Hello. My name is Rhonda Blair. I am a working mother of three and I commute from Merritt Island to the Orlando campus. I wanted to stay close to home and wanted to take classes at UCF because I started college here out of high school many moons ago! It is very important for me to finish goals and set a good example for my children and have pride in my choice of institutions. I initially enrolled in UCF to earn a B.S. in Nursing. I had already completed my Associate in Arts degree and realized that Nursing at UCF was too competitive and it would not allow me to pursue other study interests. After graduation in December, I begin an R.N. program closer to home. I plan on working as a psychiatric nurse for approximately five years and then return to school to become a nurse practitioner! Goals, goals, goals!!
My IDS areas are Biomedical Sciences and Health with a Psychology minor. I am a Senior here at UCF and will graduate this semester. I have the last courses in my Health area to complete and the Capstone course. I entered the IDS program late and have only had one semester between my "first" IDS semester and my last. I don't recommend this path. It was very difficult for me to first explain what an Interdisciplinary Degree is to others. It seemed ambiguous and a little like a made-up degree. I was so wrong. This is very much a real degree. This degree allows students to pursue multiple areas of study. I tell people I have a minor and two mini-majors. When they ask about some of the "hard" courses they think I missed, I explain that our Cornerstone and Capstone courses provide for the outlet to complete research projects that are specific to our areas. We aren't getting off easily!!!! I have always ended up doing more work for my Cornterstone class (and it is seemingly the same with the Captsone course) than for my other classes. The disadvantage for me is not being tied to a specific college. That limits scholarships and a feeling of unity for me. There aren't many people with my areas of study and minor. However, this degree makes me so much more attractive as an employee by letting them know I can multi-task and have strengths in multiple areas. I have become very proud by the fact that our economy is looking for people like us. People who can adapt and are on the cutting edge of education. What do you think?
Hey all! My name is Shellee King. I was born in New Jersey and moved to Kissimmee, Florida when I was 3 years old. I went to Osceola High School and graduated in 2004. I attended Valencia afterward and graduated with my A.A. degree in the summer of 2005. I started at UCF in the fall of 2005. I've always been very involved in band activities, ever since middle school, and have been very involved in the Marching Knights here at UCF. I even joined Tau Beta Sigma, a national honorary band sorority. I marched here for 4 years and although I am not able to march this year I am still very active in helping out in any way possible.I chose UCF because it was close to home, yet far enough away so that I could be on my own a little bit. It was also really the only place my mom would let me go. At the time I didn't really know what I wanted to do, so that had nothing to do with my decision. After having a few different majors I settled on IDS because I was interested in multiple different things and being an IDS major I had a chance to be more well-rounded than I could be doing any other major. I chose Health Sciences as my minor and Life and Biomedical Sciences and Behavioral and Social Sciences as my two areas.My short-term plans are to work on my resume and start getting my name out there. I hope to find a job in a hospital or someplace else in the medical field by graduation, this December. I would like to start with some sort of technician position or lab assistant position and work around the field to see if there is something more specific I would like to do. As far as long-term goes I hope to find what I really, truly love to do and stick with it.
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My name is Jillian Cruz. I was born and raised in New York. My family and I moved to West Palm Beach when I turned 17. I finished out my senior year at Wellington High School. After doing some research, I decided to attend UCF. It seemed like a good school and it was far enough so that I could live on my own for the first time, but still close enough to my parents. I started off as a Molecular and Microbiology major but I didn't care for it much. My junior year I changed it to Interdisciplinary Studies. My main areas of focus are Health and Life & Biomedical Sciences. My minor is in Psychology. I was originally just going to jump into a nursing program, but I figured it would be best to have a degree to fall back on. I know I want to be in the medical field, so I picked these areas in hopes that they would prove useful. I plan on getting my AA in nursing and then finding a job. I heard that the hospital pays for your BA so I thought this was the best choice for me (got to save a little money!!). Because I changed my major late, I will be graduating at the end of this upcoming summer. I'm going to move back home for nursing school and move out once i get a job. I'm very excited that I'm getting closer to starting my life. I can't wait to get into my field and help those who need it.
ReplyDeleteHi! My name is Femke Aerts. I was born in the Netherlands, but moved to Michigan when I was 8 years old. I moved down to Florida last year in order to attend UCF and love it! I initially started out as a Molecular/Microbiology major, but then wasn't sure about the whole medical school. I found that the interdisciplinary major allowed me to take my science classes, but also pursue my other interests. My two major areas are Biomedical Sciences and Health, with a minor in Public Administration. I'm currently leaning towards becoming a Physician Assistant, but am still undecided. I graduate at the end of next summer, but would like to take some time to explore other options, maybe travel abroad or do an internship. I chose Public Administration as my minor because I may be interested in working with an international health organization, such as Doctors without Borders. Besides Physician Assistant, I am also looking into getting a Master's in Public Health.
ReplyDeleteSo far I have definitely enjoyed my IDS major and the various classes it has allowed me to take. While some people don't understand the major, I just explain that I have three "mini-majors" and can choose the classes I want to take and have a more well-rounded education. This is definitely a benefit I see: being able to take the classes I want and therefore explore more options for what to do after UCF. I am looking forward to figuring out what I am goign to do after UCF, hopefully this semester and class will help me figure it out.
