Dewan discusses how living with her parents instead of in a dorm during her undergraduate years gave her the financial ability to afford a post-graduate degree.
Part 1 is here.
Transcription
Dewan
Whenever I had my orientation where I actually had to live in a dorm, it was horrible because the rooms are tiny, it’s cold. The dining room food is gross. And you know, like, it literally will take you an hour to get to your classes, because there’s so many students, you know, the hallway stinks.
Kamila
So, so you’re in college now, right? Well, at least let’s talk about the summer before college. Were you you know, looking for a dorm mate? Did you already find a dorm mate? Or were you going random? You know, how did it work out? Did you visit the campus to see if you liked it? You know, one last time. So what did you do to prepare?
Dewan
So because I go to UTS, I actually live with my parents right now. And I think that, you know, as a college student that has been one of my smartest financial decisions that I’ve ever made, because even though the financial aid aspect was not important to me, just, you know, having the support of my parents just being able to have them there is really important for me. Now, if I had gone to a university that was you know, outside of San Antonio. Oh, yeah, I definitely would have looked for dorms. I even put up like listings on u and T site, you know, like, hey, you know, I’m 17 I’m looking for a place. You know, I’m really studious. So don’t give me any place with a lot of party people. And, yeah, so if I had gone out of San Antonio, I would have done that. That would have been a different experience, I would say,
Kamila
but you weren’t required to live in the dorms for one or two years?
Dewan
No, for you and T. They allow students to you know, live in apartments, even if they’re freshmen.
Dewan
But do you mean UTSA? Oh, yes.
Dewan
So for UTSA since I live with my parents, you know, like, I really didn’t think that I would have an option to you know, live in a dorm. But yeah, I mean, there are a lot of students who, you know, live in dorms and apartments, even if they’re close to their parents.
Kamila
I see. Okay, and do you think that you was that a part of college that you wanted, but you think you like missed out on because a lot of kids you know, you go to college for your education, but you get excited about the little stuff, you know, like, I’m gonna have a dorm room or I’m gonna, I’m gonna go to the dining hall to eat. So were you okay with missing out on that stuff? Just to make smarter decisions?
Dewan
Oh, yeah. Because let me tell you something. All those little fantasies like living in a dorm and the dining hall, just let go of them. Because it’s not fun. Whenever I had my orientation, where I actually had to live in a dorm, it was horrible, because the rooms are tiny. It’s cold. The dining room food is gross. And you know, like, it literally will take you an hour to get to your classes, because there’s so many students, you know, the hallway stinks. You know, like, yeah, it’s not fun. Doesn’t matter where you go. Like, if you are a college senior, you know, looking back at your freshman year. Oh, yeah. Like, I feel like I made one of the best decisions. Like, even whenever I was talking to some of my friends, like last semester, they were like, dorms are horrible. Like, that’s why, you know, all of them, you know, shift to living in apartments starting their junior or senior year because they’re like, you know, freshmen and sophomore year was horrible. Who would live in a dorm you’re in a cramped apartment with or cramped, you know, dorm space with people you don’t even like, the food stinks. What am I doing?
Kamila
Wait, so what do you mean, you don’t even like did you not like the dorm mates that you had?
Dewan
Oh, no, the dorm mates were fine. It’s just that, you know, you have the little expectation in your mind that, oh, it’s gonna be something magical. You know, like, as a high school senior, you know, I was like, oh, you know, I want to live off campus. You know, like, I want to do this. I want to do that. But really, like, it’s not that experienced since I you know, like, I lived in the dorms for about a week for orientation. You know, I honestly got the full experience of living in a dorm in one week. Like it was not something that I wanted ever like I even called my parents like in between. I was like, why am I here? Like I could have literally completed my orientation while staying home. Like the only part of my orientation that I actually liked was like whenever I got out of my dorm and was actually able to eat on actually able to eat at the local restaurants around my university because the dining food it is horrible. Not until you try it Will you realize how bad it tastes?
Kamila
Is this? Do you think this is specifically UTSA? Or, like, majority of colleges out there?
Dewan
Majority of colleges like, you know, I feel like a lot of high school seniors have this, you know, sort of, you know, thought in their head that oh, you know, like dining food, it’s not that bad. Really, after you know, you’ve tasted it, you, you wouldn’t really change your mind. It’s like cafeteria food, you know, like, who enjoys cafeteria food. It’s just like kind of prettied up, you know, you’re sitting with your friends, but it there’s like no enjoyment in that. That’s why like most students, like after they taste the dining food, they go straight to like any campus, like restaurants or anything like that, just to get away from it.
Kamila
I see. So if you didn’t like this campus life and moved out as soon as you possibly could, we’ll move to with your move with your parents, but stayed with your parents, instead of going to a dorm? How did you make friends? Because I’m sure a lot of people make friends, like, through their hall, you know, invited to a party by someone like, how did you make friends?
