The Office of Diversity Affairs at Georgia Health Sciences University presents HEAL, Health Equity and Access Leaders Program. HEAL aims to equip MCG students with the skills and educational background to work in medically underserved areas and become leaders in addressing the issues surrounding health equity among their peers and in their careers as physicians.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Mentor Journal Entry 3
We covered quite a few topics with our students this week, including transcripts reviews, goal setting, problem solving, study skills, etc. Please share your thoughts on this week's meeting.
My group is comprised of top ranked juniors (the three students who were present last meeting were all ranked within the top 10 students of their class) and they seemed to be fairly knowledgeable about the topics on the agenda. They all have realistic goals and are on track, assuming they study for their upcoming SAT exams. We focused some of our time discussing how to study for the SAT. I told them about my experience which I think works really well for students from lower income families who cannot afford SAT classes. As a high school student I was one of the few people who was unable to afford an SAT class (almost all of my friends took one at the time), and I put in countless hours working on my score on my own. The kids seemed more hopeful about the possibility of succeeding given their own limited resources after hearing about my experience. We also discussed interviewing, and the students seemed to understand the importance of standing out through their actions and words and not by appearance (no one planned to show up in a cocktail dress with feathered earrings and cell phone in hand)! Finally, we spent some time researching various scholarships and discussed the importance of finding scholarships that are high yield (maybe not the kind where you send in a winning essay and one is chosen from the entire nation, unless you are a prolific writer) and the students seemed to have several possibilities in mind. Overall the session went really well!
At our last meeting, we discussed many topics. The students shared their most successful study skills and acknowledged some of the challenges they face academically. My biggest hope is that our conversations are thought provoking. I have noticed that some students often talk in generalities. When we discussed what frightens them, one student mentioned that she is “afraid of failing.” This statement led to a great conversation of what is considered a failure, what is simply a challenge, and what are some preventive and reactive actions one can take to prevent failure by overcoming such challenges. We then discussed the importance of setting goals, a life-long practice important in all aspects of life. Hopefully, our talks will ultimately make these broad topics more tangible.
In today's mentoring session my group joined in with Luke's group. We discussed the fears and goals of the students. Some of the common fears were college related. Not getting in and not getting through. These fears are common among high school students and Luke and I gave them a couple strategies to overcome them including having a plan in case of failure and going into the situation fully prepared and aware of possible pitfalls. In discussing their goals with them we talked about the importance in having both long and short-term goals. We also helped them generate ideas about ways to achieve their goals and important steps along the way. The students’ long-term goals were mainly career oriented while their short-term goals had more to do with college. In reviewing the transcripts of my students I was able to alleviate some of their fears about their progress towards college. My students are in great standing and have participated in volunteer and extracurricular activities. I don't anticipate any of them having a problem getting into school based on transcripts alone. A couple of the students did need to improve in specific areas however overall I was happy to see that they are doing really well.
My group is comprised of top ranked juniors (the three students who were present last meeting were all ranked within the top 10 students of their class) and they seemed to be fairly knowledgeable about the topics on the agenda. They all have realistic goals and are on track, assuming they study for their upcoming SAT exams. We focused some of our time discussing how to study for the SAT. I told them about my experience which I think works really well for students from lower income families who cannot afford SAT classes. As a high school student I was one of the few people who was unable to afford an SAT class (almost all of my friends took one at the time), and I put in countless hours working on my score on my own. The kids seemed more hopeful about the possibility of succeeding given their own limited resources after hearing about my experience. We also discussed interviewing, and the students seemed to understand the importance of standing out through their actions and words and not by appearance (no one planned to show up in a cocktail dress with feathered earrings and cell phone in hand)! Finally, we spent some time researching various scholarships and discussed the importance of finding scholarships that are high yield (maybe not the kind where you send in a winning essay and one is chosen from the entire nation, unless you are a prolific writer) and the students seemed to have several possibilities in mind. Overall the session went really well!
ReplyDeleteAt our last meeting, we discussed many topics. The students shared their most successful study skills and acknowledged some of the challenges they face academically. My biggest hope is that our conversations are thought provoking. I have noticed that some students often talk in generalities. When we discussed what frightens them, one student mentioned that she is “afraid of failing.” This statement led to a great conversation of what is considered a failure, what is simply a challenge, and what are some preventive and reactive actions one can take to prevent failure by overcoming such challenges. We then discussed the importance of setting goals, a life-long practice important in all aspects of life. Hopefully, our talks will ultimately make these broad topics more tangible.
ReplyDeleteIn today's mentoring session my group joined in with Luke's group. We discussed the fears and goals of the students. Some of the common fears were college related. Not getting in and not getting through. These fears are common among high school students and Luke and I gave them a couple strategies to overcome them including having a plan in case of failure and going into the situation fully prepared and aware of possible pitfalls. In discussing their goals with them we talked about the importance in having both long and short-term goals. We also helped them generate ideas about ways to achieve their goals and important steps along the way. The students’ long-term goals were mainly career oriented while their short-term goals had more to do with college. In reviewing the transcripts of my students I was able to alleviate some of their fears about their progress towards college. My students are in great standing and have participated in volunteer and extracurricular activities. I don't anticipate any of them having a problem getting into school based on transcripts alone. A couple of the students did need to improve in specific areas however overall I was happy to see that they are doing really well.
ReplyDelete