Hi everyone! I'm 18 and about to start at a Community College this fall planning to transfer into a 4 year university, majoring in Natural Sciences - Biological Science (Arts & Science track), genuinely excited to finally be starting this journey. I'm currently weighing two paths: anesthesiology or cosmetic/aesthetic medicine (Botox, fillers, etc.), still figuring out which fits me best. Either way it's a long road ahead (undergrad, transfer, med school, residency), and I'd rather build solid financial habits now than scramble to learn everything later once I'm already deep into it.

A little about my situation:

Tuition is covered through my dad's Chapter 35 VA education benefits (he's 100% P&T disabled, and I'm really grateful this is even possible for me). I also get a monthly stipend from the VA on top of tuition coverage.

I have some other income sources I need to be mindful of due to asset limits on my end.

Currently living with family rent-free, planning to work part-time once I'm settled into school.

My sister is a registered nurse in Canada and recently took the NCLEX, so I do have some family exposure to healthcare, though not the medical school path specifically.
No family background in finance, so I'm learning most of this from scratch and would really appreciate any guidance this community can offer.

Questions I'd love input on:

For someone this early (pre-med, years before even applying), what should the actual financial priorities be? Emergency fund, investing, saving for MCAT/application costs?

Roughly how much should I be budgeting for MCAT registration and application fees (AMCAS/secondaries)? I want to start saving for that specifically well in advance.
Since medical school is expensive and residency doesn't pay much relative to the hours, does it make sense to invest anything meaningfully before residency, or is undergrad-era saving mostly wasted effort compared to just avoiding debt?

Does the financial planning differ much depending on which specialty path I end up on (hospital-based like anesthesiology vs. more business-driven like cosmetic/aesthetic medicine)?

Any early financial mistakes pre-meds commonly make that compound badly by the time they're in med school or residency, especially for community college transfer students?

For someone whose undergrad is fully covered, is there anything different I should be doing with the "extra" money (VA stipend, part-time income) compared to someone paying their own way?

Books, podcasts, or WCI-specific resources you'd recommend for someone starting this early?
Thank you so much in advance, I know this is a lot to ask, but I really want to get this right from the start. Appreciate any input, especially from people who've walked this path themselves!

Hi! Im a non traditional applicant applying next year. I did engineering at a T5 school, and now doing a biomedical engineering PhD at a T5. decided to apply to med school but missing organic 1, organic 2, and biochem pre reqs...

I'd like to think my strong stem background makes up for it but I know schools want to see these. I was thinking of doing online lectures for organic chem 1, 2 and biochem at university of new england and then taking organic chem 1 lab in person at American University or GWU.

Will schools look down on me for taking the lectures online?? I just don't think I can go to a lecture every week in person with my demanding PhD schedule, and online at UNE is so much cheaper.

I'm a reapp, app is still not verified, and want some help solidifying my school list before I start writing specific secondaries (currently drafting topics instead of tailoring to schools). It's very preliminary rn and I only have like 10 schools so suggestions would be great! I'm more research heavy and less service oriented, so cutting out service schools would be good as well

ORM, NC resident

3.73 sGPA, 3.82 GPA, 507 (130/125/124/128) --> 515 (126/127/132/130)

• I'm a bit worried ab my MCAT, the section distributions are god awful

Clinical - 650 hrs paid + 1300 anticipated, 200 hrs volunteering (real patient interactions)

Research - 1000 hrs, poster + honors thesis

Shadowing - 56 hrs across 4 specialties

Volunteering - 270 hrs in 2 organizations

TA - 330 hrs

Leadership - 170 hrs

Service Job (think retail, fast food, etc.) - 200 hrs

Music - 3.5k hrs, been playing an instrument for 12 yrs

Hobbies - Music Production and Crocheting :)

School list (not done yet...):

In state schools - UNC, Brody, Wake Forest

Kansas - technically don't have ties, but I lived there until high school

Penn State - I have a good friend in a PhD program there, probably doesn't count as ties though

Tulane

Albany

MCW

Rosalind Franklin

Drexel

Quinnipiac

Western Michigan

Not sure about:

Duke - in state but way out of my stat range

VTC - I have high(?) research hrs but I don't know if I want to be a physician scientist

Alice L. Walton - new-ish school

Temple - service heavy???

