John Cooke (AA ’23)
Associate's to MD/PhD program
AA, MD/PhD
John Cooke graduated high school with plans to major in business at Arrupe College. He was so set on this goal that he worked full-time at a staffing agency and added a summer internship to gain experience in the field. By the time he completed the internship, Cooke had learned a lot—including the fact that business was not for him.
Unsure of what to do, he turned to his grandmother, who offered Cooke a solid piece of advice: If one major doesn’t work out, you should have another one. “I chose medicine,” Cooke said. “My brother was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at 13, a condition that is usually diagnosed at birth. I think it kept me curious. You’re always learning more in medicine.”
“Arrupe allowed me to branch out and see myself in a better light. It allowed me to reach different goals I didn’t see myself reaching.”
With his sights set on med school, Cooke chose to major in liberal arts with a pre-STEM concentration at Arrupe College. This track was introduced in 2018 after faculty and staff noticed an uptick in students interested in medicine, nursing, and other health care professions. On top of the required calculus sequences and studying topics in the hard sciences, Cooke solidified his interest in medicine through classes like Healthcare Philosophy with Dr. Giancarlo Tarantino.
“The class really convinced me that premed was the way to go,” Cooke explained. “The class was discussion based, focused on the ethics of working with patients and family members. Hearing those scenarios made me pursue medicine with full confidence that I can be a doctor that makes comfort a priority for everyone I treat.”
Arrupe exposed Cooke to the many available options within medicine through hands-on experiences. Volunteering at Lurie Children’s Hospital sparked an interest in pediatric surgery. “I didn’t think I loved kids. I absolutely loved the program at Lurie,” said Cooke. “It just flipped the switch. Pediatrics really fits my personality. I love to make kids smile.”
Working as a cancer research assistant on glioblastoma at the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Iowa over the summers has also been instrumental to his education. Cooke attributes his new-found confidence to the lab’s positive environment. He is considering pursuing a combined MD/PhD program that would allow him to continue to pursue his research interests.
For now, though, Cooke is focused on his undergraduate studies in exercise science with a pre-med track at Loyola University Chicago. The Arrupe transfer staff helped him navigate his first year at the Lake Shore Campus with frequent check-ins. He set up weekly meetings with his advisor, who offered information on study halls and tutoring to help him stay on track. Cooke also took it upon himself to ask his professors for help, encouraging his fellow classmates to follow suit if they were also having trouble with the material. He worked hard to earn a 4.0 GPA.
“Arrupe allowed me to branch out and see myself in a better light,” Cooke said. “It allowed me to reach different goals I didn’t see myself reaching.”