By Maggie Stanton
Megan Angermayer has just completed her first year at University of South Carolina School of Medicine. While it’s been exhausting, the former K-State student has been able to utilize her knowledge from her undergraduate degree in food science.
“We had a learning topic the other day about food borne illness and I could really shine,” said Angermayer. “It was pretty much food science microbiology and I really enjoyed it.”
Angermayer was initially drawn to food science while planning for her future in medical school. “The curriculum overlapped with pre-med very well, while also providing me a great back-up plan if I decided medicine wasn’t for me,” said Angermayer.
Angermayer found that the supportive network in the food science program was exactly what she was looking for. “Everyone is very friendly, there is a lot of opportunity for taking cool electives, and there were lots of resources to help students succeed,” said Angermayer. “I especially liked my advisor, Dr. Karen Schmidt, who helped steer me in the right direction.”
Angermayer advises students to study hard, and begin working on building their resume early. She also recommends undergraduates enjoy their free time, since that tends to disappear in graduate school.
Although she’s currently thousands of miles away, Angermayer hasn’t forgotten her four years at K-State. “(I miss) being outside because I’m inside all the time in med school,” said Angermayer. “Also, being able to convince anyone to walk to Sonic or Fuzzy’s Tacos at pretty much any time of day.”
For more information on the food science pre-medicine degree, please visit: http://foodsci.k-state.edu/future-students/ugcurriculum.html