Help with my planning for the future

[SMC2UCLA2_]

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Hello everyone. Im new to this forum as you can see and I have to say this place is awesome. I may let my grades slip after spending the past 3 hours lurking around here. Anyway I was hoping I could get some advice on a few particular questions and any other suggestions in general for the next few years.

I have just been admitted into UCLA from Santa Monica College ( a community college) as a Neuroscience major. My GPA is 3.92 and probably 3.95 after spring and summer grades come in. I just found out I didnt get the full scholarship (regents) to UCLA probably because of that 1 B i received. My goal is to transfer to a top 10 medical school (hopefully UCSF). I am 20 and went to Santa Monica directly out of high school.

I have been doing research for 5 months focused on fear extinction/anxiety disorders and I volunteer at the Care Extenders Program (a great program where students 18 and older can join different departments and watch procedures up close and help out whenever possible. Some Care Extenders have done CPR on dying patients and others have done/removed sutures during their ER rotation). A few friends and I are currently working on starting (establishing) a simliar program at another hospital.

With that said I have a few questions and I would like as many opinions as possible.

1) I worked very hard at Santa Monica (took an average of 15 units a semester and 3-5 over summer's and winters) and now that I am accepted UCLA I am planning on taking a yr off after college before going to medical school. This means I will take my MCATs either Summer 2005 or the following Spring (right??). My main reasons for doing this are so that I can free up my schedule slightly during my 2 years at UCLA and also use this extra time to do some tutoring to prepare very well for MCATs. Most importantly I plan to just have way more time off for fun with my friends before I adventure off into 8 or more years of schooling/residency. During my year off I plan to become an EMT and continue doing my research and publishing papers (in the process of writing a paper now that my PI assures me will be published and it is my first experiment). I know this is the right decision for me and from my understanding it is not looked upon unfavorably to take a yr off. Any input on my reasoning/understanding of this would be great.


2) I will be taking 2 upperdivision classes a quarter at UCLA and 1-2 other classes so that I remain a full time student. I need to complete 12 classes to finish my major so this would be like 2 per quarter but I understand it would be better to remain a full time student and pick up a minor or an assortment of electives to fill my schedule. Do you guys agree with this?

3) So assuming I do as I plan for the next 2 years, I will be taking 3 classes a quarter, volunterring at Care Extenders 4-8 hrs a week, doing research 10-15 hrs a week, tutoring Chem and Physics for a very early MCAT review and mastering of these subjects (probably start out doing this for free then start charging after I feel comfortable), and working at/on the internship program my friends and I are starting. I would like this all to stop here and this would leave me enough time to take a day off each week (havent had one all semester) and going out at night twice a week. Is there anything else I should be doing during my 2 years at UCLA to help me acheive my goal of a top 10 med school or UCSF specifically? Is there anything I should look into doing for my year off?


Sorry for the monster post. I just had a lot to say.

Thanks in advance!! 😀

P.s Is there a spell check anywhere??? I cant find it

 

[SMC2UCLA2_]

Wow thats way longer than I thought. Hope its not too much.


All the best
Nick

 

[Woatalk]

Relax...just keep focused/determined and you will get into med school--and perhaps UCSF. Also, I suggest doing ECs that you find interesting and that will offer new learning opportunities and experiences...and not just ones to perhaps satisfy a particular school i.e. UCSF. Lastly, enjoy the Neuroscience program at UCLA, cuz it's just awesome. Take Care
Woatalk

 

[jlee9531]

another thing is not to let yourself get disappointed just incase you don't get into that top 10 school and be apathetic about going to a med school that isnt a "top 10" school.

you may do everything you possibly could and simply just not get into those schools since they are obviously difficult to get into.

but so far...you seem to be doing everything you can with your high grades and your work outside of school...so i wish you the best of luck...

 

[Spitting Camel]

Do you do the CCE program at Citrus or Hoag? I think those are the only two hospitals that have it so far... I did it and LOVED it! I even became a department coordinator. That is what I call AWESOME leadership experience!

 

[SMC2UCLA2_]

Relax...just keep focused/determined and you will get into med school--and perhaps UCSF. Also, I suggest doing ECs that you find interesting and that will offer new learning opportunities and experiences...and not just ones to perhaps satisfy a particular school i.e. UCSF. Lastly, enjoy the Neuroscience program at UCLA, cuz it's just awesome. Take Care
Woatalk

Thanks Woatalk. I know the Neurosceince program at UCLA is amazing. Dr. Schiebel is a genious, I can't wait to take some of his classes.
I didn't know there were particular ECs for say UCSF, but are there any ECs you can recommened in general besides what I am doing?

