Allison de Groot
Year: Junior
Hometown: Snohomish, Wash.
Major: Biomedical engineer with a minor in chemistry
Career goal: To become a pediatric neurologist
On-campus city living
“Richmond is the perfect mix. You’re in the city but you have places close by where you can go to get away from the hustle and bustle. I definitely enjoy being here.”
“I lived in Brandt Hall my freshman year and I lived off campus the next year. But I came back and now live in the Cary and Belvidere Apartments. I think C&B is really great. It still has somewhat of a residence hall feel because there are lots of people but everyone has their own room and two people share a bathroom so you still have enough interaction with other students.
“Living on campus, it’s really convenient to have your friends come over. I’m right across the street from all my classes and I really love living there.
“I think Richmond is the perfect mix. You have the James River nearby and Shenandoah Valley and just the other weekend I went down to Williamsburg and Jamestown. Yes, you’re in the city but you have places close by where you can go to get away from the hustle and bustle. I definitely enjoy being here.”
Finding VCU
“My pediatrician in Washington went to VCU and she made me excited to want to be a doctor. I saw that VCU was accredited so I went on and applied.
“I was looking for accredited biomedical engineering schools because I knew I wanted to be a physician. I didn’t want to do the traditional biology or chemistry major; I wanted to do something that might tailor a bit more toward the type of doctor I wanted to be.”
Preparing to become a physician
“At first I wanted to be an orthopaedic surgeon so I thought biomedical engineering. I would design the prosthetics or make the new inserts for hip or knees. So this was the perfect fit for me and even if I change my career path, it will still provide me with a wealth of knowledge to really prepare me as a physician.
“My mother had a stroke while I was in high school and I helped her through the recovery process. I hadn’t thought about studying neurology before but I’ve always been interested in it since then.
“Biomedical engineering is definitely preparing me for medical school more than I think I would have gotten out of another major. At the same time I’ve met with different physicians and because I have my biomedical engineering major, I think they are more interested in working with me.”
