How does a gap year help much if you’re applying in May/June, 1-2 months after you graduate college? Do people put “predicted” hours for the experiences they’d be doing during the cycle. Sorry I am new to this.

I’m currently a prospective neuroscience major planning to switch from psych to neuro 2026 spring semester. However, I’m currently taking a neuroscience course on fundamentals and it’s killing me. I passed and failed the first two exams so far and I have one coming up that’s on a very difficult unit.

I want to know what I should do if I get a C in this course. I’m barely touching a B- (81.25). I already calculated my GPA and if things go right I’ll still have a 3.5-3.7 with the C if it happens. But I’m a freshman. Is this a bad look, and if it is, should I look into retaking the course at some point?

So I just found out that applicants who wrote a disadvantaged essay or qualify for FAP, are marked and grouped separately in their application cycle. What does this mean? Am I being put on a separate pile when I apply and how does that affect my chance of getting an interview? Will the reviewer have some bias about me because of such grouping or it’s just for potential financial scholarship aid considerations?

I sent out a lot of cold emails, didn't get a response to any of them. 90% of my premed friends, not even an exaggeration, already got university research or starting huge startups, some not even medical related (already very well underway with designated labs). They're already working on things that are big enough to last the whole four years. I feel so behind, especially so as it seems almost ubiquitous. I landed one remote internship which is actually very cool, but that's about it. I don't get anything else here and Freshman year is already starting to seem like a close here.

For context I go to UC Berkeley. The opportunities seem so tight knit and unknown. I don't know anything out of anything. I'm very stressed right now, I don't want to be behind. Hell, I don't even know what I'm going to do this summer as all my applications for summer research programs got shot down even though they were for freshmen w no experience. I think my resume is pretty good, but so far no luck. Just gotta keep paddling I guess, opportunity comes to those who are ready for it ahh mentality.

So I worked very closely with my lab/clinical manager at my job, I feel that they would have a lot to say about me, and I want to ask them for a LOR. However, they only have an associates and they are 27 years old, we were basically friends since both on the younger side. They are super smart, and probably have more knowledge than a lot of people with advanced degrees. I already have 2 LORs from MDs, 1 from my research PI, and 3 from professors, however, since I am reapplying my school required me to add an extra to get a committee letter which tbh doesn't make much sense since I already feel like I had a surplus.

But I would also love to get a LOR from this person because unlike most doctors I could actually be colloquial with them and feel comfortable. Might just be overthinking but let me know if there are any downsides.

I really want to follow my grandpa’s footsteps as he was an EMT and he inspired me to follow medicine but I am not sure I can do gore and I have psyched myself into thinking I cannot do it. Is an MA or Scribe a better position for me? I’m at my wits end so this is a final resort.

Yes, a ridiculous idea, but I have a good reason- and as I don't know any doctors personally, I don't know who to ask.

Children, dependents, and surviving spouses of veterans who were, under specific circumstances, either permanently disabled or killed as a result of their military service are able to attend any public institution/university in the state of California with the tuition waived, as long as the dependent is a resident of the state of California. I qualify for this tuition waiver.

What this means is that I can become a physician with minimal to no debt. Obviously, the idea of going to a great school for free is much more attractive than taking on ~$300k+ in debt to attend a less prestigious institution. (EDIT: not to mention honoring the sacrifice made by my loved one, which practically goes without saying. If I can try to use this to have a positive impact on society and my family, I am bound by duty to devote myself to the attempt. It's also something I've dreamed of since before I could read.)

Now for the stats:

I am a career changer. I graduated from a UC in '18 with a GPA of 3.14 (psych BA). I wasn't premed because I never thought I would be capable of becoming a doctor. I don't have any relevant extracurricular experience. I didn't participate in research. I was very lost at the time, and while I didn't make any significant mistakes, I didn't make good use of my time. I have since had a career in the maritime industry and the field of conservation. I am NREMT-licensed and will shortly have a Merchant Mariner Credential. I have matured significantly as a student and in general since college.

I will need to take a post-bacc to both cover the required STEM material and raise my GPA.

If you were me, what would you do to guarantee admission to a UC? No time limits necessary. I want to better understand just how much of a reach it is to imagine me getting accepted to one of these schools. Will this be 5 years of work? Can I DIY my post-bacc? Is this even possible?

Thank you in advance for your input.

