A UCSF/UC Berkeley Joint DeCal

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Acronyms for PreMeds...
MCAT: Medical College Admissions Test
USMLE: United States Medical Licensing Exam
AAMC: Association of American Medical Colleges
AMCAS: American Medical College Application Service
LCME: Liaison Committee on Medical Education
MD: Medical Doctorate
DO: Doctor of Osteopathy

What Can PreMed 101 Do For Me?

Who are the guest speakers?
The guests are broken into two categories: PreMed Advising and Healthcare Providers. Our PreMed Advising guest speakers have included MCAT experts, premed couselors, medical students, and medical school deans of admissions. Our Healthcare Provider guests have included medical researchers, nurses, physician assistants, public health experts, emergency physicians, surgeons, and hospital medical directors.

What kinds of opportunities does PreMed 101 offer?
In the past, we have secured, for our students only, shadowing opportunities with physicians, medical scribing positions(paid) in a Bay Area Emergency Department, and research assistant positions at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories. As of Spring of 2009, the PreMed 101 teams hopes to expand our shadowing opportunities to UCSF medical students and physicans as well as offer tours at the UCSF campus. Furthermore, the team also hopes to assign all interested students to UCSF medical student mentors whom premeds can approach with whatever questions they might have.

Can I become a PreMed 101 Coordinator?
Yes. New PreMed 101 coordinators are always selected from students who have previously taken the class. One semester prior to a current coordinator's departure, a new coordinator will be selected. The selected student will intern with the departing coordinator for one semester, learning all of that coordinator's duties. Afterwards, the new coordinator will be a fully-fledged PreMed 101 Coordinator and have all the included rights, responsibilities, and privileges.

 

Class Regulations...

How many absences am I allowed?
You are allowed a maximum of 2 unexcused absences before you receive a No-Pass grade for the course. However, excused absences (e.g. midterm exam conflict) will not count against you.

How many homeworks do I have to do?
In order to pass the class, you must complete 3 out of 5 of the assigned homework assignments. If for any reason, the TA decides you have not completed the assignment satisfactorily (e.g. work was plagiarized, work did not satisfy the listed criteria), you must redo the assignment in order to receive credit. If a TA has decided you have not satisfied the assignment criteria, you have the right to know why.

What happens if I'm tardy?
One tardy will not affect your status in the class. Two tardies results in an unexcused absence, while four results in two unexcused absences. Beyond four will result in a No-Pass grade for the class.

What if I have to leave class early?
If, during the course of the semester, you need to leave early once or twice, inform your TA prior to the day of the class. If you must leave every class early (e.g. for team practice), we suggest you enroll in the course during a later semester.

How can I become a PreMed 101 TA?
As current PreMed 101 TAs graduate and move on, new TAs are selected from those students who have taken the course. Interested students should speak with their respective TAs.

About PreMed & Medical Schools...

Do medical schools accept AP/IB credit to satisfy the undergraduate course requirements?
Many medical schools do not accept AP/IB credit. To ensure that you have the opportunity to qualify for every medical school (thus increasing your probability of acceptance) required courses should be taken at an undergraduate institution. However, if you opt to use AP/IB credit only, make sure you check with the schools you that you are interested in to make sure that they will, in fact, accept your credit.

Should I take my required medical school courses at a community college?
Because the undergraduate environment at UC Berkeley is relatively difficult and competitive, many students choose to take the required medical school courses at a community college hoping that it will be easier to earn a better grade there. Though medical schools will accept community college credit, several reliable sources have informed us that taking the required courses at UC Berkeley "looks better" than taking the courses at a community college simply because medical schools know that courses at UC Berkeley are more challenging. Basically, medical schools believe that if you can survive Berkeley, you can survive medical school.

Do I have to have research/clinical experience to get into medical school?
There is no single or combination of extracurricular activities that you absolutely NEED TO DO to get into medical school. However, research/clinical experience can only help your application. Read the answer to the next FAQ for elaboration.

What's the recipe to get into medical school?
There is no recipe to get into medical school. One student may be rejected from medical school with a perfect GPA and MCAT along with both research and clinical experience while another with 3.3 GPA and a 29 MCAT and neither research nor clinical experience may receive multiple acceptances because he or she is a concert pianist or the runningback for the football team or maybe even because he or she spent most of his or her time working to support a mother and younger sibling. However, since the majority of us probably range from the lower middle class to upper middle class and are not star musicians or athletes, the best we can do is strive for a good GPA and MCAT score while finding an activity that we are truly passionate about (scientific research, taking care of animals, policy advocacy) for which we devote the rest of our time. Though medical schools have said that there is no recipe for the perfect applicant, if there is one constant ingredient to every successful applicant, it is a demonstrated passion to something more than just straight A's.

What's the difference between research and primary-care medical schools?
The only difference between these two types of schools is emphasis. Research-oriented medical schools tend to devote more time and effort towards hard sciences and, as the name suggests, are usually centers of medical research. As a result, students have more opportunities to work in world-class medical laboratories with the field's leading scientists. Primary-care-oriented schools focus instead on patient care and train students to become better caregivers than scientists. However, both types of school still require that their students complete clinical science classes, attend clinical rounds, and will grant the MD upon graduation. Students who graduate from primary-schools may still become medical scientists; likewise, graduates of research schools may still become primary-care physicians.

When should I take the MCAT?
With the implementation of the computer-based MCAT exam, the MCAT is now offered numerous times per year unlike years past when it was only offered twice annually. While there is no "correct" time to take the MCAT, one should take into account the fact that every year, the AMCAS is released in early June. Since most medical schools are on rolling-admissions, it is only to one's advantage to complete the AMCAS. Therefore, to maximize one's chances, one should have their MCAT scores returned to them before June. Since it takes approximately 30 days to grade the MCAT, the applicant should take the MCAT by early May of the year he or she begins to apply. As a result, many students choose to take the MCAT in April.

Some students opt to take the MCAT in the summer prior to the application year, which yields several advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that since there is no school during the summer, all of the student's focus and energy can be devoted to the MCAT subject material. However, enrolling in more upper division courses in the areas of chemistry, molecular biology, and physiology can also be beneficial since the MCAT touches on many of the same topics. By taking the MCAT in the summer before the application year, an applicant loses two semesters of learning difficult topics in a structured environment from qualified professors.

How long will I be in medical school?
Medical school lasts for 4 years (2 years of clinical sciences, 2 years of clinical rotations). After medical school is residency, which depending on the specialty, may last anywhere from 3 to 5 years. For certain, more difficult specialties, a post-residency fellowship lasting 2 or more years may also be required.

Do I have to fill out separate applications to every medical school?
While the same primary application is sent to every medical school you apply to, you must fill out a separate, unique secondary for every medical school that has not rejected you based solely on your primary application.