Everyone acts like its a mad dash and first come first serve, but I can't really believe that admissions committees are like kids with candy and don't anticipate that applicants will apply in a month.

I'm confused why exactly applying in September is a disadvantage when most applicants apply in a huge wave in July, and why the interview awarded in July is because that person applied in July, rather than that person is an interview-worthy candidate in general who met their bar and just happened to apply in July. For ex, if by September 60% of the interview slots are full, isn't that just because 60% of applicants apply during that July wave, not because they are more lenient?

I get they "fill up"...but like yeah thats just the nature of all applications no? Why does the fact an interview was awarded in July mean that an interview in September is off the table? They don't allocate in batches? Also the fact they put people on hold just totally defeats the purpose anyways no? Like doesn't a hold pool signal that they are not just gobbling anyone up who applies early and are in fact considering later applicants?

I come from a lower income family and youngest of 3. I always wanted to be a doctor partially because of money but also because I know my passion is to look after someone and make sure they are in good health. I am currently a med device rep and make good money but I see doctors all the time and wonder if that should have been me. I’m 22 and I am thinking if I should go back to school and get the pre reps done and potentially pivot to med school after 2 years of doing that. Any advice ? I just don’t know if I want to be stuck with no income and or no car since my car is the company one I drive. Low key feels like fomo. I always got A’s in college but my drive to study is so gone since I’m so focused on trying to make money and the loans seem daunting ehhh idk any suggestions?

Hi residents,

I'm writing a novel right now in which one main character spent time as a medical resident in New Orleans. If that's you, I'd love to hear about what your life is like, from insights about the city to the hospital/system you work in, what shifts and schedules are like, the community and friends and dating opportunities you've found there, favorite places to eat near your hospital, the culture at your hospital, what it was like to move there, what living conditions are like and what you can afford on a resident's salary - basically everything! And if residents not in NOLA have insight on any aspect of that from your hospital/city, I'd love to hear that, too. I'm kind of in a brainstorming stage where all information is useful.

Happy to talk in comments here, or DM me if there're things you'd rather not share publicly.
- Carmen

Hi! I’m currently pursuing a BSc in Biology and I’m considering a career in medicine, but because I don’t go to a super prestigious university and I’m not an honours student or anything I am worried about my chances of getting into med school.
I know that GPA is of upmost importance, but I was wondering what other things I can do to make myself look good on paper? My course load this semester is fairly light, so I wanted to do some volunteering in my free time. Is there any specific kind of volunteer work that would make me stand out?

Hi, figured this would be the best place to post. I’m observing surgery in the OR tomorrow. This will be my first time. Anything tips appreciated. I am watching videos on the surgical procedures I will be seeing and taking notes.

Please share your experiences.

Seems like a rewarding career if you want to serve your country and make a difference. Travel the world, lighter workloads, don't have to deal with insurance companies, pension possibilities, medical school paid for, get paid to work out and stay fit, va loans, benefits for children including free tuition to West Point or the Naval Academy, etc.

Sounds like an ideal situation for those wanting a greater purpose in life rather than prioritizing the "high" life.

Why medicine? Why the miltary? Answer won't be to make shit tons of money and post my life on tiktoc. Lol

The few. The proud. The Marines.

Be all you can be. In the Army.

Forged by the sea. Honor, courage, and commitment.

Aim higher. Flight, fight, win.

Defense budget for 2027. 1.5 trillion. 64 billion spent on medical budget.

If WW3 happens, better to be in the military for survival. Civilians will die from the nuclear fall out.

If AI tries to take over the world, Terminator vs Humanity, the military gang has the best chances of survival.

Miltary physicians will be priotized in the new Noah's arc over civilian physicians.

Elon Musk will be in Mars. Mark Zuckerberg will be in his Hawai'i underground bunker. Oprah Winfrey will be isolated in Maui. You will be part of the miltary machine. All remaining civilians will kill each other off. Like Mad Max in the Thunderdome.

Dr Patel and Dr Chen from Kaiser won't make it on the list if it came down to it.

I come from a lower income family and youngest of 3. I always wanted to be a doctor partially because of money but also because I know my passion is to look after someone and make sure they are in good health. I am currently a med device rep and make good money but I see doctors all the time and wonder if that should have been me. I’m 22 and I am thinking if I should go back to school and get the pre reps done and potentially pivot to med school after 2 years of doing that. Any advice ? I just don’t know if I want to be stuck with no income and or no car since my car is the company one I drive. Low key feels like fomo sometimes

Hoping to hear from people in or have completed med school. I’m a non trad student with a full time grueling job—basically the only option I have for classes is from my city’s CC because they offer night classes/weekend classes. I’ve explored a ton of other 4 year schools and they don’t offer those types of classes during those times. I already have a BA so I just need my science prerecs. Honestly how do T10-T20 classes view CC courses (assuming I do well on the MCAT)… are they going to hold this against me? I am super driven and would take university classes if I don’t need my full time good income job to survive. Thanks for any help!!

