Hi, I'm a premed student at UC Berkeley taking an American Cultures course (Berkeley has this thing where all students have to take an AC course to graduate :/).

Basically, I bullshitted my way through the class (cuz it's literally a joke, like it's not a real class) this entire semester and thought I could get away with BSing the midterm and to my surprise, I got a 53%. If I get 100% on the final, then I'll end with a solid B in the class. Berkeley also has this thing where all students are allowed 2 opportunities to either late drop (with no indication on transcript, course gets wiped completely and it's like you never even enrolled in the class) or late change grading options (grade -> P/NP) after the deadlines have passed.

My overall GPA right now is ~3.7 so my options are:

A. Switch the class to P/NP and receive AC credit for this semester
B. Drop the class with no indication on my transcript and take another AC course next semester (but this would bring me below the minimum # of units as a full-time student)

C. Cry

I'm wondering if changing a class like this to P/NP is seen as red flags by adcoms, and also the fact that if I choose to drop, I'd be under the minimum # of units (red flag also)? Am I overthinking this too much? Any insight helps. Thank you!

Edit: title isn’t supposed to have premed in it Oopsies

For those of you who received a conditional acceptance to med schools, does it specify anywhere what grades you need to maintain? Unfortunately, I was taking an online English course and completely forgot to book the final exam (the uni has a weird booking exam), resulting in an F on my transcript.

I graduated with my degree in 2022, and I was taking this course as a one-off since many schools require an English credit. This course was not taken at the same institution where I completed my degree.

If the program I’ve applied and got accepted to doesn’t require English, would my conditional acceptance be revoked because of this failing course?

If anyone has insight or advice, please share—I’m really stressed about this!

P.S. this is what it says on my conditional offer letter:

"You must continue to make satisfactory progress in any courses you are currently taking. You must

successfully complete all admission requirements prior to matriculation. This includes submitting an official

copy of your final completed transcripts certifying that all required coursework has been completed and any

degrees have been conferred prior to orientation"

2021: Locked out of MCAT room during testing. Didn’t void, retook a month later, 511, applied first time to ten schools. Nothing.

2022: Graduated with BS. Moved across the country with just my bf. Worked in research lab, treated poorly by PI, toughed it out for the resume.

2023: Continued in lab. Reapplied to 20 schools with revised “show-not-tell” writing. Retook my MCAT (third time) but was diagnosed with CHRONIC SEVERE MIGRAINES from the stress which I still suffer from (I had such pain during the exam that I couldn’t read at times, still didn’t void, got same score as last time). Got interviewed and waitlisted. Really hopeful.

2024: Left the lab. It was really tough. My waitlist turned into rejection. Also broke up with aforementioned bf. Met a physician on adcoms for MD/PhD who in-depth reviewed my application and reworked my writing with me. I retook my MCAT AGAIN with migraine pain management and got a great score. Started working in finance temporarily to just pay the bills. Couldn’t find work elsewhere. Reapplied to 40 schools.

At this point I’ve heard nothing back from all my apps. I paid a new advisor to review my apps who said I need more “show-not-tell” and this cycle my writing was too technical and research-based. Which… was literally opposite what my other advisor had said. No other criticisms, EC’s and stats all look great: I founded and led a nonprofit for two years (it’s still going strong in my hometown). I scribed in the ICU for two years, also during COVID. I worked in research for three years during college, simultaneous with double majoring, scribing, and my nonprofit. It was exhausting. I am exhausted.

I was accepted to a clinical lab tech masters program. I am so, so exhausted. I don’t want to do anything anymore. I really just wanted to help people be healthy so they could chase their ambitions as hard as I chased being a physician. I’m so tired. I wished on every birthday cake for years and it’s just never gonna happen. Now my temp finance job is ending and I’m unemployed, lonely, and have bills to pay.

