Dear Reader,

Welcome back to another semester here at Cal! It is time to regroup and hit those books again. However, being pre-med isn’t just about the academics, although grades are an important part of your AMCAS applications. Take some time to pursue your interests and show the admissions committee that you are a living, breathing human being just like everyone else. And while juggling your extra-curricular activities with schoolwork can be challenging at certain times, remember to keep things in perspective.

In our reflections as witnesses of this fierce competition for a seat in med school, we have included some tips that will help keep you on top of your game. And for those of you who are interested in med school life, we have included an interview with a current med student. If you would like to become part of our staff, please email us at premedperspective@gmail.com.

Happy reading,Sarah PanEditor in Chief

editor’s note

about the newsletterEach month, our newsletter covers a themed topic and includes

feature articles related to this theme that may be relevant and of interest to the pre-med community here at Berkeley. Every month the newsletter includes interviews with important figures in healthcare, as well as graduate/medical school information and lo-cal volunteering highlights. Working in conjunction with various pre-medical organizations, we seek to educate the community on events held by these organizations for the betterment of the entire pre-med population.

staffEditor in Chief: Sarah PanDesign/Layout Editor: Larry CaiAssociate Design/Layout Editors: Youngwon Youn, Stephanie NgFinancial Coordinators: Aditi Gupta, Eric TrieuPublicity Coordinator: Youngwon YounCopy Editor: Kristi JhangianiAssociate Copy Editors: Ayesha Punjabi, Eric TrieuContributing Writers: Youngwon Youn, Eric Trieu, Kevin J. Li, Stephanie Ng, Jacquelyn Hoffman, Aditi Gupta, Ayesha Punjabi, Kristi Jhangiani, Sarah Pan

The PreMed Perspective is not an official publication of the Associated Students of the University of California (ASUC). The views expressed herein are the views of the writers and not necessarily the views of the ASUC nor the views of the University of California, Berkeley.

THE PREMED PERSPECTIVE

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3THE PREMED PERSPECTIVE

in this issue

4med school profile | Stanford’s School of Medicine...a hospital on a farm?

6-7 senior perspective | Overcoming the battle of senioritis...

8,11sophomore perspective | Chem 3B, Bio 1A, R1B, research, volunteering...friends?

9 my premed perspective | Being premed at Cal

13 class perspective |MCB 102 is not an easy course. Hopefully, reading this article will give you a bit of insight into what the class is like.

14-15interview | A success story

junior perspective | 10 What do most pre-med students do in their 3rd year of college? They take the MCATs!

freshman perspective | 12 Freshmen Follies- don’t make the same mistakes I did!

THE PREMED PERSPECTIVE

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med school profile Stanford’s School Of Medicine

{ Jacquelyn Hoffman }

| history | | student life |

| academic requirements | | curriculum |

ocated an hour from San Francisco at the the heart of the Silicon Valley in Palo Alto, California, and commonly called “The Farm,” the Stanford community is an academic mecca of undergraduate and graduate students. The lush suburban campus features an array of outdoors activities. Palo Alto has that small-town feel, with a variety of shops and quaint restaurants. Through the Stanford Medical Stu-dent Association (SMSA), students have access to various student organizations such as WAM: Women and Medi-cine or Healing HeARTS, a studentfacilitated advocacy program which uses art and creative expression to produce awareness of childhood illness.

he School of Medicine requires a year of Biological Sci-ences, two years of Chemistry including Organic Chemis-try, and one year of Physics. The mentioned courses must have the appropriate accompanying lab work. While not required, Stanford recommends the following: a modern foreign language, calculus, biochemistry, physical chemis-try, and coursework in the behavioral sciences. The school highlights Spanish and or Asian languages as preferred modern languages. Additionally, applicants are required to submit MCAT scores, letters of recommendation, and may be granted an interview. While basic courses are re-quired, it strongly appears that Stanford attracts students who undoubtedly yearn to push the medical field in one direction with full force: forward.