Dewan
Oh, making friends was not an issue for me, like I made friends in my classes. Like, you know, as soon as I would sit at a table with somebody, I’ll start talking to them, you know, every single club that I would join, you know, every time I would like, attend a meeting, I’ll just, like, sit next to somebody and talk to them. And then from there, you know, I made like, good friendships, like even today. Like, I still have those friends. And I really don’t think it matters where you, you know, find those people like, you know, sure, if I lived in a dorm, maybe I could have had friends that I made in that space. But I really think it would have, it wouldn’t have made a difference. Because in my mind, you know, the dorm is supposed to be a place where I’m studying. And, you know, being the studious person that I am, I really wouldn’t be interested in attending parties. My approach to friendships is basically, you know, finding someone who really has the same thought process, whether that be somebody in my class or somebody that I met in an organization. And that’s really how I think about it.
Kamila
Very, very true. And actually, you, you made a question popped into my head, when you know, when you’re in high school, and you were in the top of your class, I saw when you’re in high school, you have the varying level of people there, you know, whether they’re studious, or they’re, they don’t really care about school, and their interests and stuff. So when you went into college, did you find that? Oh, there are like minded people around me oh, there are so many more people who share my hobbies who share my interest, I can talk to them about these different things that people in high school were probably not interested in. So did you find it better for you? Uh, yes,
Dewan
and no, because whenever I was in high school, since my high school was focused on, you know, science, and, you know, engineering, and a lot of my friends, you know, they were focused on going into the health professions area anyway. So whenever I, you know, enrolled into UTSA, and I started my semester, you know, it was just, it wasn’t really like a big difference to me. Yes, there were more students who were interested in the healthcare field, you know, I could talk to them about that. But really like, to me, whenever I spoke to people, and they shared their goals and aspirations, it was really eye opening to me how, like more students in college would talk about that. Whereas in high school, you know, you’d be surprised how many high school seniors don’t even have any goals and aspirations. Like, you know, like, whenever I was a senior in high school, like, I’d be telling everybody like, Yeah, I’m so interested in going to pharmacy school, like, I’m so interested in this pharmacy profession. And some of my friends were like, Yeah, I don’t even know I don’t even know what major I’m going to be. So I think that’s the biggest difference. It’s not really like minded people. It’s just people who are more open to sharing their ideas who really know what they want to do in life. That’s the difference you’ll find.
Kamila
Oh, that’s amazing. I want to go to college now. Okay, so and a part I’m really interested in with your college experience and we talked about it a little bit. You said that your experiences in the ER you know, your first hand experiences in the ER in the pharmacy and even you know, being a Air Force cat it was it a cadet Cadet cadet. Okay, so you said those skills helped you later on in college. So what kind of clubs activities do you do in college? And obviously, it’s college so you have much more like broader opportunities, like internships, I don’t know if you did study abroad, but what kind of things did you do in college?
Dewan
So I believe I mentioned this on college confidential where I actually started my own virtual volunteer project, which is called Hero cards. And I started this project because of COVID-19. And I definitely think you know, the courage to start A project was due to, you know, my role as a president for a club in high school. So I definitely think the leadership aspect that I gained in high school allowed me to really start my own initiatives in college and build from there. So you know, like, I’m managing this virtual volunteer project. On top of that I’m an intern for the leadership and volunteer services department at University. Before that, I was a pure health mentor for my university’s health education program. During this summer, I held two internships for the Texas Biomedical Research Institute and the chromosome 18, registering and Research Society, I participated in two pre pharmacy online programs this summer. And then, even before that, whenever I first started, you know, my journey at UTSA, I mentioned how I was accepted into a health program. That was the pathway to health professions program, and then through there, you know, I gained my certification as a community health worker. And looking back, you know, like my high school experience really did, you know, have an impact on what I’m doing today? Because if I hadn’t gained, you know, the leadership capabilities, the volunteer roles, you know, what could I have built, all of this experience that I have in college right now on? So high school was a foundation for me that I really feel like did affect what I do now in college.
Kamila
That’s, that’s really good. And I want to specifically go into the two inch internships you mentioned, and I’ve already forgotten the names because they were so long. But can you tell me about what you did there? And of course, you form networks in high school. So did you form them here? And what other skills did you learn in these internships?
Dewan
So the first internship that I was accepted to was the Texas Biomedical Research Institute’s V LEAD program, which is basically their first ever virtual internship program where I literally spoke to the President and CEO of their organ of their Institute, I learned how to perfect my scientific writing skills I presented on polycystic ovarian syndrome. As part of my little research project, I collaborated with other students, as we worked on different public health case studies. So that was that internship. The other internship that I had, which was also virtual was for the chromosome 18 registry and Reacher’s Research Society where I was a community development intern. And my roles in that internship was to basically, you know, coordinate relationships between the families that have chromosome 18, which is a genetic condition. And the organization that I worked for, you know, I helped fundraise events, I helped write grants, and got applications for those grants, I spoke with the executive director of the chromosome 18. Organization to facilitate any organizations. So I think in both of the internships I learned a lot, not only did I gain a lot of technical skills, like grant writing, because that was something that I’ve always wanted to do. And actually, that’s something that a lot of graduate schools look for, like, can you write technical papers. And as far as you know, other skills that I developed, I would definitely say that, you know, like, the skill of, you know, leading virtual meetings, you know, conducting a case study, virtually, those were some of the skills that I developed.