GPA: 3.77

SGPA: 3.62

MCAT: 515

Ec's: Average (lots of clubs and community work etc) with good clinical and shadowing hours (difficult for Canadians) and around 300hrs of research

I'm open to either DO or MD, I just want to get in lol. Preferrably somewhere in Michigan so I can be closer to home. Aiming for a school like Wayne State. Do I have a good shot or :(

I'm a non-traditional applicant, still taking pre-requisite courses post-bachelor's degree in an unrelated field. I want to become a doctor more than anything else, and am working so hard to take the required courses and study for the MCAT. I've been desperately trying to find entry-level clinical experience, but live in a competitive area and have been denied from almost 40 jobs (applied for everything available). I feel so discouraged (and admittedly a bit jealous) when I hear about younger peers going into college with their pre-med majors and set plan to enter medical school at a younger age, and everything seems to line up for those people. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy they get that opportunity, but I am spending every penny in my savings account just to take pre-med courses since I no longer qualify for financial aid, and I haven't even taken the MCAT yet. What if I've been delusional this whole time and don't do well? Then I have spent tons of money on classes and have nothing to show for it, not even clinical experience. I am going to start volunteering, but I need a paid position to be able to afford classes. Sorry for the vent... this is just beyond frustrating because I know becoming a doctor is my calling, but it feels unachievable. Any advice/words of wisdom are very appreciated.

I have an interview coming up that I think is closed file. Should I be mentioning things different from my primary app and secondaries during my interview or should I stick to what I’ve talked about in my app?

I’m guessing the interviewer gets to read my file after the interview is over??

guys tbh ive been saying ima write an update letter since october but i am just so lazy i cant do it. im trying to do it rn and i was wondering if anyone had any advice on what sorta stuff i should write about my two published manuscripts. like should i write what it was about, what i learned/what my part of the paper looked into, what the overall paper was about/found, how i want to apply this in the future, or all of the above, or none of the above lol. i just have no idea how to talk about reserach in this letter.

Writing my personal statement rn and cant help but feel like it's ass. If anyone has a few minutes to spare and can read over/comment on it, please comment below/pm. Thank you!

Hey everyone,

I’m a sophomore in college, and I recently made the decision to pursue medical school after initially leaning toward dentistry. Over the past couple of years, I’ve accumulated over 200+ hours shadowing dentists and oral surgeons (OMFS).

Now that I’ve shifted my focus to med school, I’m wondering:

1. Should I include this experience in my med school application? I know the focus is different, but I did gain a lot of insight into surgical procedures, patient care, and the healthcare environment.
2. How can I frame this experience effectively? Should I focus on transferable skills or just mention it briefly?
3. Any tips for making this career switch look intentional and well thought-out?

I’d love to hear from anyone who has been in a similar situation or who might have advice on how to approach this transition. Thanks in advance!

For undergrad, Ivies have single-digit acceptance rates but my local 4-year university has a 90+% acceptance rate. Though acceptance rate data isn't always public, MSAR shows that *roughly* similar proportions of students are (1) being interviewed and (2) matriculating for most MD schools. I feel like I'm missing something. Why do less competitive med schools, generally, have acceptance rates similar to those of the top schools?

I was talking to a fellow at work tonight about how my cycle is going, and how I was bummed to be rejected from my state school recently. He told me when he applied, he didn't get accepted anywhere until March. Got off the waitlist at a school, got into another, and finally hopped off that waitlist at his top choice MD in June. Said he was stressing the whole winter and prepared to re-app. Now he's a critical care fellow at one of the top programs in the nation!

Although I'm grateful to have multiple DO A's hearing this was so heartening. In fact, I've spoken to 2 attendings recently who both said they hopped off waitlists for schools they interviewed at in the Spring. Several friends of mine didn't get an interview at their medical school until March.

I love hearing these stories and it genuinely made me so happy and hopeful. If anyone has a "late" in the cycle admissions success story, share it and give us some hope and good vibes!!!

I am a junior from 2024-2025. I want to take one gap year and apply in Spring/Summer 2026 as a senior. I hope to matriculate in Fall 2027.

I want to take my MCAT in August or September 2025. I read online that MCATs expire after three years for most schools.

