Advice for Your First Week

Hello Class of 2017! We are so excited that you will be joining us in Atlanta in less than a week (!!!). The first week is a mini introduction to pretty much everything about the program and what it's going to be like. It may seem overwhelming at first, but you will adjust and soon enough it will be fall! To help you get through your first week, we wrote down some general advice for you :). Remember that your second year mentors are always here for you if you have any questions or anything at all!

Don’t worry about all the things you have to do. Yes, you will have a lot of things to do, and it may seem overwhelming at times. Do your very best and at the end of the day you can be proud of yourself for that. Everything on the to do list might not get done, but as long as you did your best, that is all that matters. -Amanda

When things get tough and you start to question why you’re here in the first place (this will most likely happen at some point) just remember at least one thing that drove you to choose this path and have faith that your best efforts and your passion will help you along the way. One quote that I frequently remember has always helped me at times when I’ve doubted myself or my abilities, "To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation." Hopefully it will also help some of you and know that you can always confide in a second year or fellow classmate for support! - Jamie

Don’t compare yourself to others or overthink criticism that you might receive. Remember that we were all chosen to come to this program because we were the best of the best and we all come with different strengths and weaknesses. Continue to remind yourself of what your strengths are, that we are all here to learn, and nobody is perfect the first time. You will be amazed by how much you accomplish in very little time. - Ellie Grad school can feel incredibly overwhelming at times. However, it is always important to remember that you are not alone! Your classmates are dealing with the same things that you are dealing with. So, be there for each other as a resource, as a support system, and as a friend! I know that sounds mushy, but I never would have made it through the first year if I didn’t have all of my amazing classmates! -Megan

My advice would be to ask as many questions as you can. We (second years) are a great resource. We’ve learned through experience and mistakes what works and what doesn’t and we’re extremely happy to share it with you guys. The same goes for all the teachers you’ll have. If you have a questions, no matter how small or silly you think it is, ask it. You never know what you might learn. - Sarah P. My advice is to enjoy yourselves during the graduate school experience. You will be completely immersed in your education for the next two years, with little time for much else, but if you just accept that up front, you will be able to truly enjoy challenging yourselves to grow as a professional. You will put in many hours of hard work, but the reward will be great. I am just on the cusp of believing that I can actually do this whole genetic counseling thing and that is a truly gratifying feeling. -Caitlin My advice is to start preparing to see patients. As you are learning, think of how this may be applicable in the future. Some assignments may seem less applicable in the patient setting, but may be vital in the research setting. Keep the slides/notes/etc from lectures to help you in your rotations. Keep/print out the booklets or pamphlets that you are getting. You may get a chance to use them in the future. Do not be afraid of not knowing or asking questions. You are here to learn and they do not expect you to know everything right away. Asking a question shows you are interested and actively learning. -Dora Finally, allow ample time for Atlanta traffic on your first day. If you are driving, keep in mind that the roads can have pretty heavy traffic going into school. If you are taking the bus, keep in mind the same thing as well as allowing time for stops to pick up other people. I also would advise you to take the bus before the last bus that would get you there on time. I have taken the North Dekalb Mall route pretty regularly, and it runs every 10-15 mins or so. It takes between 20 and 45 minutes to get from the mall to school, depending on traffic. Download the app transloc if you haven't already, it is a great app to track the bus and is fairly accurate. Have an absolutely wonderful first week. We are so glad you chose Emory and have every confidence that you will succeed. Looking forward to meeting all of you again and getting to know you better! If you have any other questions, feel free to ask your mentor :). ~Class of 2016~

Decision Day

It’s coming. Next week. The day when you will know if you will be attending graduate school for genetic counseling this year. It’s both exciting and nerve wrecking. I was where you are exactly one year ago, and I can tell you it was probably one of the most stressful times in my life up to that point. I wish I could tell you that you will get in to the program you want to, or that you will get into a program at all. Unfortunately, there are so many wonderful candidates applying to be a part of a genetic counseling program, and not enough spots to accommodate them all. What I can say is that if you interviewed at a program, you are qualified. They would not have interviewed you if they did not think you would be a good candidate for their program. A lot of different factors go into how a program decides to pick their classes and it's possible that they just didn't have a spot to offer you right now. This does not mean that you shouldn’t pursue genetic counseling. This does not mean that you won’t be an excellent genetic counselor some day. Some of the best genetic counselors (and current students) I know have had to re-apply.

That being said, I thought I’d go through a little bit of advice for D-Day.