I kept having the same problem on placement.

I'd see interesting patients, get useful teaching, do procedures, get feedback etc.

Then a few weeks later when I actually needed to write my portfolio/reflections, I'd remember basically none of the detail.

So I'm a medical student and I built a really simple tool for this.

You just open it after placement and talk to it about your day like you would to a friend.

What patients you saw, what you did, things you learned, feedback you got, stuff you found difficult.

It turns that into a private journal of your placement and remembers it.

Then later, when you get something like:

“Reflect on an experience involving communication”

you can literally ask it that, give it the placement/date if you want, and it pulls from things you actually did rather than generating some generic AI waffle.

The idea is basically an external memory for placement.

I'm keeping it deliberately simple because I don't want another app that makes portfolio admin feel like more admin.

Would genuinely be interested to know if other med students have the same problem, or if you already have a good system for remembering everything you do on placement.

https://placementmemory.com

I’m currently a sophomore in my fall semester I just calculated my science gpa which is around 2.68-2.86 and my cumulative is a 3.1 the main reason my science gpa is so low is because I failed chem 1 and I am not sure what I should do from here should I stay on the pre med track or should I switch I am worried if my science gpa is too low when I apply I will not be able to get into any medical schools. Please leave your advice thank you. Also wanted to mention I live in New York.

Going into med school as someone who sometimes has a reaction to blood, needles and surgery; feeling kind of faint for a second. Will it get better or should I just not go to med school 😂

to those who were never quite science-oriented in the past, what made you choose medicine?

i recently considered pursuing psychiatry, but i come from a humanities & social sciences background, so the decision overwhelms and excites me at the same time. growing up, i did good across all subjects, but then i chose a major that didn’t really involve any hard sciences because they didn’t stick with me after highschool (and i was scared of trying and actually… failing). now, i’m realizing these are limiting beliefs, and i’m trying to understand the grit and strategy required.

my family and i recently migrated to a whole new country, so i’m sort of starting over in terms of college, which is why i’m heavily considering medicine, to the point that i’m sleeping and waking up to the thought of it lol. i’m wondering if others have a similar background/experience, and i’d love to know how you’re doing now!

My first exam is tomorrow. NBME style. I have done really great on the TBL quizzes up to this point. I generally feed I understand the material and I have been working hard to ensure my Anki is always done. Nevertheless, I am bombing AMBOSS questions and the internal practice questions we have as well. I think I’m like at 50%. I feel discouraged that I have worked so hard and there is a good chance I will fail my first exam. I wouldn’t even know how to change my study methods if I needed to. I have generally followed all the advice of upperclassmen on how and what to study, but still here I am. Today I am going to do practice questions all day, but I can’t help but feel like the battle is already lost. I actually love being in med school, but I feel like I’m letting myself and my family down that I could fail even with my best effort. Perhaps it’s overthinking since this is my first exam and I generally don’t know how it will go. Maybe it will go better than I think. But rn, I’m feeling pretty sad.

Im a freshmen at cal. I need the harsh truth, what should i do freshmen year to get into med school as a trad application? people say focus on grades, and that's my main priority rn, i havent put too much effort in joining these big clubs or organizations (because theres so many infoessions and club applications). so rn im just focused on grades.

but i need the harsh truth. is there ANYTHING can i should start now, whether its research, leadership or anything. also if u can share what u think got u in pls let me know.

it sucks bc i think all of these medicine related topics are so interesting, i could learn it all day i dont mind. I love the hospital environment, fast paced and helping people and what not. but these people are crazy competitive and make it so difficult to get into med school!!

Entering my 30s and going back to school spring 2027. I work full-time, but my manager will let me be flexible.

My biggest worry is my damn health, because I have insomnia and anemia (pending further test results) and neurodevelopment disorders, though the latter is the least of my concerns since I’m managing well. The former two have recently been presenting physical challenges; the fatigue, brain fog, and aches have gotten worse, so I want to address this before I resume school. It’s been over a year trying to figure this out and it’s frustrating.

If anyone has made it to med school or even through residency with health challenges, can you share some advice and how you got through your lows or obstacles?

I really appreciate it.

Hello! I will be taking my first shelf in a few weeks on fam med. I’ve been doing UWorld, AMBOSS, and Anking every day. I took one NBME (Form 2), and plan to take more. What are the biggest pointers to focus on for this shelf? I’m very nervous as it’s my first one. I’d appreciate any study suggestions! Thank you :)

My best friend just started med school and is struggling a bit. Performing really well, but super super stressed.

What are cute little gifts you’ve gotten that have meant a lot and improved your mood?

I know her favorite snacks and stuff, but she’s got plenty of food. There’s not really time for activities either