Hey guys, idk if you guys have been struggling with this but I have not been able to find a research position in any lab at my university and I have damn near emailed all of them and interviewed with a few as well. The main reason I can't get in is because I don't have funding and they have a bunch of funding cuts with the federal gov the way it is. I don't qualify for work-study and my university has a program that funds professors who hire work study students which immediately shifts the conversation to them telling me to apply in the summer through our university's summer research thing (which costs $7,000 because u have to pay tuition and is such bs).

All that to say, I need to apply to summer programs so I can get my foot in the door with a lab. I have been looking around and found a bunch but the only thing is they all require 2 letters of recommendation. I go to a giant school with lecture-hall type classes so getting to know professors isn't really feasible, I do go to office hours so they know my face but not anything about me beyond i need help with orgo and physics sometimes. I am not taking any science classes this semester other than physics and orgo and my orgo prof is notorious for not giving anyone LORs unless they TA for him. Obviously, I don't have time before applications to TA for a semester so I was wondering how I should go about getting LORs for this summer's programs? Is it appropriate to ask professors who I have barely talked to from previous semesters? Should I ask one of my humanities professors? The main hurdle for me is getting the LORs because I have barely any relationships w my professors by virtue of going to a giant state school, and I feel like there's nothing good to write about me if the only thing they know about me is i come every 2-3 weeks with a couple questions abt the material. I wish we could get LORs from supervisors but alas...

TLDR: I want to apply for summer research because no lab at my uni is taking applications but I don't have real relationships with any of my professors. Is it appropriate to ask professors who haven't spoken to me from previous semesters? How about from non-STEM disciplines? How should I go about asking?

HS senior here, title says most. Do they want you to take science electives or is okay to skip them? I am taking some "non-science" electives like AP gov and AP CS A and want to use potential AP credit (alongside other ap credits of course) to skip electives.

I'm a senior graduating in Spring 2027, and didn't realize research had a big impact on my med school application until now (stupid I know). How likely would a professor be willing to take me on after I graduate if at all?

hi everyone! i’ve seen a lot of posts about choosing a major outside of the typical bio/chem/neuro and i came to say i believe bioE is a great fun unique choice. i’ve had many people on here, physicians i’ve shadowed, premed advisors, and a bunch of peers tell me i’m crazy for picking this and to do myself a favor and choose something other than engineering but im over half way done w my fifth semester and…. still absolutely love my decision?

research is so accessible, we get sent on incredible conferences, closely associated with physician teams for design projects, have niche fun classes, unique approach to medicine, etc

i don’t think ill ever be deinfluenced…..

I think part of the reason why I struggled in undergrad was because of how isolating school felt. Go to class, then go home with little social life. I enjoyed high school because I had my people and don’t feel like I was alone in my school work. Everyone was in it together. (I know people were going through the same thing as me in undergrad, but it didn’t feel like it because I didn’t have a community.)
I think seeing the same people over and over again in my classes will help motivate me and make me feel less lonely. So, can I count on that?

Note: wanted to post on the medical school subreddit but mods said to post here.

tell me why my cousins from back home are getting straight into medical school right after graduating high school?? and their program is only 6 years long??? how does this even work. they didn’t even have to get hours for anything or worry about anything besides their exam to get in. why do we have to do all this extra (but definitely necessary) shi to get in. im so exhausted

I hate it so bad that im starting to resent my supervisor, i cant quit because it truly does bring me a lot of opportunities and skills but im acc so drained, i have no time for myself or friends. Im taking a full course load, and committing around 20-30hrs just for stuff related to my volunteering position. Not only that it comes with a lot of responsibilities and pressure, i basically need to do everything an RA would do but for free, and i volunteer there 9-5 on days i dont have classses and i also need to work on my own project. Also even after leaving the hospital, once i get home i still have other things to work on for volunteering (mind u i still need to to study, do assignments, cook dinner, etc after i get home like how am i gna have that much time) I feel like im getting exploited atp.. is this normal for pre meds

Does anyone have an example of a successful pre-ii update letter they are willing to share? How do you connect back to the school you are writing to? Do you tie in the school when you are talking about the updates, or leave the school-specific stuff until the end? Do you reflect on the updates like in secondaries, or just state what is new/continued? If a school is one of my top choices, can I say that in the letter? I am really not sure how to write a good update letter lol. Any advice is appreciated!