Before D-Day

If you haven’t made your pros and cons list yet, try to think through all of the schools you interviewed at and make a list of what you enjoyed, what you think might be challenging, and your gut feelings about the program. If you interviewed at multiple programs and anticipate receiving multiple acceptances, this will be an especially helpful tool in your decision making process. You are going to be spending two years in a program. It is important to make sure that you love the program, the people, and the place. Grad school is a stressful environment made even more difficult if you don’t like the people or the place where you’re located. I know when I’m going through a stressful time here at Emory’s program, I always feel comfortable talking about it with my Focus Mentor, Emily, or my advisor, Cecelia. And I always know I can go to one of the second years for advice. I love living in Atlanta; from the food (of which I probably eat too much) to the entertainment, I know there is always something I can do to get away from the stress. I have some questions you can ask yourself before D-Day, and the answers that I gave a year ago when I was thinking through this process on the Frequently Asked Questions Page.

D-Day

I would suggest highly that you take next Monday to Wednesday off, if at all possible. Those three days will be intense and filled with difficult decisions. So if you can take them off, I suggest that you try. I took those three days off and I’m very glad that I did. So that when you get the call, you will have time to take it in, think through everything and celebrate or plan what to do next.

Plan for what you would do for different scenarios.

Say your #1 school wait-lists you, but your #2 gives you an acceptance. How long are you willing to wait to hear back from #1?

*It is important to keep in mind that there are people who have been wait-listed where you’ve been accepted.*

*It’s ok to hold an acceptance, but don’t hold more than one and try not to wait until 4:45 pm on Wednesday!*

What if you’re wait-listed?

It’s ok if you’re wait-listed. It doesn’t mean that the program doesn’t want you or that you aren’t right for their program. It just means that if they could accept 12 people, you’d be there. But as it is, they can only accept 10. I was wait-listed. Cecelia was amazing keeping me up to date with where I was on the wait-list. She called me at around 11 am on Monday to let me know I was on the wait-list. It was hard to hear because I wanted to be at Emory. But I really appreciated her calling. It felt more personal. I knew by the end of the day where I was on the wait-list and how many spots were still open. I would encourage you to find out what the program prefers. Some programs prefer students not to contact them about the wait-list. (I’m pretty sure Cecelia would welcome you to call and ask.)

What if I don’t get in?

If you don’t get in, it’s going to be ok. Sarah P. and Megan will both tell you that they didn’t get in the first time they applied, as did some second years. So it may be difficult, but if you love genetic counseling, if you know you want to be a genetic counselor, then keep pursuing it. Keep pushing forward. It’s ok to take the time for yourself if you don’t get in. It’s ok to be upset with that and wonder what you’re going to do for the next year. After D-day, feel free to ask the program directors what things they would recommend you do and start taking the steps to do them. Maybe they really loved you, but they just didn’t have enough spots. If that is the case, then ask for suggestions about what could make you stand out more next year. Volunteer, shadow, and get experiences that are applicable to genetic counseling. Then re-apply with these new experiences. One nice thing is that you'll be going into your interviews having already been through the process. During the interviews, talk about what you did to grow and why you’re a better candidate now.

Like I said, the hope is that you will get into a graduate program. I know there’s nothing I can say that will make you any less nervous come Monday. But after these three days, hopefully you will be a part of a program and one step closer to becoming the genetic counselor you’re meant to be!

And if you’re one of the lucky ones who gets to be a part of Emory’s class of 2017, congratulations! We’re so excited to meet you!!

April Showers Bring May Flowers

Spring is my absolute favorite time of the year. It’s a time when everything begins to awaken, the weather is no longer deplorable, and wearing floral patterns is once more acceptable. It’s also that time of the year known as “Crunch Time”. My 1st year classmates and I are winding down what has been a very rigorous spring semester filled with intense coursework, extensive clinical rotations, and in-depth internship activities. Although we have learned a lot of valuable lessons, we are also excited to see a new season of weather and opportunities that accompany the end of this semester.

The beginning of spring and transition into the summer will usher in a lot of exciting changes for all of us in the GC program at Emory. Our beloved 2nd year students are wrapping up their final affairs as students, accepting job offers, and preparing to begin a new chapter as genetic counselors. It’s hard to believe that we will be in that same position just one short year from now. For all of us 1st year students, we are more than ecstatic about the opportunities we get to be a part of this coming summer. Each of us will be full time interns for 6 weeks at our respective clinical rotation sites where we can really delve into improving and practicing our counseling skills in diverse clinical settings. Some of us are attending clinics out-of-state, some are staying in the Atlanta area, and a few are pursuing supplemental lab internship experiences with the Mayo Clinic and the Moffitt Cancer Center. Along with these clinical encounters, we will also be participating in each of our focus internships for 4 full weeks during the summer, doing a variety of internship and capstone project activities.

I think I speak for all of us when I say that we are all extremely excited to catch a short break from our courses and dive head first into our rotations. This will give us a glimpse of what our careers as genetic counselors will be like and what we can expect to experience in one short year from now.

We are in a season for new beginnings and that applies to nature and school, alike. This spring has not only awakened the flower buds, insects, and annoying pollen, but has also awakened a new excitement for our chosen career paths.

Have a wonderful spring!