Bolles students are already known for working and studying hard, and it is no surprise that many have interests in science and medicine and plan to go into the medical field as an adult.

Two Bolles alumni, Taylor Bunn (’15) and Haley Neal (’15) both decided to begin their medical careers in pre-med at UF.

With many great graduates, UF is well-known for its medical school. But with a future of medicine and PhD’s ahead, there must be hard work and dedication to achieve success in this field.

Bunn says, “It’s a lot of studying and homework. A lot more than other majors.” Not only is Bunn studying more than she ever would in high school, but she recently picked up an internship on campus with a gynecologist. Working every Thursday for two hours, Bunn says, “I volunteer once a week. That’s all they let you do because so many people volunteer.”

Neal is also a volunteer, helping out at the UF College of Dentistry so she can be introduced to an atmosphere of the healthcare field.

Neal talks about the classes required in order to proceed past pre-med. Stating most of her classes compose of math and science courses, she says, “I’m currently taking my second semester of chemistry, which is definitely one of my most challenging classes.”

And the classes aren’t the small high school classrooms students are used to. Instead, premed freshmen at UF have most of their classes in lecture halls with 200 to 300 students.

Despite the lecture halls seeming intimidating, Bunn assures, “We have smaller discussion classes of about 20-30 and those meet once a week and are more personal.” These discussion groups separate the 300 students into smaller sections to give the students a better understanding of their notes and lessons.

“In lectures, the professor just briefly touches the material but the discussions are more in depth and we take quizzes together.” Bunn adds. Led by teachers’ assistants, The quizzes and smaller classes give students a better chance to ask questions and understand the topics. Bunn notes that the quizzes are helpful and help to review the topics discussed in the lectures.

Overall, the combination of studying, interning, and taking exams can be overwhelming. Despite only having two classes a day, Bunn and Neal are required to take online courses and complete labs routinely.  

As Bolles students prepare for their futures, considering the amount of work and dedication to go into the medical field is important. However, the pre-med field grows in popularity and demand each year, and the hard work will eventually pay off down the road.