Kamila
I see. And so that’s very good that you learn that and it’ll probably help you with your graduate life. But what about, you know, you volunteered at an ER and a pharmacy in high school? Did you do any hands on experience? Of course, you know, before COVID head, did you do any hands on experience and you volunteering at local hospitals or
Dewan
places? Yes, I because I am a certified community health worker, I was actually able to work with existing community health workers at a local children’s hospital where I literally went into patient rooms and asked them, you know, like, if they want to participate in a low income, you know, like Housing and Food Program. So having the certification really, you know, amped up my experience as a volunteer, you could say, at hospitals. And beyond that, I also did volunteer at the local er, just recently, like, maybe about six months ago before, you know, COVID hit and I had a lot of fun. You know, I worked with a lot of the nurses I worked with some doctors. I even shadowed a couple of surgeons. So I had I had a lot of fun.
Kamila
That’s amazing. And let’s go back a little bit to the certification you got from that health program at UTSA. What was the process in getting that certification? And is it important when you go into the pre health field? Well into the health field? Sorry?
Dewan
Yes, I think, let me first start with the importance of it. I think any sort of certification is important whenever you’re going into graduate school, because, you know, a certification basically says, Hey, I’m good at this. So having that certification really, you know, solidifies the point that I’m interested in the healthcare field. That’s that, as far as the process, because a normal person who goes into the community health, you know, certification program has to do a lot of you know, work, because I was in the health professions program to start off with the health professions program, actually, you know, collaborated with Texas a&m University’s colonias program, which is a community health worker program. And then through there, we had to attend about 10 class sessions. And then after that, we had a practicum, where I led a community wide health fair that was focused on helping disadvantaged people in the downtown San Antonio community.
Kamila
That’s amazing. You, you were your schedule was really jam packed. So let’s kind of apply that to, you know, the actual college experience. How did you balance your academics? And you have, you seem to be a very, very busy person? So how did you balance academics, your own all these like experiences, you know, fundraising, going to fare shadowing surgeons and other nurses? How did you balance that and also a social life? Or just time to yourself? How did you balance all that.
Dewan
So as far as you know, like balancing everything, I guess, I just have, you know, very strong, you know, time management skills. And most of these, you know, extracurriculars that I participated in, most of them I completed in the winter break or summer break portion of the year. So that’s where I got those experiences. As far as some of these other things, I currently am an intern for the leadership department at my university, this is a virtual position. So you know, I’m able to manage it, at my own time, the peer mentor position that I had last year, that was also position that, you know, was very flexible. So I was able to, like, you know, work around my schedule to meet the requirements of the program that I was in for the peer health mentor position. So yeah, I mean, like, I’ve always had, you know, good time management skills, you know, like, and, like I mentioned, I like to complete everything in advance. So I know that I have something coming up, like for an organization for any sort of position that I have, I literally complete to like, all of my academic things in like, a few days. And somehow, that’s what I’ve been doing, you know, all these four years, you know, in college, and I feel like that’s what’s helping me along.
Kamila
I see. Okay, and you mentioned, kind of life skill, which is time management. Do you think Well, time management obviously helps you, but were there other skills that you developed and you think, are really beneficial? Like, what would you tell high school students now like what skills, overall life skills to develop now, to help you just anywhere in college in the workforce,
Dewan
I would definitely say mindfulness, mindfulness is something that, you know, you have to focus on for anybody, because, you know, as a high school, senior, you know, I was at that point to where, you know, I was having like, all these, you know, fantasies, like, Oh, I’m going to go to college, I’m going to do this, and that, this and that. But somehow in there, I feel like, you know, just like with any student, you know, you just kind of lose your track. And that’s my biggest advice for high school seniors, and anybody in general is just stay focused, you know, your student right now, you should not be focusing on anything that is directly new from your education, you should be focused, you should be present. It’s good to have goals, but you should be present on what’s around you. And that’s my biggest advice
Kamila
is you Okay, good. And that depth did that definitely help you in college?
Dewan
Yes, that definitely has helped me in college because, you know, every time you know, like, I’m given an opportunity. Like, just a few weeks ago, I got an interview to be, you know, like the CEO of like, a organization at a university. And even though I got the interview, I was like, Can I fit this in my schedule, like having a you know, like the CEO on like, you know, a resume That sounds amazing. But, you know, it’s not aligned with my career goals. It’s not aligned with, you know, my goal to go to pharmacy school. So, you know, I got rid of it. I was like, I cannot be derailed from an education, I can’t be derailed from my future career. Even though that sounds nice as something on a resume. I can’t let that derail me from the path that I’m seeking. While I feel
Kamila
like I’m talking with not a 27 year old, Oh, you’re very, you’re very, very smart and very educated for such a young person. That’s amazing. So I want to talk about one more thing that interests me, I’m kind of going all over the place, but you have so many things going on. So you said you have this research paper that you were working on or this research project. So can you talk to me about that a little bit? Because I know a lot of college students have to write some sort of long research paper or do something, some like big thesis or something. So can you explain that to me a little bit?
