Student Profiles

Mark Hanwook Song
Age: 26
Hometown: Rancho Palos Verdes, California

Highlights of Pre-Med Career:

• Bachelors in Biology, University of California Los Angeles
• Worked as a healthcare consultant for Capgemini U.S. LLC. & for Stockamp Associates, Inc.
• Served as a research associate at the Ahmanson Biological Imaging Clinic at UCLA Medical Center.
• Served as a lab assistant at Winston Salser Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology Lab.
• Worked as an advertising and marketing assistant for J.L. Trading Co.
• Serves as class president for CHM Class of 2008.
• Serves as co-president for Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association
• Volunteers at the Friendship Clinic and Cristo Rey Clinic.
• Belongs to: Dean’s Student Advisory Committee, American Medical Student Association.

Why Medicine?
Much of my drive to be in medicine originates with my high school biology class.  In general, high school science courses intrigued me more than any other, and counselors eventually steered me toward science and medicine.  It wasn’t difficult to make up my mind after that as I started volunteering at hospitals, clinics, and homeless shelters.  Altruism is definitely the factor that made me want to stick with medicine.  Empowering patients through healing, empowering the ill with tools of life, giving people the ability to sustain their lives; these are all part of the dynamic challenges in medicine that I love.  Since I am constantly trying to improve, the perpetual learning process of medicine suits me perfectly.

Why CHM?
I wanted to go into primary care, and CHM is a highly ranked school in primary care.  The school’s reputation for primary care combined with the fact that students seemed to be genuinely satisfied with their settings set CHM apart in my mind.  The students exhibited a great deal of camaraderie and seemed much more satisfied with their lives in general than students at other schools I visited.

About Year I
Honestly, year one was a lot more demanding that I thought it would be. I felt as if I was being sucked into an abyss of never-ending knowledge.  Processing the wealth of information has been overwhelming at times, but it is definitely achievable.  No matter how daunting, it’s actually fun because everything is practical and applicable to my future.  I’ve made great friends this year, and they’ve become my family away from family.  Getting to know students socially and personally, as well as academically, has been great.  The students here are all well-rounded, trustworthy, and dependable people; they’re real, down to earth, and they’re not competitive amongst peers in classes.  Everyone is willing to help each other out.  Becoming class president allowed me to get to know even more of my peers and I recommend getting involved in that capacity as well.

On a Year I Challenge
The biggest challenge aside from academics was being separated from my fiancée and family for the bulk of the year.  It’s difficult when you’re support system is half a country away.  But I found support through the great friends I’ve made and the trials of med school have become bearable.  The acclimation process has been a slow and gradual one, but I feel more in place now.

About Time Outside of Class
Opportunities for extracurricular involvement are abundant at CHM.  I’m involved in Student Council and Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association (APAMSA).  Yes, I have a social life; I go out to eat with friends and colleagues, go to the movies, and venture out to the local bars.  There are many student functions sponsored by various student organizations and student council.  Though we sometimes have different ideas about what’s fun and social, we all connect with fellow classmates.  There’s a variety of activities to engage in around East Lansing, and at CHM I feel like I get to live life normally.  Sure I have to study often, but I do get time to relax.  Just the other day a group of us went to neighboring cities in the region to look for good Asian restaurants.  Many of my classmates travel to other cities to enjoy a night out on the town.

On CHM Professors and Classmates
To date, CHM professors have been very supportive and enthusiastic.  There are always going to be those classes you just don’t enjoy, but overall I’ve had a very positive experience with faculty members.  They convey great enthusiasm in their lectures and materials, and students really feed off their positive attitudes.  My instructors have been very accommodating and flexible.  They go out of their way to extend themselves in any way to help you better understand the material, and I’ve been able to spend time outside of class with my professors when I’ve needed more one-on-one time.

My classmates in lab sessions or class groups are collegial.  CHM students are always making sure they’re helping everyone out.  The pass/no pass grading structure has been a great help in eliminating competition.  All in all, CHM students are great team players and are very supportive of each other.