A UCSF/UC Berkeley Joint DeCal

Homework #1: Internships & Volunteer Work

For this assignment we are asking you to find 3 internship and/or volunteer and/or research positions that interest YOU. They do not all have to do with medicine. We want you to stop thinking about your resume and start thinking about what you are passionate about.

Write down the name of the organization, what they do, and why you would be interested in being involved with this particular project/organization. Include relevant details about hours of commitment and selection process if applicable. Make sure that the organization is a valid one that with which you can potentially participate (or with which you are already involved). Also include where you found the position (ie: website, Career Center etc.). If you prefer volunteer work to internships, then you can write all three of your paragraphs on volunteer work or vise versa. As long as you cover 3 projects, you’re set.

All together the assignment should be: 1.5 to 2 pages, typed, double-spaced, 1" margins, 12-point-Times-New-Roman font. Please organize your paper into 3 cohesive paragraphs--one relating to each individual position you choose to discuss.

The assignment is due February 10th. We will only accept hard copies (no emailed homework).

Once again…if you find something that you like, it is a benefit to you.

If you have any questions, please email your TA. Good luck!

 

 

Homework #2 (MANDATORY): Choose EITHER of the following options:

Option 1: Personal Statement
The personal statement is one of the most important elements of any medical school application. Therefore, we hope that this assignment will give you an idea of the type of composition that medical schools will be looking for.

Write a Personal Statement 1.5 to 2 pages long, typed, double-spaced, 1" margins, 12-point-Times-New-Roman font. We understand that it will be a rough draft and are more interested in ideas, themes, and overall organization as well as the feel of the essay rather than in grammar, spelling, or character count (though be aware that medical schools will heavily scrutinize spelling and grammatical errors and will not allow you to surpass the character limit).

The assignment is due March 10th. We will only accept hard copies (no emailed homework).

PLEASE NOTE: For your benefit, your essay will be edited by your TA. Therefore, please only include information that you are comfortable sharing. After all, if you are unable to share your story in a setting as informal as a DeCal, then it is doubtful that you would be comfortable sharing with a hostile admissions officer during a high-pressure interview.

ADVICE: Medical school admissions officers will often emphasize that they don’t care what you choose to write about in your essay. They stress this because most writers try too hard to meet the expectations of their imagined readers, discarding all of their own personality in the process. If you try to impress everyone, you will end up impressing no one. In addition to the challenge of crafting a fresh take on standard ideas, you face the difficulty of integrating multiple, sophisticated themes into a single coherent piece. The themes can be grouped into two basic categories: those that speak to your motivation for becoming a doctor and those that demonstrate the characteristics and abilities that qualify you for the profession.

http:://education.yahoo.com/college/essentials/articles/med/medicalschoolessaysecrets.html.2.11.04

Option 2: Plan B
Though we may not enjoy considering the possibility, many students realize that they cannot handle the workload of a premed or medical student, decide that medicine is not the right career for them, or are rejected by medical schools (50% of medical school applicants every year are rejected). In the event of any of those occurrences, it would be prudent to have a realistic Plan B.

Write a 1.5 to 2 page, typed, double-spaced, 1" margins, 12-point-Times-New-Roman font Plan B about what you would do if you could never go to medical school (therefore, applying again next year is not an option). This should include a description of the alternative studies or careers you might pursue, the requirements, why you have chosen that as your alternative, and how you intend to achieve that aim (e.g. pursuing another degree, seeking an internship, etc.). This assignment is not intended to discourage you in any way since you have a very high likelihood of reaching your goals (far more than 50% of UC Berkeley medical school applicants are accepted into a medical school). However, just in case you don’t, you will never be caught in the situation of not knowing what to do with your life since you have a well thought out alternative.

The assignment is due March 10th. We will only accept hard copies (no emailed homework).

 

 

Note: Choose either Homework #3 or Homework #4 for your final assignment. We encourage you to look at both, since it will only help you!

Homework #3: Specialties in the Medical Field

For this week's assignment, your task is to describe a medical specialty that you may be interested in pursuing as an M.D. (ex. dermatology, pediatrics, neurosurgery, etc). Think about this long and hard but more importantly research the tasks/commitments demanded by these specialties. Choose ONE speciality to discuss in your paper. You should include the following:

- Reasons you are personally interested in this field (personal or otherwise)
- Any significant development in that area in the last few years (new treatments, research, “breakthroughs”)
- Any schools, hospitals, or centers in the world that are known for their work in that area. (You may want to use a bibliographic search engine such as “pub med” to find recent articles detailing research in your field)

Your paper should be 1.5 to 2 pages, typed, double-spaced, 1" margins, 12-point-Times-New-Roman font.

The assignment is due April 28th. We will only accept hard copies (no emailed homework).

 

 

Homework #4: Health-Related Institutions

For this assignment you will get the chance to research TWO different health related institutions that you are curious about. You could look into medical schools or other institutions that offer programs such as post-bac programs, dentistry, optometry, pharmacy, nursing and etc. Choose two of your favorite ones and write about them. Find out and tell us about:

1) The name of the institution.
2) The location of the institution
3) The length of the program and if you can, the annual cost $$$
4) The requirements (i.e. MCAT, DAT, PCAT, GPA, GRE)
5) What other programs they may offer (i.e. school of dentistry, optometry, pharmacy)
6) Why you chose the institution/other details about the institution that appeal to you

Try to choose them wisely because you can always use this in the future.
You will have to do this sometime anyways…so you might as well get credit for it.

Your paper should be 1.5 to 2 pages, typed, double-spaced, 1" margins, 12-point-Times-New-Roman font. Please type in COMPLETE SENTENCES.

The assignment is due April 28th. We will only accept hard copies (no emailed homework).