Dewan
Yes. So, um, the topic was polycystic ovarian syndrome, which is picos for short. And I actually started working on that project whenever I was a senior in high school. And I was in this class called ITSM, which is independent study mentoring. And I actually collaborated with a director at a local research institution. And she basically helped me with that project where, you know, I learned about the polycystic ovarian syndrome, you know, like, disease itself, and, you know, what are some things that normal women can do to, you know, better their lives, and it was more of a literary based research project, not much, you know, like, lab and hands on experience. And, you know, through that project, you know, I learned more about the different diseases that women can face, you know, including our polycystic ovarian syndrome. And I think I kind of, like, improved on that project, as I went into my college career. And recently, whenever I was in the Texas Biomedical Research Institute’s virtual internship, I spoke about polycystic ovarian syndrome, to the rest of my peers, because that’s something that, you know, like, I really enjoy, I really enjoy the topic of women’s health. And because I have some expertise in it, I really want to, you know, share my knowledge on that. So the project itself, I started whenever I was in high school,
Kamila
and were you just drawn to the topic of women’s health? or was there some sort of like event that sparked a certain certain desire to start doing it?
Dewan
No, I think I’ve always been interested in women’s health, like, even like, right now, I’m still trying to think of ways of how I can merge the two fields of you know, women’s hope and pharmacy together. And, you know, my grandmother, you know, she basically passed away of breast cancer. So I think that’s also another pivotal moment in my life, where I realize that, you know, like, Women’s Health is something that we really don’t look at that that much like, of course, we look at it, but it’s not really a big component of like, even, like, college gender studies, like literally, like, if you notice, like, at most colleges, there isn’t, you know, even a dedicated degree plan to women’s health. So that’s something that, you know, really bothered me, you know, like, why, why shouldn’t more people be interested in this sort of field, it’s so important, like, half of our population is made up of women, we should be talking more about this, and you know, the different diseases that women face. So I think, you know, all of this kind of culminated my interest.
Kamila
You see, and I’m very sorry for the loss of your grandmother. Oh, it’s okay. And one thing that I want to go into with the topic of women’s health is, did you have you, I know, you’re thinking of how to combine the pharmacy path with women’s health. Have you gotten Have you done any sort of research to see whether you can connect the two? Or have you gotten any sort of experience to see whether you can do it? Or are you like, Are you kind of stuck and you really don’t know where to go?
Dewan
No, I wouldn’t say I’m stuck at all, I think, as of right now, you know, like, of course, I’m interested in women’s health, but like I mentioned before, you know, my goal right now was to really get into pharmacy school, and I have done some research on you know, different doctorate programs that include, you know, the pharmacy profession and then the women’s health aspect to it. So although, of course, I’m interested in the women’s health aspect, that is something thing that, you know, I am going to focus more on after I get into pharmacy school because there are a lot of graduate programs, especially that do have, you know, like specific courses that are focused on women’s health and how you know, you can be a pharmacist and you know, prescribe, you know, different medications for women, how you can be focused on that area of expertise, etc.
Kamila
As you Okay, so let’s talk a little bit more about graduate school because you really got me hooked on that. So you did say you always had in mind that you will, for a long time you had in mind that you did want to go to graduate school. But when did you start? I guess thinking about it, like, oh, I need to do this, this, how am I going to pick the colleges I want to go to for my graduate school. So how did that all happen? How did you start thinking about it?
Dewan
So that started whenever I was a senior in high school, that was actually after I chose UTSA, as my undergrad institution. And you know, that just kind of got me started, like, Hey, I’m already, you know, like a college student. Now, you know, I only have four years left, I should probably start thinking about, you know, some graduate institutions. From there. I did a little Google search of, you know, what are some local pharmacy schools in Texas, like within Texas, and any better outside of Texas, and then from there that just kind of, you know, like, kept the little wheel turning in my head, I spoke to my advisors, I was like, hey, you know, like, as an undergraduate student, you know, like, Am I able to, like do anything for graduate school? And they were like, Yeah, of course, you can, you know, once you get in, once you start, you know, your undergraduate education, you will see that there are lots of opportunities for you to, you know, gain leadership responsibilities that could allow you to, you know, look over, like research on medication abuse, and then the amount of, you know, like, controlled substances that different college students take. And I definitely think that did come true whenever I was a peer help mentor, last year, because as a peer health mentor, I was actually able to, you know, do research on Adderall abuse on college campuses. And then from there, I basically made an entire Outreach Project, which I presented to my entire class, and then hopefully, in this coming semester, they’ll actually use my project and my research to teach other students.
