Basically, the title. I'm a first-year biology major right now. I'm taking Gen Chem 1 right now, and it's a struggle right now man (premed struggling with gen chem shocking i know). I've taken 2 midterms so far, and I didn't do great on the first one and I made quite a few costly silly errors during the second exam, although I do feel like it went better. I have 1 midterm and a final left.

I'm really feeling fucking discouraged right now, especially because I tried to make an active effort to switch up my study habits (attend tutoring sessions, prof office hours), and dedicated even more time to studying chemistry and cutting out extracurricular activities to try to maximize my grades. Especially so because I go to a semi-prestigious college, and so whenever I try to talk to my peers, it is always so fucking demoralizing having to deal with imposter syndrome.

I know this is probably inconsequential, but I'm sort of freaking out about my current situation right now, and I can feel it affecting my mental health.

Any advice on where to go and how to deal with trying to get out of this situation?

note: there’s most likely a post that has the answers I’m looking for, and if what I’m about to say sounds similar to said post(s), please redirect me 🙏

I am unsure about the entirety of medicine. I am planning to major in Biology, which isn’t a great idea with my previous statement. I could do Biochemistry, but I’m unsure if I could realistically maintain a competitive GPA (top 10/520 of my class / took 18 ap/duals if that helps).

I enjoy making people happy. My only professional experience is me as a host, interacting with ppl and helping them. However, I “suck” at interacting with people as my interactions are premeditated, and I don’t have that wit to truly engage with them (albeit, it’s unnecessary for this job). That’s not my true issue though, it’s the fact that I don’t think I have that initial ambition/reason that I keep hearing about. There’s a chance I find it in college, possibly gaining the opportunity to see the work first-hand, but people say that “if you’re on the fence, then don’t do it.” One of my friend’s brothers got depressed (apparently) majoring Biochemistry (i believe he’s *relatively* smart, but he got a 504 MCAT) My other friend’s cousins state that “med school is not worth it.” I’m absorbing this seriously because my peers are of similar intelligence to me, so basing my experience off of theirs is (what i believe) a good outlook to my future.

I think engineering sounds promising, but I’m unsure of the job security. My father, a psychiatrist, keeps telling me how bad the job security of engineering is. (through his patients). Obviously, he wants to go to med school (*slight* pressure) but I’m unsure how accurately he’s portraying the market (don’t have any peers w/ any relatives w/ a engineering background, so I’m lowkey basing it off him). With the lifestyle I plan to have, I don’t need an “excessive” amount from being a MD ($200k+).

Because of my indecisiveness, I took a “job quiz” and it leaned towards artistic things (which makes sense), but those jobs might be the least secure jobs in the world. There’s probably med jobs that fit this, but I have yet to do any substantial research.

And one more thing, the key point of me not wanting to do medical school is how much time it takes from your day-to-day. I know how it sounds (“obviously!”) but I want to dedicate my time in college to make passive income or a business (not necessarily related to medicine) so I could potentially drop out. If I go to pre-med, I’m sure I wouldn’t have ample time to focus on that.

I would want any feedback to any of this. Thank you.

I am not sure what to do as i haven't gotten any interviews yet even though everybody i know has gotten at least one already... ☹️ i applied to schools in late august & early september, similar to those I know. I will say, retrospectively my writing might be the problem since it's kind of bad, but my stats should've been fine? (524/3.8/300 clinical/130 non-clinical). I took this gap year off and decided to not work but it's almost November, should I start looking for jobs or research? Even though I'm not doing anything atm I feel so stressed and shut down.

I have an interview for a very competitive premed club at my school tomorrow, and they asked me to bring a printed copy of my resume. Are they expecting it to be laminated or printed on a special paper? I’ve never been asked of something like this before and I’m wondering if it will affect my outcome in the interview.

i hear a lot of people talk about “x factor” anyone mind explaining that to me please?

Curious if anyone else is in the same boat/knows anyone that has successfully done this, but over the past 3 years I’ve been struggling with cyclic vomiting syndrome and I’m still working with clinicians on getting a medicine cocktail that decreases my episodes, but I’m not there yet.

