University of Puerto Rico at Ponce

INGL4021- M03
English Department

MEMORANDUM

DATE: March 8, 2023

TO: Pier LeCompte Zambran, English Professor

FROM: Paola Negrón Alicea

SUBJECT: Trip report on a conference

MEETING OF THE PURPOSE

On March 8, 2023, the association AMSA offered a conference called ¿Qué

me hace competitivo para medicina? Presented by Ónix Santiago, former
student, and founder of “Puertorro Med”. The meeting was held at 7:00 pm
via zoom meeting. The purpose of this conference was to inform the students
about what you need to be a candidate for medical school. Ónix Santiago also
shares how hard the competition can be but also prepares you for the next
chapter.

HOW TO BE COMPETITIVE

During the presentation, Ónix Santiago shared some valuable information on

what you need to enter medical school, the average that you need to be
considered and the minimum number of recommendation letters you must
have. In the conference it informed the students the importance of a good
average and how you can be studied for the big exam which is the MCAT but
also presented his timeline of he’s years of preparation: years of university and
when he applied to medical school which for me this information is very
valuable because it helps us understand the hard process we will have to go
through. Something that caught my attention was that you don't have to be
obligated to have a bachelor's degree to be able to enter medical school, but
that you only need to have a good GPA and the prerequisites that the
university asks for to enter but he also mentions that it is extremely important
that they get A in those requirements. He talks about the experiences that you
need to apply to any university related to medicine like:

• academic metrics
• experiences in community service
• extracurricular activities
• conferences attended

CONCLUSION

Thanks to Ónix Santiago conference, I have the knowledge on how to apply to

medical school, and all the things that I must achieve before applying. But
also, thanks to this event because now I can prepare myself and be more
confident for my next chapter in life which is pharmacy school. I appreciate
the AMSA association for giving us the opportunity to attend this conference
and helping us learn more about what we need for medical school.

ENCLOSURE: Evidence of Attendance