I am currently waitlisted at my top choice med school, but only have one acceptance so I don’t have to narrow anything down by the April 30th deadline. My only acceptance does not have a penalty for not choosing plan to enroll by April 30th, but I am wondering if I should select it anyway if I am anticipating an acceptance off the waitlist to my top choice.

From my understanding, after April 30th, schools that you’re waitlisted at can see if you select Plan to Enroll for a school, but not where. (Correct me if I’m wrong). I’m thinking of selecting it for my only acceptance as a courtesy thing, but I’m not sure if it would have impact on my WL—> A chances. I am submitting a LOI to my top choice already though so I’m thinking a PTE selection wouldn’t change anything for them but I want to know what y’all think.

Has anyone ever ran into issues regarding small nose piercings during interviews? I have a small silver stud on the right side of my nose, and my parents think I should take it out during an interview I have coming up. I usually leave it in since it’s the same color as my glasses and the stud earrings I usually wear. Most people don’t even notice it unless they look at my nose directly. I tried taking it out just to see what it would look like, and there’s a visible little hole where it usually sits. Would it be fine to keep it in? TIA

Ok you filthy animals help me out here. I am 35. I have a Bachelors of science(2.8, 2012), an MBA(3.8, 2017), an MS is health leadership(total bull crap degree but it got me a nice hospital c suite gig), and a Doctorate in Business Administration (3.82, 2021). As a 20 something there was no conceivable way for me to follow this path for so many reasons. Now my life is settling into a place where becoming a doctor is somewhat possible. What I need advice on is this, as someone who is older and honestly not as flexible what are my options? I supported my wife in our 20s and now she runs her own firm 100% remotely. She's agreed that if we have to move so be it, but I struggle with that. Maybe that's my age showing. People talk me out of OUM or ROSS because personally I've always studied better alone and the idea of being remote for the first 2 years is a big deal for me. I know traditional programs would be better but other than horrible match rates and 3rd tier expert educational material, am I missing anything else? Are these places legit? My other options would be to apply to PCOM ga and commute / fly in. I own a plane so flying isn't an issue but that pigeon holes me to a single school or move entirely. I am knocking out the labs now as a non degree seeking student but my mcat was 508. I took those labs as a would be pre med student over a decade ago so I've been refreshing as many have suggested. Thanks for the help and be nice I'm an old man here.

Kind of unsure about this. Have people found success with sending multiple intent letters to a school?

Background:

I sent one almost 3 months after my interview. I guess in this repeat intent letter, I'd also update them that I started volunteering at an organization. But I have no idea if they'd find this disingenuous. I don't want them to interpret the late start time as a last attempt effort to get in. Only recently has my schedule kind of opened up because I've started to taper down my work hours.

I am suspecting that I'm going to get rejected though because it's been 4-5 months since my interview, and I have gotten zero communication since then. I also emailed admissions and they are very vague.

Any help is appreciated because I'm pretty close to just accepting the L here 😵‍💫

I’m not sure if my schedule is just fucked or if it’s my time management. I literally feel as if I have no time to study, idk if it’s just a ME problem though.

Mon-Wed: 1 class, 3:00-4:45 I usually, do my English assignments from 10-3:30, soc, pre-post lab. with breaks idk. work:3 hrs 12-2

Tues-Thrusday 3 class, 8-3:15. Work 4-11:30 I don’t study or do work

Friday,Sat,Sun no classes Work: 4-11:30 I usually start at 11 for eng assignments For Sat Sun chem hw+ study around 11 approx 3 hrs

I’m literally only taking 2 Eng,1 soc, chem 2 literally so light work but I’m falling behind on chem due to poor time management but i don’t see where I can fix that at

I will be a junior next semester and will start my MCAT review. Stats: 4.0 GPA (currently lol), Cell and molecular biology major, will have 400 hours of paid research this summer (REU), volunteer research with an independent scientist about invasive plants with goals of minimizing our city’s expenses in eliminating them (mostly field work), 64 hours clinical shadowing during my gap year after HS (OB, pediatrics, NICU) but was done in Southeast asia and also tutored kids from remote areas for free.

Im from CC and will be transferring in the fall. I also work at a fastfood part time and have around 1000 hours. Also have 100 hours of beach clean up and volunteer work.

Can I get suggestions on my application? What areas should i improve and work on? How do i maximize my chances of getting accepted in my MD cycle?

Thank you.