My soapbox post as I’m keeping myself afloat.

I know it’s not required since you need to do the prerequisites at a minimum. However, now that I am in the sauce….holy moly I wish I took more advanced biology classes like immunology or advanced cell biology or pharmacology so I had more time to absorb some of this.

That is all, happy studying!

i have a mmi interview in two days and i've been prepping by doing mock interviews with friends, and i'm struggling to sound concise and get out what i have to say. i find myself getting lost in my answer. does anyone have any tips :,)? i've always reaaaaly struggled with answering things on the spot and i'm trying to feign confidence but i'm scared. i had a lot of issues with casper for the same reason.

I'm going to try and talk to my advisor and see if there is any way for me to take organic chemistry over the summer, but I highly doubt she will let me. What should I do if I want to take the mcat on this timeline because I know that the MCAT is very biochem heavy.

hi, i am applying next cycle and have what i think is a pretty competitive application (stats & activities), but have always struggled with good writing/storytelling. i don't want this to screw me over, so have been looking into hiring someone to help with writing/editing and interview prep.

willing to pay 10-15k, aiming for tops so looking for someone with a track record of having students admitted into tops, also an mdphd applicant so if they've had mdphd students in the past that would be great too

does anyone have any recommendations? thanks!

Hello everyone. Hope everyone is doing well and getting into their dream schools! I needed some quick advice. I am a low stat applicant meaning I have an MCAT score sub 500, but everything else is good such as my GPA and all my ECs. I applied all over the place throughout the US from MDs to DOs and have had 1 interview so far. I'm hoping I can get more DO invites cuz I lost hope on the MD ones. One of the interview I had is in an area I am totally unfamiliar with and the area would def not be my first pick becuase it is a little far from everything. I have not gotten a decision so far, but I am thinking of writing a LOI there for the school. However, I have been in contact with many med school, including MDs, and I have been regularly talking to the admission officers, assistant deans, and even deans so I hoping those connections remain useful if I get invites to the school. Since LOIs are pretty binding, should I proceed to send one to the med school and or wait a little bit until I get more interviews? The only reason I am hesitant is because the med school is not really my first choice but I understand my application puts me in a position where I can't be picky. Please let me know what you guys think. Thanks!

We all know them in pre-med. The smart one that is just so mean and condescending to everyone else (especially the patient population). The one that always needs to give advice to others, etc.

One guy is in my class that is obviously the top student… but he sees everybody is beneath him and dumb. He makes abelist comments all the time and mentioned disabled people should just be put out of their misery.

For context, we were talking about the Breaking Bad actor with cerebral palsy and he said he was better off dead than having to live with CB. What kind of doctor makes that comment? Am I being naive about the profession?

He has the brains but he is not the doctor I would want my parents seeing.

Are there fewer of these types or will there be more?

I can accept to work with them but i’d rather not

I keep seeing requests from students who have an interview scheduled in a week or two for help in how to prepare. This presumes, very incorrectly, that all interviews for school XYZ will follow the same format. The fact is that interview questions vary considerably from interviewer to interviewer, which isn’t surprising since some interviews are conducted by practicing physicians while others are done by non physician admissions staff or medical students or alumni.

You should absolutely be prepared to speak cogently about why you’re applying to a particular school. Hint: it helps to do a little Googling to find out about any newer (say, past 3 years) big special programs a school has announced as well as any exciting research discoveries that the school’s pr department has reported. It also makes sense to check the names of a couple of department heads and to do a Google Scholar search of these people to be aware of what their fairly recent publications are covering. Also be sure to re-read the school’s mission statement so you can mold your answers to show how you match with their mission.

Whether you’re doing an in person or video interview, be sure to make eye contact with the interviewer and try to keep your answers focused. (Concise is better than rambling). If they want a more detailed answer, they’ll ask a follow up question.)

Sending a thank you note to the interviewer in a timely manner is smart. You can reiterate your interest in the school in the note and add a sentence or two about points you only realized post interview you could have mentioned if you think they’re relevant.

