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.