NAVIGATING THE MEDICAL
SCHOOL ADMISSIONS PROCESS
A talk by UCSF students
Jay Gardner
Jugal Shah
OUTLINE
About Us
 Our Aim
 About medical school
 Logistics of Applying to Medical School
 Resources
 Questions

ABOUT US
3rd Year UCSF Medical Students
 In Salinas at Natividad Medical Center,
currently completing our Family Medicine
clerkship

AIMS
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Using the resources of rotating medical students
at Natividad Medical Center, we would like to
create a sustainable premedical and pre-health
advising organization at CSUMB
We are here to help!
We also want to work together with the CSUMB
campus community to figure out what you want
and need from your health career advising.
IS MEDICAL SCHOOL RIGHT FOR ME?
Some questions to ask yourself:
 Do I care about other people, their problems, and
their pain?
 Do I enjoy helping people with my skills and
knowledge?
 Do I enjoy learning, gaining new understanding?
 Do I often dig deeper into a subject than my
teacher requires? Do I understand the value of
learning beyond just making good grades?
 Am I interested in how the human body
functions? Am I intrigued by the way medicine
can be used to improve life?
ABOUT MEDICAL SCHOOL
Required on the path to becoming a doctor
 4 years total – 2 years classroom learning, 2
years clinical clerkships
 Three licensing exams – Step 1 (taken after Year
2), Step 2 (taken after Year 3), and Step 3 (taken
after intern year)
 Followed by residency which varies on length
depending on specialty

Family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics – 3
years
 General surgery – 5 years
 Surgical subspecialties – 7+ years

ABOUT MEDICAL SCHOOL
Is it hard?
 Do you have free time?
 Is it competitive?
 Are people nice?
 What’s the anatomy lab like?
 What if I don’t like blood?

GENERAL PREMED REQUIREMENTS
A year of Chemistry along with the appropriate laboratory
courses
A year of Organic Chemistry along with laboratory courses
A year of Biology along with laboratory courses
A year of Physics along with laboratory courses
A year of English
A year of Calculus or other advanced math classes, including
Statistics
MCAT: computerized, multiple-choice test
Offered monthly at Prometric testing sites throughout the
country
Four sections: Verbal Reasoning, Physical Sciences, Writing
Sample, and Biological Sciences
SAMPLE TIMELINE FOR APPLICATION
DIRECTLY AFTER UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES
First and second year – finish premedical
requirements, participate in prehealth activities
such as volunteering, research,
 Third year – continue prehealth activities, maintain
a strong GPA, take MCAT, and find recommenders
 Summer after third year – apply online using the
AMCAS, the earlier the application is submitted,
the better!
 Fourth year – Secondary applications, received
invitations to interview, matriculate by May 15
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ALTERNATIVE TIMELINE
Most medical students have taken at least one
year between undergraduate studies and medical
school
 If premedical requirements have not been
satisfied during undergraduate studies, they can
be completed with post baccalaureate studies
 This time off can be used to strengthen your
application – activities such as working in a
medical field, Teach For America, MPH,
Research, Volunteer work, and travel abroad
have all been components of successful
applications

ABOUT THE AMCAS
The AMCAS (American Medical College
Application Service) is a common online
application used by all medical schools during the
application process
 Required sections include

Undergraduate transcript
 Activities & Awards
 Personal statement explaining desire to go to medical
school
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Secondary applications vary by school
Questions tailored to school
 Short answer questions about ethics
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FINANCIAL AID
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Medical school tuition generally costs $50k per year
Most schools offer financial aid
The federal government offers loans through the Stafford
program, which don’t have to be paid back until after
graduation and accrue interest with a fixed, subsidized
rate
Physician salaries depend on specialty, but here are
some averages:
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Family practice: $204k
Pediatrics: $175k
Emergency Medicine: $216k
General surgery: $291k
Radiology $354k
What are my chances of getting in?
GENERAL ADVICE
Talk to as many people who have navigated this
process before – it’s full of intricacies that are not
mentioned by the official sources (i.e. the
importance of sending in applications early)
 Find a physician who will allow you to shadow
them
 Plan ahead and be aware of deadlines early, but
don’t panic about missing them. There is much
time to get into medical school

A BROAD RANGE OF OPTIONS IN HEALTH
CAREERS

Osteopathic Medicine (4 yrs plus residency)

California - Touro and Western Medical College
Nursing (varies)
 Physical Therapy (3 yr program)
 Dentistry (4 yr program)
 Pharmacy (4 yr program)
 Physician Assistant (2 yr program)
 Veterinary (4 yr program)
 Optometry (4 yr program)
 Medical Social worker (2 yr program)
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RESOURCES
UCSF Medical Students –
ucsfsalinasmedstudent@gmail.com
 aamc.org
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Medical School Admissions Requirements (MSAR)
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Official website of the Association of American Medical
Colleges
Official annual publication; details the medical
admissions process, the MCAT, and provides
information on each individual school.
Studentdoctor.net

Valuable messageboard for premedical advice on all
topics
RECOMMENDED BOOKS
House of God by Samuel Shem
 Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder
 When the Air Hits Your Brain: Tales of
Neurosurgery by Frank Vertosick
 Complications and Better by Atul Gawande
 The Doctor Stories by William Carlos Williams
 The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by
Anne Fadiman
 The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by
Oliver Sacks
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QUESTIONS?