2. ❖ Discuss the most frequently asked
questions by pre-med students
❖ Provide basic information about various
clinical careers starting with M.D.
❖ Recommend on campus resources
❖ Learn how to make an appointment with
pre-health advisers
Goals of Presentation
4. Who wants to be a doctor?
❖ Factoid: 35% of students who apply to medical
school get accepted.
❖ What happens to the rest?
❖ This doesn’t mean the stats can’t be skewed or
that you will not have a career in health care.
The Stats
5. ❖ Which is better, shadowing or research? Do I need both?
❖ Do I need to have a 4.0 and really-really high MCAT
scores to get into medical school?
❖ What is the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT)?
❖ When do I take it?
❖ Can I take the MCAT as often as I want?
❖ What GPA/MCAT score will be competitive?
❖ …..For California medical schools? Nationwide?
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
6. ❖ Is the MCAT really hard?
❖ What does MCAT cover?
❖ What is the best pre-med major?
❖ Does my high school volunteer experience count?
❖ Do my AP courses count towards the prerequisite coursework?
❖ Who should I ask to write me a letter of recommendation?
❖ It is better if I apply as a Junior so that I can start medical school right
after I graduate?
❖ How can I look better as an applicant?
FAQ’s (cont.)
7. ❖ How do I know if being a doctor is the
right career choice for me?
❖ What makes a good doctor?
FAQ’s (cont.)
8. ❖ Prioritize academics
➢ Highest and most consistent GPA
❖ MCAT
➢ Score should be in the top 30th percentile
❖ Get Experience
➢ Clinical experience vs. research
❖ Other Extra-Curricular activities
❖ Understand the value of each
How can I look better as an applicant?
9. ❖ Chemistry with Labs
➢ 1 year of Introductory Chemistry w/ Labs (1A, 1B/M, 1C/N)
➢ 1 year of Organic Chemistry w/ Labs (108A/L, 108B/M, 109)
➢ Biochemistry (BIOL 100, 101L)
❖ Biology with Labs
➢ 1 year of Introductory Biology (20A, 20B, 20C)
➢ Upper Division Biology Labs (ex. BIOL 20L, BIOL 130L, METX 119L, etc.)
❖ 1 year of Physics w/ Labs (6A/L, 6B/M, 6C/N)
❖ 1 year of Math
➢ Math 2, Math 3, Calculus (11A, 11B), etc.
➢ Statistics (AMS 5 or 7/L)
❖ Use GEs to take Social Sciences (Writing/English, Socy 1, Psych 1)
Can you help me make a four year plan?
10.
11. ❖ Common pre-med majors include (65%):
➢ Biology, Human Biology, MCD Biology, Neuroscience
➢ All majors have different graduation requirements
❖ Medical schools prerequisite courses may vary a little
from school to school.
❖ It does not matter what major you have, just as long as
you finish all the pre-req classes. There have been
students (35%) who have majored in psychology or the
Arts and have successfully applied to medical school.
Major Choice
12. ❖ Get a good start by mastering time management and
prioritizing.
❖ Other study skills (learn, implement and refine)
❖ Go to your professor’s office hours
❖ Utilize free academic tutoring such as MSI, LSS and
ACE
❖ Learn from your mistakes and seek help if needed
❖ Don’t overextend yourself the first two years, eventually
challenge yourself (Junior year?). Plan! Plan!
Academic Tips
13. What is the MCAT?
https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/taking-mcat-exam/about-mcat-exam/
❖ Four sections (see AAMC & Khan Academy)
https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat
➢ Biological and Chemical Foundations of Living Systems
➢ Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems
➢ Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations
➢ Critical Analysis and Reasoning (READ! Summarize! Discuss!)
■ Recommendations (Atlantic Monthly, Harper’s Weekly, etc.)
❖ When should I take the MCAT?
➢ When you are ready!
❖ What courses can I take to help prepare me for the MCAT?
➢ Your Pre-Med Classes (Chem, Bio, Physics, BioChem, Psyc 1, Socy 1, etc.)
❖ How many times can I take the MCAT?
➢ Once, maybe twice. The more times you take it, the more it will hurt your
application.
15. ❖ These numbers prove to medical school admissions
committees that you can handle “scientific academic
rigor.”
❖ The first years of professional school are rigorous and
the school wants to make sure you will succeed.
❖ They are investing in you, the future of medicine, and
their mission as a university
Competitive GPA/MCAT scores
18. 1.Biographical Info.