Can't believe I'm at the point I'm posting my sankey. The last year during the application cycle has felt like a whirlwind, but I'm so grateful for how it has turned out. If you told me I would've had 8 acceptances this time last year, I would've told you that you were crazy :P

I know there are many warnings already against paying for med school consulting businesses, but I wanted to warn about Nitish Thareja who runs Premed Advocates because he uses fake Reddit posts (now deleted) to lure vulnerable premeds.

I’ve had first-hand experience with the pay-as-you-go course he sells, which ends up costing around $50,000. Nitish markets it as a boutique consulting service with the promise of a standout application, but he failed to deliver for me and for a couple of his other applicants I was able to get in touch with. He’s just a med school dropout who realized he could make a ton of money preying on vulnerable (and often wealthy) premed students.

At the start, Nitish assures you that this is a small, family-run business and that he and his team are committed to ensuring your 100% success. But the “team” is just him. His wife, a current student, may hop on an early call or two to help sell the pitch, but she quickly dips (understandably so, she’s probably busy with her own career). After that, it's mostly just him. Thareja signs on as many students as he can. Last year, he had a whopping 40 students. No one person can realistically supervise or mentor even five, let alone 40, applicants. He basically bailed on me during the most critical parts of the application cycle.

He breaks the course into smaller modules that each cost between $5,000–$10,000, which gives the illusion of structure like you’re building toward something meaningful. He asks that you trust the process and that all the work you’re putting into writing for his course will eventually pay off for your AMCAS app. But before you know it, you’ve sunk $20K+ into the program, written a bunch of stuff for his course, and still have nothing substantial ready for your AMCAS. The con is that can’t quit midway, as you don’t gain any value from the intermediate steps. You must “follow the process” and are forced to pay through to the end.

He claims to have a “writing team,” but it’s just one overworked English grad. Most of the content he churns out is just plumbing whatever you wrote through ChatGPT or some other AI tool.

Please do not sign with him.

Hi everyone- was hoping I wouldn't have to do this again but here we are. Any support or advice is greatly appreciated.

This cycle I received 4 MD interviews. 3 interviews turned into WLs and one I am still awaiting decision from. I applied to 37 schools. Below are my stats from my application last cycle followed by updates.

OLD APPLICATION

1. cGPA and sGPA as calculated by AMCAS or AACOMAS
   1. cGPA= 3.59, sGPA= 3.457 (strong upward trend, had difficulty after COVID during freshman/sophomore year)
   2. Freshman GPA- 3.48 Sophomore GPA- 3.41 Junior GPA-3.60 Senior GPA- 3.84
2. MCAT score(s) and breakdown
   1. 523, 132/130/129/132 (first and only attempt)
3. State of residence or country of citizenship (if non-US)
   1. NC
4. Ethnicity and/or race
   1. White
5. Undergraduate institution or category
   1. T25 non-ivy
6. Clinical experience (volunteer and non-volunteer)
   1. Hospital CNA in float pool (300 hours)
   2. Pediatric Inpatient Volunteer (140 hours)
   3. Volunteer Nursing Assistant at Assisted Living Facility (40 hours)
7. Research experience and productivity
   1. Biotech research assistant (800 hours, no pubs but working on various projects)
8. Shadowing experience and specialties represented
   1. Pediatric endocrinology (15 hours)
   2. Geriatric medicine (25 hours)
   3. Cardiology (10 hours)
   4. General surgery (28 hours)
9. Non-clinical volunteering
   1. Habitat for Humanity (84 hours)
10. Other extracurricular activities (including athletics, military service, gap year activities, leadership, teaching, etc)
    1. Head Swim Coach of team of 130+ swimmers (2 years, 1600 hours)
    2. Library Assistant (500 hours)
    3. University Scientific Magazine Designer & Illustrator (50 hours)
    4. Distance Running (2000+ hours, started in high school)

School list:

UVA

Duke (II --> WL)

Boston University

University of Pittsburgh

Vanderbilt

Mayo Clinic

Case Western

Columbia

USF Morsani (II --> WL)

UNC Chapel Hill (II --> PENDING)

Wake Forest

Tufts

Emory

Virginia Commonwealth

Colorado

Cincinnati

UCF

Quinnipiac

New York Medical College

Western Michigan (II --> WL)