ombining the basic sciences, clinical experience, and researchthe new curriculum cultivates the following themes: Integration, Individual Opportunities, Scholarly Concentrations,Doctor-Patient Communication/Clinical Skills, and lastly Mentoring/Advising. The main feature of the curicula is the Scholarly Concentration (SC program), which allows students to select a focus of interest such as community health. The first year consists of Foundations of Medicine and Human Health and Disease; the second year combines Human Health and Disease and Practice of Medicine, which focuses on medicine’s role in society, com-munication, the physical exam, and nutrition. The third and fourth years cover Clinical Clerkships such as family medi-cine, gynecology, and pediatrics.

s loyal CAL bears, we have been groomed to defiantly despise Cardinal Red...Stanford! But across the bay, and all rivalry aside, Stanford’s School of Medicine, founded in 1885, maintains a rich history of breakthroughs (the first US human heart transplant in 1968, among others) achievement, and remains on the frontline of medical in-novation. Stanford is not merely on thecutting edge, but defines the edge.

a

| just the facts |Type of School:Private

School Uses AMCAS? Yes

Average GPA:3.62

Average total MCAT:32

Average Class size: 162

In- State Acceptance Rate:1 in 29

Out-of-State Acceptance Rate:1 in 61

In-State Tuition: $40,766

Out-of-State Tuition: same

Total Applications (2001): 4,407

Interviewed: 451

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Test names are the trademarks of their respective owners, who are not affiliated with The Princeton Review. The Princeton Review and The Princeton Review logo are trademarks registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office by The Princeton Review, Inc., which is not affiliated with Princeton University.

800-2Review (800-273-8439) PrincetonReview.com/

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7THE PREMED PERSPECTIVE

It’s the year to strengthen our friend-ships, it’s the year to organize our job situations and life after college, and for many of us, it’s the year we all turn 21!

“

”

nly after it is all over have I realized how fast college has actually flown past me. Freshmen year seems like ages ago, sophomore year is almost a blur, and junior year somehow feels like it never ended. Now, as I enter my last semester of senior year, I am only left to wonder where I will be after col-lege.

Academically speaking, this past fall was not my easi-est semester at Berkeley; but then again, I don’t know of any Berkeley MCB student who has had the luxury of one. Al-though my classes were challenging, they were unlike any of my lower division pre med classes. If I wanted to, I could ac-tually count the number of people in the class; and for once it was refreshing to enjoy the material I was learning. Until I started shadowing a doctor and working in the hospital, I didn’t realize how relevant my upper division coursework has been. Overall, the best part about enjoying my classes and ap-plying them is knowing that when I make it to med school, I will absolutely love what I’m learning.

Not only have I enjoyed my classes this semester, but se-nior year has been a big year for all of my friends. It’s the year to strengthen our friendships, it’s the year to organize our job situations and life after college, and for many of us, it’s the year we all turn 21! Not that being 21 has contributed at all to my pre-med experience, but it has surely helped me create some unforgettable memories.

Looking back on the past three and a half years at Berke-ley, I’m proud to say I do not regret anything. When I first came to Berkeley I was so overwhelmed with volunteer op-portunities and on campus clubs. As a pre-med, there is so much that is expected of us; we have insane hours of class, and at the same time we have to find time to build our resume to impress med schools. The constant whirlwind of activities we have gotten involved in leaves no time to sit and do noth-

ing. When my third year rolled around, I finally found the balance I was looking for; I got involved in clubs I actually enjoyed, and not just things that looked good on my resume, and I started to enjoy my classes a little more. Finally in se-nior year, I did get to take a few weekends off because I no longer had that many classes to take. But in all that extra time I found myself booking travel arrangements for summer and looking for jobs.

Ultimately, I think my decision has finally been made. For me, jumping from Berkeley undergrad straight to med school was not the right path. As I’m sure many of the seniors will agree, MCB really burns you out. I’m going to take this year to take a step back from academics; this is the year I want to travel for fun and to do some international work in clinics. After all, this may be the last chance I have.

Now, with only 5 months left at Berkeley, I’m going to have a lighter load and hopefully more time to spend with friends before we all part after graduation. This year has defi-nitely been full of excitement, but I’m almost afraid for the semester to start because I know once it begins time moves so fast. I’m not quite ready to say goodbye to college life, but I guess it has to end at some point.

