Advice from a Medical Student - Part II [ENDORSED]

[Karen Zheng_2K]

Thank you so much for sharing your story! As someone who will be applying to professional schools soon this is a great source of inspiration, and reminds me that I don't need to focus on the tiny things in order to get to where I want. :)

[James Fu 2F]

Would you happen to have any advice for those who are unsure of exactly what they want to do? I've always had an interest in the sciences but I'm not exactly sure if med school is right for me. Were you potentially considering other career fields or did you always know that you would go down the medical school path?

[Gwen Casillan 3E]

This is really inspiring to read about, and I am so grateful to be able to read your advice and experiences.

[Chem_Mod]

Would you happen to have any advice for those who are unsure of exactly what they want to do? I've always had an interest in the sciences but I'm not exactly sure if med school is right for me. Were you potentially considering other career fields or did you always know that you would go down the medical school path?

I suggest that you go and try to shadow to get a little bit of experience in the medical field to see if this is something you want. The medical field is tough, med school has been very hard so if it's something you're not passionate about you don't want to be stuck doing it for the rest of your life. Use your undergrad as a way to take a variety of courses in different fields to see what interests use. Take advantage of all your electives. I personally really loved medicine and always considered going into the field. However, I did very much enjoy teaching and for a while considered possibly getting a PhD to teach at a university level but I realized I was more passionate about the subject of medicine and decided to go down this path. Even though I love it, it's hard. And it's really important to have a good support system throughout (the same is true for undergrad). I think if you take advantage of all the opportunities UCLA has to offer, you'll be able to experience a wide variety of courses to experience many different fields. And hopefully by graduation you'll have a better feel for what your calling is.

[Kristine_Aramyan_3K]

this is an amazing thread. really inspiring and i appreciate it. honestly i have been feeling so lost with what i want to do career wise. i love both law and medicine - i know they are two different worlds and require different techniques. i know i don't want to be 40 years old and look back on life regretting that I didn't give medicine a try. pouring my everything into this and going to take it day by day because I know in the end I am studying for not just me but to help others.

I read somewhere that every test you take and every material you learn, you have to make sure you know you are learning it for later years because in the end it is your patient that will need you to know those things that may seem a little too hard right now.

[Chem_Mod]

this is an amazing thread. really inspiring and i appreciate it. honestly i have been feeling so lost with what i want to do career wise. i love both law and medicine - i know they are two different worlds and require different techniques. i know i don't want to be 40 years old and look back on life regretting that I didn't give medicine a try. pouring my everything into this and going to take it day by day because I know in the end I am studying for not just me but to help others.

I read somewhere that every test you take and every material you learn, you have to make sure you know you are learning it for later years because in the end it is your patient that will need you to know those things that may seem a little too hard right now.

That's a really tough decision. But I don't necessarily think that there is only one path that can make someone happy. If you love both, then I think you could be happy with either. Even in medical school, you have to decide on which residency path to commit to. I loved so many of my rotations and saw myself being happy in both pediatrics and internal medicine. It was a tough choice because I felt that either path could make me happy, but in the end I chose internal medicine. But I think I could have chosen pediatrics and been just as happy. So if you think that you could be happy in either law or medicine, do some shadowing and see which one you like better. But I don't necessarily think that one is better than the other. And if this puts you at ease, we have some lawyers in our medical school class who decided years later they wanted to do medicine. So just remember it's never too late to do what you love even if you don't realize it until later on.

[Anvy 1G]

When as a medical student did you ever doubt your current affairs as an upcoming med student. Did you? cause I definitely know someone who is. Help me out a bit, not face to face but the fact to fact.

[Kristine_Aramyan_3K]

this is an amazing thread. really inspiring and i appreciate it. honestly i have been feeling so lost with what i want to do career wise. i love both law and medicine - i know they are two different worlds and require different techniques. i know i don't want to be 40 years old and look back on life regretting that I didn't give medicine a try. pouring my everything into this and going to take it day by day because I know in the end I am studying for not just me but to help others.

I read somewhere that every test you take and every material you learn, you have to make sure you know you are learning it for later years because in the end it is your patient that will need you to know those things that may seem a little too hard right now.

That's a really tough decision. But I don't necessarily think that there is only one path that can make someone happy. If you love both, then I think you could be happy with either. Even in medical school, you have to decide on which residency path to commit to. I loved so many of my rotations and saw myself being happy in both pediatrics and internal medicine. It was a tough choice because I felt that either path could make me happy, but in the end I chose internal medicine. But I think I could have chosen pediatrics and been just as happy. So if you think that you could be happy in either law or medicine, do some shadowing and see which one you like better. But I don't necessarily think that one is better than the other. And if this puts you at ease, we have some lawyers in our medical school class who decided years later they wanted to do medicine. So just remember it's never too late to do what you love even if you don't realize it until later on.

Thank you so much for your advice. I really appreciate it. I'm glad you found your niche with medicine and your specialty.

[Michelle Nguyen 3F]

I honestly keep re-reading this post as a reminder for motivation and that it's okay that I still don't know what exactly I want to do yet. Thank you so much for this, it really is appreciated! :)

[Sebastian2I]

I suppose this has been said many times over by now but thank you so much for sharing your story, Ashley! I really admire the attitude that you have towards the opportunities in rotations and I myself try to enjoy everything that I learn as an undergraduate because this is probably one of the greatest learning environments that I will ever encounter. Also glad to hear that the decision-making process for a career doesn't need to be locked down by med school and its okay to take the time to experience before settling upon a particular field.

