Concord Community Discusses Graduate School

College is a time to learn and expand one’s knowledge. Some people take it a step further and attend graduate school. Marenda Garlow, Madison Crank, Samantha Richards and Chelsea Hollifield are all current students or alumni of Concord University. These students have taken the initiative to take that step further and further their education.   

    Marenda Garlow is expected to graduate from Concord in December 2016 with an undergraduate degree in Biology. She is planning to attend Marshall University School of Pharmacy for the upcoming fall semester and plans to graduate in May 2021.

    Garlow says that pharmacy school has been something she has thought about for a while. “In high school it was my original plan to do pharmacy because I had medical problems. I will have to take medication [for] the rest of my life and I wanted to be able to help people and explain their medication to them. I know what it is like to be on the other end of it and how it can be scary to hear you may have to rely on a medication the rest of your life,” she states.

    Garlow says that she doubted herself, but learned to persevere and show that she was capable of going. “Then it [my major] changed when I came to college. I thought at first I wasn’t going to be able to do well enough to [go to] pharmacy school. Then, [at] the end of my sophomore year, I decided I was done underestimating myself and was going to go for it.” 

    The process to apply and get accepted was extensive, Garlow says. “I had to take the entrance exam, the PCAT, I had to fill out an online application, Pharmcas, which is sent to whichever pharmacy school you want to apply for, then I had to fill out a secondary application for the specific school, and then go for an interview. Then waited to hear back as to if I got in or not,” she states. 

    Garlow feels that Concord prepared her for her future in pharmacy school. “I did the pre-health committee where a bunch of the science, math, and chemistry professors look at your personal statement and suggest changes to make. They also do a panel mock interview. Going through that really had me prepared for the interview at Marshall,” she says.

    “[Although] Marshall in my eyes is a bigger [school than] Concord, it still gives me that “at-home” feeling. The students and professors I met were all genuine and interested in me. They made me feel like they cared if I came or not, I wasn’t just going to be another person there for them to teach,” Garlow states. 

    Madison Crank is another student here at Concord receiving her undergraduate degree in Biology. She is expecting to graduate in May 2017. Although she has not committed to going to one medical school yet, she has most certainly been accepted to more than a few. 

    “I have been accepted to VCOM in Blacksburg and WVSOM in Lewisburg. I’ll hear back from Marshall (MUSOM) on November 1, as I had an interview there last Saturday. My interview at WVU school of Medicine is November 21. All but one of them is in-state. I love Marshall, so it is definitely my top choice,” Crank states. 

    Crank further explains, “Marshall also has a small class size and is committed to training students to become primary care physicians to care for rural communities.” Crank says that this goes hand-in-hand with her future plans. “I want to attend medical school in WV, practice medicine in WV, and become an internist to come back to serve my rural hometown community.” 

    Although she has been accepted into several schools, the process has not been easy. “You use an online application service called AMCAS (for medical school) and AACOMAS (for osteopathic medical school). You select the schools to which you want to apply. If they like you and you meet their requirements, they will you a supplemental application that you must complete. Then, if they are interested in learning more about you, they will call you in for an interview,” Crank says.

    She further explains, “When you submit your file, you have to provide a transcript. Your test MCAT scores, personal statement, work experience, community service, medical experience, and any other aspect of your life you want them to know about. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure that he or she has all the prerequisites that schools require.”

    Although only the MCAT test scores are required, Crank took both the MCAT and the GRE. “I had to study a lot for them. Standardized tests are just so different. … Concord provided me with a good biology background, but I still had a lot to learn to prepare for the test,” she says.

    Samantha Richards graduated from Concord in May 2016 with an undergraduate degree in Geography with an emphasis in GIS and Cartography. She now attends Shippensburg University receiving her in Master’s in Geoenvironmental Studies and is expected to graduate in May 2018.

    Richards was an out-of-state student when she attended Concord. “I’ve always been the one to explore new places. When I decided that I wanted to further my education, one of my professors suggested for me to look into Ship especially since it was closer to home,” states Richards.

    Richards explains, “Colleges in Maryland are generally more expensive. It’s always been cheaper for me to go out-of-state than in state. I never regretted my decision to attend a college eight hours from home so it was easy to make the choice to go to graduate school in Pennsylvania.”

    Richards says that the process trying to get accepted involved hard work. “I had to fill out an application and submit my transcripts. They prefer that you get in contact with some of the faculty prior. If you wanted to apply for funding like a Graduate Assistant position you had to write a cover letter, submit at least two letters of recommendation and submit your transcripts again,” she says.

    Richards states that, “In my research class we have to submit a literature review and a research proposal this semester. I’ve already done both of these in my Capstone class last semester with Dr. Shome. I feel very confident in writing them because of that.

    Chelsea Hollifield also graduated from Concord and is furthering her education. She received her undergraduate degree in Sociology in May 2015. She now attends graduate school at Concord University and is enrolled in the Health Promotion program. She is expected to graduate in May 2017. 

    Hollifield says that more opportunity is what really influenced her to consider furthering her education. “I got a degree in Sociology which I was very excited about. Unfortunately, [it] has limited jobs in this area.  I looked at grad school as an opportunity to expand my career options and a great way to earn more money later on down the road,” she states. 

    Hollifield wanted to stay at Concord because of her familiarity with the school and her professors. She states, “I chose Concord because it was a school I already knew a lot about. Dr. Nolan, who [is] in charge of Health Promotion was extremely encouraging [and] we talked about different job opportunities that this degree would open doors for. The health field has endless opportunities and eventually, I would like to work with the HR department for a big hospital.” 

    The process for Hollifield was no easier. “I had to apply for and take the GRE, send in my transcript, have a 2.75 GPA from under grad, and get 3 letters of recommendation. It’s extremely time consuming and very expensive but I think it’s a worthwhile investment because bachelor degrees are very common now. A Masters [Degree] can help you stand out,” Hollifield states.

    She also agrees that Concord has helped her with graduate school. “Concord helped me be prepared from previous classes that I’ve taken, for example before I can graduate I have to complete the practicum (a 7 chapter paper) that consists mainly of research. But I took one of Dr. Stanley’s classes senior year and it was all researched based,” Hollifield states. 

    Although everyone at Concord may not choose to attend grad school, it’s a comforting thought to know that we attend a university that will prepare us for it if we choose.