As I prepare myself for these last months of college, I would like to give everyone some advice: I realize being a pre med at Berkeley can get overwhelming at times, but the best way to get through it is to find some kind of a support group. It’s always easier when you are going through the process with someone else who understands the challenges too. Most im-portantly, enjoy your time here; college only happens once, so don’t leave it with regrets. I’ve finally accepted that the end is approaching and I’m planning to enjoy every last minute of it!by Kristi Jhangiani

o

My Second Year So Farreflections of a Second-Year Pre-Med Student

uring one of the excursions that my Bio 1B lab took to the UC Botanical Garden, we observed the serpentine plant community. Serpentine soil is an exceedingly harsh environ-ment: heavy metals and magnesium (which are usually toxic to plants) are abundant, while nutrients and water are sparse. As I watched the exceptional plants that thrive in serpentine soil, I could not help but wryly comment that they reminded me of UC Berkeley students. Of course, at the University of California at Berkeley there’s plenty of water and not much heavy metal beyond the quarters that we save in order to do our laundry (and the music genre that some of us may choose). The delicious concoctions that restaurants all over the city feed us provide nutrients aplenty, and caffeine is probably the most significant toxin to which we are exposed. Yet, it is undeniable that Berkeley can feel like a very harsh environment. The first semester of my second year was much more chal-lenging than anything that I’d faced prior. I was attempting to fulfill prerequisites for the Physics major as well as pre-medical requirements; as a result, my schedule consisted of Chem 3B, Bio 1B, Math H54, and Physics H7B. I chose to take the honors version of my physics class because I wanted my physics class to be directed at physics majors, and the hon-ors version of my math class because I had an excellent experi-ence in Math H53. Perhaps my unwisely chosen volume of coursework might have been manageable had I been studying and doing noth-ing else during the semester. However, this was also the se-mester that I pledged a Pan-Hellenic sorority, started a new job, and got a boyfriend. I can honestly say that I would have

been busy even if I had no schoolwork at all. I felt as though I had been spread extraordinarily thin. The (perhaps overstated) advice that I would give based upon my last semester is two-fold. First, never, ever take for granted the difficulty level of Berkeley science courses – no matter how well you’ve been able to handle these courses in the past. There is no shame in keeping your schedule man-ageable; remember that the bottom line in terms of medical school admissions is your GPA, so pre-med students should simply minimize the extent to which their schedules are grade-deflating. Second, take advantage of the academic resources avail-able to you. Part of what hurt me this semester is my belief that I could get through these courses alone. Especially now that I work as a tutor in the Academic Services Centers, I can say with confidence that the Berkeley campus is teeming with people who are willing and able to help you get through your classes successfully. Don’t be afraid to attend office hours and take advantage of the tutoring available both in the Academic Services Centers and in the Student Learning Center. My second year so far has been undeniably stressful; all I can say is that I learned from it. I need to reevaluate every-thing from the way I study to my choice of major; I have con-cluded that I am willing to make any adjustments that I must in order to achieve medical school admission. Being a pre-medical student at Berkeley requires an uncommon level of talent, diligence, and humility; yet, it is worth it to recognize that Berkeley is ultimately an enriching institution, and all of us are very lucky to be here; we’re nothing like the serpentine plants. by Ayesha Punjabi

“ ”Don’t be afraid to attend office hours

d

THE PREMED PERSPECTIVE

8

s I slowly turn my head to the clock on the small wood-en table at the side of my head, 1:53 AM glares a bright red in my face almost mocking my attempts at completing the Mastering Physics problem set that has been at the forefront of my laptop screen for the past two and a half hours. All I know is that I’m not the only one on this cold Sunday night (or is it early Monday morning?) in Berkeley working on a problem set all the while knowing that an eight o’clock biol-ogy lecture is rapidly approaching; there are at least a few hundred other pre-med students in the same situation. As a second year pre-med student at U.C. Berkeley, the path to medical school seems much steeper and more elusive than it ever has before. The shiny newness of the college experience has worn off and the rugged routine of midterms is about to begin; jetting from classes to research to club meetings and then back to the main stacks to study for the impending lab exam, rarely taking a breath, has started taking a toll on me. By now at least a few of my fellow second-years are nodding their heads in agreement, and another handful of those read-ing this are wondering why I am a pre-med student in the first place if this is what I have to say about the pre-med path at U.C. Berkeley. The truth is that the second year forces the thousands of those who had begun to follow the course to medical school in their freshman year to decide if they really do want to be part of that voyage. And I, for one, am some-one who has no doubts that I definitely want to stay on the boat. Being a pre-med student is undoubtedly tough, especially