[James Fu 2F]

Would you happen to have any advice for those who are unsure of exactly what they want to do? I've always had an interest in the sciences but I'm not exactly sure if med school is right for me. Were you potentially considering other career fields or did you always know that you would go down the medical school path?

I suggest that you go and try to shadow to get a little bit of experience in the medical field to see if this is something you want. The medical field is tough, med school has been very hard so if it's something you're not passionate about you don't want to be stuck doing it for the rest of your life. Use your undergrad as a way to take a variety of courses in different fields to see what interests use. Take advantage of all your electives. I personally really loved medicine and always considered going into the field. However, I did very much enjoy teaching and for a while considered possibly getting a PhD to teach at a university level but I realized I was more passionate about the subject of medicine and decided to go down this path. Even though I love it, it's hard. And it's really important to have a good support system throughout (the same is true for undergrad). I think if you take advantage of all the opportunities UCLA has to offer, you'll be able to experience a wide variety of courses to experience many different fields. And hopefully by graduation you'll have a better feel for what your calling is.

Thank you so much for your response and advice! I really appreciate it.

[vuongnaomi1L]

thank you so much for your update! this was so inspiring!!

[Eric Ngo 1F]

Reading this even now gives me so much hope! Despite all the imposter syndrome I feel, going back and reading this helps assuage those fears a little. Thank you so much for sharing your experience. :)

[Sarah Huh 1K]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience!

[Chem_Mod]

Reading this even now gives me so much hope! Despite all the imposter syndrome I feel, going back and reading this helps assuage those fears a little. Thank you so much for sharing your experience. :)

I am so glad to hear you found this post helpful. If there are any other questions or concerns you have about UCLA or the premed track, feel free to reach out and ask! I am happy to help.

[Eileen Quach Dis 2A]

I was wondering what particular classes made you interested in medicine/ particular clubs?

[Melanie Lin 3E]

Thank you so much for telling us about your experience! It was super helpful and inspirational! I'm so happy for your success and I hope everyone here can find success (in this field or any other path)!

[Lorena_Morales_1K]

This is truly so informative and inspiring, thank you so much for your advice

[Serena Song 1A]

Thank you so much for the part 2! Reading this is really inspiring and motivating, especially right now during week 8. Wishing you the best of luck!!

[Chem_Mod]

I was wondering what particular classes made you interested in medicine/ particular clubs?

As an MCDB major, I really enjoyed many of the upper division courses. My favorite was a stem cell bio course. To me it's just fascinating to study the pluripotency of various cells. I think going into college, I was already leaning towards medicine. And then taking upper division electives in the sciences solidified my desire to go into medicine. With regards to clubs, I'm sure there are many pre-med clubs out there but I wasn't too involved much because I commuted and didn't have time to stay late for meetings, etc. Now that things are virtual, I think it's important to find clubs that interest you. I always tell applicants that it's important to get involved in things you are passionate about. If you don't like research, don't do it. It's more important to see you do something non-medical that you are passionate about because it's something that makes you unique as an applicant, whether it be for a job or grad school. Hope this helps!

[Chem_Mod]

Thank you so much for the part 2! Reading this is really inspiring and motivating, especially right now during week 8. Wishing you the best of luck!!

Thank you so much! Once I graduate in April, I'm hoping to have a bit of time where I can do a part 3 and detail the process of residency applications, interviews, etc. So stay posted even after you're done with Chem 14B. Updates will hopefully be coming in the next few months! Until then, reach out if you have any questions. I'm happy to help!

[Alix Salama 3K]

Thank you for sharing this was very informative.

[Sarah Huh 1K]

Thank you so much for sharing! This was very inspiring and helpful :)

[Anthony_3C]

Hello! I'm Anthony, a first year Neuroscience major. I really appreciate your story and I love people who are trying to help young aspiring people learn and grow.

[Chem_Mod]

Hello! I'm Anthony, a first year Neuroscience major. I really appreciate your story and I love people who are trying to help young aspiring people learn and grow.

Hi Anthony, thank you so much for the compliment. I hope this is helpful. If you have any questions or need advice moving forward, whether it's premed advice or just advice on how to navigate UCLA, feel free to ask, I'm happy to help!

[305614361]

Thank you so much for this advice

[505706331]

I've been interested in going into the med-field, specifically to become a pediatrician, but I've been lacking a sense of motivation recently. However, reading your post brought back my hopes and excitements of pursuing this career goal!

[Anisa Subbiah 14B 1L]

Thank you so much for this post. What you said about extra curriculars really made me rethink what approach I was taking to choosing clubs etc. It was so sweet of you to write about your experience. Good luck for the future!

[Lisa Ramos 1C]

Wow, i was just scrolling through Chemistry Community while in the midst stressed out about applying to all these pre-med clubs but stumbling upon this post made me rethink about what clubs I should truly join. Really, I should prioritize the ones I like more rather than ones that strengthen the application, because passion is probably what matters the most, right?

[Mugdha Dip 3d]

Thank you so much for your post. I am also interested in the medical field and reading your post inspired me a lot.

[Joseph Lee]

Hi Ashley!

It feels so surreal actually typing this out, knowing that you might respond, while also believing that it could just get lost in the sea of all the other thirsty pre-meds who similarly (and shamelessly) need any help they can get. It seems so daunting and hard all the time, how do you cope? I want to go to grad school before I go to med school and I don't know how to get there or do well. This is general and I'm simply ranting, but the road is crazy and long and far away and way too soon all at the same time. Hopefully you're having a good life wherever you are, whatever you've decided to do. Thanks for reading anyway!

