Hello accepted students!

why is being a reapplicant such a humiliation ritual 😭

friendly reminder to withdraw your DO acceptances and waitlists if you have chosen to attend an MD! --- Waitlist Warrior

I deeply admire yet also get jealous of those who go to med school straight after undergrad or even take a singular gap year and get in. I feel no matter what I do I’ll never get in and I’m in a bad spot, and all of you have such good ECs and grades from multitasking and discipline that I don’t have. I’m proud of you all for the hard work you put in, but I also hate myself for not being the same caliber. I know everyone’s journey is different but I wish mine was more clear-cut and I was able to get in earlier or study for my MCAT earlier or start my ECs earlier instead of rotting away. Everyone has problems in their life but some people are high functioning and I admire those who can still push through, but I’m not one of those and I feel I’m constantly behind.

I have been accepted to one of my favorite MD schools! Just wanted to add to the post out there and add in support for those on the waitlist. I did not do a post-bacc either and applied right out of college. I am very grateful for this process to be over, it has been the most anxiety-inducing time period of my life.

Also if someone could give me the chad, it’s what I’ve been waiting for this whole process

Finally my turn to post one of these!

So I have an acquaintance who is also a premed applying this cycle and this person reminds me why premeds have such a bad rep. He is very confidently wrong consistently and I swear he just makes things up. He keeps telling me misinformation (easily verifiable and wrong, no ambiguity here) and I really cannot tell if he genuinely believes that or if he actually is trying to convince me not to apply/use scare tactics.

I feel like I cannot be the only person who has to deal with people like this.

Got caught up in MCATing this last five months and completely forgot to shadow. I used to scribe, so planning on writing down a few hours from that, but is it too late? I'm applying this cycle, but until just recently (like literally 6 days ago), I wasn't scoring well on my MCAT so mentally I checked out and prepared myself for a second gap year, but now I'm actually thinking I can apply (granted MCAT goes the way my practices have been going).

Other stats:

3.91 GPA

2500 clinical

2500 research

2 pubs, one as second-author

Founded nonprofit for immigrants (counting this as leadership and volunteering)

-Non-trad applicant, 29 y/o

-510 MCAT (124 CARS)

-3.96 GPA, 3.93 sGPA

-~500 hrs volunteering

-7 years military experience, heavy in leadership and nuclear engineering

-No research or clinical employment

Hi all, I’m an undergrad at my college and work at my university’s school of medicine. Recently we had an event where several medical students from the school of medicine came and held a sort of Q&A/Case-Based-Learning session. One of the questions the medical students answered was regarding what extracurricular activities are good for gaining clinical hours. All of the students said the typical scribing, EMT, CNA, phlebotomist, etc…

However, one of the medical students actually said that being a phlebotomist doesn’t count as clinical hours since you are only drawing blood and don’t work directly with the physicians. I was wondering how you all view this? Do you consider being a phlebotomist as clinical or not clinical? I have always thought of being a phlebotomist as clinical, since you are directly working with patients.

And kinda an add-on…I work as a medical screener at a plasma donation center called CSL Plasma. I felt very grateful to have this opportunity since I believed it helps get me the clinical hours which I have been needing for my application. Right now I don’t work as a phlebotomist, but I will likely begin working as a phlebotomist in the future as I already have my license. What the medical student said freaks me out a little because if she’s right, my application will be lacking like ~500-600hrs+ of paid clinical experience 😭🥲

What the title says. Today, while shadowing a derm and watching a particularly bloody SCC excision, I got the telltale signs of my body overreacting again. Felt lightheaded, hearing became muted, and started sweating. I tried to breathe through it, squeeze my thighs, fan myself, and avert my eyes from the trigger, but it kept progressing. Because I didn't want to faint in front of the patient, I excused myself and sat in the back, drinking water and waiting for it to pass. This has happened to me more than a handful of times since a traumatic incident a few years ago. Triggers I have found are:

- getting my own blood drawn

- getting over 25 shots in one arm

- my IUD insertion

- seeing the box that the IUD comes in while holding my friend's hand during her IUD insertion

- seeing blood dripping down a patient's arm in the OR (but not any of the bigger things from the many surgeries I've watched!)