at a competitive and academically rigorous school such as Cal, but it is that very same environment that inspires me and plays a part in reconfirming my desire to be a clinical physi-cian. The students who make up the core of U.C. Berkeley are all unique and despite the image of the cutthroat com-petition that seems to dominate the reputation of Berkeley, most everyone is willing to collaborate—a core fundamental practice in the medical profession. This teamwork oriented atmosphere has a hand in creating the drive that is necessary not only for the profession but also for medical school itself. Even this, however, is not the main reason that I have decided to go into medicine. While the cliché of helping other people rings true, the world’s situation today reinforces this decision. Because we live in a world where it seems that hatred and ter-ror are in the headlines every day, it is both a comfort and a necessity that there exist professions such as that of a physi-cian which rely solely on the presence of another human be-ing. At U.C. Berkeley we are often taught that we are the crux of the change needed to reshape current situations. There is an unlimited potential to do just this in the medical pro-fession because it strongly influences the political, societal, and economic spheres of the world. And despite all of these reasons, I believe that the final reason that drives any college student to study medicine is a personal conviction that relies on the belief that humanity can progress forward by ensur-ing that the rest of the world is in step and that this progress can be accomplished through the thoroughly community-grounded medical profession. by Aditi Gupta

My Premed Perspective

a personal reflection

“”

I believe that the final reason that drives any college student to study medicine is a personal conviction that relies on the belief that human-ity can progress forward

a

reflections of a Second-Year Pre-Med Student

9THE PREMED PERSPECTIVE

www.sweden.se

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s you might have heard from some of our fresh-men and sophomores, striving for the high end of the bell curve in every class can be difficult. After dedicating long hours on the weekends to o-chem midterms and whatnot, you’ll find that you have only survived the first part of being a pre-med. I sincerely hope that you still feel enthusiastic about using those late nights and full weekends to reunite with the knowledge you’ve accumulated over the past two years. And if you are already feeling a little worn out, you’ll need to find another reason to mo-tivate yourself because this is exactly what you’ll be doing to prepare for the infamous four and a half hour exam—the MCAT. Just a few years ago, when the MCAT was still eight hours long, students could only choose between the April and the August sitting, leaving very little room in shuffling schedules around for prepara-tion. The current computerized MCAT, shortened and with fewer questions, offers students the flex-ibility in choosing from twenty-two different test dates. While it is nice to not have to sit through an eight-hour exam, the reduced number of questions only implies that there is less room for careless errors. In prepara-tion for this exam, some students feel that taking an upper division sci-ence class such as MCB 102 puts you at advantage. Although the MCAT does not require any knowl-edge from an advanced bio class, a course like MCB 102 actually builds onto the basic concepts from Bio 1A and might even help in reviewing old ma-terial. When it comes to planning your schedule around the MCAT, especially if you choose to pre-pare for it on top of schoolwork, students have dif-ferent opinions. Some choose to fill up their sched-ules with de-Cal classes while others feel that taking an upper division course in physiology would help in reviewing basic concepts for the biological sci-

ence portion of the exam. Just remember, studying for the MCAT is equivalent to taking a five-unit course. Two of the more popular ways in which stu-dents prepare for this exam are studying at home and taking a prep course at Kaplan, Princeton Re-view, or the Berkeley Review. For the disciplined ones, studying on your own might be a good idea and can save you some cash. On the other hand, taking a prep course requires an investment, but you do have the luxury of getting someone to walk you through the thought process in attacking these multiple choice questions in addition to suggesting study and test-taking strategies. Preparing for the MCAT takes a lot of motivation, concentration, and most importantly, practice. To keep things in perspective, your MCAT score is just a quick snapshot of your ability to think crit-

ically on your feet. You might have been at your best or worst on test day. However, it is still important to ob-tain as good of a score you can get es-pecially since this test helps medical schools compare applicants on the same playing field. Your MCAT score is an important part of your applica-tion, but it is not sufficient to get you

