{"id":472,"date":"2022-11-02T13:50:00","date_gmt":"2022-11-02T20:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/former-south-bay-lakers-point-guard-shooting-for-medical-school-gets-an-assist-from-usc-dornsife\/"},"modified":"2023-08-31T13:35:32","modified_gmt":"2023-08-31T20:35:32","slug":"marcus-allen-professional-basketball-pre-med-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/marcus-allen-professional-basketball-pre-med-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Former South Bay Lakers point guard shooting for medical school gets an assist from USC Dornsife"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n    \n                                          \n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-hero \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-hero\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n<div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img\n                            data-src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/04\/story-3781-768x432.jpg\"\n          data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/04\/story-3781-768x432.jpg 768w\"          data-sizes=\"(min-width:1200px) 75vw, (min-width:768px) 83vw, 100vw\"          class=\"lazyload\"\n        \n                  alt=\"Former South Bay Lakers point guard shooting for medical school gets an assist from USC Dornsife\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n  \n      <div class=\"image-caption\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  After retiring from professional basketball, Marcus Allen entered USC Dornsife&#8217;s Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program. (Photo: Courtesy of Marcus Allen.)\n\n\n<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  \n  <div class=\"text-wrapper\">\n          <nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\" class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n        <ul>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\">News<\/a><\/li>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\/?category=student\">Student<\/a><\/li>\n                  <\/ul>\n      <\/nav>\n    \n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--page-title\">\n\n    \n  <h1>Former South Bay Lakers point guard shooting for medical school gets an assist from USC Dornsife<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n          <div class=\"subtitle\">\n            \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  Professional basketball player Marcus Allen looked to an innovative pre-med program designed for students with little or no science background to further his dream of becoming a physician.\n\n\n<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    \n           <strong class=\"author-field\"><span >By<\/span><a href=\"mailto:communication@dornsife.usc.edu\">Meredith McGroarty<\/a><\/strong>\n    \n          <span class=\"post-date-field\">November 2, 2022<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--social-share \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--social-share\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n    <span class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list\" style=\"line-height: 32px;\">\n      <span class=\"title\">\n        Share\n      <\/span>\n                        <a class=\"a2a_button_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#copy_link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"Link\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_copy_link\">\n              <svg height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" width=\"19\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m7.43475275 9.52380952-2.17490843 2.26076008c-1.08745421 1.058837-1.68841575 2.518315-1.68841575 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\n<div class=\"f--field f--section-title\">\n\n    \n  <h2>\n          Highlights:\n      <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n      <ul>\n              <li><p>Marcus Allen played basketball for the Los Angeles Lakers\u2019 G-league team.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n              <li><p>Looking for a new career track, Allen aimed for medicine, inspired by his physician parents and his team doctors.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n              <li><p>USC Dornsife\u2019s postbaccalaureate premedical program, designed for students with little to no science background, proved the right choice for him.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n              <li><p>The program also prepares students for dental, veterinary or pharmacy school.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n          <\/ul>\n  <\/div>\n  \n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p>Many children grow up dreaming of being a doctor or a sports professional, but Marcus Allen is on his way to achieving the almost impossible feat of succeeding as both.<\/p>\n<p>Allen played basketball at Stanford University before being drafted to the South Bay Lakers, the Los Angeles Lakers\u2019 G-league team. He left the basketball court in 2020 and about a year later began the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/postbaccalaureate-premedical-program\/\">Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program<\/a>\u00a0at\u00a0the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 315px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/migration-uploads\/MarcusAllen_Profile_InStoryA-3781.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"315\" height=\"490\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Marcus Allen says his time as an athlete inspired him to consider a sports medicine career. (Photo: Courtesy of Lakers Media Relations.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cBasketball was a great experience, but I didn\u2019t see myself doing it as a career,\u201d says Allen, who earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in psychology from Stanford. \u201cBoth my parents are doctors, so I thought about going into medicine, and being around all the team doctors at Stanford and with the Lakers, I realized I wanted to go into the medical field and hopefully become a team physician myself one day.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>No science? No problem<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The program, which launched more than two decades ago, is designed for students with at least a bachelor\u2019s degree who had little or no science education at the college level. In addition to providing them with the coursework necessary to meet requirements for acceptance to medical, dental, pharmacy or veterinary schools, the program gives students clinical experience, test prep instruction and access to volunteer activities that boost their practical knowledge.