If you fall in love with Dermatology or Orthopedic Surgery during medical school, you can technically switch, but the program actively discourages it. Your financial aid and mentorship are geared toward primary care. If you leave primary care, you may lose your scholarship.
is an immersive, eight-week program designed to immerse students in the fast-paced world of professional research. While often targeting community college and undergraduate students, it serves as a transformative, often life-changing experience for those looking to jumpstart their academic or scientific careers. ucsd star program
This track is for current college undergraduates (usually juniors or seniors) applying to medical school. These students apply to the UCSD School of Medicine via AMCAS and specifically select the STAR curriculum track. They do not receive a BS from UCSD but rather enter directly into the medical school with a rigorous, community-focused curriculum. If you fall in love with Dermatology or
Unlike a standard internship where a student might simply shadow a professional, the STAR program is hands-on. It operates on a mentorship model, pairing undergraduate students (and sometimes high school students or early graduate students) with faculty mentors, postdoctoral researchers, and graduate students. The goal is to complete a research project over the course of the summer, culminating in a formal presentation at a research symposium. is an immersive, eight-week program designed to immerse
Research is not just about doing experiments; it is about communicating results. The STAR program schedules weekly workshops. Topics often include: