storytelling required us to think and imagine as it was being told, which kept me in a relaxed but alert mental state—Stage One of sleep—where my body was calm, but my brain was working overtime and couldn’t fully rest. Every time the room went quiet, I felt myself about to fall asleep, only for it to be interrupted by more talking.

This class taught me time management skills, but also how to cram last minute. If it weren’t for the 25-page paper that was due during the busiest time of the year, I’m not sure I would have ever learned how to write that much in such a short period. I struggled with feeling overstimulated because it felt like we had 100 different assignments due, most of them small and seemingly unimportant, which made it hard to focus on the one assignment that actually affected our grade the most. For example, we had smaller assignments due during the time we were writing our research paper, or we had to create and present a full presentation about circus diseases while still preparing for our major final presentation.

I recommend doing more interactive, hands-on activities. Tours where we just sit and listen aren’t very enjoyable or effective. I also highly suggest incorporating more information and opportunities related to veterinary medicine. It wasn’t talked about at all, even though it had been something I was genuinely passionate about my entire life. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance to explore it until senior year, and by then, it was too late, because I had already chosen a different career path. I also think it would be helpful if juniors were asked at the beginning of the year what their interests are, so those interests could be incorporated into the junior year curriculum. That way, they don’t end up choosing a senior year focus that they eventually end up disliking or regretting.