[haryn Shin 1H]

This is so inspiring! Thank you for putting the effort to post this:)

[Stephanie Trinh 1F]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience! I really appreciate the advice you gave. It will definitely change my outlook on things that I am not as interested in or struggle on, which would allow me to be more positive and gain more from my experiences these next few years.

[205769933]

Thanks so much for the advice! I’m definitely gonna look on this forum more, but I’m glad that everyone is so supportive of each other.

[Polo Morales 3C]

Congrats! It's such a great achievement to get into medical school, especially after working hard for four+ years. From a student who is considering medicine as a potential career field, what advice would you give me with regards to deciding whether or not medicine is the right choice? How satisfied are you with your selection (if you don't mind me asking)?

[VZX]

Thank you so much for sharing! I'm a first year biology major and I'm kind of struggling to find my true career goals. I have thought of going through the medical school route and becoming a traditional doctor. But on the other hand, I find that route could be a little boring and I really wish to challenge myself and start a business in pharmaceutics and biotech, while obviously this path could be risky and much more stressful. Although I know I'm just a freshman in undergrad and still has a lot of time to consider, I hope to set my goals early on and get involved into related extracurriculars/ internship/ research experiences. It would be amazing if you have any advices for me!

[Ameerah Hameed 3B]

Thank you so much for sharing this! I have recently been seeing numerous videos from med students that have only been highlighting the negatives of going to med school (including workload, stress, grades, wanting to drop out, etc), and it has truthfully caused me to almost second guess if I am strong enough to endure the next ten years. Seeing your view on your journey through med school allowed me to see that there are many positives through the process.

[Chem_Mod]

Wow, i was just scrolling through Chemistry Community while in the midst stressed out about applying to all these pre-med clubs but stumbling upon this post made me rethink about what clubs I should truly join. Really, I should prioritize the ones I like more rather than ones that strengthen the application, because passion is probably what matters the most, right?

Honestly, I don’t think there needs to be any priority in what clubs/extracurricular activities you join. What’s important is that you find something you like and stick with it throughout the years. It’s better to have you join a few clubs but be involved long term than you join 100 and stay in each for just a few months before jumping to the next club. Hope it helps!

[Chem_Mod]

Hi Ashley!

It feels so surreal actually typing this out, knowing that you might respond, while also believing that it could just get lost in the sea of all the other thirsty pre-meds who similarly (and shamelessly) need any help they can get. It seems so daunting and hard all the time, how do you cope? I want to go to grad school before I go to med school and I don't know how to get there or do well. This is general and I'm simply ranting, but the road is crazy and long and far away and way too soon all at the same time. Hopefully you're having a good life wherever you are, whatever you've decided to do. Thanks for reading anyway!

Hey,
I make sure to read every single post. I take a bit of time to respond to some of the posts (I’m in residency now and my hours aren’t that great) but I do my best to answer everyone’s questions. In terms of coping, I try to make a big effort to set aside 30-60 mins a day doing something that makes me happy. For me, it may be watching 30 mins of a movie or cooking dinner or going on a bike ride or heading to the park for exercise. I try to make sure I’m doing something unrelated to what’s causing the stress in my day.
In terms of grad school, I think that’s a great idea. Many applicants now have additional training/schooling before applying. It will make you a stronger applicant and I highly support that decision, especially if it’s something you’re interested in.
Hope that helps. Feel free to reach out if you have any more questions!
-Ashley

[Chem_Mod]

Congrats! It's such a great achievement to get into medical school, especially after working hard for four+ years. From a student who is considering medicine as a potential career field, what advice would you give me with regards to deciding whether or not medicine is the right choice? How satisfied are you with your selection (if you don't mind me asking)?

Thank you. I love my decision to go into the field of medicine. It has its days where you feel like you made the wrong choice and you’re tired and exhausted and got minimal sleep the night before, but overall I am happy and love what I do. In terms of deciding whether medicine is for you, it needs to be something that you can find interesting. Medical school was tough, and the hours of residency are even worse. So it’s a huge commitment to apply to. I love this field, but it was something I knew I wanted to do since before college. If it’s not something you are super passionate about, I would explore other fields. I have had colleagues of mine who graduated medical school with me and chose to go a different route and not practice medicine because they didn’t love it. So it’s something that you need to love in order to do it. I would say get involved in shadowing or various clubs. This will give you a feel for various fields so that you have the opportunity to explore and see what future career suits you. But know that you have all the time to decide. As a first year undergrad, you should be focusing on figuring out the quarter system and how to study as it’s an incredibly fast paced system. Hope it helps.

[Chem_Mod]

Thank you so much for sharing! I'm a first year biology major and I'm kind of struggling to find my true career goals. I have thought of going through the medical school route and becoming a traditional doctor. But on the other hand, I find that route could be a little boring and I really wish to challenge myself and start a business in pharmaceutics and biotech, while obviously this path could be risky and much more stressful. Although I know I'm just a freshman in undergrad and still has a lot of time to consider, I hope to set my goals early on and get involved into related extracurriculars/ internship/ research experiences. It would be amazing if you have any advices for me!

If there’s any part of you that feels like going down one path may be boring, then I would say don’t do it. Medical school is 4 long years with a minimum of 3 additional years of residency (even more depending on what field you choose). If you don’t absolutely love it, you will be miserable and look back and think you spent the last 7 years doing things you didn’t love. If you want to start you own business, I would back that 100%. I think that is an exciting field and if it’s something you’re passionate about, it would come so easily to you. Good luck!

