Advice from a Medical Student [ENDORSED]

[Chem_Mod]

Ashley thank you so much for sharing your experiences and for your advice! Do you have any tips/strategies on how to study that helped you for this class?

Thank you, Jeremy. For this class in particular, I would focus on lecture material and taking advantage of Chemistry Community and all the other resources such as office hours and UA/TA sessions. You will soon find that no other course on campus has even close to the amount of supplemental material/additional help that Dr. Lavelle provides. He genuinely wants each and every one of his students to do well and so he gives you all the resources you need to get an A. Just make sure you take advantage of them and never be afraid to ask a question. Good luck to you this quarter!

[Jonathan Malau 1F]

Thank you for your advice Ashley. It has inspired me to truly want to become more proactive in my studies. Hope all has been well. Do you have any tips for an incoming Freshman as to how to be more consistent to avoid "burning out"?

[Jalyn 3G]

Thank you so much for the advice! Good luck in med school!!

[Hailey Kang 2K]

Hello!

Thank you so much for this! I'm not sure if this was already asked, but how long would you say you studied for the MCAT before taking it?

Thank you!

[Chem_Mod]

Thank you for your advice Ashley. It has inspired me to truly want to become more proactive in my studies. Hope all has been well. Do you have any tips for an incoming Freshman as to how to be more consistent to avoid "burning out"?

You will face burnout in every part of your life if you continue to just go with the flow and study or work everyday. You need to make sure that you find time or set aside time for things that you enjoy. Every weekend, I go hiking or find some outdoor fun activity to do to break up the monotonous schedule of work/studying that is my Monday-Friday. Prior to covid, UCLA would have tons of fun activities to get involved in which would be great. But with what's going on, it's important you adjust too. Find things you love doing and set aside one day each week to do it. Sometimes, if I get out of the hospital somewhat earlier than normal, I'll experiment with a new recipe knowing perfectly well it's going to take much longer and force me to eat dinner late but I enjoy doing it and find it's worth it. As a freshman, do your best to set aside study breaks so you don't get too overwhelmed by all the resources and classes you need to study. Everyone uses the phrase work-life balance and it's really true. It takes a while to find what works for you, but I can't stress enough how important it is to set aside non-study "me time" to relax and do something that makes you forget about school for a chunk of time. Hope this helps!

[Chem_Mod]

Hello!

Thank you so much for this! I'm not sure if this was already asked, but how long would you say you studied for the MCAT before taking it?

Thank you!

This is a really tough question to answer because it is dependent on the individual. I took a gap year so I had more of a "dedicated" time to study so I took maybe 1-2 months to study. However, if you are trying to study while taking courses, you need many more months because it will be difficult to MCAT study when you end up having midterms or projects you need to finish. It is completely up to you. Just don't rush studying. If you need to take a gap year, go for it. I actually recommend it, now looking back. So many people are in their mid to late 20s (some even in their 30s) when they start medical school and those students (from my personal experience) do a lot better with patient care as they have more life experience than students who are younger. Not to say that you shouldn't go right in from medical school, it's just from my experience, I'm glad I took some time off before applying.

[Francesca_Borchardt_2D]

I am looking forward to attending medical school someday. Your advice was very helpful. Thank you so much!

[Lizbeth Garcia 1F]

Thank you so much! The MCAT makes me terrified (pretty sure i'm not the only one), but this sure does give me reassurance.

[Megan ODonnell 3F]

Thank you so much for this post! As a pre-med student I find this very helpful.

[IreneSeo3F]

I planned to be a premed student, but I never had the opportunity to talk to a real med student. This advice really helped me and I feel so relieved. Thank you!

[905579227]

Thank you so much, do you have any tips for us corona online students?

[Chem_Mod]

Thank you so much, do you have any tips for us corona online students?

