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The Pre-Medical Association of Students for Service (PASS) is a student organization dedicated to serving the local community, and providing our members with useful information regarding medicine and health related professions and preparation. Each year PASS members participate in over 75 service projects and complete over 3000 hours of community service. Located in beautiful San Diego, California, PASS is open to all University of California at San Diego (UCSD) undergraduate students.
 Our Primary Goal
Our primary goal is to provide our members with no commitment community service opportunities. PASS officers work hard to bring great volunteer opportunities to our members. Each quarter, PASS members have the opportunity to participate in over 20 service projects, ranging from serving food to underprivileged adults at St. Vincent de Paul's to blood pressure screening to bowling with the handicapped at Kerny Mesa Bowl. Our dedicated officers even arrange for carpools to each project so transportation is not an issue. And since gas expenses are reimbursed by member dues, there is no cost to our generous drivers. This is especially helpful for beginning freshmen without cars. PASS does not require its members to be premed students. So any UCSD student may take advantage of these community service opportunities. Members can sign up for projects at any of our General Body Meetings (GBMs) or by emailing the project coordinator in charge of a specific project. The projects offered during a specific quarter can be found on the PASS project half sheets, available at every meeting and on the website calendar.  Our Secondary Goal
Our secondary goal is to provide members of PASS with useful information regarding medicine and health related professions and preparation. PASS hosts informational events during our General Body Meetings three times each quarter, the first one usually during week 3, the second on week 5 and the third during week 7. Our informational events always include a special guest speaker such as the Dean of UCSD's School of Medicine, a panel of current medical school students, professors, administrators, and anyone else who can provide useful information. Some topics covered are 'The difference between an MD, DO, and MD/PhD', 'Other pre-med resources at UCSD', 'The MCAT', 'The application process', 'What's medical school really like', 'What are the career options I have as health professional', 'Gender and health professions', and more.
Additional Membership Benefits
Social Events
Member dues are also used to cover expenses at PASS social events. In an effort to have some fun and allow members to meet new people with similar interests, each quarter we have at least two social events. They range from the ice cream social to IM sports like the dodge ball team. At the end of the year we also have a catered banquet to recognize the contributions of PASS members over the year. The banquet is always enjoyable, and wouldn't be possible without the support of our members.
Student Mentor Program
A little guidance can go a long way. There is a lot to learn about college life, let alone being pre- med. Who better to learn from then other pre-meds who have spent the last few years learning the ropes? That's exactly our goal with the student mentor program. We pair the more experienced pre-meds with the new pre-meds that could use some guidance. This is a great way for PASS members to not only meet new people, but also get a jump start on the pre-med process.
Leadership Opportunities
PASS has quite a large number of members. Organizing all our fabulous events takes a significant amount of time and effort. As a member of PASS you have the opportunity to be more than 'just another member' and become actively involved in planning and organizing events. We have formed committees for publicity, social events, and fundraising/donation drives. This is a wonderful opportunity to get more involved and gain vital leadership experience in a very forgiving atmosphere. Use PASS to develop the skills needed to be an officer in any organization next year. We are always looking for exciting new service projects for our members. If you have a suggestion or know of a project that you would love to see PASS participate in, please let us know. Or better yet if you're interested in starting a completely new project please bring it to our attention. PASS is more than happy to support new projects. You can even lead them if you like! Get involved! Our committees are a great way for members to help shape PASS and make an even better organization that caters to the needs of our members. After all PASS would be nothing without our members.
MCAT Prep Course Discounts
Given that the MCAT can make or break your sprouting medical career most pre-meds opt for a preparation course through Princeton Review. These courses run upwards of $1899. To help our members out PASS has negotiated a 15% discount at Princeton Review. This means that your annual dues of $25 can save you upwards of $280 PASS also invites Princeton Review to speak at various meetings. They routinely bring great giveaways like books, and prep course discounts ranging from $300 to even $800. But that's not all. Princeton Review also generously provide us with several prep courses to auction off to PASS members. The final price varies, but in general courses auction off for around $1000. That means a $899 savings!
T-Shirt
Every registered member has the option of receiving a PASS T-shirt. Wear the shirt with pride around campus and at our events and projects. But please, if you'll never wear the shirt or just plain don't want one, don't take one. The money saved will be put to good use. For instance, previous years we donated everyone's dues to fight AIDS in Africa.
What is required of members?
To become a registered member of PASS we ask that you complete a simple registration form and pay the annual dues of $25 per academic year. To be considered an official member of PASS we ask that you complete at least six service project points (~12 hours of service), and attend at least two social event per academic year. If you manage to meet the requirements of official membership you will receive a certificate stating how many hours of service you completed as proof of your participation in community service and you will be able to apply for an officer position. Membership lasts for one academic year. You may submit your dues as early as summer session I. All memberships will be terminated at the end of spring quarter (end of May/early June).
How do I join?
Becoming a member of PASS is easy! You can register and pay dues electronically through the PASS website. The 'pay dues' button is on the right hand side of the Homepage and this About page, click it to continue with dues payment. Dues can also be paid in person at any of our General Body Meetings.
Still have questions?
If you still can't find what you're looking for please email PASS at
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. Be sure to keep yourself updated with the ongoings of PASS by adding yourself to our mailing list. We hope to see you at our next General Body Meeting!
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