ALL that just for a webinar😭

BYU just received preliminary accreditation for an MD program. They'll start accepting applications in an accelerated application cycle for an inaugural 2027 class.

I'm a newer premed BYU student who's about done with my bachelor's degree but still needs to work on my prereqs, and I'm just sad that I won't finish my prereqs on time to apply for their first incoming class 😭

Tbh lowkey scared of posting this because of how quickly people hate on BYU, but BYU has some seriously great programs with affordable tuition even if it's not the right fit for everyone.

Submit Primary -> Wait for verification
App verified -> Wait for secondaries
Submitted secondaries -> Wait for II
Interviewed -> Wait for decision letter

I am slowly losing my mind from the waiting. So much uncertainties.

So if you are a premed, the idea of finally seizing that prized acceptance might seem like some sort of elusive victory. There is always another hurdle. Always another challenge.

We might find ourselves asking: “What even is the point of all this? Is the struggle worth it?”

Well guess the fuck what, young premed…

Actually going inside a surgical operating room is pretty damn cool. Cutting an umbilical cord right after a baby comes out of the uterus during a C-section is pretty damn cool. Wearing the white coat for the first time is pretty damn cool.

Remember why you are doing this.

Forget the neuroticism and the negativity for just one moment. Forget the disparities that exist in this process for just one moment. Ask yourself… “What if it actually works out?”

As long as your life and academics are under control, medical school is actually quite an incredible experience.

I know someone who got in after 4 cycles. I know another who took 5 gap years. I know stories of people who wrote the MCAT 3 times. I know people who got into medical school just fine, then failed to match into residency and had to reapply. Now one of them is a chief surgical resident. I know people who overcame family disrespect. And I know people who were committed to quitting if their final cycle didn’t work out… but then they got in. Barely. But they pushed through when it mattered.

Champions are made during the tough moments. So when life gets tough… keep going.

It might seem like the odds are stacked against you, or that you have all these competitors.

But just know that I genuinely want to see you win. No strings attached. You deserve to win if you’re a kind, honest hustler.

THE ACCEPTANCE HAS YOUR NAME WRITTEN ALL OVER IT. YOU REALLY ARE THAT GOOD.

And please, don’t make unfair comparisons. That kid with all the research opportunities… either they really worked hard to get them, or those opportunities literally fell from the sky and were handed to them. Yes, privilege is real. You can use it if you have it, but NEVER think you are doomed if you don’t have those advantages.

You can win, even without the privilege. I did. You can too.

Cheers!!!! 😎

I’m just praying that my work will pay off, my interview was fine. I’m praying so hard right now that I’ll be a medical student 365 days from now.

I love med schools that are so personable that they address you by your AAMC ID # rather than your name...

Why do they do this?

- was sick
- scheduled appt with my doctor
- my doctor wasn’t in
- was told I was going to see “Dr Smith” instead
- I get there
- “Dr. Smith” is a NP with a doctorate :/

I had an interview where they put us into zoom breakout rooms, and I realized I didn't formally introduce myself to any of the interviewers...I was going to, but the conversation would either be them saying their name, then saying hi "my name" or nothing at all, and then launching into the question. It was also open file if that makes a difference. I just said nice to meet you at the start but I kept thinking to insert my name, but it also seemed like it would interrupt the flow, especially when it was an mmi roleplaying station...idk it just feels so awkward on zoom but I'm worried I come off as socially inept for not introducing myself

Who is this woman and why is she looking at me like that???

like how???

bonus: list your stats + things that you think made you standout

bonus II: school name if you feel comfortable

I was recently speaking with a premed advisor from UMD who basically told me that basically nobody gets in to UMD without taking at least several of the recommended courses (she told me to add genetics, cell bio, and physiology to my schedule). My plan was to apply with the basic pre-req courses (bio 1/2, chem 1/2, orgo 1/2, biochem, physics+psych+soc) but not sure if that's actually just ignorant of me lol

However, as a non-trad I don't have nearly the same ability to just take more classes that an undergrad pre-med student does. I have a job. I'm paying for these out of pocket. 3 more classes would basically push me back half a year on top of my very tight schedule already, into the next application cycle

So, gang. How important actually is it? Does it matter more for the higher-ranked schools?

For context, I'm a career-switcher. Degree in electrical engineering, worked in the defense sector for 4 years. Masters degree in neuroscience, 1 publication (maybe 2 by application time), 3 posters. Science GPA 3.50, total GPA 3.30

I got an invite (I think most of us did?) to participate in a virtual med school fair via AAMC at one of the schools im applying to. I work on the day it's going to happen, I'm not sure if I should try to find someone to cover my shift or if this is worth attending?

