A Student Perspective: Jade Overton
Hometown: Eastampton, New Jersey
Undergraduate: Rowan University, 2018, Biology
Medical School: Drexel University College of Medicine, Class of ’25
Graduate: Drexel University College of Medicine, 2020, Drexel Pathway to Medical School
Activites: MD/MPH Dual Degree Program; Women’s Health Education Program (WHEP) Scholar; Medical Humanities Scholar; First-gen Student Group Board
I wanted to be part of a place that would set me up for a strong foundation.
I majored in biology in undergrad. I eventually decided I wanted to do something within health care, mainly because of the disparities in maternal health care for Black women, and being a Black woman, that’s an area I want to make a difference. I wanted to go to Drexel because they’re making advancements and have a great reputation in the sciences.
I’ll be a well-rounded doctor because of all the opportunities Drexel offers.
In the Medical Humanities Program, we discuss a different topic every time we meet, like dealing with grief in the hospital. In the Women’s Health Education Program (WHEP), we learn about advancements and disparities in women’s health. Drexel makes it a point to make sure it’s not just sciences and pathology. You’re learning humanities. You learn the business of health care. It’s not just medicine.
Drexel has a very welcoming community.
I started my medical education with the Drexel Pathway to Medical School (DPMS) program because I knew I would get a lot of support. I wanted to go somewhere where I wasn’t going to feel singled out or be the only person of color. There are so many people that look like me. It makes it easier because medical school is already hard enough.
The Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (ODEI) has been there for me since I started in DPMS. I know when I go into the ODEI office, I’ll see someone I know and they’re going to be warm and welcoming. They are always passing along information and resources for people underrepresented in medicine.
Our professors want you to do well and they want to help you succeed.
In medical school, it can be intimidating to ask questions, but I try being as vocal as possible because the resources are there. Drexel faculty will sit down and help you because they want you to learn the material. They know sometimes people learn in different ways. And then there’s the Office of Student Affairs, who are always there to help or answer questions. I think that level of support is unique to Drexel.
Some things you just don’t get taught in medical school, so it’s important to connect with people who have been through it.
In medical school there are a lot of unwritten rules and if you don’t have that knowledge or if you don’t know people who are already in medicine, you just don’t know. I joined the Drexel first-gen student group to connect with other students who were starting from the same place as me. Our group holds panels with first-gen doctors who are interested in pulling up or teaching the younger generation what they wish they’d known in medical school. I understand now that you don’t have to learn everything through experience — you can learn it through advice and through the wisdom of other people.