[Chem_Mod]

Thank you so much for sharing this! I have recently been seeing numerous videos from med students that have only been highlighting the negatives of going to med school (including workload, stress, grades, wanting to drop out, etc), and it has truthfully caused me to almost second guess if I am strong enough to endure the next ten years. Seeing your view on your journey through med school allowed me to see that there are many positives through the process.

I’m so happy it helped. Over the last 4 years of medical school, there have been a lot of negatives. It’s not easy. But you just have to keep pushing through and remember there’s that light at the end of the tunnel that makes it all worth it. Apply that to your time at UCLA. You will have bad days, you will get bad test scores here and there, but when you graduate and walk across the stage with your name read for everyone to hear, it makes all those negatives seem so minute compared to the success you achieved.

[Divya Mehta 2K]

Hey Chem 14A and 14B Students!

This is a two year update from my last post...although both posts are still active, and you're welcome to post questions/comments in either one. I read through all of them and promise to reply.

Just a quick update. For those of you who didn't read my first post, my name is Ashley and I'm a UCLA graduate. I took Dr. Lavelle's Chemistry 14A and 14B in 2012-2013 and was his UA for 10 quarters until leaving for medical school in NY. I just started my third year this past July. In medical school, the first two years are lectures in the traditional classroom setting, while years three and four are all clinical rotations in the hospital. There's internal medicine, pediatrics, OBGYN, surgery, psychiatry, and family medicine. I just finished my 12 week internal medicine rotation which included a 4 week pathology elective that I chose. I'm loving third year because you're finally able to physically see everything that you spent the last two years reading about in textbooks. 

For internal medicine, I learned so much in such a short period of time. Physicians in this field are smart! They need to know so much about everything because no one gets admitted to the hospital with just one complaint. Every patient has various chronic medical conditions that are influencing which treatments they can and cannot be given. For pathology, it definitely takes a special personality to like it; however, the dissections that I did and the experiences I had during those 4 weeks were once in a lifetime experiences. It's a specialty that is glossed over but is so crucial. Anytime a patient has a questionable diagnosis or is diagnosed with cancer, a tissue biopsy is sent, and it's the pathologists who identify the types of cell to determine which targeted treatment therapies should be used. I'm currently in my pediatrics rotation, and I love it! The environment is so happy and bright and fun. I had the opportunity to do a full newborn exam on a 4-day old patient, and I'm having the best time working with these little ones!

At this point in time, I don't have a definitive answer for which specialty I want to do. I've loved what I've done so far, but I don't have enough experience in all the fields yet to make a final decision. My one piece of advice and also the mindset I have right now is to just enjoy each rotation and make the most of it (and for you guys, enjoy each class you take). And just remember, even if you're not interested in a class, this is probably going to be the only opportunity you ever have to learn anything about it. For example, if I choose not to do OBGYN, then that rotation will be the only chance for me to ever deliver a baby. So whatever class you take and may feel is just a graduation requirement, think about it as your one opportunity to become exposed to this new topic of information that you probably will not get the chance to further explore in the future. 

As always, feel free to reach out to me for questions or comments. I'm happy to give you guys further updates as the year progresses. Tell me what you want to know about Chem 14A/14B or medical school. I'm not a UA anymore, but I'm still aware of what's going on in Dr. Lavelle's courses and am happy to assist in any way that I can. 

Ashley Sarquiz
UCLA Class of 2015

Hey Ashley, thank you so much for sharing your story and experiences! It's crazy to me that you took this class in 2012-2013 and now you're finally able to apply everything you learned in a classroom setting in a hospital. I can't wait to get there soon one day, but I can't even begin to imagine the amount of work I have ahead of me. I actually had a question relating to the chemistry series in general. I am a MCDB major and either debating between going to med school or dental school as I am interested in either neurosurgery/neonatal or orthodontist with a cosmetic dentistry license. I was wondering what the chemistry lab looks like and which series class that is/how big the classes are for that if you recall by chance. Thank you.

[Emma Goellner 2I]

It's really interesting to hear individual experiences from medical students! I am currently thinking about going to medical school as I am a biochemistry major and it is something I am interested in learning about. I always feel like there is so much I don't know about what medical school involves, so it's really nice to hear some personal experiences and opinions!

[Joseph Lee]

Hi Ashley!

It feels so surreal actually typing this out, knowing that you might respond, while also believing that it could just get lost in the sea of all the other thirsty pre-meds who similarly (and shamelessly) need any help they can get. It seems so daunting and hard all the time, how do you cope? I want to go to grad school before I go to med school and I don't know how to get there or do well. This is general and I'm simply ranting, but the road is crazy and long and far away and way too soon all at the same time. Hopefully you're having a good life wherever you are, whatever you've decided to do. Thanks for reading anyway!

Hey,
I make sure to read every single post. I take a bit of time to respond to some of the posts (I’m in residency now and my hours aren’t that great) but I do my best to answer everyone’s questions. In terms of coping, I try to make a big effort to set aside 30-60 mins a day doing something that makes me happy. For me, it may be watching 30 mins of a movie or cooking dinner or going on a bike ride or heading to the park for exercise. I try to make sure I’m doing something unrelated to what’s causing the stress in my day.
In terms of grad school, I think that’s a great idea. Many applicants now have additional training/schooling before applying. It will make you a stronger applicant and I highly support that decision, especially if it’s something you’re interested in.
Hope that helps. Feel free to reach out if you have any more questions!
-Ashley

Hey there again Ashley!

