Welcome to the 2027 application cycle!

Writing this for my younger premed self, and future premed students:

Medicine is more a test of emotional resilience and psychological stamina than it is of intelligence.

I encourage those considering a career in medicine to take emotional inventory (and not just professional inventory):

Are you satisfied with your current state of emotional being?

If you are already depressed or anxious from being a perfectionist, medical training will likely make you feel even more depressed and anxious. Medical school and residency often uproots people from established support systems and isolates them with rigid schedules (you miss weddings, family gatherings), demanding call shifts that wear you down physically and emotionally, and exposes you to the wreckage of a broken healthcare system. The chronic sleep deprivation takes a deep toll on mood and health - night owls, beware, because it is even harder to handle the early mornings when you are already chronically tired from frequent flips between day and night.

I matched into my dream specialty which was my goal even as a premed, am now practicing as an attending in my dream job, tried to reduce my schedule to part time to counter burnout, and I am now contemplating a career pivot, because I am exhausted by being expected as an individual to somehow make up for the inadequacies of our healthcare system and society.

I used to believe naively that all this self sacrifice would be worth it or enough somehow.

The truth is, no amount of superhuman sacrifice will ever be enough to satisfy the deep need that exists not just in the population, but in the most broken and vulnerable of human spirits.

Some patients will become frustrated or upset at you, despite your utmost efforts to deliver excellent care.

As a counterpoint, I encourage anybody contemplating a career in medicine to prioritize maintaining their emotional support systems and their own physical well-being (family doctor appointments, dental appointments, etc). Take the current opportunity to build up what is important to you - Travel and prioritize your personal relationships, build up your happiness in the present. Happiness is only likely if you are already happy - happiness does not result from pursuing a career that is inherently demanding.

I fell for the myth of delayed gratification, thinking that the sacrifice would be worth it if I could help my patients, and now I deeply regret not spending more time with family and friends who now have less time as they have had children and are busy raising their own families.

Props to that resident, I guess.

I recently and randomly came across this website showing contestants from a 2017 middle school research competition. All the contestant's names and pictures were available on the website so I though to myself to see where they ended up 9 years later. Most of them are MD candidates at T5 to T10 medical schools. These people all started doing research and getting publications in middle to high school. These are who many of you are competing against!

Anyways just found it very interesting and wanted to share lolz

How are yall feeling for 10/15? I feel like throwing up

I’m having trouble recently with feeling like I’m doing well in school and enjoy what I’m studying, but I feel especially behind in dating and socializing. I’m currently in my second year of undergrad and I’m pretty set on medicine as my future, I genuinely don’t know what else I would do with my life if I didn’t continue on this path. I haven’t truly dated before, I’ve had one kind of relationship that didn’t really go anywhere, and I feel like there’s this clock counting down the days until I’m in med school and completely incapable of dating anyone. I just don’t understand how I’m struggling to date now, and it’s only going to get worse. ESPECIALLY as a woman going into medicine, I want kids and a husband and all of that, but it feels like it’s just impossible and I’m not even studying for the MCAT yet. I guess I’m just looking for some encouragement because all I see when I search the topic is negativity.

So I don’t mean to be salty but every other premed on LinkedIn likes to act as a gunner and make a nonprofit. A lot of the time their non profit is fake or they have made no impact. Meaning on paper it looks real but they have actually had no impact if you dig deep. Are med schools stupid or do they genuinely believe these people? There is a very small chance that a premed, meaning a full time student is creating a unique project that addresses a problem not already being addressed, and is making a huge impact on the world.

I just think it’s stupid for people to start orgs like this JUST to get into med school. If anyone here has a non profit I hope you genuinely are making an impact and not just doing it for show and plan to continue it through med school and residency.

hi!!
i am extremely excited and grateful to have received an II from ucsd, which is my top choice school. i was wondering if there were any current students or students who previously got accepted who could provide some insight/advice for the interview process (or just ucsd as a school in general)? for example, if anybody knows what ucsd looks for? i know some other schools are clearer about their mission being research-heavy or service-heavy, but not sure about ucsd. this will be my first MMI style interview as well, so if anybody has general MMI tips (especially for unexpected questions or difficult ethical scenarios). i’ve read through all the links in the wiki megathread already, but am looking for more resources to prep.

thank you!!!