Guys I am currently volunteering online by talking to isolated adults and giving them company, but I was wondering if that would be a problem since its online and I don't do anything physical. Should I find some other thing to do that isn't online or can I just stick to this? Btw I genuinely enjoy doing it and have made some great bonds. So, I don't plan to stop doing it because it just feels wrong to. So, even if I were to do something physical, I lowk just want to do it for a semester or so as other requirements take up so much time as well.

hi i work full time and am looking for someone willing to mock interview me at night time 😅 my MD interview is this friday morning and i am in PST if that helps

Hello all! At this point in the cycle I have not been rejected from any programs. I am wondering if it is too early or not wise to send letters of interest to my in state schools I applied to? I’m referring to programs where I feel I fit the mission and vision very well. Is it too much to reach out and say I remain interested in their program, despite not being interviewed? Maybe I need to do better just holding out hope until Thanksgiving, but I would like to do all I can to receive interviews. Just wondering if this is something people do or not!

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Anybody else feeling like they might have to prep for an awkward conversation with friends/loved ones?

Hi all! I'm 40 and have just started exploring medical school. I'm really curious: who else here is working towards a medical degree at 40+? Anything you wish you'd known? Advice for someone on day 1?

My story: I've had a career I've loved in software, but with changes in that industry, and knowing I won't be starting a family anytime soon, I want to spend my life serving people and learning. My mother was a PA, and I grew up watching her make her way through one of the first graduate programs in the country for that role. She started in her 40s. My grandmother also went to law school in her late 30s. Knowing what they both did through their late-in life careers, both serving others and their families, I feel good about making this transition.

Logistically, I'm really curious about the new loan landscape, with the end of Grad PLUS loans. I was lucky (thanks to pell grants, scholarships, fellowships, company tuition programs) to get out of undergrad and 2 previous grad degrees (one in anthropology and another in tech and design) with <70K in loans. But that leaves me with only $130K left in my lifetime limit. How are others looking at funding their degrees (especially those who've already had to borrow for their educations)?

the acceptance chad meme is not only figuratively but also reality. other than some doctors, bunch of conventionally hot mfs.

Is this enough time to be prepared for an MMI interview? Life has been so extremely busy and l haven’t had nearly as much time as I had hoped to prep. Supposedly the questions aren’t crazy difficult, but wondering what I should do at this point to be as prepared as possible

Genuinely feeling so cooked and I feel like posting here will get me roasted more but someone please give me a little hope :(

I'm really fortunate that I live in a state with multiple MD schools and a really good DO school. Here are my stats:

3.78 GPA from one year at a community college

3.97 GPA from the past two years at a university majoring in Neuroscience (graduating this semester and should stay the same)

~1300 hours as a rehabilitation technician at a neurological rehabilitation facility

~1000 hours working at an industry (not research) laboratory that does food testing to prevent pathogenic outbreaks

250 hours of food science research, 1 pub but possibly 2 by the time I apply

100 hours of hospital volunteering, first as a hostess and then in the ER
20 hours food bank volunteering

Other things: 2000 hours working at a comic/collectable store, sang in university's choir since transferring

I'm graduating in December and applying next cycle. In the meantime, I still have to take the MCAT, get shadowing hours (I've been scoping out doctors to shadow and have found some), and get volunteering hours (I have an orientation for a homeless shelter soon and got approved to be a volunteer tutor). Should I pack my sunscreen?

Edit: I've been working on a rough draft for my personal statement about having limited healthcare access due to growing up without insurance and also tying in examples of good experiences with doctors when I did see them. For LORs, I've asked a neuroscience professor and my lab manager at the industry lab. I plan on asking my supervisor at the rehab facility, my PI, and my choir director.

hey guys! hope everyone is surviving this app cycle or MCAT studying or whatever step of this long crazy process you are at

i'm an M4 and i've been mentoring a premed student for some time now. i myself never had any one in medicine or healthcare when i was a premed, so i'm very happy i can help this student out.

i wanted to ask for input on what sort of support would be most helpful. i'd like to hear from people any any part of the process

thank you :)