Student Success Stories

“One of my favorite things about the BMED program was how friendly and accessible the professors were. They continuously checked on the students and encouraged them to further their education. The program coordinators provided guidance, support, and networking opportunities for students. They definitely went out of their way to help their students succeed. The courses I took through the BMED program helped me tremendously as I transitioned to graduate school. The BMED coursework included biochemistry, genetics, neuroscience, immunology, cell and molecular biology, which were all topics covered during my first year of pharmacy school. The BMED courses served as an introduction and overall helped me develop a strong foundation. Additionally, the BMED program instilled in me an interest in research and public health. These are areas that I hope to further explore as I move forward in my career.”

“The aspect of the BMED program I liked the most was its structure. All courses are designed to be fast paced and exciting. Each module is interesting and filled with important skills we will use in our career. There is a major focus on Team-Based Learning and the application of knowledge to real world scenarios, which fully engages students. Additionally, the rigor of the program contributes to learning material long after you have taken a course. This comes in handy while studying for the Medical College Admission Test or other entrance exams. These attributes line up with the goal of the Department of Biomedical Sciences to prepare students for the next step in their academic/professional career.

“I owe much of my student and personal development to the BMED program and its faculty. Firstly, I have had the honor of mentoring under multiple BMED faculty and taking classes with some of the smartest individuals I have met. Course sizes are relatively small and filled with driven, career-oriented students. Academic research is incorporated into the curriculum, an experience that improves critical thinking and presentation skills. Additionally, the Department of Biomedical Sciences sponsors free professional diagnostic exams and practice exam packages, a resource critical in succeeding on standardized entrance exams. The BMED program gave me these tools I needed to succeed in my undergraduate career and get accepted into medical school. I appreciate all that the BMED department has done to help students like me reach their career goals.”

“I started college as a Biology major because of my true passion for the sciences. However, with the large classes it was hard for me to incorporate myself into UTRGV and find mentors or friendships. As a first-generation college student and first in the family to pursue a career in STEM and as a doctor, I entered college with countless doubts and uncertainties of the steps I should take towards my goal. When I decided to switch to BMED, because of the attractive curriculum, my whole experience of college changed. The BMED program has allowed for my academic success by providing me with opportunities such as research, professional development events, accessible professors, mentorship, shadowing/volunteering which have all allowed me to achieve my goal of pursuing a career as a medical doctor.

Yet, my favorite part has been becoming part of the BMED family. As a BMED student the faculty have made me feel genuinely cared for and have believed in my success since day one, even at times where I struggled to believe in it myself. Many faculties served as role models for me and played an essential role in my undergraduate success, such as Dr. Upal Roy who believed in my potential to be a student researcher and provided me with countless project to develop my research skills, Dr. Sue Anne Chew who has always pushed me since the first BFRI class to the many professional opportunities outside of UTRGV and become a competitive applicant, Dr. Hugo Rodriguez who provided me every opportunity needed for medical school, clarified any doubt I had and was of support when I doubted myself, Dr. Maria Castaneda who has always motivated me, supported, cared for me and became an inspiration as a Latina Medical Doctor, and many more faculty.

Further, through BMED I also gained an incomparable student support system. Through my first introductory classes I met one of my best friends that has stuck with me and supported me throughout my career. Being part of the BMED scholars also allowed me to form close relationships with my peers in which we have all helped build each other up. I owe my undergraduate success to the BMED faculty and my peers who have been a support system and been a motivation to me. They are the ones who have given me the tools and confidence to pursue the career of my dreams.”

“What I loved most about the BMED program is the confidence, excitement, and passion one can appreciate both visually and emotionally from all of the faculty members. It is amazing how they devote the same love and support to each individual student no matter the career path each chooses. I have yet to hear about any other program that has the same goals and structure as BMED since I graduated in 2016. BMED created the foundation for my Masters education. It seemed confusing and overwhelming at first, but little did I know their educational approach and learning techniques would pay off significantly. I felt confident and ready to tackle the fast-paced and rigorous training of PA school. BMED's emphasis on professional development and the skills acquired during my time in the program is what has shaped me to be the individual I am today.”

“Due to the small size of the BMED program, I was able to gain a personable experience that was both an invaluable launching pad to achieving my academic and career goals as well as a memorable college experience. I am thankful that BMED provided me activities including clinical shadowing, volunteering, and lab research, which not only helped me in exploring what I wanted to do in the future but also were activities that made me a desirable candidate in gaining admission to graduate and professional schools. In addition, the small, close-knit atmosphere of BMED gave me plenty of opportunity to get to know both my classmates and faculty alike on a deep level, making BMED feel like a family.”

“I view the Biomedical Sciences (BMED) program at UTRGV as a family that supported me and provided me with the tools I needed to achieve my professional goals. I am a rising 4th-year medical student that is succeeding at UT Southwestern medical center, and I would not have been here without the support of BMED. The education was incredibly relevant to preparing me to succeed in medical school. The faculty works closely with students to work with their needs and interests to put them in the best position to succeed moving forward. Surrounding myself and working alongside a group of motivated individuals with similar interests and ambitions helped me through adversity and made my time here enjoyable. Looking back, I would not have had it any other way.”