This is a tough time for everyone. But it doesn't mean that you cannot still succeed and do well this quarter. I would take advantage of all the resources you have. You have office hours and TA/UA sessions. But the best thing to use would be Chemistry Community, which is basically 24/7 office hours. Now that it's online, it's pretty cool because there are people all across the US using this and answering questions. So ask at any time and your questions will get answered. Don't let it being online scare you, if anything it might make it easier to use more resources because you can log into a zoom session at any time and not have to worry about physically making it to a location on time. Even though lectures are online, don't be scared of finding ways to still ask questions. Hope this helps!

[Emma Healy 2J]

Thank you so much for sharing all of this information! This is all so helpful! I am so grateful for all of the UAs and all of the extra resources in this class; it's pretty amazing. Best of luck in your future!

[Claudia_Danysh_2B]

This post has guided me during this quarter. I've been doing everything you said and I feel comfortable with the material and ready for the midterm!

[Angel Gutierrez 2E]

Would you say your major holds heavy weight when applying to med school? Is there a contrast between an applicant who has a degree in psych and another with a physci degree? Thank you so much for your advice!

[Matlynn Giles 2E]

I've been so stressed about school so this such a relief. It is so nice to see that someone is doing so well and so happy. Thanks so much for sharing! It means the world to us!

[Chem_Mod]

This post has guided me during this quarter. I've been doing everything you said and I feel comfortable with the material and ready for the midterm!

I'm glad to hear my advice was helpful. If there's anything else I can assist you with or advise you on, feel free to ask! Good luck this quarter!

[Chem_Mod]

Would you say your major holds heavy weight when applying to med school? Is there a contrast between an applicant who has a degree in psych and another with a physci degree? Thank you so much for your advice!

I don't think your major matters at all. Everyone needs to take the same pre-reqs when applying to medical school so if you are a science major, then your UCLA graduation requirements will cover more of your pre-reqs. If you aren't, you'll have to take additional courses to meet the requirements for medical school. However, those who aren't science majors have a unique background that set them apart during interviews. I loved talking to applicants who were art or French majors. Their background was so fascinating that they were teaching me things even though I was the one interviewing them. So really, there's no wrong answer. You may end up having to put in a little more work and do a few extra classes if you aren't a science major, but you have a little more uniqueness when it comes to your application. Hope this helps!

[305614361]

Thank you for this advice, this really eases my mind especially after taking the first midterm

[Anastasia Yulo 1C]

Thanks so much for your advice! I will definitely keep my notes handy as I go through my UCLA journey. Can you tell us a little bit more about your gap year? What types of clubs/ internships/ research opportunities/ etc. you were involved in that helped strengthen your medical school application?

My gap year was spent volunteering in an autism clinic in the mornings and assisting in some research in the field of autism during the afternoons. It was just a couple days a week because I needed time to study for the MCAT and then get my application for medical school ready. I also continued to UA for Dr. Lavelle for his Chem 14A and 14B courses. I wouldn't say that research is a must. Many applicants don't have research on their application. The reason I was involved in some research was because it went hand in hand with the volunteer work I was doing in the clinic. Everyone is always very interested in what is needed to strengthen one's application, but it's important to know that your GPA is probably the most heavily weighted item, so I would focus on that first and then worry about extracurriculars.

I hear very many good things from taking gap years before grad school. It gives an opportunity to work a job that doesn't require homework, just a headspace for the scheduled shift. Thanks for this post.

[305614361]

Thank you for this!

[Giselle_zamora_1L]

thank you so much for your advice! But as someone who is struggling in this class and fears that will not do good, do you have some tips on how to improve from here on forward?

[Michelle Nguyen 3F]

This was a great read for some advice not just for chemistry class, but for classes overall! Thank you so much. :) Time management has probably been the most difficult thing due to the remote transition, but with the resources in the class, I think it is manageable!!!

[905579227]

Thank you so much for this information, is there anyway we could contact you for anyothe tips and tricks about med school, I feel like we can all agree that we are very stressed and anxious.

[Chem_Mod]

thank you so much for your advice! But as someone who is struggling in this class and fears that will not do good, do you have some tips on how to improve from here on forward?

