Today, we meet Jonathan Philip, a senior biological sciences major from Williamstown, NJ (Gloucester County), here to talk about his experience with taking summer classes at Rowan and how it’s been beneficial to him.
Jonathan enrolled in Intro to Biochemistry this summer at Rowan. As it relates to his experiences in the class, Jonathan expresses a similar sentiment to many other students who have taken summer classes at Rowan, that being the shorter total class length and the professors: “One of the big things is I like is how it’s shorter, especially because Intro to Biochem is a very tough class. Another thing is I really enjoy the professor. He’s a really cool guy. I’m learning a lot from him. And thirdly, I am trying to pursue medical school and trying to study for MCATs. So doing an intro biochem class will be very beneficial.”
Additionally, Jonathan points out another interesting detail about his professor: “A cool thing about him is he actually has other jobs. This is not his only job. I believe he works in a hospital and deals with organ transplants.” This is a great example of the kinds of professors that Rowan offers, who have a wealth of experience and research history in their respective fields of study.
Jonathan has some words of advice for any Profs in his situation: “If I had to tell someone something who’s in my exact situation, you’re allowed to walk for graduation even if you didn’t get all the credits but you’re finishing them with summer classes. So if anyone is in my situation, I would say, don’t worry about that, you’ll be fine. I also think summer classes are actually a little cheaper than doing all the credits if you are just doing a regular semester as a normal student, and it’s also a little bit more accessible. It’s nice that it works with my work schedule.” His continued emphasis on the accessibility of summer classes presented itself strongly throughout his discussion of them.
Additionally, Jonathan was a big fan of the ease of scheduling and registering for summer classes and how his worries were quickly resolved: “I’m the type of person that stresses out a lot about this stuff, especially since this is my last class, so I was like, ‘Ooh, I don’t wanna mess anything up with registration.’ But no, they were actually very nice. I think the process was just like, you know, applying like in a regular semester. It was an easy process. It was like the same if I had any questions, I would call. And they were very nice and accessible.“
Right now, Jonathan works three jobs! “Currently I work as a pharmacy technician at Elmer Inspira as well as Mullica Hill Inspira. I also work as an EMT at Waterford Township.” He also attributes his success in entering the medical field to the opportunities presented to him by Rowan: “When I first came to Rowan, like after the pandemic, I was given the opportunity to work at Rowan EMS as a non-EMT. And those guys were amazing. They were actually able to help pay for my EMT school and help me become an EMT. So like, honestly, I wouldn’t become an EMT without Rowan EMS or Rowan University.”
All in all, Jonathan is extremely thankful for the opportunity to take summer classes at Rowan, as they benefit him in a variety of ways as he discussed. He also encourages his fellow Profs to do the same if they feel the desire to take them!
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Story by: Connor Bicknell, senior communication studies major