“I liked that the program gave me a solid foundation for further studies and exposure to both research and health professions. Both of these things helped me narrow down my interests and choose the current career path I am on. Also, the BMED faculty taught me in an engaging way and helped us understand challenging concepts. Lastly, BMED professors and staff were eager to help any students who sought more experience and helped us think about our future careers. Exposure to the research setting and profession through BMED helped me realize the real-world application of what I was taught in the classroom. It also showed me what kind of research I was best suited for and what I was most interested in.”

“Something that I really appreciated about the BMED program is honestly the smaller cohort size. Also, the specialization of the program means that you’re surrounded by peers who share your goals and work ethic. Since BMED has more stringent acceptance parameters we have smaller classes. This means that I really got the chance to get to know my professors and peers. When I came to UTRGV I knew that the BMED program would be the best choice to help me achieve my future goals. As someone who would colloquially be considered a ‘premed,’ BMED offered not only courses that are helping me prepare for medical school but also associated extracurriculars and programs to help with the process of getting into medical school. The courses present and test content in valuable ways like case studies or team problem solving exercises. There are practice graduate exams built in to help gauge and prepare me for my MCAT. Associated clubs like Tutor for All (T4A), Live to Serve (L2S), and Biomedical Student Association (BSA) also helped me acquire the service recommendations and soft skills required for graduate school.”

“I have really liked how personal the BMED program has been. I have gotten to know my professors at a much more personal level than I would have ever thought possible before I was a BMED student. In comparison to my time as a Biology major, I went from becoming just another student in a class to being known as me by my professor and peers. This allowed me to develop meaningful relationships with my professors and friends that helped me get into the internships I have and develop into the person I am today. The BMED program has, and will continue to, help me as I move toward my career goal by not only helping me be a competitive applicant, but helping me explore different avenues of possibilities I had not considered previously. For instance, the program greatly encourages students to partake in research, something I did not really consider before, and clinical experiences, and by doing so we enhance our CVs and gain experience that can maybe show us what career we want to pursue!”

“One of the main things that I like about the BMED program is how students are treated as individuals rather than just a number. Other majors know the number of students they have, but do not often know them on a personal level. In BMED, the faculty and staff are interested in knowing who you are; they want to know your name, your academic goals, and your career goals. It is clear that they really care about their students and want them to succeed. The BMED program has helped me get into a Physician Assistant program because of all the support, resources, and opportunities that they offer. I was able to get shadowing opportunities, standardized exam practice, and great letters of recommendation from faculty and staff that knew me personally. Additionally, I was able to learn a lot about the human body in the BMED program, so I will enter PA school confident that I have a strong foundation in human health.”

“Aside from the challenging and fruitful environment, the BMED program gave me confidence in pursuing the career of my dreams. The faculty and staff made sure you felt comfortable and were there every step of the way in all aspects of the program. Throughout my entire BMED journey I was never left alone and that is something I appreciate to this day. The small classes allowed us to have better interactive lectures which made it easier for learning and exploring new topics in medicine. Overall, I am extremely grateful to be given the opportunity to be part of such a remarkable program that has helped me become the student, professional, and person I am today.

Currently I am pursuing a Masters in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at UTRGV with the hopes of later applying for an MD/PhD program to become the physician-researcher I’ve always dreamt of becoming. The BMED program has provided me with extensive knowledge that I apply in my current field and knowing that what I learned in textbooks and materials seen in BMED courses has continued to help me in graduate school is valuable. Through experiential learning opportunities within the BMED program I learned a lot of skills that are so useful and that have gotten me one step closer to my future career. Learning how to study was always very hard for me, but the professors made sure to guide you on how to apply what you learned in class to exams or other important tasks, and that is something that helped me build confidence in my studies.”

“My name is Ramiro Tovar III. I graduated as part of the first BMED cohort and eventually became part of the first class of the UTRGV School of Medicine, from which I graduated in 2020 with my medical degree. I am currently a resident doctor at the DHR family medicine program. Classes were organized based on the UTSAHSC medical school model which made the transition to medical school much more tolerable. Expectations placed upon us were high. It was not enough to merely scrape by, but we were pushed to reach the limits of our own potential which is crucial for anyone who seeks to thrive in a competitive environment like the medical field. Something I truly enjoyed and valued about the BMED program was how focused on applicable medical aspects our classes were. We had experience in basic sciences but were cognizant of how useful it was to us in our future careers for real life applications. The professors were experts in their fields and made sure we learned the basic material we had to cover but went even further to make sure we developed crucial critical thinking and reasoning skills.”

“What I liked the most about the BMED Program was the support and close relationships I developed with my professors and peers. Joining a small and unique program such as BMED where your professors become your mentors is an extremely helpful experience as an undergraduate student. Additionally, in the BMED program there are a wide range of opportunities that are available to students inside and outside the classroom. Whether you are looking to get exposure to basic science research projects, shadowing opportunities in the medical field, or participate in community service activities, as long as you ask advice from your professors, they will help you get whatever experience you are trying to obtain. Lastly, the BMED curriculum is designed to give the student exposure to diverse fields in science and medicine, which to me helped me get a clearer picture about what it is that I would like to pursue after graduating. I say that I would not be where I am today without the support and guidance I received from my mentors while I was a BMED student.”

“The sense of community was one of the things that I liked the most about the BMED program. I was able to find very good mentors and counselors that helped and guided me through my undergraduate career. This program provided me with the information and tools that I will be using in my future career, but most importantly, it facilitated opportunities such as research experience, internships, volunteer opportunities and professional exam practices that would have been difficult to find by myself.”