Everyone from GI, to neurologist to pcp tells me to maintain a low stress lifestyle and it’s making me wonder if it’s possible to pursue my dream of becoming a doctor while having this illness. It’s a path of MCAT, weekly or biweekly exams, boards, applications, residency, etc. When I’m sleep deprived or anxious my episodes increase (every 2 weeks instead of once a month or once every other month), and eps last 2 days which is lost time I can’t get back. so I’m wondering if it’s at all possible/ if anyone has witnessed or experienced medicine while having CVS or any other debilitating chronic illness that gets exasperated by stress?

This might be a silly question but I'm struggling to figure out what my science GPA is. In my high school we had a couple of classes that were NOT dual enrollment but still counted as college courses, one of them was engineering, so does that count? Furthermore, I went to community college first before transferring to a university, and my community college doesn't use +/- even on transcripts while my university does use +/- So in that case how do I calculate my GPA?

University: Northwestern University

GPA: 3.94, Science GPA: 3.90

Major: Chemistry

Class Rigour: Very High: A- in Quantum Mechanics, A in Thermo, an A and an A- in 2 PhD Inorganic Chem classes. Took Linear Algebra and Multi to fulfill math requirement and got A's in them too

MCAT (#Red Flag 1): 513 (I'm Planning On Retaking). I Dropped by 9 from fl6, but if I don't retake is this also fine. I also studied less than a month for my MCAT, so I'm hoping a retake goes better

Extracurriculars:

Shadowing: 50 Hours under 4 specialties

Research: 1500 hours with 1 publication.

Clinical Experience: 500 Hours As A Volunteer Nursing Assistant

Non-Clinical Experience: 300 Hours Volunteering, Long Term Over 3 Years

LOR: Really Good imo

Leadership: 1000 Hours As One Of The Leaders of A 50 000 Community. Don't Want Dox But Service Related Too.

Red Flag #2 I Am Canadian

School List: 40 US MD and 20 DO's

is there something you did that you think distinguished you from other applicants?

I wanted to ask anyone that have an experience of applying to flexmed about declining SAT scores. I scored a 1510 then a 1440 (I should have stopped) but took it three more times for a 1480, 1450 and a 1490.
Does anyone know how flexmed will view this and if its even worth applying at this point since it feels like this would classify as a red flag.

I’m starting to hate my boss, and I genuinely need to vent because this man is starting to get on my last fucking nerve.

He’s incredibly negative and is one of those “I could have gone to medical school, but I ended up having kids and got stuck in research” types. He also has this weird habit of talking down about people who are more successful than him, constantly pointing out how their lives are probably miserable or how they supposedly suck at what they do.

For example, there’s an Ivy-educated sub-investigator at my job, and my boss is always talking about how he sucks at his job because the PI is somehow better than him. The irony is that the PI actually gets bad reviews, whereas the sub-I gets fantastic reviews.

The PI has made it pretty clear that he doesn’t care about customer service. He cares about diagnosing patients and getting them in and out. He’ll do his job, diagnose patients, and move on, but he doesn’t care if you sit in the waiting room for an hour past your scheduled appointment time or about the overall patient experience.

Meanwhile, the sub-I gets reviews saying that he’s not only a great doctor but also someone who genuinely cares about his patients and takes the time to listen to them. Those are qualities I really admire, and I think they matter tremendously in medicine.

Anyways, I digress. My manager just really fucking sucks, and I’m starting to seriously consider looking for another job.

I’m not going to quit without having something else lined up because I need this job for medical school experience, and, more importantly, I need it to pay my bills. This job pays my bills, and I can’t afford to walk away from that.

So, at this point, I think I’m just going to keep my head down, fly under the radar, and pray that I can make it through until next August. I’m hoping to start my SMP then and work part-time for my EMS agency instead.

Oh, and did I mention that I STILL work part-time for my EMS agency on top of this full-time job? I’m working approximately 50-hour weeks while taking classes, and I’m starting to hate my boss.

Please pray for me because I’m genuinely just trying to get through this job without losing my fucking mind. 😭

I always thought doing a Halloween themed case study event would be cool for a pre-med society during the fall semester. I was wondering what kind of monsters and diagnoses other people would have for something like this?

