1. PHA Week 4 Meeting Tuesday 10/22/2013 10/22/13

2. Announcements  *FREE PRACTICE (MCAT, GRE, LSAT) TEST:* Kaplan is hosting a FREE opportunity for students to take a practice exam. Tests are proctored like the actual exam, and afterwards instructors will give a short workshop on test-taking strategies and will answer questions on*Saturday, October 26th*  GRE and LSAT start at 9am and MCAT starts at 10am Where: Rowland Hall: check in starts 30min before each test *Pre-Register*: with this webform http://tinyurl.com/UCIFree  If enrolling within 48 hours of the event, you should enroll via www.kaptest.com/practice to ensure that you will have a seat (physical or virtual) the day of the event.

3. Presented To you By: Pre-health alliance at UCI, 2013 Using Extracurriculars to Your Advantage!

4. Extracurriculars QUALITY > QUANTITY Things you are passionate about! Well-rounded  Try something new or a bit out of your comfort zone!

5. Volunteering Giving back to the community Social interaction Find your passion Needed although it is unwritten Possible L.O.R. can come out of volunteering

6. Clinical Volunteering Clinical (Hospitals, Health-Centers, Fairs, etc.)  Health Fairs  Hoag Hospital (Clinical Care Extenders)  www.copehealthsolutions.org/clinical-internships/cce-application www.copehealthsolutions.org/clinical-internships/cce-application  Gottschalk Medical Plaza  www.healthcare.uci.edu/volunteer-services/college.asp www.healthcare.uci.edu/volunteer-services/college.asp  CHOC (Children’s Hospital of Orange County)  www.choc.org/volunteer www.choc.org/volunteer  St. Joseph’s Hospital  www.sjo.org/For-Community/Volunteer-at-St-Joseph- Hospital.aspx www.sjo.org/For-Community/Volunteer-at-St-Joseph- Hospital.aspx

7. Non-Clinical Volunteering Non-Medical Related Volunteering  Doesn’t have to be science related!  Volunteer Match  www.volunteermatch.org/search?l=Irvine%2C+%2C+USA www.volunteermatch.org/search?l=Irvine%2C+%2C+USA  City of Irvine Website  www.cityofirvine.org/cityhall/cs/seniors/volunteer_opportunities/default.asp www.cityofirvine.org/cityhall/cs/seniors/volunteer_opportunities/default.asp  So many options to choose from!  Soup Kitchens  Karate For All  Autumn Years  Walk-a-thon committees

8. Questions about Volunteering?

9. Why is it important? Gives clinical experience Helps you see an average day of a physician Shows commitment Help you determine if your field is right for you One of the “Intangible” med school req’s Shadowing

10. Ways to Shadow a Physician Health Fairs  Get variety; although not consistent enough  Good supplement to “real” shadowing Networking  Ask friends, family members, professors, and your doctor for any contacts for shadowing Hospitals  Hoag, Choc, & Gottschalk all have shadowing components to their volunteering

11. Ways to Shadow a Physician Specialized Shadowing  Zotlink: Medical internships  The Center for Future Health Professionals (UCI Med School)  www.cfhp.uci.edu/index.asp?p=26 www.cfhp.uci.edu/index.asp?p=26  Email health professionals directly! 10/21/13

12. On Your Application Include: Length of involvement Supervisor Brief Description

13. QUESTIONS ABOUT SHADOWING??

14. Research Experience Demonstrates independent scholarship and advanced achievement Not absolutely necessary (depending on grad school) Give it a try! You never know! UCI is a research university

15. Types of Research Clinical Non-Clinical (lab) Does not have to be in the “hard” science

16. How to Find Research: Professors Professors you have taken classes with Bio 199 website Go to their office Email them  Include:  Why you are interested in researching with THEM specifically  Why you are interested in that FIELD of research  Approximately how many quarters you are willing to research with them

17. How to Find Research: Friends/Networks Ask your peers!

18. Graded units! Some labs require this in order to move onto Bio 199 Bio 199 Graded Units! http://students.bio.uci.edu/bio199.html http://students.bio.uci.edu/bio199.html Can do Excellence in Research  Can get your research published in a journal! Research: Bio 198/199 Bio 198

19. Have a Resume Prepared Discuss your Career Goals/Interests When you are being interviewed by the professor, Don’t forget to Interview them too! Come Up with Questions to Ask Them Specifics about their research Ask what you will be doing Ask if there is possibility of you doing your own project Research: Interview

20. If bio 198/199, fill out the packets online ASAP. Due Week 3 Friday at the latest. No exceptions! Ask about attire and what else Is expected Always be cordial! Read up more about the Research Stay Committed Research: You got the position, Now what?

21. Questions??

22. Letters of Recommendation

23. Letters of Recommendation: 3-6 letters of rec needed Science professors, non-science professors, community/ volunteer work letter of rec Depends on school. Consult with your bio counselor.

24. LOR: Who to ask? Physicians you have spent time with Managers of places you have volunteered/worked at in clinical settings Faculty who taught you (GO TO OH) Faculty/mentors you did research with NO personal friends, family, colleague, etc.

25. LOR: Great vs Ok Letters Point is to show WHO YOU ARE WHAT YOU ARE LIKE Schools already know your gpa and other extracurrics Should show your qualities When ask for LOR, ask if they can write you a GOOD/GREAT LOR Allow up to 3-4 months for you writer!

26. LOR: OPEN VS CLOSED OPEN – you have full access to it CLOSED – you do not have access to it Schools preferred closed file! This is why you should ask early on if they can write you a great letter!

27. LOR Services Here at UCI: BSSA HSAC LOR Must attend workshop. Updates on the bio sci website. BioSci Office canceled the one they had planned. They will email you an updated time of the workshop. LOR writers will send letters to BSSA, and they will update your file They store your letters for you until you are ready to apply Once you put a LOR into your file, you cannot remove it You need to give a waiver to your writer, so set up your file with BSSA first!

28. LOR: A Word of Advice Make sure you have a good relationship with the writer Ask beforehand if they can write you a letter Medical schools prefer CLOSED Give ample time for writers to write  Keep in mind application deadlines  Also, keep in mind BSSA needs time to update your file!

29. QUESTIONS??

30. Personal Statements - Reading a lot of books especially about medicine can give you insight into how doctors think or feel. Some recommended books…

31. Personal Statements -A good resource for writing personal statements… http://web.jhu.edu/prepro/health/Applicants/person al.html 10/21/13

32. Last But NOT Least… Other Extracurriculars Med Schools love:  Clubs  Sports and other Physical Activities  Hobbies Why Med Schools love these too:  They want to know what drives you  Want to see self-motivation  What you do outside of school  Creativity and Uniqueness  LEADERSHIP

33.  So go out their and get involved  At our next meeting on November 5th, we will have a guest speaker, Sean Rose, come from the American University of Antigua to give us a presentation.  Deadline for club fees/t-shirts are on November 5 th