Welcome to the second Pre-Health Oxford FAQ post! In this series, current and former PHA Peer Mentors have collaborated to answer common questions and concerns from Oxford pre-health students. The authors of this series are current juniors, seniors, and first-year medical students who graduated from the Oxford College of Emory University.
The photos in this post feature all of the authors (Sydney Chung, Janet Guo, Pranay Manda, Mathew Padanilam, Abhi Raju, and Eric Zeng) during their time at Oxford involved in many different activities. You can find more details about the authors here: http://prehealth.emory.edu/connect/peer-mentors.html. This is the second in a series of posts, and the completed FAQ will be available after the entire series has been published.
1. What resources does Pre-Health Advising offer to Oxford students?
Connecting with PHA can be a challenge due to the distance separating B. Jones Center and Oxford, GA. However, don’t let that hold you back. You will have an assigned advisor who will be more than willing to connect with you via Skype. The advisors will also make periodic trips to Oxford to hold sessions such as the second year mandatory check-up. Additionally, many of our peer advisors are Oxford Continuees who would be more than happy to assist students with recommended courses, suggestions to approach the Oxford lifestyle (campus life), recommended extracurriculars/clubs on campus, and ways to effectively plan out their pre-health undergraduate careers during their time at Oxford and throughout the transition to the Atlanta campus.
2. How do I find my pre-health advisor? How often should I meet with my pre-health advisor?
Check out http://prehealth.emory.edu/connect/index.html
to find your advisor based on your last name! While there is no perfect
number of appointments that one should meet, I tried to visit around
once a month to receive advice and help create a list of action items
for the upcoming months. The advisors are very amicable and would love
to chat with you!
3. Where should I go if I have more questions?
Definitely reach out to PHA Peer Mentors in person or through phone or email! We are always available during walk-in hours over the phone as well for our Oxford students. Additionally, students are able to schedule appointments with PHA advisors!
4. Can I still take classes at Emory Atlanta campus? Is it better to take pre-reqs there vs. Oxford?
The professors will differ as well as the difficulty level of the classes, but the quality of the class will ultimately be what you as a student makes of it. If there is a specific class that is not offered on the Oxford campus that you wish to take during your first two years on the Oxford campus, you have several options: graduate early and move to the Atlanta campus, commute to the Atlanta campus during that semester, or take the course online (if the class is offered online). Some students will also commute to Oxford during their third or fourth years to take advantage of some of the unique niche courses that are offered only at Oxford. Students are able to complete every major/minor at Emory with the courses offered at Oxford during their first two years and in Atlanta during their second two years. Most students take most of the pre-health pre-requisite classes available at Oxford before moving on to take upper-division courses for their major requirements.
5. Does going to Oxford delay the timetable for people on a
pre-health track, versus students at a traditional 4-year institution? Should I try to graduate
early?
No,
going to Oxford does not delay anyone’s pre-health track. Oxford offers most of
the introductory science courses that fulfill pre-health track prerequisites.
Many people do not graduate Oxford early, and if they do, there is usually a
very compelling reason to do so (i.e your major is
really intense and the only way you can finish in four years is if you graduate
early and take a class that isn't offered at Oxford). If you are
majoring or double majoring in something that does not overlap with any of the
pre-requisites for your pre-health track, you might consider graduating early
depending on how many of those major courses are offered at Oxford. Do some
research and talk to your advisor to see exactly what is at Oxford to figure out
the best plan of action for you.
6. What is the most common timeline of courses that pre-health students take at Oxford?
In
general, many pre-health students will take around 1-2 science courses
(physics, chemistry, or biology) each semester for their first few years. Many
pre-health students at Oxford start with Chemistry 150 their first semester of
freshman year to get a head start in the four-semester Chemistry curriculum for
most pre-health tracks. A lot of students choose to also take Biology 141 and/or
142 while they are at Oxford so they can take higher-level courses when they
reach the Atlanta campus. However, this track will vary from person to person
based on your major track and interests, so do not worry if you do not take
specific “pre-health” classes your first semester!
PHA logo created by Oxford graduate, former PHA Peer Mentor, current UT Med M1 student, Pranay Manda.