Alumni Spotlight

At UP, Jeffrey Hayashi worked as a Service and Justice Coordinator, a Workshop Leader for chemistry and organic chemistry, a Peer Leader for Physics, and last but not least a trombone player in Pep Band! He spent his summers conducting research with Earle A. Chiles Research Institute at Providence and the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute at the National Institutes of Health. Currently, he is a medical school student at OHSU but also finds time to do research at the Center for Cardiovascular Research up on the hill. Jeff also volunteers with a hospice organization, and is currently learning to play the violin. All the best to you, Jeff!

1. Give a short description of your application process / tips for upcoming applicants.
I took my MCAT right after junior year and submitted my application on June 30. But I would recommend you try to submit it even earlier!

2. How did your time at UP help you with your career choice, application, etc.? (involvement, academics, research, advising, etc.)
I think your advisors are invaluable. I was so fortunate to have so many great Pilots guiding me along the way. The doctors you shadow will also be super helpful. Don’t be afraid to ask medical students, residents, and attendings questions about their lives. They were all like you at some point!

3. What are your favorite memories of UP / any highlights?
Hanging with friends in HagTy and cooking/studying. Spending late nights with friends at the library, and taking time to do silly things as well.

4. What general advice would you give aspiring pre-health types?
If you are like me, you have a strong desire to go into medical school and right now that is the goal on your horizon. That yearning is a really positive sign and keep working towards that goal. But try to also focus on engaging with your community and growing. There is a fine (but important) line between being a gunner and trying to ace everything, compared to genuinely trying to learn things. Right now, you have more time than you think so go ahead and take that bio class that is not required but seems interesting. It will pay off later! Especially immunology… in my medical school we get about a week or two of immunology, so it is beneficial to have seen it before. So all in all, get a good MCAT score for sure and work towards a good GPA, but if you end up getting a A-/B+ here and there because you took a tough class, don’t sweat it.