I don't know if I'll be able to translate this into words, but thank you so much for typing out a response to my message from your surely busy days. I really like that idea, the one of setting aside time to do things. My only problem as of now seems to be that I have terrible time management, and thus cannot be trusted with using extra time out of my day to cultivate another hobby. I go to sleep so late anyways. If you have any tips in organizing your life, or ways I can really get my life into shape (it's been a rough transition from online learning for the past two years in high school) because it's pertinent that I do it, and quick.

I'm now looking for clubs and organizations to join, and while you may have graduated 6 years ago, I was wondering if there were any memorable ones that stood out to you, whether they be professional OR social.

No pressure to respond, but grateful that you already have! It really does mean a lot.

Sincerely,
Joseph

[Chem_Mod]

Hi Ashley!

It feels so surreal actually typing this out, knowing that you might respond, while also believing that it could just get lost in the sea of all the other thirsty pre-meds who similarly (and shamelessly) need any help they can get. It seems so daunting and hard all the time, how do you cope? I want to go to grad school before I go to med school and I don't know how to get there or do well. This is general and I'm simply ranting, but the road is crazy and long and far away and way too soon all at the same time. Hopefully you're having a good life wherever you are, whatever you've decided to do. Thanks for reading anyway!

Hey,
I make sure to read every single post. I take a bit of time to respond to some of the posts (I’m in residency now and my hours aren’t that great) but I do my best to answer everyone’s questions. In terms of coping, I try to make a big effort to set aside 30-60 mins a day doing something that makes me happy. For me, it may be watching 30 mins of a movie or cooking dinner or going on a bike ride or heading to the park for exercise. I try to make sure I’m doing something unrelated to what’s causing the stress in my day.
In terms of grad school, I think that’s a great idea. Many applicants now have additional training/schooling before applying. It will make you a stronger applicant and I highly support that decision, especially if it’s something you’re interested in.
Hope that helps. Feel free to reach out if you have any more questions!
-Ashley

Hey there again Ashley!

I don't know if I'll be able to translate this into words, but thank you so much for typing out a response to my message from your surely busy days. I really like that idea, the one of setting aside time to do things. My only problem as of now seems to be that I have terrible time management, and thus cannot be trusted with using extra time out of my day to cultivate another hobby. I go to sleep so late anyways. If you have any tips in organizing your life, or ways I can really get my life into shape (it's been a rough transition from online learning for the past two years in high school) because it's pertinent that I do it, and quick.

I'm now looking for clubs and organizations to join, and while you may have graduated 6 years ago, I was wondering if there were any memorable ones that stood out to you, whether they be professional OR social.

No pressure to respond, but grateful that you already have! It really does mean a lot.

Sincerely,
Joseph

Hi Joseph,

So happy to hear you found my response helpful. In terms of time management, I would say that you should set aside a strict time limit per class. For example, set a 2h timer for chem and once you reach that time you stop. That way you force yourself to be productive during that time. Yes you can always go back to it later, but I think it’s important at the beginning to pace yourself and see how long it takes you to do a certain amount of work. Especially starting out with a new fast paced quarter system, you need to adjust your study skills and strategies.

In terms of clubs, I wasn’t too involved at UCLA because I commuted each day so I wasn’t on campus late at night for group meetings. However, I did participate in extracurriculars near where I lived. Honestly, it doesn’t matter what you do. Cast a wide net and see what seems interesting to you. You don’t need to be super involved in everything. Just try out one or two clubs. Extracurricular activities should be fun and if you’re finding them too time consuming and not enjoyable, then don’t join that one.

Hope this helps!
Ashley

[Kirsten Yu 2K]

Thank you so much for sharing! I thoroughly enjoyed reading about your experience and the insights you’ve gained so far on your journey through med school. Wishing you luck on all of your future endeavors!

[Ameerah Hameed 3B]

Thank you so much for sharing this! I have recently been seeing numerous videos from med students that have only been highlighting the negatives of going to med school (including workload, stress, grades, wanting to drop out, etc), and it has truthfully caused me to almost second guess if I am strong enough to endure the next ten years. Seeing your view on your journey through med school allowed me to see that there are many positives through the process.

I’m so happy it helped. Over the last 4 years of medical school, there have been a lot of negatives. It’s not easy. But you just have to keep pushing through and remember there’s that light at the end of the tunnel that makes it all worth it. Apply that to your time at UCLA. You will have bad days, you will get bad test scores here and there, but when you graduate and walk across the stage with your name read for everyone to hear, it makes all those negatives seem so minute compared to the success you achieved.

I truly want to thank you for taking the time out of your day to respond to both of my replies. I know you have a very busy schedule so it just means even more :) I will try to focus less on the negatives that are in the present and begin to think about the positives that will come out of it in the future! Have a nice day, and thank you again for the response!!

[Ivan Huang Dis 3B]

how much of medical school would you say uses chemistry?

[205793570]

This quarter has been a little more difficult for me specially because I believe I am not very strong on the chem side, what helped you to keep pushing as a pre-med and what do you think is a must to do while in college in order to stand out during MED School applications?

[Harrington Bubb3A]

Wow I feel so inspired after hearing your story! Thank you for sharing. I will definitely take advantage of the time I have here and hopefully be as successful as you in the future.

That is what I thought as well. Don't want to go to med school but want to crush it and this has me super stoked!

[Coraly De Leon]

Wow ! First off, congrats ! Becoming a doctor is quite the journe,y but I am so glad you are doing amazing ! As a college student aspiring to get an M.D, it is very helpful and most definitely inspiring hearing stories of people already progressing in becoming a doctor. Definitely keep us updated !

