|
PPP students Brian Alessi and Sharon Shapiro left careers in writing and journalism to pursue their dream of becoming physicians. At USC College, the challenges of preparing for medical school are eased by a supportive community of like-minded peers.
|
|
Enormous Changes At the Last Minute
Program offers students second chance at medical calling
By Eva Emerson
February 2006
Within months of earning her B.A. in creative writing from UC San Diego
in 2002, Sharon Shapiro had a job in journalism, an apartment with
friends and a small, if growing, 401(k).
Then, two years ago, she traded it all in — the apartment, the salary,
the career — for a shot at what she had realized was her true calling —
medicine.
She’s not alone.
In fact, as a student in the Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program at
USC College, she is part of a vibrant community of students who have
given up jobs, security and old goals to pursue careers as healers.
Founded in 1998 by Professor Larry Singer, the program offers students
with an undergraduate degree a chance to complete math and sciences
courses required by medical schools. So far, PPP has sent a total of 30
students on to medical or other professional school, and has a
first-time applicant acceptance rate of about 80 percent.
Life in Transition
“While a few students come directly from undergraduate studies, many
have spent a significant amount of time pursuing other goals, or even
entire careers,” said Singer, a professor of chemistry who has run the
program almost single-handedly for the past seven years.
To help students through the transition, Singer has created an
environment of support and team learning that will help them thrive.
The program has attracted high-achieving students, including graduates
of Harvard, Princeton and Columbia. Shapiro’s peers include a former
electrical engineer, a musician, a film producer and a trained
architect.
Brian Alessi earned a B.A. and a M.A. in English from UC Riverside.
Then he ended up as a patient at USC University Hospital, where he
underwent emergency open-heart surgery. While he was recovering from the operation,
a medical student came to check on him. “I thought, ‘Look at all this
person’s done already, and she’s probably my age or younger’,” Alessi
said. Now in his last semester in PPP, Alessi, 26, spends every Tuesday
shadowing a surgical oncologist and is interviewing at medical schools.
One of only a few of its kind on the West Coast, PPP has gained
momentum in recent years. Program enrollment has jumped from just 15 in
2000 to more than 60 active students today. Compared to its closest
peers — Mills College in Oakland and Scripps College in Claremont — the
College program has built a unique identity for itself as flexible,
student-centered and anchored by a close community of students.
The strength of that community was evident at a recent PPP reception,
an event Singer hosts twice each semester. Over cold sodas and cookies,
about 40 students and recent alumni shared their experiences preparing
for the MCAT, the notoriously difficult medical school admission test.
A few recommended Kaplan for its “really hard practice tests.” Another
said she had simply taken practice tests from the official review book,
but only suggested it for those who were very self-motivated.
Heather Rosen attended the reception to share her experiences with
those who hope to follow in her footsteps. Dressed in green scrubs,
Rosen had just completed an overnight shift at the hospital.
Professor Larry Singer is the director of the College's Postbac Premed Program.
Photo credit: Phil Channing
|
Singer considers Rosen the program’s unofficial first alumna, as well
as its first success story. Rosen completed an M.D. at the Keck School
of Medicine in 2004. Now in her second year of a surgical residency at
L.A. County + USC Medical Center, Rosen initially graduated from USC
College with a B.A. in French in 1997. Even before she graduated, Rosen
realized that she wanted to be a surgeon. But she hadn’t taken any
science classes. So, she returned to USC as a limited-status student.
Singer met her in his organic chemistry class. “She would sit in the
front row and take copious notes,” Singer said. “She told me her story,
and I realized that there were probably a number of others in the same
situation.”
The idea for PPP emerged from discussions between Singer and Rosen. In
creating PPP, Singer tried to respond to Rosen’s suggestions of what
would have improved her time back at USC and her efforts to get into
medical school.
“Heather really was the impetus,” he said. “Without her there wouldn’t be a program.”
Peer Support
The pooling of resources and knowledge about the intricacies of
applying to medical school — or simply being back in college after many
years — are at the heart of what Singer means by “community.”
Students help each other navigate what can be a very challenging
two-year program. The PPP students form study groups. This year, they
created a password-protected, Internet-based message center, where
students can network, commiserate or ask advice on anything from
chemistry homework to volunteering at a particular clinic.
“Academically, it’s very competitive,” Singer said. “They’re taking
classes alongside 17- and 18-year-olds who may have had AP science
courses just the year before.”
In addition to their courses, most PPP students are also building up
their clinical experiences while in the program. Some, like Shapiro,
volunteer as many as 20 hours a week.
Interviewing applicants for the program, Singer doesn’t try to
whitewash the challenges students will face. What he does do is try to
select those sincerely committed to medicine, or in a few cases,
veterinary or dentistry careers.
“I tell prospective students, ‘You can never ask yourself enough times,
Am I making the right decision?’ “ Singer said. “Postbacs are at a
point in their lives when they can’t afford to experiment, to come here
to find out if this is what they really want to do. There are real
financial stakes.”
“I just feel so lucky to be here,” said Shapiro, 25. “When you feel
like you are on the right path, you don’t mind [all of the challenges].”
Alessi agreed. “It’s a lot of fun and a lot of hard work. You can take
these [pre-requisite] classes anywhere, but the community here is
special. I’ve made good friends, probably life-long friends. We are all
going through this process together.”
“Dr. Singer has made this program into what it is,” said Alessi. “He
genuinely cares about each and every one of the postbacs — not only how
they’re doing academically, but also how they are doing in life.”
Even with the intense time demands that come with running PPP, Singer
said he has enjoyed the experience. “It’s very satisfying to follow
these students’ paths.”
Alessi said that a testament of students’ gratitude to Singer is how
many alumni make themselves available to help current students.
Rosen is glad to help. Even lacking sleep, her message for the
assembled PPP students was positive: “Keep going for it. You will get
through it, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
|
|
|
