Laura Schachtner | Staff Writer
With the spring semester coming to a near close, students are feeling the pressure of completing homework and finishing up class projects. However, many students are feeling a different kind of pressure: the pressure of deciding what to do after graduation. Several female seniors have already made this difficult choice and decided to pursue further education by attending graduate school. Among the already-decided graduating seniors is Allison Kirchgatter.
“Next year I will be attending the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine. The program is four years long. My freshman year will be spent doing mostly basic work like anatomy, and then sophomore year I get to pick some of my electives. Junior year, we learn soft tissue surgeries, and a complete calendar year (May to May) is spent on rotations of different specialties for your senior year,” Kirchgatter said.
Senior Cameron Matters has also decided to pursue furthering her education in the medical field. After graduation, she will be attending Des Moines University (DMU).
“The program I will be involved with starts with two years of classroom learning. The third and fourth years are mainly rotations at different hospitals and in different departments. From there, I will be entering residencies all across the nation. While at DMU, I would also like to get involved in their global program and travel to different countries while completing my degree requirements,” Matters said.
Senior Molly Urness will also be attending Des Moines University after graduation.
“I will be going to Des Moines University for PA school. It’s a two-year program, and the first year is all classes. It’s really advanced; some of the classes I’ll be taking will be with second-year DO (Doctor of Osteopathic) med students, so it’s very fast-paced. In the second year are rotations; it’s basically like we have a job – the same thing that a doctor would do, everything that a doctor or MD (Medical Doctor) is learning, you have to learn in a year of classes and a year of clinicals,” Urness said.
These young women would not be able to pursue such rigorous programs had it not been for the preparation that they received at Buena Vista University (BVU). All of them seem to agree that rigorous classes, opportunities for a wide variety of experiences, and the support they received from professors has helped ready them for the challenges that they will face in grad school.
As graduating seniors with a wide array of experiences, they have a few tidbits of advice to offer current students and students who are looking to pursue postgraduate degrees. Kirchgatter encourages students to utilize the resources that BVU provides, such as Career Services, which had helped her prepare for her interview.
Urness advises students to get as much experience as possible.
“Continually try new things,” Urness said. “Do new things that you’ll want to talk about, and you’ll have a lot of experiences to bring into grad school.”
“Have fun, take a break, don’t give up. There will be times you’ll wonder if it’s all worth it. Trust me, it is,” Matters said.
