The World of a Pre-Health Transfer

• Register as a Pre-Health/Pre Med student

1. 1. 1. Register here with Health Beat as a Pre-Health/Pre Med student to learn more about the tools, resources, and advising to help you prepare for your future academic and professional goals.

• Attend a Transfer and Non-Traditional (TNT) Pre-Health Transfer Transition Seminar

1. 1. 1. I really wish I knew about this seminar when I first transferred to UCSD. It is a seminar that focuses on transfer students and non-traditional students interested in health careers and is a great way to transition to UCSD and prepare for your time at this new school. 
      2. The seminar usually takes place at the beginning of the Fall quarter. Follow TNT Facebook to keep updated with all their events!
   2. Create an education plan:
      1. Whether you plan on taking a gap year or apply right away, it is very important to start creating an education plan that includes your prerequisites for your pre health choice
         1. Look over this amazing infographic for steps and details to support you and other transfers build your academic plan at UCSD.
         2. Use https://plans.ucsd.edu/ to look at a general major plan to create your own personalized plan
         3. Meet with your major and college advisors to finalize your education plan and make sure you are on track of completing all major, college, and university requirements
         4. Use the Virtual Advising Center (VAC) for quick questions regarding your plan!
         5. Healthbeat includes a list of general prerequisites for pre health majors here: https://career.ucsd.edu/plan/explore/pre-health-med/ 
            1. Common classes include: one year of general biology with lab (BILD 1,2,3), one year of general chemistry with lab, one year of organic chemistry with lab, calculus, and one year of physics. 
            2. If you are a STEM transfer student you would have most likely completed these courses before you transfer!
      2. Tip: Not all classes are offered during certain quarters. Make sure to talk to your major advisor to plan out the best times to take certain classes!

• Join clubs and organizations on campus 

1. 1. 1. While there are so many clubs and organizations on campus, I recommend joining 1-3 clubs and really get involved in them.  The more you get involved in a club, the more leadership opportunities you can create to maximize your time at UCSD.
         1. If you are worried that you will struggle with finding a leadership position with a limited amount of time at UCSD, there are a lot of Transfer + Non traditional student clubs that constantly need leadership positions filled because transfers are only at UCSD for a limited time
            1. Click here for the Transfer-Specific Associations
         2. It is also possible to gain leadership positions at non transfer specific clubs and organizations as well! Pick and choose clubs that you are passionate and interested in getting involved in and it is a great way to connect with other members and gain leadership opportunities.
            1. Click here for the list of UCSD Student Organizations
      2. Join a club with your pre-health interest to learn more about the different resources and preparations you’ll need for applications, volunteer and job opportunities, and mentors.
   2. Make an appointment with Healthbeat - Healthbeat has a lot of resources to help you before and during the application process. Appointments with a Healthbeat counselor are found on Handshake and they release their availability every Friday at noon for the following week
      1. Appointments can fill up very quickly! If you have a quick question, you can also ask for support from HealthBeat student mentors or go to drop in advising
      2. Use the Health Beat Career Guide to learn how to prepare to apply, the application process, consider different pathways such as a gap year or post baccalaureate program, tips on letter of recommendations, personal statements and more! (I used this guide for tips on writing my personal statements and the interview process)
      3. Healthbeat advisors will help you create an education plan that includes all the pre-reqs with your intended pre-health career.  Make sure to create a full education plan with your major department first before making an appointment with healthbeat to make the most of the appointment
      4. They will help you plan your timeline for the application process and also go over topics such as gap years and post-baccalaureate programs to make you a competitive applicant.
      5. I used healthbeat to help create an education plan that included all the prerequisite courses I needed for optometry, discussed how I can be a stronger applicant, and used healthbeat to help revise my personal statement for optometry school. Healthbeat has helped me throughout the entire application process and I recommend using them to support you along the way

• Get to know you professors

1. 1. 1. When I first transferred to UCSD, I was overwhelmed by the large class sizes and wasn’t sure if my professor would ever know who I was. It is important to create relationships with your professors because they can help you in many ways outside of their class. They can write strong letters of recommendations, offer research opportunities, TA positions, and more! 
      2. Attend office hours:
         1. A great way to meet the professors is to attend their office hours. I used office hours to get extra help in a class that I struggled with. I was able to connect with my professor well, who ended up writing my letter of recommendation for optometry school! If you are not struggling with your class but still want to get to know the professors better, attending office hours are a great way to learn more about their research or themselves. 
      3. Coffee with a prof: Dine/Coffee With a Prof Program is another great way to talk to your professors one on one for you and the professor to get to know each other better. One of the best parts about this program is that UCSD covers the cost of the coffee and food!
      4. Stay connected: If you are in need of a letter of recommendations from a professor that you took a class with a while ago, make sure to stay connected with them during that gap. You can send them emails about updates in your academic or career goals and ask how they have been doing with their research to keep that connection. You can also do this with professors from other institutions that you transferred from. I kept up with my community college professor after I transferred to UCSD and he also wrote me a letter of recommendation for Optometry school.

• Preparing for the standardized testing (mCAT, DAT, OAT, Pcat)

1. 1. 1. Use your club resources! 
      2. Through UCSD’s pre-optometry club, I was able to rent out test prep books to help me prepare for my OAT test. Check out your club’s resources on what to use for studying and even renting out books!

• Writing your personal statement:

1. 1. 1. Give yourself plenty of time to draft, revise, and edit your personal statement.
      2. Attend personal statement workshops:
         1. Health Beat and many student organizations host personal statement workshops throughout the school year. Make sure to attend at least one to help you throughout the writing process.
      3. As a biology major, I don’t always feel confident in my writing. I can write a lab report well, but when it comes to writing about myself, I struggle a lot. I used UCSD’s Writing Hub to help grammatically correct my personal statement, add more imagery, and to get perspective from an outside opinion to make sure my personal statement makes sense.
      4. Have a Health Beat advisor look over your personal statement for feedback.
      5. Have family and friends also review your personal statement to make sure the personal statement reflects who you are and your strengths 

• Preparing for the interview:

1. 1. 1. There are several mock interview workshops throughout the year from both Health Beat and Transfer and Non-Traditional Students for Health at UCSD (TNT). They give general advice and feedback on how you do in the mock interview.
      2. When I wanted to practice on my own time, I used Big Interview, which all UCSD students have access to: https://ucsd.joinhandshake.com/articles/8356
         1. Big Interview has a lot of questions prepared for the different pre-health interviews. It has a feature that can record how you are speaking so you can look back to see how you did.
         2. This website really helped me especially since my interview was virtual this year. I recommend using this website to look at all the interview questions that they have to prepare for yours. Some of the questions this website asked were in my actual interview for optometry school!

• Enjoy the process:

1. 1. Transferring to UCSD is an amazing accomplishment. Give yourself time to adjust to transferring to the school and do not rush into worrying about applications just yet! Make sure to enjoy your time at UCSD along with all the connections you will build at the school as you make your way along your pre-health journey.