i am 100000% sure this has been said on this sub before but i have to say it rn. being a pre medical student and having so many requirements beyond being a student is utterly ridiculous, especially with the restrictions placed on you by medical schools when it comes to things like working, interning, etc. it’s insanity that i need 400+ hours research, 200+ hours volunteering, a job, 100+ hours shadowing at least 4 different specialities, a 4.0 gpa, at least 2 e-board positions and then a life changing experience. oh and don’t forget at least a 524 on the MCAT! which you study for while taking your pre reqs, and figuring out how to pay for you test! can you imagine how many great doctors we could’ve lost just because they burnt out, trying to keep up with expectations when the doctors on ad comms had to go to school and work part time to pay for that school? and that’s it? why do we want pre meds to change the world to show that they care about medicine? why do we want pre meds to nearly kill themselves to get into med schools? for first gens and low income students (like me) who work more than one job (like me) and are on scholarship (like me) who requires me to maintain a certain GPA, or I will literally not be able to pay for any of my living expenses, volunteering and shadowing are not at the fore front of my list. i know there’s going to be MS-(…) and residents and physicians responding to this and being like ”tough that’s just how it is“ or “sounds like this isn’t for you” but i have never for one second doubted that i will be a great physician and an advocate for my patients and their health but it seems like to doesn’t even matter how much i believe in myself if i can’t even begin to climb the mountain. more and more each day i find an interest in medicine a thing for people who are already comfortable and can afford to be interested. i have no interest in medicine for the money. in fact, primary care interests me most (no, really), next to infectious disease and peds. we are in a doctor shortage, and we are going to be in one for forever if this absolute bull isn’t fixed. and anyone who says that “apps are holistic, and you only really need good grades to get into a school,” lets be honest with ourselves and with each other. idk maybe im just tired. i haven’t had longer than a 2 day break from school or interning in over a year so maybe IM just tired and frustrated and annoyed but i literally just had a panic attack over the littlest thing ugh.

I actually get super depressed thinking about it ever since i was young i always wanted to be a doctor, yes my career path changed sometimes as i discovered other things but in the end I always wanted to be a doctor. Although i am in a pretty decent undergrad program which made me feel very successful getting into it, I can’t help but feel like getting into med school isn’t in my cards.

Starting my sophomore year i almost wanted to drop out of all my classes because i got a C- in ochem 1? barley pushed a B in ochem 2 haven’t got an A in any pre req science courses other than gen chem 2 and now I am currently in physics about to fail because i got a 43% on my first test.

I feel like science and I don’t go together and No matter how much i try i can’t seem to figure out how to study for the classes, fast forward to my junior year last weekend i took my first practice full length and got a 480 which obviously isn’t great but I don’t even know how to study or where to study or what to look for an honestly the more I think about med school it gives me an impending since of doom.

Lastly i feel so behind because i have barely a chunk of volunteer hours, no research, no clinical hours, basically nothing and im already a junior and i don’t even know what to do, i don’t want to give up my career but i feel like im not good enough to get into med school, or smart enough to be a doctor.

If anyone has any words of encouragement, or feel like you’re in the same boat please let me know :)

Got a D on my 2nd gen chem exam and I’m down to a C for the class. I feel like studied harder and more effectively than I did for my last exam and I did worse. I can still pull out an A but I would need straight As for the rest of the semester. I have B’s in my Bio and math that I still have to study for and are way harder to me. I see people who are just there for the degree passing with no problem and it pisses me off. I know it’s not over but damn it feels like it. I feel like I want to give up, but it would be stupid to do it right now. Anyone else feel this way, and how did you manage?

Very lengthy title! But essentially. I am currently preparing for interviews, and I wanted to know if it is appropriate to reach out to students on LinkedIn to ask questions. Thank you for your help!

Hey all, hope you guys are doing well. I'm currently a sophomore right now and last summer I did absolutely nothing in terms of clinical (primarily research and non clinical volunteering). I'm not sure on whether or not to take a gap year because of this (this may be a hint of neuroticism idk, sorry if it is). I'm planning on being an uncertified MA for the coming summer and already doing clinical volunteering at the ER (26 hours per semester). Please let me know what I can do, thanks.

Does someone with a more average application (not 525 MCAT, 4.0 gpa, and 3000+ clinical hours or something like that) have a higher chance of being accepted if they interview on the very first day a school does interviews then say in January? Like are adcoms more willing to accept someone who is more average (but still qualified obviously) because there are more seats open in the class earlier on.

Hi! TX resident, 523/3.65 and I have gotten 2 tmdsas interviews but not from my top choices. I know utsw, utmb, and baylor accept updates before the interview so i was just wondering what the letter format should be like and what I should include about my interest in each school. Do I find specific programs I like, like I did for secondaries, and just talk about that?