Dartmouth

University of Miami

Albert Einstein

UCONN

Ohio State

ECU

Virginia Tech

Eastern Virginia

MCW

USC Greenville

Penn State

Vermont

University of Kansas

West Virginia

University of Illinois

Toledo

Updates for my reapplication:

1. Promotion at biotech company (1720 hours)
   1. 3 presentations (1 first author, 2 second author)
   2. Submitting co-first author manuscript for publication in May to a journal with impact factor 12. If accepted will not be published until after primary submission deadline. This study has taken me 1.5 years to complete as it is heavy wet lab work.
2. More CNA hours (now at 650 hours)
   1. Plus experience training other CNAs and increase in responsibilities
3. More Habitat construction Hours (now at 124 hours, will have 188 hours at time of primary submission)
4. New Food bank volunteering (now at 18 hours, will have 35 by submission)
5. New Free Health clinic volunteering (now at 29 hours, will have 60 by submission)
   1. Also includes a role with outreach at Mexican Consulate to improve screening for hypertension, obesity, and diabetes
6. New Letter of recommendation from CEO and founder of biotech company I work for
7. Ran half-marathon in the fall
8. New hobbies- line-dancing and crochet

Notes and Reflections on this past cycle

1. I don't think I had an interviewing issue. I had several interviewers tell me they loved my answer, enjoyed talking to me, hoped I'd pick their school, etc. I am comfortable interviewing and did a solid amount of practice before each interview.
2. PS was read and edited by 6+ people including current med students, other grad students, and my PI. I feel confident in my why medicine and all my reasons are backed up by real experiences as a CNA. I prewrote secondaries and submitted all an average of 3 days after receipt (latest was 1.5 weeks after.)
3. General feedback I've gotten from med students/friends/etc is that I just got unlucky this cycle. Not sure how to move forward from that.
4. If I had to identify any significant weaknesses in my previous application, it would be low non-clinical volunteering (84 hours at Habitat) or my low GPA (3.59, though strong upward trend.)
5. I would say general theme of my application is teamwork- lots of parallels between coaching a swim team and working together as physician, nurses, PT/OT/, and patient to create best possible treatment plans for patients.
6. I submitted early (May 29).

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I am not sure how to go about reapplying. I still believe my personal statement was strong and my why medicine has not changed- it is simply backed up by even more experiences as a CNA, free clinic volunteer, food bank volunteer, etc.

Any schools I should remove or add? Thoughts on applying to Texas schools this cycle?

I know I could still get off one of my 3 WLs, but I want to prepare for reapplication just in case.

Thank you everyone!

Hi! I am curating my medical school list right now in preparation for this cycle, i have found some threads about p/f schools but idk about any updates, are there any reliable sources I can go to? unfortunately not all schools have it on their websites (i have tried) or is there a list somewhere someone can link and help me out! It won't be conditional on whether or not I apply to said schools, it's more so just another thing to take into consideration. THANK YOU!

I don't really know how to even explain it? I am currently failing a trig class and the highest score possible for me to get is a mid C. I don't have a special reason why I got a bad score like some people have (medical reasons etc.), I guess I just overestimated my comprehension and it ended up hurting me anyways.

I know this is dumb for me to say, but I've always gotten by previously, and although I do study (with the textbook and notes), this recent test really hit me hard, I did worse than I thought (which I am really pissed about because I really studied for this one and shit) and it tanked my grade. This class will tank my GPA, I know it. The end of next week is the final day to decide whether I withdraw from a class or not, should I just withdraw? A mid C is the highest I can get but that is not guaranteed.

Will med schools dislike like a W? I will retake the class during the summer time either at a local community college or just at the university again. I understand that this is really bad and I don't plan on something like this happening again, so this would be my only W.

I'm in my last semester of junior year. I don't think I'm going to pass my ochem foundations, and my genetics class is kicking my ass. I have a trashy science gpa and my overall gpa is just 3.1. I am volunteering at my local hospital and planning to take post bacc program. I don't take school seriously because I wasn't 100% onset that I want to pursue med school but it feels like it's too late now because I played around too much. I hope to improve my performance next semester (and I don't think I will graduate on time bc of all the requirements I need to finish, still)

Hearing and seeing all the acceptance rates and stats that medical school requires scares me that I am going to a dead end. Please tell me your inspiring stories or getting thru obstacles like this, I don't want to give up. Please be nice, I know I messed up big time...

Can someone hit me with a Gigachad gif please?

