Students geared for grad school

By Sharon Christensen, On-Line Forty-Niner

Thursday, October 22, 1998

Cal State Long Beach played host to more than 80 graduate and professional schools Wednesday on Upper Campus ranging from National College of Naturopathic Medicine to UCLA School of Law.

Sponsored by Educational Equity Services and the educational testing service, Kaplan, the 13th annual CSULB Graduate and Professional School Day provided a forum for admissions directors and students to meet. Representatives explained admissions procedures and requirements as well as the benefits of fields such as holistic medicine and sports and fitness management.

"I'm just wandering around seeing what I like," said Ivy Vo, a junior biochemistry major. "I don't know about two years from now." Vo, a certified dental assistant, picked up pamphlets from South Baylo University's medical program and from American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

"We get some pretty intense questions from the students," said Shirely Corfee, director of marketing and public relations for American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

She said most of the students interested in her program are medicine majors.

"A few of them have the actual program I'm looking for," said Stacy Hernandez, a senior biology major.

Hernandez is looking for a physician's assistant program with a master's degree option, as well as a program in holistic medicine.

"It's been a pretty productive day," said Angela Prelip, a representative from UCLA School of Law, who estimated that 30 students stopped by her table.

The National College of Naturopathic Medicine was represented for the first time this year. The school, based in Oregon and founded in 1956, offers programs in Chinese, botanical and physical medicine.

"We have a patient focus. We're wellness oriented," said Keely Killpack, NCNM's enrollment services counselor.

Killpack said that with the prevalence of alternative clinics and California's lack of regulatory guidelines, students from California are generally very interested in their program.

Bobbie Rodgers, a counselor for Educational Equity Services, said that since CSULB's fair was the same week as USC's and UCLA's, the response from some of the more distant schools was positive.

"Many of them were very pleased to have an opportunity to come on campus," Rodgers said. "They were very pleased with our students."

Rodgers, who has organized the event for the past five years, mailed 150 invitations to various schools and said that after this year's response, she will increase the number of schools invited to 200 or 250 for next year.