Meet Christopher...
 Class: 2008
Hometown: Torrington, Connecticut
Undergrad: University of Connecticut
Major: Biomedical Engineering
Program: M.D.
Like many in health care, my interest began at an early age. Being the recipient of an open heart procedure, I was engulfed into the medical world at the impressionable age of five. Follow-up visits would stretch out into my adolescence. These intermittent contacts reinforced my decision to pursue the field. The paths that ultimately lead to my matriculation to University of
Connecticut School of Medicine were longer than most. During high school, a crisis in my family made it financially impossible to attend college. I chose to enlist in the United States Navy in
an effort to provide monetary support for my family and fund my future college endeavors. I ultimately served as a nuclear reactor operator and ship’s diver aboard three fast-attack submarines
ported in Pearl Harbor. As advertised by the navy, I had a lot of travel opportunity. I was able to visit Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japan just to name a few places. Following my naval service,
I returned to Connecticut and completed a degree in biomedical engineering at the University of Connecticut concentrating in electronics.
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“It was the subtle difference I felt that the faculty and curriculum fosters doctors rather than just teaches medical students.”
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Concerning my attraction to UConn School of Medicine, when I interviewed I was overwhelmed by the sense of community both within the school and to its surroundings. Inside the school, I
believe this is a result of the pass/fail system and the faculty’s intimate relationship with the small class of students. Outside, this is accomplished through the many student founded and
facilitated clinics. The class size was very important in my decision. In my undergraduate career, I found smaller classrooms were more conducive to my learning style. The clinical exposure is
well emphasized and up front starting in the beginning of the first year. The non-basic science programs that mirror this exposure help to provide a strong base of medical skills well before
the third year. Further, it was the subtle difference I felt that the faculty and curriculum fosters doctors rather than just teaches medical students.
As a member of the student government, I help organize social events celebrating academic milestones as well as casual and formal occasions. In my free time, I enjoy weight training,
playing intramural ice hockey with other classmates, and work part time as a patient aide at a local hospital. The school’s class schedule allows the majority of my afternoons to be
unscheduled, which provides continuous pursuit of these things that I enjoy. Moreover, it is explicitly encouraged here. |