Also, if Casper has no haters, I am dead

Willing to answer any questions about my app as well

Trying to figure out when to stop working as a medical assistant before med school. My plan was to stop mid-May, but when I told my parents that they were like why ???? But, I feel like when I talk to other medical students they say take as much time off as you can so

Edit: I still don’t know what school I’m going to , Im accepted somewhere, thankfully, but WL and waiting for decision for another. So I can’t really plan on housing or anything yet😭😭

I was part of my schools “medical response unit” essentially first aid on campus. And put about 100 hours of clinical volunteering and training into it. But after awhile I realized I genuinely disliked it because I did not feel prepared to handle it which made me very anxious as well as the fact that it took me away from the experience I was getting working as a PCA in the hospital. I now work in the ER and realize I could’ve handled the stuff I was worried about at the time, I just wasn’t mature enough. My main worry is that the people who run the program from my Alma mater may have ties to the med school as well and may totally decline my application bc I “quit”. I don’t think I left on bad terms necessarily as I explained why I didn’t enjoy the program, but I’m afraid it could be seen as a possible red flag. EDIT: technically speaking the unit “required” or late last wanted you to serve two full semesters after training which I did not do.

I am 22 years old and finishing my last semester in undergrad for Psych. I figured out literally LAST MONTH that I definitely want to be in the medical field. I've passively looked into it for the past few years, but now I'm seriously looking into everything. I never declared as premed because I wasn't sure if I wanted to waste money on something I wasn't fully invested in, but now I'm ready.

However, according to the resources I've met, I'm doomed and never going to reach my ideal career (child and adolescent psychiatrist) because of my age and grades. I want to be sure before I give up on this dream, so I'm asking random people on the internet for their opinions.

As of my current state, my GPA is coasting around 2.9 and 3.0, and my earlier semesters are filled with W's and D's with my usual A's and B's. I maintained A's and B's for the rest of my undergrad. However, when I met with career and medical advisors, I was told my GPA was too low, and my grades weren't good enough.

Additionally, I'm going to graduate from undergrad in two months. My plan was to leave school and get money before returning on a premed track. But, I was told this would be a waste of time as I would be too old by the time I come back (I will roughly be 26/27 when I take the MCAT).

Lastly, I'm incredibly quiet and don't interact much with professors, and I was told this would crush my opportunities because of letters of recommendation. I guess I thought I could interact more with professors down the line, but maybe I need recommendations from early in my academic career. Does this actually hurt my chances if I talk to more professors later?

TLDR: From the academic, career, and premed advisors I've met, I've been told I started planning a medical career way too late and I have no chance of becoming a psychiatrist because of my age (22) and current grades (2.9/3.0 GPA). What are the thoughts of the people on the internet? Do I still have a chance of being in the medical field?

Greetings! I just wanted to get some thoughts on both of these schools. I am also waiting on a couple others, but am guessing it will come down to these two.

What I like about CCOM:

- I could live at home at first

- Better/varied connections

- Better rotation sites?

What I like about KYCOM:

- Location

- Better price

- Small school atmosphere

If I knew for sure that I wanted to do family medicine, I would likely choose KYCOM because I don't really want to live in IL long term and it would be a better value. However, I am also interested in orthopedics and integrative or functional medicine (whatever you want to call nutrition/lifestyle/environment interaction to cause disease). Insight into rotations, curriculum, and general experience at each would be very helpful.

Hi peeps, peeping for the cycle and making my school list and asking for recommendations for lower stats. I am a MA resident, with a 501 (highest of 3) with a 3.72 GPA. Looking to build a 20 DO school list and have 5 MD if any. I am on my 3rd gap year planning to apply this year. Very briefs on my ECs but:

Shadowing: 161 hrs many specialties

Volunteer chair and President of a med club for women

Volunteered at cat shelter

Founded/ran a volunteer mission in latin america (

MA

RA for a lab, with name included in published works (1040 hours)+ 1280 hrs

Study abroad

Relief volunteer manager 81 hours.

Bilingual/Hispanic.

My current list includes:

|| || | UNE: University of New England | | Touro NY | | NYIT | | Philedelphia College of Osteopatic Medicine | |Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine| |Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine - Rowan-Virtua SOM| | West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine | | Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine| |Campbell University Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine| | University of Pikeville |

Any other suggestions or issues with the schools I have listed. Am thankful for the suggestions.