<\/p>\n<p>Students can finish the coursework in four to five semesters, spanning a year and a half to two years. A third, \u201cglide\u201d year comprises medical school applications and any additional coursework specific schools might require.<\/p>\n<p>Applications are reviewed on a rolling admissions basis, and there is admission for fall, spring and summer cohorts.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Designed for \u2018career changers\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Chiho Mak, professor of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/chemistry\/\">chemistry<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.qcb-dornsife.usc.edu\/\">quantitative and computational biology<\/a>\u00a0at USC Dornsife and the head of the program, says that it attracts students from a wide variety of fields, from law to visual arts to finance. Many of the students have had a few years of work experience under their belt before they enroll, he adds.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur program is focused on what we called \u2018career changers,\u2019 students who have been working in different fields but later realized that medicine is their calling,\u201d Mak says. \u201cA good portion of practicing physicians did not pursue pre-med studies as undergrads but later went through a postbac premed program.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He adds that applicants do not need to have taken certain courses in college or worked in a science-related field: A bachelor\u2019s degree and a minimum GPA are the only academic prerequisites. \u201cWe want students to understand that they can earn a bachelor\u2019s degree in history or the arts or business and still go to medical school later, if they wish.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mak says that although the program only carries two courses per semester, it typically is a full-time program once volunteer time and clinical experience are added in.<\/p>\n<p>Classes cover fundamentals in chemistry, biology and physics as well as some advanced instruction in those areas.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMany other programs pack all of these courses into a one-year program,\u201d says Mak, \u201cbut we have found that a two-year or one-and-a-half\u2013year program is much easier because it gives students time to get back into the rhythm of being in school, given that many haven\u2019t been for a while.\u201d He adds that students without a science background might find a lot of intense instruction overwhelming, and a spaced-out curriculum gives them time to master concepts before moving on.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Enjoying that student feeling<\/strong><br \/>\n<figure style=\"width: 315px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/migration-uploads\/MarcusAllen_Profile_InStoryB-3781.jpg\" width=\"315\" height=\"490\" class=\"size-thumbnail\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Marcus Allen credits basketball with teaching him the focus and diligence needed to pursue medicine. (Photo: Courtesy of Lakers Media Relations.)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n<p>Because Allen had taken a few premed courses on his own prior to enrolling, he only needed to complete the second year of coursework at USC Dornsife. He says that being an older student \u2014 he\u2019s 28 \u2014 and his basketball career helped him learn how to be diligent and focused, two attributes he says he\u2019s needed in prepping for medical school. But he enjoys the feeling of being a full-time student as well, something he says he missed a bit at Stanford because he had to devote a lot of time to training and playing basketball.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t expect to have so much camaraderie with the other students in the program \u2014 we eat together, have beach days, stuff like that,\u201d he says. \u201cEven things like office hours, just talking with my TAs, I get to take advantage of everything school has to offer now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Although he would like to be a team doctor, Allen isn\u2019t ruling out work in other areas. Health care disparities in underserved communities are a major issue, he says, and he would like to be able to work in some capacity to help ameliorate them.<\/p>\n<p>Allen is currently applying to medical school but is unsure where he\u2019ll go, though he hopes to be able to stay in L.A. The city, he says, is where his heart is now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n  \n        \n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-related-stories \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-related-stories\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--section-title\">\n\n    \n  <h2>\n          Related News\n      <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n                  <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/masters-program-teaches-math-behind-artificial-intelligence\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >Training the minds behind the AI algorithm<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/travel-award-supports-chemistry-graduate-students\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >From lab to conference: How travel awards shape USC chemistry careers<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/island-fox-brains-proportionally-larger-than-mainland-foxes\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >Outsmart an island fox? Not so fast<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n            <\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Professional basketball player Marcus Allen looked to an innovative pre-med program designed for students with little or no science background to further his dream of becoming a physician.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":475,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,17],"tags":[121],"class_list":["post-472","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-student","tag-graduate"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Former South Bay Lakers point guard shooting for medical school gets an assist from USC 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