Pre-Health Lecture

On October 28th, I attended one of the Pre-Health lectures that had two parts. The first half of the lecture was composed of a panel of professional students in different fields of study. For example, one of them was in a optometry program and the other was in medical school to become a chiropractor. They all provided helpful information regarding different issues everyone who wants to go to med school will face. They were real with us regarding student loans, which was nice because debt and student loans are always overwhelming and cumbersome thoughts for me. Additionally, they told their personal journeys and what they went through to get where they are today. I found it very intriguing to hear the different backgrounds each of the panel members came from and how extensively their lifestyles impacted their reason for attending medical school and the program they study.

The second half of the lecture revolved around sexual health and safety, especially on college campuses. Overall, I knew most of what the presenters had to say, but one demonstration they did was beneficial in exemplifying gender expectations from society. The presenters of this topic asked audience members for examples of what society expects from them regarding sexual assault prevention. For example, females are told to "stay in well lit areas" and "never walk alone." After creating a long list for females, it was time to come up with something society tells men. This part took a while. Many people thought for a few minutes, coming up short until one person somewhat jokingly mentioned how you should be careful and not drop the soap in the shower, making more of a prison reference than anything, though this could also be applicable to a locker room setting. With only one thing on the list of expectations for men, it was clear that society sees that it is more reasonable to dictate how females live their lives. Females are supposed to focus on not inciting issues and prevent themselves from getting in sketchy situations because society believes it is the responsibility of only females to prevent sexual assault. This demonstration was much appreciated because it illuminated the skewed views and expectations of society; it was also nice to see that once this issue was recognized, many audience members wanted to discuss how to change society for the better.