To do well in this course, reach out for help. Go to office hours or peer learning sessions and take advantage of chemistry community. Even if you aren't posting a question, read up on some of the endorsed posts. Those usually include good discussions of various important topics. And lastly, don't be afraid to ask questions. I can't count the number of times I've asked a question that I thought was too simple that many other students also had confusion on too. And remember, it's up to you to do well. So use as many resources as possible, do the practice problems and study the answer key. It's more important that you understand the underlying core topic of the question rather than getting the exact numerical answer correct. If after all of this, you're still struggling, talk to Dr. Lavelle. He is amazing at mentoring students. Also, don't be too hard on yourself. This is likely your first quarter at UCLA. It's fast paced and needs some getting used to. With time, you'll get more comfortable and figure out what study strategies work for you. Good luck!

[Chem_Mod]

Thank you so much for this information, is there anyway we could contact you for anyothe tips and tricks about med school, I feel like we can all agree that we are very stressed and anxious.

All of you are welcome to reach out and email me at smileysarquiz@ucla.edu. I'm happy to offer advice and help in any way that I can. You guys can also post your questions on chemistry community and I will always respond to them.

[505352202]

Thank you for this. It is easy to lose sight of the bigger picture (the bigger goal) when there is so much work to do.

[Sheryl Ocampo 1D]

This was so helpful, thanks for sharing :)

[805421690]

Thank you so much Ashley!!

[305405193]

Thank you so much for this! I think a lot of things that we might have not seen as normal are now very normalized and I feel more secure as a pre-med student :)

[Chem_Mod]

Thank you so much for this! I think a lot of things that we might have not seen as normal are now very normalized and I feel more secure as a pre-med student :)

Just know that everyone is in the same boat and we are all figuring it out together. Feel free to reach out and ask me any and all questions you may have. Good luck this quarter and throughout the rest of your UCLA career!

[Michelle Nguyen 3F]

I wanted to write thank you on here! I keep re-reading this post because it helps me gain back motivation when I feel too defeated and scared about the future as a pre-med student. It’s been a lot of refreshing this page, but hopefully I can get through it!

[Chem_Mod]

I wanted to write thank you on here! I keep re-reading this post because it helps me gain back motivation when I feel too defeated and scared about the future as a pre-med student. It’s been a lot of refreshing this page, but hopefully I can get through it!

Hi Michelle, I am so glad you found this helpful. You will do great. Don't get too overwhelmed. UCLA is a lot. And it's a huge transition from high school. If you start getting overwhelmed, take a step back and focus on the positives. Don't focus on the things you don't know but reinforce what you already know. You know more than you think you do. Be confident. You are smart enough to get into UCLA. You're smart enough to succeed :)

[305614361]

Thank you for the advice

[305614361]

Thank you for this advice

[Eduarda Diniz 2B]

Thank you for the advice :)))

[Anna Furton]

This is incredibly helpful, thank you! It's wonderful to know that this course is clear and well-taught enough to be not only a way to knock out the chem requirement, but also an opportunity to learn topics that will be of use to us years in the future.

[haryn Shin 1H]

Thank you so much for the advice!!:)

[Peter Fernandez 2K]

This is really cool and helpful! It was really encouraging, thank you so much :)

[Nataly Antonova 1B]

This is extremely helpful, thank you! :)

[LyahFitzpatrick 2E]

Hello,
I'm not sure if you'll see this but I'm a current freshman following the pre-med track as an undeclared life sciences major. The pre-med track sounds difficult and daunting, but what are your thoughts on how rewarding it is? Do you think it is only meant for the right person? Also, is there more of a focus on biology or chemistry as I continue down this path? Others can answer as well, just wondering.

[Travis Wang 2G]

It's great that we have so many resources available to strengthen our knowledge for such a critical subject

[Sam Forster 2J]

Thank you so much! I am a current freshman going the pre-med track and this really eases my conscious!

[805774026]

It is very helpful! Thank you for posting!

[Victoria Sigala 2A]

Thank you so much for this advice! I know many of us students at UCLA tend to feel like they should know things right away so knowing that there is so much help makes it easier for us to accept it.

