Rogelio Perez (pictured above)
Interest: anesthesiology, Upper East Side
How’d you pick your outfit?
I underpacked like crazy. I didn’t even have a tie or dress shoes. My roommate was really cool; he let me borrow a tie, but I still had to wear my green Sambas. Those are my lucky shoes, so I was excited. But when I saw everyone was way more formal looking, I got kind of psyched out. But it was too late.
Anything you’re not looking forward to about school?
Simulated patients, like a patient trying to get an Oscar during the simulation. They joke that New York has a lot of actors, and some of the ones who actas simulated patients were extras on true-crime shows. I’m looking forward to actually seeing real patients.
What’s the dorm like?
We have a kitchen for the floor, and it’s got two stoves but I can’t figure out how to turn them on. I turned one on and stood there for five minutes with my hand on it, waiting for it to get hot. So I gave up on that. I’m going to fix it, but for now it’s just been a lot of Chipotle.
Pranya Gaddipati
Interest: clinical genetics, Upper East Side
Grace Tang
Interest: transplant surgery, Upper East Side
Rachel Harter
Interest: oncology, Upper East Side
Is everyone super-impressive?
Yes. One of the people I’ve spent the most time with is a girl named Zara, who I believe started Harvard at 14, graduated at 17, and went to Oxford at 18. She completed college before I even began and is now married and has started her own business. Even so, she’s one of the easiest people to talk to.
Michael Dib
Interest: neurology, Upper East Side
Michaela Davis-Pedlar
Interest: pediatrics, Yorkville
What was your favorite part of the ceremony?
Right before I went to put on my coat, I looked at my mom and she looked so proud and excited. That was a really emotional moment because, for a long time, it was just me and her. My dad died from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma when I was 9. Watching how his doctors took care of not only him but the whole family — that really drove me to want to be a doctor.
Arash Jalali-Sohi
Interest: anesthesiology, Lenox Hill
Daniel Bolotin
Interest: neurology, Upper East Side
Stephanie Hsu
Interest: neurology, Upper East Side
Andrew Swenson
Interest: orthopedics, Upper East Side
How many med schools did you apply to?
I felt like I was a pretty competitive applicant, but I applied to 55 schools. It lowered my anxiety about the med-school application process because I had a feeling that I would at least get in somewhere. Cornell was definitely near the top of my list.
Emily Cheng
Interest: anesthesiology, Upper East Side
Nina Vijayvargiya
Interest: dermatology, Upper East Side
Ezra Shimabenga
Interest: cardiothoracic surgery, Upper East Side
How do you like New York so far?
I’ve never felt so small in my life. I’ve tried to explore the city, and it’s just so massive. I’m still trying to adjust. There’s a lot of people, and you have to be very aware here. But a lot of students in my class are also not from New York, so we’re all acclimating together. That helps.
Brett Dolotina
Interest: psychiatry, Bushwick
What are you doing to help with the stress of school?
I’ve taken up DJ-ing, very amateurly. It’s funny, a lot of people in Brooklyn say, “No more DJs. We need more construction workers, more janitors, more doctors.” Well, I’m doing both.
Nathnael Feleke
Interest: cardiothoracic anesthesiology, Upper East Side
Kellsey Church
Interest: surgery, Upper East Side
Gwynne Özkan
Interest: pediatric oncology, Upper East Side
Kazi Maisha
Interest: internal medicine, Upper East Side
What made you want to pursue medicine?
I’m motivated by health disparities. As a child in Bangladesh, I was abducted and ended up being a survivor of sexual violence. When I tried receiving medical care, I was refused due to the stigma surrounding rape survivors. That’s a huge reason why we came to America in 2012. I’m the first woman in my family to pursue a career.
Heather Berman
Interest: orthopedics, Upper East Side
Photographs by Spencer Heyfron
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