Kamila
Wow, that must feel awesome. Yeah, it is. It is. Oh, that’s amazing. Okay, so let’s talk a little bit more about that. You have this? A, you sound so smart. Well, you say this. So you have this research thing that could be presented to other students for them to learn? So I’m sure you put that on a, I guess, kind of part of your resume for graduate school. But what are the other things that you’re putting on? Are you including the stuff that you did in high school for graduate school? Like, what are you putting on the I don’t know how it works, but like application to apply to graduate school.
Dewan
So I’m no, I’m not putting anything from high school on to my graduate school application. And the reason I’m not doing that is because, you know, it’s been many years since you know, any of my high school activities matter. And I think that whatever I gained in college is honestly a lot better than what I gained in high school. Like, if I think back, you know, like, the roles that I have right now. It’s just so much more specific. And I’m just learning so much. And let me see if I can actually find my resume. Because like, you know, yes, that’d be amazing. Yes. So let me see if I can find my resume. Loading. Yeah, because whenever I was in high school, you know, I thought I had like, literally the best resume ever. I was like, you know, it’s like five pages long and like, all of that, but then looking back at it, I’m like, Man, I should have really, like, cut back on that. Like, that’s, that’s just too much. And, you know, just speaking to my advisor, like a few months ago, you know, she was telling me like that, a normal resume should only be about one page max. So I was like, Okay, I should probably then even short my resume even more. So now. It’s like two pages, so I’m getting better. So let me see. You may need to give me a few minutes. Okay, until I find my resume. Yeah.
Kamila
So I want to ask one question about your high school application and this sort of like, I guess it’s not a new concept, but it’s something that a lot of people talk about. So in high school, a lot of people say that, especially for the more prestigious universities, you want to have something called a spike, which is something that’s really amazing that not many people have, that you’re really into, and it shows in the college. So you may not be the best in every single subject in every single aspect. But you have this one really significant thing that shows that you’re a leader that you’re taking initiative. So do you believe in that? Or were you more leaning towards like a being a well rounded student? So where do you stand on that? Like, what advice would you give, I would say
Dewan
that all students should strive to be well rounded, because you know, of course, you can be good in one area, you know, that that’s a very good thing. But, you know, like, undergraduate institutions, you know, they’re looking for someone who, when they come to their university can make the campus, you know, a good place overall. So I would say that, you know, every student should strive to be well rounded, you know, like, take leadership opportunities, like, even if you are a very shy person, you know, like, try it out. Even the fact that you tried out something looks awesome on a resume, you know, like the Undergraduate Admissions Officers may ask you, you know, why were you in this position for only a month, you could say that, you know, despite me being a shy person, you know, you could say that, you know, I learned a lot from this experience. And that’s what they really look for. They look for, you know, a student who was not only well rounded, but also has the capability to learn, because why be good in one thing, everybody is at least getting one thing, but shouldn’t everybody at least have a well rounded experience?
Kamila
Let me see that. That’s a very interesting point. And I have also have another question. I’m not an admissions officer. I’m not going to try to say that getting into the there’s no formula into getting into these top colleges, these top tier colleges, but you had a very good application, your grades definitely met the standard, your extracurriculars, they looked good in you did show leadership and initiative, which is something that those top colleges desire. And you did have very interesting extracurriculars. And I know that you wanted to, you know, stay closer to home and stuff. And you did apply to University of Notre Dame and Rice University. But did you ever was, I guess, I could say, did you ever have the fantasy of going to one of those top schools?
Dewan
Yes. I mean, of course, like, you know, as a high school senior, I was, like, you know, if I get accepted into rice, oh, my God, they have such pretty buildings. And then, you know, their dorms are so pretty. And like, the people are so smart. And then whenever I thought about Notre Dame, I was like, Oh, the University of Notre Dom has a rugby team. Because, you know, like, I love to work out. I love powerlifting. So, just, you know, like, having that environment was so cool to me. I was like, Oh, my God, a woman’s rugby team. That’s so amazing. So yeah, I mean, definitely, like, I definitely had that sort of fantasy of getting accepted into those universities. And, you know, but honestly, when I think about it, you know, like, being waitlisted, for those two universities is actually a very big advantage, you know, because, like, why, like, as an undergrad student, why am I so focused on like, you know, like, leaving my parents and then like, you know, doing this and that I’m barely a 17, or 18 year old, I’m, like, a little like, you know, Chick out of the nest, I shouldn’t even be doing this sort of stuff. You know, when I’m, whenever somebody goes into graduate school, they have a mindset of, they’re already an adult, they basically know what to do for their life. As an undergraduate. You shouldn’t know anything. Okay, so like, you know, I’m honestly glad that I wasn’t, you know, that, I want to say immature, I guess I wasn’t that impulsive that actually looked at all of my decisions. And I really, you know, looked at my priorities, you know, like, even if I did get accepted into rice or notre Dom, I’m pretty sure I would have turned them down.
