I received some positive responses from my first interview with Steven Skawski so I decided to do another little interview with another friend. The only difference is, I decided to focus more on the academic side of Hope College instead of the athletic side. Bryan Kunkler is a Senior here at Hope College and is about to attend Medical school where he can pursue his life-long dream of becoming a doctor.
Hello, Bryan. Thank you so much for meeting with me today. How are you doing on this fine Friday?
- Doing very well, Thank you.
What is your major here at Hope College?
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Both of them have to do with cellular mechanisms and pathways. Basically, I’m a nerd (laughs). Looking at things at the cellular level.
Did you know you wanted to be a doctor before you came to Hope College? If so why did you attend Hope?
- Yes, I did. For research, small, school, and Hope has a very good science program.
How did you hear about Hope?
- Through my High School AP Biology teacher. He highly recommended that I check the school out and so I did and I really liked it.
When did you know you wanted to be a doctor?
- Uhhh in…probably middle school. I really liked science classes as a kid and I really like working with other people and being a doctor is a combination of both so I get the best of both worlds basically.
What kind of doctor are you planning to be?
- Pediatrician, which is a children’s doctor and if I specialize I would probably go in to Oncology which focuses primarily on cancer.
Where are you attending Medical School? Why did you choose to go there?
- University of Michigan. It is a Top 10 school, I can receive in-state tuition, Michigan is known around the nation and is well respected, and they have a really good pediatric program.
How has Hope College helped you with getting in to Medical School?
- The courses that I have taken have helped me study for the MCAT also the research I have done has helped solidify which position I want to be, which is a physician and the teachers have been very helpful and have guided me through the entire process.
Where would your dream job be located?
- Either Chicago or Grand Rapids at Spectrum Health. Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital is located in Grand Rapids and Grand Rapids is my hometown so that would be nice. The benefits of living in Chicago would be it is a bigger city, I would probably get a different set of patients and it would be a good time out in Illinois. Chicago would probably be a little more exciting than Grand Rapids also.
What was your toughest class you had to take in order to achieve your major?
- Probably Organic Chemistry. It was the first challenging class I had taken at Hope. I took it sophomore year and I was constantly studying and doing lab reports.
How did you balance school, applying for medical school, and your social life?
- It’s hard. Junior year was really tough because I was studying for the MCAT. You just have to find time to enjoy the little things. If you don’t, you will get bogged down and stressed out. It is all about prioritizing!
Do you think going pre-med is the toughest major to achieve at Hope College?
- I don’t know. It is definitely time consuming, but if you put in the time you can definitely do it. There are a lot of difficult majors here at Hope. Like a Physics major? I do not think I could become a Physics major. A good thing about Hope College is that you cannot major with a “Pre-Medical” major. They make you focus on one area, such as biochemistry and that is better for everybody.
How difficult is my major (Management) compared to yours?
- Just depends on the person. It is all on what kind of skills you possess. My major may take more time to do little things, but if you put me in one of your classes I would probably have no idea what is going on and vice versa.
I would like to thank Bryan once again and to everybody who reads my blogs.
- Cody