into medi-cal school. When you begin a p p l y i n g to medi-cal schools shortly after the comple-tion of your junior year,

m o s t - likely in June, you will notice that the personal statement is perhaps the main section on the application that puts you in the spotlight. Although the competition for med school revolves heavily around your GPA and the MCAT, you should not take your personal statement lightly. So take the time to sit down and think about what motivated you to become a physician. Make your-self unique in your personal statement and show the admissions committee why you’re committing yourself to the medical field. by Sarah Pan

a

I sincerely hope that you still feel enthusiastic about using those late

nights and full weekends to reunite with the knowledge you’ve accumulated over the past two years.

“”

THE PREMED PERSPECTIVE10

http://www.ou.edu/cas/zoology

Premed Opiniona sophomore experience

hen you step into your first Chem 1A lab, does it not feel like every other single student is doing pre-med? Or at Cala-palooza, the pre-med organizations are the most popular? But then, coming into sophomore year, and after suf-fering through infamous prerequisites such as Chem 1A and Chem 3A, these same students do not reply “pre-med” with the same amount of confidence as they did before, However, do not let this worry you, because pre-med is not all doom and gloom! Pre-med requirements are doable with the right type of studying and mindset. You must have confidence and a sin-cere goal to understand the material. Pure memorization may have worked in high school, but college material is much more conceptual, even in subjects like biology. You really do need to spend the time to memorize chemical reactions, the hormones that control different organs, and the kinematic formulas. My next piece of advice may seem redundant, but it is imperative to realize the importance of doing practice problems. Learn to apply what you have memorized by end-lessly doing practice problems. Really understanding the ma-terial will not only help you ace those midterms, but also help you retain the information beyond your final. I think that one of the biggest obstacles to understanding the material is the mindset that much of the information you learn will be “useless” as a doctor: “What is the point of learn-ing all this theoretical knowledge? How will knowing the mechanism of tautomerization help me perform heart surgery when I’m a doctor?” At least, this is what hindered me from attacking my textbook with enthusiasm. But after spending so much time trying to memorize the textbook, would it not be nice to be able to remember it after the semester is over? That way you can pull out vocabulary like “tautemerization” and

“kinematics” to impress your peers! In all seriousness though, my inability to remember any of the reactions I attempted to impress upon my memory last semester for Chem 3B is truly a regret. What is the point of taking these classes at a higher institution if you do not actually learn from them? Furthermore, I am aghast when people offhandedly say that they are pre-med because there are no other options if you are interested in science. Finishing pre-med require-ments, applying for medical school, and enduring residency takes dedication and a real desire to become a doctor. If you do not have that drive, I really recommend taking another look at all the different career paths that a fascination with science provides. I have to admit that pre-med is actually a back-up option for me at this point in my college career because I question the strength my desire to be a doctor. Although I came to Cal as a pre-med, I have discovered such a wide variety of possibilities for a future job. In addition to research, there are careers in public health, science policy, and other specific science fields such as nutrition, toxicology, and environmental science. Also, after talking to health professionals from different fields, some recommended that I get different types of internships instead of just hitting the research lab every semester and summer. Having that broad range of experience could actually boost your resume when applying for professional or grad schools. The pre-med path is a commitment, in no small part due to the process of finishing all the requirements; I personally think that you have to actually want to be a doctor in order to endure the time it takes to start your career. So ask yourself why you are pre-med. And do not fret when you realize that it may not be your future; there are so many other options out there! by Stephanie Ng

“”

do not fret when you realize that it may not be your fu-ture; there are so many other options out there!