Kamila
Okay. Yeah. And then you also talked about how, as an undergraduate, I mean, you want to go to graduate school, which is something that in your field, it’s probably very important to go into graduate school and then maybe eventually PhD. So for students who are, you know, very headstrong and going into top trying to get into these really top colleges for their undergraduate, especially if they want to pursue a graduate or PhD? Would you recommend that you just go to somewhere in your state that just, it’s a pretty good school, but it’s not like Harvard or something? Would you recommend that? Do you think it’s a wiser decision to do that?
Dewan
Yes, I definitely think it is a wiser decision like hey, if you get accepted into Harvard, you go there, girl. You go there. But I think that you know, like an undergraduate institution is a education is there to really build you as a person, a graduate institution like a pharmacy, school and medical school, you know, like the graduate school that you have on any campus. They are They’re to basically help you for your career, they’re there to help you with all of your aspirations, and undergraduate education is to help you become a better person. So I think that, you know, if somebody is having trouble, you know, like deciding whether or not they want to go to like a renowned University, or like just a local university, just look at the pros and cons of attending your local university. Because, you know, if you ask any person, you know, who’s already graduated from college, who’s going to a graduate institution, they’ll tell you that, you know, they went to a normal university, that their graduate experience is a lot more important than their undergraduate experience.
Kamila
Yeah. And you also brought earlier on college confidential. And earlier in this interview, you did bring up the point that you wanted to invest your money, you know, your parents money into graduate school, rather than undergraduate school, which is an undergraduate degree, a lot of people are getting it. And it’s like, it’s big, it’s like a question like, do you even need one or something in certain fields. So that was a very interesting thing you said in a thing I hope a lot of more people are conscious about instead of, you know, spending a bunch of money at other places, and your undergraduate education and stuff.
Dewan
So yeah, and I totally agree with that. Because, you know, I will be graduating pretty soon. So you know, I think a bachelor bachelor’s degree is very important too, but where you get your bachelor’s degree is not as important compared to, you know, what you do with their life, you know, like, what sort of graduate institutions you go to, because, you know, once you are actually a college student, then you know, like, most students really realize, you know, what, really, their the value of having just a big name University, on their resume. And the honest truth really, is that sometimes, you know, these students, they end up going to these really prestigious schools, but their GPA is just tanking, like, it’s bad. And, you know, like, I feel like, you know, at the moment, there were like, in that sort of a feeling of, you know, I’m at a good university, you know, like, once companies or graduate schools see that name on my resume, they’re gonna be like, oh, you know, you’re picked. But really, that’s not the case. They’re looking for a student, despite to the school, a student who has good grades, a student who has the abilities to make the graduate institution a better place, and a student who has the capabilities, the capabilities of basically making the world a better place. You know, of course, a renowned University is awesome, like to have Stanford on your resume. Oh, my God, you know, that’s so cool. But like, what did you do at Stanford, if you’re like, a, I don’t know, like a 2.0. Student, you know, compared to a student who went to a local university and got a 3.5, most graduate institutions are going to pick that 3.5 student, unless that 2.0 student has like some sort of talent that we don’t even know about.
Kamila
You make a very, very good point there. And I remember I saw something, it was like it was something along the lines of people in high school get a 4.0 only to get to get C’s in a row in MIT or something like that. So I think that’s a very good point, like your grades dropping, because usually when you go to those top universities, you’re not going to be at the top of the class, you know, the best the best. Yeah. So did you get did you get your resume pulled up?
Dewan
Yes, I do. I do have it right in front of me right now. Okay, so can
Kamila
you tell us about the things that you have put on your resume?
Dewan
Yes. So as I was working on my resume, you know, a few months ago, honestly, all I did was like, type up, you know, what a resume should look like for a pre pharmacy student. And, you know, it gave me ideas. And then after that, I talked to my advisor, and she was like, you know, okay, I use that example to work on your resume. And the resume that I have right now, it honestly looks pretty nice. So you know, at the top of my resume, I have my objective, you know, like, what is my goal, like I put, I’m a driven leader with over three years of demonstrated commitment to public service programs, I launched, you know, a virtual volunteer program. I’m a determined individual with goals to earn a PharmD, MBA, after completed after completing my Bachelor of Science degree. So my objective is at the forefront of my resume, because that’s what most graduate schools look at. The truth about resumes is that most graduate institutions, they only look at, you know, maybe the first half portion of the first page, so you really have to sell them right at that moment. After the objective. I put my education. You know, I put my education of how currently attending UTSA put my GPA. I also put how I’m currently in a pharmacy technician program. Below that I put my license and certification. And then after, you know, all of my education and everything is written out, that’s when I start writing about, you know, my pharmacy related experience, you know, like the four places that I’ve worked for that, you know, have some sort of relation to the pharmacy field. And then after that, I talked about my business related experience, since I’m interested in getting an MBA after my form D, you know, I also have to put some sort of, you know, aspect on the resume that I’m really interested in the business field. And then if I have any other sort of work experience, I also included that as well. And then the bottom part of my resume, the second page, the bottom part of it, it’s just really focused on, you know, the different initiatives that I’ve started, you know, like any sort of projects and events, like, I spoke about the health fair that I hosted. So I mentioned that on my resume. I also mentioned volunteer work, any training and continuing education credits. And at the very, very bottom, I put affiliations, like any organizations that I’m part of, you know, to me, having an organization, you know, be at the top of my resume is something that is so generic, because like, everyone is part of an organization, but like, what sort of experience did you have outside of that organization? You know, like, you can be a part of like, a HOSA, or something like a health, occupation, you know, whatever organization, but like, what did you do beyond that? Did you volunteer? Did you like lead an event? Because that’s what graduate institutions look at, you know, whenever they look at a resume, they’re basically looking at the resume to see whether or not that student fits into their school, if they fit into their school, okay? They get an interview, if they don’t, they just forget about them.