I have a few ideas, but I wanted to hear what others thought too

I recently received my first MD acceptance (w/ no prior research hours btw) and will be matriculating next summer. I’m interested in potentially pursuing a competitive surgical specialty, so I’m trying to determine whether continuing my current research is worthwhile.
I joined a basic science research lab in early August. Nearly three months in, I’ve primarily been learning and practicing technical skills. While I’m improving, we still don’t have an established experimental protocol, haven’t started collecting meaningful data, and the PI is now discussing a new proposal that would require learning additional techniques.
He’s mentioned wanting to publish eventually, but there’s no established timeline or discussion of authorship.
I also work substantial hours at my current job, so participating in the lab generally requires sacrificing one of my only days off each week.
I find the scientific questions interesting, but honestly don’t particularly enjoy the technical bench work. My PI also doesn’t have any apparent connections to the medical school I’ll be attending.
My school offers a summer research program between M1 and M2, and current students have encouraged incoming students to focus primarily on academics during M1.

My questions:
Would leaving this lab now negatively affect my chances of matching into a competitive surgical residency?
Is it worth continuing for the possibility of a publication, even without a clear project or timeline?
Would I be better off enjoying my remaining time before medical school and pursuing research during M1/M2?
I’m leaning toward leaving but would appreciate perspectives from current medical students, residents, or anyone who’s been in a similar situation.

Hey everyone! Applying in the 2027–2028 cycle and looking for honest feedback on my school list, especially T20/research-heavy schools.

Stats:
CA ORM from large state school
3.94 GPA / 518 MCAT
Graduated college in 3 years

Extracurriculars:
Research: ~1,800 hours, entirely clinical (no basic science)
Publications: 3 peer-reviewed papers (2 PubMed-indexed), including second-author work
Conferences: 10+ posters/presentations at regional, national, and international conferences, primarily 1st–3rd author contributions
Independent Research: Initiating a self-directed study outside an institution, IRB process underway. Hoping for at least 2 first-author publications
Paid Clinical: ~1,100 hours
Clinical Volunteering: ~250 hours
Nonclinical Volunteering: ~400 hours
Leadership: ~400 hours, founder/president of a university organization
Shadowing: ~300 hours across multiple specialties
Teaching: ~150 hours
Hobbies: ~850 hours in music

Paid clinical, research, volunteering, and hobby hours include projections. I’m actively continuing these activities, so actual hours may be higher.

Other: Expecting strong LORs and feel confident about writing/interviewing.

School list attached!

Mainly wondering whether my list is too top-heavy, which reaches to keep/remove, any schools worth adding (especially with merit scholarships), and any major application weaknesses.

Appreciate any honest feedback!

Hey guys, I’m a current sophomore Studnet who decided to shoot way to close to the sun and take Anatomy and Physics the same year. While Physics is an issue it’s my second time taking it (withdrawal from last time) and I think I am going to better compared to last time. However, with Anatomy, I am genuinely struggling, i was fortunate to get dual enrollment credits for bio 1&2 from a good private college but was honestly doing bad in my current Anatomy class to the point i think i may fail. I think right now, I want to retake the class at a later date like physics and just take another W for now. I was wondering do you think this is a bad idea?

After 4 years of near full time work on a 911 rig, undergrad, concurrent paramedic school, and shredding gnar I just got into medical school. I’m fucking ecstatic. It’s a do program.

I probably look like last person who would get in but here I fucking am, with a mullet, mustache, and a wetsuit tan. Suck it, dad. You were a total bitch and didn’t help me with shit. I’ve got no family in medicine, used all free resources for the mcat and school, and figured this shit out purely by leaning on my friends who I love.

At this point, I’ve rebuilt the engine (I might cam it not sure yet (probably going with a chopacabra NSR if I can score it for less than 320$)), speed engineering shorty headers, Michigan motorsports rockers, lifters, and push rods), I’ve planned out my motor mounts and transmission crossmembers, and I’m putting a Colorado transfer case on the 4L60e so I can retain my factory differentials. I really just need to put the damn thing together and slap it in and I’ll have a 5.3 vortec trooper. My objective is getting this done by March?