2.GPA, Test Scores
3.Personal Statement
4.Extra-Curricular Activities
1. Employment
2. Volunteer/community service
3. Clinical or health care exposure
4. Other
Med. School Application Sections
19. Get Experience
❖ Volunteer (ex. CARE, Dominican
Hospital, etc.)
❖ Shadow a Doctor
❖ Internships (Summer Programs,
Human Biology Internship, etc.)
❖ Research
❖ Jobs in Healthcare Field (ex. Medical
Assistant, Scribe, EMT, etc.)
❖ Find something you’re passionate
about!
20. ❖ Home Clinics: Try to shadow in your hometown so you have less
competition if possible, or speak to your family physician and ask if
they know anyone open to allowing students to shadow
❖ Human Biology majors are given internship opportunities and must
complete one in order to graduate
❖ Ask around!! There are many local resources willing to take in
students eager to become physicians (e.g. Urgent Care, Dominican
Hospital, Planned Parenthood, etc.)
❖ Keep a journal to record your experiences!
How do I Shadow a Physician?
21. ❖ Focus on academics first
❖ Continue with volunteer, work and research activities
❖ Prepare for MCAT at the appropriate time
❖ Attend various medical school admissions and application
workshops, pre-med. conferences, graduate school fairs, etc.
❖ Consult the MSAR (Medical School Admission Requirement)
database online to confirm school-specific requirements.
❖ Gather letters of recommendation
Prior to applying to Medical School
❖ Generally need three academic letters of recommendation
❖ At least one letter from physician
❖ Obtain passionate and personal letters
22. ❖ When you are ready!
❖ Path 1: Traditional Path
❖ Path 2: Gap Year
❖ Path 3: Post Bacc
❖ Variations of the above
When to apply to medical school
23. Preparing for Secondaries
Can you answer these questions yet?
❖ Why do you want to be a doctor?
❖ How well do you work with others in a variety of
settings?
❖ How do you manage and cope with stressful situations,
or ethical dilemmas?
❖ How will you contribute positively to the field of
medicine?
If not, think about what types of experiences would help you
answer these questions.
25. ❖ Do not worry if you start at a lower math level, graduate
schools will not penalize you
❖ Continuous progression in your academics will show
you are growing as a student
❖ Extracurriculars only help you as an applicant
❖ Become passionate for the career you want to pursue
❖ Explore passions or career options outside of medicine
as well
Explore/ Prepare/ Adjust
26. ❖ Physician Assistant
❖ Nursing (RN, Nurse
Practitioner)
❖ Pharmacy
❖ Dentistry
❖ Public Health
❖ Ph.D. in STEM Subjects
Health Care Career Choices
❖ Physical and
Occupational Therapy
❖ Optometry
❖ Naturopathic Medicine
❖ Podiatric Medicine
❖ Chiropractic
❖ Veterinary Medicine
And lots more!!
28. ❖ Get off the best academic start possible
❖ End strong
❖ Get acclimated to college and the quarter system
❖ Do not over analyze or try to out-smart the process
❖ Enrich your knowledge:
➢ Read books, newspaper/magazine articles
➢ Internet research (AAMC website, medical school
websites, Ted Talks, etc.)
❖ See a Peer Health Advisor
Next Steps
29. ❖ American Medical Student Association (AMSA)
❖ Pre-Student Osteopathic Medical Association (Pre-SOMA)
❖ Pre-Dental Society at UCSC
❖ Pre-Optometry Club at UCSC
❖ Pre-Pharmacy Student Association (PPSA)
❖ Pre-Veterinary Club
❖ Kappa Gamma Delta (Pre-Health Sorority)
❖ Sigma Mu Delta (Pre-Health Fraternity)
❖ Global Medical Brigades
❖ VIDA (Volunteers for Intercultural and Definitive Adventures)
❖ NEW: Aspiring Physician Assistant Association (APAA)
Clubs on Campus
30. More Information:
❖ Pre-Health Advsing Website:
http://careers.ucsc.edu/health/health_professions/
medicine.html
❖ Association of American Medical Colleges:
https://www.aamc.org/
❖ Blogs: e.g. Aspiring Doc
http://aspiringdocsdiaries.org
❖ UC Davis Pre-Health Conference:
http://www.ucdprehealth.org/schedule/
31.
32.
33. Thank You & Study hard!
“Unwilling to give in to that possibility, I keep going, holding on
fiercely to the belief that I can make it. Taunts of “you can’t”
and “who do you think you are?” have never stopped me
before, so why should they now?”
― Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa, Becoming Dr. Q: My Journey
from Migrant Farm Worker to Brain Surgeon
