Drew University alum learned from valuable undergraduate research experience
July 2022 – Violet Kimble C’21 is pursuing her dreams, and they keep expanding. While studying in her first year in Yale University’s neuroscience PhD program, she started her own business.
Kimble, a neuroscience major (BS) and statistics minor at Drew, started Scholars Consulting Group, an academic consulting firm for aspiring scholars and non-traditional and first-generation students that provides accessible resources and a sense of community.
“Over the last year, I received numerous questions from students about how I got into graduate school,” explained Kimble. “I put together a website to help students interested in applying to STEM graduate programs. It features guides to assist in the application process, as well as one-on-one consultations with me regarding CV and Statement of Purpose prep.”
Looking to grow her business’ offerings, Kimble hopes to secure summer internships for students, helping them gain the research experience Kimble knows is essential in pursuing a STEM graduate program.
Kimble can speak from her experience at Drew.
“The Drew Summer Science Institute (DSSI) helped me the most as I looked for grad schools,” she said.
“DSSI allowed me to work with my research mentor, Dr. Christina McKittrick [associate professor of biology]. It was my first taste of a possible love of research. I loved my time during DSSI. It motivated me to look for more research opportunities outside of Drew. It gave me the confidence that I could do research well. When I applied to graduate school, I attributed DSSI as an impactful experience that allowed me to build a foundation in scientific research that I would further develop in graduate school.”
Having gained DSSI experience early in her time at Drew, Kimble went on to land summer internships as an undergraduate researcher at Harvard Medical School and Baylor College of Medicine.
In her business, and with a focus on accessibility, Kimble hopes to pay forward the lessons she learned and the help she received at Drew.
