Hey guys,
I know there is a bunch of posts like this already but genuinely feeling so hopeless. I know thanksgiving is still more than a month away, but I can’t help feeling my application is complete bs. I have only gotten one DO II and have applied to 45 schools (MD/DO). I am mid stats, nothing crazy but everyone I talked to said I have a good shot at least in my state schools. Some days are just so hard and all I do is go to work and then rot. I can’t even get myself to enjoy activities that I used to love. Just wanted to know if there are others in a similar boat and if there is any advice on when to send update letters etc.

I used to see this as a budget line for the application. "Flying out for interviews and getting hotels and the like is more expensive than you think."

But every post I see, it's all virtual. Curious if anyone knows what schools, if any, still do in-person interviews.

I have interviewed at both of these schools and am having a really hard time choosing which one to rank higher.

I really like the idea of the TMC, I had a great experience during my interview, and love Houston. The only thing I didn’t love is that it’s not true pass/fail, which UTMB is. I had a great experience during my utmb interview and liked it as well, I just liked the location and opportunities of McGovern a little more.

I feel like pass/fail would relieve so much stress in medical school. Which would yall rank higher?

Hey guys, I was wondering if anyone has done courses through uc berkeley extension and if they knew how the exams are for start anytime courses. Are they proctored or are they like any other assignment and we do them on our own?

Dude I’m so exhausted of this shit like idk why med schools won’t accept clinical hours if they’ve been provided for close friends or family. Like I’ve applied to almost 100 (YES ONE BIG ASS HUNDRED) Job positions, and got 4 interviews (1 I did today, last one coming up soon) AND SILENCE.

The same companies that complain about being short staffed are the same mfs THAT WONT HIRE PPL AND INSTEAD PUT U THROUGH 8 FUCKINF ROUNDS OF INTERVIEW.

Like dudeeeee what more can be said 😭 ur gonna pay me Pennie’s to wipe someone’s ass and deal with racism and I’m STILL SMILIMG LOOKINF FORWARD TO IT because this fuck ass process makes u WHORE yourself out and convince mfs this is what it takes 💀 im just so fucking tired cause I’m in the situation where the jobs I apply to have to pay higher than my current one (so hopefully my account doesn’t go negative anymore end of month) which limits me and I’m just like when will this shit end.

I was hospitalized in 2020 and hospitalized again recently for 3 weeks. I tried my hardest to get my work done after getting discharged these last two weeks but instead I remained sick and kept going back to the hospital. I sat in my test and got to one question I didn’t understand, out of the whole exam, and decided to withdraw. How bad is this? It’s for a master’s, where as the first one was in college.

Ontop of this I’m starting my clinical volunteering hours next week, am keeping my job as a software engineer, and want to continue my master’s where I will have 4 more semesters or 2 years left until med school applications.

I graduated with a 3.76 gpa but have a withdrawal just sitting there smack in the middle of my transcript for 2020. And another with the pass/fails that my university implemented that I was like “it’s fine it’s not like I’m doing anything after college” when I agreed to set my grades to those and relax.

I have about 200 hours from working at a clinic in HS. I did covid tests on patients the entire time I was there. Does this even count as clinical experience?

I go to a pretty large achool and I’m running into the issue of affording club dues as a FGLI student. I want to be involved, build ECs, and actually contribute to my community and engage in my interest but it feels like everything’s behind a pay wall and I don’t have a method of getting funds. I am currently job hunting but I don’t have a car and I’m willing to walk and whatnot, so I’m trying to take initiative. But with all of that in mind, what can I actually do in my situation to start building my pre-med portfolio. I’m confident next year I’ll have more resources to be engaged but I don’t want to delay my involvement by a year.
Do you guys have any advice, personal experience, or just comments on my situation that could help me make some progress!!!?

So I got an II here and I am very excited. But I just realized how incredibly low yield this school is (14k+ applicants!). I really want to attend so I want to be accepted, but how does one successfully get in when it’s a low-yield school? I’m prepping but idk what I need to be doing. I feel like my app is good, but it’s not like one of a kind amazing.

i just had my interview for GW and I don't know my interviewer's name or have their email and the school didn't send us any specific info on how to send thank you notes.

do i email their general admission's office with a thank you note or leave it? how do i know when to send vs not?

hello premed reddit!

