GIVE ME A REALITY CHECK: MY PLAN TO GO FROM UCM TO UCLA

[ihopeso]

So here’s how it’s planned to go down:

I started this semester light do avoid that first-semester freshman year GPA slump which usually arises from homesickness and difficulty adjusting to college life. Next semester, I’m slated to continue with the course sequence I’ve begun (molecular bio to organismal, gen chem 1 to 2, calc 1 to 2) with a couple gen ed requirements thrown in. What’s changing, though, is extracurricular involvement. Next semester is mostly Monday, Wednesday, Friday classes, which frees up 4 days in the week for some volunteering! Kaiser in my hometown (commuter student) offers student volunteering. How about 6 hours Tuesday and Thursday, and Crisis Text Line work from home on the weekends? Alright, and then I’ll try to set up my idea for a volunteer program at Merced to knock out some more non-clinical and leadership in one fell swoop. I’m at about 60 credits towards my Bachelor’s as of right now, so I’m set up for graduating around Spring 2026, when I would have just turned 20 years old. We’ll try to land a spot in an MPH program or a research lab before applying to medical school.

Now, how can I squeeze undergrad research into here?

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[Angler]

What's your rush? Enjoy school! Be social! I'm assuming that your studies so far are going well (I presume you don't even have a GPA from UCM yet). Concentrate the most on your grades. With the spare time you have, you can do the volunteering you indicate. When the time comes, ace the MCAT.

You can take a couple of gap years to do research, volunteering, paid clinical experience (or whatever you need to round out your application), and still be a youngster when you apply.

Also, don't concentrate on a particular med school. Just keep your target on getting into a med school. It's really a crap shoot. Even if you are a 528/4.0/10,000 hour research/2,000 hour volunteer/Iraq War Marine, you might be close to a shoo-in to get into some T20 school, but you aren't a shoo-in at any one school. Make your dream school fit your mission; don't make your mission fit UCLA.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Have your shared your plan with your premed advisor?

 

[gyngyn]

It may not be the "brand name" that UCLA is for OOS, but applicants from UC Merced are a special focus for CA medical schools.
Don't transfer with the belief that your odds will increase at Geffen just because you transferred to UCLA for undergrad.

 

[eigen]

This seems like you're rushing things. I also think you'll struggle starting medical school at 20.

The goal of getting an MPH and reasoning for that seems unclear to me: how do you see it trying into your future practice / goals?

As mentioned, focusing on one medical school is naive at best, foolhardy at worst. Even for the strongest applicant.

You seem to be in the situation lots of my students are: the first semester is easy enough, so then they pack their second semester with tons of extracurriculars. In my experience, two things happen: either they burn out that semester, they get behind in classes and grades slump.... Or they do fine that semester and then have to back off on / drop all their committements in their second year when classes ramp up significantly in difficulty.

Sounds like you have some great possible opportunities, but planning on that many hours a week of clinical volunteering + weekend work sounds like a recipe for long-term disaster and I can't really see benefits in it.

Remember that getting into and succeeding in medical school is a marathon, not a sprint. The goal isn't to be first, it's to be good and stay sane.

 

[ihopeso]

Have your shared your plan with your premed advisor?

UCM only has 2 advisors for the whole university's pre-meds, so walk-in advising is not open to first-years. With the groundbreaking of the medical school this spring, I'm sure they'll establish some more robust infrastructure for pre-medical students, though.

 

[ihopeso]

This seems like you're rushing things. I also think you'll struggle starting medical school at 20.

The goal of getting an MPH and reasoning for that seems unclear to me: how do you see it trying into your future practice / goals?

What's a good timeline, then? There's kids who are already joining pre-med frats and establishing their own clubs on-campus, so I felt a little pressure to get my show on the road. I also think that 20 is a little too young for medical school, hence the goal for further education before starting. I'm actually very interested in Public Health and was considering a double major for a while. My physician father also says it is one of his biggest regrets that he didn't pursue an MPH and has enumerated the benefits of the degree on several occasions, mainly the independence and know-how when conducting health research during med school and/or residency.

 

[ihopeso]

It may not be the "brand name" that UCLA is for OOS, but applicants from UC Merced are a special focus for CA medical schools.
Don't transfer with the belief that your odds will increase at Geffen just because you transferred to UCLA for undergrad.

I'm sorry if I was unclear! I don't want to transfer to UCLA for undergrad, but I'm interested in DGSOM. I don't eat, sleep, breathe Geffen, either, I was just using the name for a catch 'clickbait-y' title. I recognize that I'd be lucky to even get into A medical school in this day and age.

 

[gyngyn]

We have had plenty of excellent candidates from UCM.
You can get an advisor from the NAAHP if you can't get an appointment that fits your schedule.
You can get more than enough advice on this site too!

 

[ihopeso]

We have had plenty of excellent candidates from UCM.
You can get an advisor from the NAAHP if you can't get an appointment that fits your schedule.
You can get more than enough advice on this site too!

Wow, thank you so much!

 

[eigen]

Honestly, most first years really don't need much advice from pre-med advisors. Settle into your courses, find a few things you like to do, and take a deep breath.

I will also strongly recommend avoiding what I find to be toxic pre-med culture many places. I've seen so many students give each other bad advice / convince each other that they know better (collectively) than all the experts, and make decisions based on that which lead to them flaming out, sometimes spectacularly.

Personally, I would recommend going and working for a few years rather than getting another degree. The things you will learn outside of school, especially working in a patient facing or service role, will be much more valuable than most graduate programs. Go do Americorps, or Teach for America, or get your EMT/CNA license and work for a few years. Consistently, all of the students I have that went from undergrad to med school straight, or from undergrad to a grad program to medical school wish they'd worked a few years. It helps give you perspective, it helps you identify with the patients you will have, and it helps give you a break from the academic side of things.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

We have had plenty of excellent candidates from UCM.
You can get an advisor from the NAAHP if you can't get an appointment that fits your schedule.
You can get more than enough advice on this site too!

I also can do pay what your can advising on behalf of SDN and HPSA. See link in signature.

 

[Fluidity of Movement]

There's kids who are already joining pre-med frats and establishing their own clubs on-campus, so I felt a little pressure to get my show on the road

This is the curse of being young, when 1 year is ~10% of your current total remembered life, so it seems like a lot.