MEET TOYIN
Name: Toyin Falola
Hometown: Round Rock, TX
Major: Biochemistry
Favorite class: Ballroom Dancing
How Could that Be Bad?
Big really does have its advantages.
The University of Texas at Austin is one of the few universities in the country with such a large student body. To some people, that can seem like a bad thing. But according to Toyin, those people may want to rethink that one.
“I love that there’s so much of everything here, and I just don’t see how that could be a bad thing,” she said.
Toyin hopes to attend medical school following her undergraduate studies and has learned to take advantage of the knowledge of her fellow students. “There are so many people to relate to, and you can ask them, ‘I don't know what to do. Have you heard about med schools?’ Any place you’ve even heard about applying, someone always knows someone who’s been there or who has applied. They tell you, this is the kind of questions you’ll get, this is the kind of thing they do. It’s a great resource, and I love it.”
HPO – They Know Everything
Toyin also appreciates the assistance she and the other prospective medical students receive from the University’s Health Professions Office. “They help [pre-med students] a lot, from interview workshops to what classes you take to MCAT classes – they’re full of advice, know everything, and help hook you up with volunteering. They told me about the pre-med club (Alpha Epsilon Delta) that I’m in.
“When you go to HPO, they tell you, this is where you’re going and this is what you need to be looking at. Their offices are so convenient, and they have really good services, like interview workshops (a really important, scary part of getting into med school). They do fake interviews and resume workshops, can help with applications and they also have really good contacts with volunteer programs...everything in just one office. I go there all the time. They know everything.”
Seeing It Firsthand
Size also offers students a variety of options for getting involved outside the classroom. Volunteering can offer students the opportunity to gain valuable experience relating to their career goals.
Toyin volunteers at the University's Student Health Services.
“One of my friends volunteered at Student Health Services and told me about it. We're one of the only universities that does student health services like we do. SHAC, the Student Health Advisory Committee, which I'm on, actually presents about our university health services to other universities and has helped others start the program.”
Finding the right place to volunteer can help a student gain valuable real-world experience. “You have to apply, interview and get trained. As a student volunteer, what you do is take patients in, find out what’s wrong with them, take care of them, take vital signs, and chit-chat with them,” Toyin said.
“It’s a great chance to volunteer,” she added, “and I've met all the doctors who work at UHS, plus nurses and physicians’ assistants. This has really helped me affirm what I want to do because I get to see it firsthand.”
Salsa and Polka and Waltz and Two-Step
Size also lets students branch out in their studies. Even pre-med students can enjoy some interesting classroom experiences.
“My favorite class ever: ballroom dance was so fun!” Toyin said. “You get to salsa and polka and waltz and two-step and one-step and take trips. Ballroom dance goes country line-dancing together on Thursday nights at Midnight Rodeo (in downtown Austin). And on Fridays, they have this open dance session with people from all the classes and they just play music and you can bring your friends.”
We’re Not Nerds
The University’s size also offers students the ability to select from a variety of majors, including some unique opportunities for honors programs built around majors. Toyin participates in the Dean’s Scholars program.
“Dean’s Scholars is a degree program now, so you have special classes, mentors and you have to do research and stuff,” Toyin said.
I love this school. Within three days, I’d met more people than I’d met in four years of high school.
Of course, some students suffer a bit of anxiety over becoming part of a program like Dean’s Scholars. “I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, everyone’s going to be really nerdy and talking about physics and the Pythagorean Theorem.’ But I applied anyway, and I got in,” Toyin said.
But anxiety is often unfounded, and Toyin offers some good advice. “The day before school starts, they have this big picnic where you meet everyone - and everyone was so cool. We do a lot of everything: tutor, mentor, do community service, organ donor drives - even intramural sports. I would tell everyone to do Dean’s Scholars; we’re not nerds, I guess, and it’s really, really fun.”
I Love This School
Despite all the wonderful things the University of Texas at Austin has to offer, some students don’t think it’s the place for them. But then again, some students do change their mind.
“My dad, who teaches at UT Austin, said that UT is a great school for a great price. But the point is that my dad teaches here, my mom went here (twice), my sister and brother went here,” Toyin said, and she wasn’t sure she liked the idea of being like everyone else in her family.
“When I went to college, both my parents would be on campus. I mean, I live in Austin! I wanted to get away from my parents!”
Despite her hesitation, Toyin eventually enrolled, and it didn’t take her long to fit right in.
“Literally, I moved in on a Saturday and by Monday I had bought 10 UT T-shirts. I love this school. Within three days, I’d met more people than I’d met in four years of high school. People at UT are different from anyone you’ve ever met. I met people who were like, ‘my high school had 20 seniors’ or who said, ‘yeah, I'm coming here from Hong Kong because it’s so different than where I’m from.’”
In the end, the truth is that big means the University of Texas at Austin has a lot to offer.
Updated 3 March 2006
