Celebrating the Class of 2020: Carly Wykes

Studying Biology with a pre-Physical Therapy concentration worked out well for Carly Wykes. She’s been accepted to the top PT program in the state: UM-Flint’s own Doctor of Physical Therapy.

UM-Flint offered Carly big opportunities to help her succeed in graduate school applications. The summer before her senior year, Carly conducted 8 weeks of research in a zoology lab at the University of Wuppertal in Germany. Working alongside faculty and graduate students, Carly studied the effect of photosynthetic algae in the gene expression of marine slugs (how else would you spend 8 weeks in Europe?). She didn’t spend all of her time in the lab, though—Carly’s favorite weekend trip was to Budapest.

“That experience definitely helped me get out of my comfort zone. I wouldn’t consider myself an adventurous person,” Carly says. “But there were two other girls from UM-Flint working in the same lab as me. Still, it was a big cultural education in eight weeks. I loved the public transportation in Germany…it was so easy and you don’t have to deal with traffic.”

Back on campus, Carly’s favorite class was BIO 433: Premedical Gross Anatomy. As someone headed for physical therapy school, human anatomy is a natural interest for Carly. The second half of the course provided another unique experience for the Biology major: hands-on dissection in the cadaver lab.

While dissecting cadavers may not appeal to the less-medically minded among us, Carly explains that working in the cadaver lab is a unique experience for UM-Flint students interested in the health professions.

“A lot of physical therapy schools I toured had cadaver labs for their students, but the students didn’t do the dissections themselves, they just watched. And I had that opportunity as an undergraduate at UM-Flint, a smaller school,” Carly says.

Studying at a smaller institution like UM-Flint (which has a 14:1 student-to-faculty ratio) meant that Carly was able to form personal connections while gaining new experiences. She valued her time as a chemistry tutor, a position that allowed Carly to work on her communication skills while meeting new students. Most importantly, Carly appreciates how her professors were accessible and approachable.

“I probably had one class in which the professor didn’t know me by name. They were always encouraging us to come to their office hours. I’ve had professors offer to write me letters of recommendation—I didn’t even have to ask them,” Carly explains. “The fact that they know you well enough to do that is really great.”

In addition to being accepted to UM-Flint’s DPT program, Carly earned the Maize & Blue Award, UM-Flint’s highest academic honor. She begins PT school in August. Congratulations, Carly!