[Nayeli Valtierra 2F]

Hello Ashley,
Thank you so much for this advice! I appreciate you taking your time to help us out!

[Ameerah Hameed 3B]

Hi Ashley! Thank you so much for the advice! I was wondering if you have felt times of uncertainty during your journey through med school? What I mean by this is were there many moments you felt overwhelmed to the point you thought about changing your academic path, and if so what did you do to combat those thoughts?

[Chem_Mod]

Hello,
I'm not sure if you'll see this but I'm a current freshman following the pre-med track as an undeclared life sciences major. The pre-med track sounds difficult and daunting, but what are your thoughts on how rewarding it is? Do you think it is only meant for the right person? Also, is there more of a focus on biology or chemistry as I continue down this path? Others can answer as well, just wondering.

The pre-med track is hard but it’s good prep for what medical school brings. I believe it is a rewarding field; however, it’s very tough and if it’s not something you are interested it, it’ll be a long and very difficult path that won’t be worth it at all. The pre-med track will be more bio based as you get into upper division courses. So if bio isn’t of interest to you, make sure you really consider the path before deciding on your path.

[Chem_Mod]

Hi Ashley! Thank you so much for the advice! I was wondering if you have felt times of uncertainty during your journey through med school? What I mean by this is were there many moments you felt overwhelmed to the point you thought about changing your academic path, and if so what did you do to combat those thoughts?

Of course! There were many times in med school when I would have a tough day and feel like giving up. But honestly, you just push through and the next day will be better. It really helps to find a group of friends in your similar field who will understand. Even recently in residency, I had a rough day but my roommate is also a resident so when coming home I had someone to talk to who could relate and it really helps. Just find someone to talk to and someone who will understand. And just know that it is temporary and that anything bad going on will pass. Also, find something you love and make sure to set aside time (even if it’s as little as 15-20 minutes a day) to do it. It’ll distract you for a tiny bit of time and reset your train of thought. Hope it helps! Feel free to continue to reach out if you have any other questions.

[Isabella Nassir 2B]

Thank you so much for this post. I am very interested in medicine and having personal advice from a med student is so inspiring and important to me.

[Ameerah Hameed 3B]

Hi Ashley! Thank you so much for the advice! I was wondering if you have felt times of uncertainty during your journey through med school? What I mean by this is were there many moments you felt overwhelmed to the point you thought about changing your academic path, and if so what did you do to combat those thoughts?

Of course! There were many times in med school when I would have a tough day and feel like giving up. But honestly, you just push through and the next day will be better. It really helps to find a group of friends in your similar field who will understand. Even recently in residency, I had a rough day but my roommate is also a resident so when coming home I had someone to talk to who could relate and it really helps. Just find someone to talk to and someone who will understand. And just know that it is temporary and that anything bad going on will pass. Also, find something you love and make sure to set aside time (even if it’s as little as 15-20 minutes a day) to do it. It’ll distract you for a tiny bit of time and reset your train of thought. Hope it helps! Feel free to continue to reach out if you have any other questions.

Thank you for your response!! I have been working out recently and it has allowed me to step away from school stress which I have found incredibly helpful. It truly is so nice to hear your opinions and views on how med school and residency is while you are actually gong through it because I only am able to hear opinions of influencers that are in med school and I don't always know how accurate it is. Thank you again for taking the time to respond to me and help me out!! :)

[Jeremy 3B]

Thank you for writing this. It was a really inspiring post to read. You're right, this course does feel really intimidating at least to me. I appreciate the advice that you gave. I intend on following all of it. I hope this course goes well for me.

[Grant_2A]

Thank you for the advice! I am a little stressed about the upcoming midterm but I will take your advice and hopefully it will help me succeed.

[HannahArabi14a]

Being a current medical school student, or graduated by now what advice do you have to do well in medical school? How many hours do you dedicate to studying and how do you manage your time while staying on top of everything as well as your mental and physical health?
Also, in a previous post you said that pre med is more bio based. I finished the biology requirements but I didn’t like my general biology classes, because I thought they were rather broad and non medical related, like taxonomy. Should I be concerned about this? Thank you. Good luck and hope residency goes well!

