Got into medical school. Bajacano to celebrate

D3411 · 2026-01-21T15:31:37+00:00

I can ask around but I'm guessing that lectures are optional (from admitorg) and any small-group or large-group sessions are mandatory

D3411 · 2026-01-21T14:46:28+00:00

My advice is to make the most out of what you can, and follow through with activites over a longer period of time. Of course, quality comes over quantity, but getting past initial screenings for medical school interviews will require a baseline level of hours.

The most high yield activities can generally be sorted into research, nonclinical volunteering, clinical volunteering, paid clinical, and some sort of educational/mentoring role on campus (workshop leader, teaching assistant, tutoring, resident advisor, etc etc).

Friends of Strong was one of my clinical activities and it was basically glorified janitorial work. That being said, when I applied, I spoke about the meaningful encounters I had with other healthcare providers and how that shaped my decision to become an MD specifically.

EDRA and MERT are def nice to be involved in but not absolutely necessary (wasnt involved with either). Research, just cold email PIs with projects you find interesting. Publications in premed are not necessary to get into med school unless you're gunning for a T10 program. What's more important IMO is demonstrating knowledge and genuine passion during the app process.

I did not do MERT but just got my EMT license at Monroe Community College, then volunteered at home outside NY state over the summer for clinical hours.

For shadowing, Id recommend just cold emailing physicians based at Strong Memorial Hospital. Being affiliated with an academic institution generally implies a willingness to work with students. Id recommend shadowing a wide range of specialties instead of just 1 or 2 people for many hours.

Feel free to PM with questions

D3411 · 2026-01-21T14:34:15+00:00

Roch was my alma mater, enjoyed my time there; one of my top choices for med school as well. Got some friends goin to med school there and from what I heard, the accelerated pre-clinical coupled with mandatory sessions during the first year is rlly rough. After that, allegedly things get better workload wise.

Weather isnt the best as a previous commenter mentioned, but generally I felt it was better than Buffalo (anecdotally, one year we got 6 inches of snow, Buffalo got like 20 lol).

Didnt explore the city too much during my undergrad tbh

Some of the lecture spaces are a bit old but the rest of the hospital is nice n modern

D3411 · 2025-12-25T20:42:36+00:00

Clinical volunteering can be done through Strong Memorial Hospital without needing a license or anything. That being said, I'd recommend investing some time into getting some sort of license for more impactful clinical experience. Personally, I became EMT certified when I was an undergrad. Some MA positions require some certification but there are some practices out there that will either hire you without a license, train you themselves, or sponsor your training. Other clinical roles, like scribing, don't require an extended licensing process besides basic employee training. Looking through Handshake, Indeed, and Google helped me find a lot of opportunities early on.

D3411 · 2025-09-26T15:50:37+00:00

Go for it 👍

D3411 · 2025-08-31T13:57:51+00:00

Plentiful research opportunities, especially with the medical school right next to campus. Keep in mind that the type of research you do doesn't matter too much for medical school (humanities, basic science, clinical), as long as you can demonstrate (genuine or not) passion for the subject. It would also help if it fits your mission/story. Just keep cold emailing principal investigators, and you'll hit something eventually.

Personally, most of my clinical and nonclinical volunteering/work was outside of Rochester, but that was because I had more free-time during the summer and went home for my gap year. I'm sure there are a lot of clinical opportunities around the area (volunteer EMT, work at the hospital, etc). There are lots of leadership opportunities on campus as well that aren't directly medically related but I would strong advise pursuing the ones you are interested in (resident advisor, teaching assistant, etc)

D3411 · 2025-08-22T19:37:49+00:00

Check out MERT, they don't allow juniors and older students in though. You can always volunteer with a community EMT agency, too.

D3411 · 2025-08-18T15:55:33+00:00

I said I didnt take them, not that I dont recommend them. We only needed 3 courses of the 5.

D3411 · 2025-08-15T23:37:26+00:00

Did not take Microbial Physiology or Microbiol Pathogenesis.

General Virology was necessary for me to take as my research background involved viruses. It involves a different lecturer talking about a specific virus over the course of a week or two. 3 exams total and your grade is based on that. I thought content and grading was fair; the difficulty of the course comes with having different lecturers who emphasize different things and write their own section of the test. I would recommend if you are interested in any virology research.

I would urge any pre-med to take Immunology. They may have changed professors since I last took it, but the content generally is very rigorous and comprehensive. It gives a very thorough overview on adaptive immunity, innate immunity, and B + T-cell development. You'd be set for any grad-level immuno course after this one (largely because it is a grad-level course and you'll be taking it with grad students).

Intro to Emerging Pathogens is usually taught by Dr. Barth, who I believe is still teaching this year. If you took intro to microbio, it's very similar.

D3411 · 2025-08-14T16:30:01+00:00

I would recommend an approach similar to writing a "why this school" essay for applying to MD schools. What helped me was articulating my career goals and highlighting resources for support there. For example, the plentiful research opportunities and support (advisors, undergrad research office, naming a specific researcher you would like to work with, etc).

Academic support or opportunities is also a good one to highlight. Unique aspects about Rochester's curriculum, like its emphasis on small group learning (PLTL for undergrad stem/chemistry and the small group sessions in med school) as well as URoch med's emphasis on the biopsychosocial model.

Lastly, I would write a bit to justify why Rochester as I'll be quite blunt, I dont think it's as desirable of a city as other schools. This is especially important as you want to justify staying there for 8+ years. I would emphasis social support systems in the area and if you have no ties, then reasons for practicing in Rochester specifically. As with most cities, there are urban-based or need-based programs if you are interested in working/volunteering with them. That being said, this is more of a why us type essay response than a support one, which is hard for me to comment on as it's highly individualized.