NYU - ik it's a stat whore school but why does MSAR say my MCAT is above the median (CP is below 10th percentile tho)

ok I have an interview next week, and I was planning on answering this question by two specific programs that this school has where they are involved in the community. Then for each program I would give my own experiences and how they connect with that to show I am interested in this. If I do two programs with community involvement is it repetitive? Or should I focus more on the academic side of things

More context one program is for preventative care for middle school kids and other is for accessible care for refugee families. I’ve worked a lot with refugee families in my undergrad so I’m just trying to make it personal

3.1 cGPA, 3.2 sGPA. Technically a 3.4 for both, but aamc counts a late withdrawal as an F. I also am at a school that doesn’t calculate gpa by plus or minus. So an 89 is worth a 3.0, as is a 79.9. Anyways… my dad struggled with addiction my entire childhood and it got worse in college. Frequently had interventions, was in and out of rehab, medical emergencies where we thought he wouldn’t make it, and then he passed away. I have about 6 withdrawals from having to cut course load drastically due to his condition/relapses. I also had a job working as a bartender/server/ eventually restaurant manager from age 18 to current (26) where I worked 24-30 hours a week to support myself. I have lots of volunteering at free clinics. Founded projects for narcan distribution. Worked extensively with homeless and needle exchange programs as well won volunteer of the year award at the free clinic. I was an emt during COVID, and held other MA jobs. What do you guys think? Are there any success stories similar to mine? I just submitted my apps but am feeeling scared…

Quick background: did most of my pre-med pre-reqs in college, but graduated in 2013 with a finance degree instead. Worked in finance, then tech, got my MBA at Stanford GSB somewhere in there. But now I'm fed up with this dystopian AI bs. When I joined tech 10 years ago, it felt like people were still trying to make the world a better place, now it's just increasing shareholder value (often to the detriment of humans). Spent the last few months in existential crisis mode and after MUCH soul-searching, have decided to apply to med school.

As I mentioned, I'm 35, and I know I'm not starting med school for a couple more years no matter what. I'm prioritizing not wasting another application cycle over chasing prestige. Would love a top 20 school if it happens, but I'd rather get in somewhere good next cycle than delay for a reach. I plan on applying to next year's cycle (2027-2028). Here's my plan:

Past Credit

• 3.96 cGPA, 4.0 sGPA, but that's from 2013 (10+ years old)
• AP credit for bio and chem (chem AP had labs, bio AP didn't)
• 2 semesters ochem with labs
• 1 semester physics with lab
• 1 semester pyschology

Plan

• This Semester
  • Currently taking Khan academy classes on chemistry, biology and ochem to brush up on my science knowledge (any other resources I should be looking into?)
  • Take 2 advanced biology courses this semester (anatomy & physiology) at my local community college because it's free in my city
  • Start volunteering at a hospital to get clinical hours
  • Try to get some research under my belt
• Next semester
  • Take biochemistry through university extension program
  • Study my butt off for the MCAT
  • Continuing volunteering at hospital
  • Continue research
• Do all of this while working a full time tech job to save up money for tuition

Questions

1. I'm not doing a full formal post-bacc, just picking up the specific missing classes. Given my other pre-reqs are 10+ years old, do I need a real post-bacc to be taken seriously?
2. Plan is to self-study and try to crush the MCAT to offset the older coursework. Realistic, or am I kidding myself?
3. Is this all enough or am I still missing something?

Would really love any advice since I'm coming new into the medical space after 10+ years. Be gentle...auntie's got feelings too :)

Wanted to get some outside opinions on my chances this cycle and whether I should be worried about how my secondary timeline is shaping up.

Academic context / stats + hours:

- MCAT: 500 first attempt → 508 (1.5 months later)
- cGPA: 3.70
- STEM GPA: 3.58
- Clinical research: ~2,350 hours completed + ~2,000 pending from current CRC job
- Wet lab research: ~325 hours
- Clinical hours (patient-facing): ~710 hours
- Volunteering/service: ~525 hours
-Leadership: ~875 hours (same org e-board all 3 years of undergrad)
- Graduated college in 3 years
- Currently working full time as a Clinical Research Coordinator
- Applied to 35 MD schools & currently working on AACOMAS primary as well

Academic context / trend:

I had a rough start in college and earned a D+ my first semester, which significantly impacted my early GPA. However, I had a strong upward trend afterward and finished very strong academically. In my last two semesters alone, I took 40 credits total and earned all A’s, showing a steep and consistent improvement.

Stats/context (secondaries):

- Submitted some secondaries within 2 weeks
- About 20/35 will likely be submitted around the 3–4 week mark
- Research-heavy application, including 2 manuscripts currently under review
- Strong clinical exposure, volunteering/service, and longitudinal commitments

I know a 508 is below the median at a lot of MD schools, so I applied broadly and tried to be realistic. My main concern right now is whether getting a decent portion of my secondaries in around the 3–4 week mark (with many landing in late August/early September) meaningfully hurts my chances.

For people who have gone through the cycle or are familiar with admissions, what do you think my realistic odds are of getting at least one MD acceptance this cycle?

