Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
My name is Liz Sun and I’m from Los Angeles, California. I’m a fourth year in the College double majoring in piano performance and biology. I’m also on the pre-med track. I love playing piano and learning about the sciences, of course. And I’m also really passionate about things like mentorship and giving back to the community. And food!
How did you decide to major in biology and music? How have you synthesized those majors together and how has that impacted your pre-health journey?
I decided to major in piano because it’s something that I have been passionate about for the majority of my life, and I wanted to keep improving my musicianship throughout college. Meanwhile, I had an interest in biology when I entered college, and after taking introductory biology, I was really interested in learning more, so I decided to pursue the major.
It’s really interesting that you ask about the connection because it’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately, how piano connects with medicine and the sciences. I know there are links, but for me, during my college journey, I didn’t really make a direct link between the two. It has just been really nice to grow as a pianist and give back to my community through performing, but to also have science as a very contrasting discipline. As a science student, I’ve had the opportunity to learn about biology and research. But that’s not to say there is no connecting factor for me. I’ve found that in piano, there are a lot of things, like being detail oriented, the ability to adapt to stressful situations, learning quickly, and performing well under pressure that can be translated over to medicine and the sciences.
What have been impactful events that have guided you to your pre-health track?
I’ve had an interest in medicine since high school, but I couldn’t quite pinpoint why that was. I just thought being in healthcare settings was really fascinating and since then, being at Emory has helped me understand why that was. One pivotal point was taking Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy with Dr. Starnes which, unfortunately, isn’t offered anymore at the moment. That class led me to become intrigued with human biology and made me so excited to learn more about it in medical school! I really enjoy learning and don’t mind devoting time to study, which makes me feel ready to take on the academic rigor of medical school.
Additionally, in college, I have enjoyed being a mentor to others, such as through being a Learning Assistant for Dr. Weinschenk in his organic chemistry class. Being a mentor and mentee throughout college has really helped me discover a passion for mentorship. This combines with my excitement for learning that, to me, is reflective of a physician’s role to synthesize complex information to help inform patients about their health.
Did you have a specific mentor that inspired you to get to where you are now?
There are so many different kinds of mentors that you can utilize - there are peer mentors who can be pretty much anyone - whoever you can learn from. In my early years of undergrad, and even now, I always looked up to older students and turned to them for guidance. They were really willing to support me (and made great friends!). So, if you’re just starting your pre-health journey, I’d highly recommend not being afraid to reach out to people who are experienced in what you’re interested in, because most of the time, people are more than willing to help.
Faculty members are also wonderful mentors. For example, my piano instructor, Dr. Cholakova, has always been such a big support by informing me about opportunities and pushing me to reach my full potential. Dr. de Roode, whose lab I’m in, has also been a big role model in terms of creating an inclusive space in research and his classroom. This fosters a really great learning environment. I’ve had many role models throughout college and I credit a lot of my success to them and their guidance.
What do you wish you knew 5 years ago?
I would say if you’re interested in the pre-med track, know what classes you need to take. For example, there are certain classes that pre-health advising recommends you take and I underestimated how useful their recommendations and planning ahead are. For example, I skipped CHEM 150 and have not taken an upper level course to make up for it, so I have felt slightly limited when deciding which medical schools to apply to because some don’t accept AP credit. I would recommend, if you know you have an interest in something, to figure out what you have to do now in order to pursue that goal -- It can be really inconvenient to try to make up for, say, an introductory chem course. I would also recommend knowing how your particular pre-professional admissions program works. For example, understanding that medical schools applications ask for essays articulating on your experiences and takeaways from them in a detailed manner. If you know that, then you can start reflecting on your experiences, like volunteering, research, etc., early on. You can note whenever you have a really significant experience, instead of eventually trying to write an essay and having to think back, “Oh gosh, what were some really specific, memorable moments from this?” Also, log all your hours! It can feel tedious, but it will really save you time in the long run. Finally, don’t feel like you have to compare yourself to others. I wish I understood that earlier because everyone really has such an individualized path and there really is no perfect way to go about things to get an acceptance to medical school, so just do you.
What is the best advice you can give to someone pursuing the same track as you?
The best advice I can give is to give yourself a break when you need one. Being kind to yourself is so important during the pre-med process, as there are really challenging points throughout the journey! It’s hard to get good grades all the time and it’s hard to balance all the extracurriculars so just take care of yourself so you don’t get exhausted, physically and mentally. An addition to that would be to work with your peers and try to foster a collaborative work environment. Support your peers because really, the journey to medical school is so much easier if you work together throughout the process.