Kamila
I see. And you said that your resume at first was really, really long? How did you prioritize? Or how did you choose the most important? Well, I guess we could specifically talk about the actual volunteering and the experience you got, because that is like a really big chunk of your application. So how did you shorten it down to those things? Like, how did you? How did you choose between all the things you did to put on your application? Because you can’t put a bunch like 1015 stuff? So how did you choose? So I basically
Dewan
focused on, you know, like, what is most aligned with my career goals, because, you know, I also volunteered on the library, I also, you know, like, was part of the varsity choir, but I didn’t put any of those things on my resume, because I knew that, you know, neither of those things was directly related to my overall goals. So those were some of the things that I took out. And, you know, after, you know, like, taking out all those things, I went from having like a five page resume to a two page resume. And, you know, having a more concise resume was definitely to my advantage, because, you know, colleges, what they’re looking for really is, you know, do you fit into their school. And, you know, they’re not looking for strict requirements, like graduate schools, but they’re just looking for someone you know, who has that sort of drive, who has that sort of passion to really get their education and move forward with their lives.
Kamila
So we talked about earlier in the podcast, with your high school, the ER in the pharmacy, you did form a sort of network with them. And I’m sure you formed a sort of network with the different, you know, the research you’ve done with other people in college and the different organizations you joined. So does that give you any benefit when applying to graduate school? Like, are you getting any recommendations? Is that helping you any bit?
Dewan
Yes, I definitely think that, as far as the connections that I made in high school, honestly, it’s been so long that, you know, those connections really don’t matter anymore. But the connections that I’ve made in college are definitely very helpful, because currently, I have about 11 references that I can go to for any letter of recommendation. And, you know, the trick to networking is to really, you know, like, put yourself out there, you know, like, like I mentioned, like, even if you’re a really shy person, you know, like, just put yourself out there you never know, maybe the person you’re working with is also a shy person, but they can help you, you know, like, mold yourself into somebody who, you know, likes to work with people time to time. So I definitely think that the connections that I made in college is more beneficial for me, because, you know, one of my references, I’ve known her for about two years now, the latest reference that I have, you know, he’s the president and CEO of the Texas Biomedical Research Institute. You know, I’ve only known him for a few months and you know, we already have a connection. So, you know, just put yourself out there like, you know, and try to get as many connections as you can. And if you Lose a connection for some reason, then it’s totally fine. Because you know, people are busy. And you just kind of have to move on
Kamila
how, you know, you said that you have these reference references on standby, just in case you know, you need them. So how important do you think connections are when going into graduate school going to get your PhD? And you said, you are interested in getting an MBA? Or that or just going into the workforce? How much do you think that’s going to help you in the future,
Dewan
I definitely think that, you know, having these connections are really important. Because like, think about it, you know, if you literally know, say, a professor at an institution, and you have a really good connection with her, and she knows your background, she can literally connect you with an HR manager, and get you a job that you never knew you could have, you know, so say, if you’re interested, you know, in a research position at a certain institution, and you know, the director of labs in that place, since you know, her, and she knows your capabilities, she can actually talk to somebody, you know, who’s higher than her to see if there’s any available positions. And this, you know, this is the same across graduate schools, too, if you know, someone, you know, at a graduate institution, you know, whether that be like a professor at that graduate institution, and admissions officer at that graduate institution, whatever it may be, it will really be an advantage to you, like, just the other day, I was speaking to an admissions officer, and counselor for the unity School of Pharmacy, you know, and I’m developing the sort of connection with him so that whenever I apply to pharmacy schools, he’s gonna know exactly, you know, who that person is when he sees my name. So I think that connections is so important.
Kamila
That’s, that’s really good. And I’m really happy for you, they have this connections. So let’s get into the schools that you’re considering for pharmacy for pharmacy school, and how did you come upon those schools? So can you give us a few of the schools that you’re thinking of?
