Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology at UCLA

Personal Academic Introduction

Hey there, I'm Nick! In high school, I earned a 4.8049 weighted academic GPA, a 4.7174 total gGPAa, and a 4.0 unweighted GPA. My SAT score was 1560 with a perfect score on the math section, and I received a 33 on the ACT. I also received an 800 on the SAT Mathematics Subject Test and a 780 on the SAT Biology E Subject Test. I completed 13 AP classes and took 12 AP tests. My AP scores included five 5s, six 4s and one 3. These scores earned me the AP Scholar With Distinction Award in 2019 and 2020, as well as the National AP Scholar Award in 2020. Other than classes, I was co-Captain of the Debate Team, Vice President of the National Honor Society (NHS), President of Global Aid, and Treasurer for the Thirst Project. I was also a 4-year Varsity athlete for the Men's Volleyball team and earned All-League honors as well as Offensive MVP my junior season (unfortunately, my senior season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic). Furthermore, I was an Eagle Scout and completed over 200 hours of community service through Boy Scouts and other school organizations. 

Schools and Majors Applied To

I am currently a third-year Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology major at UCLA. I am involved in Grace on Campus (a Christian organization), conduct research at Zhen Laboratory, and serve as the Director of Client Relations for APA Health C.A.R.E. I am involved in basketball and volleyball IM Sport leagues and have been spending my free-time in college learning about photography and exploring Los Angeles. 

When applying to college, I applied to the following schools and majors:

• UCLA - Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology 
• Stanford University - Biology 
• Princeton - Molecular Biology 
• Harvard -  Molecular and Cellular Biology
• Johns Hopkins - Cellular and Molecular Biology 
• Pepperdine - Biology 
• UC San Diego - Molecular and Cell Biology
• UC Irvine -  Microbiology and Immunology 
• Cal Poly Pomona - Biology
• Cal Poly San Luis Obispo -  Microbiology
• UC Berkeley - Microbiology
• University of Southern California - Human Biology 

I was accepted to the following schools:

• UCLA 
• Pepperdine
• UC Berkeley
• UC San Diego
• UC Irvine
• Cal Poly Pomona
• Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

Despite the numerous acceptances, UCLA was the clear choice. Apart from being the #1 public university in America, it has amazing opportunities for people in my career path. UCLA is a public research university that prioritizes undergraduate research. One of my goals for college was to get involved in student research and explore the healthcare field from a research lens. Furthermore, UCLA is right next door to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and the David Geffen School of Medicine, providing students with many opportunities to get directly involved in the medical field and build relationships with people in our potential field of work. 

In addition to the professional opportunities UCLA offers, the campus is beautiful and robust. When I went to visit UCLA, I was astounded and encouraged by the welcoming community and abundance of study spots (indoor and outdoor) on campus. With Westwood within walking distance, students do not feel confined to the campus and are able to explore as much as they are willing to walk. UCLA has robust Christian fellowships which was appealing to me as well because that was another priority for me to join. 

To top it all off, UCLA has the number 1 best dining halls in the country and after a year of eating on campus, I can wholeheartedly agree. 

University Introduction and Application Statistics

UCLA was founded on May 23, 1919, signed into bill by Governor George C. Perkins. With the motto “Let there be light”, UCLA has emphasized their pursuit of knowledge since its origin. In addition to the aforementioned privileges that UCLA students are afforded, UCLA academics have met my expectations. This university offers around 125 majors that range from neuroscience and microbiology to political science and communications. Professors have been encouraging and willing to meet with students to offer academic aid and advice. Classes have been challenging, but not unreasonably difficult. Like most public schools, classes at UCLA can be as large as 400 students; however, discussion sections and laboratory sections are around 20-30 students which offers a more personable learning environment. 

As a large university, UCLA has many strengths that span over a variety of different fields. The STEM programs at UCLA stand on a foundation of well-funded research and award-winning faculty who are able to pass down knowledge to their students in classes and direct mentorship. These faculty members have won Nobel Peace Prizes, National Medals of Science, and other renowned accolades for their unique work in scientific fields. In addition, UCLA often hosts large events that highlight Western art and culture as well as student-created projects.

