David Sutton (2010) – UPenn Medical Masters program (2012) and medical physics residency program at Roberts Proton Therapy Center. I am David Sutton and I graduated from Penn State in 2010. I was at University Park all four years of my undergraduate career. I began my undergraduate career at Penn State undecided as to what major I would choose. I took a wide range of courses my freshman year; from economics to history, however, I transferred to a general science major as I was considering something in the medical profession. When I started taking the introductory Physics courses, I realized my interest and ability in physics and decided to pursue a Physics degree, although I was unsure of my post‐graduate plans with such a degree. Junior year, I took the required Physics seminar course discussing possible job opportunities for Physics majors. Dr. Kate Spillane, the former program director of the University of Pennsylvania’s Master of Medical Physics program, gave a presentation on the medical physics field and it seemed like the perfect opportunity for me to blend my interest in physics with my desire to be a part of the medical field. I applied to the medical physics Masters programs at East Carolina University, Wayne State University, University of Florida, and the University of Pennsylvania. I ultimately decided to attend the Masters program at the University of Pennsylvania due to its strong clinical focus and its proximity to the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine and the Roberts Proton Therapy Center. I ended up graduating with a Physics degree (Medical Physics options: the Organic Chemistry track) and a minor in Mathematics. During my time at PSU, I was involved with the golf club and the Society of Physics Students. I believe it is beneficial to continue participation in activities that you enjoy (for me, it’s golf) during your studies to keep your mind from becoming too overwhelmed with math and physics. Also, the Society of Physics Students was extremely useful in getting help with physics or just college life in general. I was a TA for an introductory Physics E&M Lab in spring 2012 and would highly recommend considering becoming a teaching assistant. TA’ing helps reinforce basic physics concepts and it is rewarding to teach other students. After graduating from Penn State in 2010, I was accepted and enrolled into the University of Pennsylvania’s Master of Medical Physics program and will graduate May 2012. I was fortunate enough to be accepted into the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania’s Medical Physics residency program beginning in July 2012. It is a two year program which will prepare me for certification by the American Board of Radiology in therapeutic medical physics. I found that my education from Penn State prepared me extremely well for my coursework in my Masters program. Many physics/mathematics intensive courses that I was required to take at UPenn were either similar or simply expansions of the concepts I was exposed to during my undergraduate studies. The knowledge I gained at Penn State made the transition to graduate school very comfortable. I would suggest to prospective and declared Physics majors at Penn State to establish close relationships with professors and other students. All of the physics professors that I had while at Penn State were not only helpful in terms of coursework and concepts but also in career opportunities. There are plenty of job opportunities for physics majors outside of pure academia and the junior physics seminar course at Penn State was invaluable in highlighting this.