"I had such a great time! Being surrounded by so many motivated and successful peers made me more committed to working hard and bettering myself in all areas. I loved spending the summer in California, the environment made it easy to throw myself into the research process."

"I was very nervous about living on campus again, and I had also never created my own research question or spearheaded my own project/poster! Through support from my PI and all of the research coordinators in my lab, I was able to build up and enhance my research skills and reach all of the goals that I set for myself. I also loved my roommate, we still stay in touch and call all the time. Living on campus also helped me feel very present in the community and made it easy to make friends with people in my program + other students on campus."

"I learned that I am more capable than I often give myself credit for. I also was able to develop better study strategies and kick my procrastination habit. No one was nagging me to complete anything, my success and progress were entirely dependent on my own work ethic and study habits. Going back to school this fall, I realized that those habits stuck with me and I feel like I’ve been more proactive in studying and overall more successful in my classes."

"This program has been very clarifying for me in terms of mapping my future. It made me realize that a career in healthcare is what will be fulfilling for me. I was also able to shadow in an outpatient clinic and in a surgical setting. This made me realize that I enjoy the patient interaction side of healthcare, but I’m also more interested in research than I initially thought. It opened up a new side of STEM for me and enhanced my initial interest in clinical work as well."

"Before giving any advice on the application itself, I think my biggest piece of advice is to just apply. There are so many people who might think that the program is too much of a reach, or not apply because they don’t believe in themselves, but you should just try or you’ll never know. For the applicatio, I would say that it’s important to be honest about your interests in cardiovascular health and medicine in general. Demonstrate very specific interest in the program, not every program is for every person, how does this opportunity align with your goals? Try to tell the reviewers a story about how your life has led to you applying, make it personal and interesting."