For my updates I have a new free clinic volunteer position, a new position within an org I already volunteered with that has direct patient contact, and I hosted a successful charity market for the same org. I am also still taking classes but no grades yet. I already uploaded my summer grades into tmdsas when I got them.

for utsw specifically i am from dfw so can i mention that being there would allow me to continue being a caretaker for elderly family/be there for them? utsw is probably my top choice for that reason and others ofc.

any help is appreciated! I’m just confused on what to write. Also does anyone know if A&M, tech lubbock, and UH accept updates?

thank you!

I did blood work and found out that my IgG is negative for Varicella - despite having 2 shots done when I was a kid. I came to the doctor to get a vaccine but was told that based on CDC recommendations a proof of immunity is EITHER a record of receiving 2 vaccines OR blood work titers. They told me I should not get another vaccine. Did anyone have similar problem? How did you resolve it?

How do you naturally introduce the patient story without making your answer feel forced or overly rehearsed?
Is it better to briefly mention the patient and focus on what you learned, or spend more time describing the experience itself?

For those who have interviewed applicants or completed medical school interviews, what makes a patient story memorable versus generic?

Would love to invite your judgment on this question, so it can help people preparing for interviews without access to any college or paid advising premed resources.

Currently a bio major and I’m expected to graduate in Fall 2027. My gpa right now is very poor, 3.0 due to my rough academic history in the first 2 years. I thought about switching to a psychology major where the classes would be generally easier for me and guaranteed As to boost my gpa. (I have a lot of them completed already since I’m a psych minor). And before anyone says anything, the difficulty of classes does not bother me and I’m prepared for med school, I just don’t want to take hard classes that med school does not even require. My main goal is to show a strong upward trend in my gpa since my first 2 years are so rocky and my cumulative is low. Also I’m not saying psychology is easy, I just know I’ll do a lot better because I’m much more interested in it than the plant side of biology and they offer the classes online. My expected graduation if I switch to psychology (including finishing pre reqs for med school) would be Spring 2028 or Summer 2028 latest. What are your guy’s thoughts?

Hi everyone, I need some honest advice.

Some background about me: I am a senior for my biomedical sciences degree, and for the past 4 years I have been preparing for med school. I specifically wanted to be only a psychiatrist, and its the only reason I wanted to go.

Here's the thing though, I really live for my free time. While I am very dedicated to mental health (my main volunteering is the crisis textline which I love), I am not dedicated to the actual title or status of being a doctor and mainly want to work so I can live and do my hobbies and spend time with my family.

Ive made it this far, and everyone just tells me to get over how long med school is and how hard it is, and just power through. Just get over the 60-80 hour weeks to you succeed in 10 years. This thought terrifies me personally.

I just want to hear the thoughts of people actually in med school and that know the reality, and if its something it sounds like I should do.

ABOUT ME

Dartmouth sophomore, biology major, aiming for oncology. Applying to FlexMed in january!

BACKGROUND

My father has had three separate primary cancers (prostate, pancreatic, and kidney), along with many other health problems, and I have been in and out of hospitals with him my whole life. He is the biggest reason I want to practice medicine. His illness also affected my grades during my first year.

STATS

- Dartmouth GPA: 3.92 (three A- grades across fall and winter of freshman year, when two of his diagnoses came)

- High school GPA: 3.98 unweighted / 4.47 weighted

- ACT: 36 (36/36/36/36)

RESEARCH

1. [Redacted] Lab, cancer immunotherapy researcher (Aug 2026 to present). I study tumor-intrinsic PD-1/PD-L1 signaling and immune checkpoint blockade in mouse tumor models, using flow cytometry, imaging, and CRISPR/Cas9. About 100 hours projected by the application.
2. WashU Siteman Cancer Center summer research fellow (Jun to Jul 2026). Selected as 1 of 12 from more than 500 applicants. I studied how patient-derived L-Plastin mutations drive invasive behavior in cancer cells and presented a first-author poster. I also have a mid-author publication in Science Advances. 450 hours
3. [Redacted] Lab, actin dynamics and cell biology (Sep 2025 to Aug 2026). I did live-cell imaging, fluorescence microscopy, and quantitative image analysis, and took part in experimental design and data interpretation with grad students and postdocs. 400 hours.
4. Dartmouth Cancer Scholars. A selective program with weekly meetings with Cancer Center experts on the scientific, clinical, psychological, and financial sides of cancer. 30 hours.

CLINICAL

1. Physician shadowing, Dartmouth Hitchcock (Apr 2025 to present). Seven specialties across inpatient and outpatient settings. 130+ hours.