[Chem_Mod]

Being a current medical school student, or graduated by now what advice do you have to do well in medical school? How many hours do you dedicate to studying and how do you manage your time while staying on top of everything as well as your mental and physical health?
Also, in a previous post you said that pre med is more bio based. I finished the biology requirements but I didn’t like my general biology classes, because I thought they were rather broad and non medical related, like taxonomy. Should I be concerned about this? Thank you. Good luck and hope residency goes well!

In medical school, there’s a lot of studying. The first two years when you’re in the classroom, you do a lot of studying by the books just like in college. Most weekdays were spent studying all day after class. Weekends I had some free time to do fun activities but I was studying about 7d a week. Third and fourth year of medical school, you study the clinical material. You see an interesting case in the hospital and you read up on it at home so that you know how to treat the patient better (what tests to order, next steps for treatment, etc). It can be a lot but you need to find things to do that make you happy and be sure to set aside time each day to do something that makes you happy. If you study 24/7 you won’t retain anything after a while. And you come to a point of diminishing return where you’re reading but not retaining.

For your question regarding bio, I wouldn’t be too worried. They will teach you everything you need to know in courses in Med school. It just may not be as familiar to you. But there’s a lot of general bio in medicine that isn’t medically related but you still need to understand the underlying biological mechanism. So if you’re general bio wasn’t what you thought it would be, don’t worry too much. But at the same time if it was something you hated then also use it as something telling you maybe it’s not the field you want to go into (take that advice for any course in the future, don’t try to force yourself to like something and don’t try to force yourself into a career you won’t like. It’s not worth it). Hope this helps!

[Jacob Kirkosian 3C]

Thank you for the advice! As an aspiring pre-med student, I hope to gain an in-depth understanding of organic chemistry and chemistry as a whole.

[Jacob Kirkosian 3C]

Thank you for your advice! Staying on schedule is hard at times with the work load, but your post has motivated me to continue reading and studying every recommended lesson on the syllabus.

[605778346]

Thank you so much. I felt like this class is a little difficult because it covers so much material in just one quarter. I'm glad to know that the concepts we are learning in this class will also be covered in other classes that I will take.

[Chem_Mod]

Thank you for your advice! Staying on schedule is hard at times with the work load, but your post has motivated me to continue reading and studying every recommended lesson on the syllabus.

Happy to help. If there is anything I can help you with, whether it be in regards to scheduling or time management or anything UCLA related, feel free to reach out. I'm happy to offer advice and share all the mistakes I've made to prevent you from making them yourself.

[Sara Dolmo 2J]

Thank you so much for your advice! I will definitely save these notes as i study for the MCAT!

[Joseph Ettipio]

Thank you for the advice Ashley!

[Tristan Friet 3G]

Thank you so much for this advice Ashley! Couple years down the line and it is still very relevant and useful!

[Isabella Nassir 2B]

I frequently come back to this post for advice. Thanks again for sharing it helps a lot to hear from someone with experience in the class and in a field many of us are interested in!

[Chem_Mod]

Thank you so much for this advice Ashley! Couple years down the line and it is still very relevant and useful!

So glad you found it useful. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask. I'm happy to help!

[505705039]

I know this was posted a few years ago but it was really nice to read and motivating!!

[405825570]

Thank you for this advice, I did not know that these chem classes would be so important for the mcat!

[Grant_2A]

This was very helpful, Thank you! I will be saving my notes !

[Cory Poon 3G]

Thank you very much for this!

[Cory Poon 3G]

Thank you very much for this!

[305692127]

I'm a student in the Pre-Med route and I sometimes find it difficult to discipline myself to a strict schedule because it is a difficult route to confine to. But then I take a step back and listen to incredible stories like the ones here, and the advice given to students who have made it and are making their dreams come true. It encourages me to continue and to strive for my dreams, no matter the cost. Thank you, for your advice and for the time taken for your consideration. I truly appreciate it.

