M1 at University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine

Vanessa Mora

Re-Applicant

Underserved/Underrepresented Student

First-Gen LatinX Student

TL;DR

Decided to pursue medical school late in my education & didn’t start preparing my application/MCAT until one year after graduation from college
5 gap years before matriculating into medical school
Applied to medical school three times and took the MCAT a total of four times.
Daughter of two Mexican immigrants and the first in family to be born in the U.S.
Interested in underserved medicine and working primarily with low-income, Spanish-speaking communities.

Update: Jan 2021

For years leading up to this point, I thought about what my medical school experience might be like. Would the classes be manageable? Would I feel supported amongst my peers and faculty? Would I be doing my part to promote health equity? Now that I am halfway through my first year of medical school, I reflect on these thoughts and find that ,thankfully, the answer to most of my questions is yes. As expected due to COVID-19 restrictions, my medical school experience has been narrowed down to 8 hours a day on Zoom for lectures, small groups, and meetings. Despite the limitations that this virtual environment presents, my faculty and peers at UCSF have proved to be extremely welcoming and supportive. With each passing week of mounting Zoom fatigue, I have redeveloped myself and found hobbies outside of medicine that help keep me balanced. My hobbies aren’t the only thing that has developed though. In the last few months, I have had to shift my perspective from being a pre-med student to being a first year medical student...all from the comfort of my home. In this unique situation, career development and discovery of my long-term career goals have proved to be an uncomfortable process for me.

Being a first generation student, I always considered that I would figure out my career interests while in medical school through exposure. Doing medical school via Zoom has proved to have limited exposure to opportunities that, may otherwise, have been available to us. For this reason, I have had to reflect on my values and actively pursue opportunities that align with my moral compass. A personal value and professional goal of mine that has truly developed during this pandemic has been my commitment to mentorship. Coming from a disadvantaged background, I vouched that when I “made it”, I would never forget those that come after me and I would continuously strive to guide and inspire the future generation. I feel like the virtual environment has awarded me the opportunity to do more of what I love including spending time doing mentorship, building community with classmates through student groups, and reflecting on how I can make an impact in the lives of the most vulnerable communities in our society. I stay firm in my conviction that despite the barriers I will inevitably face as a medical student, I will approach each day with an unwavering appreciation to be where I am today.

Background

I was born and raised in Fowler, California, a small farm town in the Central Valley. I am the daughter of two Mexican immigrants who moved to the states before I was born with my two older siblings in search of a better life. They ended up in Fowler due to the high demand for migrant farm workers to tend the large agrarian lands that surround the Valley.

Growing up, I witnessed how hard my parents worked to provide for our family. They worked long hours in the Valley heat and like many migrant farm workers, they earned low wages and suffered from numerous injuries and diseases that went untreated due to their uninsured status. Unfortunately, due to their inability to receive quality medical care and mental health services, my family suffered through domestic violence, alcohol addiction, and trauma for most of my childhood. Through personal experience, I learned that in order to make a sustainable impact for my family and for others that face similar traumas due to adverse events, I would need to pursue higher education. Despite the chaos in our home life, my parents emphasized the importance of higher education and how that would be our tool for change. My older sister took advantage of the educational opportunities in this country and paved the way for me to similarly dedicate myself to my studies. School became my safe haven and my purpose in life. I excelled in high school and after graduating, I had intended to move away for school and never return to my hometime.

To my surprise, I later discovered that my passion and commitment remained in the Valley and I became determined to utilize my education to return to my community to make a sustainable difference for the underserved.

Undergraduate

After graduating from high school in 2011, I pursued a B.S. in Biological Sciences from UC Santa Barbara. The sciences had interested me at a young age but, at the time, becoming a physician seemed out of reach and impossible. Because of this, I decided to get my undergraduate education with the intention of becoming either a nurse or a physician’s assistant. In order to pay for my education, I began working part time as a marketing assistant at a local private school. With the little free time I had, I pursued medically-related extracurriculars to learn more about healthcare. I volunteered at a hospital on nights and weekends and picked up a second job as a medical assistant in pediatrics. With each new experience in the clinic or at the hospital, it became clear to me that my passion was for patient care, and my drive to pursue a career in healthcare was reinforced.

Unfortunately, my low academic performance reinforced the imposter syndrome that I faced as a first-generation college student. During my first two years, my academic performance suffered and I feared that I wouldn't be able to graduate with a biology degree. I knew my time was limited, but I was determined to make it work. My sophomore year, I made an appointment with an academic counselor and discussed my options. I heard the words that many pre-med students hear from time to time: “Maybe you should consider switching majors. I don’t think the pre-health route is going to work for you.” I felt absolutely disillusioned. An academic professional had confirmed the doubts I was facing internally. Although it would have been easier for me to take their advice and switch my major, I decided to seek a second opinion. My failing grades started to give me anxiety, and during exams I found it harder and harder to focus on the task in front of me. I decided to reach out to mental health services on campus to help address my anxiety. To my surprise, they taught me valuable coping mechanisms and time management skills that completely turned around my academic trajectory. My GPA improved during my last two years of school, and I felt like everything was falling into place. Looking back to my college experience now, I was so consumed by my work and the academic challenges I faced that I never truly explored other healthcare careers. It wasn’t until I met Rogelio, my significant other, that I really started to think about what I could achieve and where I wanted to be career-wise.