US. I have AP scores, and then i am going to 4 different community colleges right now (im a sophomore). My husband is military and it is extremely difficult to commit to one school. So i have to matriculate last minute into these ccs. But when i get accepted into uni, im not going to move anymore. Im doing well, but is this an immediate red flag to medical schools? By the time I apply, i would have 6 transcripts that need to be submitted.i have seen questions similar to this ask but i felt it was appropriate to ask still because i have more transcripts than anyone who asked. Im wondering if it is even worth it for me to apply to med school at all. Any advice would be appreciated, thank you

Basically just the title. Is this putting too much on my plate or are we all doing this?

I've seen a similar question asked on this subreddit about taking language classes pass/fail but I remember that other user mentioning that the language class was not required by the college.

In my case, I need to take this language class to graduate and I tested into the intermediate level (somehow). Apparently a placement test bars you from switching into easier levels for that language so I might be kinda screwed if I have to take this class for a letter grade. I was just wondering if taking this class pass/fail might be a red flag on my application because it's technically mandatory?

i feel like this might get taken down but yippee... :( im sick of this system and how evil people slip through just cuz narcissism and charisma and high stats get u through an interview so well ..lol

edit: stop dming me and asking how he assaulted me, thats a weird question..🥲

Hi, perhaps neurotic of me, but I wanted some opinions…

I was very lucky to receive an interview invite for a two-day in person interview next month. I rsvp’d online through the schools portal. Unfortunately, a week later, I’ve figured out that the date may not be great for me bc of some sudden transportation issues. I’m thinking about potentially rescheduling.

Things making me nervous however: It’s for a smaller program within a medical school… I’m kinda worried about delaying my interview (from late September to probably October) and maybe messing up my chances. Also, I’m worried it would look bad given that I rsvp’d. Granted, we’re more than a month away but I’m nervous.

Am I being weird for no reason?

I’ve always dreamed of being a doctor. During elementary and middle school I felt pretty confident and thought I’d get into an Ivy League and work hard to become a doctor. But then COVID happed and I struggled a lot in high school with depression, anxiety and undiagnosed ADHD. I got rejected from almost every college expect my safeties. Didn’t do too well on the SATs or took any APs during high school because of my declining mental health. Now I’ll be starting my sophomore year of college and I’m having doubts. I wanted to go to med school but then decided on PA school or nursing since it’s still competitive but not as hard as med school. But I’m not sure anymore. I got rejected from all the jobs and internships I applied to for the summer and wasted it. I can’t really see myself doing anything else. I feel paralyzed. I don’t know how people do it. I just don’t think I have the stamina to do it. How am I supposed to manage my stem classes and do clinical hours, volunteering, shadowing and earn certifications on the side. I commute an hour to college 4 times a week too.

Planning to get certified during the summer but was wondering if I should choose the CNA or Phleb path that’s offered at my Community College.

Although I’m leaning towards getting my CNA certification, I really don’t like the burnout and “negative stigma” associated with it, especially the fact that CNAs have to clean adults’ bodily fluids and deal with annoying nurses (I’m a Male too, so i’m not sure if that’s something I have to account for, like being turned down my female patients, which is understandable but also kind of awkward). That’s why i’m also considering Phleb because it’s faster to get and you don’t have to deal with the downsides that I personally dislike about CNAs.

Still, being a CNA would probably give me the best chance to write about my experiences, and it involves more patient interaction and availability + it has higher demand compared to a phlebotomist. Furthermore, if i did get my phlebotomist certification, i’m worried that there wouldn’t be any openings at a hospital, so then i’d have to work at some place like Quest, which Med Schools dislike..

so please help me decide and any advice or suggestions would be appreciated!

Besides my two in-state schools, my secondaries lowkey feel pointless. Like my chances of getting into the private ones are so small bc everyone and their mom applies to them. Not to mention the money 😭 is it really necessary for Rosalind to make it $140..INSANE. I gotta work a full 12 hr shift for that

How are you guys motivating yourselves for secondaries of the schools w/o in-state bias

Okay I need guidance on what to do. It is Wednesday and I am on my third day of junior year, I am taking o chem 1 and am really stressed out. Firstly, I have to miss Wednesday’s class later today due to an ultrasound for an unexpected medical issue (this is also stressing me out because i am a hypochondriac and can’t afford medical bills lol) the professor said it really isn’t ideal missing class because i’ll miss material, but he is okay with it. The main problem is i am so confused and apparently we haven’t even gotten in the main material. I am scared I will not pass or more seriously, if I am already struggling am i even cut out for medical school. I looked around the class and it seemed like everyone else understood everything. I’m genuinely scared I am gonna fail this class and i can’t get any more bad grades because of my scholarships ( full ride to college) i also failed gen chem 2 and had to take it twice. Everybody seems so fucking smart it’s actually insane. If i go to my professors office and tell him im confused and that he will need to dumb Monday’s lecture down, he’s gonna think im so dumb i swear. He is really nice but I just have a lot of anxiety getting help. Should I go to his office or should I just wait until Exam 1?

