January 31, 2023
Looking towards her upcoming graduation this spring, Sydnie Jenkins (Hometown: Lucasville, Ohio) found interest in Shawnee State University’s Biomedical Sciences (Pre-Med) program because she enjoys helping others and has a love of science.
“It was the perfect mix of everything I wanted in my career,” she said.
Preparing to enter medical school, Jenkins was grateful for how her classes at SSU prepared her for her future. She has already been accepted into a regional medical school and is looking to complete additional interviews at other schools.
“I have worked on a chemistry and an anatomy project in my courses that have been beneficial,” she said. “I think that is going to help me in the future. I’ve also gotten internships at Marshall University and the University of Cincinnati that I wouldn’t have gotten without the research I’ve done here.”
Throughout her time in the program, Jenkins has been able to connect with her faculty members to the extent that she feels comfortable going to any of them for assistance in her classes and in her medical school preparation.
“The faculty are some of my best friends,” she said. “I have some of their numbers and we text. They’re some of my biggest supporters.”
SSU’s Pre-Med program is designed to prepare students to enter medical school with a strong foundation in biology, a development of scientific research skills, and with hands-on experiences like the advanced human anatomy course – where students can participate in a human cadaver dissection lab. The program also offers an Early Assurance Program for high-performing high school students to enter the university’s Pre-Med program while also receiving guaranteed acceptance into Ohio University’s Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine.
“If you are interested in a career in medicine, do your best to get involved,” said Jenkins.
“Build those connections, because you’re going to need them one day.”
To learn more about the Pre-Med program at Shawnee State University, visit shawnee.edu/pre-med.