Med Student Panel

SPRING 2022
PLEASE BE ADVISED
This Zoom session will be recorded and subsequently uploaded to PMWB’s website,
along with these slides.
Nirosh Mataraarachchi
Pre-Med Advising
 David Ahmadian
White Coat Admissions

● Has been providing personalized,

medical school admissions consulting
services for over 7 years!

● Link:
https://www.whitecoatadmissions.com
 ➢ Introduce Panelists
➢ Panel Questions (6-
Meeting 6:50pm)
➢ Break (6:50-7pm)
Overview ➢ Breakout Rooms (7-8pm)
➢ Final Announcements
Panelist Introduction
 David Ahmadian

➢ MS3 at University of
Arizona, College of
Medicine - Tucson
➢ Otolaryngology
➢ Love to travel! I’ve
been to 11 countries
Nirosh Mataraarachchi
➢ MS1 at UCSF School of Medicine
➢ Interested in Cardiology and
Medical Education
○ Also working w/
underserved populations
➢ Exploring career in Academic
Medicine/Clinical Educator
➢ First Gen American & college
grad
➢ I have a rational fear of
horror movies but an
irrational love for choco chip
cookies!
 Jack Ryan
➢ MS3 at UCSD School of
Medicine
➢ Interested in Emergency
Medicine & Anesthesia
➢ Originally from Sacramento
➢ Georgetown in DC for
undergrad
➢ Like to play volleyball &
hang w/ friends in my free
time!
 Steve Calderon
➢ MS3 at UCSD School of
Medicine
○ Research year in
summer!
➢ Interested in Internal
Medicine/Pediatrics
○ Cardiology for
fellowship
➢ Play piano, loves video
games, working out/sports,
EDM - jack of all trades!
Matthew Rajaratnam
➢ UCSD Class of 2016
➢ UCSD School of Medicine
Class of 2022
➢ Starting Internal
Medicine residency at
USC + LA County
Hospital
➢ Played lots of Super
Smash Bros Melee in
college
Panel Questions
 Deciding on a School

What drew you to the school you’re attending?

What’s one challenge you faced during your pre-med

journey, and how did you overcome it?

→ could be financial, educational, social, etc.

 Extracurriculars
What sort of clinical, volunteer, or work experience
were you involved in? How does that compare to now?

Which undergrad classes were most impactful to you for

med school?

If you participated in any undergraduate research, how

did your experience benefit you? How relevant is it to
what you’re doing in med-school now?
 Extra Extras.
Did you enroll in a post-bacc or non-medical school
graduate program?

What did you like to do during your free time prior to

applying to med school? Do you still participate in
those activities?
 Gap Years
If you took one or more gap years prior to med school,
what did you do during your gap year(s)?

What are the benefits (or even potential drawbacks) of a

gap year?

During your gap year, what are some activities that you
feel contributed to a stronger application?
 And the Headliner is...

Craziest Story / Most Memorable

Experience in Med School
 MCAT
How did you study for the MCAT?
- Did you make your own schedule,
take a class, study in groups, etc.?

How did you balance social, personal, and

academic life while studying?
- When was your test date?
 Letters of Rec
How did you build rapport with your
professors and subsequently find the
confidence to request a LOR?

What’s something you learned from a

professor that has stuck with you or
been meaningful to you?
 Standing Out as an Applicant

What are some factors that you believe

helped set you apart from other
applicants?

- Could be part of PS, interviews,

primary app, etc.
 Interviews
How was the interview process?

How did you answer the “why do you want to

become a doctor?” question?

How did you prepare for ethical questions

(whether for SJTs or interviews)?
 Stress
How hard is Medical school compared to undergrad?

How do you deal with stress?

What is your day-to-day schedule like?

- Does it match your premed expectations?

 Closing Questions
What are your future plans? (own a practice,
research, type of speciality, where to live, go
abroad?, etc.)

What are some communities or groups you’re

involved in (on/off-campus)

What are some ways you create joy?

10 min Break
Breakout Rooms
 Breakout Rooms
The medical students will now be rotating
between breakout rooms to answer any personal
questions/speak about their experiences!

15 minutes per Panelist

Everyone will have a chance to speak to each

panelist!
End
Nirosh Mataraarachchi
Pre-Med Advising
 David Ahmadian
White Coat Admissions

● Has been providing personalized,

medical school admissions consulting
services for over 7 years!

● Link:
https://www.whitecoatadmissions.com
 Panelists Contact Info
David Ahmadian - david.ahmadian321@gmail.com

Stephen Calderon - stcalder@health.ucsd.edu

Nirosh Mataraarachchi - NMedMentor@gmail.com

Jack Ryan - jfryan@ucsd.edu
*Matt Rajaratnam - matraj94@gmail.com
Thank you for
attending this
Panel!
 Follow Us Here!

Instagram: @hdi_ucsd

Facebook Group: Health Disparities Initiative at UCSD

Email: hdi@ucsd.edu

Discord Server: http://tiny.cc/hdi_ucsd

→ https://linktr.ee/hdi.ucsd
→ Stay tuned for more HDI events through social media and Discord
 Follow Us Here!

Instagram: @pmwbucsd

Facebook Group: Pre-Meds Without Borders (UC San Diego)

Website: pmwbucsd.weebly.com
***Our Facebook Page is currently not in our control/access,
so instead our Facebook Group is listed above.

THESE SLIDES AND A RECORDING OF THIS SESSION ARE AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE
(ABOVE)