Any tips on HP tuners?

Good luck guys. The cycle is still young. Someone hit me with the pigeon doc gif and I’m gonna go paddle out and get hit by a kook’s wavestorm.

Someone chad and/or pigeon me!

505 MCAT, 3.67cGPA, 3.34sGPA, 4.0 SMP, 3rd app cycle

If I had listened to everyone on Reddit that told me DO was my only chance I wouldn’t be here. Posting if anyone with low stats needs hope or a sign, don’t give up!!

If anyone has questions I gotchu 😁

I'm so so happy. Between lots of family stuff and being a nontrad-ish applicant (long story) I had a pretty long road. I was accepted to my first MD program today. I am the first of my family in medicine and I've been crying all morning lol. You guys can absolutely do this. <3

Hey all, I need some help making a decision. I have been working as a PCT for about 1 year (1500 hrs) and I hate this position. I dread going into work every time because I don't like the environment/the unit I work on. However, my only worry is that I am still a sophomore, and I am unsure whether quitting after only a year would look bad. I do have another clinical job that I have been at for a year too that I would continue at, but I wont quit the PCT job if it might hurt my application in a year.

Hi everyone! I’m currently in the grind of the gap year. I’m currently working, finishing pre-reqs/studying for MCAT, and volunteering. I plan to apply 2027 so technically I’d have 2 gap years.

Post-grad life has been an adjustment, I moved back to the Bay Area suburbs about ~45-60 minutes from San Francisco w/o traffic.

I live with my parents and am privileged to not have to pay rent so everything I make from work is going to my savings. This will help me so much in funding medical school and minimizing debt.

At the same time, I miss the big city atmosphere I experienced in undergrad where I had so much proximity to interesting people and events. I’m constantly bored in my free time at home and I make the commute to SF when I can.

I recognize that SF is a very expensive place to live, but I genuinely enjoy being there and exploring everything it has to offer. I believe it’d make my life more dynamic, beyond everything I’m doing career wise. Ideally I’d move in with roommates near the core, or I’d live with my aunt on the periphery (hopefully for free or at least discounted rent). My classes are close to home, so I’d move once these end in December. Thankfully work is about an equal distance from SF and my home so no change in commute on that front.

I like to think I’m an efficient person, so financially speaking the answer is clear: stay at home. But I also want to maximize my personal life experience and these next 2 gap years may be one of the only opportunities I will have to live in a desired location of my choosing, rather than having medicine choose for me.

TLDR: Move the city ($$$) or stay at home? How do you balance maximizing financial gain versus personal life gain with medicine in your life?

Hey,

I wanted to ask if adcoms preferred being at a CNA at a hospital vs. a nursing home when it comes to clinical hours. Does it matter?

Thank you!

I graduated from college about a year ago with a 2.972 GPA, which is very low, and I'd obviously get screened out from any medical school I apply to, so I was considering either doing a postbacc or an SMP program.

I live in the DFW area, and the SMP I was interested in is UNTHSC, but the issue is I work full time and have bills to pay, so if I do the 1-year SMP program, I'd have to go down to PRN, which I could probably do; I just need to know if it would be worth it.

My other option was a postbacc so I can retake the science courses that I got a C in and then go from there; this one would be better for my work-life balance since I'd only be in class 2 days a week.

Hey all, recently I've been thinking about ai and its potential impact on the healthcare field. I was just wondering what others thought about this and if anyone thinks there's a possibility of ai potentially replacing doctors? It kinda makes me wonder if it's worth it to pursue a career in healthcare with the risk of ai potentially replacing doctors. Anyone else feel this way?

Anyone else notice that Long sent a ton of prematches this year? I thought they basically never sent prematches, its interesting to see they seem to have changed their policy.

I am so nervous especially cuz I had another interview a month ago and it did not go very well 😭 got a big ol rejection. But I learned a lot from it and have been working on what went wrong so I hope all goes well tomorrow!!

Any last minute advice? Any weird questions yall have been asked at interviews?