By: Adrienne Coulter
B.S. in Chemistry
Minor in Biology
May 2017 (expected)
When I was a freshman here at GW, I was in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. I was so impressed with the program and the people I met through the school. However, after taking a few engineering introduction courses, I found myself more drawn to the profession of optometry.
In my second semester, I met with three advisers who could help me make the final decision to switch career paths: my engineering advisor, a pre-health advisor from the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, and a career coach here at GW. I wanted to hear everything I needed to in order to make the correct decision in transferring from one program into another, so I took advantage of these resources provided by GW.
After shadowing multiple people in the profession and speaking with all three of the GW advisers, I finally felt comfortable and confident in changing my entire academic and career plans to pursue optometry. Not only that, but I received invaluable advice and aid in preparing to apply to optometry school from these advisers. Before I knew it, the application cycle was here, and I felt prepared as an applicant thanks to the help from these advisers. Today, I have already been accepted into one optometry program, and I am still applying to one more.
The moral of the story is to never be afraid to seek help if you need an outsider’s perspective. It’s okay to be clueless and seek the aid of others when you need it. Whether it’s trained advisers, family, or even simply your friends, never hesitate to reach out and confide in others. We’re human, we don’t always know everything. Without the guidance of my family, friends, and these three advisers, I probably would not have been as strong of an applicant as I am now.