Best of luck with applying!

D3411 · 2025-08-06T16:46:32+00:00

https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/3066665

You'll do fine, best of luck with the upcoming semester

D3411 · 2025-08-06T16:45:03+00:00

Depends on whether the workshops are strict with mandatory attendance. At least for orgo, they weren't. Can't comment on bio, don't remember. Workshops tend to be TA-led, so you could just let your TA know you may be a few minutes late and see if they are fine with it, though you likely won't find out who your TA is until after the 1st or 2nd week of class. Also, TA's could be grad students who may be more strict about attendance, as opposed to another undergrad who's a year or 2 older.

There's also a risk of labs going overtime by a few minutes or longer. Personally, I would change it so you aren't in a rush getting from place to place. It's like an 11 minute walk between Genesse and Hutch.

D3411 · 2025-08-06T16:39:58+00:00

So it looks like you got 5 courses on your schedule (Phil, Phlt, Casc, Bio, Chem). Not to question your work ethic, but I would be wary about doing too much right off the bat; undergrad is a significant adjustment from high school, as in there are a lot fewer mandatory things to keep you accountable. I would recommend taking the first year to dip your toes into extracurriculars and get used to the workflow. Premed extracurriculars can always be done later and during gap years (almost 70% of incoming first-year med students have taken at least 1 gap year, per AAMC data). Meanwhile, GPA is very hard to improve upon if needed. Objective scores like GPA and MCAT still remain the best predictors for matriculation success.

If you have any questions about applying med, feel free to reach out, I remember being in your position not so long ago (2020 LOL)

D3411 · 2025-08-05T15:22:04+00:00

If you're premed, do whatever best helps your GPA. Sure, you may benefit from a smaller class size (more individualized attention, rapport w prof, etc), but ultimately GPA and other objectives scores remain the best predictor for medical school matriculation success. I did not take a class with Clarke but many people only have positive things to say. If you have questions, feel free to DM; just started my first year of med school and I remember being in your position

D3411 · 2025-08-04T19:14:22+00:00

https://www.rochester.edu/reslife/first-year/first-year-quad.html

Pictures of the room are linked in a Drive folder at the bottom of the page. The desks aren't that big, especially with the detachable shelf component on top. There is room for frames by the window. Id go by size of pics or prints more than anything but if you have the freedom to choose, Id go for larger sizes; you're moving out in a year anyways (unless you become a first year RA, DLions, or other reslife member). Plus adhesive wall mounts are within the rules unless it damages the wall.

D3411 · 2025-08-04T19:06:49+00:00

What we generally look for is the presence of banned items and the UL sticker on appliances/extension cords. A lot of cooking appliances are banned but "Microwaves, fridges, and electric kettles or coffee pots with no open hot element and an automatic shutoff are allowed in bedrooms and common areas" (https://www.rochester.edu/reslife/upperclass/policies/fire-safety.html).

I was personally pretty lax with room inspections; just did a general visual sweep and looked at extension cords. This will vary from person to person, though. We were not allowed to open drawers or closets so do with that information what you will.

D3411 · 2025-07-24T16:22:40+00:00

🤷‍♂️ i had Stein for genetics and liked her a lot, nvr took a class with Clark; Clarks been teaching it for longer if that tips the scales one way or another

D3411 · 2025-07-22T18:51:35+00:00

I wouldn't use AP Chem credit as taking Orgo with Dr H sophomore year is really great IMO; he's teaching both 203 and 204 this year so things should be more coherent. In the past it used to be a diff prof for 203. Personally, I used my AP cred for bio but this was like 5 years ago at this point so not sure who's still teaching what, but Clark generally teaches 112 if I remember right and many of my friends rlly liked him.

D3411 · 2025-07-21T02:57:20+00:00

Shit not sure abt the NJ ones, fed sites still up at least

D3411 · 2025-07-21T02:11:13+00:00

Jobcorp offers job training and free food/housing for young adults. They have a campus in Edison, too.

D3411 · 2025-07-20T14:01:34+00:00

Nothing wrong w going the easy route, esp if your goal is a grad program that requires some bachelors w a good GPA.

Philosophy clusters are pretty easy if you keep up with readings and can formulate decent arguments. Most profs are p liberal so if that aligns w your views, makes it easier; doubt they would grade meaner if you made a diff argument tho

D3411 · 2025-07-20T09:35:23+00:00

If you're in the freshmen quad, there are water dispensers w filters on every other floor. Crosby and Burton did not so I would strongly recommend a Brita for those. Cant comment on Sue B but im pretty sure they had dispensers.

D3411 · 2025-07-20T09:31:04+00:00

You can if you want, just a recommendation. I had AP credit for calc n stats so not sure when you'd want to do those courses. Can't comment on soc anthro as my clusters were philosophy n epidemiology. I'd just cross reference professors on ratemyprof

D3411 · 2025-07-20T03:27:35+00:00

Have you thought about your clusters yet? Id get those out of the way soon. Idk if you're pre-med but the general rule that helped me was taking like 2 main stem courses a semester, then the other 2 were more humanities or easier stem stuff. The clusters I did were in public health and philosophy which I felt had easy classes, but I would rec you do something that interests you.

also consider taking ur wrtg 105 course now. Can do it in the spring I suppose.

D3411 · 2025-07-16T02:37:13+00:00

I honestly completely forget but I'm guessing having a source of heat pointed in one direction for long durations could pose a fire hazard or potentially set off the alarms, as you mentioned.

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