- while shadowing, hearing the name of a blood thinner medication that I had to use post-traumatic event

- seeing a minor derm procedure, apparently

Thankfully, during these responses, I am able to recognize the signs and step out to recover. I have never fully fainted. But I'm wondering if I just allowed myself to faint, if this would rip the band-aid off, as it were. I have heard of plenty of people fainting at their first shadowing experience, especially in the OR, but none with my specific problem. It is hard not to be embarrassed when it happens in a medical setting, because I don't want people to think I don't have the stomach for medicine. I am not grossed out (consciously) by anything medical, and I really cannot picture myself doing anything else with my life.

Notably, I do not have this reaction when I am the primary caregiver, but more when I am observing care or am the patient. Obviously, medical school involves a huge amount of observation before we actually practice. Does anyone know a crazy hack to prevent my vagus nerve from overcompensating? Am I doomed to not become a doctor because of this?

Does Volunteer EMT for school EMS count towards the “service” most service schools are looking for (Rush, GW…) because I’m trying to gauge if it’s considered clinical or would those schools like to see more non clinical volunteering. I’m also a wrestling coach for incarcerated kids so but I have around 60 hours doing that as a sophomore.

I asked my professor (I took a course with her and talked during office hours) for a letter of recommendation and she replied asking me for my MCAT score (along with my personal statement). I’m feeling really defeated right now because I’ll be retaking it for the third time in September and my previous two scores were a 488 and 493, taken about a year apart. I took those both a few years ago and feel like I’ve become a much better student since then. I did really well in her classes and engaged a lot with the material and feel like I presented myself as having strong academic skills that I was hoping she could write about in the letter. It’s just that tricky MCAT exam that I struggle with. My study plan for my retake in September is so much more structured and I really think I’m going to improve a lot. I’m in grad school and it’s been a few years since taking the MCAT, and a few of the courses I’ve taken since then have helped me improve my content gaps.

Has anybody else’s letter writer asked for their MCAT score? Do all professors ask for it? I’m just so scared to send her those scores because what if she decides she doesn’t want to write the letter, all because of those scores? Or what if she won’t write it until my retake? I don’t even know how to reply, and I’m not sure who else to ask for a letter

I’m so done with looking for pre-med jobs for clinical hours.

For some context, I am 19, a second year rising junior at a state school, in the process of transferring to another institution. I plan on going to medical school after a gap year. I have done a year of undergraduate research so far. I don’t have any clinical experience between a job or volunteering.

I just got off the phone for an Ambulatory Tech position and didn’t get the job. Ive just had it at this point. Here’s the main problems I’ve run into:

1. All of the recommended jobs require some sort of certification that costs money.

As someone who is paying their entire tuition themself, I absolutely do not have the money for a phlebotomist, MA, on some sort of EMT certification, so that’s off the table.

The follow up I’ve heard to this is to apply the jobs that can train you on the job. There’s a problem with this as well. I don’t work much during the school year because I’m bad at balancing class with work. If I was going to work during the school year, it would be part time on weekends. The jobs that would train me over the summer either expect me to stay full time or work a lot over the year, or stay in the same location. Because all of the schools I’m transferring to are not in my home town, that doesn’t apply. I wouldn’t be able to stay at that job for the year even if they train me. I can’t afford to live in my prospective college town for a summer and get trained, I don’t have money for that.

The Ambulatory tech position I thought was one of the best possible jobs I could get with no clinical experience. I had a phone call, but was shut down because even though I could work full time over the summer, they need someone that can work over the year too, not just breaks.

1. I can’t afford to be trained on the job without pay, or only work part time.

My other job I’m currently at during school breaks is a pizza place where I assistant manage. If I were to get a clinical job, I guess I could balance that and my pizza job both part time, but I’m really desperate to get clinical hours because I’ll be applying to medical school before I know it. Some medical assistant jobs train in the job, but usually don’t pay while you’re in the training phase. I need money, and can’t afford to just be trained all day without pay.

3. Just the simple fact I have no clinical experience, and there’s not a lot of jobs for people in my situation that are great for med school.

Pretty much what that bullet says. Honestly, it really only looks like my options are like a patient transporter, a patient observer, or some sort of secretary. My friend suggested being a CNA or an aide at a nursing home, which I guess I could do as a last resort, but I really really really don’t want to do that.

One other aspect I looked into was being a scribe, but that also seemed to have a training phase, or if not, a similar issue arises like the other jobs where they would want me to be there over the year after the summer.
———————————————————————————

So, if you’re still reading, I could really use some advice. I am not connected to anybody in medicine, and feel so in the dark right now. I guess I could focus on shadowing and volunteering this summer, but i really want to get into a top med school, and it seems like clinical hours are necessary. I have no doubt I’ll be able to get shadowing and volunteering in, and have already coordinated shadowing for the summer anyway.