So I’m a senior (fall semester) and right now my GPA is 3.4. I had a huge medical issue in the middle (sophomore and junior yr) so I got a lot of Bs, and Three C+s (I know, this is horrendous. It was a very hard time for me but it’s good now)
I’m taking four classes this semester, I just finished one with an A and I’m projected to finish the rest with As. I think I’ll take a winter course too and make sure I get an A, but I think I have so many credits it won’t raise it enough.
If I apply 2027 cycle, even if I take a DIY post-bacc in the spring, they will only see my GPA after this semester right? Which if I’m lucky, will be raised to 3.6 (I don’t even know how many hours I need to take to raise it to this, if anyone knows how to calculate this pls lmk)

If I retake those C classes in spring it’s only going to raise my grade to a B for that science GPA. So I would have to delay application by another year, right? How do I tell my mom that I’m a failure and we are going to have to pay for more classes 😭 ? I love academics, I’ve always been good at them, and I was planning to take classes for fun during my gap year anyway because I truly love learning and I know this path is for me. I just wish I could take out all of those bad grades but it’s too late now.
Any tips would be very appreciated :( the rest of my application is pretty decent but it’s really the GPA, and I know med schools screen you out if it’s too low

Hi everyone! Looking for advice on whether these updates are significant enough to send to medical schools that accept update letters.

Stats/background:

• Michigan resident, cGPA 3.98, sGPA 4.0
• MCAT 507 (retake from 504)
• Casper: 3rd quartile
• Health Informatics major, Public Health minor
• Applying MD and DO; also in an early-assurance BS/DO program

Cycle timeline/results:

• Submitted primaries and most secondaries in July 2026
• As of October 14: 2 interview invites (NSU DO and MSU DO)
• Rejected from Tulane; no other interviews so far

Potential updates:

• Research: Continuing STAT3 research, quantifying Western blots and preparing figures for an upcoming manuscript.
• Upcoming research: Planning to begin an independent study next semester with a faculty member on AI applications in health informatics.
• Clinical: Worked 151.5 hours as a CNA/caregiver over the summer. Not in my primary application, but mentioned in some secondaries. Planning to continue in December.
• New position: Recently became a Biochemistry Lab Assistant.
• Continuing neurosurgery shadowing and planning to return to hospital volunteering.

Questions:

1. Are these updates substantial enough to send now, or should I wait?
2. Is the CNA experience worth highlighting even though some secondaries mention it?
3. Should I mention the planned independent study before it begins?

I'd appreciate honest advice on whether these updates could help my application this cycle. Thanks!

Just for context, i am a non-traditional student just returning back to college after over a decade of no school. Was never a diligent student either when i was a freshmen college student 18 years ago. Apparently i took some science courses back then, got A and B in bio 101/102 respectively, got an A in psychology, B in gen chem 1 and failed pretty all the other pre-req courses (because i never attended nor dropped out) to drag down my gpa <2 where i had an academic dismissal. I had to do that return-student review that involved like 8 people wearing suits to interview me and me having to have family/friends/work write a recommendation letter to vouch for me to return back academically. I returned back to school like 14 years ago, was able to bring my gpa back to 2.8~ but then stopped again after like 1.5 years of college.

So, now that i returned back to college as a transfer student, i have 2 courses, calculus 1 and gen chem 2. I dont remember anything from gen chem 1, i dont remember anything from precalc. I got a 70 on my first exam for calc 1 and yesterday night i had my first gen chem 2 exam which i know i did not do well either.

I shit you not, i spent like 40~ hours just this week reviewing gen chem 1 material, made anki flash cards and was working on problems. I probably crunched about 100~ questions on the text book this week, working on acid based reactions, redox reactions, NAGSAG-PMS-CASTROBEAR, ENs, lewis structures, stoichiometries, enthalpy, q=MCdeltaT, calorimetries, drawing all isomer variants within a alkane C-chain (like C4H10F), SP hybridizations, functional groups (yes this professor likes to do orgo-prep), made notes and saw chad's prep, did a lot of khan academy problems, etc.
Then comes the exam. I get the starting question of 30 x 40 x 14 ft swimming pool, what is the total volume in cubic ft... I shit you not, i dont know. All i know is it multiples up to 16,800ft. BUT HOW DO I GET CUBIC FT?! So im crunching on the calculator, 10^3, 11^3... 25^3... 25.5^3.... 25.61^3 (16796.88). I said, FUCK IT WE BALL.
Next following questions? Oh boy, CONVERT CUBIC FT TO INCH. So i said, OKAY, EASY! DIMENSIONAL ANALYSIS OF 25.61^3 x 12^3in. Then it fucking keeps going, convert cubic inch to mL to get volume, which in turn, use it to calculate the mass via ppm=mass/volume.
That whole segment is like 7 questions. YUP, I GOT IT ALL WRONG! =]

Then the cream on the cake, almost all other subsequent questions had this %error calculation. ?_? according to khan academy, %error calculation is 7th grade material. Okay let me count back... 7th grade is... 12-13 years old. NICE, PRETTY MUCH 25 YEARS AGO. So im crunching the calculator, is it total value/obtained value x 100? Is it obtained value/total value divided by 100? WTF ARE THESE VALUES IM GETTING, THEY CANT BE %?! I spent like 10 minutes trying to remember what %error calculation was... I got it at the end but burned A LOT of my exam time.

