Feedback
| "In my opinion... there are a lot of unused resources amongst us, and if we all don't make a group effort to help each other there is no point in us being put together in a group that is supposed to cooperate for a common effort: getting each one of us into Medical Scool. We are a pretty bright and special group, otherwise we would not have been chosen to be part of the 2006 UCSD Postbac program. Let us all make a commitment and help guide each other in making each and every one of us a more knowledgeable person in every aspect, it is all for our own benefit. Like Saundra said, we should take advantage of this opportunity to make ourselves more than the ordinary student, and the ordinary Med School applicant." — Maria Alfaro, Postbac Student (UCSD School of Medicine, MS-I, Matriculation Date: Fall 2008) |  |
| "I know that the path to greatness is not easy. It requires tears, sweat, and blood. I know that everyone in this group has a dream. And that dream is to serve those who are lost, abandoned, or forgotten. Do you all have an idea what that entails? The easy road is to practice medicine in a nice setting where there are no pressures or extra unnecessary stresses. Yet, you all want far beyond that. You want to be different. You all want to be extraordinary and not ordinary. The difference between ordinary and extraordinary does not mean being better than others but having the iron will to cause change." — Vitelio Rodriguez, HCOP Student (University of Illinois, School of Medicine, Matriculation Date: Fall, 2009) |  |
| "My senior year of college I took a class in religious pluralism. In his opening remarks my professor spoke to us not as students but as equals, as colleagues in an academic endeavor. He argued then, as I argue now, that our individual success will be the product of a collective effort. He reminded us that the responsibility of participation was each of our own and that our individual failures would constitute a failure as a group. He said this not as a threat but as a reminder that the issues to be discussed were too important to be said unchallenged. In short, he argued that he was due no apology for our failed preparedness (i.e. not completing reading assignments) but rather the apology was due to our colleagues for denying them the opportunity to hear our thoughts. His words are still valid and for that reason I extend to each of you an apology for missing Journal Club on Friday. Consistent with that, I'd like to encourage everyone to become a more active participant in our conversations and not to sit silently (when we meet in person). There is no point in simply filling a Journal Club chair — the value of having us all together is the quality of the conversation." — Angie Robles, Postbac Student (Applicant will apply in 2010) |  |
| If we want to remain ordinary and let things remain the way they are, then, let's not do anything. If we want to change things, let us help one another to push ourselves. We were fifteen different people before this program started. I suggest that it is time to be one. We are a family and in my terms, we are a "team." Together we succeed!" — Vitelio Rodriguez, Postbac Student (University of Illinois, School of Medicine, Matriculation Date: Fall, 2009) | |
| "The goal of the program is to get the us into good medical schools by next year.That said, everyone needs to really pitch in to make this work. So I took the initiative to make a rough breakdown of duties." — Meg Rajan, Postbac Student (Rush Medical College, MS-I, Matriculation Date: Fall, 2008) |  |
| "Hopefully it brings this group together, because it feels we are all disjointed and don't talk to each other. That probably has to do with the array of personalities in the program. Perhaps we can start some team building exercises." — Nicole Gomez, Postbac Student (UCSF School of Medicine, MS-I, Matriculation Date: Fall, 2008) |  |
| "I know that I myself have changed a lot since entering this program and I feel that we all still have so much to benefit from each other. I am willing to help in whatever is needed as well as meeting in groups to discuss our needs/goals/accomplishments." — Nancy Martinez, Postbac Student (Keck-USC School of Medicine, MS-I, Matriculation Date: Fall, 2008) |  |
| "Now it's time to act and improve our program in all aspects. I think we should set up study sessions during different times of the week to not only study together, but also bond." — Rodolfo Guittierez, Postbac Student (UC Davis School of Medicine, MS-I, Matriculation Date: Fall, 2008) |  |
"I am here to help with anything that I can, whether it is interviewing skills, writing, etc." Matriculation Date: Fall, 2008) |  |
| "The students' ideas are really good — we will all benefit from their active participation in our program." — Saundra Kirk, Postbac Program Director |
Partial funding provided by the U.S Department of Health and Human Services Division of Health Professions Diversity