Jillian, welcome to my world. You are the first person to have the same areas and minor as myself. There is much work to be done and try to give yourself extra time by starting early for all those projects. These aren't areas that can be rushed through and Cornerstone is very demanding. Good luck and I can't wait to keep getting to know you. Please ask any questions you might have.
ReplyDeleteHi Femke! Wow, Doctors without borders! I want to be a Nurse Practitioner because it seems more holistic to me and being a PA is more surgical and want to focus alot on preventative care and wellness. I am considering going to school to become a D.O. also. Then I won't have to answer to anyone! I would keep searching and comparing the different roles in medicine; there are so many. Feel free to ask anything.
ReplyDeleteWow, Rhonda you are also the first person I met with the same major and minor as me. That's so funny, I planned to be a Nurse Practitioner as well. Do you know what area you want to specialize in? I'm not sure what I want to do just yet. I'm trying to get some feedback on the pros and cons of each area. So far, I see that this cornerstone class is going to be challenging. I'm not even really sure of what career choices I'd have with this degree. Any ideas?
ReplyDeleteRhonda, you brought up a lot of points I've definitely been considering over the past few years. I initially wanted to be a doctor, but then am not sure that I want to commit that kind of time to my profession, which is why I was looking at PA. I've met with a few PA's and I like how you can switch between different fields without having to do a whole residency as a doctor would have to do. I am definitely interested in getting a Masters in Public Health because of my interest in preventative medicine and lifestyle. I'm still trying to figure out how to piece all of these together though!
ReplyDeleteI initially wanted to be a PA as well. Its a very good profession. PA school is very competitive, however. It's like a condensed medical school. It's very rigorous but worth it in the end.
ReplyDeleteThat's true. There's definitely a lot of considerations when going into the health field. I've also learned that people's opinions can vary and you have to learn for yourself what you're interested in. For example, I've talked to people who said they could never be a PA because they wouldn't have the final say and I've also talked to several PA's who are completely happy in their field. I look forward to gaining your insights in this blog and hopefully figure out what I want to do after my degree at UCF. I would like to set some goals this semester in terms of education and what I really want to achieve in my professional life.
ReplyDeleteHello!
ReplyDeleteMy name is Reshma Balmick. I am in my senior year here at UCF. I am expecting to graduate in May 2010. My concentrations are Biomedical sciences and health. My minors are Health sciences and aging studies. I also work at Winnie Palmer Hospial testing newborn hearing. I am in the process of applying to graduate schools. I am planning to get my doctorate in audiology. I am so excited to further my career in something as rewarding as giving people the sense of hearing back. I am excited to learn about how I can use this IDS major to be as rewarding as it should be.
Hi everyone! I’m from South West Florida, or Fort Myers which is somewhat of a boring retirement town, but developing to gear more towards the younger crowd. I love living in Orlando but miss living near the water. My favorite activities all involve nature, especially because I recently got scuba certified and wish I had more time to go diving. I’m a senior and in the last year of my pre-pharmacy tract. I tell everyone who asks that I am simply a pre-pharmacy student as to not complicate things, but my areas are Life/Biomedical sciences and Physical sciences with a minor in Health sciences. I explain that this major give me an advantage toward pharmacy school wile I’m at UCF simply because 1. I have a broader area of studies 2. UCF doesn’t have a pre-pharmacy degree and 3. with this major I have the ability to take a variety of classes and plan my future how I want to.
ReplyDeleteOh and PS I'm usually good at figuring out computer problems but it took me all night to figure out how to post this. lol
Jillian and Femke,
ReplyDeleteI think our degrees allow us a broader jumping off point for graduate studies. I don't think this degree, as used in the health field, is sufficient for work out of college. However, I was interested to learn that an accepted student into the College of Medicine here at UCF was an IDS student!!! In today's world it is not enough to follow in others paths. We have to think outside the box and create ourselves into multi-dimensional equally right/left brain thinkers. I think we're all on the right path!
I, also, didn't want to be a PA and have to work directly under a doctor. If I were that close to being a doctor, I just want to be a doctor. I would always feel like I would be looked down upon and I don't do well with that! As a Nurse Practitioner, I feel I would be more respected as a "super-nurse" instead of an almost doctor. I hope that makes sense.
Reshma,
ReplyDeleteI have found the experience to be as rewarding as the amount of heart I put into the assignments. It took me a while to understand what being and IDS student means and all it can lead to. I love Winnie Palmer!!!! You are fortunate to work with the little ones! You seem to be headed in the correct direction with your schooling, too. If you have any questions, let me know.
Slames, good luck with Pharmacy school! I agree that this program will give you an edge in applying. I think a lot of people are going to start seeing the true benefits of the IDS degree. We will have to take the lead on that. I think it's important to explain to people what it is and not side-step or undermine our degree. I have just recently come to find the pride in the degree and have to pat myself on the back for having the forsight to think outside the box and plan for my future. The world is becoming a place where all of us planning medical careers will be in demand and not just because of babyboomers, either!! :) Our ability and desire to study multiple areas and have reaching goals and enjoying learning will make us desirable as candidates for future employment and allow us to view the world from different perspectives!
ReplyDeleteI have also noticed an increase in the amount of students going in to medically related programs. I am glad that medical careers are in high demand, because without this, and with the increasing number of medical students it would be very hard to find a job in the market. In todays time, I think anyone going in to medically related careers will not find a problem getting a job.
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