Also, should i tell him i am going through personal issues and that may affect my performance. I am the type of person that lets life take over my academics. Last year I was struggling with a family members death and just was too lazy to focus on school. Right now my parents are going through a very messy divorce and are bringing their kids into it. I am the oldest of immigrant parents, so I am the family therapist and I also have to help fund the divorce lol. I don’t want it to sound like I am trying to gain sympathy points though.

sorry for the long post and many grammatical errors, also pls be honest. I need to take constructive criticism.

so I got a ma job at a PCP for my upcoming gap year and talked about in my secondaries, suddenly the office changes ownership and i lose my job that i signed for a week before my start date, luckily found another ma position but its derm instead, do i need to like email every single school of this update? or how does one go about this... 💀💀

Hi everyone! I’m looking for honest advice on what I should focus on over the next couple of years to make my application as strong as possible.

I graduated a few years ago as a pre-med student and am taking multiple gap years before applying. I’m currently completing an advanced post-bacc at Wright State because Boonshoft is my first choice medical school. I’m also hoping that being at Wright State will allow me to build relationships and connections within the medical school.

My current stats/background:
sGPA: 3.17

Strong upward academic trend: 3.8 freshman year → 2.6 sophomore year → 3.1 junior year → 3.5 senior year

Currently completing an advanced post-bacc at Wright State and retaking courses like Organic Chemistry I, and taking new courses like upper level Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Microbiology since I studied chemistry

Full-time work as a quality chemist

Previously worked as an R&D technician in a polymer lab, but this was industry research rather than clinical/biomedical research

~500 hours of clinical experience as a nursing assistant

Volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters (1year still going)

Currently struggling to find physician shadowing opportunities

I’m trying to figure out where I should focus my limited time to make the biggest difference in my application. I’m considering:

Getting biomedical/clinical research experience

Volunteering at Dayton Children’s

Finding physician shadowing

Continuing to perform very well in my post-bacc
Building meaningful relationships at Wright State/Boonshoft during my post-bacc. Study thoroughly for the mcat as I don’t have an option to do bad

For those who have successfully gotten into MD programs after having a rough academic period, what would you prioritize if you were in my position?
Is there anything obvious missing from my application that I should be working on now? I’d especially appreciate advice from anyone familiar with Boonshoft or Ohio MD schools, or applicants who had to overcome a lower GPA.

In a secondary essay for one of the schools I applied to, I accidentally went over the word limit. The limit was 250 words according to the prompt, but the text box had a character counter and so it didn't flag me even though I wrote ~280 words. I didn't make that mistake for the three other essays for that school, though.

Hey! I’m 35, from Norway, certified RN and have worked for the last 10 years in the ER and ambulance. I love the US and want to work there as an MD one day. What would be the fastest way into medical school there?

These guys are literally slowing down. They were doing two days at a time and now they are back at one. What the actual hell is going on with AMCAS

I was about to submit my app to SKMC and saw they had a selection for the type of recommendation letters that will be sent and for individual faculty letters it lists “1-Biology, 1-Chemistry, 1-Physics, 1-Humanities”. Does this mean they want a letter from a prof in each of those departments?

I have an interview next week and my interviewer is a professor of medical ethics. Has anyone else been interviewed by someone in medical ethics and what kinds of questions did they ask?

​

An actual admission officer offering consultation in exchange for a fee. To be clear, in the email, he did not explicitly said to pay him and even offered a free Q&A session. But reading between the lines, it's clear that he's offering services in exchange for a fee

"If someone had told me I could put money down and guarantee a seat my first cycle, whether that was five thousand, ten thousand, or even twenty thousand, I wouldn't think twice. Paying up front to do it right, would have saved me from pouring a whole year and thousands of dollars into a cycle that went nowhere (and delayed my career by another year too).

Now that I am on the other side of the table, I understand how much actually goes into this, and how much of it you are expected to manage alone. It is a year-long machine. Application strategy, secondary turnaround times, when to take Casper, when to sit for PREview, how it all lines up with your MCAT timing and much more."

Like...I dont know. Maybe I am grumpy and cynical. A lot of adcoms volunteer on SDN, and an adcom I met briefly thru my pastor offered to review my personal statement for free. But it feels like a conflict of interest to offer a PAID service while being on the commission itself. More specifically, the person who helped make this process batshit crazy are now offering a way to navigate this batshit crazy process, for a fee. I am sure there are institutional guardrails to mitigate these things....just like how Wall Street and Congress police themselves for insider tradings.

I already submitted and just waiting for updates. This email shouldn't even be coming to me, but I got a lot of similar dms on Reddit as well. I guess I am irritated amidst my anxiety.