{"id":20239,"date":"2014-05-21T14:18:28","date_gmt":"2014-05-21T18:18:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=20239"},"modified":"2014-06-09T16:21:41","modified_gmt":"2014-06-09T20:21:41","slug":"one-of-first-to-graduate-with-ma-in-biomedicine-everything-and-more-than-expected","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2014\/one-of-first-to-graduate-with-ma-in-biomedicine-everything-and-more-than-expected\/","title":{"rendered":"One of first to graduate with MA in biomedicine: \u2018everything and more\u2019 than expected"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two years ago, after earning an undergraduate biology degree from the University of Mary Washington, Qaiser Ahmed was looking for a graduate program that could give him extra preparation before pursuing his ambition to become a dentist. At the same time, Eastern Mennonite University was preparing to launch a new MA in biomedicine program<\/a> designed precisely for students like him.<\/p>\n

Ahmed basically knew just one thing about EMU, but it was more than enough to convince him to apply: the university\u2019s science graduates have enjoyed remarkable rates of acceptance to medical and dental schools. Last month, he was among the speakers at the university\u2019s commencement, representing its first graduating class from the new MA in biomedicine program.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was everything and more than what I expected,\u201d said Ahmed, in a separate interview. \u201cIt was a great two-year experience and I think I\u2019m better for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the things he most enjoyed and benefited from at EMU, he said, was the availability of his professors, and their concern for his success in the program.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomething unique and welcoming at EMU was that professors instituted an \u2018open-door policy\u2019 of sorts,\u201d he said in his commencement speech. \u201cI did not have the privilege of experiencing this as an undergrad.\u2026 I had plenty of questions for all faculty members, not just [my] professors. The saying that there\u2019s no such thing as a bad question? Well, I took full advantage of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ahmed had been advised by practicing dentists to learn as much as he could about the business aspects of running a dental practice. At EMU, where students are allowed and encouraged to take classes offered by other graduate programs, Ahmed was able to follow through on that by taking classes through the MBA program<\/a>. He also took a graduate-level nursing class. In his remarks at graduation, he said that these experiences broadened his horizons and prepared him to approach dentistry from the perspectives of a CEO and a nurse practitioner, as well as a dentist.<\/p>\n

During his second year, Ahmed helped prepare labs and other materials as a graduate assistant for courses in molecular genetics, anatomy and medical terminology. He also edited the inaugural issue of The Synapse<\/em>, the yearbook of the MA in biomedicine program.<\/p>\n

Looking back on his time on campus, Ahmed said, he learned that there was much more to EMU than he\u2019d originally thought. But there was something to that original impression, too \u2013 Ahmed has joined the long, long list of successful applicants to professional health programs, and will begin dentistry school at Virginia Commonwealth University in the fall.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Two years ago, after earning an undergraduate biology degree from the University of Mary Washington, Qaiser Ahmed was looking for a graduate program that could give him extra preparation before ... read more about One of first to graduate with MA in biomedicine: \u2018everything and more\u2019 than expected<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":73,"featured_media":20342,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4515,266,5583,264],"tags":[17220],"feature":[],"class_list":["post-20239","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academics","category-alumni","category-campus-community","category-graduate-programs","tag-mba"],"yoast_head":"\nOne of first to graduate with MA in biomedicine: \u2018everything and more\u2019 than expected - EMU News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2014\/one-of-first-to-graduate-with-ma-in-biomedicine-everything-and-more-than-expected\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"One of first to graduate with MA in biomedicine: \u2018everything and more\u2019 than expected - 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