CAREER PAPER

Career Paper

Lizbeth Luna-Lopez

City of Medicine Academy

Health Science II

Mr. Tah

11/9/23
CAREER PAPER

Discussion

Why did I choose City of Medicine Academy? I chose City of Medicine Academy

because I knew that this school would help me get a preview of the medical field through its

courses like Health Science, EMT, and FON. As many people know, students come to City of

Medicine Academy to pursue a career in healthcare. Like most, I am also interested in

healthcare, but my life experiences have changed my "dream job" in the medical field. From

wanting to care for animals at a young age to wanting to become an ophthalmologist after my

grandpa got laser eye surgery, to lastly settling on dentistry, I have always been interested in

helping others live a better and healthier life. After much consideration, I have finally decided to

become a dentist!

According to NCCareers.org, "Dentists diagnose and treat problems of teeth, gums, and

other parts of the mouth. They provide advice and instruction on taking care of teeth and gums

and on other issues that affect oral health" (Occupation Profile | NC Careers.org, n.d.). Like most

healthcare careers, the most common undergraduate major is biology. To get into a professional

school like UNC Adams School of Dentistry, you must have a Bachelor of Science degree, a

Dental Admissions Test (DAT) score of at least 18 for most schools, and experience by

participating in internships, shadowing, and volunteering. After getting into a professional

school, you have to complete a Doctor of Dental Medicine (DDM) or Dental Surgery (DDS)

Degree. Finally, you can receive a dental license issued by the state after passing the National

Board Dental Examination. One of the reasons I want to be a dentist is because this job has a

high average yearly salary of $163,000 and a decent future occupation growth rate of +1.5%.

Another reason I chose this career is because I have personally experienced how having nice

teeth can impact one's self-esteem. Having nice, clean, and straight teeth can give people the
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confidence to smile more and help people feel better about themselves. Additionally, I know that

dental care can be very expensive. Many people would rather live with tooth pain than go to the

dentist because they can't afford it. Because of this, it is also my goal to find a way to offer

affordable dental care to those who can not afford to go to the dentist. As seen, becoming a

dentist takes a lot of time, effort, and love for learning. I want to help people feel confident in

their smiles and live a better life without tooth pain, so I am willing to put in all my effort to

achieve my goal of becoming a dentist.

In order to become a dentist, I must prepare myself for college success starting in high

school. One way I am preparing myself is by challenging myself and taking rigorous courses at

Durham Technical Community College. I am currently on track to complete my Associate in

Science degree and my Spanish Medical Interpreter Diploma by my senior year. On top of that, I

also plan to take some of the medical courses that are offered at CMA, like FON and EMT.

These courses will help me gain real experience in the medical field through clinical hours.

Another way I am preparing myself is by joining outside-of-school programs. One program I am

currently in is the Health & Environmental Scholars Program. This program was created by

current Duke students who want to prepare high schoolers for college life and college

applications and also teach them about environmental science through fun field trips. At the end,

we will also have a research project that will help us build our research and presentation skills,

which are important in college. I also plan to apply to other programs, like the SEED project,

which "provides sustained STEM research, learning, and growth opportunities for high school

students so they can be empowered to advance and enrich the chemical science enterprise” (ACS

Project SEED Program, n.d.). Lastly, I am also preparing myself by joining many academic

clubs, such as HOSA, NHS, and NTHS, that encourage teamwork and professionalism through
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competitive events and group community service projects. On top of all this, there is still much

more I can improve on and much more I can do to make my college application stand out, but I

am proud of my current accomplishments, and I plan to work even harder next year to have a

better chance at getting into my dream school.

The top schools on my list, also called my dream schools, are UNC-Chapel Hill for

in-state and New York University for out-of-state. UNC-Chapel Hill is a competitive school with

an approximate 20% acceptance rate. According to the UNC Admissions page, UNC is looking

for people who take advanced coursework and are engaged in their communities (Becoming a

Tar Heel, n.d.). A way I plan to achieve these expectations is by taking more AP classes and

continuing on my track to completing my Associate's degree at Durham Tech. I am also

becoming more engaged in my community because of the many group community service

projects I am joining through NHS. On top of this, UNC is also looking for students with high

test scores (around 1350–1510 on the SAT and 28–33 on the ACT) and a high GPA (4.39

average). I have a high GPA of 4.57, but my PACT score was 21. Similar to UNC, NYU is also a

competitive school with an approximate acceptance rate of 13%. They also look for students

with a strong academic history and a demonstrated commitment to public service, but they also

look for students with a potential for impact (How We Consider Applicants | NYU Wagner, n.d.).

I plan to meet these expectations by continuing on my path at Durham Tech and participating in

group community service projects. Additionally, participating in more extracurricular activities

and research projects could show my potential for impact. NYU also looks for students with high

test scores (around 1470–1560 on the SAT and 31-35 on the ACT) and a high GPA (3.0

minimum). In order for me to look like a strong applicant, I must strive to do more things that fit
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the key attributes that those schools are looking for in their applicants. I will work hard to gain

leadership experience and research experience and become more engaged in my community.