Rogelio was a fellow pre-med at UCSB, and he was determined to reach his career goal of becoming a physician. His confidence and grit was inspiring, and one day we had a conversation that changed my life. He supported my goal of becoming a PA but also asked if I had ever considered becoming a doctor. I almost immediately brushed off the idea until I realized that the only reason this career choice hadn’t crossed my mind was because it seemed impossible for a student like me. My GPA was average, and I had no clue how to approach the application process or the dreaded MCAT. It was a miracle that I had made it through college. In my mind, there was no way I would get accepted to medical school.

Rediscovery

After graduating from college in 2015, I continued working as a medical assistant full time and I began to realize that my personality and ultimate career goals aligned best with those of a physician. At that moment, I decided to fully commit to applying to medical school.

For the next three years, I continued to work full time as an MA, studied for the MCAT on nights and weekends, and prepared my application. I lacked formal guidance and mentorship during this time and thus, I aimlessly applied to medical school without success two years in a row. As time went on and with each failure, my hesitation to apply resurfaced, and I felt foolish for even trying. Thankfully, Rogelio was always by my side to debunk my self-doubt and encourage me to keep trying. After my second failed attempt, I learned about post-baccalaureate programs and, more specifically, the UC Consortium programs in California. I learned that these programs were designed for underrepresented minority students and provided students like myself with the resources and mentorship necessary to successfully apply to medical school. In 2018, I attended the UC San Francisco post-baccalaureate program where I demonstrated academic competitiveness by earning a 4.0 GPA and improving my MCAT score significantly. For the first time, I focused 100% of my attention onto my medical school application. In the end, the sacrifice paid off. I received interview invitations from schools I never imagined would give me an opportunity-- including my dream school, UC San Francisco.

In August, I will be an MS1 at the UCSF School of Medicine and I will be part of SJV PRIME, a program that is geared towards training medical students who are interested in alleviating health inequities in the Central Valley. My journey to medicine has come full circle and I am excited to be part of a program that will train me on how to address the medical disadvantages that many low-income populations face in Central California today.

Advice

During my gap years, I saw my multiple applications and MCAT attempts as failures. In retrospect, I now see them as one of my most valuable contributions. Each rejection letter and low MCAT score reinforced my grit and perseverance. Viewing each rejection as an opportunity to grow will make me a more resilient and well-rounded physician. If you are a first-generation student and/or find yourself struggling throughout the pre-med journey, remember that you are not alone. The road to medical school is long and tumultuous, but commitment is vital to your success. I always give three main pieces of advice to pre-meds students. I hope you will find them useful as you pave your own path to become a physician.

1. Your journey to medical school will be UNIQUE.

Don’t compare your story with anybody else’s. As a non-traditional applicant, it can be difficult to stay motivated when it seems like everybody around you is ahead of the curve. Remind yourself that your background and your individual experience will allow you to bring a certain type of diversity. You should be proud of your accomplishments and understand that although it might be different, the experiences you face and challenges you overcome will only make you a stronger physician in the long run.

2. Surround yourself with positive role models and supportive mentors.

Although constructive criticism is sometimes necessary, make sure to surround yourself with mentors who have your best interest in mind and who offer constructive feedback instead of unnecessary put-downs.

3. Remember your WHY!

We all go into medicine for different reasons. When you are feeling down or discouraged, try to remind yourself why you’re doing this work and why it is so important for you to not give up.

Application

While this information is important, it is not the only thing considered in your application. Your story and the way you articulate your experiences will play a big role in the admissions process as well.

2 prior failed application cycles in 2017 and 2018
2019 - Applied to 23 M.D., 4 D.O. (27 total) - verified on 7/12/2019
Secondaries to 26 schools (submitted most secondaries between July 2019-end of August 2019)
13 interviews November 2019 - January 2020 (only attended 8 interviews)
7 acceptances, 1 waitlist

Cumulative GPA: 3.37
Science GPA: 3.29

MCAT scores:

496 (125/124/124/123)
499 (123/123/129/124)
502 (125/124/127/126)
511 (127/126/130/128)

Extracurriculars/Employment:

Clinical Care Extender Volunteer - St. John’s Regional Medical Center: Oxnard, CA (300 hours)
Medical Assistant - Pediatrics, Dr. James Brewer: Santa Barbara, CA (520 hours)
Medical Assistant - Dermatology, Aloe Dermatology: Santa Barbara, CA (4,000 hours)
Volunteer - Westside Neighborhood Clinic: Santa Barbara, CA (160 hours)
Medical Assistant - Dermatology, Laser and Skin: Sacramento, CA (2,000 hours)
Volunteer - numerous health fairs: Santa Barbara and Sacramento, CA (120 hours)
Clinical Research Coordinator Assistant - UCSF Pediatrics, Zuckerberg San Francisco General: San Francisco, CA (800 hours)