Why I Want To Pursue A Pre-Medical Degree

At the University of Rhode Island I have had the pleasure of working in a pharmacology and toxicology lab for a year with Dr. Angela Slitt. My original plan coming into the university was to pursue a pre-medical degree that I would then turn to a medical degree. However, now that I have had the experience to take courses as well as my experience in Dr. Slitt’s lab I now know that a career in pharmaceutical sciences in right for me. The thrill of obtaining pertinent data to a proposed theory is the driving force for my enthusiasm.
My first semester as an undergraduate research assistant at URI I was put directly into an ongoing mouse study. This first semester gave me the experience I would later need in mouse handling and tissue extraction. At first I was unsure if the field was right for me but …show more content…
After cutting new liver samples for myself to purify I began to start the related assay. At first the process was slow as I was double and triple checking every move I made to make sure the process was correct because now I was on my own. It was the best feeling to my first gel created alone to reflect my hard work I had put into the process. It seemed as if everything I had worked for had paid off and my new lab skills were coming into play. I later used this RNA, along with other undergraduates in the lab to make cDNA and later take our first swing at running qPCR to look for the genes expressed in the sample. Our first attempt at this process was a miss and the data was poor. After a few tries we had a successful run. Eventually, I took an attempt all on my own at qPCR, which ended with a great reading. This success showed me why I loved the research field. It showed that I could get pertinent data with such sensitive materials, and that I could personally see that the field was right for me. Now my confidence was growing in my lab skills and I was ready to lead a mouse