Along with planning for my success in high school, I also have to think about how I will

be successful in college. After researching, the 3 main factors of college success that stood out to

me after reading an article by UNC are practicing "self-care," creating a time management plan,

and understanding your professors’ expectations for each course. Practicing self-care and making

healthy choices can mean a lot of things; these things include having a good sleep schedule,

drinking enough water, eating healthy foods, getting exercise, and more (Academic Success at

Carolina, n.d.). Self-care can also be setting goals and developing solid habits, finding things you

enjoy, and not forgetting that quality “downtime” and taking mental breaks can help you study

more effectively. Everything stated previously can help “improve your brain, body, and your

chance at academic success” (Academic Success at Carolina, n.d.). For my time management

plan, I can use Mr. Tah’s time management plan template to visualize how I can budget my time

on a daily basis. I could also use a physical or online planner to mark down important dates and

deadlines. Time management also ties into understanding your professors’ expectations for each

course as you have to read your syllabi to find the important dates that you will need to mark

down in a planner/calendar. Making use of the office hours each professor provides and getting

to know the academic tools you will use, like Canvas, Sakai, etc., are also very important parts of

understanding expectations (Academic Success at Carolina, n.d.). If possible, receiving academic

coaching will also help boost your college success. If you think academic coaching would be

useful to you, looking for colleges that offer academic coaching would also be very beneficial to

your college success. This also applies to student service centers in general; a Duke student told

me that attending a that has good student service centers, like a mental health center, learning
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center, advising, student wellness, campus health center, etc., is very crucial to achieving college

success and living a happy life while at college. As seen, it is important to maintain good grades

and have a good time management plan to be successful in college, but taking care of oneself and

using the resources that your school provides are also very important factors that play into

college success.

As mentioned above, doing things you enjoy and having quality downtime are important

to achieving college success. Because of this, I have researched different clubs/extracurriculars

that I would like to join in college. One club applies to any school I may attend, while the other

two are specific to my dream schools mentioned previously. The extracurricular I would like to

be a part of at any school I attend is a concert band. I have always enjoyed listening and dancing

to music at a young age, but after I joined concert band in middle school, I fell in love with

playing music and performing in front of crowds; I will gladly join concert band at the college I

attend in the future. The next extracurricular I chose, which is specific to UNC-Chapel Hill, is

Musical Empowerment. As I have already mentioned, I love music and helping people, so this

club would let me have the best of both worlds. This club connects college students with families

in Chapel Hill and Carrboro as the program pairs a public schooled child with a college student,

and the children receive free music lessons (Empowerment through Music | UNC-Chapel Hill,

n.d.). By being part of this club, I could help less privileged children find a new hobby without it

being a burden to the family by giving families who can’t afford music lessons for their children

free music lessons. The next extracurricular I chose, which is specific to NYU, is the Pre-Dental

Society. Students who are part of the Pre-Dental Society “Meet fellow pre-dental students and

attend informative events about applying to dental school, the DAT, the life of a dentist/dental

student, and have questions about your path as an undergraduate answered” (Pre-Dental Society,
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n.d.). I would join this because I want to become a dentist, and if I were to attend NYU, I believe

this club would be very beneficial to me as it would help me learn more about my desired career.

It would also give me an opportunity to meet people who also have the same interests as me. As

mentioned previously, self-care is just as important in academic success as having a good time

management plan and doing well in school. Part of self-care means finding an extracurricular

activity that I enjoy doing, and I believe those clubs will be a great fit for me as I love music and

dentistry equally.

After majoring in biology and receiving my undergraduate degree, I plan to study hard

for the DAT and get into a professional dental school to obtain my Doctor of Dental Medicine

(DDM) or Dental Surgery (DDS) Degree. Once all of this is completed, I plan to obtain my

dental license and start working right away. On top of this, I also want to find a way to make

dental care more accessible in the future.

In conclusion, since I have big hopes and dreams, it is important for me to start planning

ahead. Some things I can focus on in the present are improving my standardized test scores,

taking part in more extracurricular activities, and gaining more leadership experience. Meeting

the key attributes of my dream schools may give me a better chance of standing out as a good

applicant and getting accepted. But, the journey does not stop once I get into college. I must

continue to have the same positive drive and do well in college. I must use the 3 key concepts of

college success in the future to ensure I have a good time in college. Finally, I must continue my

education until I receive my dental license. The journey may be difficult, but in the end, my hard

work and dedication will pay off, and my family and I will be proud of myself for dreaming big

and achieving my goals.

References

Academic Success at Carolina. (n.d.). Learning Center. Retrieved November 10, 2023, from

https://learningcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/how-to-succeed/

ACS Project SEED Program. (n.d.). American Chemical Society. https://www.acs.org/education

/students/highschool/seed.html

Becoming a Tar Heel. (n.d.). Undergraduate Admissions. Retrieved November 10, 2023, from

https://admissions.unc.edu/prepare/becoming-a-tar-heel/

Empowerment through music | UNC-Chapel Hill. (n.d.). The University of North Carolina at

Chapel Hill. Retrieved November 10, 2023, from https://www.unc.edu/discover/

empowerment-through-music/

How We Consider Applicants | NYU Wagner. (n.d.). Wagner.nyu.edu. Retrieved November 10,

2023, from https://wagner.nyu.edu/admissions/criteria

Occupation Profile | NC Careers.org. (n.d.). Nccareers.org. https://nccareers.org/occupation-

profile/291021/1284

Pre-Dental Society. (n.d.). Engage.nyu.edu. Retrieved November 10, 2023, from

https://engage.nyu.edu/organization/pre-dental-society