Student Perspectives

Jeffrey Hansen’s perspective

The transition from college to the WashU MSTP meant eight more years of learning cool facts with like-minded people, albeit the facts were cooler and the people were even more like-minded. While my college classmates dreaded the transition into corporate America, I skipped gleefully towards more opportunities to learn and grow as a physician scientist. Upon beginning, my first realization was that the MSTP provided mentoring and support unlike what could be achieved with thousands of undergraduate students. The time spent, kindness showed, and support given by the MSTP office is unmatched by any mentoring experience I had in my undergraduate years. These efforts allow me to better focus on what knowledge I can acquire and generate each day. Second, I realized that the people around me were even more like-minded. I was now surrounded by equally inquisitive, science-focused, and compassionate classmates that quickly turned into strong friendships. It’s exciting to think about how these friendships will continue to grow. And finally, the MSTP immersed be more deeply in topics of education that task me with skills that I will use tomorrow, next month, and ten years into my career. The obvious practicality of each lecture or discussion smoothes and sweetens the acquisition of such knowledge. As my senior year at Notre Dame concluded, signing up for eight more years pursuing science as part of the supportive and brilliant team that is WashU will inevitably be one of the best transitions that I will make.