Amanda Chinemelu

Amanda Chinemelu

Hello everyone, if you don’t know me well here’s your chance. My name is Amanda Chinemelu from Nigeria 17 years of age and a bit tall. I am currently in Grade 12 at Bodwell, this is my second semester and the next semester is going to be my last. This prompted me to join the University Exploration Projects and Mentorship club.  Right from my childhood I’ve always wanted to be a neurosurgeon because of one of my role models Ben Carson. But as we all know, as children we are sheltered from difficulties. So choosing a career was quite an easy thing for me. In my head, I imagined that after high school I would enter straight into the university and become a neurosurgeon.

But as I grew older my eyes were opened.  It is not that easy to choose a career, it requires critical thinking, research and time. You have to know your weaknesses and your strengths before going into something that shapes your life. My interest lies in the sciences. Biology is my best subject but I also have to be really good in chemistry which is not as easy as I thought. I enjoy learning things about the human anatomy and helping the sick which is why I know that my career has to be in that field. However, back home in my country, the system is quite different from the Canadian system. In my country, you can read medicine directly but that is not the same here. To enter medical school is really competitive and the bar is raised higher for international students such as myself and most of Bodwell students. When I first joined this club, I was quite sure of what I wanted to study but after attending university fairs and doing some research, I am not so sure anymore. I am not saying this to discourage anybody or anything like that. I am just telling you my story and how this club has helped me.

 While doing research, I found out that I do not have to be completely sure of what I want to do in the university. I heard about a course called Liberal Arts from a colleague of mine right here in Bodwell and also in the mentorship club. This program allows you to be diverse in your first year for students who aren’t really sure of what they want study. The program enables you to pick courses form every field and hopefully while studying in your first year, you will become familiar with where your interest really lies. This program is really good because you have a wide variety of subjects to pick from rather than just going head in without really understanding what you signed up for.  I had a talk with Mr. Boris and Mr. Philip about this route I’m thinking of taking rather than going straight into the medical field and they both thought it was a really good and smart idea.  My exploration project questions include; what do you want from a "Liberal Arts" first year? For example. Do you want the opportunity take a diverse set of courses; the opportunity to keep your options open, is there anything else you want from a "Liberal Arts" first year? Are their specific courses you want to take in your first year? For example: Economics, Public Health related courses, "Pre-Med" courses, anything else? Do you want to combine Arts and Sciences as part of your Liberal Arts first year? 

Hopefully as I continue my research I would be able to make a choice on what I want to study.