11THE PREMED PERSPECTIVE

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vercoming the hurdle of the transition to college can be very challenging. One common mistake we all make is believing we can take on anything. I made the same mistake, but I’d like to give you all some advice on the best approach to preparing yourself for the semesters to come. The best advice is to plan ahead, and have a gen-eral idea of when you will be taking those vital requirements. For those of you in the College of Letters and Science, the dreaded seven breadth requirements are quite a hassle, but if you choose the right classes to fulfill those requirements they are very good balancers of the intensive science courses. Thus planning is key. L&S allows up to 36 units be taken as pass/no pass. I would suggest taking the breadth courses pass/no pass, especially in your first semester, hav-ing one or two pass/no pass courses that complete a couple breadth requirements helps tremendous-ly with adjusting to college, and it keeps you on track to finishing on time. So keep the first semes-ter light. Although I must warn you, many of the introductory pre-med courses, like chem1A and math 1A, are easy as far as the material is con-cerned, but hard because they are weeder classes. Translation: the professors want to separate the best from the rest by assigning ridiculously te-dious, time consuming homework and projects that will drain much of your time. Sometimes switching up the order of science classes is ben-eficial. In my experience, not taking chem1A my first semester here was one of the best decisions I ever made. Although advisors recommend taking in preperation for Chem 3A (organic chemistry), I have to rebut and tell you that if you did well in AP chemistry, it is more than enough prep, in my opinion, for chem 3A. But just a note, you may want to double check with the counselors because often times medical schools want to see that you have taken all the pre med requirements at the

institution you are attending. Medical schools still focus on your overall GPA, which includes all the courses taken at Cal. Having a high GPA is not only good for med school applications, but it will also strengthen your application to summer internships and research. Research, clinical, and extracurricular expe-rience are the supporting cast to academics in a medical school application. Without them, good academics alone have a very slim chance to get you into medical school. Every summer, hospi-tals, universities, and research labs around the nation hold summer undergraduate research and clinical internship programs. On a resume, these programs make the difference between a student that just gets by and one that really tries hard. In addition, the experience and techniques learned can help in classes and labs in school. Moreover becoming involved in student groups is a great way to meet people and make friends while ex-panding your resume. I decided to take a shot at student groups during freshmen year, and now I hold leadership positions in some of them. As a Hall Association president for Unit 3, I have met so many people, and met some of my best friends. At the same time, being president gives me cre-dentials that I can use for my resume and applica-tions. In the end, how you adjust to college life affects your social life, how well you do in school, and general well-being. Thus, taking easy, interesting classes accommodates this life change as well as buffer your GPA. Getting involved helps not only your resume and applications, but also opens the doors to tons of social opportunities. Capitaliz-ing on summer research internships gives you an edge on the competition in terms of past experi-ence. Being an all around scholar, researcher, and involved citizen will shine through later on in your medical school applications. Story by Kevin Li

o

“ ”The best advice is to plan ahead

THE PREMED PERSPECTIVE12

http://markey.house.gov

i everyone. I am a senior who will be graduating this up-coming May as well as an MCB Peer Advisor. MCB 102 was one of my favorite science classes and in this article I will share my insights and experiences with this course as well as give a bit of advice as to how to approach it. I don’t intend for this to be a comprehensive guide to MCB 102, but more of a motivator to get you guys to begin thinking about it. MCB 102 has a certain mystique about it. I find that many students who have yet to take the class know a lot of tidbits about it (usually concerning how difficult the course is) but do not really know what sort of material will be thrown at them. Enrolling for the class is more a matter of neces-sity (e.g. going to med school, graduating, etc.) than interest. That is perfectly fine. For us pre-meds, Berkeley is different from many other schools in that we don’t have to take a full year of general chemistry; rather, we take one semester of general chemistry (Chem 1A or Chem 4A) and one semes-ter of biochemistry (MCB 102). The reason that the powers that be have dictated this path for us is, from my perspective anyways, largely because biochemistry is one of those really important classes in which the material that we learn will crop up over and over again. Personally, I have been able to transfer knowledge gained in this class to a variety of other pursuits, including other courses such as microbiology and immunology, research, and MCAT studying. It is a very use-ful class that merits extra efforts to retain the material. So what IS MCB 102 exactly? As the course title may imply, MCB 102 is a class that broadly covers major topics in biochemistry, including proteins and other macromolecules, enzymes, metabolism, and DNA replication/transcription as well as translation (biochemistry majors take MCB 100 series, which is more involved). MCB102 content is very much like the first third (and a bit more) of Bio 1A lecture, but in much greater detail. Traditionally, the course has ex-actly three midterms and no final, with each midterm (no