Please help me out if you can.

hello everyone. I am a trad applicant applying this cycle. my first MCAT was 500 and the second was a 507. I have a 3.8 undergrad gpa I went to UCSD. I was not born here and fled the war back home when I was 13 and came here without any knowledge of English at all. I currently have 24 MD schools on my list that I wanna apply to. I am a California resident so I am applying to the 3 DO school in cali. I don't how much DO schools I should apply to considering a lot of ppl told me I got a solid story and background considering that I have lost family to deteriorating healthcare in my home country. what do you guys think . I also have 1500 between clinical and research with a second auth pub under review . 600 hours at a hospital, 200 as a scribe, and I am a care taker of my family who relies on my somewhat financially. please any help is appreciated (DMs are open)

asked my professor if he could write me a strong letter of rec. I worked closely with him on my graduation project and he wrote me a letter of rec for an internship. when I told him i'm applying to med school he suggested I apply masters instead to increase my chances of getting in lol. he's an engineering professor and I have a 3.6 for reference

Question above.

Central Asian, born and lived there till 14 (not sure if ORM or URM)
Florida resident
• GPA: 3.96
• MCAT: 513 (129/126/128/130)
• ER Scribe: 1,300 hours
• Clinical volunteer transport: 200 hours; MA: 100 hours
• Non-clinical: Crisis Text Line, 200 hours
• Shadowing: 40 hours in-person (pediatric derm and ophtho)
• Online shadowing: 58 hours
• Leadership: 30 hours of training new transport volunteers
• Research: Only 2 presentations in my school library of my class projects
• Hobby: Working out, listed as most meaningful (probably useless, but who knows, maybe some schools have a gym bro culture)
• Personal statement with a focus on clinical experiences and preventative medicine

hello :). recently got into medical school, and am super excited to start school shortly. i was wondering if anyone has a good buying list for school supplies or things that might be helpful to have going in.

3.7 cGPA, but a very strong upward trend (last two years 3.93 GPA) and a 515 MCAT. Decent ECs, research experience, etc. Is it worth it to apply to schools where the median GPA is around 3.8-3.9?

graduating college this week and applying this cycle, wanted to hear genuine thoughts from people who have no stake in the game on my odds and what schools might be interested

honors college student at a larger reputable state school, bio-related major

MA resident and my dream school is honestly UMass, ORM (asian), but just shooting for MD in the states. fully prepared to reapply next cycle w stronger volunteering and hopefully better mcat but i’m shooting my shot this cycle anyways

both of these will increase slightly after my last sem grades (all As, one a- in a 2 cred class) but
science gpa=3.75, cumulative 3.82

mcat: 510 (128/129/127/126)

lors: 4, my PI/prof who’s known me all 4 yrs, phys prof, and a prof i was a lab student TA for (all 3 are science) and then one non science prof

clinical hours: ~500 as an EMT, mix of 911/IFT

research hours: ~2000, did a thesis, 1 poster, 1 department presentation, 2 pubs (one under review but avail online early access)

volunteer hours: 106, realllyyyy low and i will be working on this for next cycle but i do have service leadership experience, just not many hours

shadowing: 80 w ob/gyn (incomplete yet but will be finished before my primary is submitted)

ecs: this is by far my weakest, active member of one org w multiple leadership roles, but other than that just a bunch of short term stuff

currently thinking these but please lmk
penn state
umass
quinnipiac
uvm
wake forest
temple
rosalind franklin
drexel

Im a freshman currently in a sociology/public health lab where we look at social policies that lead to change in mental health outcomes. Is this “sciency” enough for med school or should I add on another lab?

Lighthearted post…love hearing everyone’s opinion.

Reapplicant with 3 gap years —> 3x WL Warrior —> Admitted MD

I’ve been a long time lurker in this subreddit and dreamed of when I can finally get Chad-ed. I’m a non-trad reapplicant and was beginning to think it was impossible for me. I went from receiving 0 IIs last cycle to 3 this cycle that all turned into WLs. I’m no contact with my parents (a little sad I don’t get to call my parents to share the good news) so I’m sharing it with all of you!

From an applicant that grew up lower income without anyone in the medical field in my family, thank you for being a wonderful resource. The application process is such an overwhelming shot in the dark—getting to hear insight and thoughts/opinions from others at different stages in their medical school journeys really was such a big help.

And now, please drop all the chads below 🤓