[Morgan Micallef 1A]

Thank you so much, this was really helpful to read!

[Esther Kim]

thank you for the advice :))

[Isabelle Kludt 2B]

This is great to know thank you!

[Esther Kim]

Thank you !!

[Giselle Simmons 2D]

Thank you so much Ashley best of luck with everything. :)

[AJackman]

Thank you for the advice! Do you recommending buying these textbooks to study from later as well, instead of just renting them?

[Alyssa Cua 2J]

Super inspiring! This gave me a ton of motivation to work hard and do some good chemistry! :)

[Grant_2A]

Thank you !

[705573518]

Whenever I am feeling a little negative about my pre med classes, reading through these "Advice from a Medical Student" posts on here really actually help me. It just goes to show where we can all be someday and it is really motivating for me! :)

[WS405590915]

This is really helpful, thank you for sharing.

Thanks

[Parinita Jithendra 2A]

Thank you so much for this advice! as a pre-med student it is certainly encouraging to hear this

[Lindsey 3C]

Thanks so much for this advice. What would you recommend we do if we did not take 14A with Dr. Lavelle?

[Deivy Gonzalez 3H]

Appreciate the insight.

[Catrina Tran 2B]

Thanks so much for the advice. I'm currently pre-med rn and I was wondering where can I find the topics that will be on the MCAT. I know the subjects that will be on the test such as chemistry and physics, but where can I find out what specific topics will be tested? For example, I know chemistry is on the test but do I need to know the entirety of chemistry or just certain skills/topics?

[Danielle Paisley 1H]

Thank you so much! This is excellent advice and I look forward to growing my knowledge of Chemistry through this course!

[Russell Ahmed 2K]

Thanks, Ashley! Your advice is very useful even after all of these years since posting. I hope the world of medicine is treating you well!

[_3474001_]

Really appreciative of this advice!

[Hoang Nguyen 3H]

Thank you so much for the advice!

[Emily H 1F]

Thank you Ashley for this helpful information :)

[Marylin Martinez 1F]

Thank you so much! As a pre-med student, this is very helpful and I will definitely be using this information to guide me :)

[Chem_Mod]

Thank you for the advice! Do you recommending buying these textbooks to study from later as well, instead of just renting them?

It's honestly up to you. If you're someone who likes to write in/annotate books, then buy them. I personally have pdf copies of most of my textbooks not necessarily to read every page but for easy access when I need to refresh on something quickly.

[Chem_Mod]

Thanks so much for this advice. What would you recommend we do if we did not take 14A with Dr. Lavelle?

For the most part, the general concepts of Chem 14A should be the same independent of your professor. The only thing that is different is how it is taught. If you had someone else but understand the concepts then you should be fine. If you feel you don't have a strong grasp, there's always textbooks or other supplemental material you can study.

[Chem_Mod]

Thanks so much for the advice. I'm currently pre-med rn and I was wondering where can I find the topics that will be on the MCAT. I know the subjects that will be on the test such as chemistry and physics, but where can I find out what specific topics will be tested? For example, I know chemistry is on the test but do I need to know the entirety of chemistry or just certain skills/topics?

You definitely don't need to know everything. If you search MCAT topics online, you should be able to go to the official MCAT website and they will breakdown the format of the exam and list the topics covered. I would definitely look this up prior to your studies so you know what to focus on. Good luck!

[isabella reeves 1D]

Thank you so much for the advice! I always try to save my notes so it is good to know they will be helpful in the future

[Frankie Xu 2H]

Thank you for the advice! I have been feeling very lazy when making notes so this will definitely motivate me to make them better to help me in the future.

[106024424]

Thank you so much for this advice. As a premed, the progression of this program seems daunting but your advice is helpful!

[alexandra]

Thank you so much for sharing these tips!

[Cristina Subratie 1C]

Thank you so much for this advice! It is really helpful to hear about other people's journeys.