multiple choice, only short answer!) only covering material that was reviewed in the respective portion of the class. Each section has a different professor, which is both a curse and a blessing (their office hours are all different and not all of the lecturers are of equal quality). Generally, there is one quiz offered every two weeks, which means that you may want a discussion section that takes place later in the week to have more time to study. How can one do well in this class? Well, each section of the class requires a different approach. For the first sec-tion of the class, which is basically amino acids, enzymes, and other macromolecules, I recommend doing a LOT of prac-tice problems, even if they are not assigned to you. Go to of-fice hours to be aware of what the professor wants to empha-size. Especially know how to do the problems that require math. Be able to go over all the powerpoint slides in your head without referencing your notes. Know the material well enough to teach someone else about it. For the second part of the class, metabolism, just memorize everything, bar none. Know the pathways backwards and forwards, know the ran-dom facts, the random molecules, know how to draw every molecule: ideally, before the midterm, you should be able to recite these facts off the top of your head as easily as you can spell the word “biology.” Yes, you have to know your stuff that well, because the exams tend to be long and the amount of time you’re given tends to be short. Finally, for the DNA/genetic engineering portion of the class, I suggest going to many, many office hours, as this is easily the most conceptu-ally difficult part of the class. Oh yeah, for quizzes, studying at least 3 days in advance for it seemed to be the magic num-ber for me.

I bid you all good luck!!by Eric Trieu

“”

I recommend doing a LOT of practice problems, even if they are not assigned to you.

h

class perspective: mcb 102for those of you who have yet to take mcb 102

13THE PREMED PERSPECTIVE

http://web.up.ac.za

PMP: How do you like med school so far? GN: I think what I enjoy the most about medical school is that it finally feels like I am learning what I really want to learn. I might have taken Ochem and anatomy at Cal but here it finally feels like I’m really learning what it’s like to be a doctor. Frequently the doctors will say something in class and I’ll have a revelation and it’s like a little part of medicine has finally become that much more compre-hensible and understandable. I guess mostly it just feels like I’m finally getting on with my career.PMP: What’s your average day like?GN: We usually have class from 7:30 until 3:00, but that includes labs and some clinical work. The labs range from gross dissection to microscopy and pathology, while the clinical involves interacting with patient-actors or some-times rounds at the hospital. PMP: What has been your most memorable experience thus far in med school?

GN: I’d say the most memorable part was when I had to interview a patient and get a history and just from the history I was able to figure out the diagnosis. Granted the preceptor made sure it was an easy case to figure out (diabetes) but I still felt great about myself. I don’t feel like a doctor yet, but for a little bit then I did. PMP: Why do you want to become a doctor? GN: I like the science behind the medicine. People are like machines and it takes a creative mind to figure out what goes wrong and how to repair them when they breakdown. I’ve always been good at creative thinking and clinical reasoning appeals to me. I’d say that I was inspired by House but I knew I wanted to be a doctor before the show started. PMP: What major were you?GN: I double majored in Earth and Planetary Science and History (both L&S). I did that because I knew I wanted to do medicine so I figured I’d like to learn something

one on one with greg nishimuralearn about Greg’s first year experiences in med school

that I was interested in on the side. Honestly though I think it only reinforced my desire to go into medicine since they kept on trying to teach me how to be a histo-rian or a geologist and deep down I resented that because I knew I really didn’t want that life. It did look good on my applications, though, since you can easily talk about how broadly educated you were and all the random class-es you took and all that.PMP: How much did your Cal undergrad education af-fect your studies in med school? GN: This is where I feel that I could have been better prepared. Since I didn’t do MCB or IB I think I’m at a disadvantage in class compared to all the biochem ma-jors and the physiology students who are essentially only relearning the material while I’m hearing it for the first time. We don’t use physics at all, except for a little bit on muscle tensions and osmotic flows, and even ochem isn’t that important until we get to pharmacology next year. PMP: How many hours a day do you devout to study-ing?GN: Probably anywhere from 3-6 hours. It’s impossible to cram for these tests so you have to continuously pound it into your brain. There’s just too much material.PMP: How did you prepare for interviews? Was it nerve-racking?