[Maddy Trotter 3D]

I love this! Thank you for making yourself a resource for us :)

[Chem_Mod]

how much of medical school would you say uses chemistry?

So the first two years of medical school are didactic, meaning in the classroom setting. Those two years when you’re learning the fundamentals of medicine and all the organ systems, quite a bit of chemistry and biochemistry will come up. While it will not go as in depth as a pure chemistry course, it covers a lot of similar topics. You’ll repeatedly see the carbonic acid/bicarbonate buffer system in red blood cells. Dr. Lavelle does a great job incorporating these high yield crossovers as examples into the lectures.

[Chem_Mod]

This quarter has been a little more difficult for me specially because I believe I am not very strong on the chem side, what helped you to keep pushing as a pre-med and what do you think is a must to do while in college in order to stand out during MED School applications?

There will be a lot of times when you feel defeated. Even in residency, I come home some days feeling like I wasn’t at my best. But you just have to remember that it’s one day and tomorrow you get to start over and make it better. I think it’s important to set mini goals for yourself and never be afraid to ask questions. Always ask questions because now is when you’re learning. It’s okay to not know something. So when you’re struggling, never be afraid to ask for help. I do it all the time. And in terms of how I keep pushing through, try to find something fun to do each week. Even if it’s something as little going on a run or a bike ride, or driving out to the city to try a new restaurant, just do something to get your mind off of what you’re studying. Use that time to clear your head and get new perspective. When you’re frustrated, take a step back, take a break, and come back to it stop a later time when you’ve had time to think about something else for a while. Just don’t give up! You got this! :)

[Neha Jonnalagadda 2D]

Hi! I loved hearing about your journey becoming a medical student. There's a lot we can take away from your posts! What would you say is the hardest part about applying to medical school and how did you know it was the right path for you?

[Neha Jonnalagadda 2D]

Hi! I know that a lot of people go into college pre-med but don't stick with it, so what made you love the field and what motivated you to keep pursing medicine?

[Chem_Mod]

Hi! I loved hearing about your journey becoming a medical student. There's a lot we can take away from your posts! What would you say is the hardest part about applying to medical school and how did you know it was the right path for you?

The hardest part about applying was honestly the application process. Most schools require the same general courses; however, certain schools require one or two additional classes that most others will not and so you have to figure out if it's worth taking an extra course in order to apply to a school you may or may not even get an interview to. It's about balancing and figuring out what's importance to you. In terms of figuring out if it was the right path for me, I kind of always knew I wanted to do medicine. I love the learning aspect of it. And even now in residency, I feel like the more complicated the patient, the more you learn. And for me that's what peaks my interest and keeps me going.

[Chem_Mod]

Hi! I know that a lot of people go into college pre-med but don't stick with it, so what made you love the field and what motivated you to keep pursing medicine?

You have to use your college years to take courses from all different majors to figure out what exactly you like and what you want to do with your life. I have so many friends who went to college and got a job that has nothing to do with their degree because they ended up finding something else that they liked better that wasn't in the major they applied into. And I think that's amazing. It's so important to figure out what you enjoy so that you find a career that has to do with your interests. For me, I have always had an interest in medicine, but what I thought I wanted to specialize in keeps changing. The fact that medicine keeps changing and that you're always learning was something that peaked my interest and was why I stuck with this field. But it's definitely not for everyone and if you don't absolutely love it, find a different career because it will be a miserable next 7-10 years of your life while you train for something you don't like.

[405509920]

Like many of the other students in this thread I'm also premed and hoping to get into med school one day. You mentioned that it takes a special person to do pathology and I was wondering if you could elaborate more on that. I'm pretty much set my sights on specializing in forensic pathology, and while the environment is considerably different from a regular pathology setting I still have to go through 3-4 years of residency in regular pathology before going onto that further specialization. So it'd be nice to know what I'd be going into before possibly committing 3-4 years to something.

[Parinita Jithendra 2A]

I wanted to say congrats on medical school! This advice is certainly helpful as I know that the information taught in this class will be valuable in the future as well. Lately, the shift from online to in person has been slightly difficult to adjust to, but this was really assuring and hopefully I can take on new study habits to get used it.

[Jaelyn Christian 2J]

thank you so much for sharing your story! it is inspiring to hear from someone who has gone through the whole process!

[Emily2J]

Wow thank you for sharing. This thread is so wholesome, I love it!

[Isabella Nassir 2B]

Wow, I feel so inspired by your story! thank you so much for sharing.

[Chem_Mod]

Like many of the other students in this thread I'm also premed and hoping to get into med school one day. You mentioned that it takes a special person to do pathology and I was wondering if you could elaborate more on that. I'm pretty much set my sights on specializing in forensic pathology, and while the environment is considerably different from a regular pathology setting I still have to go through 3-4 years of residency in regular pathology before going onto that further specialization. So it'd be nice to know what I'd be going into before possibly committing 3-4 years to something.

First of all, I think pathology is super interesting and forensic pathology is a great field to go into. I loved that rotation, but for me I realized that it wasn't the lifestyle I wanted looking down the line so I decided upon internal medicine. Pathology residency is a lot of labwork. You stay in the path lab and you run the blood work and you study the cytology of tissue samples that is sent to you. The hours are nicer because you don't have to get to the hospital to pre-round every morning. But you lose the social interaction. You don't see one patient. You don't interact and you don't get to hear their stories. One of my favorite aspects of medicine is being able to get a good history from the patient and collateral information from the family. So to not have that aspect was something that I felt was lacking for me. I love calling families everyday and updating them on what we're doing and how we're treating their loved ones. While I love pathology, it's not what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. But it's definitely a great field if it's something you want to go into. But you have 4 years to figure it out and I can't count the number of different fields I contemplated before committing to internal medicine. Hope this helps!

