Built for what comes next

The path to professional school is relentless. 

Foundational science courses demand mastery. Application deadlines overlap with coursework. Once classes begin, the pace is intense, with students often moving through the equivalent of a semester of undergraduate material in only three weeks. 

For alumni Carson Kim, Juan Luis Contreras, Ethan Laney, Gracie Pounders and Laurel Bacon, that acceleration did not come as a shock. It arrived after years of deliberate preparation. 

Each followed a different professional path after graduating from Auburn’s College of Sciences and Mathematics. Kim is now in dental school at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Contreras is also at UAB in his second year of medical school. Laney is in optometry school while also pursuing an MBA. Pounders is now studying veterinary medicine at Auburn, and Bacon is a student in the Harrison School of Pharmacy. 

Their destinations differ, but their preparation did not. 

A foundation built early

All five arrived at Auburn with ambition. What COSAM provided was structure. Over time, that structure became strategy. 

Through COSAM’s Pre-Health Programs, students are introduced early to the expectations of professional school. Academic advisors and pre-health counseling specialists work with them from their first semesters to map coursework, identify experiential opportunities and establish timelines for exams and applications. 

From the beginning, Laney understood exactly what his path required. 

“It was really nice, especially the first couple of semesters, to have a plan for exactly what I needed to take to stay on track,” he said. 

The Biomedical Sciences Program integrates prerequisite coursework into a defined sequence, reducing guesswork at a time when many students are still adjusting to college. Contreras chose the major for precisely that reason. 

“It already has everything built in,” he said. 

For Bacon, that early structure made a lasting difference. She said the advising program and peer advisors helped her turn big goals into an organized plan for pharmacy school. 

Advising also helped students tailor that structure to their own schedules. Kim worked with his advisor to distribute demanding science courses across semesters.  

“I was never overwhelmed with hours or credits,” he said. 

With that structure in place, students could focus more fully on learning than on logistics. Pounders said one of the best ways to build on that foundation is to get involved in student groups and connect with faculty early.  

“Don’t hesitate to reach out to your professors and build genuine relationships,” she said. “They want to see you succeed, and many of them were once in your position.” 

Preparation meets pace

Professional school moves quickly. But for these alumni, much of the material felt familiar. Laney encountered immunology, microbiology and general chemistry almost immediately in optometry school. 

“I realized just how awesome it was that I had the chance to take those classes in undergrad,” he said. 

Kim experienced something similar while preparing for the Dental Admission Test. Genetics, often considered one of the more intimidating subjects, required little review. 

“Throughout DAT studying, I didn’t even have to look at genetics,” he said. “I knew it so well.” 

Bacon agreed, adding pharmacy school quickly showed her how much she could rely on the scientific foundation she built in COSAM. Thanks to that preparation, she said, she was able to do more than simply keep up. 

“Because of my COSAM prerequisite coursework, I not only understood the information as a whole, but could use it to help myself understand topics later on in the course,” Bacon said. 

Pounders had a similar realization during her veterinary coursework. 

“During pharmacology and systems courses, I realized I wasn’t just studying for the next test,” she said. “I was layering new information onto a strong foundation built in COSAM.” 

Courses such as biochemistry, cell biology and anatomy provided that groundwork, allowing her to focus on reasoning through clinical mechanisms rather than memorizing isolated facts. 

Contreras also described COSAM’s coursework as emphasizing mastery over memorization. 

“You weren't just studying for an exam,” he said. “You really had to get the hang of it.” 

In professional programs, a full semester of undergraduate material can reappear in weeks. Because the groundwork was strong, the acceleration felt intense but manageable. 

“The rigor of pharmacy school is well matched to several upper-level COSAM courses, so I felt very prepared for the shift between undergraduate and graduate,” Bacon said. 

Support that sustains performance

The expectations were high, but students did not navigate them alone. 

Professors held demanding standards and welcomed questions. Office hours were busy. Learning assistants and peer mentors provided different ways to approach challenging material. 

“There was always some sense of support along the way in each individual class,” Contreras said. 

That culture of preparation extends beyond coursework. Programs such as the Pre-Professional Application Course, or PPAC, require students to draft personal statements, organize application materials and prepare for interviews well before submission deadlines. The structured process prompts reflection on motivation and long-term goals while reducing the pressure of the formal application cycle. 

“They made me write my personal statements,” Contreras said. “That was super, super helpful.” 

Pounders said the advising process also helped her approach the application process more holistically. 

“COSAM’s pre-health advising helped me focus on more than just GPA,” she said. “It emphasized meaningful involvement, community service, clinical experience and strong communication skills.” 

That guidance encouraged her to be intentional about how she spent her time and how she presented her experiences during the application process. 

By the time application season arrived, much of the work had already been done. Students moved through rolling admissions processes with confidence. 

“It really does prepare you well for just in general the application process,” Kim said. 

Today, that preparation is paying off across a range of professional programs.  

“Vet school definitely increased the pace and volume of information,” Pounders said. “But many of my COSAM science courses had already pushed me to think critically.” 

Laney agrees. 

“The classes in Auburn were tough,” Laney said. “I'm thankful for how rigorous they were.”