My name is Ton and I am a rising sophomore at the University of Houston with a major in Biology and minors in Medicine & Society and Chemistry. After I graduate I will be attending the nearby Baylor College of Medicine as a student of the Houston Premedical Academy to complete my medical degree.
All that aside I am one of the many proud NSHSS Student Council Representatives nationwide. As college students our primary goal is to help high school students make the most informed decisions that they can make in regards to their education. When I was college-searching my senior year my list of probable colleges to apply to was in essence a laundry list. For me I want to become a physician one day and there were so many top schools in the U.S. that can bring me a step closer to my aspiration. Even so, I narrowed down my list to eight colleges so that I can better focus on the application for each individual institution. How I chose these eight colleges was by talking to college admission officers from each of the schools and more importantly current college students at each of those schools by way of email, personal phone calls and other popular forms of media. A typical college website’s and college recruiter’s main goal is to attract a multitude of students by way of attractive advertising. The only way, in my opinion, to really see if a certain college is right for you, to see through this attractive advertising, is to get into contact with the right people and to do so early on. Without developing a strong rapport with the admission officers and students personally I would have struggled greatly with the college admissions process.
Overall, applying to college is not an individual path but a collective one when you involve others. Sometimes a student may strongly believe that this one university is perfect, the “dream” college, but after asking students from that university questions he/she may turn the corner. Inquiring others, like myself, that have gone through exactly what you are going through is always beneficial because with every question answered comes a more informed decision and as a result less regrets down the road.
My first year at the University of Houston has been nothing short of amazing. I lived on campus this past year, gotten to meet the most interesting and enthusiastic of professors all the while enjoying my classes, getting the most out of my education. How did I end up here? I earned high marks in high school, scored high on the SAT and ACT, volunteered and held leadership positions, and afterwards began my search for the right and best college for me. Remember the more you do to improve yourself academically and more importantly as an individual, as a person, the more opportunities will come your way.
Thank you all for the time, enjoy the reception. Go Coogs!