Brandon Hidaka

What advice do you have about being a successful KUMC student?

Your goal is to be as efficient as possible so you can get your work done and still have plenty of time to be a real person by fostering relationships and pursuing your passions. One of the most important skills to develop as a student is the meta-cognitive awareness that one has been studying so much that one's brain is saturated and thus, any more studying will be uselessly unhappy and unproductive time wasted: don't bang your head against a wall.

Do you have any tips for a smooth transition from a traditional undergraduate campus to a professional/graduate campus?

Don't allow schoolwork keep you from doing what you really enjoyed as an undergraduate. Take advantage of volunteer/community service activities.

What do you like best about Kansas City and the community?

I prefer to do all of my shopping at farmer's markets and at the pockets of walkable local shops in Mission, Westport, 39th St. West, Westside, River Market, Waldo, and Brookside. The excellent public school system in Johnson County is also commendable.

What advice would you give incoming students about parking/transportation around campus?

Live close to campus and walk or ride a bike. Research shows that driving while commuting is people's least favorite time of day. Also, exercise/physical activity helps you to be a better student because exercise increases neurogenesis (the formation of new neurons) in the hippocampus, which is the portion of the brain responsible for new memory formation.

What is your favorite place to eat on/near campus?

39th Street has a cornucopia of wonderful options — Friend's Sushi, Room 39, Rocc'n Morrocan, Smokehouse Burgers, Po's Dumplings, Mud Pie (coffeeshop), India Palace, Fric & Frac, Aladdin's Café, Blue Koi, Genghis Khan, Thomas, D'Bronx Pizza, and Minsky's.