Dewan
Yes. So my top school that I’m thinking about right now is the University of North Texas School of Pharmacy. And the other graduate institutions that I’m thinking about are basically eight other pharmacy schools in Texas, I’m thinking about applying to about maybe 15, pharmacy schools, because 15 is that many 15, not 1515. Yeah, um, it’s not. But the reason I’m doing that is because you know, getting accepted into pharmacy school is hard, it’s really hard, you know, the exam itself is really hard. So, even if you apply to 15, there is probably a very good chance, you’re only going to get accepted to maybe three. And then from those three, you have to make a decision. And, you know, that’s why I’m considering, you know, so many applications, and so many schools, and I’m already like, you know, I already have the, you know, the money that I need to save the money that I need to pay for my applications. And it’s about like a total of 15 applications. It’s about like, $6,000 for all those applications. Yeah, because it’s not, it’s not just applications, it’s like transcripts, it’s like, you know, cost of flying to these places, you know, cost of booking your seat cost of, you know, like, just, it’s just so much cost. So I definitely think that, you know, maybe I am applying to too many universe or too many graduate institutions, but you know, I think it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Kamila
I said, that’s amazing. You’re applying to so many schools. Okay. And I have one little question, did you ever consider going somewhere out of Texas for pharmacy schools? Or did you just find that the best ones were in Texas or something?
Dewan
Oh, no. I mean, I’m considering like six out of state universities, there’s still going to be like primarily in the south, because I just like warm weather. But because I do have connections with people in the School of Pharmacy in Buffalo, New York. I’m also considering applying there as well.
Kamila
While you have a lot of stuff, I’m congratulate you You seem very prepared for this. I’m sure you’re going to get accepted. And I saw that you’re going to be taking the P C A T the P cat, the PCAP. Yes, P cat for pharmacy school. So how is that going, you know, preparing for it.
Dewan
So that’s actually going great. I started I started studying about two and a half months ago. And basically what I do is that because there’s seven components of the exam, every single day, I go over one component like today I’m going over the math component of the P cat. And even though my test is scheduled to be in March, and most students starts studying, you know, like three months before the test, I literally started studying 10 months Before the test, because I do not want to get a bad score, because you know, it’s really important for me to, you know, not only get accepted into the PharmD program, but also to get accepted into the MBA program that the schools offer.
Kamila
So we’ve been talking about a lot, and you gave a lot of valuable information, and I want you to tell us a couple more things. So in high school, whether that was in extracurricular, outside of school, in school, a club, a class, anything, what do you think prepared you the most for college and something like specifically that prepared you?
Dewan
I wouldn’t say the public speaking class that I took, where I performed research definitely prepared me for college, because, you know, I was, you know, driven to be so, you know, I, I had to multitask so much in that course, that it just related to my college education, so much like, as a college student, you know, like, I’m literally, you know, having to do 10 things at once. And, you know, having a course like that in high school, where I had to, like, you know, do research, and then, you know, collaborate with these directors that, you know, so and so and then do this and do that, like, it really translated well, into what colleges like. So I think that, you know, if you’re a high school student, try to find a program that is like that, you know, if you’re, if your school offers a, like a research course, or a sort of outreach course, where you have to network with other people, I would say go with that. Because in the long run, those sorts of skills are going to really help you, especially if you’re in college,
Kamila
that’s very good to like, kind of develop overall life skills rather than one specific thing. Right. Okay. And then one last thing I want to ask is, D, what advice just for two high school students first and college students? What advice do you have for call high school students right now, it can be anything like preparing for the LSAT early, like you did, or joining these clubs are trying this out? Like, what would it be that the one thing you could say to them?
Dewan
The one thing I would say, which I mentioned before, is, you know, like, stay present. Don’t, you know, don’t swamp yourself with, you know, these 10 year goals of you know, like, I’m going to head this company, I’m going to do that. No, stay focused, you know, your education is the most important thing that you should be thinking about right now. And you know, that’s the same for college students as well.
Kamila
Oh, so that would be your advice for both high school and college students? Yes, I see. Okay. Well, thank you so much, John, for coming here. You provided me a lot of information and gave a lot of good advice on just college, graduate school life, everything. It was an absolute pleasure talking to you.
Dewan
It was a pleasure speaking to as well you know, I really hope that you know, you continue to do well in your coursework and hopefully you know, you will get accepted into a very good university. So good luck,
Kamila
I think and I wish you luck on the what is it? P cat, right. P cat? Yes. Okay, good. Good. I wish you luck, even though it’s pretty far away from here. So I wish you luck and I hope you do get into the graduate school that you dream of.
Dewan
Thank you so much. I hope you have a great day. Okay.
Kamila
Okay, you too. Bye. Bye. Bye. That’s it for my interview as to one if you enjoyed that episode, make sure to subscribe so you know when other episodes are coming out. One last thing I want to say is if you are a current high school student that has gotten accepted into college, or a current college student, it doesn’t matter what year and you’re interested in being interviewed. Please contact me at kid at a college kid.com That’s all lowercase letters. Well, other than that, I hope to see you guys next episode.