Premed Prep

SUNNY NAKAE, Ph.D., M.S.W., is the Senior Associate Dean for Equity, Inclusion, Diversity, and Partnership, and Associate Professor of Medical Education at the California University of Science and Medicine. Prior to joining CUSM she served as Associate Dean for Student Affairs at the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine where she held an adjunct appointment as Associate Professor of Social Medicine, Population and Public Health. She has previously held administrative positions at the University of Utah School of Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, and Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine.  

Preface

Part I: Getting a Solid Start   

1          Premed Basics: Be Quick, But Don’t Hurry               

2          Advice for First Generation Students           

3          Advice for Minoritized Students       

4          Advice for Undocumented Students               

Part II: The Premed Journey

5          Exploration & Affirmation                            

6          Dump the Checklist Mindset                                                 

7          The Secret to a Competitive Edge     

Part III: Advice for Application Season          

8          The Inside Scoop on Strategy and Maximizing Mission Fit             

9          Understand the Graduate/Professional School Context        

10        Professionalism and People Skills in a Digital Era

Part IV: Support Team Advice

11        Advice for Parents and Friends                       

12        Advice for Advisers

Part V: Gap Years and Reapplying

13        Maximizing a Gap

14        Advice for Reapplicants

15        Finish Lines and Deadlines

Appendix: An Overview of the Journey to Becoming a Physician

Index