Thanks

 

[SMC2UCLA2_]

another thing is not to let yourself get disappointed just incase you don't get into that top 10 school and be apathetic about going to a med school that isnt a "top 10" school.

you may do everything you possibly could and simply just not get into those schools since they are obviously difficult to get into.

but so far...you seem to be doing everything you can with your high grades and your work outside of school...so i wish you the best of luck...

Very true. I would never be dissapointed in myself. I just want to try my best to reach my goal and If i dont I will understand. So much goes into the decisions for getting into med school.

Heres a story: My friends brother got into UCSF the day after he interviewed there. He had like a 3.6 GPA (at UCLA) and some ECs but nothing amazing from what I understand. The day after his interview he got a call from the interviewer saying he has to come here and he agreed. From what I understand, the interviewer was Isreali and he was to. They talked about Israel for like 40 minutes and just had a great conversation. That goes to show anything can happen.

Thank You

 

[SMC2UCLA2_]

Do you do the CCE program at Citrus or Hoag? I think those are the only two hospitals that have it so far... I did it and LOVED it! I even became a department coordinator. That is what I call AWESOME leadership experience!

Guess there is at least 3 actually. Im doing the Care Extender Program at UCLA-Santa Monica Hospital right now ( in the heart of brentwood/Santa Monica).

I will apply to become a Department Coordinator in a few months. It looks like a lot of fun. I think it would be real cool to be the interview coordinator and get on the other end of the interview's for a change 😀

 

[greggth]

One suggestion: don't do the science tutoring. Instead, get a volunteer position that involves homelessness, at-risk (i.e., poor) youth, house-bound elderly, suicide hotline, abused women, drug abuse education, mentoring for at-risk children, tutoring for at-risk children, etc.

Re: "I plan to just have way more time off for fun with my friends". Do you want to have fun with your friends or get into med school? I'm serious.

Just one person's opinion.

 

[Thundrstorm]

Do you want to have fun with your friends or get into med school? I'm serious.

I'm sure he can manage to do both. 🙄

 

[Brickhouse]

Hey kid,

I did all my premeds at SMC after graduating from UCLA, so I kinda did the reverse of what you're doing. Heck, maybe we even took a premed class together. SMC is a pretty well respected JC. The guy at Johns Hopkins had even knew about it! I even volunteered at UCLA SM hospital - but didn't do Care Extenders because I wanted a little more freedom - have you done your L&D rotation yet? Had some of the most amazing and powerful experiences in there.

Anyway - I agree with everyone else - relax and just keep doing what you're doing. I mean, seriously, look at your schedule and what you have planned and what you have accomplished so far. Are you really that concerned? You're like the quintessential premed. Just keep in mind, like everyone has said, this process is arbitrary in many ways, and all you can do is your best and have faith that what is supposed to happen will. I'm sure you'll get in to a good school, but there are no guarantees. I wish you luck!!

 

[BerkeleyPremed]

I'd say you shouldn't have your hearts set on a "Top 10" med school specifically...and definitely don't do extra activities just so you can get into a top 10 program. There are probably 1000s of people each year with 3.8+ GPAs and 30+ MCATs coming out of first tier institutions only to get rejected by the top medical schools left and right...this process is just wayyyyy too random ...so you might not want to have your heart set on UCSF or a top 10 school. I think you have an awesome record of academic achievement and I think you'll really do well in the admissions game when it rolls around for you.

I think there really is NO "formulaic" approach to getting into a top med school. The top med schools LOVE to brag about the diverse extracurricular and professional backgrounds of their incoming MS 1 class...I remember reading the info at the website of a med school and it bragged about having an investment banker, an olympic gold medalist, and a former police lieutenant in its incoming class.

These top schools are notorious for taking people that took RADICALLY different routes to medical school than the typical "premed." One of my friends that I work out with went to University of Michigan undergrad and earned a degree in EECS. He worked as a product manager for an internet start-up company right after that for a year. He got into Penn, Stanford, Columbia, and Cornell for med school but chose to go to Penn...he dropped out of med school in his 3rd year to start his own company in San Francisco...the company he founded is called Planet Rx. He's no longer the CEO of that firm though..he's moved on to other things. This just illustrates how different the the backgrounds of med school applicants can be...and how top schools really are looking for people with a diverse set of interests.

 

[SMC2UCLA2_]

Thats insane but very true. Again I can only try my best. Thanks for the advice.