Students find many paths to medical school
Secrets to success
Three give advice on tips to get into medical school. more »
Changing your mind about medicine
A significant number of students find their college journeys taking them away from careers as physicians. more »
Hayley Rousek was a 16-year-old on a trip to Africa when she decided to become a doctor.
“I saw poverty and health disparities crippling an amazing population of people,” said Rousek, now a biochemistry major at UC Davis. “I thought a career in medicine would be a very tangible way for me to help alleviate the disparities between rich and poor.”
Rousek is one of hundreds of UC Davis undergraduates who plan to become physicians. Like every other medical school hopeful, she is navigating science courses, the Medical College Admissions Test (or MCAT), and a daunting maze of application forms. And, like every other pre-med student, she is finding that there is only one route to medical school: your own.
“Being ‘pre-med’ is a state of mind,” says Linda Scott, Health Sciences coordinator in Advising Services. “It’s not tied to a specific major.”
Scott notes that all pre-med students jump through some standard hoops. They must take certain introductory courses in biology, chemistry, physics, English and math. They need to earn good grades. They dedicate a big chunk of energy to studying for the standardized MCAT exam.
And, their medical school applications must include a “personal statement” to explain why they are pursuing medicine, and they need letters of recommendation from professors who can comment on their scholarly abilities.
The key is to excel
But Scott emphasizes that, once these basics are satisfied, many different routes to medical school can be successful. The key is for students to excel at the path they choose.
Richmond Darko, a recent UC Davis graduate, took an unusual “pre-med” path. As a teenager, Darko heard the UC Davis medical school’s dean of admissions speak at a National Youth Leadership Forum on medicine. “He said that physicians need to be both good scientists and good humanists,” Darko says.
So Darko majored in philosophy, exploring the intersections between medicine and philosophical thought.
His bioethics classes helped him see “the things doctors face in medical settings.” Then, a research project in cardiology brought him closer to the workings of medicine. “For me, this research was a bridge between wanting to be a doctor and seeing how doctors know how to treat patients,” he said.
Darko also founded a scholarly journal, Ergo Sum: Journal of Bioethics and the Philosophy of Science, to explore the connections between medicine and philosophy. He has been admitted to medical school and will begin his studies this fall.
Darko’s success on an unusual path is no surprise to people in the know.
Why med schools get excited
“Med schools get excited about people who have expertise,” says UC Davis career counselor Janice Morand. At the campus Internship and Career Center, Morand helps students find work experience in the biological sciences.
Morand says internships let students figure out whether they like medicine. She mentions opportunities ranging from observing surgeries and reading X-rays to helping run scientific experiments and staffing local free medical clinics.
Pre-med student Jaspreet Sidhu, a neurobiology, physiology and behavior major, spent six quarters interning in local emergency rooms.
“It helped me look into different fields of medicine,” Sidhu says. “I gained insight into what my life might be like if I become an ER [emergency room] physician. And I got a very positive impression of how doctors interact with patients.”
Hayley Rousek, the biochemistry major concerned about medical inequalities, has volunteered for two years at Clinica Tepati, a free clinic in Sacramento run by UC Davis medical students and undergraduates.
Advocating for the uninsured
Rousek helps provide medical care and advocates for the uninsured Spanish-speaking population served by the clinic. She also helped the clinic secure donated medications to treat patients’ heartburn, high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes. “Learning how to get what you need for your patients has really pushed my boundaries as a leader,” Rousek said.
Linda Scott says these experiences help UC Davis students stand out. “The leadership opportunities at UC Davis give students confidence,” she says. “Then, once they get to med school, Davis students do really well. They take on a lot of leadership roles.”
‘Being “pre-med” is a state of mind. It’s not tied to a specific major.’
Linda Scott, health sciences coordinator in Advising Services
Pre-med students need to develop academic confidence, too, says Professor Jack Goldberg. Goldberg, a faculty adviser in the neurobiology, physiology and behavior major, assists many students pursuing medicine or allied health professions. He has advice for students who might be inclined to blend into the background at a large school like UC Davis.
“It’s comfortable and easy to be anonymous,” Goldberg says. But he encourages students to attend office hours regularly with at least one professor per quarter.
“Students should introduce themselves by first and last name – it shows maturity and self-confidence,” he says. And they should come prepared with questions about course material.
Strong, personable letters of recommendation
When professors see individual students learn – taking in new knowledge, correcting misconceptions and integrating new ideas with older knowledge – they can write strong, personable letters of recommendation, Goldberg says.
At the same time, students gains skills that will take them well past medical school applications.
“Medicine is very hierarchical,” Goldberg says. “It’s a field where egos are involved. You need enough self-confidence to interact in that environment.”
Across campus, advisers consistently tell pre-med students to find things they love – and do them well. “My bias is to get students to explore,” says Janice Morand. “While they’re exploring, they should strive for excellence.”
Sidhu, whose pre-med journey at UC Davis has taken him through science classes, the emergency room, a nutrition research lab, a high school tutoring job, and to national-level North Indian folk dance competitions, echoes Morand’s sentiment. “Davis definitely gives you an opportunity to explore,” he says.