If I don't get accepted in my first cycle, I will reapply in Spring/Summer 2027 and matriculate in Fall 2028. Is it expired at that point?

https://students-residents.aamc.org/media/7036/download?attachment

I don't know how to interpret this. For matriculation in Fall 2025, it seems like the oldest your MCAT can be is Jan 2022 for the least generous schools.

I think I would be fine for either one or two gap years, right? Please help. My advisor gave confusing advice.

I’m currently applying this cycle as a TX resident, and I applied to all TMDSAS schools and around 18 AMCAS schools. Currently, I have 5 iis from TMDSAS schools and I’ve heard nothing from any AMCAS schools. Does anyone know why that is, and should I expect to not hear from any of the AMCAS schools at all?

Any tips for update letters? Has anyone written them and would like to share if it was helpful in their experience or how they formatted them? Thanks :)

Today was my last day of biochem class. My prof came up to me at the end of class and straight up offered to write me a letter of recommendation. He first asked if I'm applying to med school then said he'd be happy to write one for me. I almost cried some very ugly tears. I know stem recs are important and i had absolutely no clue where it would come from. I cannot believe this man just fucking offered. Who am I.

Hi guys, I have a question regarding the GPA calculations when it comes to AAMC looking at your transcript.

My school seems to be unique in that if you fail a course but later retake it, your old grade is put down as an "E" (for Excluded from GPA), and your new grade is the only one that is put on the transcript/used for official GPA calculations. In other words, there is no "F" on the transcript, only the newest grade.

However, when I searched up online regarding AAMC policies on this, it tells me that they don't do grade replacement. Ik the AAMC folks don't have x-ray vision when it comes to finding out your original grade if it's just an E on the transcript, but what happens then? Do they ask for the original grade (which opens up the whole rabbit hole of potential lying on the application by the applicant), or do they just pay more attention to the MCAT as the great equalizer when it comes to this kind of thing (e.g. differences in grading and transcript making between institutions)?

Thank you!

Going to send an update letter to the schools im on a WL for and probably the rest of my schools. The doc i work for typed a letter and signed it and gave it to me. Hes not really tech savvy and i dont want to ask him to do the amcas letter eval thing. Would it be appropriate to just upload it to the portal with my update letter?

I live in California. Will be traveling to Texas to take my MCAT on January 24th. Sleep. Wake up take a plane back. Go see The Weeknd in the Rose Bowl as soon as I land. I’m either gonna be living it up or crying at the concert 🤩.

I was lucky enough to get 3 interviews super early on in August and July but got waitlisted at 1, put on hold for 1 and don't know when to expect the decision for the last. However, it's been more than 2 months of a few rejections and silence. Is it common to have a drop off in interviews and does this mean my cycle is slowing down/coming to an end? I had high hopes after the initial II's but now I'm starting to think I'll have to reapply

Hi, couldn't find this anywhere, but has anyone participated in the UVM DMS Program where you are granted provisional acceptance as long as you maintain a 3.0? or is this something they rolled out this year?

Honest question (like, for real): If a company created an MCAT prep program that was open source (i.e., completely free) and the quality of service is equivalent to other mainstream programs (Blueprint, UWorld, and more)… • Would you use it? • Do you think it could disrupt the test prep industry? • What features or resources would be essential to make it a viable alternative? • How important is having live tutoring or personalized support in your study process? • Would you still invest in paid resources for extra assurance, or would this be enough? • Do you think free access could increase accessibility to medical school, or would other barriers remain just as significant? • How would you feel about contributing to the program (e.g., through reviews, content creation, or feedback)? • Do you think the absence of a price tag could lead to skepticism about its quality or reliability? • What’s one feature mainstream programs offer that you couldn’t do without?

I have been an MRI tech for about 5 years and am starting to burn out. I’ve always thought about going back to school to do something more, but now I have a 1 year old and make 2/3 of our money. Due to daycare costs we are basically paycheck to paycheck. We also want another kid or 2 even, but I don’t see how it would be possible in med school, or I’ll have to put it off further. I work 3 rotating 12s at a private clinic where we just do MRIs, all outpatient so dayshift. I just got off a job working nights at a hospital, because it wasn’t working out with my husband’s and baby’s schedules. I pretty much won the job lottery for MRI techs and love this place, but i want to do MORE. But how??😭 I have an associates already from MRI school, so I’m hoping some of those credits will count as pre reqs for med school, but with my family situation does this route make sense? I’m almost 27 and it feels like I’ve wasted so much of my life doing MRI already, like I should have gone the med school path right out of high school. Any advice is appreciated, specifically regarding typical class schedules - is it a Monday-Friday 8 hour day schedule?

