▲ 60 r/premed
2025-2026 Cycle Results!!
I love the reddit community so here are my cycle results, my whole application, and all of the advice I have from this whole process. Also if you want to just see my whole pdf DM me and I'm happy to send it!
Stats:
- 511 --> 518 MCAT (I wrote another Reddit post on my retaking process on r/Mcat
- 3.88 BCPM, 3.86 AO, 3.87 Overall GPA
- Attended T15 undergrad
- ORM, not low income, suburban background
- Preview score: 5 (so bad i know)
- Global and public health sciences major
Application:
- Lead Medical Assistant for 3 years - 900 hours
- Nurse Assistant - 380 hours
- Head teaching assistant for biochemistry - 300 hours
- 2 political paid internships - 900 hours
- Hospital volunteer - 90 hours
- Summer research internship - 480 hours
- Barista - 270 hours
- 4 year public health internship with 1 publication - 450 hours
- Full spectrum doula and performed free breastfeeding workshops - 450 hours
- 4 year research lab with 1 symposium - 900 hours
- Shadowing - 420 hours
- Undergrad leadership (ASL club, PhiDE, IM soccer) - 350 hours
- On-campus job at women’s resource center (spearheaded gender marginalization awareness programs on campus) - 900 hours
- CEO and founder of period poverty nonprofit, performed reproductive education workshops at youth shelter - 700 hours
LOR:
- Public health professor got pretty close with over 4 years
- 1 science professor not super close with was just TA for one semester
- 1 science professor who I was head TA for so pretty close
- My research PI who not super close with but got close with my PhD student
- My boss at the women’s resource center who is suchhh a lovely woman definitely wrote a really good rec
- The doctor I shadowed and worked for 3 years I’m sure that was a good letter as well
Tips:
- Build up those relationships early - retrospectively, I think those relationships I build up over 3-4 years with clear representation that I’m a hard worker, whether it was asking them for internship advice or just laying out my plan to them and seeing what they thought showed that Im a good student and that they are investing in someone who works hard - it’s definitely nerve-wracking but be that person who stays after class to talk and be that person who puts themselves out there - I got my first MA job by applying to 200+ places on indeed until one person decided to hire an 18 year old with no license and I drove every day for 3 hours to get to this job
- Hit all the requirements - there’s not requirement for the number of hours you need for clinical, volunteer, non-clinical, etc. but try to check each box even if it’s just couple hours here and there. My volunteer hours were definitely lacking the most but I’m just someone who prioritizes getting paid for my work and thats fine but I still made sure to check the box at least marginally
- Figure out your “why” concretely - one of my recommenders I called before I was writing my personal statement and I was telling her my story and she just told me basically my why of being a doctor because at first I was struggling and some reasons are just bullshit and AOs can see that but she made me realize that trust was a big reason as to why I want to be a doctor which also ties into my public health background with SES factors - consult other people and tell them your why and ask them if they think it’s a bullshit reason because if they can see it then AOs can too
- Do what you’re passionate about - I did truly enjoy everything I did on college even if it was hard to get but I just followed what interested me not just what I thought looked good - if you do what your passionate about it’s easier to write about later on when AOs ask about it in secondaries
- Interviews - tbh I know it’s not ideal but I think over prepping for interviews is a thing, like just make sure you have a few stories down and understand how to answer ethical questions like CASPER style and you should be fine - just be authentic and remember they’re just people too like appeal to their humanistic side by being personable and you should be fine
- Shoot your shot - I truly didn’t think I had a chance at duke when I first applied but im glad I at least tried, I also know friends with lower stats but fantastic stories and got into T10 schools, you really never know just shoot your shot everywhere, you only apply once
- Do everything early - this one’s a given but being early really gives you a jump on those first spots and it makes all the difference
- Be human - I know it sounds dumb but if your application is just stacked with clinical, research, etc. hours there are some schools that are just less likely to accept you because it’s pretty cookie cutter, think about some other things you like to do besides the resume and go do them!! You benefit mentally and you seem more human, I know its dumb but I think like being a barista and IM soccer and just my interests for being a doula seemed more humanistic then being in another dumb research lab
Thanks for hearing my spiel!! Good luck to everyone on the 2026-2027 cycle I know it’s super nervewracking and it’s all confusing with all of the deadlines and timelines but you got it and just take things one step at a time!! And a lot of this process you can’t control so dont feel like you can control every aspect of it!! Please feel free to reach out individually with any questions !!
u/Candid_West3051 — 26 days ago