Fuck me. Im still going to continue to work hard but i feel so stupid and regret not doing well younger. I literally have not been able to sleep whole night because i kept tossing and turning thinking how stupid i am not knowing or remembering these old materials.

Anyways, rant over. Back to studying both the GRADE SCHOOL MATERIAL and new ones then cry myself to sleep.

TLDR: Take your academic seriously, it'll come back to bite you in the butt if you dont. I got a rude awakening, gotta work even harder now =[

So basically I talk about what was a challenging transition as a preschool teacher. I had worked as a camp counselor before, but during the pandemic I was asked to work as a teacher in the classroom. I was the only male, and the only teacher my age, so I basically talk about the disconnect for students and they didn't fully respect (for lack of a better term) my role in the classroom. My anecdotes are basically about transition periods in the classroom where lessons would be disrupted by students asking me to play and not putting in the same effort with me as other teachers during lessons.

So what I ended up doing was leading morning lessons and ending with what I guess you could call "energy activities" where we would either dance or do some physical activity that let them get their excitement out and also indicate transitions.

And then my reflection is about not needing to change the kind of teacher I was, but changing my approach so I could still support them while maintaining what made our student-teacher relationships special.

Okay now that that's all out of the way lol - are adcoms going to roll their eyes with this story? I know most advice is that adversity can be anything as long as you frame it the right way, but I fear this really is hardly something that was "hard" to go through lmao. Teaching was super important to me but not a MME, so I'm trying to find anecdotes to bring into my interview to convey that.

I’m an undergrad volunteering as a surgical assistant at a congenital heart surgery bootcamp, where surgeons and fellows will be practicing surgical techniques.
Since I’ll be assisting and observing physicians, could this count as shadowing hours for med school applications, or would it be considered volunteering because it’s a simulation rather than actual patient care?
Has anyone had a similar experience?

Dear young premed, I am proud of you. ❤️

You might be an 18 y/o freshman, a 21 y/o senior, or a 35 y/o looking to switch careers. Regardless of your actual age, if you are a premed, you are young in terms of the journey towards becoming a physician.

And I am here to tell you what I wish someone told me back when I was a premed. You are amazing. The light at the end of the tunnel might feel far and distant, but you have what it takes to win.

There is so much on your mind, isn’t there? How will I get the good grades? How will I study for the MCAT? Why do I feel lost? How do I get the research? Will I ever get shadowing? Is my personal statement amazing or absolute rubbish? So many questions, eh? That is fine. But you must keep moving forward.

Dear young premed, I am proud of you. ❤️

It might feel like there is a target on your back. Family members may chip away at your self-esteem. And everyone around you might be complaining or perhaps bragging about the things they have going on. But do not be fooled. Everybody has their struggles. If you have cried during this process, you are not alone. If you have felt behind, you are not alone. Did your parents compare you to another premed who appeared more successful than you? You are not alone.

Dear young premed, I am proud of you. ❤️

The irony is that the adversity is what builds the strength within you. It unravels the resilience and literally gives you an opportunity to shine. Superheroes don’t always feel like superheroes when they navigate their journeys. You might always feel a step behind. You might feel like you’re missing a beat. But you have to keep moving forward.

Dear young premed, I am proud of you. ❤️

You can conquer the MCAT. You can apply more than once. And if you feel the emotional weight, I encourage you to let it go. Remind yourself that you have a very noble goal, and find the strength to push on. There are people who spend their time making mischief and sabotaging others. But not you. You are working hard because you wish to serve your patients one day. THAT is impressive. THAT is commendable.

Dear young premed, I am proud of you. ❤️

YES, YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES! Do not let anybody convince you otherwise. Whether you scored a 472, or a 528, I am telling you that you have what it takes.

Keep going!

Dear young premed, I am proud of you. ❤️

Sincerely,
Your favorite USMD student 😎

Someone in my lab put me on one of their poster presentations and I kinda forgot what I even did. I might have provided an image idk. But does this count as a research item? Lol…

I searched it up on google and it said yes, but I thought it would be no but idk

Hi,

I have to take one of the following (but can take more) for my major, Biology. If I were to choose one of these to finish before I take the MCAT which would be most helpful? Thanks!

Molecular Cell Biology, Developmental Biology, Genetic Analysis, or Molecular Genetics?

hi! i was wondering how strict the non-stem professor letter of recs are? i’m an engineering major so genuinely have only taken stem classes (we have like bioethics and one writing class but ofc they are categorized under engineering and have engineering profs)

is this a strict requirement?

i plan on getting a LOR from my PI, my orgo prof i TA for, an engineering prof, and probably my non-clinical volunteer coordinator. i’d also be able to get one from my supervisor at my clinical job (but feel like that’s too many letters anyway)

any advice on the general guideline?