First-year medical student Brandon Ross had no interest in science. That was before he was diagnosed with cancer at 15.
Ross, who battled acute lymphoblastic leukemia throughout high school, said he wanted to become a lawyer until he was exposed to the medical field as a patient. After he went into remission, Ross said he felt a desire to help others and make a difference as a doctor.
“Sometimes it is hard for doctors to know how patients feel, but I have that perspective,” he said.
Leaving behind his plans for law school, Ross received his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Harvard College and entered the David Geffen School of Medicine last fall.
Ross said he found great interest in the medical school curriculum, in contrast to the courses he took in his undergraduate years.
“One of the biggest challenges in college was to take classes that I had no interest in whatsoever,” he said. “Now I get to learn a lot more about patients and patient care instead of chemical bonds and electron orbits.”
Having been a patient himself, Ross said he specifically enjoyed classes involving interaction with patients. Through doctoring courses, he learned how to hold difficult conversations about issues such as end of life or sexual history.
“In medicine, you have to ask questions you wouldn’t even ask your closest friends, and you just need to get over that awkwardness,” he said.
For Ross, the greatest challenge coming into medical school was a change in lifestyle, rather than academics, he said.
Having spent his entire life in Massachusetts, Ross said he had to adjust to a new environment at UCLA. Because he lived in a dorm room all four years in college, moving into an apartment brought additional work he was unaccustomed to doing.
“The best thing is having the beach so close; I even go there in the winter,” he said. “Everyone should consider location and lifestyle for school because those things are going to matter more to you than the type of curriculum you learn.”
In making these adjustments, Ross said he turned to his fiancee, first-year medical student Lela Sims, for support and familiarity.
“She’s my link to family, friends and home out here in California,” he said.
Sims, who met Ross in college, said she decided to pursue medicine the summer before her junior year in college when she realized that she wanted to work with people instead of doing research.
“I volunteered at a hospital and realized that I really liked helping people and wanted to be with them on a daily basis,” she said.
For Sims, the independent nature of medical school taught her how to better manage her time. Accustomed to the assignment-based curriculum in college, she found medical school to be a challenge because of the breadth of material and the speed of its coverage.
“I really learned how to study on my own consistently,” Sims said. “Here, there are no assignments, but you still have to do the work.”
However, Sims said the entire experience was relevant and enjoyable. Having switched from English to evolutionary biology to medicine, Sims said she finally found her niche in medical school.
“I could never go back and change my decision,” she said. “I didn’t realize how much work it was, but I love it so much and I can’t wait to become a physician.”
Similarly, first-year medical student Abraham Gallegos said he finds the workload overwhelming, but looks forward to his future as a doctor.
“I know it will be worth it ““ not for the money or for the title, but for the type of work I will be doing,” Gallegos said. “Where I come from, in East L.A., people don’t have health insurance, and how wonderful would it be to provide these people with health care?”
However, Gallegos said the fast-paced curriculum became stressful as he tried to remain dedicated to his family, academics and church activities at the same time. He said he ultimately found support and encouragement from his campus Christian fellowship.
“I didn’t really know how difficult, stressful and demanding it was, but the greatest thing is to have a group of guys to grow with and unwind with at the end of the week,” he said.