Destination Success | Emerson Heckler | Watch HPU

Chapters & Transcript

0:00

Hi, my name is Emerson Heckler. I'm from Charlotte, North Carolina. And at High Point University, I earned my degree in neuroscience with a minor in psychology. And I graduated May 2024. Right now I'm living in Winston Salem as a first year medical student at the Wake Forest School of Medicine on one of their full ride scholarships.

0:31

The primary reason that I chose High Point University was that I had always kind of had my heart set on medicine and I knew that it's going to take a lot more than good grades. And at a lot of schools, you know, you're going to get a GPA and you're going to get an MCAT score and you know that's all fine. It's all very standardized. But what was going to set me apart for the medical school application was those experiences outside the classroom that helped me not only solidify my passion for medicine but made sure that I was prepared when it came to my courses in medical school.

1:03

Mentorship was so accessible as a student here at High Point. I definitely had relationships with my professors where they knew me inside and outside the classroom so they could tell right away if I was in class and I was having an off day and just like them being able to tell meant so much for me.

One of my best mentors was Dr. Grider. And Dr. Grider especially went out of his way to make sure that we felt like we were a community outside the classroom. And he helped me grow so much. And he's like, "It's so funny to think back to, you know, four years ago." And being able to like have those full circle moments with my professors and knowing that they were there for me like every single step of the way for the ups and the downs and you know that I can't do it. Like they were always there and reassuring.

There were 11 graduating seniors with me. So, we're all really close as a cohort, but also with our faculty member. And I knew that I was going to be more than just another number.

1:54

The science community on campus is more like a family. And that's where I was able to find like-minded people who wanted to do similar things, who had a passion for science. And I used to be a little bit more introverted. I used to be, you know, kind of more keep to myself. And when you get to campus, it's hard not to get involved and just to want to be involved in so many different opportunities. Like it's easy to connect with people and I feel like that really kind of broke me out of my shell early on.

2:21

One of the life skills I honed most here was communication.

No one at High Point is ever going to tell you no or that you're not good enough or that your grades are holding you back. Like no one's ever going to say that to you. The only thing holding you back is yourself. And just not putting yourself out there, you know, quote unquote cold calling professors.

They welcome that. They want you to pop into office hours. They want you to reach out to them and say, you know, hey, I know I've never had you as a professor, but you know, my friend raves about you and says like, you have a great research project. I'm really interested in XYZ. They expect that. They want that. They want that involvement from you. You will look back in 4 years and it will be shocking how much you've accomplished.

3:03

High Point University will absolutely prepare you to not only be accepted to medical school, but be successful in medical school. And they have all the resources that you can imagine. You just have to get out there and take advantage of them.

3:16

HPU's call to action, choose to be extraordinary to me means when somebody takes a chance on you, you're going to give it your all.

I feel like High Point always saw something in me that maybe I didn't see in myself at the time and they, you know, took a chance on me with the presidential founders and it just, you know, accelerated to medical school and I always want to, you know, rise to people's expectations, but not only that, but exceed them and, you know, really just go out of my way to help my community and hopefully help some future patients.

Emerson Heckler shares his journey from earning a neuroscience degree at High Point University to becoming a first-year medical student at Wake Forest School of Medicine on a full scholarship. He credits HPU's accessible mentorship, tight-knit science community, and emphasis on life skills—particularly communication—for preparing him for medical school success. Through his experience, Emerson exemplifies HPU's motto, "Choose to Be Extraordinary," and encourages prospective students to take full advantage of the university's resources and opportunities.

Alumni SpotlightsHealthcare & Medicine

Destination Success | Emerson Heckler

Destination Success | Emerson Heckler

How does High Point University prepare pre-med students?

Why choose High Point University for a pre-med track?

How accessible are professors at High Point University?

What is the science community like at HPU?

How does HPU teach communication and life skills?

Will High Point University prepare me for medical school?

What does Choose to Be Extraordinary mean at HPU?