Hi everyone! I'm a LA-based pre-med currently in the last year of my undergrad. My path has been ever so slightly untraditional (decided to pursue medicine later into my undergrad) so I haven't been surrounded by peers with similar goals which has been a bit difficult. My school unfortunately doesn't have many recourses, large clubs, or societies for pre-meds either.

If any pre-meds here are in the LA area, or even somewhere else just looking for like-minded peers, don't be afraid to reach out! Also, if anyone has had great success finding fellow pre-meds, please let me know your secrets!!

Thanks!! :)

it’s very unlikely i’d get accepted into medical school at this point. i’m thinking about becoming a nurse then finishing my courses and applying to med school in the future and interested in talking to someone who’s gone through this process

I have an MMI interview on Wednesday and I haven't really prepared much besides a few mock interviews and answering some ethical questions. I already had a standard interview a week ago so I didn't think I needed to prepare much more for this. However, when I looked up how to prep for MMI's in this sub, I saw that people are reading entire books and taking courses specifically for MMI prep?? Have I vastly underestimated what I needed to do in order to do well on my interview? I'm kinda freaking out now 🙃

i posted this as reapp advice roughly 3 weeks ago and all ive gotten since is one more R. im hoping someone can give me some constructive criticism on what to improve for the next cycle, thanks!

https://www.reddit.com/r/premed/s/2MtoSHKxhd

Applicants/Admitted – How did you know that you were ready to apply? I know there's no magic number of extracurricular hours that say you're adequately prepared. I'm a junior but only nineteen, so I always envisioned taking one gap year. I've tried to do something for each of the categories (research, community service, clinical experience – I do hospice volunteering), and I've had plenty of meaningful experiences within healthcare/medicine.

I'm interested in a year-long service program like AmeriCorps because my college experiences revealed a strong desire to work with underserved populations. I know I'll never have an opportunity to have this sort of direct impact later on in life, and I want to broaden my limited perspective on the world by living somewhere new and learning about people with other life experiences. However, even if I don't do AmeriCorps, I think any gap year experience would be valuable to teach me adult responsibilities, how to live alone, and offer growth I might not otherwise have during school.

However, with one gap year, I'd be applying during my senior Spring before doing that gap year experience anyway. How will I know I'm ready emotionally? For the rigor of the application process, for the potential of rejection and reapplication, and if I'm accepted, for the challenges of medical school? What kind of experiences actually do prepare you for those things? When I lived alone over the Summer for research, it was really difficult, and I relied on the support of my friends in the city for companionship. I'm really scared to move somewhere new without family support for the sake of my gap year, but I also know staying at home or in my college town won't push me forward to be stronger. How do you be a strong person, I guess? How can I have that emotional and intellectual strength to begin this journey?

Am I someone who should take multiple gap years? How can I make sure I don't lose the plot in the process and end up floating through life without an end goal? I know I'm rambling a lot, but I've been struggling with self-doubt so much, especially since I don't know anyone who's been in my shoes to ask for advice. I want to hear wise words from much older people who've been through all this.

90% + of matriculant have research at most MD schools, it seems like people with no research are gonna stand out in a not so great way...

I want to apply for the upcoming cycle but I'm conflicted on how to list my job. Despite being research heavy, it is direct patient facing about 25% of the time. So it is providing me with good clinical experience (probably 300 hours before I apply). However, the majority of the hours, I would count as research (like 1200). The issue is outside of this job I don't have research experience and my only other clinical experience is about 50 hours hospice volunteering (I also have shadowing but that has it's own category) Which category should I list the job under? I'm worried about getting screened out based on numbers without people reading the descriptions to see the job encompasses both.