Students entered a room full of chattering and laughing people. Balloons hovered above the many different tables of medical and health profession schools.
This year marked the 15th annual IU Health Programs Fair, which took place at Alumni Hall in the Indiana Memorial Union. The program welcomed a variety of medical schools and health professionals who looked to answer questions and recruit students for graduate school.
Rachel Tolen, the assistant director and premedical adviser called it a chance to connect people from all over.
“It’s just the opportunity to bring IU students together with so many schools across the country,” Tolen said.
The event organizers divided the event into seperate areas on Wednesday. Alumni Hall allowed students to speak with different institutional representatives. Downstairs in the Frangipani Room featured student organizations with additional information on ways to get involved on campus and in the community.
Groups like IU’s Health NOW organization get students involved in obesity prevention programs and mental health positivity trainings.
Groups like the Student Osteopathic Medical Association offered pamphlets for pre-med students looking for help with MCAT preparation. They clad their table with an assortment of different colored pens shaped like needles.
This year was sophomore Michael Lam’s first time coming to the health programs fair. Lam said the tables and representatives made for an informative experience.
“I thought it was very interesting because you get to see other schools and maybe see what they offer and how they differ from other schools and what they look for in students,” Lam said. “All that was interesting in helping me prepare for med school.”
While a significant number of tables represented schools around the Midwest, a few offered international opportunities for education, as well. Jennifer Stovall, an administrator at the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine, said their program is different in how it incorporates learning in both the states and abroad.
“The school is actually broken up,” Stovall said. “The first two years are in Sint Maarten in the Caribbean, where the students master the basic medical sciences, and then they come right back to the United States to do their core and elective rotations.”
While the school offers different areas of study, Stovall said some peak areas of interest include internal medicine, general surgery and pediatrics.
Stovall, senior associate director of admissions, said she has been coming to the health programs fair on behalf of her university for the last few years.
“We have a lot of students who’ve actually come from IU, and they’re great students,” Stovall said. “You guys have great pre-med program here and wonderful advising through Ms. Tolen, so we really enjoy having your students come to our school. They’re prepared and ready for medical school.”
While the fair allowed students to network and make connections with different institutions, it also gave them the opportunity to search within the medical field for specializations they might not have previously considered. Lam said the fair sparked his interest, especially with the potential international opportunities, like Stovall’s university.
“I thought that was really interesting, and that caught my attention,” Lam said.