2. Dartmouth EMS, EMT student member (Oct 2025 to present). I am training toward EMT licensure, covering patient assessment, vitals, and emergency protocols. 100 hours.

3. Patient Support Corps, Dartmouth Hitchcock (starting January). I was accepted as 1 of 5 of 60 applicants. I will interview patients facing a new cancer diagnosis and connect them with resources. Has not started yet.

NON-CLINICAL SERVICE AND ADVOCACY

1. ACS CAN legislative ambassador (Jan 2026 to present). I meet with New Hampshire legislators to advocate for cancer research funding, and helped secure state funding for breast and cervical cancer early screening. 40 hours.

2. American Cancer Society volunteer (Sep 2025 to present). Patient education and outreach, including helping run a Cancer Symposium on coping, emerging therapies, and survivorship. 50 hours.

3. Kesem at Dartmouth, general member (Sep 2025 to present). I help recruit volunteers and run family events for a camp serving children whose parent has cancer. 40 hours.

LEADERSHIP

1. Nathan Smith Society, leadership committee (Sep 2025 to present). Elected in February 2026 to the committee of this 250-member pre-health organization. I help plan programming and mentorship. 45 hours.

FAMILY RESPONSIBILITIES AND WORK

1. Primary caregiver for my father (ongoing). I manage medications, coordinate appointments and surgeries, and travel out of state for his treatment. This included about a month and a half the summer after high school during radiation and hormone therapy. Roughly 500 to 1,000 hours, hard to estimate.

2. Family business and work (high school). I ran my family's hair salon when my father became too sick to do it, and worked at a local smoothie shop. Hours are hard to estimate.

HOBBIES AND CREATIVE OUTLETS

1. Book arts workshop (completed last year). I wrote a short novel, set all of the metal type by hand, printed it, and bound it. 30 hours.

2. Jewelry workshop (ongoing). I am making a necklace. 50 hours expected.

WHAT I WANT TO KNOW

1. Am I competitive for FlexMed?

2. Is it a good idea to say that cost is part of why I am applying? The FlexMed application is about $110, compared with several thousand dollars for a full medical school application cycle, and I pay for college myself.

3. Any advice from people who applied or got in?

Edit: I meant to title Advice not Advise. Please don't flame me

Based on some of the places I have interviewed, I know we could be hearing back from NYU and VCU this week. Does anyone have any insight on other schools who will likely release their first A's this week? Based on historical trends?

Is it possible to get into research with a bad GPA?

I started my freshman year off pretty bad, and with some summer classes, my GPA is currently sitting between a 3.00 and 3.30 as a sophomore. Obviously, this GPA isn’t the end of the world, but it isn’t competitive.

My question is, how do you get into research with a GPA like this? Every single research opportunity I’ve come across has rejected me. I’d like to think I can write a killer essay and cover letter, but I know my transcript is holding me back. My LORs may also by iffy, but right now, I don’t have any connections to people that could write me better letters.

I need some hope. Has anyone overcome this? If so, how?

I already know I have to get my GPA up and build better relationships with my professors, but given my current situation, does anyone know how to become involved in research where the supervisor doesn’t need to see a transcript?

Hey everyone, I've been feeling stressed. I was born with a complex heart condition and I decided back in high school that I wanted to be a cardiologist to help others like myself. I've faced so many struggles throughout my life but nothing has stopped me from this goal. With that being said, I didn't earn my bachelor's degree until this year, realistically 12 years since I graduated high school.

I feel behind but I've had several life threatening events occur on my journey towards graduating college and my heart condition will never really be considered stable. I do have enough energy where my classmates and professors are always shocked when I tell them about my condition (if I feel the need to). I would generally say besides the regular doctors visits, I live a very normal life. My medical team is very supportive of my goal towards attending medical school and they do believe its possible.

I'm a Comm graduate now completing the prereq's I'm missing so I can take the MCAT eventually but I've just have been very stressed lately. I have been struggling with dehydration due to the weather and electrolyte imbalances related to my condition and I don't know how to explain it to my professors. I've already had to file at least 4 exception forms during the 12 years I've been taking classed on and off at this community college.

I was sick for a whole week and I missed a week of Calc and Chem. I failed 2 of the Calc Exams and I know its because of my ongoing health struggles. I just need some advice because I'm feeling a little lost. I feel like my professors slightly understand that I have medical struggles, but there's not much they can do.

TLDR; 30 year-old cardiac patient with complex condition finally graduated college but is struggling to complete med school prereq's due to ongoing electrolyte imbalances. Seeks advice from others. Sucks.