To start off, say a little about yourself, your interests, undergraduate degree, and what you are doing now. “I completed my BSc Honours in Medicinal Chemistry at UNB Fredericton in 2020. I worked in two different on-campus labs during my time at UNB, one of them being the Dyker Research Group and the other being the Blight Research Group. My work in these groups focused on inorganic and supramolecular chemistry. I was proud to present my experience with research at the inaugural ASRJ “SciSpire” conference in November of 2019. I am currently a student at Dalhousie Medical School in Halifax, NS.”
What are your best survival tips for undergrad to succeed? “I greatly attribute my success in undergrad to the life balance I was able to achieve over my four years. I feel that I had a great variety in my everyday activities that allowed me to remain fit both mentally and physically. I dedicated a lot of my time for school but always made sure to commit time everyday for family and friends, physical recreation, volunteering, and leisure time.”
What factors played into your decision to attend professional school? “I knew early on in my undergrad that I had a desire to attend professional school. I have a strong passion for academia and learning so I knew I would want to further my academic career by attending professional school.”
What is the hardest aspect of applying to professional school? “I found the hardest part of applying to professional school to be trying to do applications while juggling all the responsibilities that come with being in the final year of a degree. I had a lot of things going on in my life at the beginning of my 4th year of my degree. I was working as a proctor, starting an honours project, volunteering, and trying hard to keep my grades as high as possible before graduating. All of these things are stressful enough on their own without having professional school applications to do on top of them. Often times professional school applications are lengthy and complicated. They can require multiple essays and references and are usually fairly expensive. This can make the process quite stressful!”
What organizations were you involved in on campus? “During my time at UNB I was a member of the UNBF Science Student Leadership Program as a Peer Mentor, a Proctor for UNB ResLife, a Volunteer with UNB S.P.R.I.N.G., and a member of the 2017-2018 Global Brigades Public Health Team. I also attended 2 ASRJ conferences as a guest speaker in 2019 and 2020.”
Was there an event or organization that you were involved in that helped solidify your interests in pursuing professional school? “I found my interest in pursuing professional school was solidified with my first experience doing independent research in the Dyker Research Group in the summer of 2018. This was when I gained a great amount of confidence in my abilities in academia and knew that I could see myself furthering my abilities at professional school.”
Jordan can be reached at jordanconrad1998@gmail.com for further questions.