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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 18, 2002)
? Ni THE BATTa rnyn i nued from n S m •ally get tokn. -1 and what the ng for in a rep Jones said, rtant for stude e that they cai in their goverr that these typ rings provide' ipportunities to political leade: an non Dull! dent of the er id ( blicans and a political \ •. said Comvn THE BATTALION Friday, January 18, 2002 Making the Grade f>r many students, professional educations are the next step after graduation By Heather Campbell THE BATTALION mportant to ^Ji rem y N* tc hcock, a first-year student at Texas A&M College aiun off edlc ' ne . walked across the stage at graduation knowing what a W anted to do with his life — help others. But this would mean ■>> more years of school and the determination to get through l,.■ an y students decide to study even harder after college and >rt the area lU'Kiip nr^f^ • , . . J b ,i ,f„. n . lcf . c Professional school. P re P arat ion for medical school involves a seven-hour exam, application processes and interviews with a Ph.D. at each school,” Hitchcock said. Bp'ke Freeman, a first-year student at Southern Methodist ■ v ersity Law School said the benefits of attending a profes- B al school and his past work experiences convinced him to ■tinue with higher education. K'he application for law school involves recommendations v sev eral essays,” Freeman said. “Schools place a lot of weight nt heLSAT." here as wel ,/ ^ er deciding where to go, students begin the arduous task of Bating to the life of a student pursuing a professional degree. ’■ he atmosphere is different because everyone knows B they have to do well ” Hitchcock said. “Medical school K Ves a lot of competition within yourself. It’s a lot of ■Pmg bars and going through hoops.” ’ ii r Gar >’ McCord, assistant dean and professor at Texas A&M oiiege 0 f Medicine, said the demands come in the volume of 11 ^T? at ' on the y roust obtain. ^|The intensity they have to prepare for and volume of »id a mnla^rc *j^ r ' a * s presented to them is incredibly greater,” kclv come fr® 0rd said . B^r. Thomas Carr, a graduate professor P the math Station his thanks the past ; c are reallv >e able to tiey General oday for stude the basic idea ity of the stui niversity," D “(Texas Gov tailed out only tittin n do the saro den inued frontj iversities and engineerine is more focused because everyone is studying one specific subject. Freeman added that the students are more intense and competitive compared to undergraduate studies. The grueling schedule can increase stress levels, but Hitchcock keeps his mind focused on the reciprocity he will receive in the professional world as a doctor. “There is no way 1 can imagine four years, so I think about the of academia the private sec 'at ion. letter has out to the df administrat requesting i Hiler said, already recei' minations." similar letter" to deans anb . at other ur trong engineei . he said ; rev iew proed ations w 5 and w ill last onths. ice we go thfi ations, we " the 10 besu hem for an ii®1 that, we w ee or four and a le to A&M for ew,” Hiler saic len make our .) the board ol ici er said he he position following lent, Sept. 1 _ — department at Southern BJiodtst University, said that he assumes iB^uate students will be more independ- JB an d he does not have to help or motivate them as nuph. ^JThe big difference is that some undergraduates are •e just to fulfill the requirements and every graduate stu- , ’fH 1 has chosen their specific field,” Carr said. “Overall, I :x Pect to see a general professionalism in their work.” B^orbett Redden, a first year graduate student in the math mnment at the University of Notre Dame, said the atmosphere FRANK CHANCE contact I will have with patients and the satisfaction gained from healing them. I enjoy helping people and the rewards come in being able to serve those who need it the most ” Hitchcock said. “I traveled to a country to assist people and we had to turn away some that desperately needed surgery. I have their names on a piece of paper that sits on my desk. Anytime I get overwhelmed 1 remember that I'm doing this for them.” Graduate students can be seen sleeping in libraries, eating between labs and classes and studying until late at night. After hours of intense learning each day, students look for ways to alleviate the pressure. “My motto has become ‘study hard and play hard.’ The books are intense and we can’t do it for 10 hours straight,” Hitchcock said. “Breaks are a necessity. My roommates, Jason Campbell and Joel Massey, and I find ways to relieve the stress. We go rock climbing and ride bikes. Our medical school class also interacts a lot.” Redden said he enjoys interaction with his professors and that while they expect a lot from the students, they are always available and even attend parties. “They are really nice and care about the students’ progress. It’s neat to be able to communicate with pro fessors and get to know them,” Redden said. Carr said math is not always appealing to students, but he finds ways to talk to them. “It’s fun to get beyond the textbook and see what the students are actually learning,” Carr said. Hitchcock said that at the A&M medical school, the professors care about them and while they crack down in class, out side of it, they gain satisfaction from befriending the students. I “This school has made an investment in us and they want to see the investment through,” Hitchcock said. Dr. McCord said that the biggest reward is when a student understands and he sees the light come on in their eyes. “Knowing that these students are going _ to be helping patients gives me satisfaction,” McCord said. “A lot of gratification comes in giving them the equipment to do it very well. the battalion I wouldn’t trade it for the world.” ijjgielife Assistant CUMJk.Lit I ttAsssant Gf fiEdiior SipklnlW* uAmdii njaettmte-. IW’imtad. Wmi! H0554726|ispulMitaI|iNj|!a SOTesleBaiidMonilajDmjJllw^iii ^iKMvudmixiMsUtal daiCofcjfStafcKMfW? m. teas MM UokisIk 1111 Ml (Hi wis depaitMl is Majid M*if MlStodwlMtfaaijiiitrtllsfe- lMlld)d(i3ld8i*l()iiij.Ne«im(te‘ : swiitietaicom; W sde: Ht/imX!- loladrtiijdoesaolmpliisiw^# w,W,ard national d6()(j(il«sf{a(l(i all 845-0569 MvefcingifeiiMR!' am.loSp.in.MopdayfttiugliWBffai 1 ffeSddmtSeMfeeMtetJJi MfitafiiSMiflittaddfoi ;Mjtar,I30fafteMffS|ifyMfcl ft lo%b(dls3,Masieitaid.te! tiourtons #1 Ccmedy Club test HUES. J/SJN 17 Mik« Vonn just cant help it. 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