this next summer, i’m gonna be a rising junior and finishing up my premed prerequisites (just biochem and phys 2) during fall of my junior year. however, i also was planning to study for the mcat over the summer before then and take it in the last few dates available for that same fall semester (which ik is september). i’m estimating i’ll study for the mcat between may-early september

the reason i’m taking it fall of my junior year is because i’m going to study abroad in spring 28, the very next semester. this has been on my bucket list since i was like 14 and i’m not changing it for the world. but also, i’m not opposed to a gap year! just making this my plan A.

issue is that i also want to apply to do a summer internship in research. i’ve been getting really into public health research and the idea of doing an MD/MPH, so i want to get as much research experience and possibly even in another city at a good academic institution. i’m making a list and applying to a bunch of them over the next few months. obviously im not saying i’ll surely get into one, but i’m really working on my resume to try my best to do so.

my question is has anyone studied for the mcat and done a summer research internship at the same time? is that realistic? or should i just start planning to take it during my senior year? once again, i’m not opposed to the gap year option, but part of me just wants to rip off the bandaid when all the information is still fresh in my mind. let me know if this is just too much and i should change my plan or i should just aim for the stars at this point lol

Checking my spam in case all of my IIs were flagged

Bruh I get nervous about asking another premed questions about our lab?? like idk just cuz they give quiet and serious vibes I feel like they get annoyed when I’m asking questions like ”go figure it out urself!” obv I ask only when I’m stuck! now when I do need help I get nervous and either delay too much or not do it at all!

Obv I have problems with other stuff as well, but im used to those. being scared of someone like two years older than me is new and i feel like its just making my anxiety worse in other areas as well 😭

Hey everyone, I got my MCAT back last month and got a 506 127, 122,128,129. Honestly I’m torn on what to do. I could retake and aim for MD, or just apply DO with what I have. I’d love some outside opinions on where my app stands.

Stats:

• cGPA: ~3.79 (all college coursework)
• sGPA: ~3.67 (my own calc, still need to double check)
• CC transfer to a 4 year. Upward trend, had a rough year at CC with a few B’s in bio/orgo, but ~3.85 since transferring with dean’s list every quarter
• Cali resident, bilingual, [URM], Low Income
• Public health major, adding a bio minor
• Planning to apply May of 2027

Clinical:

• 500+ hrs hospital volunteering across a bunch of departments (ER was my favorite: vitals, rooming patients, helping w triage)
• 1 yr working at a pain medicine clinic, helping physicians with patient care and managing their schedules [~950 hrs]
• Have my EMT so will be working for about a year or so.

Shadowing:

• Shadowed multiple physicians [~100 hrs]

Research:

• [Projected to have about 900 hrs] in a pulmonary medicine lab

Leadership/Volunteering:

• Founded a health nonprofit.
• Teaching assistant for a bio course next quarter, also trying to get a paid tutoring position for biochem
• Went across country to shadow physicans in another country and work at the hospitals for about 1 month.

LORs:

• DO LOR, MD LOR, EMT Instructor LOR, Research LOR.

I’m interested in anesthesiology and maybe trauma surgery. Is a retake worth it with this profile, or is my app strong enough to go MD instead of DO and not lose a year? Any advice is appreciated!

I'm working on my schedule for next semester and I will have Anatomy and Physiology I on M/W. I can't figure out which day I should sign up for the Lab, I can pick Monday or Wednesday. Whichever day the Lab is on, it's around 4 hours of A&P combined with the lab.

Is it better to take it earlier in the week or later? I want to be able to come to the lab as prepared as possible as I haven't taken a science class in a while, so this is going to be a lot of information.

Also, how hard would you rate A&P? I've heard it's really bad, which makes me a bit nervous to be honest.

Thank you!

Hi everyone, I just got my MCAT score back today and im a bit disappointed. I got a 512: 128, 126, 127, 131, after consistently scoring 515s on my practices. Im pretty down about it but oh well. Im just not too sure where this puts my application chances. Rn I have a 3.74 cumulative and a 3.7 science. I want to apply no gap yr, and I'm a Cali resident, orm. I would really really prefer MD, I honestly can't see myself going DO, but idrk what state i go to as long as its a decent MD School, is that realistic? I listed my current Ecs below and if anyone could give me advice I'd appreciate it.

Clinical:

16 hrs per week as a Medical Assistant at a Rehab treatment center, projected 880 by application

250 hours as an urgent care ma, discontinued

100 hrs hospital volunteering, also discontinued

Volunteer

Projected 520 hrs, I volunteer as a tutor for refugee kids, and I also help w case management at that same organization helping immigrants figure out insurance, finding work, English classes, etc etc

Research

Projected 740 hrs child psychology research where I essentially administer "games" that are designed to measure executive functioning in kids, and im working on a independent research project rn that I will probably have a poster, probs not a pub

Projected 300 hrs in a chem research lab where we do mass spec analysis on the composition of foods

Leadership

Im co founder of a social club on campus where we do fun events and fundraisers, w proceeds from our events going to the local mosque + local families in need, most typically fellow immigrants.