[hanniaghernandez]

Thank you for this advice and example. It gives people like me a lot of hope to know that everyone has different stories and paths! It is truly inspiring to hear this and to have people like you to give your advice to us as we are just starting this journey! :)

[705573518]

Thank you so much for sharing with us! Recently I've been on the fence about my choice to be pre med but this reminded me of all the reasons I should sick with it! :)

[Mahli Martinez 2I]

Thank you so much for this! Reading this really gave me hope.

[Isabelle Kludt 2B]

So cool to see the update. Thanks for sharing again!

[Jacob_Eberson_2D]

Thank you so much, this was awesome! This was so inspiring.

[victoria alvarez 3c]

That all sounds amazing! I’ve wanted to be a doctor pretty much my whole life. I know the road to get there is difficult and I’m just at the beginning of it but this is so encouraging!

[Isabella Nassir 2B]

Thank you so much for sharing! As someone who is thinking about med school, this advice is really helpful.

[Rochelle Mosley 2D]

Thank you for sharing your story, for someone who wants to go into the medical field this is very helpful and inspiring!

[Deivy Gonzalez 3H]

It calms my nervous knowing that you, someone that has done and achieved so much is still going through the process of deciding what specialty you want to do. Like you said, I'm sure once you get more experience, you will eventually find that specialty.

[Jane_S 2C]

Hey! That is so amazing that you're in medical school and on the same path a lot of us students are! I was wondering if you had any advice for someone looking to specialize in ophthalmology. Is it a part of the surgical rotation or something different?

[Jonathan Wang 2C]

Your advice and story is truly inspiring. I feel a lot better about the pre-med process after reading your post.

[Neha Humbe 3E]

Your perspective and advice about enjoying each class actually changed my mindset about some of the GE classes I am taking! Thank you for sharing!

[alyona]

Thank you for taking the time to write this post! What was your medical school application process like? Was it difficult?

[Sydney_Hoang_Dis1B]

I really appreciate you taking the time to tell us these important details. This genuine posts makes me feel more motivated to actively use class resources to study for this quarter and beyond, especially when it's time for the MCAT.

[105944027]

Thank you so much for your advice! I really appreciate you sharing a little bit of your journey and I enjoyed reading it! You mentioned that you still went back and used your Chem 14A and 14B notes from Dr. Lavelle's class which helped you passed and I just find that really amazing! With that, I wanted to ask how you took your notes and if you had any techniques that helped you succeed in a much more efficient way? I also want to mention that I am not the brightest student when it comes to Chemistry. I have always struggled with Chemistry ever since I was in middle school. No matter how much I tried to understand the concept, I always find myself thinking what's the point of learning it. Even though I attend the lectures, at the end, I always find myself lost and helpless which really discourages me into going to class :(

[Grace Strottman 2B]

Thank you so much for sharing your story! I've always wanted to go to med school but I've been stressed, this gave me hope!

[Marylin Martinez 1F]

Thank you for sharing your story with us! It was really motivating and it gives me hope for my pre-med journey

[Chem_Mod]

Hey! That is so amazing that you're in medical school and on the same path a lot of us students are! I was wondering if you had any advice for someone looking to specialize in ophthalmology. Is it a part of the surgical rotation or something different?

If you want to do ophthalmology, that'll be a rotation you can take as one of your electives during your clinical years of medical school. There's nothing you need to do now, you'll get the experience once you're in training. It's not a required course so it's something you would have to use one of your electives for.

[Chem_Mod]

Thank you for taking the time to write this post! What was your medical school application process like? Was it difficult?

The application process itself isn't difficult. The most stressful part is figuring out the timing of when to apply and all the required documents that need to be submitted to complete the application. The physical application process is long but if you read up on it and know what you need to do/upload, it makes the process a lot easier. As overwhelming as it may be, it's worth it. Interviews are the easy part, the hardest part is filling out the very long online application.

[Chem_Mod]

Thank you so much for your advice! I really appreciate you sharing a little bit of your journey and I enjoyed reading it! You mentioned that you still went back and used your Chem 14A and 14B notes from Dr. Lavelle's class which helped you passed and I just find that really amazing! With that, I wanted to ask how you took your notes and if you had any techniques that helped you succeed in a much more efficient way? I also want to mention that I am not the brightest student when it comes to Chemistry. I have always struggled with Chemistry ever since I was in middle school. No matter how much I tried to understand the concept, I always find myself thinking what's the point of learning it. Even though I attend the lectures, at the end, I always find myself lost and helpless which really discourages me into going to class :(

First of all, I want to say don't be discouraged. Chemistry and all pre-med courses are very difficult. Unfortunately, everyone has their won study strategies and it takes a while for each person to figure out what works for them. I don't think I figured out what study techniques worked for me until a few years ago. For some, flashcards is the answer; for others, it's reading textbooks and watching lectures. You need to figure out what works for you and honestly, it may take a few trial runs. I think the most important thing though is to never be afraid to ask questions no matter how simple of a question you may think it is. You got this!

[alyona]

Thank you for taking the time to write this post! What was your medical school application process like? Was it difficult?