Unfortunately, UCLA does not provide major specific statistics on admission as of June 2022; however, they provide general university admission statistics with a small snippet of college specific information. 

Major Introduction and Requirements

The Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology major focuses on life processes and the world from a molecular perspective. The lower division requirements for this major are similar to other life science majors and include general biology, chemistry, organic chemistry, math, and physics classes that take up a majority of your first two years at UCLA. The counselors are quick at responding and will direct you to the proper resources if you reach out to them. They encourage students to join the Biomedical Research minor that helps match students to open laboratories to conduct wet-lab research and consistently send out newsletters with opportunities and workshops for those interested in a future in the life science field. 

This major requires a total of 180 units; 60 of these units must be upper division credit. Below, I have listed the specific class requirements that are needed for graduation. This major is quite flexible and allows students to focus on topics they find more interesting within the general realm of molecular biology.  

Major Major and Extracurricular Experience

As an incoming-third year student, I have completed all of my lower division requirements. I have had a net positive experience with each course; however, a majority of these courses were taken in the virtual setting and may be different in-person. Most of my professors were very accommodating and understanding of the various situations students were placed in during the pandemic. The course content was much more dense and compacted compared to my high school curriculum, but it was by no means undoable or unfair. I had to put in a fair amount of time outside classes to master content for exams, and I would expect to commit a large amount of time in future classes as well. It may be discouraging at times to see people in other majors with seemingly a lot more free time to socialize, but the nature of these core STEM classes are relatively rigorous. One of the more difficult classes was the second Organic Chemistry course (Chem 14D) which focused on reaction mechanisms. This class was fast-paced and conceptually challenging; each lecture offered a new set of confusing concepts that required outside resources and peer collaboration to fully understand. The professor was passionate about organic chemistry and explained concepts well. The life sciences series, on the other hand, was more rigid and required students to engage in weekly textbook readings which were tiresome and minimally helpful. The topics in this series ranged from EKG readings to phylogenetic trees and DNA. However, the professors in each of these classes made the lectures engaging and helpful, minimizing the need for a full dive into the textbook content. 

I have taken one upper division course so far: Biochemistry 153a. Unfortunately, my professor for this class was new and still in the process of learning how to teach a large class clearly and comprehensively. In this context, it became important to find a solid study group and to utilize online resources (AK Lectures and Khan Academy were my main sources) to focus on specific topics that were particularly confusing in lectures. 

My only MCDB specific extracurricular is my participation in Zhen Laboratory where I conduct wet-lab research under the guidance of Dr. Anjie Zhen. This has, by far, been one of the most fulfilling experiences I have had at UCLA and has allowed me to deeply explore immunology in a practical manner. 

In this position, I have learned specific laboratory procedures and techniques like RNA extraction, cell culturing, cloning, and X-Ray analysis. My laboratory conducts research about HIV mechanisms that may directly lead to a clinical advancement. My current project revolves around type 1 IFN signaling and CAR-T cell function. Each day in the laboratory, along with my personal project, I assist research professionals in their own projects and am mentored by these individuals in real-time. 

Job Prospects 

The MCDB major hosts a wide variety of potential jobs. It is a widely applied major that is useful in many fields such as medicine, bioengineering, research, healthcare, and many more. Listed below are a few popular professions that MCDB majors tend to aim for along with companies and organizations around Los Angeles that commonly take students for internships. 

• Physician: Ronald Reagan Medical Center, Kaiser Permanente, various medical clinics in Westwood and Beverly Hills
• Researcher: David Geffen School of Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, Center for Health Sciences (UCLA)
• Physician Assistant: Ronald Reagan Medical Center, Kaiser Permanente, various medical clinics in Westwood and Beverly Hills
• Pharmacist: UCLA Health Clinics, Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Albertsons, CVS

Conclusion

The Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology major is definitely challenging, but, in my biased opinion, one of the most interesting and exciting majors at UCLA. There are a variety of options and ways for me to explore my scientific interests while fulfilling major requirements. If you are up to the challenge, I would recommend this major! 

Written by Nicholas Tien, PathIvy UCLA Ambassador