Biology Major | Spelman College
Q&A: Biology Major – Shami M (3:12)
“In high school, I was very much so involved in the sciences in the IB program so I was very centered in math and science. I’m very interested in human biology and also population biology in general.”
You should go to college because college is the best place to find friends, college is the best place to make memories, also the place to get a lot more education. It helps you get a better job than you would’ve had with only a high school degree or an associates degree. So college is really here to help you move forward.
Freedom. Honestly the ability to be able to choose. Just being on campus, and being able to be involved in so many different things. Also, while having a job here on campus, I’ve just been able to create my own schedule. Also being in college you are exposed to so many different cultures and ethnicities. While being on the campus of Spelman College, I know it’s a HBCU, all black people or people of the African diaspora, not all of us are the same. We all come from different cultural backgrounds and different experiences so I was just able to gain a better appreciation for all different cultures and different people’s shared experiences.
It’s very important that you understand that you have to have an academic life and a social life. That helps my mental health. The ultimate goal in college is to get a degree, and everything else is secondary. You cannot say yes to everything you have to be able to discern from different responsibilities that you have. What is of the utmost importance to your academic career? So, I would just make sure that you keep your head on straight and you know what you’re goals are when you’re in school.
My ultimate goal for the future is to become a doctor, specifically I want to be a surgeon. I’m really excited to learn more about healthcare disparities, which are just inequalities in healthcare that affect the African-American community and other minorities. So my ultimate goal is to go into medicine and to help those individuals that can’t help themselves.
I know it can be hard, I know it can be a very daunting task at first. Just make sure to stay motivated, always try to learn new things whether it be through YouTube, your professors or your classmates, learn something new every day. Try to build up some volunteer experience. I know being so young, you may not be thinking about that now, But try to be of help to someone other than family members, trying to be of help to someone you don’t know. Remember to have fun, I think it’s really important to have fun, but just remember, life is slowly approaching. Make sure you take the right steps to succeed.
You can do it. Believe in yourself. And just be excited about the journey.