GN: I honestly didn’t do anything to prepare for the in-terviews. I’ve always considered myself a little too con-fident in those sort of situations, so I just went with the flow. One thing I’d recommend is staying with a student host the night before if possible since they’ll be able to give you tips on your interviewers and what they want. One of my hosts told me all about my interviewer’s re-search so I made sure to drop some hints on that when we were talking.PMP: How would you weigh the different aspects of the med school application? GN: I think that the most important part is the LORs. Your GPA and MCAT scores might get you a second-

ary, but the LORs get you the interviews. They want to know that you have a life and are personable and like-able enough that someone would voluntarily write you a recommendation. Also since many schools automati-cally send secondaries getting invited to visit the school is one of the major limiting factors.PMP: How do you deal with the stress? Got any hob-bies? (Is there even time for this kind of stuff?)GN: Well I actually do have enough free time. Given that school oftentimes ends at around 3pm, I can go home and hit the books off an on for five or six hours, and the rest of the time I have to myself. I bought an Xbox to deal with the stress, and I oftentimes play with my old Berkeley friends and that’s how we stay connect-ed. Also I go out to dinner a lot with my classmates.PMP: What is some advice you have for hopeful premed students?GN: I hate to say it but to be honest good undergraduate grades trump a social life in terms of getting into medi-cal school. I’d imagine I’d be really upset if I looked back and realized that if I hadn’t messed around so much I’d be a medical student. I don’t want to be pretentious when I say this, but in the long run a good career is more important than a few parties.PMP: What do you hope to do after med school?

GN: I’m leaning strongly toward emergency medicine at this point. I don’t have the surgeon mentality and I’m not that good with kids but I’d still like direct patient contact. But it is still early to tell. PMP: Do you wish you had done anything different when you were an undergrad preparing for med school?GN: I wish I had paid more attention in IB 131. We learned everything Prof. Diamond taught in a fraction of the time and then some. And this time it actually made sense because they brought in clinical correlations. by Youngwon Youn

it finally feels like I am learning what I really want to learn“

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15THE PREMED PERSPECTIVE

one on one with greg nishimura

Ask the Premed Perspective Staff

When applying to med schools, how soon should I apply?Regardless of whether you are applying early decision or not, it is especially important that you apply to medical schools ASAP, which usually means turning it in right when it comes out: around mid-June. This means that before this date (specifics can be found at the AMCAS website—just Google it), you need to secure your letters of rec, transcript forms, and official transcripts.

This is hardly a complete list of everything you need to do, but keep in mind to do it early. Medical schools accept applicants on a rolling basis, so the earlier you apply the higher chances you have of being accepted.

Many med schools say there is no cut-off for GPA, but what do you really need to be competitive?

Generally, when considering grades, one must consider GPA as well as MCAT scores. There is a formula that people like to float around: 10GPA + MCAT=X, where X should be at least roughly 66-67 to be considered competitive. So if you have a 3.5 GPA and a 32 MCAT, you are fairly competitive for many medical schools. As for the top-tiered ones, you will need to do better than that. Keep in mind though that many people say that letters of recommendation are more important than grades. You may have stellar grades, but if your letters of rec aren’t any good, chances are that you won’t be getting many interviews, if any. Conversely, if you have relatively lower grades but amazing letters of rec, they may make an exception for you. The bottom line really, is that

grades do matter, but at the end of the day it’s the whole package you present that will get you into medical school.

Do you absolutely need research?No—unless you’re applying to the joint MD/PhD program. However, research is one way to show your devotion towards some-

thing, and it is also a good way to get a good letter of recommendation if you put in enough work. However, it is not the only way to show how competent, intelligent, and devoted you are. Other options are nearly infinite in number: becoming an EM-T, volun-teering at a hospital for 3 years, becoming a volunteer coordinator, or joining the Peace Corps are several options. One advantage of research is that it really shows that you have a passion about science, but of course, passion (beyond grades) can be exhibited in

many different ways.

If you attend an undergrad institution that deflates your GPA, how does that factor into the admissions process?

When applying to medical schools, most do take into account the differing grading curves used by each applicant’s undergraduate institution. Every major has a different grading scale, but there is a general rule of thumb for curving courses. This information will be provided by the undergraduate institution, and will be used by the respective medical school to ensure that each applicant’s GPA

is a reflection of their efforts and not of the curve.

Want to know more about being pre-med? Send your questions to premedperspective@gmail.com a nd we’ll answer them in the following newsletter.