The Emory University Student Government Association (SGA) hosted an Oxford Continuee Panel on Oct. 1 to share resources with Oxford College graduates transitioning to the Atlanta campus. These resources include advising for pre-law and pre-med students, pre-professional networking nights and one-to-one application counseling sessions. Additionally, panelists shared advice with students on how to make the transition from Oxford to Atlanta easier.
Pre-Health Advising Program Coordinator Sandra Aguilera (15Ox, 17C, 24PH) emphasized the Pre-Health Advising services available to both Oxford and Atlanta students, including appointments to work on application preparation and the pre-health composite letter. The program also provides students with pre-med peer mentors from both Oxford and Atlanta.
“When it comes to those peer mentors, about a third of them are Oxford graduates, so there’s definitely representation of having that experience already,” Aguilera said.
Tommy Ottolin, assistant director of programs at Emory’s Center for AI Learning, stressed the value of the social network students build at Emory.
“The people that you are in classes with, that you’re in programs with — they may be your coworkers,” Ottolin said. “They may be a hiring manager. They may be a connection that can get you an interview at your dream company ten years from now.”
In response to a question about suggestions panelists had for Oxford graduates, SGA Vice President of Well-being Jean Qian (23Ox, 25C) advised students to be “brave” and “fearless” when connecting with professors and seeking research and internship opportunities.
“Don’t be afraid to say that you’re an Oxford continuee because that really adds to the context of why you’re a junior and you want to start a new opportunity,” Qian said.
Sheryar Lakhani (23Ox, 25C), an Oxford graduate who attended the panel, thought the diverse perspectives from each of the faculty were insightful and found the in-person Q&A session to be resourceful.
“[I was] just wondering about the other programs available at Emory sometimes. Not everything can be seen in a magazine or an email, and it’s better to just meet these people in person and connect with them in person,” Lakhani said.
SGA Co-Vice President of Oxford-Atlanta Relations Addie Travis (24Ox, 26C), one of the organizers of the panel, said that Oxford graduates do not need to feel overwhelmed in the Atlanta community.
“There’s always someone that’s going to be there to provide these resources and that you just have to look for it sometimes,” Travis said. “Ox students don’t need to come here and feel like they’re brand new.”
SGA Co-Vice President of Oxford-Atlanta Relations Sana Ansari (23Ox, 25C), who also helped organize the panel, felt scared by the transition from Oxford to Atlanta, describing it as having to “start from the bottom again.” Ansari hopes to provide other Oxford continuees with information about the resources that she had difficulty finding.
“When I came, … I learned about opportunities after they had left me,” Ansari said. “A lot of people just think that you can find your own way, and that is obviously what you have to do, but it would be helpful to also have these resources as well.”
