Thinking Ahead
What's one pro and con of a clinical vs surgical specialty?
Clinic:
Pros
Not as competitive
Easier lifestyle during residency
Looks at whole body (most of the time)
Typical residency paths ~3 years
Cons
More thinking/talking
Paperwork/computer work
Surgical:
Pros
Cool surgeries, tailor to interest
Sense of accomplishment
High pay
Cons
Longer hours in residency
Very competitive
Less control over schedule
Longer residency paths
Myth or Fact? You need Linkedin.
Myth!
What are two types of clinical certifications you can get to acquire more clinical hours!
EMT, MA, CNA, phlebotomist, scribing, caregiver, RBT
How many semesters of math should you take?
At least 2, usually 2 calculus classes and 1 stats class (Math 10A/10B is a special case)
I really hope you got this LMAO
What does MSAR stand for?
Medical School Admissions Requirements
Myth or Fact? You MUST waive your right to view a LOR
Myth
What are two things you should include in a cold email?
Introduce yourself, explain your interest in their research, mention a publication from them, your schedule/how much you can dedicate to their lab, ask to schedule a meeting, mention if you have research experience/lab experience
How many semesters of English should you take?
2
Who are your head facilitators?
Anju & Nishant
What's the name of the exam pre-pharm students have to take (analogous to MCAT)
NAPLEX and/or PCAT
What are the 3 main categories/sections you should include on your resume?
Identifying Information
Education
What are the 3 types of research we talked about?
Clinical, wet lab, dry lab
Name 3 different science majors you could be at Berkeley! (They have overlapping requirements with medical schools)
Molecular and Cell Biology
Integrative Biology
Public Health
Microbial Biology
Molecular Environmental Biology
Molecular Toxicology
Nutritional Sciences
Which facilitator plays IM basketball?
Mayson
What are some important factors to consider when choosing a specialty?
interests
Program length & cost
Salary
Work-life balance
Practice & Patient Characteristics
Personality fit
Competitiveness of Specialty
Colleagues/Environment
Do:
Discuss your passion!
Write about meaningful experiences that changed you!
Good qualities that make you a good healthcare provider
Show don’t just tell
Examples of the above (DO NOT LIST!!!)
Examples of communities you’ve served, and ones that you want to serve in the future
Should be a story. What does your application say about you as a whole???
Revise and rewrite
Seek feedback
Address the prompt
Don't:
“I’ve always wanted to be a healthcare provider since I was a child”
“I just want to help people”
Listing bad grades and explaining why
Basically copying and pasting your resume and accomplishments
Blaming professors, or citing your terrible postdoc that made you pipette for the entirety of 2 years
Write a full story but not tie it back into med school or your application as a whole.
How many extracurricular activity entries do you get on AMCAS?
15
What are some alternatives to taking Bio 1B for your 2nd general biology class?
MCB 32/32L - Intro to Human Physiology, MCB 63/63L - Intro to Functional Neuroanatomy, IB 131/131L - General Human Anatomy
What type of research does Adeline do?
UCSF Plastic Surgery and Reconstruction Clinical Research
What are some things to consider when choosing a med school?
Location
Accreditation
Program structure
Class size
Match rates
Opportunities
Diversity and inclusion
Alumni network
Faculty
Student support services
etc!
Name 3 different people you can get LORs from!
Non-science professor, science professor, PI, precepting doctor, extracurricular supervisor, GSIs, postdocs, and more!
What are all the components of Dr. Zaat's pie?
What are some stats classes you could take to satisfy this med school requirement (1 semester needed)?
Covered by the Math 10 series*
Stats 2 (4) – Introduction to Statistics
Public Health 142 (4) – Introduction to Probability and Statistics in Biology
Stats 131A (4) – Statistical Inference for Social and Life Scientists
Data 8 (4) - The Foundations of Data Science
What's Ryan's favorite class at Berkeley?
Chem 3A with pete goatsden