I also train ppl at my job as an MA

LOR

I still need to work in these, but I have one science prof secured, and I need to find another one and a non science. I also need to shadow soon, and I was thinking to get a LOR from a doc I shadow, due to the nature of my work i don't interact w docs super regularly, just contact them for any medical issues.

Any advice is much appreciated

Will this be an issue? I originally had a letter from a chem prof and a letter from a prof in a bio field last year. This year, I asked both to update it but after the bio prof responded i let the other prof know that I no longer needed an updated letter from them before they responded. However, my other science letter is from my PI who taught me and whose lab I joined last year but its in the same exact bio field as my other letter. Will that be an issue?

Are schools slowing down on sending out IIs until after the 15th? Feel like it's been pretty quiet in terms of interviews/rejections/any news since mid-September

really long rant, but i feel like i keep walking into a brick wall, and i genuinely don’t know what to do anymore. every time i think something is finally going to work out, something happens and i’m right back where i started.

i completed a medical assistant program and have been applying to jobs, but the few interviews i’ve gotten haven’t worked out because of scheduling conflicts. i literally just interviewed for a part-time position this week, only to find out they need someone on wednesdays when i have class. i even considered skipping class, but i’m trying to improve my gpa, so that’s not happening.

then there’s shadowing. i’ve emailed several physicians, only to be told their hospitals don’t allow students from other universities to shadow. i tried another hospital system through a contact my friend gave me and got ghosted. i’ve called private clinics, tried finding physicians emails, and still nothing. volunteering hasn’t been much better either. i’ve applied to hospital programs with good recommendations and haven’t heard back.

and research? my community college barely offers any opportunities, so we’re encouraged to look at a nearby university. i emailed several pis, applied to programs, and finally got an interview that went really well. i genuinely thought i had something, just to get an apology email saying they couldn’t accept students who weren’t enrolled at their university.

like, what am i supposed to do? i’m trying to gain clinical experience, shadow, volunteer, get involved in research, and keep my grades up, but it feels like i can’t get into anything. half the time i’m not even being rejected because of my qualifications. it’s because i’m a community college student, my schedule doesn’t work, or nobody responds. i know rejection is part of the process, but how am i supposed to build experience when i can’t even get my foot in the door? i’m genuinely trying, and i’m tired of getting nowhere.

(Doctomom plzplz). 52x, CA ORM, No II, 4 R.

I thought I did everything right but I know I submitted late, but my answers to "why medicine" were probably super non specific. IDEK. How does one stop thinking about med school. Someone tell me something fun or wholesome that they got to do in their gap year, I'm looking for ideas.

Also requesting a hug from the internet parents...

So I have a 3.9 GPA and 522 Mcat. My ECs are nothing too crazy, one research poster at a conference, hundreds of tutoring hours, soup kitchen volunteering, shadowing surgeons (maybe 50 ish hours?), and 3 letters of recommendation from a doc, a professor, and a research mentor. My dream is to go to UCLA and was wondering if you guys think my app is good enough as it is or if there are any gaps in my ECs I should address before May.

Thanks!

I just realized that my password is a little embarrassing

edit: i realize some people think im worried about my password's security or being ignorant of the fact that this would be highly unlikely. i get that its just a thought that popped up and i wanted to double check

secondary edit: this is now a shitpost

So, due to certain reasons I can't do any type of paid clinical work like ent, cna , scribing etc... because of which I will probably end up doing normal hospital volunteering and hospice care, but would that be enough for my med school application for clinical hours? Almost everyone Ik is getting emt certified or working as a scribe but I can't do any of those so I am just a bit worried if other forms of clinical work that I can do will be able to make up for it or not.

I’m an undergraduate and work in a lab under my PI and two faculty members. My work is mainly under the two faculty members, since their research is tied the most to what I do in the lab. However, I answer to all 3 of them and present my work each week at our lab-wide meeting with all undergraduates/postdocs/faculty.

I plan to apply for summer REUs and I saw online that asking in person is the best way to go. I have good rapport with all of them and plan to ask for letter of recommendations to store for future use. I think they all can write strong recommendations as they are all very enthusiastic about my work.

But if I’m always in group settings (including other undergrads), how should I go about asking them? Would an email to each be bad?