The application process itself isn't difficult. The most stressful part is figuring out the timing of when to apply and all the required documents that need to be submitted to complete the application. The physical application process is long but if you read up on it and know what you need to do/upload, it makes the process a lot easier. As overwhelming as it may be, it's worth it. Interviews are the easy part, the hardest part is filling out the very long online application.

How is the interview process? How did you prepare?

[Hoang Nguyen 3H]

Thank you for your advice!

[105736938 AADL]

I feel some very intense imposter syndrome right now? What is the best way to get over it?

[105736938 AADL]

What were the extracurriculars you did to be a competitive applicant?

[Sara Dolmo 2J]

wow this is very inspiring!!

[Chem_Mod]

How is the interview process? How did you prepare?

The interviews are the easiest part. You got the interview because they saw you were a qualified applicant. Now the rest is up to you being you. All the interviewers are doing are making sure that you are a good fit for their student population not whether or not they think you are "qualified" for their school. Just be yourself, it really doesn't require much preparation.

[Chem_Mod]

I feel some very intense imposter syndrome right now? What is the best way to get over it?

Honestly, we all feel that way and it never really goes away. I still feel like that sometimes but you have to take a step back and realize that you've gone this far already and got yourself where you are today. You deserve to be where you are.

[Chem_Mod]

What were the extracurriculars you did to be a competitive applicant?

I was on my medical school's admissions committee and there's not one thing that makes an applicant competitive. Everyone does research of some kind and has everyone does a bunch of extracurriculars so its not the number of things that makes you competitive. It's what you do and how involved you are. We look for applicants who are passionate about something and are involved in something. We prefer quality over quantity/just checking boxes on an application. So find something you love doing and stick with it. That's what makes you a good applicant.

[Hoang Nguyen 3H]

This is so cool. I didn't know that medical school worked this way. Thank you for further motivating me to try and get into medical school to have this experience.

[Katie L 2I]

Hi! I'm a current student on the pre-med track, this year starting 14a. Thank you for your post Ashley, love to see posts that aren't all chemistry questions but provide support for us overall as students and people as well.

If you're still replying to this thread, what methods did you use to make sure you fulfilled all requirements for med school + a degree? It gets overwhelming often for me, especially at UCLA with so many paths to choose and not being sure I'm choosing the right ones.

[Joy 3F]

Thank you for sharing your story! I was just wondering how long you had to prepare to take the MCAT and if you have any recommendations on study methods to be able to retain such an enormous amount of information. I've heard it's one of the most difficult exams many people ever take and just the length of it is already intimidating.

[306060519]

Hey Chem 14A and 14B Students!

This is a two year update from my last post...although both posts are still active, and you're welcome to post questions/comments in either one. I read through all of them and promise to reply.

Just a quick update. For those of you who didn't read my first post, my name is Ashley and I'm a UCLA graduate. I took Dr. Lavelle's Chemistry 14A and 14B in 2012-2013 and was his UA for 10 quarters until leaving for medical school in NY. I just started my third year this past July. In medical school, the first two years are lectures in the traditional classroom setting, while years three and four are all clinical rotations in the hospital. There's internal medicine, pediatrics, OBGYN, surgery, psychiatry, and family medicine. I just finished my 12 week internal medicine rotation which included a 4 week pathology elective that I chose. I'm loving third year because you're finally able to physically see everything that you spent the last two years reading about in textbooks. 

For internal medicine, I learned so much in such a short period of time. Physicians in this field are smart! They need to know so much about everything because no one gets admitted to the hospital with just one complaint. Every patient has various chronic medical conditions that are influencing which treatments they can and cannot be given. For pathology, it definitely takes a special personality to like it; however, the dissections that I did and the experiences I had during those 4 weeks were once in a lifetime experiences. It's a specialty that is glossed over but is so crucial. Anytime a patient has a questionable diagnosis or is diagnosed with cancer, a tissue biopsy is sent, and it's the pathologists who identify the types of cell to determine which targeted treatment therapies should be used. I'm currently in my pediatrics rotation, and I love it! The environment is so happy and bright and fun. I had the opportunity to do a full newborn exam on a 4-day old patient, and I'm having the best time working with these little ones!

At this point in time, I don't have a definitive answer for which specialty I want to do. I've loved what I've done so far, but I don't have enough experience in all the fields yet to make a final decision. My one piece of advice and also the mindset I have right now is to just enjoy each rotation and make the most of it (and for you guys, enjoy each class you take). And just remember, even if you're not interested in a class, this is probably going to be the only opportunity you ever have to learn anything about it. For example, if I choose not to do OBGYN, then that rotation will be the only chance for me to ever deliver a baby. So whatever class you take and may feel is just a graduation requirement, think about it as your one opportunity to become exposed to this new topic of information that you probably will not get the chance to further explore in the future. 

As always, feel free to reach out to me for questions or comments. I'm happy to give you guys further updates as the year progresses. Tell me what you want to know about Chem 14A/14B or medical school. I'm not a UA anymore, but I'm still aware of what's going on in Dr. Lavelle's courses and am happy to assist in any way that I can. 

Ashley Sarquiz
UCLA Class of 2015

Thank you, your post made me feel comforted.

[406003397]

Thank you for sharing your story, the insight was wonderful! Hearing advice like this from someone who seems to have once been in my shoes is inspiring because it just proves that there is always a way, and you can pursue whatever you put your mind to.

[406003397]

Thank you for sharing your story, the insight was wonderful! Hearing advice like this from someone who seems to have once been in my shoes is inspiring because it just proves that there is always a way, and you can pursue whatever you put your mind to.