Hello! My name is Mackenzie DeLawter and I am currently a sophomore in the Pre-Nursing program at Jefferson’s East Falls Campus. The Pre-Nursing program is split between 2 campuses – the East Falls Campus and the Center City or Abington Campus. My freshman and sophomore years are spent doing pre-professional classes, keeping up my GPA, and getting a well-rounded education. My first two years have kept me quite busy with classes, clubs, and working on campus! Keep reading to see what a typical day is like for me!
8:00 am– Time for my Introduction to Nursing class! This class is held by two nursing professors from the Jefferson College of Nursing Center City Campus! In this class, which is held once a week, we talk about the history of nursing, what the role of a student nurse is, and what different jobs you can do with a BSN!
9:30 am– My next class is Art Therapy! It is a really cool class that counts toward my psychology minor! My professor for the class is a licensed Art Therapist, which is really awesome to have because she is able to discuss real-life experiences and art examples with the class. The way the class is structured is that on Tuesdays we have a typical lecture where we discuss the thought process behind different theories. Thursdays we get to do an experiential! My professor brings in all different types of supplies- everything from paint, cray pas, to modeling clay!
11:00 am– I have my microbiology class next. I listen to the lecture and take some notes, making sure to highlight the key aspects!
12:15 am– After microbiology, I can most likely be found in Kanbar either at Ted’s getting pizza or if it’s Thursday I’m probably eating chicken fingers in Common Thread! Ted’s has a lot of great options for quick meals whether they are pre-packaged or coming out fresh from the oven they’re always a great choice! Common Thread, the more typical cafeteria-style dining, has a lot of stations some that never change (salad and the deli) and some that change daily! As I said before if it’s Chicken Finger Thursday I’m getting the chicken fingers! You can also eat at the buffet-style dining hall, Ravenhub! I tend to eat brunch at Ravenhub because I can always go back for seconds!
Depending on the day I may have a club meeting to run to after lunch. I am involved in the Pre-Nursing Society where we talk about concerns in classes we are taking or matriculating into the Jefferson College of Nursing. It’s a really great space to feel like you’re not so alone. I may also be at a Global Medical Brigades (GMB) meeting! I am the social media manager and presidential representative for GMB! Global Medical Brigades travels to different countries in Central America to provide medical care. We traveled to Honduras last year and we are currently fundraising to go back in March! It was an incredible 7 days of taking vitals and watching dental procedures. I am also involved in Greek Life on campus, I am a member of the Theta Phi Alpha sorority! I never really wanted to be part of a sorority but being able to have close-knit friends and help out in the community was really appealing. My sorority raises money and donates to help with Homelessness and Hunger Awareness.
4:00 pm– After going to a meeting or studying for Anatomy and Physiology I go to a Special Topics Class, this semester is Children’s Health. The class is taught by two doctors from Nemour’s Alfred I DuPont Hospital! They bring in guest lecturers to speak about childhood cancer, special populations, and the future of healthcare! It is truly my favorite class!
After all my classes are done I head back to my on-campus apartment. I’ll usually make dinner in my kitchen and then buckle in for a night of studying! But, I can never just sit in complete silence and do homework, so usually, Parks and Recreation is on the TV in the background.
I hope you enjoyed learning more about my life as a Pre-Nursing student! Jefferson has given me incredible opportunities and connections that I wouldn’t trade for the world.
